Chapter 142: Whitechapel Serial Murder Case Now I am just Huiyuan...
Judy Stelling heard only the latter parts of their conversation.
But that didn't stop her from knowing what Jin was going to say next.
He is still thinking of using that girl as bait!
What are you doing, Dashachun!
"Kim Bonnar."
Judy grabbed the white-haired man's arm and pulled him towards her. She said in a low, short voice, "I told you, I don't care what you want to do to her—but I'm the captain! I'm fully responsible for this case."
"I will not allow others to be used as 'bait' - ordinary people or extraordinary people."
Jin did not resist and was pulled away a little by her strength.
He didn't respond to Judy's words.
But even though he was pulled a little further away from the girl, Lin Xi still heard their conversation.
"'Bait'?"
"Do you need my help?"
It wasn't an offended tone, but rather one filled with surprise and interest.
Judy: ...
So she's the only one who objects to the "bait" thing, right?
Even those who are about to be used as "bait" don't care.
No, no, if they really follow Kim's method and involve innocent people, the FBI will lose all face!
What’s the difference between that and the stereotypical image of the FBI in movies, TV shows, and novels!
"Ms. Lin..."
Judy tried to argue.
Unexpectedly, Lin Xi was very enthusiastic: "If the FBI needs my help with anything, I'm always willing to help!"
"You just said 'bait', right?"
"If it can help, I don't mind feeling like a victim."
Ai Huihara grabbed the corner of Lin Xi's clothes and pulled it.
Lin Xi squatted down and whispered, "It's okay, Xiao Ai. Even if you don't believe the FBI, you have to believe me."
"Don't worry about my safety under any circumstances."
"I will definitely not be your weak spot in this regard—rest assured."
Haibara Ai widened her eyes.
Sister Lin is as confident as ever.
But did she misunderstand the word "worry"?
Sister Lin’s safety, is that something she can just stop worrying about?
She knew that Lin Xi was very powerful, in every sense of the word - but she still didn't want Lin Xi to be in danger.
Caring about others means worrying about their safety, which is an irresistible instinct.
But, but…
Haibara Ai looked at Lin Xi's eyes and saw the emotions that she had never hidden from her.
That is the eagerness to try it out.
Haibara Ai was in a trance again.
So similar...
These eyes, though of a different color, were very similar to Punch's.
The deep pools of honey and emeralds are filled with the same self-confidence, adventurous spirit and optimism.
And there is also endless concern and love for her, which knows the source.
She couldn't help but clench her fists.
Could it be... Is it possible...
Coconut is coconut, Linxi...
Is it Punch?
Now think about it, would anyone really take home a little girl who was wearing clothes that were one size too big, covered in scars, and clearly in a bad state?
Moreover, instead of sending her to the hospital or returning her to her "family" - Dr. Agasa, he directly asked her if he could stay with her.
What if it wasn't an unexpected outpouring of sympathy, but a deliberately planned encounter?
After all, there are too many similarities and coincidences, aren't there?
She stared into Lin Xi's eyes and nodded slowly.
If it was Punch, she would still do what she wanted to do no matter what she said.
Besides, if it was Punch…if she took the initiative to become a “victim,” then the murderer might be more of a concern than her.
Lin Xi smiled, rubbed the little girl's head, and said to Judy Stelling:
"Ms. Judy, please let me hear what Kim has to say."
Judy: ...
Let me say it again, it's really frustrating for her to be the captain.
"Please." Judy said helplessly, "Kim, tell me, how do you want to do this..."
Seeing them discussing the plan, Haibara Ai looked at the grass not far away.
The man in the knitted hat was just smoking in that direction.
She pondered for a while and tugged at the corner of Lin Xi's clothes again.
"Sister Lin, I want to go to the bathroom..."
"...Well, I'll be back soon."
.
Ai Haibara found Shuichi Akai leaning against the wall next to the supermarket.
She stood there for a while, observing the man's appearance and comparing it with her previous impression of him.
His long hair was cut short; his skin color became darker; but the knitted hat remained the same, which almost became his trademark, just like Punch's white cat.
Then she took a deep breath and walked over.
The black-haired man looked at him seriously, as if he was not surprised that she would come out to see him alone.
He looked at the little girl's face for a moment and then spoke:
"Haibara... Ai. Is this the new name you gave yourself?"
Ai Haibara tried hard to overcome the fear that was growing in her heart as the distance between her and the man shortened.
She was tired of this out-of-control emotion.
She wanted to be stronger...at least not show her weakness in front of everyone who knew her past.
She calmed herself down and said, "Yes."
"As you can see, I have a new name."
Akai Shuichi thought thoughtfully: "So, the woman with you is really Punch?"
Huiyuan Ai raised the corner of her mouth: "So what if it is, so what if it isn't?"
"Whether she is or not, she definitely doesn't want to see you right now."
