Chapter 41 (Previous Chapter 40): The Glacial Ruins - The Secret in the Restroom...
I have ten virtues
Eighth, high efficiency: Then I'll just die now.
The moment the burning sensation exploded inside my body, my heart felt like a child's toy, each contraction and throbbing pushing my body to its limits, a sharp, death-like pain screaming through my heart.
Another thud seemed to burst through his chest. Zhuge Tongzhi, who had been struggling to move towards the restroom while holding onto the railing, suddenly collapsed to the ground with a thud that drew the attention of those around him.
"Zhuge!" Conan quickly abandoned Ireland and ran over to help the girl who had fallen to the ground and was panting heavily. The arm he touched was alarmingly hot. "You have a high fever. What happened?"
Faced with the anxious questions, Zhuge Tongzhi could only clutch his chest tightly with one hand, breathing rapidly to relieve the suffocating feeling caused by the abnormal beating of his heart, and could only shake his head weakly at Conan.
"Alcohol." She managed to utter a single word before Ran Mouri rushed over and scooped her up in her arms. After checking her forehead temperature, the girl quickly asked the staff around her where the infirmary was.
Having ascertained the location of the infirmary, Ran Mouri immediately grabbed the child in her arms and ran towards the stairs. Conan realized that she had probably accidentally drunk some strong liquor, so he followed closely behind Ran.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Morofushi Kagemitsu looked up at the two figures hurrying away, took a step, and then froze in place.
A voice came through the miniature earpiece that fit inside the ear. Rei Furuya's voice came through indistinctly, asking, "Hiro, how's the situation on the ground?"
Morofushi Kagemitsu turned his gaze from Ran Mouri's disappearing figure around the corner to Ireland, who seemed to still be waiting, his fingers blindly typing on his phone in his pocket:
The mission objective has been identified. Ireland has ordered a state of emergency, speculating that the target intends to use a bomb to blockade the central exhibition hall, create chaos, and then take the opportunity to assassinate the target.
The assassination process for this mission was somewhat complicated, but Morofushi Hiromitsu was well aware that this was the most swift and efficient arrangement the Black Organization had ever made.
If it were an ordinary researcher, they would simply ambush the target near their home to carry out the assassination. However, this expert usually kept to himself and focused on his research, and his identity was strictly protected by the state. The only place the organization could find where he lived was the research institute where he worked.
The area around the research institute was under martial law, and the experts, whose only interest in jewelry was in their simple, routine lives, unfortunately encountered the Phantom Thief Kid coming to steal the gems, leading to an unprecedentedly strong police cordon.
The Black Organization had no choice but to send Ireland in disguise to infiltrate, but Morofushi Kagemitsu did not expect that the other party would have the audacity to directly replace a police chief and seize command of the scene.
"Ah, I knew it." The environment around Furuya Rei was a bit noisy, and the sound in his headset was filled with some harsh static. He said to his friend with considerable disgust, "These scumbags only know a few tricks."
But it's very useful.
Hearing the complaints through his earpiece, Morofushi Kagemitsu smirked, watching the jewelry exhibition host on the first-floor stage deliver his opening remarks with poise and elegance. He typed on his phone, "He's waiting for the lights to dim; about ten more minutes."
'Can you make it in time from your end?'
“Ten minutes is definitely not enough for me by myself.” Furuya Rei cut the last wire in his hand, carefully adjusted the position of the tool to pick out the detonator inside, and put it into a special bag.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, listened to the chaotic footsteps outside the locked fire door, and smiled at Morofushi Kagemitsu, "But it's more than enough for them."
"Indeed," Zhu Fujingguang typed. "Remember to apply for subsidies for them."
“They won’t be left out, I’m coming, Hiro.”
"Be careful." After typing the last line, Morofushi Kagemitsu reached into his pocket and concealed the pistol he was holding with his sleeve. Ireland had already moved most of the police officers around him away. After scanning his surroundings, he suddenly paused.
