Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

"Where's the champagne?"

"He's dead too." Kuroba Toichi's voice remained calm. "I went to look for him. He died in his apartment two days ago, and his body hasn't been found yet. The exact cause of death is currently unknown."

Karasuma Renya's brow furrowed deeply.

On that withered face, the skin writhed and piled up like old tree bark, looking exceptionally terrifying.

The heart rate monitor next to me jumped suddenly, and the ripples began to vibrate violently.

It's one thing for Rum to die, but the real workers, Champagne, are all dead!!

"gentlemen--"

The old man with a katana at his waist quickly stepped forward, placed his fingers on the instrument, and whispered reassuringly, "Take a deep breath, calm down, calm down..."

Karasuma Renya ignored him.

Those cloudy eyes were fixed on Kuroba Touichi.

“Go on.”

Black Feather Thief raised his eyes and met that gaze.

"Sir, currently, the only remaining codenamed members in Japan are Gin, Koniak, Vermouth, Vodka, and Korn."

Although there is still Arak, he is not someone they can command... unless they use threats, which would most likely force him to become an enemy.

The heart rate monitor's ripples jumped violently again.

How come there's so little left?

The old man with the katana quickly tried to reassure him again, his fingers resting on the instrument, his brow furrowed.

Karasuma Renya's chest heaved, causing the thin sheet to tremble. He stared at the ceiling, something churning in his cloudy eyes.

A very, very long time passed.

After a long time, the ripples on the instrument finally subsided.

His voice rang out again, hoarse and slow, yet carrying a fierce edge:

"Eliminate all heretics and hidden dangers within the organization. Recruit all those who can be brought back from abroad. Invest 90% of the organization's working capital into the research institute. Force Sherry to accelerate the process."

He paused, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "Now is the critical moment."

Time, time is the most important thing right now!

Organizational turmoil is inevitable, but as long as Drug A succeeds, nothing else matters.

Kuroba Touichi whispered, confirming again: "Should we recall them all?"

Karasuma Renya closed his eyes.

His withered face was devoid of any expression.

"All."

Chapter 584 Eliminating Hidden Dangers Within the Organization

late at night.

The lights in the safe house were off, with only the streetlights from outside shining through the gaps in the curtains, casting a thin trail of light on the floor.

Gin was lying on the sofa in his pajamas, his freshly washed hair loose and still slightly damp.

He has been here for three days.

After nearly a week of intense work, even he needed a few days to recover.

I slept almost the entire first day, and woke up a few times on the second day before falling asleep again.

On the third day, he finally felt that his body belonged to him again.

It's late at night now, and having had plenty of sleep, he's not sleepy at all.

Holding a glass of wine in his hand, he unconsciously shook it, staring at the blurry shadow on the ceiling, his mind blank.

This is a rare moment of peace.

The phone rang.

Gin frowned.

He reached out and picked it up, glancing at the screen.

Anonymous number. Encrypted line.

He sat up straight and pressed the answer button.

"Gin".

The voice coming from the receiver was mechanical, cold, and devoid of any emotion—processed by a voice changer. But that tone, that undeniable sense of oppression, was all too familiar to him.

BOSS.

Gin's body tensed, his back straightened, and all his laziness and relaxation vanished in an instant.

“BOSS.” His voice was deep and respectful.

"Rum is dead."

Those four words were like a bucket of ice water poured over my head.

Gin paused in his movements.

Rum? Dead?

When did this happen?

His voice remained steady, but his fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the phone.

"This morning. Beika Town. Sniper rifle. Left eye pierced, one shot kill."

Gin's mind raced through various pieces of information.

Rum, that old fox, has been spending some time at the sushi restaurant lately, but since the drug trials began, there's been no activity from Rum's side. He's been busy with his mission and hasn't paid any attention.

Now, suddenly dead?

That old codger, who lived for so many years and hid so well, just died like that?

He only rested for a few days, what exactly happened?

Who?

Who did it?

A name popped into his mind almost instantly.

Koniak.

If we're talking about who has both the ability and the motivation, it's only Koniak.

