Detective Conan: Shadow Legion Office

59: Chapter 59 Things Have Gone WrongThe early morning sun shone through the gaps in the curtains, but it could not dispel the gloom hanging over Tokyo.

In the Mouri Detective Agency, the atmosphere was so suffocating that it was hard to breathe.

The television screen was playing the morning news, showing the horrific scene of last night’s firefight—the streets were littered with bullet casings and bloodstains, the wreckage of destroyed cars was twisted and deformed, the walls of several buildings were riddled with holes, firefighters were extinguishing the remaining fires, and police had set up long cordon lines, attempting to hold back the swarming reporters.

”...As of now, the large-scale armed conflict that occurred in the suburbs of Tokyo last night has resulted in at least 150 deaths and over 300 injuries, with the exact casualty figures still being tallied. Police preliminarily judge that this may be a gang shootout, but the heavy machine gun casings and grenade fragments found at the scene make the nature of the incident even more confusing...”

The female anchor’s voice trembled, and the images on the screen were even more shocking.

Mouri Ran clutched the corner of her clothes tightly, her face deathly pale, and her body shrank back involuntarily:

”Is... is this still the Tokyo I know? How could it turn into this... it’s too terrifying...”

She had grown up in Tokyo, and the biggest incidents she had ever seen were petty thefts or occasional kidnappings, or at worst, minor murder cases.

She had never imagined that one day, the city she lived in would turn into a living hell resembling a battlefield.

Mouri Kogoro sat on the sofa, dropping his usual slacker attitude. There was not a trace of drunkenness on his face, and his eyes stared at the screen with gravity.

He reached out to rub the stubble on his chin, his tone so serious that even Conan Edogawa was a bit surprised:

”Ran, and you too, kid,” he looked at Conan Edogawa, ”Stay at home and behave yourselves for this period. Don’t go out casually, especially at night. Do you hear me?”

”Dad...” Mouri Ran looked up at him, her eyes full of worry.

”It seems like Tokyo is going to be in chaos.”

Mouri Kogoro sighed, picked up a beer can from the table, but didn’t open it, only clutching it tightly in his hand.

”A firefight of this scale could never be caused by ordinary gangs. There must be major powers playing against each other behind the scenes. For ordinary people like us, it’s better to stay far away.”

Conan Edogawa sat to the side, looking at the TV with apparent calmness, but his heart was in turmoil.

Heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, infantry fighting vehicles... these weapons could not possibly be obtained by ordinary organizations.

Could it be the Black Organization?

Who are they fighting against? That group of thugs, the Joker’s gang? Did they start a war with the Black Organization?

This thought made Conan Edogawa’s heart beat wildly.

These two forces—one crazy and ruthless, the other secretive and dangerous—their collision would undoubtedly plunge the entire Tokyo into greater chaos, and might even affect innocent people.

”Kudo...” Conan Edogawa muttered to himself, ”What should I do now?”

”No! It can’t be them; after all, that group of thugs only has thirty or forty people.” Conan Edogawa refuted his own conjecture the next second.

...

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, top-floor conference room.

The atmosphere here was even more oppressive than at the Mouri Detective Agency. Smoke filled the air, and exhaustion and anxiety were written on everyone’s faces.

On both sides of the long table sat high-ranking officials from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and counter-terrorism departments—Director Odagiri’s face was livid, Police Superintendent General Hakuba’s brow was tightly furrowed, the directors of the Criminal Investigation Department and the Security Department kept their heads down in silence, and the commander of the counter-terrorism unit was constantly wiping cold sweat from his forehead.

In the corner of the conference room sat several ”special guests”—Mouri Kogoro had been called in temporarily to make up the numbers and was currently restless; Kudo Yusaku, in a suit, looked at the documents with a calm expression, as if he were just attending an ordinary seminar; and Lin Long, wearing casual clothes, leaned against the back of his chair with a faint, imperceptible smile on his lips, looking completely out of place.

”Everyone,” Chief of Police Hakuba spoke first, his voice hoarse, ”Last night’s incident has alarmed the Cabinet. The Prime Minister personally called to question us, demanding that we provide a preliminary conclusion within twenty-four hours and capture the perpetrator within seventy-two hours.”

He paused and slammed the table hard: ”But right now, we don’t even know who the perpetrator is! Aside from bullet casings and corpses, there are no useful clues left at the scene! The counter-terrorism unit says the other side’s firepower is stronger than theirs, and their tactical coordination is as professional as a special forces unit!”

”What on earth is going on?!” Director Odagiri rubbed his temples and said in a deep voice: ”According to the site investigation, at least one side of the firefight used US military-standard equipment, including M2 heavy machine guns and ’Javelin’ missile launchers. We have already contacted the US forces stationed in Japan, but they insist that no equipment has been stolen and even accused us of slandering them.”

”US military equipment again?” an officer couldn’t help but say, ”It’s the same as what that group of thugs at the tomizawa family wedding used! Could it be the same group of people?”

”Very likely.” Kudo Yusaku put down the documents in his hand and spoke slowly, ”The tomizawa family was wiped out, and military signal jammers and special operations equipment also appeared at the scene, which highly matches the scene of last night’s firefight.”

”But that group of thugs is only about 30 people; they couldn’t possibly launch such a large-scale battle.” Someone raised a question.

”That’s right, even if they had that many people, what would be their purpose?”

Kudo Yusaku shook his head: ”Not clear. But what is certain is that they are targeting a certain force—last night’s firefight was more like an act of revenge or a siege.”

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him, including Lin Long.

Lin Long looked at Kudo Yusaku and chuckled inwardly. This mystery novelist certainly had some skill, but unfortunately, he would never guess the truth.