Strange, where did Shinichi Kudo go?
Was he going to find Ran Mouri? Before he could think any further, on the stage of the central exhibition hall, the host's tone became excited. He raised his hand high and shouted to the increasingly expectant audience:
Ladies and gentlemen, now! Let us witness together—
As the last syllable fell, Morofushi Hiromitsu saw Ran Mouri and Conan rushing past from behind the crowd gathered in the central exhibition hall. The figure of Morofushi Hiromitsu, curled up in Ran Mouri's arms, was faintly visible, seemingly trembling.
The two of them didn't spare a single glance for the gem that was about to appear on stage, and quickly ran towards the only exit of the central exhibition hall after the fire escape was blocked.
The host on stage raised his hand high, pointing to the dazzling lights at the top of the exhibition hall. His loud voice was amplified a hundredfold by the microphone, reaching the ears of everyone present.
"The Ice Age —"
Without changing his expression, Morofushi Kagemitsu slowly raised the pistol in his hand and, with the same action, secretly pointed it at Ireland below the stage. Mouri Kogoro was yawning with his mouth wide open, and Suzuki Sonoko clasped her hands in front of her chest and muttered "Kid-sama."
Behind the crowd below the stage, Zhuge Tongzhi dug his five fingers deep into his left chest, but the blood spreading from his fingertips was nothing compared to the pain from his heart pounding wildly, barely attracting the attention of his pain receptors.
The burning sensation had spread completely to her limbs and bones, and the extreme heat, like being in a furnace, made her breath appear as white mist.
It seemed... she wouldn't make it to the infirmary in time. She gasped for breath, and vaguely felt Ran Mouri tighten her grip on her.
With her heart pounding faster and faster, the girl curled up in Ran Mouri's arms and weakly raised one eye to look at the host who was the center of attention on the stage.
Everyone is waiting for the moment when darkness descends.
"---Miracle!"
The host swept his hand down with all his might, and all the lights in the central exhibition hall went out in an instant, leaving only a few beams of moonlight shining quietly through the windows.
The sudden darkness briefly deprived everyone of their sight. In the blink of an eye, the only light source in the darkness appeared on the stage—the main gemstone had made its appearance.
The 'Glacier Relics' were displayed in a showcase at the center of the stage, with specially designed spotlights making the finely cut gemstones shine brightly.
But before everyone could adjust to the changing light and shadow and see the gemstone clearly, two gunshots, rang out almost simultaneously, pierced the silence of the darkness.
"Ran!" Conan lunged at the girl who had abruptly stopped beside him the moment the gunshot rang out, tackling her to the ground. "Watch out!"
Ran Mouri, carrying Zhuge Tongzhi in her arms, and Conan fell to the ground together. The dull thud of their bodies hitting the floor was followed by a metallic clanging sound overhead, which belatedly triggered screams and chaos from the crowd.
Zhuge Tongzhi fell out of Ran Mouri's arms. Despite having her eyes closed, she adapted well to the darkness and forced herself to lift her head from the ground to take a look at her surroundings.
As the echoes of gunshots still reverberated in the empty exhibition hall, the girl stumbled to her feet and, following the blue and white arrows that seemed to have been partially melted by the intense heat, crashed into the nearest half-open lounge.
Ran Mouri's head was tightly shielded by Conan's body. The boy, half-lying on the ground, looked up at the second-floor railing, where the fake Nakamori had disappeared.
Ireland, who had suddenly stepped back and pressed himself against the wall, cursed under his breath. He clutched his bleeding right hand, which was holding a gun, and looked in the direction from which the shot had been fired at him. In the dim moonlight, he could not see anyone there.
The gunshot that rang out almost simultaneously forced him to dodge the bullet. As he turned to the side, the gunman deviated from his original trajectory, and the bullet that should have taken away an unfortunate man was intercepted in mid-air by the uninvited guest.
