61: Chapter 61 Yusaku Kudo and Gin's First Meeting

Tokyo's nights always carried a damp chill. Deep within the abandoned parking lot, rusted metal pipes cast distorted shadows under the moonlight, and the air was thick with the decaying scent of machine oil and dust.

A black Porsche 356A lay in wait silently in a corner, its headlights off, like a crouching beast.

Gin leaned against the car door, a cigarette between his fingertips. The crimson glow flickered, illuminating his cold, sharp features.

Vodka stood behind him, arms crossed, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily like a loyal but clumsy hound.

"Big Brother,"

Vodka broke the silence, his voice a bit dry.

"The boss said we should personally assess the new member. This is a first, isn't it? Who could it be that the boss values them so much?"

Gin took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled a smoke ring, which the night wind quickly dispersed.

"Someone you 'know'." His voice was raspy and low, carrying its usual coldness.

"Someone I know?"

Vodka paused, scratching his head.

"Big Brother, among the people I know, besides our brothers in the organization, it doesn't seem like anyone has the skill to join us..."

Gin glanced at him, a nearly imperceptible sneer curling his lips. "Kudo Yusaku."

"Kudo Yusaku?!"

Vodka's eyes instantly widened, as if he had heard something utterly fantastical.

"That detective novelist? The author of 'Night Baron'? He... why would he want to join the organization?!"

In his impression, Kudo Yusaku was the kind of celebrity who lived in the spotlight—a best-selling author and a master of deduction. He was from a completely different world compared to people like them who walked in the shadows.

"Who knows."

Gin flicked the ash off his cigarette, his tone flat.

"Maybe he's made enough money writing novels and wants some excitement? Or maybe... he has some ulterior motive."

"Then... could this be a trap?"

Vodka was a little worried.

"Didn't we kill his son, Kudo Shinichi, at the amusement park? Since that brat's whereabouts are unknown now, could Kudo Yusaku suspect us and suddenly want to join the organization because of that...?"

Gin sneered, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

"So what if it's a trap? As long as he dares to step through this door, he shouldn't expect to leave in one piece."

He paused. The cigarette between his fingers had burned to the end, and he flicked it away. It traced a red arc through the air.

"The rules for the assessment remain the same. To join the organization, one must first draw blood. Once he's proven his loyalty with a kill, he's one of us. If he dares to play tricks, he'll stay here forever."

"As for his son, Kudo Shinichi, heh... so what if he knows we killed him? At worst, we'll just reunite the father and son."

Vodka nodded, seemingly understanding yet not quite.

He knew what Gin meant—once you set foot on the path of darkness, there was no turning back. It didn't matter if Kudo Yusaku was just a novelist; even if he were a god, once he was stained with the organization's blood, he could only be their puppet for life.

Once a member of the Black Organization, always a member of the Black Organization.

Just then, the sound of a car engine approached from the distance, breaking the dead silence of the parking lot.

A silver sedan drove in slowly, its headlights sweeping through the darkness before finally stopping not far from the Porsche.

The car door opened, and a man wearing a dark trench coat stepped out.

He had a tall, upright build, his hair was meticulously groomed, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Even in this gloomy environment, he exuded an air of refined composure. It was indeed Kudo Yusaku.

Kudo Yusaku's gaze quickly swept over the parking lot, soon locking onto the Porsche in the corner and the two familiar black-clad figures.

His heart beat steadily in his chest, yet on the surface, he showed no ripple of emotion.

"Gin, Vodka..."

He silently repeated these two names in his mind; they were the core members of the Black Organization that Shinichi (Conan Edogawa) had mentioned countless times.

Taking a deep breath, Kudo Yusaku suppressed the turmoil in his heart and walked toward Gin.

His pace was neither fast nor slow. Each step on the abandoned concrete floor made a slight sound that was exceptionally clear in the silent night.

"It seems you are the ones who notified me."

Kudo Yusaku stood still before Gin, a perfectly measured, slightly cautious smile on his face.

He extended his hand and said in a calm tone, "Hello, I am Kudo Yusaku. I received the notice to participate in the assessment."

Gin didn't reach out to shake his hand. He simply sized him up with those cold, grey-blue eyes, as if evaluating the worth of a piece of merchandise.

His gaze was sharp and scrutinizing, as if trying to pierce through Kudo Yusaku's skin to see his innermost thoughts.

"Kudo Yusaku."

Gin spoke, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"The famous novelist and master of deduction. I truly didn't expect someone like you to be interested in a 'shady' organization like ours."

The smile on Kudo Yusaku's face remained unchanged as he withdrew his hand and let it rest naturally at his side.

"Everyone has a side to them that others don't know. The darkness in novels is fictional, after all. I want to see what real darkness looks like."

The reason sounded absurd, yet it carried a hint of the paranoia unique to artists, enough to make most people believe it.

Gin was clearly not among "most people." He snorted coldly, his tone carrying a warning.

"I don't care if you're here to experience life or if you have other plans. Remember one thing—"

"Once you enter the organization, there is no turning back."

"The only end for betrayal is death."

He said those last three words very softly, yet they carried a bone-chilling killing intent, as if the air itself had frozen a little because of them.

Vodka stood to the side, putting on a fierce expression to try and pressure Kudo Yusaku.

Kudo Yusaku remained calm, even nodding slightly, his tone sincere.

"I am well aware of what I'm doing and understand the organization's rules. Please rest assured, I won't gamble with my own life."

His composure caused a flicker of surprise to cross Gin's eyes, but it was quickly masked by coldness. "Better be."

Gin pulled a thick manila envelope from his coat and tossed it to Kudo Yusaku.

