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/So, let’s cooperate! /

The words coming from the screen made the boy in casual clothes look a little helpless. It was already winter, and people were hurrying on the street, but he seemed to be walking leisurely. The mist attached to the lenses obscured his pupil color.

/no,/

Conan replied, slowing down his pace, taking off his glasses and wiping them. The cold wind blew past his ears, bringing a chill. He raised his head and tried to clear his confused thoughts. His brain automatically emerged with the person behind this sudden invitation for cooperation.

Hiroshu, the boy who was very close to Norgo, was a genius with excellent computer skills.

After hearing what the other party said, he felt a little weird. It made sense. Those police officers couldn't accept him getting involved in the confrontation with the organization. Hiroki, who was younger than him, naturally couldn't accept it either. That's why they came to him to form an alliance and cooperate... They are still children after all.

/I know that Xiaoguang definitely didn't let you get involved. /

Seeing this, Conan felt a little itchy. As a rational detective, he would not fall for this obvious provocation. He calmly typed a response:

/After all, it’s to protect your safety. You are still a junior high school student./

/I'm already in high school, I skipped a grade. /Hongshu immediately responded: /Now we are both high school students! /

/And Conan, you still look like an elementary school student! /

Conan couldn't help but quickly typed out a response: /But I'm almost an adult!/

/But you still go to Noel to act coquettishly! /

/Don't talk nonsense/

Conan's fingers were flying across the keys, and he stopped walking. He lowered his head and was about to respond to something, but at this moment, another cell phone in his pocket rang. It was the cell phone that belonged to Conan.

Helplessly, he took out another mobile phone and looked at the caller: Ayumi Yoshida.

That should be about the recent adventure activities of the Young Detective Team, Conan thought as he put the phone to his ear, while his other hand did not give up and continued to discuss the topic of age with Hiroki, typing with one hand to continue replying.

"Conan, do you have time now?"

Ayumi's voice came through the connected phone. It was a little loud, and it made Conan's ear, which was unconsciously close to the receiver, buzz for a moment. This made Conan's typing hand pause. He raised his hand and rubbed his ear with the back of his hand and asked, "Yes, what's the matter?"

"Conan, do you have money now?"

Ayumi's voice sounded a little strange, as if she was suppressing some emotion. Conan's expression became serious after hearing this. He ignored Hiroki's message and asked directly, "Where are you now?"

After all, this sentence is too easy to be misunderstood. It sounds like someone being kidnapped and forced by the kidnappers to make a phone call to demand a ransom.

Of course, this idea was quickly dispelled. Not to mention that Ayumi's tone did not sound fearful. If it was really a robbery, they would not ask for ransom from an elementary school student. What's more, the address reported by the other party was a dessert shop. Conan quickly found its information in his brain. It was recommended by Dr. Agasa and the location was a bit remote.

But these days, kidnappers probably wouldn't rob a dessert shop.

Probably not... Thinking of the kidnappers from Tokyo, Conan felt a little uncertain, but then he agreed and said, "It's not far from where I am, I should be able to get there soon."

"That's great, Conan, you must come over quickly, and don't tell anyone else." Ayumi's voice was obviously relieved. In the background there was the sound of Genta and Mitsuhiko arguing, and it sounded like they were arguing about something. In short, it shouldn't be a kidnapping.

Conan heaved a sigh of relief and thought, that's right, there aren't so many dangerous people these days, but in that case he told Hiroki that they would talk about it in the evening, and with the intention of "seeing what these kids have done", he headed to the dessert shop.

This shop was recommended by Professor Agasa. It is said that this is a super delicious dessert shop that was discovered accidentally. However, it is inconvenient for them to come here recently because their diet is supervised by Haibara. So Conan secretly told the location to the Junior Detective Team. Conan, who has been busy organizing related matters recently, only knew that these children should have been there once. Now they go there again to prove that the doctor's evaluation should not be exaggerated.

But they suddenly asked me to go and asked me to bring money. Could it be because Yuan Tai ate too many desserts and couldn't pay the bill?

Conan thought subconsciously, but the children were all quite organized. Genta also had a clear understanding of his appetite. Every time he went to a dessert shop, he would save enough pocket money in advance. Moreover, if it was really because of this reason, they would probably apologize to the owner and call their parents instead of asking him for help.

And the sentence, "Don't tell anyone", is a bit strange. Could it be that they have hidden something else? Until the door of this dessert shop, Conan did not find a more suitable answer.

It is indeed a very remote location. Conan felt helpless looking at the small shop with the word "dessert shop" written on it. Unlike most dessert shops in busy areas that use large bright and transparent glass to display the unique decoration of the store to attract customers, this shop is made of Japanese-style wood. The doors and windows covered by curtains prevent outsiders from peeping. In addition, given its location, only people like Dr. Agasa who often go looking for delicious shops will find it.