He gritted his teeth and looked at the display case in the center of the stage, where a tall, slender, snow-white figure stood, the moonlight pouring down through the open skylight and illuminating the magician.
That place was originally supposed to be a "net" he set up to capture Phantom Thief Kid, according to Nakamori Ginzo's plan, but now it has become one of the small atmosphere devices to create when the other party appears.
The moment the gun fired, Sonoko Suzuki, who was being protected behind Kogoro Mouri, peeked out and cried out excitedly in a shrill voice, "Kid-sama!!!"
Kaito Kid? Hattori Heiji, who was firmly protecting Toyama Kazuha, looked up at the center of the stage. The force in his hand did not diminish at all despite the echo of the gunshot, and he pressed hard on the bright yellow ribbon of the girl in his arms.
The moonlight illuminated the twisted metal playing card in mid-air, its cold light flashing across the edge of the card and the powerless bullet falling to the ground.
Amidst the growing clamor of voices, the magician under the moonlight turned his snow-white magic cloak behind him, elegantly placed his right hand over his left chest, bowed slightly to the crowd, and, with a wide grin peeking out from under the brim of his white magic hat, announced loudly.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
It's show time.
"Tonight's magnificent magic show." Phantom Thief Kid stood on the jewel display case of the 'Glacier Ruins,' but instead of looking down at the treasure he had promised to take, he looked up at the second-floor platform, his voice as playful as ever: "Let's start by exposing a mask."
As he announced it, a playing card was unexpectedly shot out from the poker gun in his hand, streaking across the sky and flying straight toward the face of the Irishman who was looking at the situation by the railing.
Just as Ireland was about to dodge the attack, another gunshot rang out from the darkness behind him. His brain's judgment of where the bullet would land forced him to stay close to the railing, and he could only barely turn his head to try to avoid the flying playing cards.
Under the gathering searchlights, the crowd, who had screamed again at the sound of gunfire, looked up and saw that 'Nakamori Ginzo's' disguise had been ripped open with a sharp playing card in full view of everyone, yet no blood flowed from that extremely deep 'wound'.
"Sir?!" The police officers who were on guard around the central exhibition hall were momentarily stunned. They watched as the man on the second floor reached out and pressed his hand against the cut on his cheek, revealing a ruthless expression he had never shown before.
"You're not Nakamori!" Kogoro Mouri pulled Sonoko Suzuki back from excitedly rushing to the railing, shielding the bewildered girl with one hand, and roared at the silent 'Nakamori Ginzo' in a fighting stance: "Who are you?"
"Please allow me to ask, stranger," Phantom Thief Kid said, pointing his playing card gun steadily at the gloomy-faced Irishman by the railing, maintaining a cheerful tone as he asked, "Where have you hidden my relentless nemesis?"
"I won't accept anyone other than Inspector Nakamori pursuing me like this." While jokingly describing each chase as a frantic pursuit, Kaito Kid's henchmen showed no mercy, firing several shots at playing cards on the second floor.
While his opponent dodged, he switched his poker gun to a grappling hook and fired at the second floor, pulling himself closer to Ireland. He then kicked his opponent hard, his smiling poker face masking a pair of icy blue eyes.
"Answer my question, where is Inspector Nakamori?"
"Aaaaaah, Lord Kid, watch out!" Sonoko Suzuki screamed simultaneously with the sound of gunfire from Ireland.
Now is not the time to capture Phantom Thief Kid. Hattori Heiji pushed Toyama and Ye Chao safely behind him, shouted for them not to come closer, and then decisively stepped forward to attack Ireland.
Unarmed, Kogoro Mouri also joined the attack on Ireland without hesitation. A powerful whip kick made Ireland's blocking arm tremble violently, and Kidd's well-coordinated playing cards forced Ireland to press down on his pistol.
The situation took a sudden turn for the worse. Ireland pressed his earpiece and whispered, "The mission has changed. Evacuate immediately."
