Data Collection Glasses

Chapter 23: Data Collection Glasses

Hearing Lin Maoxian put it that way, Kudo Shinichi stopped insisting.

Yukiko reassured him from the side. "Shinichi, don't worry. I may be taking part in the operation, but I won't be arresting anyone. I'll just help out with a few things and be involved. I won't be in any danger. And don't underestimate your mother—I'm very capable."

"Fine, but you have to be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you." Kudo Shinichi had no choice but to give in. He was afraid that if he kept objecting, he wouldn't be able to go himself. Besides, if she went alone, it would be even more dangerous. If they stayed together, at least he could look after her.

Seeing that Kudo Shinichi had stopped arguing, Lin Maoxian laid out his plan. "This time, we're going to take on that organization. But they don't know about me yet, and they don't know that we're aware of their existence. They aren't on guard, which gives us an advantage. My idea is to lure them to a place we've prepared in advance, somewhere with few people, like a dock or the outskirts of town. That way, we can avoid harming innocent people and prevent anyone else from interfering and ruining the operation. What do you think?" He had already come up with the plan. With time and terrain on their side, their chances of winning would increase considerably.

Kudo Shinichi thought it over, then said, "There's nothing wrong with your plan, but how are we going to lure them where we want them? They won't be easy to fool, and we don't even know how many of them there are."

Yukiko chimed in as well. "Exactly. We don't know how many people they have, or what kind of weapons they're carrying. They're part of a large organization, so even if nothing else, they must have plenty of guns. We don't have anything at all."

"Who says we don't have anything? Shinichi's Power-Enhancing Shoes are pretty good, and he's great at kicking soccer balls, isn't he? We can stockpile a whole bunch of soccer balls at the ambush site. We won't run out, and they'll make excellent weapons. As for you, Yukiko, you won't be fighting, so it doesn't matter whether you have a weapon. And don't worry about me. I have my own." Lin Maoxian briefly explained his reasoning. It didn't matter if they didn't have guns, as long as they could hit their targets.

Hearing this, Kudo Shinichi said awkwardly, "But... I can't fit into those shoes in my current form."

Lin Maoxian rolled his eyes at Kudo Shinichi, exasperated. "Shinichi, you're overthinking it. The effects of your medicine won't last much longer. You'll turn back into Conan by then. We'll schedule the operation for nighttime and use the afternoon to make preparations."

"Uh!" Kudo Shinichi had clearly forgotten that he would turn back into Conan. He hadn't felt the medicine wearing off yet, so he'd assumed he could stay like this indefinitely.

"Then, can you figure out how many people they have?" Yukiko asked. If there were too many of them, they wouldn't stand a chance. Two fists couldn't beat four hands, especially when their fists might not be a match for the others'.

"I don't know how many people they have. But our goal is to lure them to the place we've prepared. I know who their two leaders are, so as long as we can get them there, we'll only need to deal with those two, no matter how many others they have." Lin Maoxian had anticipated Yukiko's question and answered at once.

Lin Maoxian's words gave Kudo Shinichi an idea. "Since you know who their leaders are, why don't we go straight to them? Why go to all this trouble?"

Lin Maoxian looked Kudo Shinichi up and down, truly wondering where the orderly, clever Kudo Shinichi had gone. Why was he asking one foolish question after another? "Do you really not know? Wherever they are, they'll have people guarding the place. If we go there, we'll be walking right into a trap, with no chance to escape—let alone arrest or kill anyone. We'd be lucky to make it out alive. And I should make this clear: I don't know where they are now. There's no way for me to find out where they live."

Before Kudo Shinichi could say anything, Yukiko asked, "If you don't know where they are, how are we supposed to lure them to the place we've prepared?"

"Don't rush me. I haven't finished yet." Lin Maoxian waved a hand, telling them to be patient. He still had more to say. "I don't know where they are, but I know they drive a Porsche, and they all wear black clothes. If we ask the police for help, we can find out where they are. Then, if 'Kudo Shinichi' drives past them, I'm sure they'll chase after him. We can lead them to the place we've prepared from there. What do you think?"

