Chapter 33, Chapter 32: Noah's Ark: Confession and Intelligence...
Q: How to provoke a person who wears glasses?
A: Secretly take their glasses.
Without his glasses, Conan looks like a miniature version of Shinichi Kudo. He sees Zhuge Tongzhi sitting on the ground some distance away, and the edges of the figure in his consciousness space are slightly blurred, but he can still clearly see that the other person is holding his glasses and waving at him.
With his nerves on edge, the boy in the classic blue suit and red bow tie thought for a moment, then put his hands in his pockets and walked toward the girl who was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Conan's expression remained calm and composed, and he walked without moving his arms and legs in unison. His gaze was calm and sharp, but the tense steps he took made his path a little crooked, which ruined his feigned composure.
I wonder what kind of crazy things are going on in that clever head of mine right now.
Zhuge Tongzhi watched with amusement as Conan deliberately lingered over, stalling for time. With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed the Conan-themed glasses—which, once worn, would prevent Conan from recognizing him—into Conan's arms, then clapped his hands to indicate that they would no longer delay.
"Hello, Shinichi Kudo. Time is short, so please feel free to ask me anything."
The black-rimmed glasses he usually used to disguise his identity were back in his hands, but since his identity had already been exposed, Conan casually put the glasses into his pocket and looked at Zhuge Tongzhi with his undisguised face.
The short-haired girl slowly and deliberately stood up, gently patted her trouser leg, looked up at him and gave him a faint smile. All the intense and outgoing emotions she usually displayed had vanished at this moment.
Silence and indifference replaced those overly vibrant things, filling the shell before our eyes, thus revealing without any concealment the sense of disconnect between the person's appearance and their age.
Conan felt a sense of unease, but he also knew that the other person was not on an equal footing with him. He was now just a six-year-old elementary school student whose secrets had been stripped away, and he was powerless to fight back.
He swallowed subconsciously, but his extremely dry mouth only let a wisp of air enter his throat. The empty air stuck in his throat, making his pounding heartbeat even clearer.
He had so many questions he could blurt out: about the Black Organization, about his exposed identity, about APTX4869, about the other party's purpose in summoning him here...
But when he was actually invited to stand before him, Conan began to carefully consider his words.
"Hurry up, great detective." The short-haired girl glanced at her bare wrist, as if she could actually see a watch face, and said, "Once you get out of here, you won't be able to ask anything anymore."
Why? Is it because someone is watching you?
Seeing that the other party was urging him on, Conan didn't waste any more time and seized this opportunity to gather information, starting with the most important question: "Who exactly are you? How do you know my identity?"
“Code name member, Ale.” Zhuge Tongzhi made a small gesture as if prying open a beer can, and said, “I used to work for the organization you’ve been investigating. As for why it has become what it is now, I’m sure you’ve experienced it firsthand.”
"So don't be too nervous, Shinichi Kudo." The black-haired girl spoke in a flat tone. Her eyes, which were usually as bright as obsidian, were now as calm as a deep pool in the darkness as she looked at the boy in front of her who was clenching his fists. "I am someone who was not successfully silenced by an organization. I have no right to do so, and I will not risk exposing myself to reveal your identity."
"As for her identity, I also know that Ai Haibara is Sherry. Her real name is Shiho Miyano."
"Don't get excited, Conan." Zhuge Tongzhi looked at Conan, whose emotions had suddenly become turbulent, raised his hands and gently pressed them down, signaling him to calm down. "It's not that anyone knows your identities. I have my own channels, and they can't be copied. Your identities are safe."
"Any more questions? I can only give you three more minutes." She quickly ended the conversation, not giving Conan a chance to continue. "I mean what I say."
Having complete control of the conversation, Conan had to swallow his barrage of questions. However, the other party's clear stance and candid attitude gave him a slight sense of relief, and he turned to another equally pointed question.
"What's the name of that black-clad organization? Who's behind it? Who are its members?"
With three questions in a row, the black-haired, blue-eyed boy looked at Zhuge Tongzhi with bright eyes, his gaze filled with fearlessness and determination. His unwavering belief made him like a silver bullet, shooting headlong into the thick, dragon-like darkness.
However, what was the name of their organization again...? The black-haired girl's eyes flickered for a moment.
"Hmm... the name doesn't matter, let's just go with the Black Organization you mentioned." Zhuge Tongzhi waved his hand, skipping the first question, and answered: "The leader of the Black Organization is an old but damned crow named Karasuma Renya."
