Chapter 176, Seventy-Third Cycle (6)

January.

The New Year holiday was very short, and everyone has already started going back to work and school one after another.

However, this had nothing to do with Shirley, since the organization didn't have any statutory holidays. As long as there was work, they had to work all year round, especially the research group.

But her sister's vacation was also over, so they couldn't go out together anymore, which was a real shame.

The tea-haired girl sat in a chair with a cup of coffee. Her expression softened instantly when she saw the photo of herself and her sister on the table. However, the corners of her mouth that had turned up quickly disappeared again after she turned to her computer to study.

She sipped her coffee while picking up the mouse to check yesterday's experiment results.

【die】

【die】

【die】

【die】

The first four mice all died, and just like before, only one remained.

"Click." The mouse clicked on the next experimental monitoring screen, causing the brown-haired girl in front of the screen to widen her eyes instantly.

Shirley abruptly put down her cup, doubting she had seen correctly. She pulled up all the surveillance footage from different angles and times, and finally confirmed that the mouse was indeed alive and had shrunk.

Is this... reverse aging?

The tea-haired girl's emotions fluctuated wildly. She chuckled silently, her feelings complicated, then smiled and picked up the phone.

"Hello? It's me. Could you come over here? Yes, I'm in the fourth laboratory. I have something interesting to show you."

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

She didn't know for the time being, but subconsciously felt that she couldn't let the organization know right now.

Therefore, she doesn't have many people to contact, but there is one person who is the most suitable to come and discuss things with her now in every aspect.

“Okay, I’ll be right there,” Bourbon said.

The call wasn't disconnected; the man on the other end spoke in a deep voice, chuckling softly.

"Let me guess, has the research experiment on aptx4869 been successful?" he said slowly.

Sherry: "..."

Damn it, how come this person isn't surprised at all, and doesn't seem to feel any sense of accomplishment?

The girl with tea-colored hair snorted and simply hung up the phone.

*

The organization is going to build a new laboratory.

Gin and Vodka's mission is to snatch the piece of land that the organization has its eye on from a certain company.

late at night.

Near Mihua Port.

The rain was torrential.

A white Mazda gradually appeared in the misty rain, drove through the deserted street, and stopped by the roadside.

The car lights went out, and the street corner was plunged into darkness once again.

A tall, slender figure stepped out of the car. It was a man dressed in all black, holding a black umbrella. He walked slowly into a dark alley and finally stopped in front of the only bar that was still lit.

He folded his umbrella, and the light illuminated his handsome face and distinctive blond hair and dark skin.

The blond youth slightly raised his head to confirm the transaction location.

The bar's metal sign features a giant black spider, with the bar's name written below: Black Widows.

Black Widow.

He looked away and pushed open the door in front of him.

"Ding-a-ling—" The noisy rain couldn't drown out the clear sound of the bell in the quiet room, and the people in the bar turned to look at him.

"Bourbon," Vodka greeted him, without smiling, his expression somewhat serious.

"Why that expression?" Bourbon raised an eyebrow and smiled, sitting down next to him. "Did something happen?"

Vodka cautiously turned his head to glance at his older brother beside him.

Gin drank his drink expressionlessly, offering no obstruction or threat.

Vodka then turned to Bourbon with a sigh of relief and whispered, "You have the nerve to say that? You knew perfectly well, didn't you? The undercover agent you killed yesterday was actually Big Brother's prey. Big Brother had already confirmed that he was Rat and even devised a way for him to die."

As they were talking, the bartender behind the bar gently placed a glass of wine on the table in front of Bourbon.

The blond youth tilted his head in confusion.

Vodka immediately pointed: "This is it, an XYZ cocktail made with rum, Cointreau, and a little lemon juice. XYZ stands for the last few letters of the English alphabet, meaning 'end.' It means that after this drink, everything should end. My brother plans to send him on his way after he finishes this last drink."

Gin didn't react much, which wasn't surprising. Since Bourbon was involved in the matter, it wasn't unusual for him to discover the rat and take the credit for eliminating the undercover agent first.

That guy especially liked targeting him and Scotland.

Bourbon exclaimed "Whoa!" and laughed: "I see, but you didn't expect me to snatch it away first, did you?"

He spread his hands, looking innocent: "But there's nothing I can do about it. The organization sent me to investigate that matter. I discovered the problem with that rat, so it's only natural that I took care of him, right? The boss even praised me. After all, the credit for killing an undercover agent always goes to the capable, doesn't it?"

He sarcastically mocked Gin, implying that Gin was incompetent for being outmaneuvered by him.

Vodka was startled, sensing the chilling killing intent emanating from his elder brother behind him.

"Heh." Gin chuckled coldly, turning his head to reveal a pair of sinister green eyes beneath his silver hair. He said dangerously, "Since you killed him beforehand, you must have already obtained the information the organization wanted, right?"

If Bourbon dares to say no...