Yukiko immediately objected. "No. That would put Shinichi in too much danger. What if they catch up to him, or just shoot him? I won't agree to that."

Seeing Yukiko object, Lin Maoxian wasn't too concerned. He knew the plan was risky, which was why he'd already prepared for this. "Yukiko, don't you remember what I just said? By nighttime, Shinichi will have turned back into Conan. How could he do something so dangerous?"

"B-but didn't you just say Shinichi would drive to lure them?" Yukiko asked, confused.

Lin Maoxian patiently explained, "I said 'Kudo Shinichi' would go because he's the one they're after. There'd be no point in us going. But I never said it had to be Kudo Shinichi himself. We just need someone to disguise themselves as him. That's where you come in, Yukiko."

"No! No, Mom can't do something so dangerous!" This time it was Kudo Shinichi who objected. As soon as he heard that Yukiko might have to take such a risk, he protested.

Seeing how alike the mother and son were, Lin Maoxian felt a headache coming on. He'd barely finished explaining things to one of them, and now he had to explain them all over again to the other.

Ignoring Kudo Shinichi's reaction, Lin Maoxian said, "Don't interrupt me while I'm talking. Wait until I'm finished, then ask whatever questions you have. Any objections?"

Neither of them answered, so Lin Maoxian continued. "Good. Listen carefully. My plan is for Shinichi to hide at the place we've prepared. Yukiko will disguise me as Kudo Shinichi, then put on a disguise herself so she doesn't look like her usual self. She'll dress up as a girl and drive me there. I'll sit in the passenger seat, and we'll drive past them to lure them away. As for them shooting people, I don't think they'll dare be so reckless. They'll have to consider the Metropolitan Police Department's response, so they probably won't open fire in the middle of the city. I've said everything I needed to say. Ask away."

Hearing this, Yukiko looked troubled. "I don't have any other questions, but our ages are too different for me to make you look like Shinichi. I can only make you resemble him about halfway. I can't turn you into an exact copy of him. My makeup skills aren't that magical."

Lin Maoxian didn't mind. "Halfway is good enough. We'll just drive past them. They won't be able to get a good look at us, and they don't know Shinichi that well. They might only be looking for someone who matches a photograph."

"I do have a question. How are we supposed to find them if we don't know where they are?" Kudo Shinichi asked.

"I've already thought of that. You're familiar with the Metropolitan Police Department, aren't you? Ask them about a black Porsche with people dressed in black. That should be easy enough to recognize. Then we'll know where they are." Lin Maoxian explained his idea.

"Shinichi, I found the things you asked me for. They'd been hidden away for so long that I almost forgot where I'd put them." Professor Agasa's voice came from outside.

Hearing Professor Agasa, Lin Maoxian said to the other two, "All right, let's leave it here for now. We can talk more later. First, let's see what the professor brought. It might help with what we have planned."

"Oh dear, I put it away so long ago that I nearly forgot where I'd left it, so I took a little longer than expected." Professor Agasa walked in as he spoke.

He looked at the group, then proudly held up the object in his hand. "This may only be a prototype, but it's an impressive invention. It can scan a target and collect information about them. It's a great invention." With that, he handed it over.

Lin Maoxian took it. It was an old-fashioned pair of glasses, ordinary in appearance and nothing out of the ordinary. Still, the system gave him a notification.

Data Collection Glasses

[Quality]: Common

[Level]: level 1

[Category]: Special

[Description]: Professor Agasa is a genius inventor. Whenever he gets an idea, he immediately starts working on it. However, he hasn't focused on any one invention, so he still hasn't produced a work that has astonished the world. These glasses were inspired by a passing idea: he hoped they would help him become a great scientist. Since he has only just begun testing them, the invention is not yet complete. These glasses are merely a prototype.

[Attribute]: Probe—consumes 5 energy points to roughly collect information about a target and relay it to the user.