"If you follow Japan's rich list, you should be able to see his name on the list from decades ago. This person's social identity has died, but we don't know how he has managed to survive to this day."
"Of course, I have never met him. This is just information that has been found out. The identity of the real BOSS of the organization is a closely guarded secret among the codename members. Only the higher-ups should know the details."
The short-haired girl laid out the explosive information in a straightforward manner. She put her hands in her pockets, looked at Conan whose pupils were wide with shock, and said, "Also, you can pay attention to a song called Seven Children. Familiarity with the melody will be very useful."
With his perfect pitch, Conan quickly recalled the melody in his mind. A very melodious nursery rhyme was broken down into a scale and marked below the opening lyrics:
3 21 2 31 61 5
Little crow, why are you crying?
What does this mean? Conan quickly began to think about the clue that seemed to be coming up alone, but Zhuge Tongzhi waved his hand in front of his eyes, signaling him not to get distracted.
"As for the list of organization members, I'm sorry, I can't tell you." The black-haired girl raised her voice amidst Conan's suddenly heated question, her clear childlike voice drowning out the boy's hurried tone, saying, "Because it's dangerous."
“Great Detective, Karasuma Renya is a world-renowned billionaire. It shouldn’t be a problem to look him up online. And that song can also give you some clues.” Zhuge Tongzhi closed his eyes, refusing to look at Conan’s gesticulating manner, and turned his head to say coldly, “I’m telling you this so that you don’t get into big trouble without even a basic understanding of the situation.”
"But the members of the organization are different. Of course, I will only remember the code names of the members. Every single one of those guys is a person who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals."
The black-haired girl opened one eye, and her entire aura changed. Her cold black eyes locked onto Conan like a scope. The dangerous aura emanating from her made the boy, who had just relaxed, jump, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
“Like this, and more often than not, they are good at disguising themselves.” Zhuge Tongzhi slowly opened his other eye, his aura softening. “Conan, no matter what the identity or stance of the codenamed members you encounter is, protecting your true identity will always be their most important thing.”
"If you knew these secrets, would you really be able to resist the urge to inquire?" The black-haired girl tilted her head, her question laced with no real doubt. "Even if the other party is an undercover agent, they wouldn't show mercy to a child."
“Even if they are enemies of the organization, it doesn’t mean they’re on your side. People with a mission will be more decisive.” Zhuge Tongzhi said, then closed his eyes and looked at Conan, as if he had thought of something.
"Our hands are stained with the blood of too many innocent people, so don't easily place your trust in them," she said softly. Her palms, which she showed, were clean and smooth, the hands of a child, but her words cast a deep, bloody shadow over them.
“But you told me all this.” Conan slapped away the hand that was being used to scare him, his bright blue eyes looking directly at Zhuge Tongzhi, who had looked up and was meeting his gaze. “You trust me.”
"Perhaps you can try to guess." Zhuge Tongzhi turned his head to avoid Conan's overly honest gaze and looked at the endless void beside him. "Any other questions?"
"Why can't I ask you anymore after we leave?" Conan wasn't discouraged by the most important question being evaded. After all, as long as Zhuge Tongzhi was still his classmate, he could always pester him until he got the answer. "Aren't you going to school anymore?"
Good question. She also wants to know why she has to go to elementary school.
Morofushi Kagemitsu, was the fake identity Noah's Ark gave me meant for you to use to get me into school?
“No, I will go to school on time.” When talking about starting elementary school, Zhuge Tongzhi’s words suddenly became more intense and he gritted his teeth. He closed his eyes tightly before regaining his original indifference. “Because when we meet again, I probably won’t know what the answer to the question is.”
She looked up into the void, her gaze momentarily unfocused. The O-Navigation prompt box in her field of vision had solidified, with only the corners still missing.
"Huh?" Conan blinked, puzzled.
"Just think of us as two separate people, it's hard to explain the specific reasons." Zhuge Tongzhi said, then suddenly turned her head to the side. Conan followed her gaze and saw two boys of similar height standing there.
Conan noticed that one of the boys was Hiroki Sawada, whom they had talked to yesterday. The boy next to him looked about 80% like Sawada, but he was completely devoid of any human warmth and looked like some kind of cold machine.
"Hiroki, long time no see." Zhuge Tongzhi waved to Sawada Hiroki, and the boy opposite immediately ran over.
