Conan: The Man Behind the Romance

Chapter 349: Childhood sweethearts, now strangers when they meet again!
The first person to rush in was a little child. When he saw the two people sitting opposite each other in the living room, covered in blood, his pupils instantly shrank to the size of a needle tip.

"Suigetsu!"

He shouted and was about to rush over there, but as soon as he took a step, he flew up into the air.

"Don't move, raise your hand!"

Kuroba Kaito threw Conan behind him, holding a police revolver in his hand, aiming at Gin on the sofa.

He was much taller than Conan and had a wider field of vision. He could see at a glance the hideous wound on Hotaru's neck and the blood gushing from his chest.

Is this person still alive?
Officer Hoshino also ran in quickly, followed by Megure Jusan who was walking on a crutch. When they saw the scene in the living room, their faces suddenly changed and they immediately raised their guns and aimed at Gin.

However, no matter how they shouted, Gin just stared at Hotaru without any movement.

The alarm in the living room was extremely sharp. The flashing dial was obviously not large, but it dyed the entire living room bright red.

The bright red color was like the blood gushing out of a firefly's chest, reflecting the crystal sunlight, flickering.

"He's not dead yet." Gin suddenly spoke.

As he finished speaking, the sharp alarm sound suddenly became gentler, like the tide receding, and then quickly disappeared.

Conan and the others noticed that the color of the bracelet dial on Hotaru's left wrist changed from bright red to orange, then to yellow and green.

The unclear number on it also decreased rapidly from 100, and finally stopped at 49. It did not jump for five seconds and the dial went out.

"Who are you?" asked Kuroba Kaito.

"You should have heard of the organization's code name, Gin." Gin tilted his head and looked at Kuroba Kaito, "I was the one who shot you in the shoulder, Detective. A lot of things happened this week. Do you hate me for ruining your and Vermouth's good things? I apologize."

Kuroba Kaito didn't know that "he" had been shot, but he had indeed heard the name Gin from Conan. Knowing that he was a member of the brewery, his eyes suddenly became sharp.

"Put your hands up and get out of there slowly. What did you do to Suigetsu?"

"I just asked him some questions, but it turned out like this. I didn't expect it to turn out like this."

Gin slowly raised his hand and looked outside the balcony. The lush green leaves of wisteria were dancing in the wind, and there was no one in front of the leaves.

"Where's Mao Lilan?" he asked.

"Go around the coffee table, come to the open space, and squat down with your hands behind your head!" Megure Jusan shouted coldly.

"Did she jump from the balcony to the next floor? Or did she jump to the next door?" Gin continued to ask.

"What, do you still want to pursue her?" asked Kuroba Kaito.

"That's not the case. I just suddenly thought of something. Fireflies... Fireflies..."

Gin murmured, walked to the open space, glanced at the opposite building through the gaps in the wisteria, then turned back and looked at Hotaru with a complicated look in his eyes, but soon returned to silence.

"That's amazing, you guy."

"Put your hands on your head and squat down!" Megure Jusan continued to scold.

Gin followed suit and slowly squatted down.

It was the first time for Conan and the other three to face Gin. They didn't know what kind of existence they were facing, and they subconsciously felt relieved when they saw this.

The next moment, gunshots rang out.

"Get out of the way!!"

Kuroba Kaito was a very good magician with excellent eyesight, but Gin's speed in drawing his gun was so fast that even he only saw an afterimage. He subconsciously shouted and fired, but did not hit him at all.

In contrast to him, Gin’s shooting was fast and accurate. With just the first shot, puff!
Hit Hoshino right between the eyebrows!

Gin's body flashed and he dodged a bullet. Just as he was about to pull the trigger for the second time, he suddenly felt a subtle touch in his heart. He frowned and took a last look at the unconscious Hotaru, then turned and ran.

Click click click——!
The glass door that had been hit by a bullet shattered suddenly, and in the crystal clear sky, a bullet accurately hit Gin's back!
Gin staggered slightly and threw a grenade into the living room.

Megure Jusan hurriedly pulled Conan away, Kuroba Kaito's face changed, he reached to his waist with his left hand and took out a playing card gun, shot out a grappling hook and a grenade and rushed towards Gin's back!

