Chapter 398: Each Harboring Their Own Thoughts
Conan turned his attention toward the elderly inventor, who had been sitting quietly off to the side, seemingly lost in his own world as he listened to their conversation. "Dr. Agasa!"
"Huh?!" Agasa jolted, blinking rapidly as he snapped back to reality. He adjusted his round glasses and looked down at the boy. "Ah, what is it, Shinichi?"
Conan gave a brief, concise rundown of how they had caught the culprit at the Jade Chamber earlier that day. However, the moment he casually mentioned planting wiretaps right under the noses of both the Black Organization and the Teyvat Organization, the atmosphere in the room shifted. Haibara, who was still visibly shaken by the recent influx of dangerous news, shot him a piercing, annoyed glare. Her small hands balled into fists at her sides.
Conan offered her a sheepish, apologetic smile, rubbing the back of his head before quickly pivoting back to the inventor to avoid her wrath.
"Doctor, Ningguang's behavior today was highly unusual," Conan explained, his expression turning serious. "She only made a brief appearance when we first entered the building. Later, when Kogoro was saying his goodbyes, she was completely nowhere to be found. Based on what I know of her character, she isn't the type to commit such a blatant breach of etiquette. She must have been occupied with something incredibly urgent—so busy that she couldn't spare even a single minute for pleasantries."
He paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I suspect her sudden disappearance is directly tied to the rival companies targeting the Jade Chamber that Kogoro mentioned. So, I need a favor. Could you look into exactly who these competitors are? Keep a close eye on their financial movements and public activities for the next few days. If there are any sudden shifts or anomalies, let me know immediately."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Agasa agreed without hesitation, though a frown soon creased his forehead. "However, Shinichi, you have to remember my limits. I can only scrape surface-level information and public records from the web. I won't be able to bypass corporate firewalls to dig into their deep internal operations."
"That's perfectly fine," Conan reassured him. "Knowing Ningguang, whatever counterattack she is planning won't be small-scale. Even if it takes a little time to ripple outward, the financial media will definitely catch wind of the fallout."
Conan's strategy was calculated. By having Agasa passively monitor mainstream news and public market fluctuations rather than actively hacking into servers, he minimized their digital footprint. It was a necessary precaution to prevent the highly capable Teyvat Organization from noticing someone was snooping around, which could easily lead their intelligence network straight back to him.
Off to the side, Haibara listened quietly. When Conan asked the doctor to monitor the Jade Chamber's rivals, her icy blue eyes flickered with a hidden realization. 'This must be the information I am supposed to report to Shikanoin Heizou...' she thought, recalling the secret agreement made aboard the train.
"There is one more thing..." Conan began, suddenly turning his gaze toward the former scientist.
Caught off guard, Haibara didn't have time to mask her expression. Conan immediately caught the heavy, gloomy shadow lingering in her eyes.
Misinterpreting her distress, Conan assumed she was simply terrified of the ever-persistent Bourbon. His sharp features softened into a reassuring look. "Haibara, it's going to be okay," he comforted her gently. "As long as you keep your distance and avoid crossing paths with him, he won't notice you. You're safe here."
Haibara looked at the boy detective, taking in his sincere, earnest attempt to reassure her. A complex storm of emotions swirled in her chest, accompanied by a sharp pang of guilt. He was trying so hard to protect her, yet she was keeping secrets from him. But she hardened her resolve. For her sister's sake, she had no choice. She would follow the directives given by the Teyvat Organization and Cointreau to the letter.
"I certainly hope so..." Haibara finally murmured, her voice quiet. She quickly changed the subject, crossing her arms defensively. "By the way, great detective, what was it you actually wanted to ask me?"
"Right," Conan said, his tone shifting back to business. "I wanted to ask... during your time in the Organization, did you ever hear of an assassin operating under the codename 'Spider'? Or anyone else using animal-based codenames for that matter?"
"You mean that strange syndicate that foolishly provoked Teyvat?" Haibara frowned, her delicate brows knitting together as she sifted through her dark memories. After a long moment of silence, she shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. I never heard anyone mention those types of codenames while I was working in the labs. At the very least, I never heard Gin utter a single word about them.
"There are really only two possibilities," she continued analytically. "Either this animal-themed group never crossed paths with our Organization, or they did, and Gin simply considered them too insignificant to care about."
Conan fell silent, his mind racing back to Amuro's reaction at the Jade Chamber earlier. When the codename 'Spider'was dropped, the undercover agent's expression had shifted. Amuro clearly had some prior intelligence regarding this'Zoo' syndicate, yet his knowledge seemed shallow compared to the deep, complex understanding possessed by Ningguang and the rest of the Jade Chamber.
However, piecing together the fragments of their conversation, Conan had deduced one obvious fact: Kaitou Kid was deeply entangled in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with this 'Zoo'syndicate, much like his own bitter war against the Black Organization.'Should I find a way to contact Kid?'Conan wondered, staring blankly at the floorboards.'If I can get in touch with him, I might be able to extract a clearer picture of what we're actually dealing with.'
The following day brought a deceptive sense of normalcy. When Conan returned to the Mouri Detective Agency, he accompanied Kogoro and Ran downstairs to Café Poirot for a casual lunch. The bell above the door chimed cheerfully, and Conan immediately spotted Amuro behind the counter. The blonde man wore his signature bright, welcoming smile, diligently wiping down the espresso machine as if he didn't have a single care in the world.
But Conan knew better. Undoubtedly, ever since Amuro discovered the shocking truth that Shuichi Akai was still alive, the Public Security agent hadn't acted rashly. Instead, beneath that cheerful barista facade, he had already begun to methodically deploy a series of ruthless, calculated plans.
Behind the scenes, Amuro had moved swiftly. He had contacted Kazami Yuya, ordering his loyal subordinate to mobilize a specialized Public Security team. His instructions were absolute: they were to launch a complete, suffocating surveillance operation on the Kudo Residence. Every person entering or leaving, every flicker of a light switch, every minor disturbance was to be documented.
But surveillance wasn't enough. Amuro had also issued a far more invasive directive—his men were to seize the very first opportunity to secretly obtain a blood or hair follicle sample from the mysterious Subaru Okiya.
Remembering the complex web he had just spun, the corners of Amuro's mouth curled up a fraction of an inch, revealing a sharp, imperceptible smirk hidden behind a tray of freshly brewed coffees.
'Let's see how this Subaru Okiya—this so-called engineering graduate student from Tokyo University—copes with a real investigation,' Amuro thought, his eyes glinting with cold anticipation. After all, an ordinary, civilian college student couldn't possibly handle such covert, high-pressure espionage tactics without slipping up.
He was a patient hunter. He would sit back, serve coffee, and wait for the inevitable day when Shuichi Akai finally cracked under the pressure and revealed his true colors.
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