120: Chapter 120 Gin's Wrath

The heavy metal music in the Dark Moon Bar made one's eardrums ache, and the scarlet light rippled through the liquor at the bar, like a pool of congealed blood.

Gin sat in the corner booth, his black trench coat open, revealing a white shirt soaked in blood—the organization's exclusive doctor had just used tweezers to extract the bullet from his arm, and the wound was still oozing blood, yet he didn't even furrow his brow, merely tipping his head back to down a large gulp of whiskey.

"Clang!"

The empty glass was slammed hard onto the table, sending ice cubes scattering.

Gin suddenly began to laugh lowly; the laughter grew louder and louder, finally turning into a near-maniacal cackle that tore a cold rift through the noisy bar.

The organization members around the booth instantly fell silent.

Chianti, the organization's new appointee, tightened her grip on her sniper rifle, a flicker of fear flashing in her eyes—she had followed Gin on countless missions even before she was a ranked member, having witnessed his coldness when killing and his gloom when frustrated, but she had never seen him laugh like this, as if he had discovered some extremely interesting prey, or as if he were mocking his own oversight.

Korn sat emotionlessly beside her, his fingers unconsciously rubbing against his holster, but his slightly trembling fingertips betrayed his nervousness.

Only Vodka, biting the bullet, leaned forward, his voice filled with cautious probing: "Boss... are you okay?"

Gin's laughter stopped abruptly, and he turned his head sharply to look at him, his long silver hair gleaming coldly under the lights:

"Okay? I'm better than ever!"

He pointed to the wound on his arm, a cruel arc curling at the corner of his mouth, "Do you know? This bullet was fired by Akai Shuichi. And that brat he saved is none other than Kudo Shinichi, whom we 'disposed of' at the amusement park!"

"Kudo Shinichi?!"

Vodka's eyes widened, the glass in his hand nearly slipping,

"That high school detective? He... he really shrank? Wasn't APTX4869 supposed to be the perfect poison? How could..."

"Perfect poison?"

Gin sneered, picking up the bottle on the table and taking a large gulp directly from the mouth, the liquor running down the corner of his mouth and into his collar,

"It seems those losers in the R&D team don't even know what side effects the drug they developed has! Rejuvenation... how interesting."

He remembered the look in that brat's eyes in the alley—clearly a primary schooler's appearance, yet the depths of his eyes hid the exact same sharpness and stubbornness as Kudo Shinichi. He should have just shot him then, instead of wanting to bring him back for interrogation.

"Boss is brilliant!"

Vodka quickly flattered him, "If not for your attention to detail, who would have thought that Conan Edogawa was actually Kudo Shinichi!"

He paused, suddenly remembering something,

"By the way, Boss, I recall some time ago, Kudo Shinichi's father, that mystery novelist Kudo Yusaku, applied to join the organization, right? It was even recommended by Vermouth at the time, saying he wanted to find inspiration for murders..."

Vodka's voice grew lower: "Do you think... did Kudo Yusaku already know that Kudo Shinichi had shrunk back then? Could his joining the organization be for..."

"To go undercover."

Gin finished his sentence, his eyes turning icy,

"I should have thought of that sooner. A world-renowned novelist, with a perfectly good life, insisting on joining an organization like ours that operates in the shadows—talking about finding inspiration? That's complete bullshit!"

He recalled the way Kudo Yusaku looked when he came to the base for an interview—wearing a custom suit, gold-rimmed glasses, speaking elegantly, clear and logical when discussing criminal methods, and even offering a few 'suggestions' for the organization's assassination plans.

At the time, he thought the man was interesting, unlike other sycophantic types, but now that he thought about it, that was simply a detective's instinct, collecting intelligence quietly!

"That guy must have known long ago that Kudo Shinichi wasn't dead,"

Gin's fingers rapped heavily on the table,

"Joining the organization was, first, to find the antidote for APTX4869, and second, to provide cover for that brat. Perhaps even the news of us screening test subjects was leaked to Akai Shuichi by him!"

