Chapter 39 (Exclusive to Jinjiang Literature City)
"Why is it that every time I meet you, you're surrounded by a bunch of random people?" After greeting Jingyuan, Rokudo Mukuro's heterochromatic eyes swept over the two port mafia members, his gaze filled with undisguised disgust. "What did Mori Ougai send you two here for?"
Although it was only the first time the three of them had met, Rokudo Mukuro's Mafia identity immediately placed him on the opposing side. When faced with an enemy that needed to be eliminated, Rokudo Mukuro would absolutely not give him a friendly look.
Moreover, he didn't think that Sen Ouwai's approach to Jing Yuan would bring anything good.
Since Rokudo Mukuro arrived in Japan, he had thoroughly investigated the local mafia situation. Coupled with the inside information he obtained from Gin, he dared not underestimate this small mafia that was only hiding in Yokohama.
It was a feeling I couldn't quite describe.
Rokudo Mukuro had encountered people with superpowers before. When he was causing trouble in the Italian underworld, he had met some of his own country's superpowered individuals. But for some reason, as soon as he set foot in Yokohama, he felt a weight on his heart.
Rationally, he knew that the ability users here posed less of a threat to him than the one in Italy who had surpassed him, but emotionally, Rokudo Mukuro always regarded these people as formidable opponents.
This feeling of being unable to control his emotions made Rokudo Mukuro's mood extremely bad.
Especially when he saw Dazai Osamu, the repression in his heart and the tension in his mind made him lose his usual calmness, and his tone of voice was particularly sharp.
"You bastard!" Nakahara Chuuya was so angry at his terrible attitude that he was about to get up and teach him a lesson, but his partner stopped him.
Dazai Osamu didn't use much force; he simply lazily placed his hand on Nakahara Chuuya's shoulder.
Don't be impatient.
Chuuya Nakahara understood what Osamu Dazai meant, so he stopped talking and sat quietly to the side, despite his many doubts.
"Please move in and sit down," Rokudo Mukuro said to Conan Edogawa.
Conan Edogawa immediately moved to sit further inside, and then he saw Rokudo Mukuro sit down between him and Kagemoto in a forceful manner.
Conan Edogawa: "..."
Is she really that jealous?
After settling down, Rokudo Mukuro beckoned to the waiter, ordered himself a black coffee, and also asked for a small cake.
After the waiter brought the coffee and cake, Rokudo Mukuro slowly spoke up: "Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
Sitting opposite him, Dazai Osamu chuckled and said, "Why is Mukuro so hostile towards us? Is it because you're afraid of being replaced in Kagemoto-sensei's heart?"
"Ha." Rokudo Mukuro chuckled. "I can tell you didn't sleep well last night; you're starting to talk nonsense."
"Hmm...does he hate me that much?" Dazai Osamu found it somewhat interesting. "If I remember correctly, this is our first meeting. Could it be that I offended Mukuro-kun without his knowledge?"
“I hate every single mafia equally,” Rokudo Mukuro said.
“No, no, no,” Dazai Osamu said with a smile, “Your attitude towards me is not the same as your attitude towards ordinary Mafia.”
Dazai Osamu was a smart man.
"Ah, I remember now." He feigned sudden realization. "Is Mukuro angry because of our attack on Mr. Kagemoto last time? Oh well, what can we do? Mr. Byakuran offered too high a price. Our Mr. Mori is worried about his finances every day, and he's losing all his hair. He had no choice but to take on this mission. I'm so sorry, Mukuro."
"A hypocritical apology." Rokudo Mukuro commented mercilessly.
Neither Dazai Osamu nor Rokudo Mukuro were easy to deal with; sitting next to them was incredibly stressful.
Conan Edogawa sent several messages to Jingyuan, urging him to ease the tension, but Jingyuan ignored them all. He seemed completely oblivious to the tension between the two, still smiling and tapping his phone, chatting with someone else.
What is Jing Yuan doing? What if they start fighting? There are so many ordinary people around; what if they get hurt?
The young detective looked worried, his eyebrows furrowed so deeply they seemed to be knotted together.
Jingyuan wasn't deliberately ignoring Edogawa Conan; after all, no one from the Immortal Ship could remain calm upon hearing that the potion to alleviate the demonic body had been successfully created.
Although this potion is only effective in the early stages of the Demonic Body and has a cure rate of only 30%, it is still undeniably a great advancement.
Even if there's only a 1% chance, let alone a 30% chance, that would be enough.
This proves that their efforts have not been in vain, and they will surely find a way to completely break the curse.
After engaging in a heated debate with Dazai Osamu for dozens of rounds without gaining the upper hand, Rokudo Mukuro realized that the mafia in front of him, who dressed himself up like a chuunibyou patient, was not an easy opponent.
Moreover, Rokudo Mukuro sensed a similar aura to Byakuran from him.
It's definitely better to kill them.
Sensing the killing intent emanating from Rokudo Mukuro, Chuuya Nakahara, who had been silent all along, chuckled.
He's not just a figurehead.
