Conan: I've been linked to the tech tree system.

In my past life, this would have been blatant monopoly by a large corporation! And they're even using violence to suppress small and medium-sized enterprises... Is nobody going to do anything about it?!

Chapter 39 Provoking Gin's Work

Beika Town, Daikoku Building, Cocktail Bar.

Gin took a sip of his Bee's Knees cocktail, made with gin, honey, and lemon juice, and frowned slightly.

It is too sweet.

Mixing cloyingly sweet honey into a strong spirit like gin is truly nauseating.

"Brother, why hasn't Tequila called yet?" Vodka, sitting across from him, glanced at his watch; it was almost past their agreed-upon time. "Could something have happened?"

"Wait five more minutes." Gin adjusted his posture, leaned back in his seat, and glanced around at his surroundings. "If there's still no news, then abandon the mission and leave."

"Okay, big brother."

......

As the hour and minute hands aligned, Vodka, who had been intently watching the clock, realized that five minutes had passed. Just as he straightened his legs and prepared to get up, his phone suddenly vibrated.

“Hello?” Vodka answered the phone.

“It’s me, I’m Tequila.” Tequila’s voice, slurring a Kansai accent, rang out. “The deal is done, you don’t need to worry, Vodka.”

"And while you're at it, let Gin know... hmm?"

As the tequila paused, vodka heard a crisp metallic sound on the other end of the phone.

"What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled.

"It's just a kid, a kid who dropped a coin... That's all, I won't say any more." Tequila hung up the phone.

Vodka put away his phone with relief and reported to Gin on the other end of the line: "Big brother, the transaction was successfully completed."

Having completed his task, Vodka visibly relaxed, his previously straight back naturally slumping back in his seat.

He opened his mouth, about to ask Gin about the next mission, when suddenly an unfamiliar female voice rang out, making him swallow back the words he was about to say.

"Excuse me, may I sit here?"

Vodka looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl in a JK uniform standing there. Her voice was as pleasant as a flowing spring, and her eyes were clear and filled with curiosity, making it hard to refuse her.

“...No.” Vodka said.

Are high school girls these days so outgoing? They just casually sit next to people.

Moreover, he considered himself to be physically imposing and wore sunglasses, clearly the type of person most people wouldn't dare approach...

Vodka waved his hand, trying to shoo her away.

Gin, who was standing to the side, suddenly spoke up: "Sit down."

Upon hearing this, the girl smiled happily, gestured for Vodka to move over, and gracefully sat down opposite Gin.

Vodka instinctively moved closer to the window before realizing that the other person had simply sat down next to him so naturally.

Why would the older brother let a high school girl share a table with them?

Vodka glanced at Gin and noticed that he was staring intently at the girl who had sat down, his expression somewhat uncertain.

...So, this is what my older brother likes?! No wonder he was unmoved by Vermouth...

Vodka felt he had grasped the truth.

......

As soon as Toru Tono sat down, he felt a cold touch on his thigh.

He chuckled and said reservedly to Gin across from him, "Touching someone's genitals right off the bat... you'll get disliked, you know?"

Gin frowned; that disgusting tone reminded him of Vermouth.

But Vermouth was still in America at that time, being a big star, and it was impossible for her to come back specifically to flirt with him—besides, Vermouth's disguise skills weren't so bad that people could recognize her at a glance... So who exactly is this person?

Vodka looked down at the table in confusion. Even if his brother was desperate, he wouldn't just start touching her like that...

He lifted a corner of the tablecloth, revealing a cold gun barrel pressed against his pale thigh.

"!!!" Vodka was startled and hurriedly moved his body, distancing himself from the woman next to him by half a step.

He'd been with Gin for so many years and knew that Gin never spoke without reason... This woman has a problem!

At this moment, Vodka stared intently at JK and realized that, upon closer inspection, her face and even her very existence did not seem real, as if a phantom screen had been projected into the real world.

"What a pity, I thought our meeting would be more romantic." Tohno Tohru imitated the mannerisms of real high school girls like Ran and Sonoko, tilting his head seemingly unconsciously, but his tone was quite nasty. "I didn't expect Mr. Gin's insight to be so sharp."

"Although this isn't our first meeting, I should still introduce myself—I am 'Starlight,' an ordinary black market merchant."

"B-Big Brother!" Vodka was startled when he heard that she was the one who had forcibly taken the things from Gin and him that day, and he quietly moved his hand to the butt of the gun at his waist.

After that day, because he was used as a weak point, he learned his lesson and devoted himself to practicing his marksmanship for a long time, believing that he could definitely help his older brother this time!

"You still dare to show your face in front of us?" Gin pushed the gun forward, revealing his signature cruel sneer. "Aren't you afraid I'll shoot you right now?"

"Of course I'm scared." Tohru Tohno looked like he was trembling with fear, reached into his chest and rummaged around for a while, then pulled out a button that was connected to something by an electrical wire.

"So I'm prepared—if you unfortunately shoot and hit the sensors on my body, or cause my heart to stop beating, the bomb hidden here will explode, okay?"

