WebNovels

Chapter 150 - Chapter 152: He is really good at turning the tables

The Uchida Asami case was welded to the organization's tail at an odd angle—it had initially just been a coincidence.

In the world of science, potassium cyanide was widely accessible and pulling a gun wasn't impossible. Schrödinger's hazardous chemicals and gun control were such basic design flaws that no one even bothered to complain anymore.

So, when Kazawa entered the subway ahead of time, preparing to use a baton to knock out the shadow instructed by Sawai Xue, he was genuinely shocked when that shadow revealed the source of the drug.

It turned out to be connected to the organization's drug smuggling operations—possibly even drug trafficking—far beyond anything Kazawa had anticipated.

He quickly made a decision: to allow the case to unfold and then intervene at the right moment.

He couldn't let Sawai Manabu back down. This was a key lead that needed to be handed over to the police for investigation. A scumbag like that should be thrown in jail to reflect on his life.

After confirming, with the help of Hoshikawa Teru, that this was indeed one of the brainwashing drugs developed by the organization, Kazawa promptly had Hoshikawa leave—preventing any link between "Akechi" and the one who exposed the drug. He then made a deliberate trip to the variety show to reveal the drug publicly.

To minimize the societal harm caused by the Kazawa couple's research and distance himself in a roundabout way, Kazawa ended up burning quite a few brain cells.

Once he finished speaking, he finally felt some relief and handed the focus of the conversation back to Kogoro Mouri.

After expressing his thanks, Kogoro Mouri began discussing the ongoing investigation conducted by himself and Investigation Section 4. He reminded viewers to stay cautious about food safety and hygiene and to wait for official updates from the police.

Kazawa was a bit distracted. He could feel his phone, which had been buzzing incessantly and heating up in his pocket, finally go quiet.

Gin probably realized by now that Kazawa wouldn't check messages during a live broadcast and gave up.

Sigh… even a supplementary drug created to treat Kazawa Zhao's condition had turned into such a mess.

Just how much trouble had his parents left behind?

Kazawa had a sinking feeling.

The hosts then picked up from Mouri's words and joked about eating out and watching what you put in your mouth, lightening the mood. Once the atmosphere warmed up again, they moved on with the program.

"In this thought-provoking atmosphere, let's proceed to our next segment—'The Murderer Is You,'" Matsuo Takashi said with a friendly smile.

"Next is a four-minute short film. After watching it, everyone can try to guess who the murderer is. Please participate if you're watching at home or in the studio—winners get prizes from the show team!" Nagai Ayako finished her cue and waited for the director's instructions through her earpiece.

"Alright, cut to Camera 2, close-ups of both guests, roll the video, four-minute intermission," the director commanded, adjusting channels and volume, giving orders nonstop.

"Phew…" Nagai Ayako exhaled, took two sips of water from a staff member. "Today's show really hit the right notes emotionally. The ratings must be great, right, Mr. Matsuo?"

"Yeah." Matsuo Takashi responded absentmindedly, pulling out his phone, scanning it, and saying, "I need to make a call."

"That urgent?" Nagai Ayako looked at him curiously as he stood up quickly. "You've got four minutes—be sure to be back in time, Mr. Matsuo!"

Takashi Matsuo quickly exited the studio, the beeping of a dialing tone ringing in his ears.

"I am the world-renowned director, Kuroshima!" As soon as the call connected, he shouted his signature impersonation line into the mic, his face caught between nervous excitement and eerie grotesqueness.

Outside, Matsuo sprinted down the corridor. At the same moment inside the studio, another call connected.

"I'm still in the studio, so keep your voice down," Kazawa said flatly, not even using honorifics after glancing at the caller ID.

Vodka held his breath on the other end.

He was the one who called, not his big brother. So there was no need to pretend. What a mutt!

Taking a deep breath, Vodka said, "Gin is right next to me. He wants to know why you mentioned KA03 on the show. That drug is one of the organization's key product lines—you know that."

"Of course I know. I've even used it myself," Kazawa sneered twice, completely without mercy.

"…That still doesn't justify exposing KA03 publicly," Gin's eye twitched. He seriously suspected that Kumail had been exposed to brainwashing drugs for too long and now held a personal grudge against all related substances, using this opportunity to settle the score.

Thinking deeper, maybe his parents' research was exactly what drove him to torture Tang Zezhao with such madness.

"You think I wanted to do this?" Kazawa's tone suddenly softened, making his voice more uncertain. "Instead of questioning me, let me ask you something. My identity is the organization's top secret, right? Not even my idiot dad knows I got a code name. The KA03 topic wasn't in the original variety show script… So, did you actually keep it confidential? Who changed the segment?"

Gin, already irritated, immediately understood the subtext—and his nerves tightened.

"You mean someone is probing your identity?" he asked, voice low.

"Exactly," Kazawa chuckled. In the studio filled with background noise, his laughter took on a creepy tone. "Are you sure it's only you and Bourbon who know about me? Who changed the script at the last minute? If I hadn't used my American background to speak out against it, my detective identity would've been exposed."

Vodka tried reasoning, "It's common in variety shows to adjust content based on trending topics. Aren't you overthinking this?"

"Overthinking? So you're saying it's all just a coincidence? That it just happened to be KA03, and it just happened to be me—the only code-named member who actually took the drug…"

Kazawa trailed off there.

When it came to conspiracy theories and suspicion, Gin was the true expert. No need to elaborate.

"Your identity is among the highest-level secrets. Even most code-named members don't know," Gin said, his anger redirected, tone much calmer. "Trust in the organization's secrecy."

The organization's secrecy…

Kazawa, conveniently facing the corner so no one could see his face, rolled his eyes.

Would anyone believe that if he said it out loud?

"You're the best," Kazawa muttered with a nasal sound and hung up.

"Bro…" Vodka put away his phone and glanced at Gin. "Can we trust what he said?"

Gin turned his eyes away from the boring variety show and looked out the window.

"We can't rule it out. Notify Kir and have her investigate the script—find out who added the KA03 segment," he said. Then, recalling Kumail's irritating tone, he added, "And don't mention anything about Kumail."

Vodka nodded, patting his laptop that had narrowly avoided destruction. He closed the variety show tab and started composing an email to Mizunashi Rena.

"Sorry, an urgent client call." Akechi Goro returned to the stage with a polite smile. "I'm not late, am I?"

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