Chapter 117 Resurrection
Although Vermouth sent urgent intelligence, Osiris calmly shared her birthday cake with Conan first.
Conan was unsure whether O'Shea's actions indicated that the matter wasn't extremely urgent, or that the relationship between O'Shea and Vermouth wasn't as close or trusting as rumored, or that O'Shea valued Conan far more than he imagined.
"Brother, who's celebrating my birthday?" Conan asked curiously.
"You'll know when you go see it."
"Huh?"
Conan's heart pounded with nervousness; he had expected to see an old acquaintance. But after following Osiris into a room with a huge electronic screen, and seeing the eyes on the screen that weren't focused on them, he realized this wasn't what he expected: Osiris and Conan could see the imprisoned person through the screen, but the person couldn't see them. Judging from the furnishings of the cell, the person was likely being held somewhere outside the Twilight Villa.
"Dad?!" Conan exclaimed, panicking instantly: Why was he captured by Vermouth? Shouldn't this mission be Gin's? And why did Osiris capture Scotland alive?
A host of questions swirled in the young detective's mind. He didn't know that the head of the Public Security Bureau, Taro Ibe, had surfaced and reached a cooperation agreement with Scotland. He didn't know that Scotland had been "shot" by Gin. He didn't know that Rumi Wakasa and Muga Iori had a duel with Gin and stole Scotland's body. He also didn't know that Scotland and Bourbon had gone to great lengths to plan all of this in order to find him.
All Conan knows is: It's time to test my acting skills!
A mischievous smile flashed across Osiris's face as he handed Conan a microphone and said, "Conan, come and say hello to your dad!"
"What does Osiris want me to say?"
After a moment's thought, the little one picked up the microphone and shouted in a sweet, childish voice, "Daddy, my brother's cake tastes better than yours!"
"What?!" Scotland was stunned and didn't react for a moment. His bewildered face was magnified several times and projected onto the screen. Osiris seemed quite satisfied with this expression and even turned around to give Conan a high-five. He looked just like a naughty child who had successfully played a prank on an adult.
When Scotland realized it really was Conan's voice, she couldn't contain her excitement and asked in a trembling voice, "Conan, is it really you? Are you alright?"
Osiris said smugly, "Scotland, Conan is doing just fine here. You should worry about yourself more!"
The expression on Scotland's face instantly changed from surprise to horror.
"Brother, why did you lock Dad up?"
"Hmph! He only has himself to blame." Osiris's tone suddenly turned cold and ruthless.
Conan seemed startled and asked in a low voice, "Will Dad be locked up forever?"
Osiris sighed softly, a hint of impatience in his expression. Conan knew he shouldn't press him any further about Scotland.
"Conan, I have something to do. You can go out now!"
"Brother, this isn't a restricted area."
Osiris smiled and shook his head, saying, "Then I'll go back to my office."
"No, it's my birthday today. Can you play with me a little longer, brother?" The little detective shook her brother's arm and pleaded softly.
Osiris seemed persuaded and agreed to let Conan stay. He drew an arc in the air with his long, slender, pale fingers, and Scotland disappeared from the screen, replaced by Wakasa Rumi. It seemed she had also been captured and was likely being held in solitary confinement like Scotland.
"Why was Wakasa arrested too?!"
Conan was greatly shocked, but the biggest juicy revelation was yet to come.
Osiris picked up the microphone and said lazily, "Cousin, long time no see! I didn't expect you to still be alive."
"If Wakasa is Osiris's cousin, then her father is his...uncle? His mother's brother?"
Conan already knew that Wakasa and Osiris were related, but he didn't expect them to be so close.
"Shaoyan, I told you I wouldn't be defeated by you so easily."
Osiris frowned slightly: "It seems your memory has been getting worse over the years. Do you need me to remind you of my name?"
"Osiris".
"Very well, it seems you didn't come here to argue with me today."
“Osiris, I have never initiated an argument with you.” Wakasa emphasized the word “initiated”.
Osiris sneered, "Yeah, because you can never win an argument with me, so you always prefer to use your fists! But unfortunately, now your fists have no use."
The little detective's gaze darted between the two, his little head filled with great doubt.
For a long time, he had viewed Wakasa as the vulnerable party persecuted by the organization, and he found it hard to imagine the scene of the strong and powerful Wakasa beating up a little child. Even if we go back 20 years, the image would still be too jarring.
"Brother, did that woman really hit you?"
“Ha! I’m not stupid enough to let her hit me!” Osiris replied dismissively.
"So you were threatened with violence when you were very young, right?"
Conan suddenly realized that his father's earlier speculation that Oshiris had a tragic childhood wasn't so unbelievable after all. After all, with Oshiris's small frame, one punch from Wakasa would probably cripple him. Conan was curious: why was Oshiris beaten? Was he also a troublesome child who caused adults a lot of headaches?
"Cousin, I've heard that you've had quite a close relationship with Scotland over the years."