Conan, who was just a bystander, looked up with a bright look in his eyes, thinking that Gin would suffer the consequences and die without a complete body!
Gin ignored the grenade, dodged the grappling hook, raised his hand to grab it, and leaped out of the balcony fence!
The grenade didn't explode!

A huge force was transmitted from the grappling hook, and Kuroba Kaito was suddenly pulled forward. He immediately pressed the trigger to retract the grappling hook.

But the recovery speed was obviously insufficient, and he was still pulled toward the balcony.

Megure Jusan threw away his crutches, leaped towards Kuroba Kaito, and grabbed his legs tightly.

Conan followed closely behind and hugged Megure Jusan's leg.

"Let go!" Conan yelled.

"Don't let go!" Kuroba Kaito gripped the gun handle tightly.

With a loud "bang", Kuroba Kaito controlled his body, avoided his head, and hit the wooden box filled with soil under the wisteria trellis with his shoulder.

The hook was stretched to its limit in an instant, and then quickly retracted the next second, hitting the muzzle of the gun with such force that blood gushed out of the knuckles of Kuroba Kaito's hands.

Conan rushed to the balcony, stuck his head through the gap in the railing and looked down.

All I saw was a row of balconies, all peaceful and calm, while below, the traffic was still as busy as before.

When he wanted to take a closer look, he felt a strong force coming from behind and was pulled out roughly.

"What are you doing? I..."

Bang-!
Megure Jusan punched Conan hard on the head, his face red with anger.

"Conan! You're looking for death! What did you tell me before? What did you promise your parents? Have you forgotten everything?"

"I……"

Conan opened his mouth, and caught a glimpse of the body of Officer Hoshino lying in the living room out of the corner of his eye. His eyes dimmed instantly and he slowly lowered his head.

"Sorry, there won't be a next time."

After receiving the call from Yingsheng and questioning the police officer who was on surveillance in the building opposite Ian's apartment, they thought the matter would not be too serious and focused on questioning.

result……

Conan clenched his fists and once again felt the powerlessness brought by this young body.

If I could be of use, even if I could only contribute a little, wouldn't the situation be different?
Wouldn’t that mean no one would die?
Kaito Kuroba picked up the grenade on the ground, looked at it for a few seconds, and handed it to Megure Jusan.

“There was no insurance at all.”

"What's going on? Did he guess that you, Brother Kudo, can fight it back?" Megure Jusan frowned.

"No, I guess he didn't intend to kill us all at that time." Kuroba Kaito said bitterly, "With his marksmanship, it wouldn't be difficult for him to keep all of us here. He was also wearing a bulletproof vest, so we were definitely no match for him."

Megure Jusan was silent for a moment, his knuckles turned white, his nails dug into the flesh of his palms, and blood oozed out.

It is so sad that the three of them were able to survive only because of the mercy of the enemy!
"The person who called the police before was Shuiyue. He said the shooting happened downstairs. We were deceived."

Conan suddenly spoke.

He believed that the death of Officer Hoshino was also related to Hotaru. If it weren't for this incident that led them to misjudge, the police would have been able to mobilize far more forces than this.

"I guess he was coerced."

Kaito Kuroba put away his gun, walked to the coffee table, pulled out a tissue, covered his bleeding knuckles, and looked up and down at the injuries on Yingsheng's body.

"I don't think anyone would go to such lengths to inflict pain on themselves. And what's the purpose? He can't be sure when we'll come."

Megure Juzo also glanced at Hotaru and immediately called an ambulance. He also asked his subordinates who were waiting downstairs to ask the administrator to shut down the elevator and closely monitor the fire escape exit.

Although Gin's shooting skills are very accurate, Megure Jusan really doesn't believe that he can even avoid blocking the exit.

Moreover, those police officers would not stand stupidly in front of the exit, but would stand on the side. Gin would not even have any vision, so how could he possibly fight back?

"Call Sister Xiaolan and tell her that it's safe here. Ask her to come over and tell us what happened here before." Conan said.

Kuroba Kaito nodded, went out to the door of 2601, and knocked gently, "Xiaolan, this is Kudo Shinichi, Gin has already run away, everything is fine over there."

After a while, Xiaolan's voice came from inside the door:
"Verify that you are who you say you are."

Kuroba Kaito took a step back, squinted at Cat's Eye, and raised his two empty hands to wave.

