Chapter 389: Right on the Mark
"So it turns out you two aren't from the same organization either." A flicker of genuine surprise colored Spider's voice. The gloomy shadow that had darkened his features upon having his true code name exposed vanished, replaced by a smooth, practiced smile in less than a second. "In that case, Miss Ganyu belongs to this... Teyvat Organization. However, I still don't know which faction you hail from, Mr. Amuro. Could you satisfy the dying curiosity of a helpless prisoner like me?"
He kept his tone light and conversational, deliberately drawing their attention to his face. Behind his back, hidden from their line of sight, his fingers worked frantically. The cold edge of a concealed blade sawed against the thick ropes binding his wrists, severing the fibers strand by strand.
Almost there... just a little longer... he chanted in his mind. The closer the blade bit toward freedom, the faster his pulse raced, yet his outward expression remained a mask of polite, unbothered amusement.
"No." Amuro's expression darkened into a cold, dismissive sneer. He looked down at the captive illusionist, his tone dripping with intentional disdain. "Who exactly do you think you are? A third-rate trickster tied up on the floor isn't worthy of knowing my organization's name."
Though, as the words left his mouth, a cynical thought crossed Amuro's mind. What is the actual name of our organization anyway? The intelligence agencies and its own members just referred to it as 'The Organization'. He certainly couldn't call it the 'Black Organization' out loud.
Spider's carefully maintained smile cracked at the edges. Being openly mocked while bound grated on his immense ego. He narrowed his eyes into venomous slits, shooting a sinister glare toward Ganyu before turning his contempt back to the blond detective. "The Teyvat Organization? Hmph! Today is the very first time I have ever heard such a ridiculous name. If you are forced to cooperate with a tiny, no-name faction that barely registers on the underworld's radar, it seems whatever pathetic group you belong to, Mr. Amuro, isn't any better!"
Faced with such a blatant, disparaging taunt, Amuro remained exceptionally composed. Not a single muscle in his jaw tightened; not a flicker of irritation breached his calm facade at the insult to the syndicate he was actively trying to destroy from the inside.
Instead, the corners of his mouth curled into a sharp, mocking smile. "Oh? Let us follow that logic for a moment. If an elite operative like yourself was so easily captured by members of our two 'small, unknown organizations,' doesn't that simply prove your own syndicate is even more low-rent and fragile?"
"Um..." Ganyu's soft, gentle voice suddenly drifted into the tense verbal sparring match. She blinked her large, innocent eyes, looking between the two men. "Actually, I think Mr. Spider's 'Zoo' is indeed not that great."
She tilted her head, her tone remaining entirely polite as she delivered an absolutely devastating critique. "Your goals are vague and completely unrealistic. Your members seem to lack both physical strength and basic intelligence, and your weapons technology is terribly outdated. In terms of overall threat, you are far inferior even to the 'Winery,' let alone compared to the Teyvat Organization. Naturally, the Teyvat Organization is the best."
As her soft-spoken yet brutally honest words echoed through the room, the entire scene plunged into a suffocating, dead silence. The sheer contrast between her angelic demeanor and the absolute savagery of her assessment left the air completely stagnant.
Spider's jaw practically unhinged, his taunts dying in his throat. Amuro stared at her, temporarily stunned speechless. Miles away, huddled over his receiver, Conan pressed the earpiece tighter against his ear. A layer of cold, fine sweat broke out across the tiny detective's forehead.
Looks really can be deceiving, Conan thought, swallowing hard. Miss Ganyu actually just said something so brutally right on the mark. That Spider guy is probably about to cough up blood from sheer anger.
Back in the room, Amuro quickly recovered from his initial shock. Since he held absolutely zero loyalty to the Black Organization, he didn't care to defend their honor against her critique. However, a specific detail caught his sharp attention. 'Winery?' What kind of ridiculous nickname was that?
Noticing his confusion, Ganyu looked over at Amuro with a helpful smile. "Oh, that is our organization's internal nickname for your faction, Mr. Amuro. Since all of your high-ranking members use the names of alcohol for their code names, it just made sense."
"...That certainly is vivid," Amuro muttered, a slight twitch pulling at the corner of his lip. He quickly pushed the absurd nickname aside—there were more pressing matters at hand. He pivoted back to Spider, his expression hardening into impatient authority.
"Speak," Amuro commanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. "What is your actual purpose in coming to Japan? What do you intend to do with the Holographic Projection Technology, and what exactly is your organization's ultimate goal?"
He refused to believe they were going through all this trouble for some mythical gemstone legend that sounded like a fairy tale. If they truly were chasing magic rocks, then Ganyu's assessment was entirely accurate—they really weren't very bright.
"Hmph, I have nothing to say!" Spider snapped his mouth shut, jutting his chin out defiantly. He fully intended to take his syndicate's secrets to the grave.
"I highly suggest you don't do this the hard way," Amuro warned. He frowned, the last shreds of his patience evaporating into the cold air.
Without a second of hesitation, the blond undercover agent closed the distance. He raised his leg and delivered a vicious, punishing kick directly into Spider's abdomen.
The impact folded Spider in half. The massive kinetic force sent the assassin skidding backward across the polished floor until he slammed heavily against the far wall like a discarded ragdoll.
"Ugh..." Spider choked out a muffled groan, coughing as he struggled to catch his breath. Despite the pain, he quickly snapped his head up, glaring at Amuro with a provocative, bloodstained grin. "What, planning to torture a confession out of me? You don't have much time left for that, do you? I remember that little boy went to the bathroom quite a while ago. When he comes back and sees me beaten like this, he will surely run and tell Kogoro Mouri."
Spider let out a raspy chuckle. "No, maybe he has already told Kogoro Mouri that you've caught a criminal. Children always love to show off, after all. So, how do you plan to explain this little interrogation to the famous Sleeping Detective? Or, just to prevent me from talking... are you going to finish me off right here?"
[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!]