"Buy?!" Conan seized on the keyword and immediately pressed, "Genta, are you saying these counterfeit bills were bought by you?"
Genta nodded, still sniffling.
"Yeah... I... I accidentally joined the wrong chat group a few days ago... The group owner said I could buy 10,000 yen in bills for 1,000 yen... I... I saw a lot of people in the group buying them, and some even said they'd used them... I thought it was for charity... so I believed it..."
Everyone. "..."
"I used some of my pocket money which I'd saved for a long time, to buy a few 10,000 yen bills..."
The more Genta spoke, the more aggrieved he became,
"But... but those bills were too fake! They wouldn't even go into the vending machine. I tried to buy snacks at the convenience store, and the boss took one look and said they were fake, and he almost calling the police... It scared me to death!"
"Then what?" Rin asked, finding the scam method somewhat interesting.
"Then, I went to the group to confront the group owner, saying his money was completely unusable.
He told me that 10,000 yen was too large a denomination and easily scrutinized. He told me to buy 1,000 yen bills instead, saying no one would look closely at such small denominations, and they would definitely be usable..."
Genta cried even harder, "So I believed him again... I used all my remaining pocket money to buy these 1,000 yen bills... I thought this time it would work... but... but it still didn't work! Wah—!"
Everyone was speechless again. Genta really was an idiot. he fell for the same trick twice.
"Idiot Genta!" Mitsuhiko couldn't help but retort, "How can money fall from the sky? How can 1,000 yen buy 10,000 yen of real money!"
"Exactly," Conan said, narrowed his eyes. Even a vending machine had better judgment than Genta.
Ayumi shook her head helplessly.
Just then, Haibara Ai, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. "Genta, can you still contact that group owner?"
"Huh?" Genta was startled, wiped away a tear, "Sh-should be, right?"
"Contact him again," Haibara Ai said calmly, hooking her short hair with her finger, "Tell him the 1,000 yen bills still can't be used, and ask if he has better merchandise. Tell him you still want to buy."
"Huh? But I don't have any money left," Genta didn't understand what Haibara Ai wanted to do, but he obediently took out his children's phone and sent a message as Haibara Ai instructed.
Genta didn't understand, but Conan understood Haibara Ai's intention and looked shocked.
She wanted to bait the criminals who were making counterfeit money.
Conan felt a chill. This wasn't the thinking of an elementary school student.
Soon, the other party replied to Genta.
[Still couldn't use them? Did you age them according to our instructions? It seems you have bad luck. We also have better merchandise, you can try our newly developed super counterfeit bills. Guaranteed usable. Passes detectors. Texture, watermark, security thread—identical to real bills.]
Conan's eyes instantly became serious.
Super counterfeit bills that can pass currency detectors?
If such a thing really entered the market, the harm would be immense!
They had to find a way to catch this group of people.
Genta replied as Haibara Ai instructed: "Really? That's great! How much are these super counterfeit bills? I want to buy them!"
The other party quickly sent a message. "These have high costs and different technical content. Special offer now. 200,000 yen in real money can be exchanged for 150,000 yen in super counterfeit bills. Discounts for larger quantities!"
"..." Everyone fell silent again.
200,000 real yen for 150,000 fake yen?
This scammer wasn't just evil, he also thought others were idiots!
Genta looked at his phone screen, then looked up at Rin with a pitiful expression: "Rin-neechan, he said he needs 200,000 real yen, but I don't have any money left. Could you lend it to me? We can split the money we buy, three-seven."
Seeing Rin unmoved, Genta quickly added, "Seven-tenths for you! I'll take the rest!"
Rin sighed and couldn't resist giving Genta a flick on the forehead.
While Haibara Ai and Conan took the phone to communicate with the seller, she called Zhu Yuan.
—
At the same time, on the second floor opposite the Beika Police Station, in the counterfeiting den, they were brazenly producing fake currency.
The woman in black, codenamed Silver Fox, stood by the window, facing the police station, and defiantly raised her middle finger.
"A bunch of useless fools," she chuckled, then forcefully pulled the heavy curtains shut.
The remaining few wall lamps in the room illuminated the cluttered space, overflowing with computer screens, printers, and various electronic devices.
The air was filled with the smell of ink and cheap cigarettes.
"Boss," a young man with a dyed yellow hair and a Hawaiian shirt approached, holding a tablet and a hint of hesitation on his face, "that 'I want to eat eel rice' sent another message."
"Oh?" Silver Fox turned, leaning languidly against a table piled with banknotes, and lit a slender lady's cigarette.
"That idiot who bought merchandise twice? How much does he want this time?" She exhaled a smoke ring, her eyes showing a hint of amusement.
Because their counterfeit money was so obviously fake, most people wouldn't buy it again after one purchase.
"I want to eat eel rice" was one of the few customers who had repurchased, and she remembered him well.
"He said the 1,000 yen bills from last time still couldn't be used, and asked if we had better merchandise. He still wants to buy, and this time the quantity... is not small."
The yellow-haired man handed the tablet to Silver Fox; the screen displayed Genta's message, expressing a strong desire to repurchase.
"Heh heh, I didn't expect us to have repeat customers."
Silver Fox let out a light chuckle. Given the quality of their counterfeit money, it was a miracle to fool someone into buying a second time. Someone willing to buy a third time was practically a premium customer.
Satisfy! Must satisfy! However much a premium customer wants to buy, that's how much we'll sell him.
"Boss, that's what I'm worried about..."
The yellow-haired man looked concerned,
"All our counterfeit money is obviously fake. This kid has been scammed twice in a row, and this time he's spending a large sum. What if he gets the new merchandise and still can't use it, gets angry, and goes to the police? Our place here..."
He nervously pointed towards the police station outside the window,
"It's just across the street! If the cops block the door, there's nowhere to run!"
The yellow-haired man's concerns were reasonable. Their hideout was right under the police station's nose, once exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Silver Fox casually flicked her cigarette ash, a confident smile on her face, and slowly said.
"Yellow-hair, you're still too green," Silver Fox said lazily."The most dangerous place is often the safest."
She walked to the window, lifting the curtain just enough with one fingertip, her eyes drifting toward the brightly lit police station across the street.
"Cops run in and out of that building every day—chasing cases, hunting criminals, looking for big fish. Who'd ever think a counterfeit den is sitting right under their noses?"
She let the curtain fall and turned back, a slow smile curling across her lips.
"And a 'premium customer' like 'I want to eat eel rice'? Stupid and rich? You don't waste people like that. The more desperate they are, the easier they are to hook—and the quieter they stay."
"Quiet?" the yellow-haired man asked, still unsure.
Silver Fox snorted. "Think about it. Buying fake money is illegal. Selling it is illegal. If he gets scammed, does he really dare call the police?"
She mimicked a whiny voice:
"Officer, I tried to buy counterfeit bills and got cheated—please help me."
She burst out laughing.
"Anyone with a brain would know better. If he reports it, he's incriminating himself. So he swallows the loss… or convinces himself that next time will be different."
She crushed her cigarette into the ashtray and straightened.
"So take the order. Tell him we have stock. Let him prepare the money—we'll send the time and place."
Her eyes glinted.
"And make it convincing. Make him believe this time the goods are perfect."
After a pause, she added coolly:
"Also, ramp up production.We'll sell to him again."