Chapter 248, Seventy-Third Cycle (78)

Shuichi Akai kept staring at Conan Edogawa when he talked about Noah's Ark.

He naturally noticed all of Conan Edogawa's subsequent changes in expression.

"So you do know about the current situation of Noah's Ark, don't you?" Shuichi Akai's tone was soft but certain. "Are you still in contact?"

Conan Edogawa: "..."

Conan Edogawa regained some of his composure and pondered, "Noah's Ark... it does indeed still exist, and I have a way to contact it. When we go out this time... I can try asking him."

The focus is on Hiroki Sawada.

Are Hiroki Sawada and Noah's Ark really involved in this incident? If so, what were their roles and purposes in participating?

“However, since he’s keeping it from me, asking him directly probably won’t get us anything.” Conan Edogawa’s eyes regained their composure and calmness. “We’re only speculating right now. The similarity in appearance of the time machine isn’t strong evidence. We should investigate more clues.”

Hideaki Akai nodded and said, "I don't know your relationship, but since it involves the organization, you'd better be careful."

I really need to investigate the matter of Sakura, Furuya Rei, and Noah's Ark thoroughly this time.

This time, we can start our investigation by focusing on Conan Edogawa; maybe that will lead us to a breakthrough.

Conan Edogawa sighed: "Yes, personal feelings often hinder reasoning and lead people away from the truth."

Just like he could never be 100% certain of Xiaolan's thoughts.

However, he still trusts the people around him, and he won't make a definitive judgment on uncertain situations.

If things hadn't happened so suddenly, he wouldn't have even let the FBI and Shuichi Akai know before he was sure.

But it's too late now; we can only try to understand the specifics of the situation as quickly as possible before making a decision.

“Then let’s investigate.” Akai Shuichi stood up and said, “I’ve checked the other places that are relatively easy to enter, but there’s nothing crucial there. Those places are probably where that woman was before. She’s gone up now, and Morofushi Takaaki below will help us escape. We can go and take a look first. I know where it is.”

Conan Edogawa nodded seriously: "Okay, then we need to hurry. If she can't find you up there, she'll definitely come back. If she has a gun, she'll be in danger if she runs into everyone."

However, Shuichi Akai did not act immediately, but continued to look at him with deep green eyes.

Conan Edogawa: "?"

“You know that, right?” Shuichi Akai said. “There’s no such thing as a coincidence. What we’re investigating is more likely a trap set by someone with ulterior motives. It could very well be a trap for us. Going there would be a slim chance of survival. If we play dumb now, we might survive and get out of here first. Besides, I can go alone. You don’t need to come with me.”

If Akai Shuichi hadn't known that Conan Edogawa would definitely take action and was afraid something might happen to him, he wouldn't have come to find him for a meeting.

But he already felt that Scotland was starting to suspect Shinichi Kudo, so of course he couldn't let Conan Edogawa run around in the traps set up in Scotland.

“I know.” Conan Edogawa met his gaze, his eyes unwavering. “This place could very well be a trap, but it could also hold a very important clue that might solve the mystery I’ve been searching for. I need to know the truth, otherwise, surviving now is useless, and might even bring danger to more people… to those around me. I can’t run away.”

"Even if you die?" Shuichi Akai asked.

“Even if I die.” Conan Edogawa raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Holmes once told Moriarty that if it could guarantee your destruction, I would gladly embrace death for the public good.”

"I feel the same way about the organization."

After saying that, he winked and said, "Besides, this isn't the first time we've played this kind of high-stakes gamble, is it, Mr. Akai?"

Shuichi Akai smirked and stood up, saying, "Well, let's go then."

Conan Edogawa nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

The road ahead was still unknown and dark, but they still went out.

It wasn't just curiosity that fueled their passion and enthusiasm. Their unwavering sense of responsibility, their desire to protect those they cared about, and their belief in upholding justice also gave them immense courage.

Even when facing death, they are fearless.

*

For the truth, for justice, for protection, we fear neither pain nor death.

This is the main character.

He is the protagonist favored by the rules of the world, and also the protagonist that the audience desires.

Rei Furuya stared at the black-haired child on the monitor, a smile already playing on his lips.

If the protagonist also joins the plan, can he disrupt the balance of the world's plot rules?

Rei Furuya wasn't sure, but seeing such a determined and radiant child made him very happy.

As for Shuichi Akai standing next to him... who is that?

Don't think about unpleasant things when you're happy.

Morofushi Kagemitsu, who was standing next to him, reached out and poked him.

