Chapter 353

Almost as soon as Sumikawa Shinryu finished speaking, Conan Edogawa was already drenched in sweat.

It's impossible to guard against this, Mr. Hanchuan! Couldn't you at least give me a heads-up before you start something?!

It's one thing to hack into other people's computers, but Conan Edogawa himself often engages in illegal wiretapping. After all, some of his bottom lines are quite flexible when it comes to solving cases.

But this operation, which directly confronts the criminals...

If it were anyone else, Conan Edogawa wouldn't have thought much of it, but with Shinryu Samikawa, Conan immediately began to suspect that he was trying to toy with the criminal.

This is unacceptable! It violates humanitarian principles!

Compared to Conan Edogawa, Vice President Tomokazu Kanda was actually sweating profusely.

Because Conan Edogawa has a psychological advantage, so failing to stop it doesn't affect anything, but Satoshi Kanda is different.

He had something to hide. He was already somewhat sensitive because the police were still investigating cases related to him, and he had just failed to silence the kidnapper. He was on edge when suddenly a strange voice came from his computer, and the content was so explosive...

It's no exaggeration to say that if his physical condition allowed, he could jump to the ceiling the moment he heard a sound.

Has it been exposed? His murder?

Kanda Satoshi was panicked, fear filled his mind, and for a moment his body was so stiff that he could not react at all, not even his fingers could move. Only his pupils trembled violently, revealing traces of fear and struggle.

He knew the sound was coming from his computer, which had probably been hacked. He figured he should unplug the network cable or shut down the computer.

But no, the other party already knows his biggest secret. Turning off his phone won't help, and might even anger them.

The voice was somewhat distorted, but he could still sense the coldness and bloodshed within it—the person who could silently infiltrate his computer was clearly no ordinary person, and their methods were not bound by legality.

However, since the other party contacted him privately first, there might be room for negotiation. They might have something on him and threaten him to do something.

"Don't, don't be afraid. We've already killed people, what's there to be afraid of..." Kanda Satoshi comforted himself, though he knew there was no truth to it.

He dared to kill because he felt his framing was flawless and that he could escape legal punishment. If he had been told earlier that he would definitely go to jail, he wouldn't have dared to do it.

Fortunately, he had heard of computer hacking before, and the other party might let him go after getting the money.

But nobody wants to lose money for nothing, and Kanda Tomo still tried to argue: "Um... sir, I don't understand what you're saying."

There was complete silence on the other end.

Kanda Tomoya grew increasingly uneasy in the silence.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and wanted to say something more, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he bit his tongue.

A video window suddenly popped up on his computer screen, showing a young man with short, dark blue hair staring coldly at him with his dark red eyes.

Kanda Satoshi discovered that his teeth were fighting.

Although he knew the other party was no pushover when he heard their voice, he realized that his previous assumptions were somewhat conservative when he saw their faces!

This is no ordinary computer intrusion; it's not the kind of hacker who can buy peace with money after gaining leverage over computers!

What this person is plotting is far more complex than that!

In an instant, a jumble of thoughts flashed through Kanda Satoshi's mind.

Recruitment, joining, espionage, gangs, gunfights, traitors, making an example of someone to deter others, criminal empires...

In just a few seconds, Kanda Satoshi, who had watched a lot of crime-themed art films, had already imagined several crime movies with all the necessary elements playing out in his mind.

He has something on his hands, and his opponent will definitely use him to the fullest extent of their power without worrying about his betrayal. But he knows his own capabilities. Once he's no longer useful, knowing too much, his only fate will be to be silenced.

Kanda Satoshi snapped out of his daze and suddenly realized that the other person seemed to have said something again, but he was too scared to hear clearly.

"Excuse me, what...what did you just say?" Kanda Satoshi asked tremblingly. "Could you repeat it?"

The person in the video window seemed to give him a deep look.

The next second, the abrupt video window disappeared.

Kanda Satoshi was stunned, then immediately filled with horror—Wait?! The terms weren't even agreed upon! Why did they leave?! Did they mean they didn't want to talk to him anymore and were giving up on him?!

Because the other person doesn't want to repeat the same sentence twice?

But he wasn't being arrogant or deliberately making people repeat themselves! Wasn't his attitude respectful enough?! He just got distracted after seeing the other person's face and didn't hear clearly!

etc!

Kanda Satoshi suddenly realized a problem.

The other party could have easily avoided showing him their face and communicated solely through voice. The video link indicated they were determined to recruit him, but he gave the wrong signal, causing them to abandon him...

Now that I know what the other person looks like, won't I be silenced?!

While Kanda Satoshi was in a panic, the reason why Samikawa Shinryu suddenly lost contact was actually quite simple: Edogawa Conan had put Professor Agasa's computer into hibernation.

"That's enough, Mr. Hanchuan!" Conan Edogawa said quickly. "If it really was this vice president who killed him, then he was also the one who chased us just now. We can get DNA evidence from the bloodstains on the exploded part. We can leave the rest to the police. There's no need to go through all this trouble!"

