Chapter 185 Forty-one Vigilantes

Wuming had already found this place a long time ago. He and Asa had a useless tacit understanding, so he knew that Asa's target was Conan, and he also knew that Asa would not stop him from finding his child.

So when escaping from the abandoned factory, Wuming first confirmed that the police had begun to deal with their subordinates and the scattered hostages inside, then he opened the positioning device hidden in Conan's uniform and followed the clues to find this place.

He could have interrupted Asa before he told Conan the story, so that he could always remain in Conan's mind as a bright, silent knight.

But he didn't. He stood there and listened silently to the truth from Asa's perspective.

Wuming actually knew that Asa approached him on purpose, but as Asa said, he could not refuse even if it was love with a purpose. After all, Asa was the only one willing to give him this love at that time. It was like poison to him, and he would rather drink poison to quench his thirst.

Similarly, just like what Asa said when they met again ten years later, Wuming knew that he was responsible for Tokyo becoming like this, so all the things he had been doing had only the simplest purpose.

atonement.

He is saving this city of sin, and at the same time, he is saving himself, who has left no trace of his existence in this world.

Wuming had already prepared to tell Conan about his past one day in the future. He would not keep it a secret from the child for his entire life, and the reason was very simple.

"No, D wouldn't do that."

Wuming walked in from outside and looked at Asa, and said without hesitation: "Because we are partners."

The first lesson in partner training: Never doubt whether your partner will believe you.

From Asa's angle, he can see the changes in Wuming and Conan's expressions at the same time. The former has a firm look, and the latter's eyes are shockingly bright - ha, well, the vigilantes are all happy, and the only one who is sad is brother Asa?

The red-haired young man pursed his lips, revealing a hurt expression: "Oh my God, it really makes me sad that you say that. Is it possible that the feelings that Brother Asa has for you are not as strong as those for a fresh little bird?"

Conan found that Wuming's expression was very subtle, as if he had eaten a fly - Asa was very successful, at least he really hated Wuming.

"No, we don't have that kind of thing." Wuming said solemnly, and at the same time, his fist hit Asa's side without stopping.

Conan was ready to rush over to help, but after watching from the sidelines for a while, he sat back on the ground.

Then he began to put his hands together, hoping that Wuming would remember to leave Asa with a breath.

There was no way, he actually wanted to take advantage of the situation and throw a few punches, but it seemed that Wuming, who had learned the truth of ten years ago, was not as calm as he seemed, and he was also very angry that Asa attacked his partner.

Anyway, Asa tried to resist with his excellent physical skills at first, but his expression became more and more serene as time went on, as if he started to lose control after being beaten to a pulp by the angry vigilante.

"You can leave now. The Metropolitan Police Department is outside." Conan heard the voice of Rei Furuya in the headset without any surprise. "I'll take care of the surveillance... OK, tell Wuming to stop fighting, let's go."

Conan heard that there was something wrong with Furuya Rei's tone, so he tactfully repeated the words to Wuming, and the young vigilante immediately stopped his actions.

"I understand." Wuming nodded. It was impossible to tell whether he was still angry or not. He kept a calm expression and handcuffed Asa with special handcuffs - both his hands and feet. Just in case, he injected Asa with a tube of anesthetic.

Asa closed his green eyes, but there was a smile on his wolf face, the same smile that made Conan shudder.

Strange, does Asa have a backup plan? What is wrong...

Conan's thoughts were interrupted by Wuming's call. They exchanged glances and evacuated together before the police arrived.

Forget it. Anyway, Asa will be locked up and awaiting trial after this time, so he shouldn't cause any big trouble.

—

A certain McDonald's in the port area once again welcomed two figures, one tall and one short, but this time both of them were wearing uniforms. Although Wuming's cloak was not damaged in the explosion because it was made of special material, it was inevitably stained with dust, and the same was true for Conan's uniform.

So when the cashier saw two vigilantes who looked like they had just finished their night patrol standing in front of him, he fell into deep thought for a moment.

This time she recognized that the person who came to buy things was Wuming himself, but why was there a child next to Wuming? Could this be the partner 'D' that Wuming mentioned in the live broadcast? Wow, it's actually an elementary school student! But is it a crime to bring an elementary school student around to enforce the law?

Conan could see what the cashier was thinking, but he was pretending not to.

It doesn’t matter, Wuming is a minor anyway, so it’s not a crime...!

Ten minutes later, the two ran to the top of the tallest container in the port, enjoying the breeze and the night view while eating a freshly cooked McDonald's takeaway meal.

Wuming sat quietly beside Conan, just like the first time they had a patient conversation, while Conan held a milkshake in his left hand and a hot burger in his right hand.

"Let's talk." Wuming took off his mask and drank a sip of milkshake. Then he said to Conan in a steady voice, "If you want to know anything, I will answer it."

