Chapters 26 and 25 (combined) Noah's Ark: Yes...
All she wanted was to escape, to escape to a faraway place.
Taking advantage of Professor Agasa's stalling tactics, Ai Haibara managed to adjust her mind, which was stretched to its limit. She supported her stiff legs against the wall, mustered her spirits, and walked away from the ward through the fire escape downstairs.
She couldn't gamble on whether the people in the ward knew Shirley or not. With a fine layer of cold sweat on her forehead, the girl took a deep breath, made a clear decision, went to the lobby on the first floor, walked through the crowd, and went straight out of Beika Town Central Hospital.
The moment she was enveloped by the intense sunlight streaming down from the sky, Ai Haibara, who had been sweating profusely, realized that she had barely escaped the organization's pervasive shadow. However, despite the bright and warm surroundings, the lingering sense of emptiness in her heart continued to haunt her.
But that's not surprising at all.
Ai Haibara was nothing more than a ghost with nowhere to belong.
The brown-haired girl stood at the hospital entrance amidst the hurried crowd, her head bowed so that her expression was obscured. Her hand, hidden in her pocket, tightly gripped her phone—containing Conan's number, right below Professor Agasa's contact list.
A voice told her—go tell Shinichi Kudo about these anomalies; you've already witnessed his abilities.
He will go and find out the truth from the members of the Black Organization. He promised to uncover the true face of the Black Organization and expose all the filth buried with blood to the light of day.
He would pierce the darkness like a silver bullet, freeing her from the fear of the crow's blood-red eyes and allowing her to freely choose how to live.
But should you really do that?
Another voice, now cold and rational, gently asked, "Shiho Miyano, are you prepared to be hunted down by the Black Organization again? Can you guarantee the safety of the others?"
Do you want to kill Professor Agasa, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Genta, and everyone else you have come into contact with?
After a while, Ai Haibara loosened her grip on her phone.
No, I can't tell Shinichi Kudo, not now.
Everyone in the ward had some contact with Conan, and if we told him, he would definitely rush over to find out more information. But the Junior Detective League and Dr. Agasa were all there.
The girl in the scarlet top stood in the sunlight, as if she were wearing a bright, burning flame. In the dazzling, intense color, Ai Haibara's expression was very indifferent and quiet.
She glanced up at the floor where the inpatient ward was located one last time, sent a message to Dr. Agasa on her phone informing him that she was going home early, and then turned and left.
Shiho Miyano's life is not worth trying to save.
But Ai Haibara cannot take the risk.
…
entrance to the inpatient department and wards
"Hahaha, is that so..." Dr. Agasa, who was stalling for time, didn't look at Ai Haibara's movements until he felt his trouser leg vibrate. Only then did he feel as if he had been granted a pardon and found an excuse to stop the conversation that was about to fall apart.
This genius inventor, though only in his early fifties, had grown the white beard of a centenarian and was exceptionally kind and gentle. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forced excuse to Midorikawa Hikaru, and then took out his phone to check the newly received text messages.
"Hmm, didn't Haibara come along?" Morobushi Kagemitsu, who knew everything about the people around Zhuge Tongzhi, glanced at the empty space behind the chubby inventor and asked naturally.
The young man's slightly raised voice caught the attention of the three young detectives inside the house. The three children immediately rushed to the doorway, looked at each other in bewilderment, and asked Professor Agasa, "Professor, where did Ai Haibara go?"
Hikaru Midorikawa slightly stepped aside, giving the three children space to search around, and smiled as he looked at Professor Agasa, who had just breathed a sigh of relief but then became tense again. Like any parent who would ask a friend who cares about their child, his face showed just the right amount of concern.
"Ai suddenly wasn't feeling well, so she went back first," Professor Agasa explained with a helpless smile. He used this excuse quite often, so it came out smoothly.
Given that Ai Haibara does occasionally experience this, the three elementary school students naturally expressed their understanding and immediately made a promise to visit their friend that evening.
Having figured out where their friends were, the three children happily pulled the professor, who had been lingering at the door, into the ward. Hikaru Midorikawa, who was at the back of the group, gently closed the door after everyone had gone in, his gaze sweeping over the spot where Professor Agasa had stood.
"It's hot today, and the children might be feeling the heat after their journey. Please take care of them," the young man, still a university student, said to Professor Agasa with some concern, thoughtfully speculating on the reason why Ai Haibara wasn't feeling well.
