Chapter 85 Jungle Adventure

A small private plane had just flown over the Gulf of Mexico, with South America just ahead.

Besides the pilot, there were four passengers on board: Bourbon, Kiel, and two whiskey buddies.

Bourbon looked out the window and sighed softly, "Such a beautiful view, it would be a shame not to appreciate it properly. Kiel, this is your last chance for a publicly funded trip."

The dark-haired woman sitting beside him ignored his mood. She knew perfectly well that this wasn't a vacation, but a suicide mission. Because the organization had failed to rescue prisoner Carlo, she, the CIA mole, had become the scapegoat for the operation's failure.

To appease Carlo's brother Ap—also known as Maitai—Bourbon will escort her to Maitai's stronghold in Colombia as an apology.

However, Bourbon knew more.

After Carlo's death, Bourbon realized that in that man's plan, breaking out of prison was not the same as saving people.

The prison break is a must, and the act must be convincing enough to make it seem like they've done something worthwhile, even if they haven't accomplished anything.

But prisoners must die!

Because Carlo's arrest led him to reveal his accomplices, causing significant trouble for the organization, and because Carlo was easily captured through a honey trap, he gave the impression of being unreliable. The man clearly wanted to use this opportunity to silence him completely.

In other words, the prison break was merely a show of deference to his brother, Maitai. Even if Carlo and Kiel had been taken away from the rehabilitation center at the same time, Carlo would have been given a different way to die.

“You look very happy,” Kiel couldn’t help but say.

"Yeah, I don't know why, but I feel a sense of familiarity, like I'm coming home," Bourbon replied, gazing down at the unfamiliar land he had never set foot on before, a strange emotion churning within him.

"I wonder how Jinghe is doing now?"

Bourbon was somewhat worried. He had heard the man's orders: Vermouth was to capture Conan, and Gin was to deal with the traitor Scotland, who was not quite dead yet.

Jingguang and Conan couldn't go home, so they had to stay in the United States, hiding and running away.

But this wasn't the thing that worried Bourbon the most. The last prison break had dealt Conan a huge blow, leaving the usually energetic detective listless for days. Even the dishes that Hikaru made couldn't soothe his wounded heart.

Lemon pie, in particular, used to be Conan's favorite dessert. But after realizing the identity of the mastermind, he developed a psychological aversion to lemon pie: the thought of that little boy secretly manipulating everything while eating lemon pie at the Nagano masquerade ball makes Conan feel terrified.

"Conan, don't be discouraged. We're still alive, and that's the best thing! After all, I was tricked into building him a snowman too, so we're both equally fooled when it comes to being tricked!"

"Brother Hino, do you know why he killed Sherry, Wakasa, and Rai, but not me? Because in his eyes, I'm just like that doll, a toy!" Conan cried out in despair. "He knows everything: Wakasa isn't dead, Kir is an undercover agent, and Mr. Akai's fake death was completely exposed! He even knows I can climb trees! There must be his informants among the people fishing in the forest. That's why he deliberately put a doll in the tree to lure me to pick it up!"

"Does he really have that much information? Or are you overthinking it?" Jing Guang was somewhat incredulous.

Conan gave a wry smile: "Brother Hino, do you know what the most terrifying thing is? It's that he told me the doll was already 33 days old. What does that mean? It means that the doll was finished before we left Japan! We were under his close surveillance for more than a month without even realizing it. That's why there was that coincidence: we met Osiris on the very day we returned from D-Lab, it was a carefully arranged first encounter."

"Okay, even if he knows everything, don't we still have our most important trump card—Bourbon?"

However, the young detective felt no comfort: apart from Shirley, who survived by luck and miracle, and Bourbon, who gained the organization's trust by having Scotland draw all the firepower at the right time, what did they finally get after all their efforts?

"Besides, if he really is that gentleman, we've already gained a lot by knowing his identity!"

"But he already knew I was Shinichi Kudo, and he was definitely disguised. We don't even know what he looks like," Conan said dejectedly.

"Conan, remember: no matter how many rounds we lose, as long as we win in the end, that's enough! This isn't a football match; all the previous factors don't count. Think about it, we've lost so thoroughly this time, maybe our opponents will become complacent and careless because of it?"

Conan thought this made sense; upon closer examination, losing so badly had actually become a major advantage for them.

Hopefully, Jing can cheer that child up.

Bourbon thought to himself, the diplomat silently rehearsing his lines upon meeting Maithai. His Spanish was only at a level he'd crammed for less than three months, and he didn't want to end up with them talking at cross purposes.

However, Bourbon's worries were clearly premature. Many troubles awaited him before he could officially meet Maitai.