He actually meant to say there was no need to do anything extra, but ultimately his emotional intelligence kicked in, and he used his Mandarin skills to smooth things over.

Okiya Subaru: "...???"

Unauthorized intrusion is certainly not good, but is such a strong reaction necessary? Is Conan really that impulsive?

Hanchuan Shenliu only said a few words, although his earlier statement, "If you don't want to die, listen to me," was indeed a bit much...

Subaru Okiya was completely bewildered, unable to understand why Conan Edogawa was reacting so strangely.

He had initially thought that the rumors about Conan Edogawa being a trusted criminal advisor might have some truth to them, but Conan Edogawa immediately gave him a demonstration of what true, albeit superficial, trust looks like...

Even so, Conan Edogawa still felt that Shinryu Samikawa was only possibly recruited by the Black Organization, rather than suspecting that he was a member of the organization... To be honest, if it weren't for Conan Edogawa's unwavering assurances, he would have thought that Shinryu Samikawa really looked like someone from the organization.

Whether it's his temperament, his skills, or his way of doing things, he's very...

Previously, Conan Edogawa said that it wouldn't affect his judgment, so he wouldn't tell him too much. Now, Subaru Okiya feels that he has accumulated a lot of questions and really wants to grab Conan Edogawa and ask him for clarification.

But now is not a good time.

Hanchuan Shenliu was still calmly communicating with Edogawa Conan: "—You misunderstood, I just wanted to persuade him to turn himself in."

Conan Edogawa: "...So, if you weren't planning anything, how did you know I misunderstood something?"

Hanchuan Shenliu: "..."

Conan Edogawa's death stare—a small body with immense courage—even the kidnappers looked at him with astonishment.

Subaru Okiya paused for a few seconds, then moved closer to the kidnapper, deciding to answer one of his own questions first: "You call him a crime consultant, right... but isn't he a former police officer? And he's still very close to the police now..."

The kidnapper replied matter-of-factly, "I know, because the consultant turned many police officers against him when he was a policeman, which is why he hasn't been arrested even after he resigned."

Okiya Subaru: "..."

His logic is sound; no wonder he didn't react much even though we could hear his conversations with the police the whole way. He's just not very reliable.

Conan Edogawa hesitated, then said, "I think..."

Before he could finish speaking, the doorbell rang at Professor Agasa's house.

Professor Agasa opened the door. Detective Hagiwara was clearly an acquaintance of Professor Agasa, having met him at crime scenes countless times. He gave a slight nod and went inside, heading straight for the computer in front of him.

"Little Deep Flow! You didn't do anything, did you?"

Han Chuan Shenliu: "Not yet."

Others: "…………"

Suddenly you admitted you really wanted to do something?! What were you just arguing about?!

Kenji Hagiwara looked around, observed the expressions on the other people's faces, and called out, "Conan-kun, you speak."

Conan Edogawa hesitated for a moment, then asked instead of answering, "What happened?"

Kenji Hagiwara: "The perpetrator just called and turned himself in."

Dr. Agasa blurted out, "So what Hanakawa said was true!"

Han Chuan Shenliu calmly replied, "I already said, I just wanted to persuade him to turn himself in."

"But you didn't really have time to persuade them, did you?" Conan Edogawa retorted. "You only said, 'Your crimes have been exposed,' and 'If you don't want to die, listen to me...'"

Upon hearing this, Kenji Hagiwara suddenly breathed a sigh of relief: "I see, I understand."

When Subaru Okiya first met Shinryu Samikawa, he was filled with confusion the whole time. Now that a policeman had suddenly appeared, he could finally find out what was going on with the police: "Officer, why do you suspect that Mr. Samikawa did something?"

Kenji Hagiwara sighed, “When the criminal called to confess, he sounded very panicked. He said he was being targeted by an illegal organization, and he even knew what the organization looked like. They were about to come and kill him, and he hoped that the police could protect him… We told him we would be there soon, but he kept urging us to hurry up, saying he was afraid to go out.”

Han Chuan Shenliu remained calm: "Look, he turned himself in."

Others: "…………"

Subaru Okiya was deeply shocked.

He considered himself to have a wealth of experience, but he had never seen anything like this development, whether in the United States or the United Kingdom!

He admitted that Han Chuan Shenliu's aura was indeed dangerous, but was the other side really that afraid? Was it really necessary?

Even though they were already interrupted, they still managed to achieve their goal... What is this? What is this all about?!

Subaru Okiya watched in a daze as the kidnapper excitedly followed Kenji Hagiwara into the police car. Kenji Hagiwara, looking helpless, also took Shinryu Saikawa away, then leaned out of the car window to chat with Conan Edogawa and Professor Agasa. Okiya felt inexplicably rejected by the world.

This feeling is so familiar, but when exactly did it happen...?

He remembered.

Back then, he saw through Potts's true nature: he wasn't just insane, but actually had an extremely meticulous and terrifying mind. However, while others still saw Potts as someone who liked to act crazy, that was exactly how he felt.

Why is he always the one who doesn't fit in with everyone else?!