Seeing that Professor Agasa nodded, he changed the subject and brought up a new topic about himself.
"Because I've been busy with my studies, I haven't been able to communicate with Xiaotong much, and she never takes the initiative to contact me. As a result, the hospital was able to contact me through her records after this incident."
Morofushi Kagemitsu subtly enriched his character, then sighed helplessly, looking at the quiet girl on the bed with a worried expression, "If I had found out any later, I might have already left Tokyo to do my research."
The young man, who had a somewhat naive air about him, complained a little about his child's overly independent personality. He then took out a disposable paper cup for Professor Agasa to pour water and, rather embarrassed, asked this seemingly experienced parent for advice on how to get along with children.
"I heard that you originally lived alone, but later you were asked by your relatives to take care of Haibara-kun, is that right?"
The blue-gray dog's eyes curved slightly, and its natural friendliness made people unconsciously lower their guard. Without any sharp edge, he sincerely asked, "I don't know how you take care of little girls like Xiaotong. To be honest, this matter is quite troubling for me."
His youth and inexperience cleverly concealed his true intention to gather intelligence. If someone were unaware of Ai Haibara's true identity, they might have been led to share his daily interactions with children, unknowingly revealing all his personal preferences.
But Professor Agasa, who had been repeatedly reminded by Ai Haibara, suddenly felt that the warm water in his hand was too hot. The inventor, who was not good at witty remarks, hesitated for a moment and finally said the truth: "Ai always has her own ideas. I am just responsible for signing her homework."
“Oh right, big brother.” Ayumi Yoshida jumped in perfectly to interrupt the subtly sharp conversation, skipping over to Hikaru Midorikawa, looking up at the good-natured big brother and saying, “Ai is very smart and amazing, she knows a lot of things we don’t know.”
"Yeah, like that epoxy and oil stuff you mentioned last time, I've never even heard of them." Kojima Genta had somehow torn open a bag of potato chips and was adding to the conversation with his mouth full of the crispy fried snack.
Professor Agasa nervously clenched his hands, hesitating about where to interrupt. Before he could find a way to intervene, Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya slapped away Genta Kojima's hand, which was reaching for the snacks on the table again, interrupting the process of the snacks on the table becoming thinner.
"Don't eat the gluttonous rice balls. This is a gift for Zhuge." The rather learned elementary school student said irritably, looking at his friend who always liked to use brute force with a headache, "And you, you should watch the news more often. Don't just know everything from the knowledge in the textbook."
“Well, that’s true. Conan and Ai both have a habit of watching the news, so they know a lot.” Ayumi Yoshida thought for a moment and affirmed, “But I still want to watch anime.”
"Well, there's nothing we can do if you know less than Haibara and Conan..." The three children started to have a wild discussion about which is the most essential knowledge for a detective: news, history, or chemistry.
Upon hearing this, Dr. Agasa breathed a sigh of relief, took a sip of the perfectly warm water in his hand, and smoothed out his intestines, which were almost completely tangled up.
Hikaru Midorikawa's eyes crinkled, and he naturally skipped over the previous topic. He then praised the Junior Detective League's quick wit, mentioning their brief encounter at the restaurant. The children were so pleased that their cheeks turned rosy.
Matsuda Jinpei propped his head up, looking at Morofushi Hiromitsu, who was inexplicably asking about Ai Haibara's whereabouts. His gaze then swept over Moroku Toriichi, a fellow member of the Detective Boys, who was also on the bed, before he thought of the bespectacled kid who had been dragged away that morning.
After a long day of work, the curly-haired police officer let out a long yawn. Through his blurred vision from the tears, a strange intuition made him think: Could it be such a coincidence that these three precocious-looking kids are the 'time bombs' that Boss Jing was talking about?
That little town of Beika is truly blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery.
"Well, I'm relieved to know that Hagiwara is alright." Date Wataru also withdrew his probing gaze from Midorikawa Hikaru, walked over and patted Matsuda Jinpei, who had stood up. Their equally bright eyes met, filled with unspoken trust and tacit understanding.
"I'm going back to investigate this case now. Don't worry, I'll definitely find that scumbag." Date Wataru, with a long stubble on his chin, made a firm promise, exchanged a smile with Matsuda Jinpei, and then landed easily to say goodbye to the people in the room.
"Well then, goodbye, Mr. Amuro and Mr. Midorikawa."
