Chapter 381: Entertaining Guests
Gunter von Goldberg II masked his inner calculations, letting a smooth, indifferent smile slip back onto his face. He offered a light, airy laugh. "It seems Miss Ningguang has found herself some rather capable helpers. I wish them the utmost success in completing your commission."
Toru Amuro immediately picked up on the thick layer of condescension coating the foreigner's words. While this arrogant dismissal actually worked perfectly in his favor—lulling the man into a false sense of security for his upcoming plans—a tiny muscle at Amuro's temple still twitched with irritation.
Conan did not miss the slight either. He adjusted his glasses, grinding his teeth together behind closed lips. 'This guy is simply way too arrogant,' the young detective thought, his eyes narrowing at the tall illusionist.
Naturally, Kogoro Mouri remained completely oblivious to the thinly veiled disdain. His thick skin absorbed the backhanded compliment as genuine praise. The older detective puffed out his chest, thoroughly convinced that this wealthy foreigner believed in his legendary deductive skills. Whatever fleeting vigilance Kogoro had possessed moments ago evaporated entirely under the warm glow of flattery.
Watching the bumbling detective preen, Gunter's internal sneer deepened. He mentally categorized the entire group as utterly incompetent fools, hardly worth his time.
If Ningguang registered the biting sarcasm in Gunter's tone, her elegant features betrayed absolutely nothing. She maintained her pristine, businesslike composure. "Then I shall personally entertain Mr. Gunter next. As for Mr. Mouri and Mr. Amuro..." Her crimson eyes shifted toward Sonoko and the rest of the investigative party, softening into a polite smile. "You may follow Keqing and Ganyu. They will brief you on the finer details of the situation."
"Wait just a moment," Gunter interjected suddenly, raising a gloved hand.
Ningguang paused, her expression perfectly neutral. "Is there a problem? Does Mr. Gunter have other arrangements in mind?"
"Oh, not at all," Gunter replied smoothly, waving off her concern. "It is simply that the employees Detective Mouri wishes to question are directly involved with your company's Holographic Projection Technology. It just so happens that I have a vested interest in that very subject. I can simply tag along with them. There is no need to trouble you to entertain me separately. A woman of your stature is incredibly busy, and I would hate to waste even a second of your valuable time."
Beneath his gentlemanly facade, Gunter von Goldberg II was an elite assassin for a shadowy syndicate, operating under the infamous codename 'Spider'. His absolute mastery lay in the deadly craft of Illusionary Arts. It was a terrifying skill set, one he wielded with supreme, unshakable confidence.
Yet, he had recently received deeply irritating news. Word had spread of a technological performance in this tiny island nation that supposedly rivaled his own mind-bending illusions.
What truly stoked the fires of his fury was the endless chatter online. Ignorant netizens had actually dared to compare his world-class, supernatural illusionary performances with mere corporate technology. The general consensus among the masses was that Spider's legendary shows were somehow lacking in excitement, falling short of a simple idol concert backed by the Jade Chamber's holograms.
Spider refused to swallow such a humiliating insult. It just so happened that his current assignment brought him to Japan to investigate the sudden reappearance of the phantom thief, Kaitou Kid. He fully intended to use this convenient trip to teach this fraudulent, tech-reliant company a harsh lesson. Acting as a hidden blade for the Jade Chamber's corporate rivals was just an added bonus.
Unfortunately, his corporate employers had proven to be entirely useless. Every single Jade Chamber employee they had pointed him toward lacked any real access to the core data of the Holographic Projection Technology. After wasting days hunting down dead-end leads, Spider had finally decided to step out of the shadows and take matters into his own hands.
Running into this supposedly famous detective was a stroke of luck. Spider calculated that tagging along with the investigative team served a dual purpose. Firstly, the employees Mouri planned to interrogate were directly tied to the holographic tech, meaning Spider could easily eavesdrop and siphon crucial information. Secondly, embedding himself within a large, chaotic group of civilians provided the perfect cover, making it incredibly easy for him to pull a few deadly strings in secret.
These dark, predatory thoughts flashed through Spider's mind in a fraction of a second. On the outside, his handsome features remained locked in the polite, considerate expression of a refined European gentleman.
However, in his arrogance, he failed to notice the subtle shift in the room's atmosphere. The very moment he finished his polite excuse, Amuro shot him a deeply unfathomable, piercing look.
Beside the blond man, Conan lowered his head. The overhead lights caught the lenses of the boy's glasses, obscuring his eyes behind a sharp flash of opaque white light.
"Of course," Ningguang agreed without a moment of hesitation. She turned her graceful posture toward her two most trusted subordinates. "Ganyu, Keqing. See to it that our guests are not neglected."
"Understood, Miss Ningguang," Ganyu replied softly, bowing her head in compliance.
Keqing crossed her arms, a confident spark in her amethyst eyes. "Don't worry. Even without you saying it, I intend to entertain him quite thoroughly."
With a final, polite nod of farewell to Gunter, Kogoro, and the rest of the investigative party, Ningguang turned on her heel and glided back toward her office to resume her mountain of paperwork.
"Everyone, please follow me," Ganyu instructed, gesturing down the sleek, modern corridor. "The employees involved in the recent incidents all work within the same developmental department. Aside from the one individual who was seriously injured and remains under strict observation at the hospital, the others sustained only minor injuries. They have already returned to their standard shifts here at the company."
Ganyu maintained her gentle, welcoming smile as she outlined the itinerary. "I will first take Mr. Mouri and his team to speak with the victims directly to gather statements. While that is underway, Keqing will personally demonstrate our department's Holographic Projection Technology for Mr. Gunter."
The group traversed the sprawling corporate floors, soon arriving at a bustling, high-tech laboratory space. Spider positioned himself quietly near the doorway, leaning against the wall with a pleasant smile plastered on his face. He listened intently as Kogoro and the others began their aggressive questioning of the nervous tech employees.
Unfortunately for the detectives, the interrogation yielded painfully little. Almost none of the victims had caught even a fleeting glimpse of their attacker. They could not even confirm if the perpetrator was male or female. The only consistent detail among a handful of the employees was the sudden, terrifying appearance of several eerie red lights piercing the darkness just seconds before they lost consciousness.
"Red lights?" Sonoko echoed, rubbing her chin as she stared at the ceiling in complete bewilderment. "What in the world is that supposed to represent? A laser pointer?"
"These accidents mostly occurred late at night," Kogoro reasoned, waving a hand dismissively as if the clue was entirely worthless. "It was probably just some random streetlights they saw in their panic. Neon signs in this city come in all sorts of flashy colors. In my professional opinion, this is a clear-cut case of corporate sabotage. Those narrow-minded competitors are simply green with jealousy over the massive success Ningguang has achieved, so they have resorted to playing dirty tricks in the shadows."
Kogoro crossed his arms, looking incredibly pleased with his own deduction. "They definitely hired some unscrupulous street thugs to cause property destruction and panic. By harming the employees, they attempt to create endless trouble for Ningguang, distracting her from her duties and thereby crippling the normal operation and technological development of the entire Jade Chamber."
"However, as the old saying goes, evil can never prevail over justice!" Kogoro declared loudly, turning his attention to the blue-haired secretary. He stared at Ganyu with fervent, overly enthusiastic eyes. "With your diligent help, Miss Ganyu, I firmly believe that you and Miss Ningguang will completely see through their pathetic schemes. We absolutely will not let those corporate cowards have their way!"
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]