Disclaimer: Detective Conan is not mine. This fanfic is a translation.
Enjoy Reading!
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After entering a twelve-digit password, one still had to scan their palm. When it came to security, the organization truly didn't mind going to extreme lengths.
The sliding door slowly moved aside, and the view suddenly opened up. Ritsu hadn't expected such a vast space beneath the surface, it was large enough to host a full-scale live concert.
Gin was dressed in his usual three-piece ensemble: black fedora, black trench coat, and black leather shoes. One hand rested casually in his pocket as he looked toward Ritsu, while the other flicked away a half-smoked cigarette. The glowing ember on the discarded butt made it oddly tempting to step on it and grind it out.
"Aniki, I've brought Nanase," Vodka said.
"Mm."
Ritsu's gaze shifted to the man standing beside Gin. He wasn't listed in any of the files Ritsu had seen, and his appearance didn't match any known descriptions.
He wore a black sleeveless turtleneck under a short dark-gray coat, paired with black cargo pants and military boots. His dark brown hair was mostly hidden beneath a dark green military cap, likely cut short underneath.
His olive-green eyes stared straight at Ritsu. His complexion was fair, and his expression stern, he didn't look like the joking type.
"Gin-san, good to see you again. And this is…?"
"Calvados. Pleasure to meet you."
Calvados, another member known only by a codename derived from alcohol, his real name unknown. Judging by his presence, he was likely somewhere in the mid-to-upper ranks.
"Nanase Tōru. Nice to meet you."
He looked slightly older than Ritsu, probably in his early twenties. A former mercenary, perhaps, or a retired soldier?
Seeing that the two had introduced themselves, Gin spoke, "Vodka should have already told you. For the next period of time, you'll undergo special training with the action unit. Calvados will spar with you. Once your level matches or surpasses his, I'll allow you to join the action unit."
"Gin-san, do you mean—"
"Your physical stats are excellent. You have the potential to become a professional killer. Surely you don't want to stay cooped up in that disinfectant-smelling laboratory, dealing with dull, repetitive experiments every day?"
Ritsu feigned surprise. After a brief hesitation, he gave a bitter smile. "Do I even have a choice?"
"No." Gin's answer was firm, almost domineering. "Once you join the organization, you follow orders. The fate of those who don't… looks like this."
Ritsu noticed Gin withdrawing his hand from his pocket. He had expected a gun but instead, Gin pulled out a smartphone identical to his own. Turning the screen toward him, he began playing a video.
The setting in the footage appeared to be this very place, though clearly not recorded today. There was no trace of blood or smell, it must have been cleaned thoroughly afterward.
In the video, a brown-haired young man let out a scream. His terrified expression was unmistakable as the camera zoomed in. The cameraman stepped back, revealing that the man's hands were bound to a railing with iron chains. He struggled desperately, but it was useless.
The man looked downward at something and soon, Ritsu understood what.
He was staring at his own abdomen… at the small intestine that had been pulled out of his body, stretching over three meters long.
Ritsu had seen plenty of gruesome scenes before, but this level of cruelty was a first. To force the victim to remain conscious through such torture… he silently swore off eating organ meats for a while.
The video cut off abruptly.
Gin smiled faintly as he put his phone away. "That was a rat who infiltrated the organization not long ago. He was executed right there."
Following Gin's gesture, Ritsu looked in that direction. Though no bloodstains remained on the ground, deep marks from chains were etched into the iron railing… How much pain must he have endured, how violently must he have struggled, to leave such marks?
"May I ask a question?"
"Ask."
"Between the research division and the action unit… which one pays more?"
Gin's pupils widened slightly, clearly not expecting that question. He lowered his head and let out a soft chuckle, his voice dropping with a faint upward lilt at the end. "The action unit."
"Then I'll take the training seriously," Ritsu replied calmly, glancing at the phone Gin had yet to fully pocket. "I'm not exactly money-driven, but when there's no freedom of choice… who would turn down more money?"
Vodka barely suppressed his inner hype. If Gin weren't standing right beside him, and if Ritsu weren't, well, not his preferred type of cute girl, he'd have been waving glow sticks and cheering at the top of his lungs. Tōru-chan is my number one!
It had been a long time since he'd seen such a promising newcomer. Definitely someone worth training!
If Ritsu had some sort of affinity meter, it might have just displayed: Vodka's favorability +20.
"Heh… Calvados, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Understood."
Calvados gestured for Ritsu to follow. The two descended a metal staircase to an open area below. Ahead stood several human-shaped targets placed at varying distances, it reminded Ritsu of his days at the police academy.
He still remembered breaking a senior's record during an 80-meter pistol trial. Hiro had been happier than he was, so much so that he forgot he was still holding a gun, forcing Rei to rush over and stop him.
No matter what he did, memories of them always surfaced.
Calvados didn't seem talkative. He pulled a MAB PA-15 pistol from his pocket, raised it, and aimed at the nearest target 50 meters away. Five rapid shots rang out, every single one hit the tiny red point on the target's head without the slightest deviation.
At this range, that level of accuracy could easily be called sharpshooting. Calvados clearly had the skills to back up his codename.
"Your turn."
Ritsu caught the pistol he tossed over. Under normal circumstances, he would instinctively adopt his preferred shooting stance but right now, he was supposed to be a beginner.
Time to act.
Holding the gun in his left hand, he mimicked Calvados' earlier posture almost perfectly, aside from switching his dominant hand.
Bang, bang, bang, bang! …Bang!
It should have been five rapid shots, but the recoil from the fourth threw off his rhythm, causing a slight delay before the fifth shot.
Unlike Calvados' precise hits, Ritsu's first four bullets clustered around the chest area. The final shot, however… landed in a rather awkward spot for a male target.
Ritsu's eyebrow twitched. That really wasn't intentional.
Vodka instinctively squeezed his legs together. Then, noticing Gin's glance, he quickly straightened up.
Gin snorted, hands still in his pockets as he looked down at them from behind the railing. "Don't just imitate Calvados' stance. Your shooting talent is high. Adjust your posture, and you'll perform well."
"Yes, Gin-san."
The reason Ritsu had imitated him was precisely to showcase his talent. That way, his rapid improvement later wouldn't raise suspicion.
After trying several different stances, Ritsu switched to the one he was most comfortable with. His eyes locked onto the target 50 meters away as he fired the remaining five rounds.
All five bullets struck the small red point at the neck.
A flicker of excitement crossed Ritsu's face. Turning around, he looked up at Gin and asked, "Gin-san, is it okay to aim wherever I prefer?"
Large predators instinctively go for the throat before tearing open the abdomen to feed on the organs.
"Of course."
Gin narrowed his dark green eyes slightly as he watched the black-haired young man reload his pistol.
'This one… is a blade yet to be drawn.'
And once drawn—
it will taste blood.
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Notes:
Since we reached 50 chapters, I would like to ask the readers.
How the quality of the translation? Is there anything that I miss or some unedited words here and there that break your immersion? Let me know so I can fix it.
Before I only upload 1 chapter per day, but this one is quite a lot. Thus, I discovered a way to be more productive in translating, so I can upload 2 chapters per day, as you can see. Of course I stockpiled some chapters in reserve.
Which led me to this topic, Bonus Chapter. Before I try to urges you guys to post your memes on the comment, but it didn't turn out well.
I decided to change it to a vote instead.
So, Do you want a bonus chapter, readers?