”Regardless of what their purpose is,” Chief of Police Hakuba gritted his teeth, ”we must solve the immediate trouble first! Last night’s incident has been exposed by the media, the entire Tokyo is in panic, and there are even quite a few people protesting in the streets. Public morale is shaken. If we can’t come up with a solution, I’m afraid everyone will have to resign in disgrace!”

He looked at the crowd: ”The case of the tomizawa family has been ordered by higher-ups to be suppressed for the time being, saying it’s ’to stabilize the overall situation.’ Now, all resources must be tilted towards last night’s terrorist attack. At all costs, we must solve the case as soon as possible!”

Lin Long listened from the side, the smile on his lips deepening.

Just as expected. Although the tomizawa family case involved too many influential people and was important, compared to the terrorist attack that happened yesterday, it had to be pushed back. After all, last night’s firefight occurred in the city center, resulting in heavy casualties that could not be covered up, which is why the government had to take it seriously.

”Detective Mouri,” Chief of Police Hakuba suddenly looked at Mouri Kogoro, ”You are a famous detective, what is your take on this kind of large-scale crime?”

Mouri Kogoro was stunned for a moment, then cleared his throat and struck a signature pose: ”Ahem! In my opinion, this group of people is definitely an international terrorist organization! They infiltrated Tokyo, attempting to create chaos and destroy our social order! We should unite with Interpol, completely seal off entry and exit ports, and strictly inspect all suspicious personnel!”

These words sounded righteous, but they lacked any substantive content, causing quite a few people to roll their eyes in secret.

Lin Long spoke up at the right moment, his tone carrying a hint of laziness: ”Chief of Police Hakuba, officers, I actually have an idea.”

Everyone’s eyes instantly focused on him. Many people felt puzzled about this young man who was suddenly invited, but since he was a ”special guest” specially approved by the higher-ups, he must have some background.

Lin Long sat up straight and said slowly: ”At the scene of last night’s firefight, two different types of bullet casings were found: one is US military-standard, and the other is... inferior ammunition circulating on the black market. This shows that the strength of the two sides in the firefight is unequal; one side is an elite force with excellent equipment, and the other side is a rabble.”

He paused and continued: ”As for the rabble, judging from the weapons they used and their gathering speed, they are very likely peripheral members of some large gang or underground organization. As for the elite side, being able to obtain so much military equipment and daring to fight in Tokyo, there must be a greater force behind them.”

”You mean...” Director Odagiri frowned.

”What I mean is,” Lin Long smiled slightly, ”instead of investigating aimlessly, it’s better to start from the organization of that ’rabble.’ Being able to assemble hundreds of people in a short time and daring to engage in a firefight with an elite force, this organization must have deep roots in Tokyo. Finding them might allow us to follow the vine to find the fruit and uncover the background of those elites.”

These words seemed reasonable, but they cleverly diverted the police’s attention to the peripheral members of the Black Organization, while ignoring the source of the most critical ”elite force.”

”Besides, after finding them, at least we will have an answer for the public!” Lin Long said meaningfully.

A flash of keen light crossed Kudo Yusaku’s eyes, and he looked at Lin Long thoughtfully. Although Lin Long’s analysis was very reasonable, he always felt something was wrong, as if he were deliberately guiding the direction.

”Makes some sense.” A flash of keen light crossed Chief of Police Hakuba’s eyes, and he nodded, saying, ”Counter-terrorism unit, go investigate the identities of those ’rabble’ who died last night immediately, and see which organization they belong to!”

”Yes!” the counter-terrorism unit commander replied immediately.

”Additionally,” Lin Long added, ”although the US military doesn’t admit it, I think we can try to apply more pressure. After all, that equipment is too special; no one else could get so much of it besides them. Perhaps we could contact the FBI and have them help mediate?”

His words seemed to be providing clues, but in reality, they were causing trouble for the FBI and the US military, making them suspicious of each other and delaying time. If the US military knew that the FBI was helping outsiders investigate their own military base, who knows what their expression would be. Lin Long chuckled to himself.

The meeting continued, with everyone discussing the ”clues” proposed by Lin Long and formulating a series of investigation plans. Mouri Kogoro occasionally interjected, mostly with nonsense; Kudo Yusaku remained silent, his eyes occasionally glancing at Lin Long, as if pondering something.

Throughout the process, Lin Long appeared nonchalant, occasionally offering one or two ”constructive” opinions, perfectly playing the role of an ”outsider.” He knew that this meeting was merely a formalism for the government to appease the public, and the real truth would never be revealed.

After the meeting ended, everyone left one after another, and Lin Long also stood up, preparing to take his leave.

”Mr. Lin Long, please stay,” Kudo Yusaku suddenly called out to him.

Lin Long turned around and asked with a smile: ”Mr. Kudo, is something the matter?”

Kudo Yusaku looked at him, his eyes deep: ”Mr. Lin seems to know a lot about last night’s incident?”

”Just a random guess.” Lin Long shrugged, ”After all, a conflict of this scale is too eye-catching.”

”Is that so?” Kudo Yusaku smiled slightly, ”I always feel that Mr. Lin is not as simple as he appears on the surface.”

”Oh?” Lin Long raised an eyebrow, ”Then what kind of person does Mr. Kudo think I am?”

Kudo Yusaku did not answer, just looked at him deeply: ”Nothing. Just hoping that if Mr. Lin has any clues, he can inform the police in time.”

Kudo Yusaku vaguely sensed that there was a problem with Lin Long, but since his leverage regarding the summer vacation was still in Lin Long’s hands, he didn’t want to meddle in other people’s business.

”Certainly.” Lin Long smiled and turned to leave the conference room.

Watching Lin Long’s disappearing back, Kudo Yusaku’s eyes became grave.