“Of course.” Bourbon smirked, tossing an envelope that glided across the smooth tabletop before coming to rest right next to Gin’s hand.

Gin lowered his eyes and looked at the envelope.

“These are photos and negatives of that company smuggling guns.” Bourbon rested his chin on one hand and tapped the table lightly with the other. “Moreover, that company is connected to the Muddy Waters Association. You can use this information to blackmail their president into making a deal.”

Gin nodded slightly, his expression much better, and tossed the envelope to Vodka for safekeeping.

There's no need to break it down; he still trusts Bourbon's abilities.

"Are you alright? If you are, I'll be leaving." Bourbon stood up.

Vodka put the envelope away, nodded and smiled, "Yes, thank you for your help this time, Bourbon."

This wasn't a big deal; in fact, we shouldn't have bothered Bourbon. He only volunteered to help investigate because it was related to the new lab, and ended up discovering another undercover agent...

Bourbon's current status is quite special. Although Vodka doesn't quite understand what happened in just one year, the change in Bourbon's status is very obvious.

Like Vermouth, he enjoyed almost unbridled power within the organization and was incredibly favored by the boss. Furthermore, unlike the passive Vermouth, Bourbon wielded real power and actively stirred up trouble, meddling in everything within the organization… Currently, Bourbon is widely considered the most untouchable person in the organization.

There's no such thing as a second-in-command in the organization right now, otherwise Bourbon would really be considered the organization's second-in-command.

Bourbon smiled, glanced at the glass of wine before leaving, thought for a moment, picked it up, and drank it all in one gulp.

"The XYZ cocktail signifies an end, so it's quite fitting for me to drink it now." He placed the empty glass on the table, casually waved his hand, and turned to leave the bar.

It's really suitable.

Because he will soon bring the organization to its final demise.

Let this last glass of wine be a tribute to the organization.

He happily folded his umbrella, got into the car, and checked his phone to see a new email.

【Thanks. 】

The blond youth smiled slightly, typed with one hand, and sent: "You're welcome, it's just a collaboration."

Great, another undercover agent has been rescued.

The organization is one step closer to destruction.

*

"Boom—!"

Shinichi Kudo, who had unusually gone to bed early that day, suddenly sat up in bed and, after a couple of seconds, immediately understood what had happened.

He casually threw on a coat and went to lie on the balcony: "Really, Doctor, you're doing it again. This time, are you all alone?"

The chubby Professor Agasa is climbing out of the pit, turning around with a dirty face and scratching the back of his head with a silly grin.

Wearing her pajamas, Ai Orikasa hurriedly peeked out from the broken wall and exclaimed in surprise when she saw the wound on Professor Agasa's face. She immediately pulled him back to stop the bleeding and apply medicine.

Shinichi Kudo was stunned when he saw his injury, and immediately went downstairs to Professor Agasa's house to check on him.

When he arrived, Matsuda Jinpei from next door was already there, his face dark as he and the thin boy applied medicine to the still-smiling Professor Agasa: "I just got back... What kind of research were you doing this time? How did you actually hurt yourself?"

"A personal mobile rocket!" Dr. Agasa exclaimed, reaching out to pat the red machine beside him.

Shinichi Kudo, knowing his habits well, quickly stepped forward to stop him, his deadpan eyes saying, "It's already exploded once. I beg you, don't be so reckless as to touch it again. If it explodes again, I think you really want to end up in the hospital."

Ai Orikasa sighed and used a towel to wipe the dust off the rest of his face: "Doctor, didn't you say you'd go to bed early tonight?"

Professor Agasa smiled sheepishly and said guiltily, "Because I suddenly had a new idea, so I wanted to try it out right away. It's not too late, it's only 11 o'clock..."

After confirming that Professor Agasa was alright, Matsuda Jinpei yawned, put his arm around Shinichi Kudo's neck, and left.

"Our savior of the Japanese police, are you planning to stay up all night reading novels like a primary school student again tonight? Be careful, the famous detective might not grow tall!" he joked.

Although he was used to and quite proud of this title, the 17-year-old boy still blushed slightly when Matsuda Jinpei, a policeman, called him that to his face. He stammered, "N-no! I was already asleep, but Professor Agasa woke me up again!"

"Oh, I remember now, you have a date with Ran tomorrow, no wonder you went to bed early tonight." Matsuda Jinpei nodded.

Shinichi Kudo's face turned even redder. He didn't deny the date, but grumbled, "I can't help it. I promised Ran that if she wins the karate tournament, I'll take her to Dorobiga Amusement Park..."

"A karate tournament champion!" Matsuda Jinpei couldn't help but exclaim. "Are all girls this fierce these days?"

Ran Mouri is one, and so is Miwako Sato; their fighting prowess is simply too formidable.

He casually ruffled the boy's hair, escorted him into the Kudo residence, waved, and grinned, "You still need to step up your game, kid. If you don't have any self-defense skills and keep going into dangerous cases, you'll get into trouble sooner or later. Besides, being so weak and needing a girlfriend to protect you..."