"Conan, you're finally here." Ayumi, who had obviously been paying attention to the door, ran out immediately. Behind her, Mitsuhiko and Genta had complicated expressions on their faces. Without waiting for Conan to say anything, they pulled Conan from the left and right and walked into the store.

"What's going on?" Conan couldn't help but ask with dead fish eyes. This posture made him suspect that he was going to be kidnapped, but he heard Ayumi walking in front of him said anxiously:

"He eats too much, and we don't have enough money..."

Who? Eat too much?

Conan was stunned for a moment, but his brain didn't have time to think, because in the next moment, through the curtain of the compartment, he saw a face he hadn't seen for a long time.

Norgo?

There was a man in a black shirt sitting on a Japanese tatami, with a dazzling array of desserts on the table. He had short white hair that almost blended into his sickly white skin, as if his soul, which was about to dissipate, was bound to the world by the dark clothes. The moment Conan came in, he seemed to have noticed something and raised his head. The boy's appearance was reflected in his eyes, which seemed to have been rinsed clean, but it seemed as if he could see through it without leaving any trace. He lowered his head again and carefully dealt with the desserts on the table.

“Kong Ge ate so deliciously that we couldn’t help but order a lot…”

Ayumi said with a guilty tone, then she thought of something and said, "I was originally planning to ask Ai, but she seemed very busy during this time, so I asked you."

Ayumi observed Conan's expression while explaining, and seemed to want to say something but couldn't. Mitsuhiko on the other side also looked like hesitant to speak, but Genta, who was standing behind him, spoke directly:

"Conan, do you know what happened to Kong?"

These kids are not stupid, or rather, they are quite good among their peers. Just as their first reaction was to take the person to a relatively hidden store, they would also realize that something dangerous had happened to the brother they cared about.

Conan did not answer immediately. He just looked at the person in front of him in silence, his brain trying to analyze uncontrollably.

The color of the hair, is it a sequela of the experiment? The coat that was taken off and placed aside looks very dirty, did something happen? And the clothes now... the drawstrings, as speculated, they can't bear to see Kong Ge die, so they try to control him like this...

So disgusting...

Although they were in a dessert shop filled with a sweet aroma, Conan felt an unbearable feeling of nausea, which made him subconsciously take a step back, his expression unconsciously gloomy.

"Conan..."

Ayumi's voice startled the detective, and he looked up to see his friends' concerned expressions. Conan wanted to pretend to smile to comfort them, but he found that he couldn't move the corners of his mouth no matter what, so he could only ask dryly:

"Where did you meet him?"

"I picked it up on the street." Yuan Taiqiang answered first, and Guangyan beside him added: "It's at the intersection next to the Beihua Hospital, not far from this store."

"Although Kong had dyed his hair white, we recognized him right away." Ayumi said as she glanced at the man eating dessert and said, "He didn't say anything, so we dragged him directly to this store."

This is not the children's usual style. Although they like to play with the people in front of them, they will also seriously seek permission. This time, without waiting for the other party's answer, the three of them tacitly pulled the person to this store.

Because at that time, Kong Ge looked... so pitiful, Ayumi thought, she couldn't just leave him alone, otherwise, he would disappear.

"Was there anyone with him at the time?" Conan asked with a frown.

"No," Guangyan said seriously, "I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention before I approached. I also made sure no one was following me on the way."

"That's good......"

Conan heaved a sigh of relief only after his brain ruled out the idea that the organization was fishing through Norco. After all, given the organization's current situation, they would not use their combat power in such a place. So did they sneak out?

Conan looked at the man again with hesitation, and finally spoke softly, "Noel...Brother?"

There was no response to this sentence. It seemed that after Conan was confirmed to be harmless the moment he entered the door, his appeal was far less than that table of desserts. Conan smiled helplessly and swallowed what he wanted to say.

Mitsuhiko hesitated for a moment and said, "Conan, the way Kong is dressed, this should be the drawstrings used in the hospital." Without getting a denial, the boy, who had already made some guesses, continued, "We checked the coat that was taken off, and it has a similar design. Was Kong in the hospital and then escaped?"

This guess is quite reasonable, Conan thought, but he heard Yuanta on the side say in disdain: "What a crappy hospital, Kong brother doesn't look like he's doing well at all!"

As he spoke, he actually pushed the dessert in front of him towards Noel, and his cautious movements were somewhat inconsistent with his body shape.

"So we thought about it and brought him here for dessert," Ayumi whispered, "They don't even let Kong have dessert."

"That's right. Not even a hospital can stop us from eating what we like." Enta responded immediately, which made Conan feel inexplicably relaxed. He looked at Noel who was eating dessert in front of him. He didn't move much but kept stuffing it into his mouth. His puffy cheeks made his face, which had lost a lot of weight, look very soft. His light gray and dull eyes seemed to have some light.

Haven't eaten it for a long time?

Conan was suddenly overwhelmed by an urge to extend this period of time indefinitely, to suppress his rationality, and to just forget everything.

Finally, he spoke as if he had used up all his strength: "I need... I need to make a phone call."