Chapter 247, Seventy-Third Cycle (77)

Conan Edogawa felt that now that things had come to this, Mr. Akai would definitely tell him who Scotland was.

Shuichi Akai fell silent.

Conan Edogawa: "?"

Shuichi Akai turned around again to look around, and after confirming that it was safe, he said in a low voice, "I don't know their target yet, but we are still alive and well. I think we can continue to maintain the status quo until we figure out what's going on."

Conan Edogawa astutely observed, "So, Scotland is here too. He really is involved in this matter, right? Have I met him before?"

Shuichi Akai countered, "You must have asked Amuro the same question before. What was his answer?"

Conan Edogawa choked for a moment: "...He only told me that the person was originally a very patient and slow-paced person, but recently he has become somewhat anxious because of some things."

Shuichi Akai narrowed his eyes slightly: "Because of some things..."

Conan Edogawa glared at him: "Mr. Akai, don't try to change the subject. Why can't you tell me the truth even now, in this situation?"

Shuichi Akai frowned, his expression very serious: "You should have noticed as well that the layout and organization here are related, and many things are similar to the novel 'Running Towards the Sun,' but it's still difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood at the moment."

Conan Edogawa's expression also turned serious. He nodded and continued to look at him, hoping that he could tell him more of the information he knew, as the situation was really urgent.

“Actually, there’s another thing that’s very similar to what happened in the organization before,” Shuichi Akai said, his expression gradually becoming somewhat complicated. “Before I left the organization, Rum once brought all the suspected people to the castle to test them in order to catch an undercover agent. The feeling at that time was very similar to now. I, Scotland, and Bourbon were all there at the time, and Scotland later took over most of Rum’s work. As for the current situation… I suspect it’s related to some factors back then, but I haven’t determined Scotland’s purpose in doing so yet.”

"Who is Rum?" Conan Edogawa asked.

So Scotland really is here.

"He was the organization's second-in-command before, but he was later killed by some enemy. The organization was in chaos for a while because of the struggle for his power and to demonstrate one's abilities to the organization's boss. Ultimately, Scotland emerged victorious." Shuichi Akai sighed softly. "It was around that time that I made a wrong judgment, which is why I still feel very sorry for Amuro-kun..."

Conan Edogawa's expression also changed, but he managed to control himself, still feeling that the amount of information was a bit overwhelming.

He already knew roughly what had happened, and now, by combining the intelligence, he could even reconstruct most of the original situation.

He had overheard Shuichi Akai briefly explaining things to Jodie Cameron earlier and realized that it wasn't something that could be easily explained, so he didn't press the matter.

However, there was another thing he cared about very much.

"What exactly happened in the castle incident that Mr. Akai mentioned? Why do you say it's similar to our current situation? What is the purpose of Scotland recreating the original situation?" Conan Edogawa quickly asked his questions.

Shuichi Akai had already decided to tell the story, and without hesitation, he quickly and simply described what had happened back then.

At Rum's invitation, 13 people are trapped in a deep mountain castle. The organization uses black technology to deceive and manipulate them. Bourbon fakes his death, Scotland goes mad and "kills" four codenamed members of the organization, and in the end, they almost go to war with Gin.

Conan Edogawa: "..."

Conan Edogawa's pupils tremble.

Shuichi Akai didn't have time to let the child digest the information slowly, and continued, "And the situation at the church this time is very similar to the castle incident back then."

"First, we need to find the traitor among the same 13 people. In the castle, the position of Jesus is shared by Rum, who was not present, and Curaçao, who was on site controlling the overall situation. In the church, it should be the guitarist who deliberately dyed his hair blonde to mislead others, and the priest, Takaaki Morofushi."

"That band of thieves used a band to cover their operations before. Their guitar cases usually contained weapons and stolen goods. Based on the current intelligence, it's likely that the guitarist betrayed the group and then cooperated with the organization. He took the identity card of Jesus and became the apparent leader, which is Curaçao's original position, to guide the game."

Conan Edogawa's eyes flickered slightly: "So, that means Morofushi Takaaki was Rum's position back then? He was Scotland?"

Shuichi Akai said, "He doesn't necessarily represent Rum's position. Judging from the guitarist's attitude, Takaaki Morofushi doesn't seem to be in real power. There must be someone behind him... Of course, we can't rule out the organization's boss. His situation is indeed unusual."

Conan Edogawa stared at him: "Then Mr. Akai, you're still cooperating with him? How are you cooperating?"

"At first, I was tricked into coming here by him using the game's plot. In the plot, my identity has been reversed layer by layer. At first, I was a member of the organization, but after Oki Masaya's death, I defected and my undercover identity was exposed. Now, I've been told by Morofushi Takaaki that I was actually cooperating with the organization to stage a defection in order to gain the trust of the police and detectives, and that I'm still working for the organization. However, in reality, I was an undercover agent who infiltrated from the very beginning, and everything after that was just an act." Shuichi Akai slightly curled the corners of his mouth, as if he was amused by the convoluted plot.