The twelve-year-old boy was naturally much taller than the elementary school student, but Hiroki Sawada squatted down very naturally, letting the girl who raised her hand rub his head, and he showed a happy smile.
"Long time no see, Kiri-neechan." At this moment, Hiroki Sawada seemed more childlike than when he was strategizing in the hotel. He was pulled up from the ground by Kiri-shiki Zhuge and turned to greet Conan.
"Hello, Shinichi Kudo."
Conan: ...
No, why do you know my identity? Is the Sindora Corporation some kind of openly operating distillery?
"Well then, that concludes the intelligence broadcast, Great Detective." Zhuge Tongzhi snapped his fingers, watching Conan's lips curl into a slight smile. The girl, who had suppressed all her emotions since they met, waved to the boy and said, "Learn to be patient and be careful."
"And be careful next time you come into contact with future technology. Noah has a built-in DNA tracing module."
You see, Hikaru Midorikawa didn't participate, citing illness as the reason.
Seeing Conan's instantly shocked expression, she finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Gana, Great Detective."
Before he could say anything more, Conan found himself in a crowd, with Ran Mouri rushing over and grabbing his shoulder, asking in annoyance, "Where did you run off to, Conan!"
"Hey, Sister Xiaolan." He subconsciously took out his glasses and put them on the bridge of his nose. He looked around at the bustling children, and there were six stone doors of different styles around the crowd. He didn't quite understand where he was.
"Conan, Conan, we just made it in time for the second wave of the game experience!" Ayumi Yoshida hopped over, her rabbit-like nature still lingering in her. She and the two other children who followed her surrounded Ran Mouri and Conan.
"Officer Matsuda and the others logged out first to check on Zhuge and the others, so Ran-neechan came to play games with us." Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya explained to his confused friends, then asked, "But I looked for you for a long time earlier, were you experiencing a logout delay?"
Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya filled in the gaps in Conan's previous events, and he quickly followed up by saying that they had indeed just arrived at this point.
"It's good that you're alright. I was really worried about you." Ran Mouri breathed a sigh of relief, gently patted Conan's head, took his hand, and looked around. "Shinichi is somewhere... He's probably out investigating another case."
"Hmph, that Shinichi guy, he didn't even say hello!" The girl stomped her foot angrily, involuntarily clenching her fist. Conan felt a sharp pain in his hand and wondered if he was in too much pain to be sweating profusely.
"Which game instance should we choose?" Genta Kojima asked with some difficulty, his gaze sweeping over the six stone gates that symbolized different classic stories.
"We're the Junior Detective League! Of course we're in the world of Sherlock Holmes!"
What Sherlock Holmes?
Conan's attention was immediately drawn to the ancient stone door in front of the children. He quickly identified which Sherlock Holmes case it was based on the elements on the door.
My dad seems to have said that this is the most painstakingly crafted version of the game he adapted.
As a Sherlock Holmes fan, Conan felt he couldn't resist joining in. After a moment's hesitation, he finally joined the Junior Detective League's debate about which game to participate in.
The group eventually walked through the Victorian-style stone door.
The cold, snowy London night awaited the arrival of the detectives.
…
In the virtual consciousness space
Zhuge Tongzhi and Sawada Hiroki sat cross-legged on the ground, facing each other.
"Ah, so that's what you're planning?" The six-year-old girl said very naturally in the tone of an elder. "A very clever idea. This way, your adoptive father won't have time to do any public relations."
“Yes, because everyone involved in the game will know about it,” Hiroki Sawada nodded.
He buried the secret that Thomas Sindora was a descendant of Jack the Ripper into the game, and all children who have played it will know this.
In other words, after today, this secret will be known to top figures in various fields such as business, politics, and medicine in Japan, and the moment the press conference ends will be the moment when the Sindora Group suffers a huge blow.
This is something only Hiroki Sawada and Noah's Ark could do, and only they could add the new program to the repeatedly checked holographic capsule operation program in this way without anyone noticing.
However, Hiroki Sawada, who had just received the praise, felt a little awkward. He looked at the six-year-old-looking Tongzhi Zhuge and asked hesitantly, "Does Tongzhi-neechan think... this is okay?"
"What's wrong with exposing a scumbag?" Zhuge Tongzhi tilted his head at him, then smiled at Sawada Hiroki's flustered waving, and said, "I know, you want to ask me what I think of this way of handling things."