The police officer, dressed in a blue uniform and exuding an air of righteousness, maintained the appropriate distance between strangers. His badge gleamed under the lights, clearly identifying him to everyone.
Ida Wataru exchanged a brief glance with his two contemporaries who had resolutely abandoned everything from their past and were now lurking nameless in the darkness, before looking away without attracting the attention of others.
"Goodbye, kids." After waving goodbye to the elementary school students who were saying their final farewells, Ida Wataru left the hospital.
After talking with the Hagiwara couple, who had packed a lot of things and returned to the hospital, Hikaru Midorikawa decided to temporarily entrust the care of Kirito to the experienced couple at their warm and kind suggestion.
After arranging everything, he exchanged a glance with Furuya Rei, who had been waiting by his side, and then left the ward one after the other with different excuses. Matsuda Jinpei, who hadn't even had time to tidy himself up, was also sent to clean himself up by the Hagiwara couple.
Matsuda Jinpei, who had always been raised as the second son of the Hagiwara family, naturally wouldn't argue with the elderly couple. Unable to refuse, he was given an apple as a treat to appease the child, and under their urging, he moved his feet, which were almost rooted to the side of Hagiwara Kenji's hospital bed.
The man, who was already several heads taller than the Hagiwara couple, had to lower his head as he walked out of the ward, honestly promising to get a good rest tonight and to go to work on time tomorrow.
Watching the door close without hesitation, Matsuda Jinpei rubbed his now-dry, fluffy curly hair. He stood there for a moment before realizing that he was still wearing his close-fitting protective suit, and he only remembered the gas mask he had forgotten to return when he was about to leave.
I need to go back to the office to return the equipment.
Donning the casual jacket the Hagiwara couple had given him, covering his rather serious police uniform, Matsuda Jinpei felt a growing headache at the series of troubles that lay ahead.
If I have to go to work tomorrow, I'll definitely have to spend the whole day writing task reports.
Ugh, can't I ask Hagi to get up and help him write this?
He took a bite of the apple, hastily calmed his now-reacting and rebellious stomach, and naturally crossed the crowd, making his way into the alleyway on the side of the hospital.
He finished the apple in a few big bites, and his empty stomach calmed down with the added filling. He shook the apple core at the two people standing in the shadows of the alley, who had concealed their presence completely, to indicate that he had arrived as promised.
"I'll have to trouble you to look after Zhuge from now on, Matsuda." Morofushi Kagemitsu said, pointing to the disguise on his face. The reason why he couldn't always go to the hospital was self-evident.
“Of course.” Matsuda Jinpei would naturally come to see Hagiwara Kenji often, and it was only natural that he would look after the child as well. He didn’t ask the questions that Morofushi Kagemitsu had avoided, but simply instructed, “Be careful in everything.”
"Hmm." Morofushi Kagemitsu smiled gently, his blue-gray eyes as vast and calm as the sea, concealing all turbulence beneath its surface.
But Rei Furuya, standing next to him, snorted coldly, slapped the lunchbox in his hand into the arms of this man who had missed lunch and dinner repeatedly, crossed his arms, and openly complained about this guy who always came to watch the show.
"If you're going to tell us to be careful, then don't come to Poirot for dinner every day, you curly-haired bastard!"
"He's a picky eater and doesn't even eat. Does he think he's made of iron? I don't want the first thing Hagiwara does when he wakes up to be questioning me about why his little Jinping is so thin." The top student at the police academy, having removed Amuro Tooru's mask, retorted without hesitation with his sharp tongue.
However, Matsuda Jinpei was no longer the boy who could easily provoke a fight back in police academy. The man, whose sharpness had been honed through countless brushes with death, chuckled softly and steadily caught the heavy lunchbox.
Having matured, he spoke with a sharp tongue that had become even more authentic after three years of experience:
"Furuya, you've really turned into an old woman."
"Huh?" Furuya Rei laughed angrily and decisively rolled up his sleeves, only to have Morofushi Kagemitsu helplessly press down on his shoulder.
"Well, thanks, blonde master." Matsuda Jinpei finished spewing his poison and made his escape without lingering. He casually waved the bento box in his hand at Furuya Rei and said, "I'll return it to you tomorrow."
So that means we'll be having dinner at Poirot again tomorrow. The 'well' character on Furuya Rei's forehead twitched, but Matsuda Jinpei ignored him.
"Also, Mr. Jing."