After a while, Xiaolan opened the door and came out, with a look of shock on her face. She looked towards the open door of 2602, her eyes full of worry, but she didn't dare to take a step.

"Hina...how is he?"

"He's injured, but his life isn't in danger. Don't worry. Officer Megure has already called an ambulance." Kuroba Kaito asked, "What happened over there?"

Xiaolan's expression relaxed a little when she heard that, and she went to the living room of Room 2602. However, when she saw the injuries on Yingsheng's body, her body trembled again.

Kuroba Kaito, who followed closely, quickly reached out to help.

But Xiaolan was not exhausted after all. She waved her hand to push him away, took a few steps towards Yingsheng with a complicated look in her eyes.

"Hina told me at the time that this was a matter between him and the organization, and asked me not to get involved. Gin also said that he was just asking some questions and that Hotaru would be fine. I didn't expect that..."

"Why did you jump from the balcony to the next door? This is the 26th floor, it's very dangerous." Kuroba Kaito asked, "Did something happen in the living room at that time?"

"Not the living room, but across the street."

Xiaolan looked back at Megure Jusan and saw that he looked confused. His expression changed slightly, and he lowered his body and pulled Yingsheng's wheelchair as far away from the balcony as possible.

Conan reacted instantly and exclaimed in shock: "There's a sniper in the building opposite!"

He was the shortest and most of his body was blocked by the sofa, so he didn't have to worry about being sniped.

Megure Jusan also quickly lowered his body.

Kuroba Kaito shot a grappling hook at the curtains, and with a pull and a retraction, the thick curtains completely blocked out the bright sunlight.

Xiaolan glanced at the grappling hook and said nothing. She just secured Yingsheng's wheelchair, picked up the medical box on the coffee table, and gave him simple treatment.

"I was cleaning up the broken pieces of a teacup on the balcony. When I was walking to the edge of the fence, a red dot hit my eye. I closed the glass door behind me myself. I didn't have time to go back, so I jumped to the balcony next door in a hurry.

I shouted to Hotaru and Gin that there was a sniper, but they ignored me. I went around to the corridor from next door and knocked on this door, but they didn't respond either.

Not long after, the alarm sounded in the room. I was about to knock on the door, but Ying told me to leave quickly. I thought it was a bomb, so I went back to the next door. Then I heard gunshots. It was you who came. "

Everyone was silent after hearing this.

Conan suddenly said, "Sister Xiaolan thought it was a bomb, so she left without looking back?"

"What else? Am I going to come here and die?"

Xiaolan's voice was cold.

Conan frowned, "Prove that you are the real Xiaolan. I suspect you are in disguise."

Xiaolan pulled her cheek with great force, and her cheek turned red after she let go, but she remained expressionless.

"Conan-kun, do you think I'm cold-blooded? Do you think my heart doesn't hurt? But impulse can't solve any problems, it will only cause unnecessary sacrifices."

Conan was silent. After seeing the body of Officer Hoshino on the ground, he asked in a deep voice: "Why didn't you call the police?"

"Because I think that when the police come, Hotaru's situation will be more dangerous, and the police's situation will also be more dangerous, which is not good for everyone."

Xiaolan also looked at the body of Officer Hoshino and said nothing, but everyone understood what she meant.

The facts are here.

Kuroba Kaito asked, "According to you, Xiaolan, Suigetsu told us that the shooting happened downstairs to protect us?"

Xiaolan nodded, "I was in the bedroom at the time, so I don't know the details of the shooting, but it seems to be just an accident. When Hotaru made that call, it was obvious that he didn't want you to come over. Gin is here, and he is a dangerous person."

"Sister Xiaolan, do you know a lot about the organization?" Conan asked.

"Hina told me a lot about the research institute. She also told you, right?" Xiaolan said in a low voice, "I overheard a little bit. Gin came here for this matter, and he suspected that Shirley's disappearance was related to him."

"This……"

Megure Jusan suddenly felt a little guilty. It was he and his younger brother who forced Hotaru to be born. For a dark organization like the winery, betrayal is undoubtedly a serious crime punishable by death.

But the point is not here. The main point is that he did not realize that the Sato Miwako next to him was a fake, which led to the process of Hotaru's betrayal... no, the process of turning from darkness to light, which was known to the other party throughout.

