Chapter 261, Seventy-Third Cycle (91)

September 19th.

Nine o'clock in the morning.

"Here, these are your game helmets. Get to know each other's IDs first, so you don't accidentally kill your own teammates." Scotland patted the box on the table, which had a large Noah Corporation logo on it.

Vodka was the first to step forward, eagerly picking up a game helmet and admiring it, saying, "Are our helmets specially made? Can we play with them without worry?"

“Of course.” Scotland looked at them with a smile. “The details have been explained in the email. Do you have any questions? If not, you can go back now. Remember to be online at nine o’clock sharp tonight.”

Cohen, clutching his helmet, his pale, thin face flushed with two red blushes, exclaimed excitedly, "No, but can we get into the game as soon as possible?"

Chianti's red face contorted even more grotesquely with her excited expression as she shouted, "Yeah, yeah, isn't this our own game? Wouldn't it be better if we just sneaked in and ambushed them? I can't wait! I want to rush into the game right now and wipe out all those FBI agents! Watch me take them down one by one! I'll slaughter them all! And those idiots will probably think they're not going to actually die in the game before they die, hahaha!"

“That won’t do. Let’s wait until the time comes and enter the game with the other players,” Scotland said with a smile. “If we make it too obvious, we’ll be discovered. You don’t want to ruin that gentleman’s plans, do you?”

Gin scoffed: "That's a line I should be returning to you, Scotland. If you make any mistakes during the operation, Bourbon will be the one to take your place."

Gin is still in a period of reflection. Even with such a large operation, the boss only told him to follow Scotland's orders.

The person in charge of this operation was Scotland, who brought in Bourbon, who wasn't originally in the plan, and didn't even know what kind of work he was assigned to him. Bourbon was so angry that he didn't even come to the meeting or pick up his gaming helmet.

Of course, there's also the fact that Scotland is right next to Bourbon and can personally hand him the gaming helmet at any time.

"Staut, Aquavit, Weislian, and Binga from overseas have received their gaming helmets, right? Now it seems like we're just missing Bourbon?" Vermouth chuckled, stroking her chin. "Scotland, if Bourbon becomes that gentleman's most trusted confidant, you'll definitely be the first to suffer."

Kiel, standing nearby, also smirked: "I'm really looking forward to that kind of development; it'll be a lot of fun."

However, under their gloating gazes, the man with sharp, upturned blue eyes simply shrugged and smiled, saying in a gentle tone, "Although I'm also interested in that kind of development, I'll pass this time. I'm not tired of the current model yet."

Gin's face darkened: "We have no interest in your perverted hobbies!"

Anyway, whether it's Scotland or Bourbon, without the BOSS's permission, no matter how outrageous they are, he won't just kill them directly. He really doesn't want to get involved with them.

He didn't even want to hear any news about them!

“Don’t play dumb, Scotland,” he said coldly. “You should know the importance of this operation. Don’t let your personal feelings affect the organization’s mission.”

Scotland sighed: "Don't worry, am I really that unreliable in your eyes?"

The others remained silent.

Scotland is actually very capable and reliable, but they just often make blunders when it comes to Bourbon, leaving them speechless.

Gin stepped forward and took the last game helmet. As he turned around, the hem of his black trench coat and his long silver hair swept sharply through the air, and his wolf-like green eyes swept over him, bringing a powerful sense of oppression.

Even when it's not his home turf, he still exudes the aura of the boss.

"This is the final cleanup operation, and also the final preparation for the major tasks the organization will undertake later," Gin said in a deep voice. "This operation will eliminate all unnecessary obstacles in one fell swoop."

*

Kyoto.

The Ooka family residence.

10:00 AM.

"Grandpa, I want to play that holographic game too!" Ooka Momiji grabbed her grandfather's arm and shook it playfully. "I know there might be danger inside, but the danger is under Grandpa's and the police's control, right? Grandpa, you're a former prime minister, you're definitely not afraid of those people, right? Besides, Iori is protecting me, so please let me go in and play~"

"No, not this time. You stay home obediently." The old man's attitude was unwavering. "That game has a live streaming system. If you're really interested, Iori can enter the game and then stream it to you privately."

Ooka Momiji already knew that Hattori Heiji would be entering the game, and wanted to try harder, but was ultimately driven away by her grandfather with a rare firm attitude.

Not long after, a man in black pushed an elderly man with a ventilator in a wheelchair into the room.

