Chapter 304 Memories of the Sinner Yuusaku Kodo
It was originally difficult for Conan to connect the Lin Xi he saw in daily life with Punch from the organization. Even after knowing through the recording that Lin Xi was Punch, although he had accepted it intellectually, he still found it difficult to let go emotionally.
But now, he's been brought from Japan by the FBI, kidnapped and taken to a Silicon Valley high-tech company. He's been told, "The world you live in is just a comic book" and "The world will end in a month." And all of these people are connected to Lin Xi. It's as if, besides Punch, Lin Xi has another identity, one dedicated to preventing the world from ending.
What about the hatred he felt towards Punch because of his deception?
The person you hate is not only a member of the organization, but also a key figure in saving the world. Then, in the face of the safety of the entire world, even the hostility towards the organization becomes a petty infighting, becoming frivolous and meaningless.
Everyone looked at Conan in surprise at his sudden outburst, and the air was quiet for a moment.
It was Haibara Ai who broke the silence first.
"So this is what you've been worried about." Her calmness was in stark contrast to Conan's excitement, and in this situation, she even seemed a little cold.
"As you can see, Sister Lin is a member of the organization. The one you know is only one side of her. She has other identities and lives that you don't know about and can't get involved in."
"So you've been lying to me all along." Conan looked at Haibara Ai and blurted out the question he had been holding back since last night: "Is it fun to watch me waste my time trying to find clues to the organization? You must think I'm funny, right?"
"You're overthinking it, great detective." Haibara Ai sneered. "Do you think Sister Lin deliberately kept it a secret from you that she's a member of the organization? What would you do if you knew she was Punch? You'd definitely use every trick in your book to dig out information about the organization from her, forcing her to choose between you and the organization, or you'd set a trap and force her to take you to the organization's base to confront the boss."
Vermouth, who was listening, had a subtle expression on her face.
"So, what's the point of telling you Sister Lin's identity? Will telling you help her with her current situation?" Her tone was aggressive, but rather than questioning Conan, it was more like she was angry with herself: Why couldn't she be more helpful and notice Sister Lin's condition earlier?
"Also, please stop arbitrarily imposing your simplistic binary stance on others." Huibara Ai said, and couldn't help but recall that when they first met, Conan called her a murderer because of the medicine she made, so her tone became even more unhappy. "Everyone is complicated. Although we live in comic books, it doesn't mean that we only act according to the character that can be summarized in two sentences. Even if Sister Lin did something that you couldn't accept, something that is considered a bad person, I would not doubt my understanding of her."
"You just heard it. Sister Lin's appearance changed the fate of many people—for the better," she continued. "You can't label Sister Lin negatively just because she's a member of the organization, and think she's deliberately deceiving you. I can guarantee that she's dating you because she thinks you're cute, and she must have protected you in places you don't know about."
Even Gin knows that she is Sherry, so how could he not know that Edogawa Conan is Kudo Shinichi?
He acquiesced to all this not because of them, but because of Sister Lin.
"I..." Conan lowered his head, "I'm sorry."
Seeing him like this, Haibara Ai felt that she was being too aggressive and was bullying him.
Surely it's a bit too much to ask the righteous detective to accept the existence of Chaos so quickly? Huibara sighed, "You've been avoiding my gaze since last night... Never mind. I must also clarify one thing: we didn't kidnap you. Mr. Yusaku should also know about your presence here."
"Huh?"
"You don't think Lin-sister dragged Yusaku-san along just to investigate the case, do you?" Huihara Ai tilted her head. "They're not idiot detectives with their heads full of cases. They must have discussed it with each other."
But Dad said Sister Lin is the murderer!
She is the real murderer behind the Kiichirō Numabuchi case, Punch... Hey, wait.
Conan realized that Kudo Yusaku had never said that Lin Xi was the murderer in the Numabuchi Kiichirō case. He just said in a very general way that Lin Xi was the "murderer" and described the circumstances of the case. It was he who connected the two.
And yesterday, when he went to Japan with the FBI, his dad's reaction was just to tell him to be careful on the road. His reaction was too calm! It was like he knew the FBI would take him away!
It’s also very simple to verify... Just send a message to your dad and ask.
He took out his phone and asked, "Dad, is Sister Lin the murderer of Kiichiro Numabuchi?"
Kudo Yusaku replied quickly, as if waiting for him to ask: "You found out, son."
"Hey, hey...even you guys are hiding this from me!"
"The truth is, someone is trying to frame Lin Xi for Kiichirō Numabuchi's murder. That person is probably part of the organization. So Ms. Lin and I discussed it and decided to use their trick against them," Kudo Yusaku replied.
