Toru's Porsche 911 was parked in the aquarium parking lot. Haibara held a laptop in her hands, typing rapidly.
One end of the laptop was connected to Curacao's phone. Of course, she wasn't going to use a regular laptop to break through the Organization's security protocols. She was using specialized software.
The laptop was connected to the supercomputer cluster Toru had set up. With tools from the CIA and Haibara's deep understanding of the Organization's internal systems, they could pull this off.
As she pressed the final enter key, a stream of data and code flashed across the screen.
Haibara pressed on her in-ear earpiece and said, "The data's been cracked. Curacao didn't use any device to record the data stored in her memory."
"She must've used the method you mentioned, encoding it mentally and transmitting it through text messages."
"The intel she sent involved Japan's Public Security Bureau, Jerusalem's Mossad, England's MI6, Canada's CSIS, and more."
Haibara relayed the intelligence contents to Toru one by one.
Meanwhile, Toru compared it with the intel the CIA had received.
"That checks out. All those agents were reported as dead. Haibara, find the data on Bourbon and Kir."
Haibara quickly pulled up the message at Toru's request. "...Good news is, Curacao didn't compile everything completely. Bad news is, she already sent out the message that Bourbon and Kir are moles."
"Based on her message pattern, send another one claiming Bourbon and Kir are not moles."
"No problem. But the Organization won't believe it without evidence. They'll investigate the source of the message."
"That's what I want. Once they start investigating, they'll definitely come to the aquarium. When you send the message, don't forget to trace the recipient's location."
"Got it."
"Can you locate the Organization's key members based on Curacao's phone contents?"
"Not likely. At most, we can only get short-term positioning. The Organization rotates encryption codes every few days."
"Then forget it."
...
Not long after, Haibara reported, "I've sent the message to Gin as requested, and the recipient's location has been locked."
When she mentioned Gin, Haibara's voice still trembled slightly.
"Where?"
"Tokyo suburbs. I'll send the exact location now."
At the aquarium, Toru received the address at the entrance of the restaurant.
He pulled up the map. Factoring in Tokyo's traffic, even if he left now, it would take over an hour to get there.
"Too late. I was originally planning to go directly and kill a few to complete the mission. Looks like I still need to use Curacao to lure them to the aquarium."
Toru had already prepared weapons and was waiting. Once Gin and the others arrived, they wouldn't forget it for the rest of their lives.
"Haibara, come back first. Play around the aquarium with Hayasaka."
"You're not going after Gin?"
"No, they've probably already scattered. I'm going to find Kir and Bourbon."
"Be careful."
Toru ended the call.
He looked toward the Ferris wheel in the distance and saw ambulances and police cars arriving.
"Looks like Curacao had an episode. Alright, let's hand her over to Japan's police for now and use them as bait."
Toru put his phone away, returned to the restaurant, finished lunch with Hayasaka, and left temporarily under the pretense of handling company matters.
...
At a hospital in Tokyo, doctors were performing an MRI on Curacao.
Besides the Tokyo police, led by Inspector Megure from the Criminal Investigation Division, agents from the National Security Department had also arrived.
"Officer, from the MRI scans, we found brain damage in this woman's head."
"This isn't acquired, but congenital. This may have given her special abilities while simultaneously causing her to lose certain senses and cognitive functions."
"Of course, this is only my personal hypothesis. Modern brain science still can't fully decipher the human brain. It holds too many secrets."
Technically, this was under the jurisdiction of the National Security Department, but with limited manpower, they had brought in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to assist.
A Security agent asked, "So, it's highly likely that her amnesia is real and not an act?"
"Yes, officer. The damaged part of her brain is precisely the region responsible for memory."
"That's a problem."
The Security agent frowned.
After leaving the examination room, Megure asked, "Mr. Kazami, are you sure she's the suspect from the spy case?"
"Confirmed. Comparing the surveillance footage with internal data, she's the one who infiltrated the Public Security Bureau and stole sensitive intel. But the issue is, she has amnesia."
Kazami Yuya said irritably, "...Now we need to find a way to help her recover her memory."
Conan had been listening quietly nearby.
When Curacao collapsed from her headache, he had been there. He and the other kids had accompanied her to the hospital.
No one knew whether Toru had already cracked Curacao's phone, or if he just wasn't in a hurry. They couldn't rely on him completely, so they had to find their own leads.
