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

Chapter 77 The Figure Wearing a Baseball Cap

The raging storm was extinguished as if by a torrential downpour.

Amuro Tooru's heart felt as if it had sunk into an ice cave, shivering with cold.

He finally understood where his inexplicable anger came from.

—It was because he couldn't stop Morofushi Hiromitsu from being killed by Akai Shuichi, who was eventually confirmed to be an FBI undercover agent.

The sacrifice of Kazami Yuya and the special police officers was due to his failure to issue a timely retreat order after sensing impending danger; and his failure to kill Gin in advance while covering his teammates' sniping.

He knew it wasn't his fault, but he still resented himself.

What truly angered him was not "Starlight," nor Shuichi Akai, but his own powerlessness.

His hatred for Shuichi Akai is undeniable, but his anger towards "Starlight" is nothing more than foolish misplaced anger.

Amuro Tooru's mood gradually calmed down.

We shouldn't have high expectations of the moral standards of criminals.

He stared intently into "Starlight's" clear eyes, where his own reflection could be clearly seen.

"Starlight's" harmless appearance is indeed very deceptive.

Even when you know the other person isn't a good person, there will be moments when you subconsciously treat them as a normal person you can communicate with in a friendly way.

Rather than the devil of extreme egoism.

......

"I will arrange the information about 'Akami Miyano's' death according to plan, and Sherry will see it the next day."

Amuro Tooru's expression returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

"thank you for your help."

"Starlight" said with a smile, "Next time, if you need my help, just let me know."

"Hmm." Amuro Toru uttered a short syllable, absentmindedly looking at the ground where only broken riot gear and congealed black blood remained.

How did Gin manage to kill the fully armed team members in just a few seconds?

As Amuro Tooru calmed down, this question popped into his mind.

He crouched down and picked up the riot shield, which was riddled with bullet holes.

The splattered blood staining the inside of the shield evokes the image of bullets passing through the shield and piercing flesh without hindrance.

Amuro Tooru tightened his grip on the riot shield slightly, and a crack appeared where he held it.

He frowned and snapped it open with force.

A large piece of the shield was broken off along the crack.

It looks normal, but its material is as fragile as tofu.

Inferior products?

Is someone in the Metropolitan Police Department embezzling funds?

The moment the thought arose, Amuro Tooru immediately dismissed it.

No matter what, it's too much for a shield to be so easily broken by hand; there's no way the police officers with the equipment wouldn't have noticed.

The team members remained huddled behind riot shields until their very last breath... proving that everything was in order when they checked their equipment before entering the warehouse.

"Oh, no wonder Gin killed him."

Countless illogical possibilities flashed through Amuro Tooru's mind, but "Starlight" looked as if she had just realized something and squatted down next to Amuro Tooru.

"What did you find?" Amuro Tooru asked, turning to the side.

"You haven't been to the organization's action team these past few days, have you?" the girl replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.

“Hmm.” Amuro Tooru nodded. As a member of the intelligence group who adhered to mysticism, he always went his own way and rarely went to the organization’s bases.

Only after receiving an affirmative answer did she continue, "So you still don't know about my new invention."

"Your invention?"

"Look, that's it."

"Starlight" pointed to the shield with bullet holes on it.

"The [Sonic Phase Decomposer] can scan the inherent frequency of a shield or armor body and emit a directional infrasonic array to embrittle their structure."

"I didn't expect Gin to be carrying something like that around." She said casually, intentionally or unintentionally steer the conversation in another direction. "Don't you find it a bit strange? Normally, people wouldn't carry that kind of equipment around on a mission, right?"

"...It's very strange." Amuro Tooru looked at "Starlight" with an indescribable expression, his feelings were very complicated.

But I didn't think of the props that were taken out at the "Starlight" event and handed to Gin.

From his perspective, "Starlight" was lying obediently on the ground in his bulletproof vest the whole time, and had no time to get away.

So what exactly happened...?

He suddenly remembered something else.

......

