Enticement

Chapter 24: Luring

"What a magnificent invention, Professor. Could you give it to me?" Looking at the attributes of these glasses, they didn't seem to have much practical use. However, in Lin Maoxian's eyes, they were far superior to that ring; information gathering was always the most important thing. If you know yourself and know your enemy, you will never be defeated.

Professor Agasa said generously, "Of course, if you want them, take them. This invention is still in the experimental stage, and I'm quite happy that you find it useful."

"Professor, how are these glasses different from mine? Are they used for gathering information?" Kudo Shinichi asked as soon as he heard the glasses' function.

Professor Agasa explained, "Shinichi, it's like this. When I was making your tracking glasses last time, I suddenly thought, wouldn't it be great if I could make a pair of glasses that could collect all kinds of information? So, I made this prototype. Tell me, isn't this a great invention? If it succeeds, I'll become a billionaire and a genius inventor." He burst into laughter at the end.

"Yes, yes, you are a great inventor." Although he said that, Kudo Shinichi didn't seem very optimistic. He knew the Professor too well. Right now, it looked like he had poured all his heart into this invention, but it wouldn't be long before the Professor had other ideas and forgot all about it. This wasn't the first time, either. There had been many seemingly great inventions in the past that failed in the end, all because of Professor Agasa's "love for the new and loathing for the old."

Taking advantage of their conversation, Lin Maoxian put on the glasses and took the opportunity to check the attributes of Yukiko, Kudo Shinichi, and the Professor.

Yukiko Strength: 2; Agility: 4; Stamina: 3; Intelligence: 4; Charisma: 25 (Current world limit); Perception: 3; Willpower: 4

Kudo Shinichi Strength: 3; Agility: 4; Stamina: 3; Intelligence: 23; Charisma: 10; Perception: 12; Willpower: 10

Professor Agasa Strength: 2; Agility: 3; Stamina: 2; Intelligence: 20; Charisma: 5; Perception: 2; Willpower: 3

"Ugh." Lin Maoxian looked at the feedback. It was indeed quite rough; he could only see their basic attributes, and nothing else.

Aside from physical fitness, Kudo Shinichi's attributes were all much higher than his own—he was a master detective, after all. His high intelligence and perception were certainly convenient for solving cases. Professor Agasa's attributes were average, but he was an old man, so that was normal; the 20 points in intelligence likely manifested in his inventions.

However, Yukiko's charisma was truly high. She was a former world-class movie star, and even now, she remained a beauty; her attributes had reached the world limit. The description suggested that no attribute in this world could exceed 25 points. The space had so many secrets; it seemed his understanding of it was still too shallow. After he returned this time, he would have to see if he could gain some insights.

"Alright, Lin, you've got what you wanted. What should we do next?" Seeing that the Professor had brought the item over, Yukiko wanted to know the next steps.

"As for what's next, I can handle the rest. To prevent them from finding this place, you and Shinichi should go stay at a hotel for now. Be careful, and don't let them spot you. Once I'm ready, I'll contact you again. I'm leaving now." Lin Maoxian arranged the plan and left; he still had things to organize.

Watching Lin Maoxian walk away, Professor Agasa asked the two, "Yukiko, Shinichi, is he really going to be okay? And isn't what you're doing too dangerous?"

"Don't worry, Agasa. Lin will be fine; I trust him. As for the danger, I'm not afraid. Don't you think this is a very interesting situation?" Yukiko said first; she trusted Lin.

Kudo Shinichi also agreed, "He'll be fine. If he weren't, we wouldn't be standing here right now. He could have just brought people over to capture us; there would be no need for all this extra trouble."

"That's true, but you two still need to be extra careful." Seeing that both of them felt this way and that it made sense, Professor Agasa didn't say anything more, only urging them to be cautious.

"Don't worry, Professor, we'll be fine." Kudo Shinichi was full of anticipation for this operation; he hoped to learn more about that organization.

"Hello? Where are they? On Beika Road, is that right? Good, we're heading over there now. You go to the place I told you about. Also, even though we have many plans in place, they aren't pushovers, so you still need to be careful. It's best not to show your face and act from the shadows." Lin Maoxian hung up the phone. Everything that needed to be done was done; now, everything depended on the upcoming operation.