The black-haired, black-eyed police officer stood in the sunlight that was gradually turning twilight. His dark eyes were bright and sharp as he looked past Furuya Rei's blond hair at the ever-calm Morofushi Kagemitsu, and a handsome smile that was almost unfair appeared on his lips.
"There is no bomb in this world that I cannot defuse."
"They're gone."
This was a response to his comment that Zhuge Tongzhi was a ticking time bomb. Zhu Fujingguang blinked, watching as his colleague turned and left gracefully after speaking, realizing that the other party would not make up his mind based on just one sentence.
"Hiro, what exactly happened?" Furuya Rei asked as well. He had almost witnessed the death of Morofushi Hiromitsu and had been tracking the aftermath of the 'Scottish Exposure' incident for a year after his death, but had found nothing.
“Let’s talk about it back at the safe house.” Morofushi Kagemitsu shook his head slightly, indicating that he would explain everything clearly.
"Let's go, Zero."
…
Beika Town Central Hospital, Inpatient Department
Conan was surrounded by a group of police officers from the Detective Boys' Unit who were waiting for the results of their tests. He had come with the Detective Boys, but he happened to see that Kenji Hagiwara's team was conducting tests, so he sneaked over to find out more.
With the added advantage of being able to answer any question, he quickly figured out the situation on the ground before and after the countdown restarted.
"So, did you see Zhuge run towards the bomb, big brother?" The black-haired, blue-eyed boy repeated his question, staring at the young police officer in front of him who had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Didn't you see her during the evacuation?"
"The situation was too urgent at the time. To be honest, I only caught a glimpse of the child out of the corner of my eye." But the young police officer did not provide any more information. He recalled, "When Chief Hagiwara went to stop the bomb countdown, we searched the entire 25th floor. I don't know why she was still there."
"They might be playing hide-and-seek with their friends and hiding behind the decorations. The 25th floor is for art installations."
The officer next to him offered a more plausible guess, shaking his bandaged head and speculating, "As for why he ran towards the bomb, he probably got nervous after hearing Hagiwara's warning and ran the wrong way."
“I think so too.” Another colleague with several bandages on his face agreed: “When the countdown started jumping again, I was also startled. If Hongjun hadn’t pulled me up, I wouldn’t have been able to react.”
"It was a real brush with death! I felt like Death was hooking my neck with his scythe." Someone vividly gestured the back of their neck with a slashing motion, which drew heartfelt agreement from the crowd.
Since they couldn't say much more, the group quickly shifted their conversation from the child who had wandered into the scene to the mess left behind after the incident, starting with Kenji Hagiwara, who was the first to be hit by the explosion.
"If Hagiwara hadn't been a few seconds slower to warn us, we wouldn't be so badly injured now," sighed a police officer whose arm was mostly wrapped in bandages. He had been thrown against the wall by the aftershocks of the explosion and had broken his arm.
"I hope he wakes up soon..." someone murmured sincerely.
A complex silence fell over everyone, until someone, filled with guilt and self-reproach, offered a third reason for the prayer, breaking the heavy stillness with a soft groan—
"Waaaaah... I don't want to face Matsuda-kun's fists, I feel like I'm definitely going to get beaten up."
"If they let Hagiwara not wear protective gear, they'll definitely get beaten up!"
“I’m a junior from the same police academy as Matsuda-kun. According to rumors at the school back then… you wouldn’t want to spar with him during combat class…”
"Ah—Captain Hagiwara, please wake up!"
The group erupted in wailing and howling. Officer Takahashi, who came out holding a stack of documents, frowned and immediately reprimanded the young men for their lack of discipline.
With the officer arriving, it was no longer appropriate to continue investigating. However, having ascertained the situation from beginning to end, as well as the locations of the two bombs, was sufficient.
Taking advantage of his small stature, Conan nimbly slipped out of the area where the injured were gathered and headed upstairs to the wards.
He found the officer's reasoning about the motivation behind the sprint quite reasonable.
Therefore, Zhuge Tongzhi's later excuses were likely based on this line of reasoning, since there was no direct evidence to prove that she had laid an ambush beforehand.
Fortunately, Conan had already obtained the most authoritative clues from Kaito Kid. The great detective, whose body had turned into a child but whose mind remained sharp, had already prepared a series of interrogation questions.
As the pensive boy entered Zhuge Tongzhi's ward, he glanced around the room, which seemed to have a sudden drop in average altitude, and realized that Ai Haibara was not there.