The man in black bent down and left, leaving only two elderly people in the room.

"Kang Qing," said the head of the Ooka family, "given your health condition, it's best if you don't go out unnecessarily. If there's anything you need to discuss, you can call me over."

“I don’t recommend that you let your people into that game.” Haneda Yasuharu coughed twice and said, “Police officers from any country are a bunch of useless idiots, completely unreliable.”

The head of the Ooka family knew that he still harbored resentment because neither the FBI, MI6, nor the Public Security Bureau could investigate the death of his son, Haneda Koji. Therefore, he did not say much and simply changed the subject to the main topic.

"Do you have any new leads regarding the investigation into the Karasuma Group?" he asked.

Haneda Yasuharu shook his head: "No, the only clue we found might be in Tottori Prefecture, but the people involved all said it was an unopenable Pandora's box, and then they committed suicide."

“Same here as mine.” The head of the Ooka family gripped his cane, which was carved with an eagle’s head, and said angrily, “The Karasuma family has definitely not fallen! Karasuma Renya might even still be alive! The actual power behind the Karasuma Group is definitely still held by the Karasuma family! It’s just a pity that we can’t find any evidence!”

“I think this might be related to the Twilight Villa tragedy forty years ago.” He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then turned around and showed the person in front of him a stack of documents. “This is what the police have found out. The investigation has made new progress. Although it’s not confirmed yet, it should be pretty much like this.”

Haneda Yasuharu picked up the documents.

The head of the Ooka family explained, "Unlike that arrogant nouveau riche Suzuki Jirokichi, our Ooka family and the Karasuma family are both ancient families that have existed since the last century. The Ooka family crest is an eagle, while the Karasuma family crest is a crow. We are the only two ancient families that have survived since the end of the shogunate, and our relationship is not good."

"More than half a century ago, the Karasuma Group, established by Karasuma Renya, became the most powerful zaibatsu in Japan. However, after the Twilight Villa Massacre forty years ago, Karasuma Renya died, and the Karasuma family began to decline. The Karasuma Group's shares were divided up by other families, and in the end, the Karasuma family was left with only 10% of the shares."

"But this is only the surface-level intelligence." He gritted his teeth and angrily slammed his cane down again, saying, "In reality, Karasuma Renya has simply moved his assets and operations into the shadows, even establishing that dark organization with influence all over the world! In the end, they even want to control this country! Do they think I, the head of the Ōoka family and former prime minister, don't exist???"

Haneda Yasuharu looked at the list in his hand and narrowed his eyes: "So, the people on this list, those big shots in the financial world..."

The head of the Ooka family sneered: "Most of them are survivors from the Twilight Villa forty years ago, and some are frequent visitors to Mermaid Island. In any case, they are all related to the Karasuma family and the Karasuma Group, and probably also to that organization. Therefore, we must eliminate them before carrying out the final plan."

Haneda Yasuharu realized: "The large-scale incident involving personnel from the Public Prosecutor's Office, Metropolitan Police Department, and National Police Agency last time was also part of your planned scheme."

The head of the Ooka family nodded: "Actually, the police are quite capable. There are some very talented young people in the police force now. You can wait and see the results of this operation. You will definitely not be disappointed."

Haneda Yasuharu was silent for two seconds, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

*

Tottori Prefecture.

The building of a subsidiary of the Karasuma Group.

12:30 PM.

A new employee, who had only been with the company for a short time, came to work after lunch. In his haste, he almost bumped into the company's general manager and narrowly escaped by hiding in the nearby restroom.

Only after the three people left did he dare to peek out and stare at their backs in a daze.

He wondered who the two blond men and women wearing sunglasses were, and why the usually arrogant general manager was being so subservient to them.

"Stop looking." Someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder from behind.

He was startled and turned around to find that it was his boss, whom he had been with for five years.

The man said, "Those two are people from above. You should pretend you didn't see anything you shouldn't be exploring, understand?"

Seeing the young man nod obediently and fearfully, the man finally let go of him and waited until the three people had completely left before walking out himself.

Actually, he didn't know much about the Karasuma Group, but over the years, he had heard some chilling things.

For example, while Karasuma Group's most well-known businesses are primarily located in Kyoto and Tokyo, the companies in Tottori Prefecture are just a few common medical and IT companies. However, what others don't know is that these companies in Tottori Prefecture, the least populated prefecture in Japan, are frequented by many mysterious high-ranking officials who wouldn't even appear in Tokyo or Kyoto.