A faint red glow, typical of those with superpowers, emanated from his body. Chuuya Nakahara resembled a cheetah poised to pounce, waiting only for Dazai Osamu's command to crush his opponent beneath its sharp teeth.
"That's enough." Jing Yuan interrupted the impending fight.
He put away the jade tablet and looked at the little cubs, who resembled hedgehogs, with a smile.
“I will handle the matter concerning the [book], but in return, you must do something for me,” Jing Yuan said.
Dazai Osamu asked with interest, "What is it?"
“Investigate the Kamo family’s activities in Yokohama,” Kagemoto said. “In particular, I need detailed information about the experiments they have participated in.”
Dazai Osamu blinked: "The Kamo family you're referring to, are you referring to the three great families of the jutsu world?"
"That's right."
Dazai Osamu became even more curious: "Did they offend you?"
According to his investigation, Jingyuan was not the kind of person who would deliberately cause trouble, and he had never had any contact with the Kamo family before coming to Japan. Now that he seemed to be looking for trouble with the Kamo family, Dazai Osamu was really curious.
“It’s not just me.” Jingyuan shifted his gaze to the silent Nakahara Chuuya. “Chuuya-kun, aren’t you curious about how you obtained Arahabaki’s power?”
Chuuya Nakahara suddenly opened his eyes wide.
"Is the Kamo family connected to the laboratory?" he asked in a deep voice.
“Not bad,” Jing Yuan said. “Although you are the only successful test subject, countless children died before you.”
"Those beasts!" Chuuya Nakahara clenched his fists tightly, the red light belonging to a superpower user flickering on his body. Just a second before he was about to lose control, a cold hand covered his fist.
The smile on Dazai Osamu's face had vanished. He looked at Nakahara Chuuya, his iris-colored eyes burning with a flame of fury.
“Calm down, Chuuya,” he said. “Anger is useless.”
“Indeed, losing your mind in this situation is not a good thing,” Rokudo Mukuro said.
As a fellow victim of human experimentation, Rokudo Mukuro understood Nakahara Chuuya's anger better than anyone else present.
"What you need to do now is find out who participated in the experiment back then, and what the forces behind them are." Rokudo Mukuro rarely showed them a kind look. "Do you need my help? I have a lot of experience in this area."
Before Chuuya could refuse, Jingyuan said, "More people mean more strength. Besides, this isn't just your problem."
The fact that they were able to create a man-made god like Chuuya Nakahara suggests that the number of people involved behind the scenes must be considerable, not to mention that the laboratory is located in Yokohama, a place where various countries' forces are intertwined.
"In addition, to facilitate your investigation, I have also invited a famous detective," Jing Yuan said with a smile. "With his help, your progress will definitely be faster."
Upon hearing the words "famous detective," the three boys all turned to look at Conan Edogawa.
Conan Edogawa: "???"
I haven't heard that I have anything to do with this.
“It’s not Conan,” Jingyuan said with a smile. “It’s Ranpo.”
Putting aside the fact that Conan Edogawa is involved in the matter of the elixir of immortality, the fact that he is not a native of Yokohama alone would prevent Kagemoto from letting him stay with Dazai Osamu and the other two.
Although both are detectives, Conan Edogawa and Ranpo Edogawa are very different. At the very least, Conan Edogawa cannot stand by and watch the people around him commit murder.
The sense of good and evil among Yokohama locals is actually quite vague. Their way of doing things is more about profit. Even detectives are not motivated by upholding justice, but by the commission money.
Let's go back a few days.
"Don't worry, Lord Ranpo has never failed a case he's handled," the squinty-eyed detective wearing a hat assured Jingyuan. "But please assign me a few bodyguards, I'm quite frail."
"How about three bodyguards?" Jing Yuan said with a smile. "We'll have ranged attackers, melee fighters, and crowd control specialists."
"Wow, you're taking this case that seriously?" Edogawa Ranpo exclaimed. "Do you really hate those guys that much?"
He didn't quite understand why Jingyuan was so disgusted by this illegal experiment, especially since the experiment had ended a long time ago. Why was it so important to find those people from back then? And what would happen once they were found? To put them on trial? But who had the authority to do that? In any case, the Yokohama government didn't have that authority.
“Because life cannot be trifled with,” Jing Yuan replied.
Edogawa Ranpo seemed to understand, but not quite.
His world has always been very simple. Apart from the people he cares about, he doesn't think about anything else or meddle in other people's business. This is his life principle, and it is also the survival principle for everyone living in Yokohama.
In this city, people are not surprised by the fights between people with superpowers, nor do they find the government's inaction intolerable. They are used to the daily brawls and explosions, and have accepted that the city is jointly controlled by the government and the Mafia.
They have always lived this way and never felt there was anything wrong with it.
Because this is Yokohama.
Because this is Yokohama.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-05-12 19:50:07 and 2024-06-28 16:49:12!
Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Wu Nanxunming 331 bottles; Buruo and Qiulubai 4 bottles; Chuxiao 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