What were those five-colored cards...
Suddenly, something clicked in Conan's mind. "...I get it!"
Those five-colored cards found on Curacao weren't anything special at first glance.
But after hearing about her brain abnormality and knowing that she relied on memory techniques to store data, Conan made the connection. It was a memory system—like a memory palace!
"The four-color right-brain memory technique. A learning method developed by a Japanese psychologist to stimulate the right brain. But Curacao's version uses five colors."
"Combining the method with her brain's unique mutation, she achieved a near-perfect memory?"
As Conan was piecing it together, a group suddenly burst into the hospital.
"Wait a minute, who are you?"
"My name is Akai Shuichi. I'm an FBI agent stationed in Japan. Here's my identification. This woman is connected to an American case, and we're taking over the investigation."
"But she's also involved in serious crimes here in Japan! She should be in our custody!"
"Sorry. According to our agreements, once the FBI steps in, this falls under our jurisdiction."
"Dammit!"
The Japanese officers cursed.
But there was nothing they could do. They couldn't afford to offend the CIA, and they definitely couldn't go against the FBI either. These were their 'dads.'
Conan's eyes lit up.
The FBI got involved? Perfect!
Even if they didn't know much about the Organization, if they dug deeper into Curacao's background, they'd be drawn into this mess too.
One CIA wasn't enough. He needed more official agencies involved to take on the Black Organization!
Thinking fast, Conan stepped forward like an innocent child and handed the cards to Akai Shuichi.
"Uncle, these cards fell from that lady."
Akai Shuichi raised an eyebrow.
Uncle...? Am I that old now?
"Oh, these cards are weird. The colors look just like the ones I was learning with for the four-color memory method."
Conan put on a troubled expression, as if studying was such a pain.
He hoped Akai Shuichi was sharp enough to catch on.
Sure enough, Akai wasn't stupid. Conan's hint immediately sparked a thought.
"Four-color memory method. Stolen intel. Sudden illness on the Ferris wheel where colored lights were flashing... I see. Kid, you've helped me a lot."
Akai Shuichi smiled as he thanked Conan, but internally, he grew suspicious.
Something's up with this kid.
Conan clearly underestimated Akai, thinking he was as easy to fool as the average Japanese cop, and just smiled innocently in return.
...
At an abandoned construction site in Tokyo's suburbs.
Gin put away his pistol. He glanced at the message on his phone, then looked at Rena, who was panting, face pale, shot in the arm and leg, bleeding heavily.
"Kir, you're lucky. Rum sent a message saying you're not a mole. But that message still had a question mark."
"I'll let you live... for now. I'll go find Curacao myself to confirm whether the intel is real. Bourbon, take her to a hospital."
"I assume you know a place in Tokyo that treats gunshot wounds without alerting the cops."
With that, Gin turned and sneered as he left.
Outside the site, he made a call. "Tequila, are the men ready?"
"Gin, they're in position. Ready to move anytime."
"Good. First, find Curacao's current location. If she's at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department or the National Security Agency, we attack immediately."
"Uh, Gin, going straight at Japan's government agencies... isn't that a bit much?"
"What are you afraid of? This isn't America. It's just a bunch of useless Japanese."
"Okay. Got it."
After hanging up, Gin looked at Vermouth. "Curacao was caught by Japan's police?"
"Just got word. According to intel from a mole, FBI agent Akai Shuichi has also gotten involved."
"That traitor? Tch. That complicates things."
Even Gin felt a little uneasy at the mention of Akai Shuichi.
He turned to Vodka. "Is the Osprey ready?"
"Ready, big bro!"
"Excellent. Then we'll use this chance to lure out Akai Shuichi and the FBI. This time next year will be their death anniversary."
Gin grinned darkly.
He hadn't felt this pumped in a long time. Last time, someone played with him using an Apache. This time, he'd return the favor.
...
Toru's Porsche pulled up at the entrance of a private hospital.
Rena was undergoing treatment inside.
This incident was enough to win her complete loyalty and make her work fully for him.
He was hollowing out the Japan branch of the CIA bit by bit.
Spencer wants to sideline me? In your dreams.
He would start with the Japan division and slowly take over the real, most brutal terrorist organization in this world—just like what the American National Intelligence Agency truly was.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)