Detective Conan: Shadow Legion Office

127: Chapter 127 Lin Long’s Perverse Pleasures, Lin Long the Amusement ManThe private airport on the small island was shrouded in the morning mist, and the coconut trees at the end of the runway swayed gently with the sea breeze.

Lin Long stood beneath the control tower, watching the silver-gray private jet slowly taxi onto the runway. The roar of the engine pierced the silence, finally trailing a white wake as it soared into the sky, gradually becoming a blurred speck on the horizon.

”Boss, Miss Sonoko and the others have entered the stratosphere and are expected to arrive at Tokyo Haneda Airport in three hours.”

The assistant beside him reported in a low voice, handing over an encrypted communication record.

Lin Long didn’t take it; his gaze remained locked on the direction where the plane had disappeared, his deep eyes devoid of emotion.

When Suzuki Sonoko proposed taking Mouri Ran and Mouri Kogoro back to Tokyo, he had agreed almost without hesitation—leisurely time on the island was short-lived after all, and the storm about to be unleashed was not something they should be caught up in.

Especially regarding Kudo Shinichi’s secret; that fragile layer of window paper could not be punctured just yet.

”Understood.”

He withdrew his gaze and turned toward the black sedan parked not far away. ”Back to the command center.”

The moment the car door closed, the assistant’s communicator suddenly let out a series of urgent beeps.

The assistant picked up and listened for a few moments, his expression changing slightly as he turned to Lin Long.

”Boss, urgent news from the undercover line—the route of the cargo ship ’sea serpent’ carrying Kudo Yusaku’s family has been cracked by the Black Organization.”

Lin Long’s fingertips tapped lightly on his knee, the rhythm as steady as a precision clock. ”Specifics.”

”The ’sea serpent’ originally planned to depart from Yokohama Port, disguise itself as an ordinary merchant ship to detour through Hokkaido, and then transit to the United States.

But the Black Organization obtained the real route map by infiltrating the port scheduling system. They are now mobilizing three armed speedboats, preparing to intercept them in Pacific international waters.”

The assistant pulled up an electronic nautical chart, his finger sliding across the green light representing the cargo ship.

”What’s more troublesome is that the bounty on the Dark Web is still fermenting. Besides the Black Organization, at least three other forces are following up—Italy’s ’Cross Society,’ Russia’s ’Black Night,’ and Southeast Asia’s ’Snake Eye.’ They all want a piece of the pie on the high seas.”

The sedan drove smoothly along the island’s ring road, the tropical rainforest outside blurring past.

Lin Long looked at the dense red dots on the nautical chart—those were the tracking markers of various forces, like a pack of sharks smelling blood, converging toward the ’sea serpent.’

”What does Kudo Yusaku have in his possession?” he asked suddenly.

”According to intelligence, he took some of Conan’s blood samples and Dr. Agasa’s preliminary draft of the antidote formula.”

”As for Kudo Shinichi himself, he seems to have been deeply hidden by Kudo Yusaku; so far, no one has been able to find Kudo Shinichi.”

The assistant added,

”Boss, I have a feeling that the exposure of Kudo Yusaku’s route this time was leaked by them on purpose. It seems Kudo Yusaku intentionally exposed those maddening samples and data to the major organizations.”

”These things are enough to drive any force crazy—once they master the technology of ’Rejuvenation,’ whether used for political coercion or black market trade, it could bring unimaginable profits.”

”So I suspect that the reason Kudo Yusaku is carrying these samples and data is that he wants to negotiate and trade on the high seas.”

Lin Long was silent for a moment, his fingertips stopping their tapping. ”Have the ’Ghost Squad’ move out.”

A flash of surprise crossed the assistant’s eyes—the ’Ghost Squad’ was the most mysterious force in Lin Long’s hands, fully equipped with top-tier gear, having executed several international secret missions without ever revealing their identities.

Using such a force to save the Kudo family clearly went beyond a simple ’convenient favor.’

”Boss, the Ghost Squad’s mission is...”

”First, muddy the waters.”

Lin Long’s voice was flat but carried an unquestionable authority.