Moreover, the laboratories in Tottori Prefecture are located in remote, uninhabited mountains and are of a very high level. Even long-time employees like him don't really know what kind of research is being conducted there, only that the amount of money flowing in is terrifyingly high.

But who cares? Knowing too much won't help you live long.

*

"Was it that gentleman who sent you?" Vermouth asked him as soon as she got into the car.

"Okay." Bourbon fastened his seatbelt and started the car.

“I knew it. He actually trusts you more,” Vermouth sighed. “That gentleman also assigned you a separate task, didn’t he? A task about something Scotland doesn’t know about, right?”

Bourbon smiled and said, "Well, I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

He changed the subject: "Speaking of which, since you're here, why don't you go take a look at the lab?"

Vermouth's expression instantly turned horrified: "No way, I don't want to see that horrific scene again, it's disgusting. I really don't know what they were thinking, but I'd rather die than become like that."

Bourbon laughed: "That's because you've already got it, so you feel you don't need it and it doesn't matter."

Vermouth was unhappy: "Is this what I want? And by saying that, are you implying that you also have that intention?"

“How could that be?” Bourbon said helplessly. “I was just stating their thoughts. As for me, I don’t want either of them.”

"Even if human life is fragile, I would still be willing to be a human being," he said.

Vermouth narrowed her eyes: "Are you indirectly calling me inhuman?"

"...You seem to be in a bad mood today?" Bourbon said. "Did the BOSS assign you some troublesome task?"

Vermouth, sitting in the passenger seat with her arms crossed, snorted coldly: "The mission itself is nothing, a piece of cake for me, but it reminded me of some unhappy things."

Her main task was to investigate the Kudo family, especially Yusaku Kudo and Shinichi Kudo.

When she heard about the task, her heart skipped a beat, but then she realized that things weren't as bad as she thought.

Shinichi Kudo's affair was not exposed; her main objective was to ascertain the danger posed by Yusaku Kudo, whom the man had said might be a threat to the organization.

But Vermouth didn't quite understand. Kudo Yusaku was indeed talented, but he was ultimately just a mystery novelist. How could he be so highly regarded by that gentleman?

The strangest thing was that the man ended by saying, "Pay special attention to people all over the world whose names contain the character 'Kudo'."

Even the main character of this game's storyline, whose original name was Dazai Huai, had his surname changed by that gentleman, becoming Kudo Huai.

Why is that man so obsessed with people with the surname Kudo?

"What's bothering you?" Bourbon glanced at her, curious. "Do you need my help?"

“Yes, I do need your help with something.” Vermouth remembered her original reason for coming to Bourbon and took out a photograph for him.

It was a red light, and Bourbon took the camera and saw a blonde woman with sharp green eyes.

“Marie Akai? Isn’t she already dead?” he asked.

“Just in case,” Vermouth said. “Save the photos; you’ll need them later.”

Mary Akai, Shuichi Akai's mother, an MI6 agent, is the person who disappeared or is suspected to be dead after being fed a silver bullet by her.

Vermouth leaned against the car window with one hand, turned to look at the blond, dark-skinned young man beside her, and suddenly asked, "Bourbon, do you still remember Sherry?"

Bourbon looked up at him, seemingly surprised, and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you suddenly asking about those two dead people? Of course I remember Shirley, the daughter of the Hell's Angels, who was killed by you on the Suzuki Express a few months ago. The Boss even scolded us for not bringing back an important researcher alive. What happened? Did something go wrong with the research over there?"

Vermouth lowered her eyes: "No, I just suddenly came across something interesting."

Bourbon has been by Conan Edogawa's side the whole time, so he should have met Ai Haibara by now, but didn't he notice anything wrong?

Bourbon blinked in confusion: "What?"

Vermouth looked up and met his gaze: "How much do you know about Elena, the Angel of Hell?"

Bourbon tilted his head: "Elena Miyano? All I know is that she and her husband were the first to develop that drug, and they died in an accidental fire in the laboratory. Sherry and Akemi Miyano are her daughters."

Vermouth scoffed, "You seem to know a lot, but it looks like even you, Bourbon, haven't been able to find out anything about that woman's background."