Conan Edogawa: "..."

They really enjoy playing spy games and acting. Is this an interest of the author?

Shuichi Akai continued, "Then I was locked in a room and drugged, but I managed to control myself and escape. It was around that time that I discovered the lead singer who faked her death was actually the one who conspired with the organization. The blond guitarist was just a pawn she used, and he was the ultimate scapegoat for the perfect crime."

Conan Edogawa finally obtained the last piece of the puzzle and realized, "So that's why their plan was disrupted by you, and they decided to end the game early. Did Morofushi Takaaki cooperate with you because he saw your strength? Or was he afraid of your strength and decided to deceive you in a different way?"

“He said he was impressed by my abilities, that he was actually an undercover agent planted in the organization by the police, and that I was quite capable, hoping I could help him save everyone and reduce casualties.” Shuichi Akai nodded. “However, we didn’t trust each other much and didn’t have any in-depth exchanges. We just discussed the most basic information before cooperating.”

Conan Edogawa: "Is it possible that Morofushi Takaaki is also an undercover agent for the organization?"

Shuichi Akai: "I'm not sure. There are too few clues. He might be acting and lying to us."

Conan Edogawa's expression turned somewhat serious: "Never mind, putting aside Morofushi Takaki, Mr. Akai, your situation is quite similar to this plot, isn't it? Actually, my identity card is too. Too many coincidences are no longer coincidences... But they even know our true identities, is that possible? And why write it into a novel?"

Shuichi Akai paused for two seconds, then said, "It is indeed very suspicious. My intuition tells me that things are not so simple. However, the real danger has not yet arrived. We need to hurry up and investigate to find out the truth, and this church is a very crucial clue."

Conan Edogawa felt the same way, and probably knew that there was no answer now, so he changed the subject and said, "I think that author, Ryuichi Taki, is very suspicious."

Hideaki Akai nodded and continued, "The novel may be based on the organization's situation, and Ryuichi Taki is also inextricably linked to this event. If he is not a member of the organization with ulterior motives, then he is someone who is opposing the organization and causing trouble, so he will not show up."

“However, it’s more likely that Taki Ryuichi is a member of the organization,” he said. “Even if the church’s activities here were influenced by the organization and turned out this way, he had already touched on many special things in his earlier works. People who don’t know the situation won’t notice, but people like us who know some of the details can easily make connections to many things in reality.”

Conan Edogawa: "The sacrificial scene we saw before was created by high-tech projection, right? It was similar to what you experienced in the castle back then?"

Shuichi Akai: "Yes, but it's more advanced. It looks like a holographic projection. If I weren't still outside myself, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between real and fake."

After saying that, he asked, "How was your experience with this compared to the holographic game screening you attended before? Are there any similarities?"

Conan Edogawa recalled: "I'm not quite sure. Back then, with the holographic game, I would enter the game pod and my entire mind would enter another world. Also, there were some deviations and impacts later on because of the Noah's Ark incident, which caused the game to fail to be released. It can't be compared to the feeling of watching a holographic projection in reality now."

"but……"

"but?"

Conan Edogawa's expression gradually changed: "I suddenly remembered that the game pod and the time machine here are very similar in appearance and facilities."

Shuichi Akai's eyes sharpened instantly: "Noah's Ark... Is he really still alive?"

If this matter is related to Noah's Ark, then the situation is completely different.

Shuichi Akai hesitated for a few seconds before finally making a decision.

Given the special circumstances, and the fact that Conan Edogawa is connected to Noah's Ark, telling him this might change things.

With mixed feelings, he began, "Actually, Scotland and Bourbon also have a special relationship with cherry blossoms and Noah's Ark. This happened when Scotland seized power..."

As Shuichi Akai explained, Conan Edogawa's eyes widened little by little, until finally his expression froze completely.

...Huh? Wait a minute? Huh? ? ?

Is the Noah's Ark that Mr. Akai mentioned the one he knows?

And, so cherry blossoms, Noah's Ark, and Mr. Amuro have this kind of connection? Was Scotland really this crazy and perverted?

Wait a minute, following this logic, that generation of cherry blossoms... was Hiroki?!

Conan Edogawa had a blank expression.

But, but, Hiroki is still a child!!!

Wait, even if Noah's Ark is really amazing, Hiroki is still alive! Where did this second-generation Sakura come from?

Was it to deceive Scotland into faking her death? So she's still living under the name Ai Orikasa and Ai Haibara at Professor Agasa's house, just to let Noah's Ark continue operating under the identity of Sakura?

But...but...

Conan Edogawa's usually proud intellect finally fell into brief confusion after a series of stimuli.