He turned to Yukiko, who was sitting in the driver's seat, and said, "Head to Beika Road. We've found them; they're on Beika Road right now."

Yukiko replied, "Understood, Lin." She started the car and drove off into the distance.

"Yukiko, from now on, you should call me Shinichi. It's better not to show any flaws for the time being," Lin Maoxian said to her. Details determined success or failure.

"No problem, 'Shinichi.' Can you call me 'Mom' now? I'd be so thrilled to hear you call me that," Yukiko said with an excited expression.

Lin Maoxian glared at her. "Want to be my mother? Yukiko, don't you think you're a bit old for that? Besides, the identity you're playing right now is my woman, so watch your role." He emphasized "my woman" and gave Yukiko a meaningful look.

"Your woman? Lin, as long as you aren't afraid of trouble with Eri, I don't mind. I just worry you don't have the guts for it." Yukiko smiled, but her words carried a threat.

"I have plenty of guts; you'll see soon enough." Lin Maoxian ignored her, said that cryptically, and closed his eyes, leaning back in his seat.

"Hmph!" Seeing Lin Maoxian's attitude, it was clear he didn't want to say more. Yukiko snorted, stopped talking, and focused on driving.

About twenty minutes later, Lin Maoxian was woken up by Yukiko.

"Lin, look. That black Porsche ahead must be our target, right?" Yukiko pointed at the car driving in front of them.

Lin Maoxian took a look and said, "I'm not entirely sure. Drive up to them, and when you're alongside, slow down a bit. I need to confirm if it's people from that organization."

"Alright, leave it to me." Yukiko replied, focusing intently on her driving. This was the critical moment; she couldn't afford any mistakes.

As the car accelerated past the Porsche, Lin Maoxian turned his head to look. The driver was a large man in black clothes and a black hat. There was someone sitting in the back, but because it happened so fast, he couldn't see clearly, though he could tell they were also wearing a black hat. Without needing to think, Lin Maoxian knew these two were Vodka and Gin.

"It's them. Yukiko, we need to be careful now. We can't let them catch up, but we can't lose them either. You have to drive well."

"Don't worry, driving is my specialty. I'm a racing expert; I can go fast or slow whenever I want," Yukiko said proudly. When it came to racing, that was her forte.

At the same time, there were two people talking inside the black Porsche.

Vodka looked at the person in the back seat and said, "Boss, I think I just saw the brat we're looking for in the car ahead."

"Oh? Is that so? Can you be sure it's that brat?" Gin's cold voice came from the back.

"Boss, I'm not entirely sure. I only caught a glimpse as we passed by, but I feel like he looks about 40 or 50 percent like that kid."

"40 or 50 percent? That's enough. Speed up and take a look. See if that kid is in that car. If he is, it'll save us some trouble."

"Understood, Boss." Vodka replied, then stepped on the gas, chasing after the car.

Watching the Porsche accelerate behind them, Yukiko asked, "They've sped up. What should we do? Should we follow the plan and speed up to keep them from catching us?"

Lin Maoxian straightened up and replied, "Of course. If we let them catch up, who knows if they'll just start shooting without a second thought? If that happens, all our preparations will be for nothing."

"Alright, watch me. Let's show them my driving skills."

With a "whoosh," the car sped past the vehicles in front.

Seeing the car ahead suddenly accelerate, Vodka said, "Boss, the car in front has sped up too. What should we do?"

"Speed up, but don't be too hasty. We just need to keep following them. It seems that brat is likely in the car ahead. We'll tail them until they reach their destination, then take care of him. While we're at it, we'll see if he has any other accomplices; if he does, we'll dispose of them all at once," Gin said coldly.

"You got it, Boss. They won't be able to shake me."

After ten minutes of pursuit, the car drove to a deserted pier.

Vroom... The car in front suddenly accelerated. A few seconds later, it turned left and vanished from sight. Before long, even the sound of the engine faded away.

Vodka brought the car to a stop and scanned the surroundings. It was too quiet, which felt incredibly eerie. "Boss, I have a bad feeling about this. It's too quiet here. Do you think they lured us here on purpose?"

Gin let out a cold, mocking laugh. "So you noticed, too? The moment you couldn't catch up to them earlier, I knew they were leading us here intentionally. It seems things are exactly as I thought."