Conan took a big bite of the burger, and Wuming watched and inexplicably felt that he was transferring his anger towards Asa to the burger.

"Is what Asa said true?" Conan calmed down and then looked at his mentor and asked.

"Yes, I used to be a killer of the organization..." / "You were also killed once, right?"

The two sentences with completely different contents collided with each other, and the two people fell silent at the same time.

Conan glanced at Wuming hesitantly.

Took another look.

Wuming still sat there with a solemn and serious look on his face, looking so taciturn and so calm...if Wuming's hand holding the milkshake bottle hadn't almost crushed the plastic cup.

Conan realized: As expected, Wuming is still very much in his previous identity, right?

He also put aside his original doubts a little and thought about how to tell Wuming.

"A lot of new stores have opened in the port area." Conan brought up a topic that seemed unrelated to the current situation. He shook his legs and said, "I saw it on the way here. There was no big fight, but there were quite a few people walking around outside."

In Tokyo in the past, this would have been almost impossible. The dangers at night took away the right of Tokyo residents to enjoy the wonderful night activities of the past. In order to save their lives, few ordinary people dared to go out on the streets in the middle of the night.

There have been new and strange changes in the port area, and Conan knows why.

"Because two months ago, you wiped out all the gangs in the port area, and let the Akae Group and the Suzuki Group reach a cooperation and stationed in the port area for regulation." Conan concluded, "You are trying to change Tokyo back to its original appearance, and it has even begun to show results. The port area is an example."

"so……"

Conan looked up at his mentor with his round blue eyes without blinking: "You were once controlled by the organization and became a killer under brainwashing. You didn't want to do that. You are obviously a victim. Neither I nor Asa have the qualifications to judge your mistakes. Besides, it was not a mistake you wanted to make."

Even if we have to talk about this... not to mention that Wuming was brainwashed and controlled in the past, the people killed in the missions that the organization needed him to carry out were probably people with dirty hands.

Just talking about Wuming's age, he was still a definite minor. Even the current law cannot judge Wuming at that time.

And...the number of people Wuming saved is already greater than the number of people he killed unconsciously.

The detective, who valued life, curled his fingers uncomfortably, then mustered up the courage to grab Wuming's hand.

He said seriously: "Assa told me before that he told you ten years ago that 'the one who made the mistake was obviously the one who didn't know how to use a knife'. I think this statement is wrong."

Conan felt his clenched hand tremble, and only at this moment did he realize that his mentor was just a 17-year-old boy, the same age as himself.

"You won't bring misfortune to others. Aren't Mr. Zero and I living proof of this? Although there may be some minor setbacks, you see, we are alive and well." Conan stared at Wuming's eyes hidden under the black beautiful pupils with bright eyes, "Even if we really encounter danger, even if we can't escape by our own strength, you will find us. Every time, isn't it?"

Conan finally understood why he felt that Asa's words of comfort to the boy were strange. He hesitated for two seconds and told Wuming: "Besides, you are not a sword."

He became more and more determined as he spoke.

"You are Wuming, you are Chijiang Nayue, and you are also my mentor and friend." The little detective smiled, "You are a person, but you are not 'Dao'."

Asa would tell Wuming that it’s not the knife’s fault that it’s too sharp; Karasuma Renya would tell Wuming that you are the best knife I have ever carved; Rum would tell Wuming that the knife that stabs its master has no necessity to exist.

Only Conan can tell Wuming that you are a person with a free soul. You are not a weapon in anyone's hands, and you don't need to live for anyone or anything.

Similarly, defending the city can be your ideal, but it cannot be your responsibility, because you are just a person, nameless. It is the stupidest behavior to atone for sin by oppressing yourself and saving others.

Wuming was speechless for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was soft and hoarse: "I thought you would not be able to accept this, because I am not a good person. These hands will save people not for some lofty ideal, but just for atonement."

"From the day I was resurrected ten years later, I knew..."

“Man lives to redeem himself.”

Because Wuming usually behaves so maturely, no one noticed this problem.

What was Wuming thinking when he died ten years ago and resurrected ten years later? How did this 17-year-old boy think of himself who brought disaster to others?

Everyone thinks that Wuming is their salvation, but if that’s the case, who can save Wuming?

Conan knew the answer. This person was neither him nor Toru Amuro.

——The only one who can redeem Wuming is Wuming himself.

"Of course I can accept this. Why not?" The young detective raised his fist to Wuming and said as a matter of course, "Because we are partners."

Wuming glanced at the slender wrist of the child in front of him, and with a sense of relief, he stretched out his hand and clenched his fist. The two fists, one big and one small, touched lightly in the air, and the moon seemed to witness this beautiful moment.

"Yes, we are partners." Wuming pursed his lips and tried to smile at Conan.

The latter looked at his mentor with great enthusiasm, then lowered his head to take another bite of the burger, so Conan didn't see it.

The boy's eyes, which were covered by contact lenses, turned green for a moment.