51: Chapter 51 Bloody Ten Minutes

The crystal chandeliers in the banquet hall suddenly went out, their brilliant light instantly swallowed by thick darkness.

"Ah! What's going on?"

"Is it a power outage?"

"Don't panic, everyone stay calm..."

Cries of surprise and murmurs rose one after another as the guests instantly fell into a panic. Someone accidentally knocked over a wine glass, the crisp sound of shattering particularly piercing in the darkness.

Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori lowered their bodies almost simultaneously, warily scanning their surroundings—this abrupt darkness was definitely not a simple power outage.

Just then, several sharp shouts came from the direction of the banquet hall's main entrance: "Who are you? Stop! Don't move!"

This was followed by several muffled "thwip-thwip" gunshots, sounding as if they were suppressed, followed by the heavy thuds of bodies hitting the floor.

"Gunshots!"

Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori exchanged a look, their expressions changing instantly.

The two of them pulled the people beside them down almost at the same time—Conan quickly pulled Mouri Ran down, while Heiji Hattori instinctively shielded Kazuha Toyama, who was nearby.

"What's wrong, Heiji?"

Kazuha Toyama stumbled as he pulled her, asking in confusion.

"Don't talk, stay hidden!" Heiji Hattori's voice was low and serious, his gaze as sharp as a blade.

On the other side, Ooka Momiji's bodyguard, Iori Muga, reacted extremely quickly. The moment he heard the gunshots, he pulled Ooka Momiji under a long table covered with a heavy tablecloth, whispering:

"Miss, it's dangerous! Those were gunshots. Stay here and don't move. No matter what happens, don't make a sound!"

Ooka Momiji's face turned slightly pale, but she forced herself to stay calm and nodded.

Iori Muga instinctively reached for his waist but found nothing—to attend the wedding, his service weapon had been left at the hotel entrance's storage according to regulations. Gritting his teeth, he could only shield Ooka Momiji more tightly.

Bang!

With a loud bang, all the lights in the banquet hall suddenly flickered on. The blinding glare caused everyone to instinctively squint and shield their eyes. During this brief moment of adjustment, over a dozen black figures appeared like ghosts in every corner of the hall—

They wore full sets of black combat gear, complete with masks and helmets. Night-vision goggles were perched on their foreheads, and they held dark assault rifles, muzzles aimed at the guests.

"Aaaaaah!"

Screams erupted instantly. The guests were scared out of their wits, scrambling under tables or curling up in corners, trembling all over.

Bang bang bang bang!

A rapid burst of automatic rifle fire came from the entrance. Bullets struck the opposite wall, kicking up countless fragments and dust, making the screams even more shrill.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a person at the main entrance of the banquet hall, also dressed in black combat gear. Unlike the others, over his black hood, he wore a pale clown mask with a grin stretching to his ears. The eyes, painted on, glowed with an eerie red light, as if mocking the farce.

It was Lin Long.

He slowly raised the M4 assault rifle in his hand, the muzzle pointing casually at the ceiling. A voice filled with madness and violence came from him—altered by dark power, it had become hoarse and sharp, completely unrecognizable from his original tone:

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning~"

His voice spread throughout the banquet hall via a built-in amplifier in his combat suit, the eerie tone making everyone's skin crawl.

"I'm so glad to see everyone on such a 'wonderful' day."

Lin Long bowed slightly, his movements exaggerated and comical.

"Shhh~"

"Now, everyone please be quiet." Lin Long placed a finger to his lips.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the mastermind behind this 'surprise.' You can call me... Joker."

He emphasized the word "surprise," the playfulness in his tone chilling everyone to the bone.

"Joker?"

Hiding under a table, Conan Edogawa stared intently at the figure by the door through a gap in the tablecloth, his heart racing. This person's aura was terrifying; that bone-deep madness was more dangerous than anyone in the Black Organization!

Lin Long seemed satisfied with the terrified reaction of the crowd. He straightened up and snapped his fingers.

James immediately understood and whispered a few instructions into his headset. Two mercenaries quickly took out several palm-sized black devices from their backpacks and installed them in the four corners of the hall—signal jammers.

"signal jammers!"

Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori recognized the devices at the same time, their expressions darkening further. Now, they couldn't even call the police.

"What on earth do you want?!"

An angry, trembling voice rang out as Tetsuji Tomizawa forced himself to stand up, enduring his fear.

Though he was shaking all over, his years of authority as the head of the family made it impossible for him to tolerate such humiliation.

"I'm warning you, not a single person here is someone you can afford to offend!

The Tomizawa Financial Group, the Suzuki Conglomerate, and all the dignitaries present... if you're smart, you'll leave immediately. I can guarantee that you won't be held responsible!"

He thought they were just ordinary robbers and tried to use his status and influence to scare them off.

Lin Long, playing the Joker, slowly turned his head. The "gaze" of the clown mask fell on Tetsuji Tomizawa, and he remained silent for a few seconds.

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and the bullet struck Tetsuji Tomizawa's left kneecap with pinpoint accuracy!

"Aaaaah!"

Tetsuji Tomizawa let out a shrill scream and collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Blood instantly stained his white trousers, blooming into a startling crimson on the carpet.