A crackling sound came from the headset, and Bourbon's voice, which he couldn't understand at all, came through, intermittently saying something he couldn't decipher.
Damn it, what is Bourbon doing? Wasn't he supposed to be in charge of providing backup?
Ireland angrily lowered his hand, pulled a small remote control from his pocket, and pressed the red button hard before the three people in front of him could stop him.
A series of explosions resounded around the central exhibition hall. Kogoro Mouri and Heiji Hattori immediately stopped and cautiously observed their surroundings. Ireland used his gun to deflect Kidd's playing cards and took advantage of the brief opening to rush towards the stairs leading to the rooftop on the second floor.
The man, who had torn off his useless disguise, hurried along. He clearly heard the expected explosion, but his heart sank—the intensity and range of the explosion were wrong.
Someone had tampered with his arrangements. Ireland fired a shot, unlocking the door in front of him and bursting out. Just before climbing the stairs, he glanced back at the only lounge in the central exhibition hall.
Especially the intact area, where he had prepared a backup plan in addition to the shooting, is now quiet and without any movement.
There was no time to worry about anything else. Ireland pulled out his phone and dialed Gin's number. Before the people behind him could catch up, he flipped onto the rooftop of the huge exhibition hall and ran towards the exit on the other side of the rooftop.
Although it didn't go as he expected, the explosion, which still had a considerable amount of residual force, still caused the ground to shake violently.
The crowd hurriedly lowered their bodies and crawled on the ground. The white-haired expert, who was in the middle of the crowd, was also pressed to the ground by the two bodyguards beside him. His face, which had seen countless things, was calm but tense.
Amidst the cacophony of cries and screams, a clear voice broke through the chaos, gently saying to them, "Mr. Takeuchi, please come with me."
The old expert turned his head and saw a pair of bright blue-gray eyes. The person gave a string of numbers to the vigilant bodyguard and said, "I am a police officer, in charge of providing support for this operation."
With nimble movements, Zhu Fujingguang took the elderly man from the two burly bodyguards arranged by the police, and led his men to retreat in the chaos, keeping their bodies low, towards the hidden exit that had been opened earlier.
With his coat inside out and his violin case thrown aside, Morofushi Hiromitsu, whose style of dress had changed drastically, brushed past Conan, who was rushing upstairs. As he passed Ran Mouri, he heard her anxiously calling out the name of Morofushi Kirito.
Without pausing, he led the old expert toward the exit, passing the tightly closed door of the lounge.
Behind the wall, in a dimly lit room, clothes were scattered on a large sofa that had been pushed aside. A tall figure sat cross-legged behind the sofa, tossing a cigarette in his hand, then sneezed loudly before looking into the void in front of him.
The blue and white navigation box faithfully records the completion status of the current path:
"Waypoint: The Secret in the Lounge (Completed)"
"Current path: Restart countdown and dazzling magic show (89% complete)"
Next waypoint: The final curtain call on the rooftop (incomplete)
The black-haired girl, dressed in sportswear, sniffed, feeling an itch in her throat and a strong urge to cough. Her forehead was still burning hot, and a series of severe cold symptoms were compounded on this body that had transformed into a girl.
However, compared to the pain in his heart just now, it was nothing. Zhuge Tongzhi sneezed again, put down the long sleeves he had rolled up while defusing the bomb, and stood up, leaning against the wall and sofa, to stretch his weak legs.
So this identity really was El, who shrunk after taking Drug A. Oh no! Zhuge Tongzhi looked at his high school self in the mirror and suffocated.
Although she refused to believe it, thankfully she had prepared adult clothes in her bag beforehand. Amidst the noisy shouts outside the door, she coughed and stuffed all the children's clothes from the sofa into her backpack.
After quickly tidying things up, Zhuge Tongzhi looked at the bomb whose wiring was torn to shreds, and next to it lay the unconscious Nakamori Ginzo, his clothes stripped off down to just his pants.