Akai Shuichi was a little surprised when he saw the little girl with spikes all over her body after he mentioned Punch.
"If...your sister saw you like this, she might be happy for you."
It would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned Miyano Akemi, but after he mentioned Miyano Akemi, the fire in Haibara Ai's heart came out again.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Don't mention my sister! She, she has already..."
When Akai Shuichi saw her like this, he opened his mouth, thought of something, and closed it again.
Finally, he said only: "I'm sorry."
Huiyuan sighed.
She lowered her head: "I didn't come to you to talk about this."
"Akai Shuichi... I have a new life. Now, I am just an ordinary tourist, traveling to the United States with Sister Lin..."
"The organization, drugs, the FBI, undercover agents... I don't care about those things at all. Just think of the former Miyano Shiho as having died in the organization's gas chamber."
"Now I am just Haibara Ai."
"...Can you pretend you didn't recognize me? Just...just for your sister's sake."
Akai Shuichi looked at her silently.
When she walked towards him just now, not only was she observing him, but Akai Shuichi was also observing Haibara Ai.
Her body shrank.
Even smaller than when he first saw her.
This is the most obvious change.
But it confirmed what he had always suspected in his heart.
Shuichi Akai had seen more than one case of people shrinking, so he accepted the fact that Shiho Miyano had also shrunk well.
But he didn't expect that Punch didn't tell her anything.
Don’t want to, or can’t…?
He didn't know what Punch's current condition was, and he didn't dare to test it easily, so he could only let nature take its course.
He pondered for a moment and nodded, agreeing to what Haibara Ai said.
Haibara Ai breathed a sigh of relief instantly.
She was about to say something, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man straighten up from his reclining position.
A voice came from above:
"Haibara Ai. You can't hide your past."
“No matter what you look like or how old you are, as long as you are alive, the past that you don’t want to face will eventually catch up with you and force you to face it, whether you like it or not.”
Haibara Ai gritted her teeth.
"...but also have a little confidence in yourself and others."
There was a rare hint of helplessness in Akai Shuichi's tone.
“The person who loves you will never stop loving you because of your past.”
"On the contrary, they will work hard to build a happy present for you and... always wish you a bright future."
"Whether the future belongs to 'Miyano Shiho' or 'Haihara Ai'."
Haibara Ai looked up in surprise.
The man's expression didn't change.
A few strands of black curly hair emerged from under the knitted hat on his head, and his green eyes reminded people of a wolf in the wilderness - at this moment the wolf's eyes were staring at her, but there was no oppressive feeling of a carnivorous beast.
"Why?" she blurted out. "Why do you say that?"
——Akai Shuichi, what do you know?
Did his sister say something to him?
Why, why, until now, did she have to be reminded how to be loved?
The man didn't respond.
He simply retracted his gaze and asked her in a calm tone:
"Haibara Ai."
"Do you need me to take you back to your sister?"
.
When Shuichi Akai brought Ai Haibara back to Lin Xi, Judy and Jin were discussing [Cocoon] with Lin Xi.
"This is a groundbreaking invention!" Lin Xi happily introduced the product created by her child. "What a pity, Miss Judy, the launch of [Cocoon] was interrupted because of the murder case."
"Otherwise it would definitely be on the front page today..."
Judy sighed. "Ms. Lin, it did make the front page... but it appeared alongside the news that Thomas Schindler, the owner of Schindler & Co., was an instigator."
"In a way, [Cocoon] has indeed gone viral... although it will always be associated with the murders."
Lin Xi remained optimistic. "Ms. Judy, the public is like a goldfish. Their memory only lasts seven seconds. Gold, I know you want to refute me, but hold on. I know a goldfish's memory is longer than seven seconds. The idea that a goldfish only has a seven-second memory is actually a myth. I was just using an analogy. Today they remember this news, and tomorrow we can just cover their memory with other equally interesting news."
"I have full confidence in the performance of [Cocoon]!"
"As a lucky audience member who got to experience it at the launch event that day, I truly felt its powerful ability... Perhaps it can somehow penetrate into people's subconscious and visualize it."
"You can even work with a psychiatrist to treat some mental illnesses... What do you think, Jin?"
"You were standing by the stage at the press conference that day. You should have seen the images on the screen, right?"
Jin pondered for a moment, as if trying to recall something.
After a while he said, "Your favorite flower is indeed wisteria."
Lin Xi:?
No, that's not the point...
Although she does like wisteria flowers, the focus should be on the function of the [Cocoon], right?
It can read people's consciousness and visualize it. What a magical product with unlimited potential!
Judy Stelling waved her hand to help her colleague out: "Ms. Lin, you're asking the wrong person."
"Kim is an expert in psychology, but he knows nothing about this kind of technology."
"Sometimes I even wonder where he dug up this antique..."
Judy complained.
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