Bourbon raised an eyebrow: "I only vaguely found out that they seem to have been forced to join the organization, so the organization is very wary of them and manages their actions and intelligence very strictly. When I went to investigate, I even received a warning from that gentleman, telling me not to touch anything I shouldn't know, and that he would tell me what I should know when the time came."

Vermouth laughed, a laugh filled with hatred and coldness, and said, "Then you probably don't know that Miyano Elena and Akai Mary are actually biological sisters."

Elena Miyano was the woman who completely disrupted her life trajectory.

Besides the drug, she also harbored resentment towards the Akai family, in addition to the Miyano family.

Although it was a mess left behind by Rum's failed mission seventeen years ago, that guy died young, so they still had to clean up the mess.

The most troublesome ones are those four people.

Rachel Asaka, who survived the chase after that failed mission; MI6 agent Tsutomu Akai, who came to investigate the organization because of the Koji Haneda case and protected Rachel Asaka's escape; Akai Mary, Tsutomu Akai's wife who is also an MI6 agent and is investigating the organization in order to find her missing husband; and the hateful Shuichi Akai, whose son became an FBI agent, infiltrated the organization, almost killed her, and called her a rotten golden apple.

Therefore, after learning the relevant information, Vermouth immediately took the initiative to accept the mission of dealing with Mary Akai.

Not only because this task was suitable for the Thousand-Faced Witch who could disguise herself as Akai Tsutomu, but also because she knew that Akai Mary and Miyano Elena were actually sisters.

She thought, how could she not let that woman taste the poison made by her own sister?

She didn't even feed him the aptx4869 that could potentially shrink people; instead, she fed him the silver bullet that the Miyano couple had developed, which had become poison due to its 100% mortality rate.

However, after Mary Akai was given the drug, she fell into the river and disappeared. She was still uneasy because she didn't see her body.

After all, the silver bullet and aptX4869 are from the same source, and there may be a glimmer of hope that the poison can be transformed into a miraculous anti-aging drug.

However, she didn't see any children who looked like Mary Akai anywhere, so that person was probably really dead.

Furthermore, since Bourbon hasn't discovered that Ai Haibara is Sherry, then this matter... should be put aside for now and discussed later. Just let Bourbon know first.

“I didn’t see Mary Akai’s body, and I suspect she’s not dead. Keep an eye out for her, and if you see anyone who looks like her, tell me immediately,” Vermouth said.

Bourbon raised an eyebrow: "Hmm? But didn't Mary Akai die from taking that drug? There shouldn't be any way she could have survived, right?"

Vermouth replied dismissively, "Because I was feeding her mouth-to-mouth, and she fell into the river while struggling. I was a little worried that she might fall into the water from a great height and spit out the medicine in her throat."

Bourbon: "..."

Vermouth changed the subject: "It's strange, really. That gentleman is always extremely cautious. Why would he allow Scotland to carry out such a large-scale operation this time? There must have been much more careful and discreet methods, right?"

When she learned that the BOSS had used the organization's secrets as bait to lure the enemy, she was shocked and couldn't believe that the BOSS, who was so cautious and meticulous, would use such a tactic of abandoning the enemy's rear.

Bourbon started the vehicle: "Because that gentleman is also getting anxious, just like forty years ago at the Twilight Villa, when he was 99 years old and nearing his end, he even killed those people one by one in his eagerness to get an answer faster, just to make an example of them."

Vermouth fell silent as she recalled how 140-year-old Karasuma Renya had become so weak, lying in bed with an oxygen tube.

*

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

"A famous figure of the Taiko!"

"I'm not him, I didn't do it! You've mistaken me for someone else!" Hideyoshi Haneda covered his face and quickly ran away.

After finally managing to escape from the crowd of fans, he managed to find a chance to pull out his phone and dial his brother's number.

"Hideyoshi, what's wrong?" Shuichi Akai asked on the other end of the phone.

"Brother, Mom always refuses to see my girlfriend and won't answer her phone," Haneda Hideyoshi said worriedly. "Even when I ask Masumi, she won't tell me. Do you know why, brother?"

“I know a little bit about it, so I don’t think I need to worry,” Shuichi Akai said.

"Alright, since you say so, I'm relieved." Haneda Hideyoshi breathed a sigh of relief. "Should we tell Masumi that you're actually still alive? She seems to care about you a lot."