"It's so-so," Wakasa replied dismissively.
"Is that all? If it were just a normal relationship, there would be no need to go to such lengths to retrieve a body, would there? Moreover, you did the same thing twice... This makes one wonder if there is some unspeakable secret between you and Scotland?"
"Just ordinary friends." Wakasa said indifferently.
"Really? I don't believe it." That tone made one's imagination run wild.
"Believe it or not, only people with filthy minds are full of vulgar thoughts."
Osiris roared, "Me, filthy? It's you adults who are disgusting! You're just like your father at heart, you're the ones who are vile!"
"You adults? So, the motive for Osiris killing Mr. Karasuma 20 years ago was that romance?"
The young detective, who was watching the cousins argue, wondered but still had a question: What is the root of Osiris's hatred of "sex"?
Wakasa was hit where it hurt: "Enough! Osiris, I know you killed my father, and you've been covering it up for all these years!"
"Do you want Dad to come back?"
"I don't believe your nonsense! All that talk about coming back from the dead is just a bluff!"
"So, you don't want Dad to come back?" Osiris squinted, scrutinizing the other's expression, and asked slowly, enunciating each word clearly. "Or... do you want to do it yourself?"
In an instant, Conan understood everything: what exactly Scotland's desperate plan was trying to achieve.
Twenty years ago, Osiris used a biblical story to justify his legitimacy: the murdered boss sacrificed himself for a grand plan, but one day the boss would return.
However, the boss's daughter, Rumi Wakasa, mastered this mysterious ability—resurrection—before Osiris. Furthermore, she had already conducted two successful experiments on Scotland, one three and a half years ago, and the other after he arrived at the Twilight Villa, where Scotland "died" again.
If one instance was merely an accidental mistake, then two would inevitably raise Osiris's serious concerns. This was the mysterious power he so desperately desired, and moreover, it could severely threaten his legitimacy.
“Osiris, you can’t beat me this time. In the game with death, you’re always the loser.”
"What game is it?" the little detective suddenly asked excitedly.
Caught off guard, Osiris didn't have time to disconnect before Wakasa overheard her question. She asked, puzzled, "Conan, is that you?"
Seeing that Osiris didn't seem to mind and even seemed inclined to watch the show, Conan grew bolder and replied, "It's me! I've seen your father, but he's not coming back because he's dead."
Wakasa said firmly yet gently, "Conan, my father will come back, just like your father is still alive and well."
"My father is still alive because he never died!"
"That's not true. He died twice, but I brought him back to life."
"Do you know magic, or witchcraft?"
"Neither."
Tell me!
"It's a secret."
"Not telling the truth is a lie!"
Osiris interjected, "Two options: First, remain silent and die now; second, speak out and your lifespan depends on the answer."
Wakasa stubbornly replied, "I can't tell you the specific details, but I can say that I have been enlightened: life and death are a unity of opposites, a highly harmonious whole."
"Conan, do you believe her?"
"Um... I want to ask Dad, did he really die?"
Osiris readily granted Conan's request, and Scotland reappeared on the screen.
"Dad, how many times have you died?" the young detective asked bluntly, leaving Scotland a little confused. He couldn't see the person asking the question, nor could he see Wakasa, who had been captured with him. He couldn't help but worry: What exactly is going on with Conan?
Why ask that?
Tell me!
“Don’t worry, Dad is perfectly fine,” Scotland replied with a smile.
Osiris studied the father and son with amusement and asked, "Conan, who do you think is telling the truth?"
"Dad must be lying. If he really hadn't died, he wouldn't have asked me why I was asking that question; he would have just admitted it openly. Asking the wrong question just means he's hiding something!"
"So, you think Wakasa is saying...?"
"Liar!" Conan interrupted before the other person could finish speaking.
Osiris was quite surprised: "Why? If you think Scotland is lying, then what Wakasa is saying must be the truth, right? Otherwise, how did Scotland survive?"
"I don't know how Dad survived, but he certainly wasn't saved by that woman. How can life and death be a perfectly harmonious whole? They're not harmonious at all! Death is cold and cruel, while life is full of vitality and hope. They're like two poles, opposing but not unified. She's definitely lying!" The little detective rambled on and on with his analysis.
Osiris gave a bitter smile and said softly, "Is that so? I think she's telling the truth..."
"Huh? How come you can't even see through such an obvious lie, brother?"
Osiris stared at Conan silently for a long time, so long that Conan began to wonder if Osiris had seen through the truth. Finally, the shimmering moonlight began to flow again, and she smiled gently, saying, "Let's just treat this as a game. I said, you play white, I'll play black. Since you think she's lying, then I'll bet that she really does have the ability to bring the dead back to life. How about it?"
"I couldn't be happier; I've been waiting for you to fall into my trap!"
Osiris then gave Wakasa a task: to revive a dead rat within three days.
"Let's start with the simplest question and see what you're really capable of!"
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