”Make those forces suspicious of each other. It’s best if they start fighting among themselves, unable to distinguish who is the fisherman and who is the prey.”

”Second, protect the safety of Kudo Yusaku’s family, but do not directly expose our identity. You can disguise yourselves as a third-party force, or simply make them think it’s an internal betrayal within one of the organizations.”

”Third,” he paused, his gaze falling on the marker representing the small island on the nautical chart, ”find a way to bring them here. Only on our territory are they truly safe. Remember to bring back the samples and that antidote technology as well.”

The assistant immediately nodded. ”Understood! I’ll go relay the orders now.”

The sedan drove into a hidden valley, where the originally dense jungle suddenly parted in the middle, revealing a metal gate disguised as part of the mountain.

The gate rose slowly, revealing a brightly lit underground base—several helicopters were parked on the helipad, weapons racks were filled with various equipment, and the screen wall was refreshing global intelligence in real-time.

When Lin Long walked into the command room, the screen was showing the preparation footage of the ’Ghost Squad.’

Two team members were securing armed patrol speedboats to the slings of chinook transport helicopters. The speedboats’ decks were mounted with autocannons, and the hulls were painted matte black with no markings. The members wore black combat uniforms and carbon fiber masks, revealing only pairs of cold eyes.

”Reporting to the Boss, the Ghost Squad is on standby and is expected to arrive at the ’sea serpent’s’ sea area in one hour.”

The captain’s low voice came through the communicator.

”Remember,”

Lin Long spoke into the microphone,

”Don’t get bogged down in combat. The targets are a ’living’ Kudo Yusaku and the samples. Chaos is the best cover; make them think they’ve fallen into a trap of a multi-party free-for-all.”

”Copy that.”

Two minutes later, two chinook transport helicopters roared out of the underground base, their massive rotors churning the air and kicking up clouds of dust.

They didn’t fly directly toward the high seas but first headed toward the depths of the Pacific in the opposite direction. After circling at a predetermined coordinate, they turned back, pouncing toward the impending hunting ground like two dormant raptors.

In the command room, the real-time images on the screen wall began to switch—the ’sea serpent’s’ speed had significantly increased, clearly sensing the danger;

The Black Organization’s speedboats were closing in at over thirty-five knots;

On the distant radar, the ’Cross Society’s’ yacht and the ’Black Night’s’ submarine were also moving rapidly, forming a massive encirclement.

Lin Long picked up his coffee, looking at the converging light points on the screen, a playful arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

Lin Long’s main goal in doing this was to be a nuisance—muddying the waters so that no one could figure out what was happening.

Lin Long expressed: ”Hey, it’s just for kicks. I just like watching the chaos.”

Another reason was that Lin Long wasn’t certain; he feared that if the Kudo couple really died, it might cause the protagonist Kudo Shinichi to have a breakdown. If that happened, would this ’Conan-science’ world, centered around Kudo Shinichi, also be destroyed?

”Boss, Miss Sonoko sent a message saying they’ve landed safely and asked when you’re returning to Tokyo.” The assistant handed over a phone.

Lin Long looked at the selfie Suzuki Sonoko had sent in the message—she and Mouri Ran were standing at the airport exit, smiling brightly, with Mouri Kogoro making a peace sign next to them.

He replied with ”I’ll be back once I finish things here,” and then put the phone away.

On the screen, the Ghost Squad’s transport helicopters had arrived at the designated sea area and begun to descend.

The armed speedboats were slowly lowered. The moment they hit the water, the engines started immediately, trailing white spray as they charged toward the ’sea serpent,’ where a chaotic battle was about to break out.

Lin Long leaned back in his chair, his fingers once again tapping lightly on the desk.

This hunting game on the high seas had only just begun. And all he had to do was quietly pull in the net while everyone else was busy fighting over the prey.

As for the Kudo family, they needed a safe hiding place, and his small island could provide exactly that.

Outside the window, sunlight pierced through the valley’s mist, illuminating the base’s glass dome.

Lin Long knew that before long, that cargo ship named the ’sea serpent’ would sail into these seemingly calm waters, bringing with it the answers he wanted.