“No need. My own affairs are nearing a crucial stage, and I don’t want to involve her.” Shuichi Akai suddenly changed the subject. “Speaking of which, Hideyoshi, you also received an invitation to the holographic game ‘Running Towards the Sun,’ right?”

“Well, I am fairly well-known, so they sent me an invitation.” Haneda Hideyoshi scratched his head. “However, Mr. Yasuharu told me not to participate and introduced me to a shogi master who has been living in seclusion for a long time, so I probably won’t play that game.”

"That's good." Shuichi Akai said, "In that case, give me the invitation and the game helmet, I need them."

“Okay,” said Hideyoshi Haneda.

*

Ekoda High School.

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

Kaito Kuroba was browsing online news when Akako Koizumi suddenly stood in front of him.

"I advise you to give up on this matter," the red-haired witch said softly.

School is over now, everyone else has gone home, and Qingzi has gone to the restroom, leaving only the two of them in the classroom.

Kaito Kuroba put away his phone, raised his chin, and said helplessly, "What did you divine this time?"

“Don’t always have such a nonchalant attitude.” Koizumi Akako frowned. “This is a prophecy that the demon god Lucifer told me.”

"Lucifer?" Kaito Kuroba crossed his legs, his face full of disdain and arrogance. "Don't joke around. Even if magic really exists, how could there be gods or demons in this world? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

Koizumi Akako said seriously, "Since magic exists in the world, why can't there be gods and demons?"

Kaito Kuroba scoffed, "I don't believe you unless you take me there and let me see for myself what the Demon God Lucifer looks like."

Koizumi Akako: "..."

A provocation tactic?

Koizumi Akako looked at him for two seconds, then laughed: "Fine, believe it or not, it's up to you. Anyway, what happens over there won't have too much of an impact on us."

Kaito Kuroba was taken aback, then quickly sat up and asked, "Huh? What? Wait, what do you know? Explain yourself—"

Koizumi Akako said nothing more and turned to leave.

Even the demon Lucifer said that it wasn't His territory there, and she couldn't be of much help.

But it's okay.

In any case, different games, even if they collaborate, can only have a limited impact.

*

8 PM.

The internet is already buzzing about the game.

Whether Phantom Thief Kid would participate, in particular, has sparked countless discussions.

But there has been no word from now on, and everyone can only believe that Kaito Kid probably really won't come to take the game helmet and participate in the game, much to the fans' disappointment.

Kaito Kid had previously stated that he wasn't interested in this kind of game, but his fans still wouldn't let the opportunity pass, hoping that he could steal the game helmet specially reserved for him before the game started, just like stealing a jewel.

However, just now, a trailer for Kaito Kid appeared in Kanagawa.

Upon hearing this, fans immediately abandoned the game, sold the expensive game helmets they had purchased nearby, and prepared to head to Kanagawa to wait for Kid.

Netizens were initially saying that no one would buy them, but in the blink of an eye, they were all sold out, leaving them somewhat dumbfounded.

Because of the previous incident involving a holographic game, many people have doubts about the safety of games. Even though Noah Games claims to have undergone dual inspections by professional departments and the police, netizens are still skeptical and prefer to wait until the first closed beta test is successful before playing.

After all, the game also has a live streaming system, so their curiosity can be answered through the live stream, and then they can decide whether to participate in the official game later.

Therefore, many of the winners were too afraid to play the game, so they sold their spots online at high prices, only to have them disappear immediately.

Netizens initially thought only Kidd's fans were crazy about him, but now they're a bit confused by the situation.

What's going on?

So you guys are just saying who's going to play this kind of game, but secretly you're all frantically clicking the buy button?

While angrily typing and cursing, "Damn it, are you guys messing with me?!" netizens clicked into the live stream interface on the game forum, eagerly waiting for the beta testers to start their live streams.

*

Noah Company Building.

8:50 p.m.

"Ten minutes left, ten minutes left, the game is about to begin..."

Itakura Taku kept anxiously wiping his glasses.

"Don't be afraid, don't be nervous, it's okay, this time is different from last time."

He muttered to himself and repeatedly checked the software's code.

"This is a step that must be taken for the future of all mankind."

*

It was exactly 9 p.m.

People all over the world put on gaming helmets and clicked to enter the game.

Several lines of text instantly appeared before everyone's eyes.

Do you believe in time travel?

Do you believe time can be reversed?

Believe it or not, the moment you see this sentence, the gears of fate have already begun to turn.

[Game begins.]