The entire banquet hall fell silent instantly; even the screams stopped abruptly.

Everyone was stunned by the sudden bloodshed, staring in terror at the man in the clown mask as if looking at a demon from hell.

Lin Long slowly lowered his gun, tossed the rifle to James, and then pulled a Glock pistol from his waist. Toying with it in his hand, he walked step by step toward a dining table in the center of the hall.

He walked to the table and, as if no one else were there, picked up a goblet and poured himself a glass of red wine, swirling it gently.

The scarlet liquid swirled in the glass, creating an eerie resonance with the red paint on his clown mask.

He took a sip before speaking slowly, his tone carrying a hint of "regret":

"I just said for everyone to stay quiet. Why won't you listen?"

He walked up to the fallen Tetsuji Tomizawa and lightly stepped on his bleeding wound with the tip of his boot, slowly applying pressure.

"Aaaaah!!!"

Tetsuji Tomizawa's screams rang out again, his body curling up in agony, cold sweat soaking through his formal wear.

"See? Now you're hurt. It's just not worth it."

Lin Long's voice remained playful, but the pressure from his foot grew heavier until Tetsuji Tomizawa nearly fainted from the pain. Only then did he release his foot.

The people in the hall were too terrified to even breathe loudly, cold sweat drenching their backs.

This "Joker" was no ordinary robber; he was a maniac! A demon who didn't care for human life at all!

Lin Long crouched down and reached out to help Tetsuji Tomizawa up, even "thoughtfully" patting the dust off his clothes, as if he hadn't been the one committing the violence just moments ago.

"Alright, the game officially begins."

Lin Long stood up and raised his wine glass toward the trembling crowd.

"Don't worry, everyone. We're mainly here today to 'borrow' some spending money. As long as you cooperate, I promise... to try my best not to harm anyone."

His tone shifted, becoming even more bizarre:

"However, because of Mr. Tomizawa's lack of cooperation just now, I think we should add a little 'bonus prize'."

"How about this: let's play a little game. Everyone, please put your gold and silver jewelry, watches, cash, and anything else of value into this bag."

James immediately signaled two mercenaries to step forward. One of them carried a large black canvas bag and walked toward the guests.

"Also, I'm a very fair person."

Lin Long continued, as if discussing the most ordinary matter.

"These items are considered your 'voluntary' donations, but your lives can't be given for free, can they?"

"So, one life for one hundred thousand dollars. Pay first, save your life later. How about that? Cheap enough, right?"

He looked back at the shell-shocked Tetsuji Tomizawa and patted his face. "Mr. Tomizawa, what do you think? Isn't it a bargain?"

"A bargain, a real bargain," Tetsuji Tomizawa said through gritted teeth, cold sweat pouring down from the pain.

Lin Long nodded in satisfaction and lightly patted Tetsuji Tomizawa on the shoulder.

"Say thank you!"

Tetsuji Tomizawa trembled, his lips quivering. He couldn't form a complete sentence for a long time, finally squeezing out two words from between his teeth:

"Th... thank you..."

"You're welcome." Lin Long chuckled, the sound coming through the mask particularly sinister.

"Move out." He nodded to James.

James immediately waved his hand, and the dozen or so mercenaries split into several groups. Weapons at the ready, they began "collecting" valuables one by one. Their movements were rough and efficient as they stripped the guests of their jewelry, watches, and wallets, tossing them into the black canvas bags.

"Put this on."

A mercenary snapped a cold bracelet onto Tetsuji Tomizawa's wrist. The bracelet had a small display screen showing "$100,000".

"This is a timer,"

Lin Long's voice rang out again.

"It will keep counting down until we receive the money. Once time is up..." He made an exploding gesture. "Boom!"

Tetsuji Tomizawa's vision went dark, and he nearly fainted for real.

Hiding under the table, Conan Edogawa's mind raced.

These people were extremely professional and organized. They clearly weren't opportunistic robbers but more like a highly trained special forces unit!

Their goal was definitely more than just money. Judging by the precise shooting of Tetsuji Tomizawa, they were likely after the Tomizawa Financial Group!

"Kudo, what do we do?" Heiji Hattori leaned into Conan's ear and whispered, "The signal is jammed; we can't contact the outside world."

Conan Edogawa's brow furrowed as his gaze swept over the mercenaries.

"Don't make a move yet,"

Conan whispered, "They have guns. Fighting back now is just suicide. Let's see what they do next."

His gaze fell once more on the figure in the clown mask, his heart filled with doubt and alertness.

Who exactly was this "Joker"? What was his goal?

Lin Long seemed to enjoy the feeling of having everything under control. Leaning against the podium with his wine, he watched the mercenaries "work" methodically and observed the guests' terrified expressions, a cold smile curling on his lips beneath the mask.

Collecting money was just a cover, a smoke screen to mislead the police.

His true objective was to pull the tomizawa family up by its roots and eliminate them entirely.

Lin Long glanced at his watch. There were five minutes left until the scheduled extraction time.

Soon, everyone present had transferred enough money online.

It was about time for the next game...

Russian Roulette...