With Koniak's keen perception, it was impossible for him not to notice Rum in disguise. Rum's presence near Ran Mouri had already offended him to some extent.

Secretly killing Rum is something he's absolutely capable of doing!

"Who killed him?"

His voice was very low.

"The hidden dangers left by what Rum did twenty years ago." The BOSS's voice remained mechanical, devoid of any emotion. "An enemy."

Gin frowned.

An enemy from twenty years ago? He could pinpoint Rum's disguise with pinpoint accuracy, locate him instantly, and kill him with a single shot from 300 meters away—

wrong.

What a coincidence!

"sure?"

"Rachel Asaka." In response to Gin's questioning, Toichi Kuroba directly gave a name.

This is what he found out today. It took him a lot of effort to uncover the true identity of that elementary school teacher.

So far, Rum's exposure seems straightforward: he was recognized by his enemy at Skygate, then discovered he was disguised in a sushi restaurant. He was then killed swiftly and decisively from a distance while delivering food.

It has to be said, Rachel Asaka is a formidable figure.

However, it's strange that Rum didn't notice anything unusual or make any preparations.

His death was far too easy, which was seriously inconsistent with his identity and personality, to the point that he felt there was something that had not been investigated.

However, he didn't have the energy to spend investigating this matter.

Rum's death was a foregone conclusion; now he had to deal with the turbulent organization.

Since the murderer's name has already been given, Gin can no longer question it.

He wrote down the name, intending to look it up carefully.

"Champagne is dead too." Kuroba Toichi dropped another bombshell.

"Died in the apartment. Time of death more than two days ago, no external injuries, cause of death currently unknown."

Gin's gaze darkened.

Rum's secretary and assistant. The woman who organized the vast majority of the clerical work, the one who knew most of Rum's secrets—she was also dead.

If Rum's death alone could be considered accidental, then the deaths of both of them indicate an organized and premeditated attack against the organization.

This is no coincidence.

“I will have Vermouth investigate this matter, find out the cause of Champagne’s death, and the other forces behind Rachel Asaka,” Kuroba Toichi continued.

Rachel Asaka is definitely not a single person. Killing Rum is somewhat reasonable, but Champagne also dies, which goes beyond what is reasonable.

"clear."

"This is a critical moment. All our personnel overseas will be recalled." The voice on the other end of the phone remained cold. "Be prepared."

Gin's brow twitched.

Should we recall them all?

With Rum dead, the organization's power structure is about to undergo a major reshuffle. What does the return of those people from abroad mean? A purge? A reorganization? Or—

"Eliminate the hidden dangers within the organization." The BOSS seemed to see through his thoughts. "You and Koniak, stabilize the overall situation."

Koniak's intimidating presence was enough to deter any disobedient members of the organization.

Gin put down his glass, which clicked as it touched the coffee table.

It definitely needs to be cleaned up. With Rum dead, those rats will certainly not stay still.

But, Koniak?

Is it certain that Koniak was not part of the unrest?

But getting rid of Koniak...? He wisely put the idea aside.

He might have been killed in the past, but now...

"clear."

The call has ended.

Gin sat in the darkness, holding his phone.

The light streaming in from the window still fell at his feet, bright and clear, but it didn't illuminate his face.

He didn't rush out or do anything; instead, he reached for the box of matches on the coffee table, struck one with a "whoosh," and lit a cigarette.

The firelight illuminated half of his face before quickly going out.

He took a deep drag. The embers of his cigarette flickered in the darkness, and the rising smoke blurred his features.

The wind outside the window grew stronger. The shadows of the trees swayed wildly, pounding against the glass like countless hands trying to get in.

After finishing his cigarette, he stubbed it out in the ashtray, took out his laptop, and quickly started working on it.

A series of messages appeared on the screen: Shinichi Kudo's disappearance, the rising star Kogoro Mouri, the Ferris wheel explosion at the ocean park, the killings at the organization's base, the news of a man shot dead inside a car explosion on a national highway, the self-destruction of the organization's interrogation base, the death of Fred, and today, Rum's death...

He looked at the list of messages, a mocking smile playing on his lips, though it was unclear who he was mocking.