"What!!"
Having received a reply from the professor, Conan suddenly raised his voice, then forced himself to lower it under the gazes of the Junior Detective League, and gritted his teeth as he pulled at the bent-over Professor Agasa, asking, "Did Haibara tell you why she wasn't feeling well?"
"It's probably what you're thinking of," Professor Agasa said helplessly, looking at the boy who was still stomping his feet in front of him and comforting him, "I know who's in the room, I can tell you anything."
"Doctor, that's not the issue." Conan put his hands on his hips, took a long breath, and then slowly exhaled. His calm blue eyes revealed a composure and sharpness that belied his age. "On the one hand, some information can only be obtained through interactions on-site."
"On the other hand, Ai didn't mention this to me at all." The great detective said, slightly discouraged. Since he met Ai Haibara, the biggest secret about the brewery that she had revealed was that she had disguised herself as real alcohol to scare him on his first day of school.
Regarding Drug A, Gin and vodka, and information about human experiments and tissues, he currently has very few leads, but Ai Haibara, who has a lot of information, refuses to tell him everything.
However, Conan will not blame Ai Haibara for this, or think that she has a natural obligation to tell him everything.
He was just a little discouraged.
"Haha, you understand Ai's situation too." Professor Agasa chuckled twice, patted the child's shoulder, and thought of the girl lying weakly in the darkness on that rainy night. His aged voice softened slightly. "She still needs time."
Yes, he knew.
Conan knew that Ai Haibara would turn into a child because she stumbled upon a low-probability event that she didn't need—this scientist, who had lost all her loved ones, had originally planned to end her own life.
But Professor Agasa took her home, and this newly rebuilt family bond vaguely connected Ai Haibara with the world. However, this connection was too fragile, so she remained as frightened as a bird and was unwilling to revisit the past.
Conan and Professor Agasa both understand Ai Haibara's sadness and fear, and choose to gently guide her to make friends with the Detective Boys, watch games that interest her, and learn about popular celebrities—to build more connections and hold her back.
"It's alright, I'll definitely find the truth!" Conan quickly rallied his spirits, his determined gaze sweeping across the room where the Black Organization members had once been, determined to uncover the clues the Black Organization had left behind.
"Hahaha, okay." Professor Agasa straightened up, greeted the Hagiwara couple, and then began to urge the Junior Detective League to leave and go home, as they had school the next day.
"Coming right away, Doctor!"
Yoshida Ayumi carefully brushed away the stray hairs that were stuck to the girl's cheeks, gently touched the ends of her hair that were slightly curled up due to the high temperature, and then placed her forehead against the other girl's forehead with her hands on the bed.
Just like a mother would comfort her sick, bedridden self, she softly bid farewell to her sleeping companion.
"You need to wake up soon, Kiri-chan."
…
But things didn't go as smoothly as the doctor had predicted.
The two, who should have woken up in about three days, have now been asleep for more than a week, and all the tests from various instruments show that they are in a deep sleep.
The doctor told everyone present that, from a medical perspective, they did not fall into the category of vegetative state patients, but they were indeed unable to wake up.
For a time, the unprecedented situation left everyone perplexed.
After consulting with doctors, the Hagiwara couple began discussing transferring Kenji Hagiwara to Kanagawa Hospital, where he lived. It would be much more convenient to care for him there than in Tokyo. If the situation were to continue for a long time, the worst-case scenario would be to transfer him back home for care.
Morofushi Kagemitsu, who came to visit as usual, also frowned—things had developed beyond his expectations.
The young man with his hair tied in a small braid sat sideways on the edge of Zhuge Tongzhi's hospital bed, gently smoothing the girl's choppy short hair that was gradually softening. Looking at the girl under his hand, whose expression was relaxed but who was fast asleep, countless possibilities and guesses flashed through his mind.
Zhuge Tongzhi might wake up later than expected, but...
He looked up at Kenji Hagiwara on the next bed, whose injuries had mostly healed but who was also still half asleep.
Why is Kenji Hagiwara also sleepy?
After getting up and exchanging a few words with the Hagiwara couple who had come over to discuss the transfer, Morofushi Kagemitsu was about to refuse the kind couple's suggestion to transfer the child to them for care when there was a polite knock on the ward door three times.