Shinichi Kudo instantly bristled, raising his voice to retort, "I didn't! I can play soccer too! If I hadn't quit the soccer club, I could even be on the national team! Yesterday, I even kicked a globe and knocked down an escaped criminal, successfully apprehending him! Newspapers everywhere are praising me—"

"Playing soccer..." Matsuda Jinpei let out a loud laugh.

Shinichi Kudo, enraged, slammed the door shut: "You're so annoying!!!"

*

Under the pitch-black night sky, a black Porsche sped past on the street.

Vodka, who was driving, couldn't help but ask, "Brother, why does that company president want to conduct the transaction in such a conspicuous place? Dorobiga Amusement Park has only been open for a short time and is currently at its peak. Won't this cause some trouble?"

Gin picked up the cigarette lighter in the car and slowly lit a cigarette: "He thinks that in a place like that, we can't cause a riot, and if he brought backup, he can hide better in the crowd."

Vodka immediately frowned: "So there really is a conspiracy? Bourbon said that the president is in cahoots with the Muddy Association. Could he be plotting against us with the Muddy Association? No wonder Bourbon said he would come to check tomorrow. Has he already discovered something?"

Gin chuckled, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "Hmph, Bourbon, huh? That guy's got a keen sense of smell. Fine, let him go. Don't worry, we already know why he chose that place for the transaction. Even if there are problems, we'll just make sure he doesn't come back alive."

He took out his phone and texted Chianti and Cohen, telling them to meet at 10 a.m. the next morning.

After thinking for a moment, he poked Scotland again: "Are you going to be with Bourbon tomorrow too?"

Scotland quickly replied: "Yes, will it affect your mission?"

Gin ignored him.

It didn't have any impact, but it was too wasteful.

What trouble could a mere mud-stained society possibly cause with just a few codenamed members present?

*

the next day.

Dorobiga Amusement Park.

The blond youth and the black-haired youth faced off in silence.

Morofushi Hiromitsu smiled innocently: "Gin and Vodka ride a roller coaster together, Cohen and Chianti ride a Ferris wheel together, so it's not strange that Bourbon and Scotland ride a Ferris wheel together, is it?"

Jianggu Ling: "..."

Rei Furuya sighed: "That's not the point... Never mind, alright."

He came over for no particular reason; it was just his own doing. He wanted to find an excuse to watch the iconic scene of Conan's birth, just in case something went wrong and he could immediately bring the warped timeline back on track.

With a blush on his face, Cohen happily exited the Ferris wheel, while a bored Chianti yawned: "Honestly, we didn't manage to do anything big on this mission. Time to get back to training. This time, I'm determined to surpass Bourbon's sniping record..."

Not long after the two left, it got dark, and Furuya Rei and Morofushi Kagemitsu boarded the Ferris wheel.

When the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, Rei Furuya saw Shinichi Kudo sneakily watching Vodka and the company president's transaction through his binoculars, completely unaware that a tall, silver-haired man carrying a stick was silently approaching from behind.

Morofushi Kagemitsu, who was also holding binoculars, couldn't help but say, "That kid's reconnaissance ability is indeed very impressive, but his counter-reconnaissance ability is too low. Shouldn't we give him some special training in this area in the future?"

"We'll see how things go then. The protagonist's growth path is definitely important, and we might not be able to participate." After Furuya Rei finished speaking, he saw Gin below knock Shinichi Kudo, who had turned his head in a daze, to the ground with a stick, and he couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Was this really how Conan used to act when facing the organization...?

Just as Vodka was about to pull out his gun to kill someone, Gin stopped him, then took out the aptx4869 medicine box, took out a red and white capsule, and fed it to the black-haired boy on the ground.

The two left quickly, leaving only the boy struggling in pain on the ground.

Morifu no Kagemitsu turned to ask, "Did the system react?"

"Not yet." Rei Furuya's eyes were still fixed on Shinichi Kudo, who was starting to smoke.

Soon, right before his eyes, the 17-year-old high school detective Shinichi Kudo slowly shrank into the 7-year-old elementary school student Conan Edogawa.

He transformed into the little detective he knew so well.

The system's voice rang out the instant Shinichi Kudo completely turned into a child.

[The seventh save point, "The Raven Is Staring at You," has been completed]

[Achieve the HE (Happy Ending) side story: A Dream of Nanke]

Rei Furuya's eyes narrowed, and he immediately said, "The system's completion sound has appeared. The game is saved. It's a happy ending. The CG is 'A Dream of Nanke'."

"A dream of Nanke?" Zhu Fujingguang frowned slightly.

Rei Furuya remained silent, a little guilty as he recalled the dream chair and the hundreds of nightmare experiments, and then, uncontrollably, the scene at the end of the [Long Rope Scene] loop where he and Hiro consumed APTX4869...

[Eighth save point discovered: "A Dream of Nanke"]

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