"While strapping bombs to my body is a bit old-fashioned, I can't think of any other way to stop you from attacking me right now."

The bomb was obviously fake. If Gin were to shoot him now, Tohno would only be able to withstand a few hits with his suit and bulletproof vest before making his escape... To be honest, he was wearing several layers of clothing for safety, and it was quite stuffy in a cocktail bar with a comfortable temperature.

[Disguise Hoodie: A hoodie made using a special process. It utilizes holographic projection technology to completely alter the wearer's physical appearance.]

Put on this hoodie and pair it with a disguise veil, and the tall and handsome inventor instantly transforms into a pure and lovely JK girl.

Unfortunately, props that use holographic projection technology as their principle still suffer from the drawback of distortion when covering a large area—something like a disguise veil is fine, as it only slightly alters facial features and is not easily noticeable.

This kind of hoodie is quite obvious because it completely changes the proportions and features of the entire body, so it's easy for someone with keen observation skills like Gin to spot something amiss at a glance.

Toru Tohno has recently been working on developing newer technologies that can be used for disguise in order to address this shortcoming, but unfortunately there has been little progress so far.

Fortunately, he wasn't in a hurry to use the perfect disguise so quickly—clearly telling Gin that this face was fake and that hiding his true identity was enough; there was no need for further deception.

......

Gin ultimately didn't fire, putting away the Beretta he had been pressing against his thigh, though it was unclear how much he truly believed it.

"You didn't just come here to show off your disguise skills, did you?"

"I'm not that bored."

Toru snapped his fingers, signaling the bartender to come over.

"Miss, is there anything you need?"

The bar where Gin was traded was probably some big shot's black market operation, and the waiters seemed completely unfazed when they saw a high school girl ordering drinks.

Tohno Toru took the drinks menu from his hand and thought for a moment: "Hmm... I'll have one of these."

The waiter left in response, and a moment later returned with a glass of bright red cocktail, placing it in front of him.

"Tequila Sunrise, please enjoy."

Toru Tono picked up his cocktail and raised his glass to Gin from afar: "Although I don't usually drink tequila-based drinks like this—but today is definitely different."

"Cheers to tequila."

After speaking, Tohno Toru tilted his head back and drank the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp.

The liquid mixed with pomegranate juice slowly flowed into his esophagus.

Just as Gin's pupils dilated slightly and Vodka looked puzzled, a deafening explosion resounded through the sky above the street.

Gin looked out the window and saw a huge hole in the outer wall of the Full Paradise Company across the street, connecting to the street.

He turned sharply to Vodka and ordered, "Call Tequila right now!"

Chapter 40 Dressing in Women's Clothes, Removing the Disguise

Vodka hurriedly dialed Tequila's number, but all he heard on the other end was a busy signal.

"Brother, I can't get through." Vodka put down his phone, sweat beading on his forehead.

When members of the Black Organization go on missions, they always make sure that the members of the team keep their phones on to prevent situations where they cannot contact each other.

An explosion rang out, and Tequila's phone went dead... What happened was obvious.

Gin's face darkened. Seeing that all the customers had rushed to the window to watch the commotion and no one was paying attention to them, he suddenly pulled out his gun and pointed it straight at Tono's forehead. "Don't think I wouldn't dare to kill you."

The atmosphere froze instantly.

"Oh dear, don't get so worked up." Toru Tono grabbed the muzzle of Beretta's gun and turned it to one side.

He didn't wear a helmet when he went out.

"That Tequila guy seems reliable, but he's actually not as shrewd as Vodka—he's already revealed his suspicious nature to a detective who happens to be at the scene. I'm just helping you get rid of a rat that was about to be exposed."

Toru Tono took all the credit for Takeshita Hironobu, creating the illusion that he was very powerful.

Anyway, someone as suspicious as Gin probably wouldn't think that Tequila was accidentally killed by a roadside murderer... He probably thinks that the "truth" he fabricated is more plausible.

"What is your purpose?" Gin put away the Beretta but still didn't fire.

In truth, he didn't really care whether the tequila lived or died; his actions just now were more of a display of his attitude.

He doesn't care about idiots who can be killed by a time bomb.

Gin did not consider "Starlight" as a force. According to the intelligence they received, "Starlight" had a very limited range and frequency of activity and did not have the characteristics of an organization.

So in his mind, Tequila was most likely just killed by the woman in front of him with a timed bomb.

That's right, Gin never expected the person in front of him to be a man.

Although it's unclear how she disguised herself to create such a strange, unreal feeling, her harsh tone and behavior are remarkably similar to Vermouth's, making it impossible for her to be a man.

Moreover... Gin glanced at the woman opposite him who kept stuffing small cakes into her pockets, but said nothing.

Clearly, Gin's thinking is still somewhat old-fashioned; he has never heard of the phrase "put on women's clothing and take off the disguise."

However, this is precisely Tohno Toru's purpose in disguising himself as a high school girl.

If you can't even guess his gender at the beginning, then it's even less likely that you'll find out his true identity, right?