Rei Furuya turned his head: "?"

Morobuchi Kagemitsu held up his phone, which displayed a call from Morobuchi Komei.

Rei Furuya nodded: "Now we can start wrapping things up. After we finish the call, we'll go find Matsuda and the others to meet up."

In order to allow the two of them to act alone, Matsuda Jinpei and the others were responsible for leading the others to continue the charade. Now, all they had to do was regroup and everything would be over.

Morobuchi Kagemitsu smiled and answered the phone.

“They’ve already passed by,” Morobushi Takaaki said to his phone while looking at the monitor.

The young man on the other end of the phone replied that he understood, and then laughed and said, "Thank you so much, brother, this time."

"I'd rather hear your explanation." Morabushi Takaaki's gaze swept over several surveillance cameras where people were present.

Subaru Okiya and Conan Edogawa headed towards the deepest room.

Kogoro Mouri rescued Saguru Hakuba, while police officers Jinpei Matsuda, Kenji Hagiwara, and Wataru Date captured and rescued the other two members of the robbery gang. Meanwhile, Kaito Kid diligently continued playing the bald man, observing the current situation.

The two groups of people met up at the same time.

As for Midorikawa Hikaru and Amuro Tooru... they took care of the remaining cleanup work in other places through the secret passage and are now in a room not far away. Next, they should put their phones back in their place, pretend to be innocent, and go back to meet up with everyone.

But Morofushi Takaaki simply sat there, with no intention of going over to meet them.

Although he seemed to have played an important role and done a lot, he actually didn't know much. He only acted based on their vague requests and explanations, and his reasoning and guessing encountered many strange things. He was not sure what his brother's purpose was in doing all this.

However, the current situation should be considered safe, so you can try asking.

However, his once obedient younger brother gently but firmly refused to answer: "I'm sorry, brother, most things need to be kept secret. I can probably only give you a complete explanation after everything is over."

“Alright.” Morofushi Takaaki was not surprised and sighed silently.

His shifting gaze finally settled on the blond youth beside his brother, and he asked, "Those 'zeros' in your novels, are they all related to him? Is he working with you now? Can you answer that?"

No way? These childhood friends both became undercover police officers? And they even went undercover together?

Furthermore, what kind of job would require writing a novel? Taking over an abandoned church and building such a strange basement? And it even alludes to Rei Furuya's story?

Anyway, he didn't believe that the frequent appearance of "zero" related things in Jingguang's novels could be unrelated to Furuya Rei.

But why did that mark appear on the time machine and that strange organization?

"Yes." That was the only simple answer he gave, clearly without any further explanation.

Zhu Fugaoming didn't press the matter further, and felt somewhat relieved and happy.

It's really great and lucky that childhood friends can stay together after graduation, even in dangerous undercover police work, and help and support each other.

"The friendship between scholars remains steadfast, unchanging through warmth and cold, enduring through the four seasons and growing stronger through trials and tribulations." Zhu Fu Gaoming sighed softly, "Jingguang, a thousand pieces of gold are easy to obtain, but a true friend is hard to find."

He said, "I hope you will all come back safely in the end."

He originally thought his younger brother would blush because of his concern, then seriously answer that he would, and tell him not to worry and to be careful.

Unexpectedly, the young man on the other end of the phone paused for a moment before speaking seriously, as if making a vow: "Yes, I will definitely not let anything happen to him, and we will all come back safely in the end."

Zhu Fu Gaoming paused slightly in his hand holding the mouse, and his eyes flickered.

Is Rei Furuya in danger? Is something going to happen to him?

Zhu Fu Gaoming didn't press further, but instead asked in a low voice, "Is there anything I can help with?"

Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled, his tone returning to its relaxed state: "It's alright, we're all prepared. My brother has already helped us a lot, so don't worry, nothing will happen."

It seems to be something he can't help with.

Is that related to undercover work?

After hanging up the phone, Morobushi Komei tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "Noah's Ark, you can start processing the surveillance."

"Okay." Suddenly, a ship appeared on the large screen where the monitors were located, riding the waves. On the ship's hull were a pair of blinking round eyes, and even a mouth with upturned lines. "Noah's Ark will now begin deleting and replacing the surveillance video, ensuring no flaws are detected!"

"Thank you for your help." Morofushi Takaaki was already familiar with Noah's Ark. He nodded and picked up his phone to deal with his own affairs.

With the consent of the AI ​​Noah's Ark and his younger brother Jingguang, he downloaded some of the lab's research materials on time machines to his phone.