That day in a residential building in Yokohama, when a fire broke out...
"Mr. Kudo, please keep the fact that I'm taking medication a secret."
"Ms. Lin... are you fully aware of your current situation? The person hiding behind you seems to be coming for you. Is your health in danger? For safety reasons, you can entrust this matter to me—"
"--Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Kudo."
The girl coughed, her eyes misted over by the smoke.
She smiled at Kudo Yusaku: "Because you are coming for me, I have to be here."
Kudo Yusaku understood her plan in an instant.
She knew that someone wanted to put the blame on her for the explosion and that someone wanted to frame her, so she simply went along with that person's wishes and wanted to catch him in the act.
"...I understand," he said. "If you need any help from me, just let me know."
"Mr. Kudo, nothing is more precious than silence." Lin Xi said in a steady and clear voice, "Please remain silent. Just stay like this."
"Still silent?" Kudo Yusaku smiled bitterly, "That Shinichi brat might make a scene."
Lin Xi meant for him to ignore everything and let the police believe she was the murderer. However, while the case had few flaws, they were not absent. He knew his own child well. If Shinichi knew that the elderly friend who had been taking care of him was the murderer, he would definitely want to investigate on his own. Not only would he be able to discover the clues, but he would also be exposed to the organization's attention.
"So we need to find him something to do to distract the youngsters." The girl smiled faintly. "Japan is no longer safe. Why not take this opportunity to send him and Ai to America together?"
"this……"
"I've also asked my friends at the FBI for help. With their protection, the children can get on the plane safely. As for after arriving in the United States... I know Mr. Kudo wouldn't be willing to let Conan-kun accept the witness protection program. Why not let them go to Oak Company?"
"I'm not hesitating about that, Miss Lin." Kudo Yusaku interrupted her, his blue eyes filled with the calm concern of an adult: "Are you sure you are fully confident about your own situation?"
Seeing Lin Xi's stunned expression, the man continued, "The current situation is very clear. The real mastermind behind this case wants you to take the blame. They know you very well, and they know our whereabouts. You want to play along and make yourself the suspect... But from the outside, I don't think they framed you to cover up the truth of this case. They've been targeting you from the beginning."
"You are probably playing into the other party's hands by acting like this. You may not care about the damage to your reputation, but I think the mastermind behind this is not trying to restrict your freedom, but your social relationships. To be precise, they want to hurt your spirit by destroying your social relationships." Kudo Yusaku spoke quickly, but his pronunciation was clear.
The most significant feature of the Kiichiro Numabuchi case is the existence of a seducer who, in order to prevent Kiichiro Numabuchi from returning to society, exploited his mental illness and killed three innocent people.
But Kudo Yusaku felt that a truly thoughtful individual wouldn't be obsessed with a single test subject that escaped the lab. If he was worried about him leaking secrets, locating him and silencing him would be the most time-efficient and labor-saving approach. Kudo Yusaku believed that the effort he put into creating this serial murder case must be driven by a deeper purpose.
For example, creating a case that would attract Lin Xi, or testing the stability of psychosis induced by reenactment of three murders.
"You were just stressed, weren't you? You know you have a serious mental illness, even taking medication to combat physical reactions. You were also affected by the hallucinogen in the vase. It seems that Ms. Lin and Kiichiro Numabuchi have a lot in common. I've thought about it carefully, and perhaps Ms. Lin's investigation into Kiichiro Numabuchi's case isn't simply to find traces of the organization, but rather... the person hidden behind the scenes."
"You know who he is, right?" Kudo Yusuke said calmly, dropping a thunderbolt. "You, like Kiichiro Numabuchi, were both victims of human experimentation. That's why you're particularly concerned about Kiichiro Numabuchi's case, why you have a similar mental illness to Kiichiro Numabuchi, why you carry medication with you, and why... you have a PTSD-like reaction to fire and hallucinogens."
"Have you ever considered that the man's real purpose wasn't to frame you, but to put you in the same situation as Kiichirō Wasumabuchi? The explosion and the flames served as both optical images and as part of the scenario. The hallucinogen acted as a chemical agent. All three elements you mentioned were present. Even the drug you asked me to take later was part of that man's calculations."
“Ms. Lin, he wants to drive you crazy.”
"He not only wants to drive you mad, he wants to break you. He wants you to be left alone and helpless when you go mad. Once your identity as a murderer is confirmed, no one will believe anything you say. Since you just asked me to remain silent, it means you also intend to keep it a secret from your sister. Your sister is very important to you, and losing the support of someone important when you are sick is very devastating."
"So, let me repeat my question. Are you absolutely certain of your own situation?"
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