"This is a very direct approach, leaving the crime to be judged by the law. It's indeed a smart move." The short-haired girl stared at the blue and white navigation box that was gradually being perfected, her voice calm: "But if I were to do it, I might act as an accomplice."
“You tricked Thomas into gradually handing over control of the Sindora Corporation to me, sidelining him before revealing the secret. That way, he lost his money, power, reputation, and trust,” Zhuge Tongzhi said calmly. “And you gained a technology group that can support independent research.”
The girl blinked, looked at Hiroki Sawada who was hesitant in front of her, reached out and pressed the boy's soft hair, and smiled: "But that would take at least ten years, right? You shouldn't have to bear such a long period of patience and negotiation. It's fine as it is now."
“Well done, Hiroki. You’ve broken free from the control of the Syndora Group in your own way.” Zhuge Tongzhi rubbed her subordinate’s head, feeling her vision blurring at the edges. She said in an unchanged voice, “You’re free now. What are you planning to do next?”
“Ah, my father was also involved in the planning of ‘Cocoon’. I plan to live with my father from now on.” Hiroki Sawada was visibly happy to receive confirmation, but a strange look appeared on his face when he mentioned his father.
“I never imagined that Thomas would want to kill my father just because he wanted to take me away.” He shook his head in disbelief. “He could have just refused. My custody is indeed in Thomas’s hands.”
“However, Mr. Morofushi Kagemitsu happened to be there and stopped Thomas,” Hiroki Sawada said, finding it somewhat strange himself. “Are undercover agents used to going behind the scenes? There aren’t really any secrets there.”
“It’s an occupational hazard,” Zhuge Tongzhi shrugged. “But after that, you won’t be implicated by Thomas’s reputation.”
"Well, but Kiri-neechan, do you really not need my help right now?" Hiroki Sawada looked at the girl who looked like a child when they met again. She was twirling a strand of hair next to her cheek with her fingers, and if you ignored her aura, she looked like a real elementary school student.
“It would be enough if Noah’s Ark could help us.” Zhuge Tongzhi shook his head at the twelve-year-old boy and said, “Hongshu, don’t try to get in touch with this organization.”
"Once you leave here, your life will no longer be an endless cycle of work and study."
Hiroki Sawada watched as the young girl in front of him nodded her head sleepily, bent her legs and rested her face on her knees, and gave her instructions in an even softer voice.
"You should make friends, see the scenery, and cultivate new hobbies."
Two years ago, the person who suddenly barged into his world on the rooftop sat in front of him with his knees drawn up, let out a long yawn, and finally closed his eyes as if he was extremely sleepy. He said in an almost breathless voice, "Hiroki... grow up well."
Zhuge Tongzhi realized that he had fallen asleep in the world, but after a moment he showed signs of waking up again. Sawada Hiroki pulled Noah's Ark back a few steps and adjusted his figure to be invisible.
The girl, who had only slept for a dozen seconds, rubbed her eyes, opened them again, and sprang up from the ground like a cannonball, staring at the dark void with a questioning expression.
"Wasn't I swallowed by the rabbit hole?" She tapped her head, then, as if she had discovered something, she gave a look of utter disbelief.
A long string of blue and white notification boxes appeared in the void in front of them:
"Historical Path: Alice in Wonderland (Completed)"
"Final route plan generated: 26.37%"
"Target detected. Emergency contact added for you: Noah's Ark"
"Historical path restarted: Countdown to restart and a spectacular magic show (50% complete)"
"We have detected a significant deviation from your target route. Please confirm your direction of travel."
Zhuge Tongzhi: ...
What the heck? How come I didn't know I had sleepwalked through Wonderland?
You need to get treatment if you're sick, O De.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The Noah's Ark arc is entering its final countdown!
Hiroki Sawada!
You must grow up well!
…
It must have been tough for our little Ke, searching everywhere for information.
He has absolutely no basic intelligence, which is really dangerous.
So Da Tong gave him some information that was relatively far removed from Xiao Ke's life.
…
Conan: Ran is angry, I'm a little scared.
Conan: What, Sherlock Holmes?
Conan: I don't care about that anymore, I want to play that!
…
Mwah
Addendum: Ugh, I got the plot of the first episode backwards!
Xiao Ke, I'm so sorry, I'll give you back your 5.0 vision! (orz)
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