Wow, your organization really knows how to take people out so easily.
Following O's instructions, Zhuge Tongzhi quickly disarmed the bomb after it grew larger. He then looked at the rather unsightly middle-aged man in front of him with half-moon eyes, took out a pre-prepared jacket from his bag and covered the man's stomach with it before turning open the door to the lounge.
A tall girl in a black tracksuit poked her head out of the doorway, looked around, put on sunglasses, grabbed a police officer who was rushing past, and said, "Hello, there's an old man in this room who's been stripped naked and tied up."
"Huh? Huh?" The police officer who was evacuating the crowd was stunned by what he was told. Before he could react, the other person stepped aside to make way for him, pushed him into the doorway, and pointed to a pair of legs that were exposed behind the sofa.
"Hey, he's right there. I just saw him in his police uniform directing you." A strange female voice rang in his ears, and the officer immediately remembered his missing superior and shouted for Officer Nakamori to run over.
Zhuge Tongzhi coughed and gently closed the door behind him. He glanced at the central exhibition hall, where the police officers were trying to maintain order but it was still chaotic. His gaze then settled on a spot not far away.
She stepped forward and steadily supported Ran Mouri, who was struggling to stand due to the throng of people. With one hand she lifted Conan, who was trying to go against the flow of people to chase after Ireland, and with the other hand she put her arm around the girl, leading the two of them toward the exit.
"Eh, thank you, but I still need to find a little girl." Ran Mouri was led around by the unfamiliar girl beside her. Seeing that the girl wanted to help her leave, she quickly waved her hand and explained why she was staying.
Just as Conan was about to break free from the other person's hand, he saw the unfamiliar woman in sunglasses lower her head and wink at him from under her sunglasses.
It is Zhuge Tong's Record.
Having seen the other person grow up in Alice in Wonderland, Conan paused when he saw the familiar face revealed behind the sunglasses, his eyes shining as he looked at his companion who had returned to adult form.
After calming the great detective down, Zhuge Tongzhi turned to look at Ran Mouri and replied in a slightly hoarse voice, "It's a girl with short black hair and a backpack, isn't it?"
"Yes, did you see her just now?" Ran Mouri asked anxiously.
"She had a fever, so I took her to the infirmary on the first floor." As she spoke, she steadily led her toward the exit, then coughed twice, unable to suppress her urge to speak, and continued, "It might have been the second floor, I don't quite remember, but a little boy went to look for her there too."
"Thank you so much." Ran Mouri listened as she was pushed out of the central exhibition hall exit. Only after hearing this did she belatedly look around for the elementary school student who had been with her: "When did he run over there?"
"People may have gotten separated due to the chaos. Please be careful."
“Okay, you too…” Ran Mouri turned her head, but the girl who had led her through the crowd was nowhere to be seen. She took a step back in confusion, but was stopped by the police officer.
"Miss, it's too dangerous inside. Please go to an open area outside."
Just then, a loud bang rang out in the exhibition hall, and dust immediately fell from the ceiling. The crowd surged out even faster, and Ran Mouri had to stop walking in.
"Ran! Come here quickly!" Her friend's loud shout came from behind her. Ran turned around and saw Kogoro Mouri standing not far away with Sonoko Suzuki and Kazuha Toyama. The short-haired girl was waving her arm at her.
"Sonoko! Kazuha! I'm so glad you're all alright." Ran Mouri's heart, which had been pounding since she saw Kaito Kid expose the fake Nakamori, finally relaxed a little. Looking at her unharmed friends, she was still quite shaken and asked, "Is Shinichi with you?"
"I don't know, Ran. I haven't seen him at all." Sonoko Suzuki felt Ran Mouri's grip on her hand suddenly tighten and comforted her, "Maybe he went to chase after that person."
"Hattori went with them too." Toyama Kazuha looked worried, her high ponytail slightly messy. She looked towards the ceiling where something seemed to be happening. "I hope they're alright."