The envelope traced an arc in the air and was steadily caught by Kudo Yusaku.

"Your assessment task." Gin said. "Inside is information on the target. Eliminate him within ten days."

"During this time, other members of the organization will be secretly observing your actions to evaluate your abilities."

"Don't play tricks, and don't think about being perfunctory. The organization's eyes are everywhere."

After saying this, he didn't give Kudo Yusaku another look. He turned, opened the Porsche's door, and sat inside. Vodka quickly followed, climbing into the passenger seat.

The engine roared to life, and the Porsche shot off like an arrow, kicking up a cloud of dust. It soon disappeared at the exit of the parking lot, leaving only the screeching sound of tires against the ground.

Kudo Yusaku stood where he was, watching the Porsche leave. Only when the car's taillights had completely vanished into the night did he slowly let out a sigh of relief. Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead—the killing intent Gin had emitted earlier was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

He looked down at the envelope in his hand; it felt heavy.

Turning back to his own car, he placed the envelope on the passenger seat, started the engine, and drove away from the eerie parking lot.

The silver sedan cruised smoothly through the late-night streets. Kudo Yusaku didn't turn on the navigation, driving toward home purely by memory.

He didn't open the envelope immediately. Instead, he first dialed an encrypted number.

"Hello, it's me." He said in a low voice once the call connected. "I've met Gin."

"How was it? Did it go smoothly?" Yukiko's worried voice came from the other end.

"I'm fine for now."

Kudo Yusaku said, "They gave me an assessment task. I have to eliminate a target within ten days."

"Who is the target?"

"I don't know yet; I haven't looked."

Kudo Yusaku glanced at the envelope on the passenger seat. "I'll talk more when I get back. Lately, you should also reduce your contact with Shinichi. The organization might be watching me, and I don't want him to get involved."

"I understand. You be careful too."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Hanging up the phone, Kudo Yusaku pulled the car over to the side of the road and opened the manila envelope.

Inside was a stack of neatly printed documents, with a black-and-white photograph on top.

The man in the photo was about fifty years old, wearing gold-rimmed glasses with a greasy smile on his face. He looked shrewd and greedy.

Beneath the photo, his name was written: Noguchi Shigehiko.

Kudo Yusaku frowned. The name seemed somewhat familiar—he seemed to be a member of the House of Representatives, known for being "upright" and frequently making anti-corruption speeches on television. He hadn't expected him to be involved with the Black Organization.

He continued reading, and the contents of the file made his pupils contract slightly.

On the surface, Noguchi Shigehiko was a politician who advocated for the people, but in reality, he was a puppet propped up by the Black Organization.

Over the years, he had used his position to provide the organization with a vast amount of political intelligence, helped cover up many of their illegal activities, and even participated in several cases of corruption involving collusion between government and business, reaping enormous profits.

And recently, because one of his acts of corruption was too blatant, he had been targeted by the Japanese Public Security.

Although the Public Security hadn't yet discovered his connection to the Black Organization, the organization decided to "clean house" just in case, to avoid being traced.

The documents detailed evidence of Noguchi Shigehiko's corruption—the amount of bribes received (as high as billions of yen), the locations of hidden illicit funds, a list of businessmen he colluded with... there were even details of his private embezzlement of public funds and his keeping of mistresses. It was practically a complete "criminal record."

Attached at the end was his recent itinerary: attending a House of Representatives meeting tomorrow morning, going to a private club in Chiyoda Ward to meet "friends" in the afternoon, and attending a corporate charity gala in the evening... The times, locations, and accompanying personnel were all clearly written.

"So that's how it is."

After finishing the documents, Kudo Yusaku gently closed the envelope, a look of realization flashing in his eyes.

The organization wanted him to kill Noguchi Shigehiko partly to eliminate a threat and partly as a test for him—a famous novelist with no experience in killing was tasked with quietly eliminating a politician protected by bodyguards within three months without being discovered by the police. The difficulty was self-evident.

This was not only a test of his ability but also a way to force him completely into the darkness—by killing someone with his own hands and staining them with blood, he would never be able to turn back.

"What a ruthless method." Kudo Yusaku whispered to himself.

He knew very well that he had no choice.

If he refused or if the mission failed, not only would he be in danger, but it would also alert the enemy, making all his previous efforts go to waste.

He had to complete the mission.

But he didn't want to actually become a murderer.

Kudo Yusaku's fingers lightly tapped the steering wheel as his mind raced.

As a mystery novelist, what he excelled at most was finding flaws in desperate situations and loopholes within rules.

If he killed Noguchi Shigehiko, he would become the organization's puppet; if he didn't, he would be exposed.

So, was there a third possibility?

One where he could complete the "task," making the organization believe him for the time being, without getting his own hands dirty, and perhaps even cause a bit of trouble for the organization?

Kudo Yusaku started the car and continued driving toward home.

And Gin and Vodka were on their way back to the base.

"Big Brother, do you think Kudo Yusaku can complete the mission?"

Vodka couldn't help but ask, "He's a politician, after all. He must have plenty of bodyguards around him."

Gin looked straight ahead, his tone flat. "Whether he can complete it or not isn't important."

"Huh?" Vodka looked puzzled.

"What's important is,"

A cold curve curled Gin's lips.

"Whether he dares to take action. As long as he develops the intent to kill, even if he fails in the end, he'll still be one of the organization's people."

Once the seed of darkness is sown, it will take root and sprout. Since Kudo Yusaku chose to step in, he shouldn't think about leaving in one piece.

"As for that politician, it might be difficult for an ordinary person, but for us, it's just a matter of a single bullet!"