There wasn't much information about the "organization" in the novel and in reality; he had already sorted through it, read it, and deleted it.

The things he still can't figure out are other aspects.

Zhu Fu Gaoming quickly glanced through the research topics again, then switched to search and confirm them. His fingers gradually moved to his chin as he pondered with a serious expression.

These things... may seem like jokes, but they are actually based on scientific research, although most of them have not yet been verified.

Is achieving this level of detail really just a plot device in a novel?

Or perhaps the elements in this novel are important in themselves?

What is the connection between the dangers Rei Furuya encountered and these other things?

Morofushi Takaaki put down his phone and turned his gaze to the only surveillance footage that hadn't been processed yet. He looked at Okiya Subaru and Edogawa Conan on the screen and narrowed his eyes slightly.

So what roles did they play in it?

"Alright, Mr. Zhu Fu, all surveillance footage has been processed," Noah's Ark announced.

"Thank you for your hard work." Zhu Fu Gaoming nodded and picked up his phone to make a call.

"You may come over now, we are ready to assist you."

*

"Beep—Please enter your password."

"Is there a password?" Conan Edogawa turned to Shuichi Akai and asked, "Does Mr. Okiya know the password?"

After leaving that safe place, he changed his name to Subaru Okiya and disguised himself as an ordinary, clever kid who was solving puzzles and escaping, both for convenience and as a precaution.

Shuichi Akai had just swiped the pass given to him by Takaaki Morofushi and was frowning in thought when he heard this, he said, "He didn't tell me, and he probably didn't expect that we would not go to rescue people first, but instead come here to look up information."

However, he had actually woken up Kogoro Mouri, who had been knocked unconscious, before he arrived, and sent him to rescue the others.

Kogoro Mouri is indeed a bumbling detective, but he's an excellent police officer. Even after resigning for so long, he's still very strong in combat and has quick reflexes in dangerous situations. With Rei Furuya and the other three officers also involved, the safety of the others isn't a major concern.

Otherwise, even if we added them, it probably wouldn't be of much use.

Everyone is alright now, the important thing is to investigate the situation thoroughly, otherwise the problem will get even bigger.

Conan Edogawa fell silent and turned to look at his surroundings again.

The route they took wasn't remote; it could even be considered a main route through the underground structure. Candles were lit along the way, seemingly to guide them.

Add to that the murals on the walls and the patterns on the doors... Could it be that coming here was actually part of a plan that had been disrupted?

Conan Edogawa and Shuichi Akai exchanged glances and instantly realized that the other had also thought of this.

This guess isn't very good. If it's a place that anyone else can come in, then they probably won't leave any crucial or important clues there.

But that's not necessarily true. After all, even in the nun's room above, there's that important quote about the organization that Vermouth once said. You never know what might be going on there.

Conan Edogawa stared at the numbers on the keypad, but couldn't find anything from the wear and tear on the keys. Everything here was still very new, and the marks were not obvious.

Numbers...and passwords related to numbers.

Date? Right, today is Easter, March 31st, which Morofushi Takami specifically reminded me about beforehand.

According to his guess, if the original plot had unfolded as it did, the remaining people might have been chased into this place by the "resurrected" people, and in that emergency, what kind of code would they have deduced?

0331.

Then what?

These passwords are usually six digits long. What are the remaining two digits? How should they be arranged?

Suddenly, the symbol [0] on the time machine and the Noah's Ark of artificial intelligence flashed through Conan Edogawa's mind.

He only just remembered that there was also a very powerful artificial intelligence in the novel.

"Let me try." Conan Edogawa took a deep breath, stepped forward, and reached for the keypad.

Shuichi Akai remained silent, simply watching as he pressed the numbers one by one.

0—1—0—3—3—1

"Beep—" The door lock lit up with a green light, and the door slowly opened.

"..."

Shuichi Akai turned his gaze to Conan Edogawa's face and saw that the expression on his face was instantly very complicated.

01?

The first thing that came to his mind was code.

An AI Noah's Ark?

Shuichi Akai didn't say anything, and went inside with Conan Edogawa to investigate as quickly as possible.

Unexpectedly, behind the door was not the laboratory they had imagined, but a place resembling a library.

The reason it is described as similar is that those neat rows of bookshelves not only contain books, but also a lot of well-organized materials.

Conan Edogawa glanced at the title and his expression was a little strange.

Because this white library, which looks more mysterious and serious, has most of its bookshelves filled with novels and comics about time travel.