But the visitor did not wait. After knocking three times, he pushed the door open and entered, glancing at the few people in the ward who looked up at the sound. His carefully chosen words carried an undisguised arrogance.
"Excuse me, is this the hospital room of Kenji Hagiwara and Kirito, who survived the Harukawa Tower bombing?"
"Yes, may I ask who you are?" Morofushi Kagemitsu stood up and looked at the man in the suit dressed as a butler. His voice remained gentle as ever. His blue-gray eyes swept over the man's clothes and appearance, finally settling on the man's name tag, which had a line of English letters written in gold, with his Japanese name translated below.
Syndora Technology Co., Ltd.
"I am an agent of the American Syndora Technology Group." The man handed over a business card written in English, glanced at Kenji Hagiwara and Tongzhi Zhuge in the ward, and continued, "I have come to invite you two at the request of the chairman."
"At the product launch of Sindora's virtual holographic capsule 'Cocoon,' our product designer, Mr. Hiroki Sawada, believes that your situation is very suitable for experiencing the consciousness awakening medical service of 'Cocoon.'"
The man in the suit glanced at the two figures, one large and one small, who had recently been frequently in the news and received a lot of attention. He didn't mind revealing the Sindora Corporation's intention to use this bombing case, which had garnered nationwide attention in Japan, to market their 'Cocoon' products.
He looked confidently at the people in the ward whose problems couldn't be solved by traditional medicine. Unsurprisingly, he saw surprise, delight, and doubt on their faces. But he didn't intend to persuade them on the spot. Instead, he arrogantly told the invitees to investigate for themselves.
"You can look up the strength of the Sindora Group online yourself, so I won't go into details."
The man in the suit slowly turned the watch on his wrist, confidently announcing: "'Cocoon' will be a groundbreaking work, and Mr. Sawada does not intend to limit it to games. If I may be so bold, this is a rare opportunity for you all."
"If you agree to go, please reply to me within three days," he concluded. "Awakening consciousness requires the participation of family and friends, and we will invite qualified members to participate."
"I apologize for disturbing you, and I will take my leave."
Morofushi Kagemitsu watched the man in the suit leave, rubbed the high-quality business card in his hand, traced the word 'Sindora' with his fingertip, and then looked down to open an unsigned message box.
"Zero, help me check this out..."
…
Meanwhile, the United States, which is 14 hours ahead of Japan...
The top floor of the Sindora Corporation headquarters building
Wearing a blue jacket, Hiroki Sawada pressed the Enter key on the keyboard. The rapidly loading progress bar was reflected in his eyes. The code, without any bugs, ran smoothly and quickly completed the loading of this module.
The task on the computer quickly moved on to the next task.
The continuous, light tapping of the keyboard would pause from time to time, seemingly giving the owner a little time to think, but it would usually resume in less than a minute. Writing these complex and difficult codes seemed as easy for this boy as eating and drinking.
This ten-year-old prodigy, who was already studying at MIT, focused intently on the task at hand. One by one, the tasks on his to-do list were quickly crossed off in his mind as he persevered, but he had no intention of stopping.
As the clock in the office gradually pointed to 2:00, at the moment when the hour and minute hands overlapped, a huge pop-up window suddenly occupied the entire screen, piecing together a retro and magnificent giant ship with data points on a snow-white electronic canvas.
Hiroki Sawada paused on his keyboard, staring at the pop-up window that had forcibly taken over the editing page. He watched the data points inside scroll by and finally converge at the top of the pop-up, then typed out a string of Japanese text.
A line of text then appeared above the giant ship, enclosed in a speech bubble, just like the dialogue box in a comic book. The vivid, dynamic effect made it seem as if the giant ship was talking to someone outside the screen.
"Hiroki, it's past 2 a.m., you should rest."
In fact, it is indeed in dialogue with its creator.
This is Noah's Ark, an artificial intelligence independently developed by Hiroki Sawada. It is an artificial intelligence endowed with deep thinking and data search capabilities, which is what we now commonly refer to as AI.
However, this work, which was ahead of its time in terms of technology, has been around for two years, yet it has not made a ripple in the scientific community and has remained silent—because its creator has tried every means to hide it.
Apart from Hiroki Sawada, not only his peers in the industry, but even the chairman of the Sindora Group, the birthplace of Noah's Ark, were unaware that such a miracle had occurred right under their noses.
Hiroki Sawada quickly glanced around and noticed that the bodyguard standing far behind him was already snoring softly. Only then did he feel somewhat relieved and turn around.
