In Detective Conan: Intercepting Miwako Sato at the Start

Page 56

The vehicle continued to travel on the highway, with Yuki Takada constantly changing lanes and speed to check if he was being followed.

Meanwhile, he noticed a black motorcycle had followed them on three different routes—this was definitely not a coincidence.

“We’re being followed,” he calmly told Shirley. “Hold on tight and buckle up.”

Yuki Takada suddenly accelerated, weaving nimbly through the traffic.

The motorcycle immediately accelerated to catch up, the rider driving with one hand while seemingly taking something out of his pocket with the other – most likely a weapon.

"Get down!" Yuki Takada shouted, simultaneously jerking the steering wheel to change lanes.

Almost simultaneously, the rear window shattered, and bullets whizzed past.

Shirley let out a short scream and curled up under the back seat.

With a cold expression, Yuki Takada pulled a Beretta from its holster under his arm, controlled the steering wheel with one hand, and fired continuously at the motorcyclist through the broken rear window.

The first shot missed, the second shot hit the front wheel of the motorcycle.

The motorcycle went out of control and skidded, throwing the rider onto the roadside guardrail with a heavy thud.

Yuki Takada did not slow down and continued driving at high speed for several kilometers before relaxing slightly after confirming that there were no other pursuers.

“You can get up now,” he said to Shirley in the back seat. “It’s safe for now.”

Shirley slowly sat up, her face pale but unusually calm: "I always feel that you are somewhat different from the Hennessy I remember?"

"Oh!" Yuuki Takada's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "Really? Then what do you think Hennessy was like in your memory?"

“The people in the organization wouldn’t drive like that, it’s too…standard. And your shooting posture is very standard, like you’ve received formal training,” Shirley analyzed, her voice carrying the calm observation of a scientific researcher.

"As for Hennessy as I remember him, I've heard other members of the organization say that although he's the number three in the organization, everyone's comments about him ultimately come to the same conclusion: he's a piece of trash."

Yuuki Takada chuckled lightly: "Regarding that, I received special driving training in the United States before, and that's what was arranged for me to go there."

But actually, it should be that he picked up attributes while undercover in the Metropolitan Police Department, and the attribute upgrade he gained is no longer the "useless" number three figure in the organization he was back then.

The explanation seemed reasonable, and Shirley didn't press further, but her gaze remained scrutinizing.

After driving for about twenty more minutes, they finally arrived at their destination—the Shirahato Pharmaceutical Company located in Tamagawa 2-chome, Ota Ward.

From the outside, it is an ordinary five-story building with gray exterior walls, neat windows, and an inconspicuous company logo hanging at the entrance.

But Yuki Takada noticed that the walls were much higher than those of a typical pharmaceutical company, and were covered with almost invisible wires—likely a high-voltage power grid.

The cameras covered every angle, and the security guards at the entrance had sharp eyes and stood ramrod straight, clearly personnel who had received military training.

Yuuki Takada parked his car at the entrance and rolled down the window. The security guard approached and expressionlessly examined the interior of the car.

“It’s me, here to escort Sherry,” Yuuki Takada said calmly.

After the security guard confirmed his identity via earpiece, the gate slowly opened. Yuuki Takada drove into the compound and parked in the designated parking area on the east side of the building, as instructed.

After the two got out of the car, a middle-aged man in a white coat came up to them. He quickly looked Shirley up and down with his eyes behind his glasses, and then quickly pushed Takada Yuki aside.

"Where did this driver come from? He's so ignorant of the rules, daring to drive on the road here. Get out of my way."

He nodded to Shirley beside him and said, "Thank you for your hard work. Shirley, please come with me. The experiment urgently needs your expertise."

Sherry stood still, her gaze fixed on Yuuki Takada. At this moment, the organization member who had just saved her life seemed to be the only familiar anchor point for her.

She spoke softly, "This one..."

Before Sherry could finish speaking, Yuuki Takada stepped forward and interrupted her, saying, "My task is to ensure Sherry arrives safely and begins her work. I need to stay with her until the handover is complete."

The man in the white coat frowned: "This is not in accordance with regulations..."

“This is a direct order from Mr. Karasuma Renya.” Takada Yuki gave the order without hesitation, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.

The man hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Okay, but you can only go to the internal security checkpoint."

They entered the building, and the interior was completely different from that of a typical pharmaceutical company.

The heavy metal door required both iris and fingerprint authentication. The rooms on both sides of the corridor had no windows, and the air was filled with the mixed smell of some kind of chemical reagent.

Sherry's pace slowed down, and Yuuki Takada noticed that she was breathing rapidly and her forehead was covered in a fine sweat.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice.

Shirley didn't answer, but a hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

Yuki Takada suddenly realized that for Sherry, this was not a workplace, but a prison or even worse.

Upon arriving at the internal security checkpoint, they were asked to pass through a metal detector gate.

Yuki Takada handed over his pistol and cell phone, while Sherry was asked to hand over all her personal belongings.

"Luggage also needs to be checked," the security officer said expressionlessly.

Yuki Takada noticed that Sherry's fingers were trembling slightly, and their eyes met briefly when she handed over her suitcase.

At that moment, he read the plea in her eyes—don't let them take the box.