The upstairs library at least has some serious scientific books or scholars' speculations and research, but here... why are there so many fantasy and science fiction novels and comics? Even the organized research materials are all statistical studies on the relationship between various novels, comics and readers, it's like playing a game.

The other bookshelves looked quite proper, but their core content was all fantasy time travel stories, which made them seem even more absurd when placed alongside the novels and comics.

Conan Edogawa and Shuichi Akai exchanged a furrowed brow.

“This place is too small; it’s impossible for a place like this to be so heavily protected,” Conan Edogawa said. “The outermost layer here should be prepared for us outsiders or novel readers who originally came here. There should be hidden mechanisms inside.”

As for what kind of mechanism it is... to be honest, when I see this kind of bookshelf, the first thing that comes to mind is various classic images of rotating or pressing specific books.

But with so many books, they don't have the time to try them all one by one.

Conan Edogawa didn't step forward; instead, he turned his body, observing his surroundings while his mind raced.

If it were him, how would he design it?

Based on his previous deductions, Conan Edogawa identified three possible enemies and then considered their thought processes to figure out what to do.

Before long, he followed the clues and found a switch.

The sound of machinery turning arose, and a bookshelf suddenly rotated, revealing the entrance to the staircase below.

Turn on your flashlight and walk down the road until you reach the end. You'll encounter a total of three checkpoints.

Conan Edogawa completed the game at an incredible speed.

The last door asked a question about Sherlock Holmes, a rather controversial issue with many possible answers, but Conan Edogawa answered it correctly on his first try.

Shuichi Akai's eyes gradually changed.

He was certainly familiar with this method of reasoning, and he also knew that when Conan Edogawa encountered a difficult case, he would often use this method of immersing himself in the perspective and psychology of the criminal to deduce the truth.

This is the deductive reasoning method that Sherlock Holmes often uses, namely, substitution reasoning: "If I were him, what would I do?"

Despite the fact that extensive knowledge and rich experience allow skilled detectives to easily make empathetic deductions about people from all walks of life.

However, Conan Edogawa's current immersive reasoning is progressing to an unbelievable degree.

It's almost as if he designed these problems himself.

Conan Edogawa was completely oblivious to Shuichi Akai's doubts; the turmoil within him was far greater.

【impossible. 】

He entered the last room, which was not large; it was just an ordinary research room.

That's impossible.

He walked around, took a key from a certain office, and stood in front of the locked filing cabinet.

How could that be...?

"Snap—"

The lock was opened, but Conan Edogawa froze completely, not even opening the cabinet door.

He could no longer find any other explanation to convince himself.

No matter how well others know him, they could never understand him to this extent.

As he continued to reason, he increasingly drew inward from himself, until finally he became entirely himself.

Everything here... feels like it was made by another version of myself in the world.

The premise for all reasoning to proceed smoothly is—assuming that everything was designed by Shinichi Kudo.

What started as a mere coincidence gradually became more and more frequent until it could no longer be simply explained by coincidence.

But... how could that be...?

Shuichi Akai stared at him for a few seconds without saying a word. He simply reached out, opened the cabinet door, took out a document, and began to read it.

Conan Edogawa snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then took out a document as well.

Several Possibilities Regarding Time Reversal

[I. The Entropy Increase Theorem and Isolated vs. Open Systems.]

The entropy increase theorem states that the flow of heat from a high-temperature object to a low-temperature object is irreversible, and the movement of everything in the world from order to disorder is also irreversible. This entropy increase is a spontaneous and irreversible process, and the total entropy change is always greater than zero.

Rivers and lakes will dry up, mountains and rocks will crumble, and all living things will eventually die.

Generally speaking, the process of time passing is also irreversible.

Isolated systems always tend to increase entropy, eventually reaching a state of maximum entropy, which is the most chaotic and disordered state. However, open systems, because they can transfer the entropy increase generated by internal energy exchange to the environment by releasing heat, may tend to decrease entropy and reach an ordered state.

In other words, the higher the degree of disorder, the greater the probability of its occurrence. The greater the amount of structural information, the more ordered the system. Information implies negative entropy, anti-entropy increase, or entropy decrease.

Therefore, we could try using an artificial intelligence Noah's Ark as an information-carrying system to achieve time travel...

Conan Edogawa's fingers suddenly tightened, so much so that he didn't even notice the deep wrinkles he created in the paper.

His eyes widened, and his pupils trembled violently.

Noah's Ark...time travel...another version of myself in the world...that identity card that takes me back to my childhood...

Is it possible that all of this is really true?