The South American continent, where bourbon felt so welcome, seemed to have little to do with the arrival of the foreign liquors. The plane, which had been flying smoothly, suddenly experienced severe turbulence. Before the pilot could stabilize the aircraft, it crashed uncontrollably.

After a life-or-death struggle, the plane finally landed on a tree. However, both the plane and the passengers sustained injuries of varying degrees: the genuine liquor passengers were seriously injured, the pilot was also badly injured, while the two counterfeit liquor passengers only suffered minor injuries.

The accident had caused them to deviate from their normal course. Fortunately, the smoking plane was quickly spotted by nearby villagers, who rushed to help the injured.

After settling the pilot, his two henchmen, and Kiel, Bourbon began searching for the local guide he had contacted beforehand. Maitai didn't live in the city; his hideout was in a small village deep in the mountains, with a complex network of roads. So even knowing the exact location, he needed a guide familiar with the terrain to lead the way.

Bourbon waited two days without any news from the guide. By the third day, Bourbon couldn't wait any longer and asked the villagers if anyone knew the way. But he was unlucky; everyone gave a negative answer.

Only one kind person offered them a ride, but only halfway; they would have to walk the rest of the way themselves. Bourbon agreed.

Bourbon took only Kiel with him, leaving the others behind to recover from their injuries. He reported this to his organization, changed into lighter clothing, and prepared water and rations. Led by a new guide, he set off.

After successfully completing a section of the journey, the guide said, "Alright, I'll take you here. We'll be crossing the rainforest from here. Be careful of poisonous creatures, and don't wander off!"

Bourbon gave the guide some money and then led Kiel into the rainforest.

“I never imagined I’d experience something like this firsthand; it’s like a jungle adventure straight out of a novel or movie!” Bourbon walked ahead, holding onto Kiel’s right hand with a rope that was practically useless. He removed the handcuffs: “I don’t want you to trip and fall and drag me down with you, so stay close!”

Kiel followed behind in silence. She noticed that Bourbon had been unusually excited since they arrived, and asked curiously, "Are you Colombian?"

“Of course not, I’m a native Japanese,” Bourbon replied, straightening his back.

However, the rainforest doesn't show mercy to any guest based on nationality. Bourbon soon realized he seemed to be lost.

Will I get lost if I keep walking east?

The answer is: In the Amazon rainforest, with its lush vegetation and abundant animals, how could one possibly walk in a straight line eastward?

Tall trees blocked the way, a winding river was like a natural barrier, and all sorts of insects and animals on the ground became obstacles.

Where am I?

This is a really difficult question to answer.

Even worse, although the GPS still had a signal, the mobile phone could not communicate with the outside world.

After getting lost in the forest for two days, Bourbon realized that the rations they had brought seemed to be insufficient.

It's the rainy season now, and food is plentiful. You're unlikely to starve in such a lush rainforest, but you could be poisoned.

Bourbon thought eating fruit was a safer choice, as fruits and nuts are rich in energy and nutrients. He only picked the kinds he recognized and dared not eat just anything.

Bourbon actually tried to catch fish, but after struggling in the shallows without success, he gave up. Watching the golden retriever leaping and frolicking in the water, Kiel almost burst out laughing, which embarrassed Bourbon, so he went back to picking fruit to eat.

On the seventh day, this land, which had an inextricable connection with Bourbon, finally decided to let him go and pointed him in the right direction.

Upon waking in the early morning, Bourbon heard unusual bird calls in the woods. Driven by some unknown force, he was convinced that it was the right path.

Kiel was puzzled, and Bourbon himself couldn't explain it either.

Bourbon picked up a leaf, made it into a whistle, put it to his lips and blew it gently, producing a few clear and melodious chirping sounds.

Kiel was quite surprised: "You can do this too?"

Bourbon didn't answer, but simply followed the direction of the sound: he imagined that the bird's song belonged to Jingguang, even though he knew the hope was slim.

"Jing, you're the one who taught me this!"

Where are you now?

Many questions swirled in Bourbon's mind, but the only response he received was the chirping of birds.

The two of them kept walking until night fell and the sound disappeared, at which point Bourbon stopped to rest.

The same thing happened the next day, as if the sound was the forest's guide.

Until the very last day, Bourbon and Kiel could see smoke rising in the distance. They knew that tomorrow they would be able to leave this place and find the village, perhaps even the stronghold of the Maitai.

As night fell, Kiel didn't sleep as usual. She asked softly, "Who are you?"

“Bourbon,” the blond man replied, turning his back to her.

He always falls asleep very quickly.