For some reason, Yuuki Takada made a decision that could jeopardize the safety of the entire escort team for Sherry.

“Wait a minute…” He stepped forward. “This suitcase needs special handling. It contains items that Mr. Karasuma specifically requested.”

The security personnel hesitated, glancing at the man in the white coat, who frowned and said, "I haven't received any relevant notification."

Yuuki Takada took out the encrypted phone issued by the organization—which had actually been specially modified to both receive organization messages and back up data: "Do I need to confirm now? But I must remind you that you will bear the consequences of delaying Mr. Karasuma's affairs."

After a tense silence, the security personnel finally relented: "Okay, the suitcase can be brought in, but it must go through an X-ray scan."

The scan results showed that there were no weapons or dangerous items inside the suitcase, so Shirley was allowed to bring the suitcase into the interior area.

At the last security door, Sherry suddenly turned to Yuki Takada and said, "Thank you for escorting me, Hennessy."

Her eyes held a complex mix of gratitude and something else, as if to say, "Let's stop here and not go any further."

Yuuki Takada nodded: "Take care, Sherry."

"If you need anything, please feel free to contact me anytime. I will be here during this period."

The safety door slowly closed behind Shirley.

Yuki Takada stood in front of the heavy security door that separated the inside and outside worlds, and did not leave immediately.

He took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening.

He took out the specially modified, encrypted phone belonging to the organization, but did not dial any internal numbers.

Instead, Yuki Takada quickly entered a long string of multi-layered encrypted commands, connecting to a shell company server located overseas that seemed to have no connection to the pharmaceutical industry.

"Instruction confirmed. Terminate all fund transfers in the 'White Dove Pharmaceutical Company' project immediately."

He spoke into the microphone, issuing orders in a cold, emotionless voice.

The sound was transmitted via an encrypted link, which ultimately activated several "dormant" commands pre-embedded in the organization's financial network.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Yuuki Takada held the lifeline of the organization's various internal financial channels, especially considering the attitude the middle-aged man in the white coat had just shown him.

In addition, there was information obtained from Shirley.

Yuki Takada knew that if things continued this way, his power as the third-ranking figure in the organization would gradually lose its deterrent effect.

In fact, it could be said that the center of power for him, the number three figure, seemed to have shifted to someone else.

Thinking about this, it seemed that Yuuki Takada understood why he had been sent on this mission; so this was the purpose.

Yuki Takada could easily have indirectly caused Shirahagi Pharmaceutical's cash flow to collapse instantly through several offshore accounts.

The commands take effect incredibly quickly.

Almost a minute after he hung up, the finance director's phone started ringing like crazy inside White Dove Pharmaceutical Company.

"what?!"

"You're saying our main funding account has been unilaterally frozen?"

"...An urgent audit request from overseas investors?"

"What a joke! We're in the most critical phase of our experiment! And we even specially invited the genius scientist Shirley back." The finance director's roar could be faintly heard even through the office door.

At the same time, Yuuki Takada calmly straightened his collar, his face regaining the arrogant and indifferent expression he usually wore as "Hennessy, the number three figure in the organization."

Instead of leaving, he turned around and headed back the way he came, towards the company's core area.

As soon as I reached the internal security checkpoint, I was stopped by the same man in the white coat and two security guards who looked wary and were clearly combat personnel.

"Driver, your mission is complete. This is not a place for you to linger."

The middle-aged man in the white coat, codenamed "Camus," spoke with a disdainful expression and a particularly stiff tone.

The news of the broken capital chain had not yet fully spread. Seeing that the driver who had just brought the "big shot" was leaving quickly, he did not give the other party a friendly look.

Yuuki Takada didn't even lift his eyelids, and simply said, "Whether my mission is completed or not is up to Mr. Karasuma, not you, Camus."

He accurately called out the other person's code name, causing the other person to be slightly taken aback.

"Kid, I advise you to go back to where you came from."

"otherwise……"

"Otherwise what..." Yuuki Takada interrupted him, his tone still calm, yet carrying a heavy and intimidating force, and the Beretta 92F pistol in his pocket was immediately pressed against his forehead.

"Shirley is an extremely important person in this organization, and her safety is paramount."

"Before we arrived here, we were attacked by unidentified assailants."

“I have reason to suspect that there are vulnerabilities in the company’s external security and even internal security.”

“Until the threat is completely eliminated, I will personally take charge of Sherry’s personal safety. This is Mr. Karasuma’s direct order; should I confirm with him again?”

Yuki Takada brought up Renya Karasuma's name again and cleverly linked the attack on the road to the company's security loopholes, making it seem plausible.

Camus's expression turned grim.

He did receive a report that Hennessy's car had been shot, but he did not believe that this was a reason for the other party to interfere in the institute's internal affairs.

What's more, the fact that the driver was staring at the dark hole of the pistol filled him with fear.

“Mr. Driver, even you need to abide by the institute’s regulations. I am fully responsible for the safety here… Please put down your gun and come to my office to discuss the situation in detail.” Camus tried to insist, hoping to calm Takada Yuuki down.

Only after Yuki Takada slowly pushed the pistol away from his hand did his assistant rush over and whisper a few words in his ear.

Camus's face turned deathly pale instantly. He looked sharply at Yuuki Takada, his eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty.