Gin's Mission

The next morning, Lin Xinyi's office.

The company looked no different from when he had first seen it yesterday, but he knew everything had changed.

Yesterday, Lin Xinyi had been able to sit in his office and play Minesweeper without a care in the world.

Today, Lin Xinyi could only sit in his office and play Minesweeper with a heavy heart.

Yes.

Lin Xinyi was still sitting safely in his office.

Even though he already knew this company's true nature and knew he was actually working for the Criminal Organization.

It couldn't be helped. This was a world with supernatural powers, a world that couldn't be judged by common sense. Who knew how much influence a criminal organization possessed?

At any rate, judging by the brazen way this organization had set up a laboratory right in the heart of the capital, it was probably quite difficult to deal with.

"Running away outright will likely get me killed."

"I have to be more careful in everything I do now."

As Lin Xinyi casually moved his mouse, he considered how to deal with the situation:

First, he couldn't act rashly for the time being.

He needed to blend into the original owner's identity as much as possible, freeload while keeping up his undercover disguise, and find a way to learn this organization's basic circumstances.

Once he had roughly figured things out, he could consider practical ways to escape or report them to the police.

Second, he still had to find a way to save money.

Without money, he couldn't get anywhere. Even for the possible escape plan in the future, he had to save up more.

What's more, he was already so poor that he had to leave early in the morning and come to the company cafeteria run by the Criminal Organization to mooch a free breakfast.

Then, he also had to practice martial arts diligently.

In a supernatural world, force was naturally the greatest guarantee of safety.

When Lin Xinyi went home last night, he tried practicing the inherited family martial arts that he had once treated as boastful sayings from his ancestors. To his surprise, in this unscientific world, those unscientific things actually worked.

After just one night of training, his body had noticeably grown a little stronger.

If he kept it up, perhaps it wouldn't be long before he became a martial arts expert as powerful as Mouri Ran.

"I still need to go to the karate competition this afternoon."

"This is an opportunity to exchange pointers with experts and further understand this world's level of martial prowess."

After slacking off in the office for a long while, Lin Xinyi carefully planned how to skip work this afternoon to watch the competition.

He knew he was probably the highest-ranking minor boss at this base.

Yamada and the other black-clad thugs were all obedient underlings. As long as that mysterious superior didn't come by to inspect, skipping half a day of work wouldn't be a problem.

"Then, the final and most important point is..."

"I absolutely cannot get involved with the police again."

This was what worried Lin Xinyi most:

The two cases yesterday had turned him, a criminal, into a good friend in the eyes of the police.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department had even invited him that very day to become a leader in the Autopsy Department.

If the Criminal Organization found out he was cozying up to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department like this, wouldn't they take his life?

"Keep a low profile. I have to keep a low profile."

"I can't assist the police anymore. Even if I come across a case in the future, I can't go help."

Lin Xinyi considered this seriously.

Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door to his office.

Lin Xinyi quickly closed the Minesweeper window and put on a solemn expression. "Come in."

When the door opened, it was his black-clad underling, Yamada.

"Is it lunchtime already?" Lin Xinyi asked instinctively.

"N-No." Yamada's expression was somewhat strange. "Boss, today's newspaper has arrived."

Uh, so he was delivering the newspaper.

Why did he look so awkward, like he wanted to tell his boss that his fly was open but didn't dare say it outright?

Lin Xinyi took the newspaper from Yamada in confusion. Then, as his eyes casually swept across it—

The headline made his expression freeze instantly:

"Lin Xinyi: The Japanese Police's New Savior"

The subtitle was equally glaring:

"A Showdown Between Detective and medical practitioner: The Great Defeat of Famous Detective Kudo!"

Further down, Lin Xinyi's photograph had even been printed prominently in the newspaper.

From the scene, it seemed to have been secretly taken by onlookers with a camera while he was handling Uchida's case yesterday.

Looking more closely at the article's contents:

The report detailed the two cases Lin Xinyi had participated in yesterday.

The details generally matched what had actually happened, but with exceptionally skillful narration, the author had portrayed Lin Xinyi and Kudo Shinichi as two rivals locked in a fierce confrontation.

And in the end, it was the once-renowned great detective Kudo who had suffered a crushing defeat.

Especially in the second bullying murder case—

The line Ishikawa had shouted in public, "Even famous detective Kudo Shinichi confirmed that Uchida committed suicide," had become the focus of the report.

Kudo had "confusedly fallen for the murderer's deception," while Lin Xinyi had cleanly and decisively exposed the murderous demon. The contrast made the difference between them obvious at a glance.

"Putting one down to prop the other up..."

"They're trying to make this a huge story!"

Lin Xinyi felt a headache coming on as he read.

Now he understood why he had made the front-page headlines after solving only two cases.

It turned out Kudo Shinichi came with his own trending searches.

The moment he had accidentally outshone him, the media had pounced like sharks smelling blood.

And that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was:

"According to sources within the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the Criminal Investigation Department has formally extended an invitation to Mr. Lin Xinyi, who assisted the police in solving two cases."

"The Criminal Investigation Department plans to invite Mr. Lin to serve as head of Autopsy Department Three in the Forensics Division, with compensation at least equivalent to that of an assistant inspector."

"Discussions between both sides are still underway, and this writer will continue following the matter."

"..."

By this point, Lin Xinyi's lips were already twitching.

With a report like this, wouldn't the whole world know I was involved with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department?

"This..."

Lin Xinyi's face stiffened as he had no idea what to do.

Just then, exactly as he had feared, his phone rang.

He picked it up and looked at it. Sure enough, it was his mysterious superior, GIN.

"Hello, boss. What can I do for you?"

Lin Xinyi tried his best to keep his voice calm.

He knew that at a time like this, the more panicked he sounded, the more suspicious he would seem.

Gin had no intention of making small talk. He went straight to the point and asked:

"Lin, is what the newspaper says true?"

"It's true."

Lin Xinyi explained steadily:

"But I only happened to run into those two cases yesterday. I had no intention of cooperating with the police."

"As for the invitation from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, I rejected it on the spot."

"Boss, please believe me. I have nothing to do with those police officers."

"I know."

Gin spoke in an icy tone:

"If I thought you had any connection to the police, what would be talking to you now would be the muzzle of my gun."

"Don't worry. I didn't call to interrogate you."

"On the contrary, I have an important mission for you."

He paused slightly, and his voice became somewhat sinister.

It was as though, even through the phone, one could "see" the slow sneer spreading across the man's lips.

"What mission?" Lin Xinyi asked cautiously.

"Very simple."

Gin spoke the mission's contents word by word:

"Accept the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's invitation."

"Go become a police officer, Lin."

A long time ago, inside a black Porsche 356A parked by the roadside.

"Big brother, big brother!"

Vodka climbed excitedly back into the car with a freshly printed newspaper in hand.

"Look—Lin Xinyi is hanging around with the police! He's probably planning to betray the organization!"

"..."

Gin raised his head and gave Vodka a somewhat displeased look.

"Are you happy that someone wants to betray the organization?"

"Uh... Finding out early and getting rid of him early is still a good thing." Vodka answered awkwardly.

Gin said nothing. He merely took the newspaper from Vodka and began reading it closely.

The newspaper recorded Lin Xinyi's glorious deeds from yesterday.

To highlight the contrast and conflict between him and Kudo Shinichi and create a bigger sensation, the article subtly smeared Kudo while deliberately building up a more righteous and heroic image for Lin Xinyi.

By the time one finished reading it, Lin Xinyi practically seemed like a friend of the police, a partner of justice, and the guardian angel of good citizens.

"See, big brother..."

Once he felt Gin had read enough, Vodka immediately pressed his advantage.

"Shouldn't we get rid of this kid?"

Gin: "..."

He could already tell that Vodka probably had a grudge against Lin Xinyi.

"Enough."

Gin coldly flung the newspaper aside.

"If he really were associating with the police, do you think the police would tell reporters about it?"

"What kind of undercover agent appears on a front-page headline?"

"B-But he really did help the police solve cases!"

Vodka clumsily expressed what he meant:

As a bad guy, how could he do something so positive?

If he did such positive things, how could he properly and peacefully remain a bad guy?

"Yes..."

"He did help the police solve cases."

Gin repeated Vodka's words thoughtfully.

But clearly, his interpretation was completely different from Vodka's:

"It seems the organization's investment in this kid's education wasn't wasted."

"He really did learn useful things. His abilities are far greater than those of ordinary reserve members."

Vodka: "..."

I was badmouthing that kid, big brother. Why were you praising him instead?

"Since that's the case..."

For some reason, Gin's gaze grew increasingly focused and profound.

"Then we can't let him waste this ability, this opportunity."

The organization had invested great effort into training Lin Xinyi, yet he had never displayed matching ability.

He had spent his days accomplishing nothing in the position of "security captain," wasting his thoroughly loyal background and the organization's trust.

But things were different now.

Lin Xinyi had proven with facts that his studies had not been in vain.

In just one day, he had successfully earned the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's respect and trust through medical abilities he had never had the chance to display.

This was an opportunity, an excellent opportunity to plant a nail within the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

As long as he could take charge of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's long-neglected autopsy department, he could intervene in nearly every criminal case handled by the department as a medical examiner.

By then, Lin Xinyi would definitely play an extremely significant role for the organization.

And on the other hand—

Gin couldn't help recalling his years of battling wits and courage with the rats:

At last, the organization finally had another chance to plant an undercover agent among its enemies, rather than having all sorts of people stuff agents into the organization in heaps like incense sticks.

His job would finally no longer be catching rats, but throwing rats into someone else's house.

The more he thought about it, the more moved Gin became.

Originally, I had planned a more gradual progression, letting the protagonist slowly discover the organization's problems before assigning him the undercover mission. But since a small number of readers objected, feeling that the protagonist discovering the truth too late hurt the reading experience, I decided to write it earlier.

Because this was revised midway through, these recent chapters may feel somewhat rushed and jarring. Please try to understand.

I will do my best to accept reasonable suggestions like these, but I have to say that some things obviously cannot be changed, so there's no use making suggestions about them. For example, people are still bringing up that the protagonist doesn't know the plot. That's been part of the setting from the beginning until now—could I possibly change it? I'm not discussing whose opinions are better. I only want to say that my book isn't perfect, and it's normal that some people can't accept certain settings. Since you can't accept them and I can't change them, wouldn't it be best for everyone to part on good terms and forget each other? Why waste words and time for nothing?