Vodka listened, heart pounding with fear:

"Then... what about Vermouth? Did she already know the truth when she recommended Kudo Yusaku join? Could it be..."

He didn't dare continue, but the implication was clear—was Vermouth colluding with the Kudo Family?

Gin, however, shook his head, his fingertips twisting the rim of his glass:

"Impossible. You know the relationship between Vermouth and the BOSS. If she dared to betray us, the BOSS would be the first to not spare her."

He knew Vermouth too well. That woman was mysterious, cunning, and even a bit cynical, but she would never dare to betray the organization—or rather, she had absolute obedience to the BOSS.

Her recommendation of Kudo Yusaku was likely because she found the man 'interesting' and wanted to see what kind of antics this famous novelist would stir up after joining the organization, without thinking of anything else at all.

"However..."

A gloating smile tugged at the corner of Gin's mouth,

"She's really fallen for it this time. Being played like a fiddle by an old fox like Kudo Yusaku—if word gets out, the people in the organization will probably laugh their heads off."

He could almost imagine Vermouth's expression when she learned the truth—that face, always carrying a sneer, would surely be filled with shock and rage. Thinking of this, the frustration in his heart dissipated by more than half.

Chianti, beside him, couldn't help but interject:

"Then what do we do now? Go straight and raid the Kudo Family? Capture Kudo Yusaku and that brat together?"

"What's the rush?"

Gin glanced at her, "Since Kudo Yusaku dared to play games, he must have been prepared long ago. Going now would be tantamount to alerting the enemy."

He took out his phone, brought up a map around the Kudo Family residence, and tapped his finger on the screen, "The members under me are still monitoring the Kudo mansion; keep a close watch these next few days and see what moves they make."

He looked at Vodka:

"Go investigate Kudo Yusaku's recent whereabouts, the people he has contacted, and the places he has been; don't miss a single detail. I want to know exactly how many of our secrets he has mastered."

"Yes!" Vodka immediately took out a notebook to record.

Gin then looked at Chianti and Korn: "You two, I don't care what methods you use, just investigate the whereabouts of Akai Shuichi for me."

He paused, then added,

"Remember, don't alert the enemy first; report back after confirming his identity. I want to 'entertain' him personally. Also, be careful; it seems Akai Shuichi has received help from some organization."

Chianti and Korn exchanged a glance and replied in unison: "Understood."

The music in the bar continued, deafening, yet it couldn't cover the chill spreading within the booth.

Gin picked up his freshly poured whiskey, looking at his reflection in the glass—long silver hair, cold eyes, and that scabbing wound on his arm.

He thought of the way Kudo Shinichi looked after shrinking, remembered the decisiveness in Akai Shuichi's shot, and recalled the composure of Kudo Yusaku during his interview...

These people, all of them like hunters hiding in the shadows, thinking they could pull the wool over his eyes.

How ridiculous.

A cold arc curled at the corner of Gin's mouth as he downed the drink in his glass in one go.

The game has only just begun.

He would tear away their disguises bit by bit, capture Kudo Shinichi, and make him a 'living specimen' for APTX4869;

He would expose Kudo Yusaku's undercover identity and make him taste the consequences of betraying the organization;

He was even looking forward to seeing Vermouth get humbled—after all, it wasn't often that one could make that woman lose her composure.

As for those Zaibatsu stirring behind the scenes? Gin sneered. Once he settled the trouble with the Kudo Family, he would have plenty of time to deal with them.

The lights of the Dark Moon Bar remained scarlet, reflecting off Gin's cold profile.

The organization members around the booth didn't dare to breathe, for they all knew that this boss, Gin, whom they followed, was no saint.

Vodka, watching the cold glint flashing in Gin's eyes, quietly tightened his grip on the gun in his hand.

He had a premonition that Tokyo was about to be stirred up by quite a storm.