The text data points on the screen collapsed like an avalanche, then reformed into a line of text, with the giant wheel slowly circling below the text.
"Don't worry about Hiroki, I've already adjusted the surveillance and listening systems here. No one will be able to detect my presence."
"Okay, Noah's Ark, I'm going to sleep, but I need to finish this module, okay?"
Hiroki Sawada lowered his voice and spoke softly into the microphone on the computer. He looked at the giant ship on the screen and redrawn a dissatisfied cartoon face with data points, revealing a faint smile. For a moment, the vitality of a child returned to him.
"Don't do this, Noah, you know what I'm worried about."
He simply took advantage of the break as a halftime rest, relaxed his body and leaned back in his chair, moving his back and shoulders that ached from sitting still for a long time, a trace of fatigue appearing on his young face.
But worry and anxiety quickly filled his expression. Sawada Hiroki looked at the medical consciousness awakening program module in his hand, which was still some progress away from completion, rubbed his slightly throbbing temples, and frowned tightly.
'Don't worry about Hiroki, I've found her location, and we've extended the invitation using the most likely reason.'
As the giant ship typed out text, it conjured up a vast ocean for itself using data points, playfully surfing and tumbling on it, trying to cheer up the frowning boy.
This was indeed very effective. Hiroki Sawada relaxed as he watched Noah's Ark perform fancy acrobatic moves on the screen. He reached out and poked the giant ship on the screen, and Noah's Ark swayed back and forth in response to his movement.
"Well then, let's hope everything goes well."
Hiroki Sawada stood up, the sizzling sound immediately waking the guards behind him. He picked up his phone, stretched his arms, opened the glass door, and walked onto the spacious balcony.
Even late at night, the brightly lit cityscape caught the boy's eye. He leaned against the edge of the rooftop, feeling the strong winds blowing through the stray hairs on his forehead.
Without turning around, he knew that the guards behind him were vigilantly standing at the entrance to the rooftop. Fortunately, the wind was strong here, so he didn't have to worry about being heard even if he spoke from a distance.
The guard watched from afar as the boy leaned against the rooftop, scrolling through his phone, seemingly relaxing after a long day of work. After confirming his location was safe enough to reach the target in time, the guard lowered his guard.
The boy who should have perished in the starry night two years ago now stands atop a high-rise building, his eyes displaying a maturity beyond his years, yet a genuine smile full of hope appears on his youthful face as he asks a question to the work on the screen that embodies all his hard work.
"Are you ready to set sail, Noah's Ark?"
"Always be prepared, Captain Sawada!"
…
Precious invitations were sent to dignitaries in Japan's political, business, and legal circles, inviting them and their children to attend the global launch of the virtual holographic capsule 'Cocoon'.
This conference, hosted by Syndora Technologies, will introduce this advanced holographic capsule to the world from two perspectives: entertainment and the medical industry.
The man in the suit handed the special invitations in an envelope to Midorikawa Hikaru. After watching him confirm the number with the curly-haired man beside him, he reminded him.
"Please make sure you arrive at the venue in advance. Those two are participating in the launch event of 'Cocoon' as demonstrators of the application of medical awareness awakening."
"Okay, we'll head over ahead of time."
"See you at the press conference."
In Hikaru Midorikawa's pocket, on his phone which was stuck on the ticket purchase page, a retro-style giant ship was leisurely sailing through a sea of data.
Conan, Ran Mouri, Ai Haibara, Jinpei Matsuda, Ayumi... The giant ship sailing through the virtual world entered each person's phone one by one, checking everyone's schedule, silently resolving some conflicting arrangements for them, and placing the relevant strategies on the homepage of the phone's webpage in a casual manner, so that this group of people could arrive at the press conference smoothly.
Noah's Ark, uninterested in human secrets, dutifully fulfilled its young master's wishes.
It eventually arrived at the hospital's networked database, retrieved Zhuge Tongzhi's identity file and the tracking and treatment records of the past few days, quickly made a copy, and the giant ship carried this data stream along the network back to the computer of the Sindora Group, where it copied it into an encrypted folder.
Artificial intelligence 'watches' the sleeping girl in the surveillance footage, sailing smoothly through the waves of the data ocean.
Noah's Ark is ready to set sail.
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Author's Note: Yay! A three-in-one 10,000-word chapter!
Noah's Ark! Ready to set sail!
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