Conan: No, why aren't you following the script?

"Exchange? You're going to trade this high school student to me?"

Kitagawa Isao found it somewhat amusing. "Ma'am, you're not joking with me, are you?"

"What's wrong with this?"

Seeing Kitagawa Isao smile, Silver Fox also smiled. "We have no past grudges or present enmity. People who make a living in this industry are only in it for money. We don't want to provoke you. We just want to earn some pocket money and have some fun. So, isn't this kind of deal a perfect solution for both of us?"

At this point, the half-face assassin Silver Fox, wearing sunglasses, gave Tatsuya's cheek in a rather ambiguous way.

"After all, you don't want to go back with a corpse, do you? Losing both the person and the money wouldn't be a good outcome for either of us. And let me tell you, I still have some men out there who haven't returned yet. Once they come back, this deal might not be as easy to negotiate as it is now..."

Silver Fox's voice is incredibly captivating, and the mystery she exudes with her sunglasses and black attire makes her all the more mesmerizing.

However, Kitagawa Isao remained unmoved. He knew very well that behind the sunglasses worn by Silver Fox was a dead fish eye that looked no less than that of a middle-aged woman...

The feeling was like that of Gongsun Linglong in Qin's Moon, who wore a mask and was stunningly beautiful, but when she took it off, she exclaimed "Holy crap!"

Startled by his own wild imagination, Kitagawa Isao quickly shook his head and looked at the three of them calmly.

“I’m not a bounty hunter, and the mission I’m tasked with doesn’t necessarily require bringing this high school student back alive.”

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you understand?"

Kitagawa Isao smiled faintly, "This high school student's life or death is none of my business. Even if you smash his head, it won't affect me. Besides... I've always hated being threatened."

After speaking, before Silver Fox and the others could react, Kitagawa Isao suddenly rushed forward, bypassing the bearded painter and directly confronting Silver Fox.

The next second, under Silver Fox's astonished gaze, Kitagawa Isao grabbed her right hand holding the gun and then exerted force.

With a snap, Silver Fox's wrist was broken by his grip.

The pistol fell to the ground and accidentally fired, hitting a pile of gasoline drums nearby.

Instantly, raging flames engulfed the entire monitoring room, stunning everyone present...

"You madman, you madman, aren't you afraid of what I just said..."

Whether from the pain or from being startled by Kitagawa Isao's actions, Silver Fox was deathly pale as she knelt amidst the raging flames, cursing the pervert before her with all her might.

Showing no mercy to women, remaining steadfast even as his opponent takes hostages...

In all her years, this was truly the first time she had ever encountered such a reckless young person...

Silver Fox looked up angrily, only to see that Kitagawa Isao had already removed the ring from the painter's other hand, and now her only subordinate was wailing and kneeling on the ground.

The agonizing screams, coupled with the flames obscuring the monitoring room, made Kitagawa Isao's figure sway amidst the firelight. Despite the sweltering heat, Silver Fox felt a chill run down his spine...

She just squatted there blankly, and Kitagawa Isao ignored her. After checking that Tatsuya was not injured, he began to order the high school student around, making him carry the bearded painter to the first floor for refuge.

Immediately, Kitagawa Isao squatted down in front of Silver Fox and used a rolled-up newspaper to lift her chin:

"Although... I'm still a little curious. I know your nickname is Silver Fox, which is similar to a mysterious criminal organization I've heard of. As far as I know, members of that organization usually have a code name related to an animal, like Red Scorpion or Spider or something like that,"

"Are you connected to that organization?"

Upon hearing Kitagawa Isao's words, Silver Fox silently looked up.

"I...I've never heard of these code names, nor do I know any such organization. I've only been making counterfeit money, and I don't know anything about what you're saying..."

"Since you don't know, then forget it."

Before Silver Fox could finish speaking, upon hearing that the other party had no connection with the 'Zoo' organization, Kitagawa Isao sighed with regret and left the monitoring room without looking back, leaving Silver Fox alone, still standing in the raging fire in a daze.

……

Soon, because of the proximity to the Dadujian Police Station, a few carefree police officers discovered the fire and immediately dialed the fire department's hotline.

About half an hour later, the fire that had almost completely engulfed the Lianhe Building was finally brought under control.

Under the identification of Tatsuya, who successfully escaped, the bandit leader Silver Fox, who was suspected of carbon monoxide poisoning and was somewhat delirious; the bearded painter with broken arms; and Inuyama, who was hit in the Adam's apple and was still completely unconscious...

Except for one tall, thin member who went out to purchase supplies, the entire counterfeit money ring was apprehended...

The police officers at Dadujian Police Station turned pale with shock at this.

A small criminal gang was lurking right next to their own police station, producing counterfeit money for as long as six months, and yet they didn't even notice.

If it weren't for this fire, no one knows how long this criminal group would have continued to run rampant.

only……

According to Tatsuya, the only witness in the case, a young man dressed in black subdued these vicious thugs. But where is that young man?

Inspector Megure, who rushed over, was very puzzled by this.

Little did he know that Kitagawa Isao, who had left without a trace, had already boarded a train and was on his way back to Beika Town.

Another mission was completed, successfully thwarting the first case of the fully-formed Junior Detective League. The system generously rewarded him with some reward points, an extra month of lifespan, and physical enhancements.

The latter two options no longer interested Kitagawa Isao. Sitting on the train seat, he silently opened the system interface. After hesitating for a long time, he decided to exchange some yen first.

As the saying goes, even a hero can be brought down by a lack of money, and Kitagawa Isao certainly doesn't want Ai Haibara to be unable to attend school because of his lack of funds.

If such a blunder were to occur, he would be utterly humiliated.

only……

Hearing the system notification that five million yen had been deposited into his bank account, Kitagawa Isao was still somewhat surprised.

He had initially thought the reward for the Silver Fox counterfeit money ring case would be settled together with the reward for Hirota Masami's locked-room murder case, but it turns out they were calculated separately...

So, doesn't this mean he can get another reward point tonight?

……

P.S.: After careful consideration, 100 million yen seems a bit low, so I'll change it to 500 million yen. I hope this won't affect the readers' experience.

I'm going out to pick up a package, have dinner later, and maybe take a shower outside...

There should be 1-2 more updates when I get back~

I'm back with my diligent self!!!