As the police officers watched "Starlight" drive away in the taxi hidden behind the container, the cleanup of the scene was nearing its end.

After arranging the news that would appear in tomorrow's newspaper, Amuro Tooru hitched a ride to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Passing by a clothing store, I disguised myself simply, pretending to be an ordinary passerby, to distinguish myself from the mysterious impression that Bourbon gave off.

He arrived at the top floor of the Metropolitan Police Department without any obstacles, identified a room, and went straight in.

"Hey, you..." The young secretary, who was sitting by the door writing documents, was startled by the man who didn't knock. She quickly stood up and reached out to stop him.

“Don’t stop him.” Superintendent Toshio Morohoshi, who was working at his desk, looked up at the person who had come in and said, “Get me a glass of water—and close the door behind you when you leave.”

The secretary stood frozen for a moment, then understood, took the half-finished water glass from Inspector Moroboshi, opened the door, and went out.

The lock cylinder made a metallic clanging sound as it closed.

"Sit." Toshio Moroboshi didn't even raise his head.

Amuro Tooru skillfully dragged over a chair and sat directly opposite Moroboshi Toshio.

He lifted the brim of his baseball cap, which covered half his face, and greeted them.

"Inspector General Moroboshi".

"What is it?" Toshio Moroboshi finished writing the last stroke on the document and stacked it on top of the "small mountain" piled up to the side.

He raised his head, his stern face serious.

This undercover agent of the Black Organization, who is at the forefront of the organization, will not come to him in person easily.

“I have a question,” Amuro Tooru paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully, “Have you ever heard of someone called ‘Tohno Tooru’?”

"Toru Tono?" Toshio Moroboshi searched his memory for the name. He always had a good memory, but he had absolutely no recollection of this person.

"No," he answered affirmatively.

Amuro Tooru's eyebrows were visibly squeezed together.

"What's wrong with this person?" Toshio Moroboshi asked, looking at him intently.

"There's nothing wrong with him. He's a very imaginative inventor and detective. The First Investigation Division occasionally commissions some inventions from him that can be used to solve cases."

"I've heard my subordinates report this, but they only mentioned it briefly; I really don't know his name."

“That’s the problem.” Amuro Tooru frowned, his tone slightly hesitant. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him for a long time and personally reported his information to the police department… why didn’t you know about this?”

"And this isn't the first time this has happened—do you remember what happened a year ago?"

Amuro Tooru's words finally made Moroboshi Toshio frown, his eyes gradually turning angry.

"you mean......"

"Is there an undercover agent in the Metropolitan Police Department?"

Chapter 78 Light Pierces the Night

The secret conversation in the Superintendent's office lasted for some time, and no one knows what they said.

"dong dong dong"

Three knocks, each with the exact same pause, rang out with uniform force and almost identical decibel levels.

Amuro Tooru pulled down the brim of his hat and stood up.

"That's enough for today," he said.

Moroboshi Toshio nodded, indicating that the conversation was indeed almost over.

"Be careful and prioritize your own safety." He thought for a moment, then added to Amuro Tooru as he turned to walk out the door.

"..." Amuro Tooru did not answer, placed his right hand in front of his eyes, pressed down on the brim of his hat, and walked out the door.

He had heard similar comments far too many times and had no desire to reply.

Moroboshi Toshio didn't mind, and raised his voice slightly to make sure the person outside the door could hear him.

"Please come in."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a "click" came from the doorway.

A young man walked in.

With a handsome face and a cold expression, he wore a dark gray suit with a tie tied meticulously. His long black hair was pulled back, and his eyes were sharp as knives. His temperament was sharp and charismatic, like a young master from a turbid world.

He brushed past Tooru Amuro.

"Shinji." Moroboshi Toshio nodded slightly when he saw the newcomer and spoke familiarly.

"Inspector Moroboshi." Shinji withdrew his gaze from following Amuro Tooru all the way to the room door and slowly sat down in the still warm chair.

"Who was that person just now?" he asked casually.

“Subordinates sent out on secret missions,” Toshio Moroboshi said, half-jokingly.