"It's alright, Lord Kid is there too. He'll definitely protect those two hot-blooded idiots!" Sonoko Suzuki squeezed her friend's hand, trying to distract her: "Where are those two brats?"
"Hmm..." Ran Mouri forced a smile and said, "They were taken to the infirmary by a kind person, but I don't know which floor it is on."
"Let's go and meet up with them first."
…
Meanwhile, Conan, who was being teased for his short legs, was being carried in Zhuge Tongzhi's arms as the two headed toward the rooftop where loud noises were coming from.
Conan grabbed the girl's strong arm and was pulled over a railing with ease. He asked, "So, do you remember Albion now?"
"Hmm." Zhuge Tongzhi went up to the small platform on the second floor of the exhibition hall and ran towards the stairs leading to the rooftop. He muttered something under his breath and said, "I saw some images."
"What did you see?" Conan was placed beside her as he watched the girl push the door to the rooftop upwards with both hands, the moonlight shining through the crack illuminating her delicate and lively face.
The person's demeanor was completely different from the one he had spoken to before. Conan was taken aback as he watched the other person push the door open, pull him up by holding onto both sides, and then reach out his hand to him. Conan replied with a conflicted expression.
"I think I made a mistake towards my guardian."
"Huh?" Conan was slapping his hand into the girl's slightly hot hand when he heard this, and a bunch of question marks popped into his head.
"It's hard to explain to you." Zhuge Tongzhi pouted and easily pulled the child up, recalling some fragmented images that flashed before his eyes before he regained his memories.
For example, in front of a bright computer screen, an email accusing Scotland of being an undercover agent is displayed, and the mouse hovers over the send button.
For example, in a dimly lit room, moonlight illuminates the face of a man sleeping on the bed, while her hand is gripping his neck, slowly tightening.
As her vision zoomed in, she heard herself say in the other person's ear, "If you don't wake up soon, I'm going to kill Bourbon."
"Or rather, your good friend, Rei Furuya."
The man in sight began to breathe rapidly, but whether it was because the person next to him was choking him or because of the words he heard, his eyes moved under his tightly closed eyelids.
Zhuge Tongzhi's face contorted as he recalled that scene. After pulling Conan onto the rooftop, the feeling of his rapidly beating pulse seemed to linger on the pads of his fingers as he released him.
"Great detective, come with me to Osaka Shrine tomorrow."
Conan, who was observing the surroundings, twitched his lips and asked, "It's not New Year's, are you going there to pray for good fortune?"
Zhuge Tongzhi sighed, adjusted his sunglasses, peeked out from behind cover to look at the scene of firelight and playing cards flying in front of him, sneezed and muttered.
"I feel like there's something dirty on me."
The soul of ale seems to still linger in her, or perhaps she herself is the unclean thing from the outside, occupying this overly abstract identity from the past.
The mere thought of those hands gripping the Scottish man's neck sent shivers down Zhuge Tongzhi's spine, and a screaming chicken seemed to be screaming wildly inside him:
Ale, what have you been doing?!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Ireland: What the hell? All my contingency plans have gone wrong! (Calls Gin for backup)
Kidd: Damn it, give me back my Uncle Nakamori!
Nakamori: Feeling chilly while sharing a bed with eight eggs. (jpg)
Zhuge: In the midst of a glamorous transformation.
…
Regarding fragmented memories:
Da Tong: Hmm, the book says that you can awaken consciousness by calling out the name of an important person.
Da Tong: Good idea, I'll use it.
Zhuge: What?! I kidnapped Scotland and threatened to kill Bourbon? (screams)
Zhuge: How am I supposed to face my guardian after this? (screams)
Zhuge: There is something unclean on my body (peacefully)
…
Now you understand a little why Morofuku was wary of ale, right?
This is part of the reason.
…
Dream of a tomorrow that brings countless blessings (prayer)
Mwah
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