The police did not do a good job of keeping the identity of the "rebellious personnel" confidential, which was an extremely serious dereliction of duty!
Not only did the police fail to protect Yingsheng these days, but they also had various suspicions about him. If he dies at the hands of the winery, the police will undoubtedly have an unshirkable responsibility!
"Don't worry about that."

Xiaolan roughly guessed what Megure Jusan was thinking, and said calmly: "Hina is not a purely good person. If he died, it was only his own fault, and it has nothing to do with the police."

Conan frowned even more tightly and opened his mouth to speak, but Kuroba Kaito stopped him with a squinting look. He was just angry in his heart.

He didn't understand. Xiaolan was kind and gentle in the past, why did she suddenly become like this?

However, as Xiaolan analyzed the course of events for them with clear logic and organization, searched for clues, and followed the medical staff downstairs with Hotaru in her arms, Conan looked at her determined back and finally had a glimmer of enlightenment in his heart.

One cannot have it all.

If it were the old Xiaolan, faced with this situation, she would probably be completely panicked and at a loss, and apart from calling the police, she would be unable to help in any way, and might even hold him back.

But now, she has grown up.

She is more stable than him, able to analyze the situation calmly and make rational judgments. She can handle any complex situation on her own.

He is the one who has always been immature.

It was he who turned into a child!
Conan's eyes were filled with regret. The Xiaolan of the past was no longer there. After all, he couldn't have his cake and eat it too.
But he suddenly thought of Xiaolan's performance in Ward 414 yesterday afternoon. She was still as youthful, lively and enthusiastic as ever, so...

Is it just because the people you meet are different?
Snapped--!
Suddenly a hand pressed on his shoulder, and Conan looked up.

Kuroba Kaito sighed softly, "Ms. Ran is such an excellent girl, Conan. I don't know how you treated her before, but it feels like you missed something."

It seems that I should also take this as a warning.

I'll call Aoko later and have a good chat with her. It won't do to just send her a perfunctory email like I did this morning.

Conan slapped his hand away, "I suspect Xiaolan has been brought by Suigetsu to join the winery. It's not a good thing for her to be like this. Maybe she has become a bad person and has blood on her hands."

Kuroba Kaito raised an eyebrow, "Are you being stubborn and not sincere?"

"certainly not."

"Well, I don't know her, so if you say it's possible, then it's possible. But that doesn't mean anything. Any accusation requires evidence, and you should understand that very well."

Conan said nothing and looked at the evidence bag in Megure Jusan's hand. Inside was a blood-stained fruit knife that he had just pulled out from the shoe cabinet with great effort.

The police officers who came to support conducted a comprehensive search of the house, but just like the day before, they still found nothing.

The only thing worth noting is that there is an extra set of toiletries in the bathroom and a lot more women's clothing in the cloakroom, and the style is relatively simple, not as gorgeous and expensive as most of the previous women's clothing.

On the balcony of the master bedroom, bed sheets and underwear were hung to dry, as well as two sets of Teitan High School's blue uniforms.

One set for men and one set for women.

All these signs indicate that what Yingsheng and Xiaolan said in the hospital yesterday was not false, they are really living together.

And what should be done has been done.

Kuroba Kaito didn't feel much about this. Although he himself had never thought about such a thing, there were many couples in the class who enjoyed the forbidden fruit.

After all, it's other people's business.

Thinking about what happened yesterday, Kuroba Kaito looked at Conan.

Conan slowly lowered his head and said in a dull voice, "In other words, their behavior towards us in the hospital yesterday was indeed all a test."

"Your identity should be confirmed, right?"

Kuroba Kaito did not give a direct answer, but his inclination was obvious. He hoped that Xiaolan was a good person, but since the person who knew her best thought so, he, as a latecomer, naturally would not raise any objection.

"It's almost done. My mom is going through the procedures to register the illegitimate child. It's quite troublesome."

Conan sighed.

I really want to grow bigger again, but unfortunately there is no way.

A moment later, as the police car was on its way to the Beihua Central Hospital, the fingerprint identification results on the fruit knife came out, and it was not from either Xiaolan or Yingsheng.

"Then it could be Gin's. Keep it in the collection. When you encounter a serious case in the future, compare it first."

Megure Jusan ordered in a deep voice.

He had just hung up the phone when he received a call from his boss, Matsumoto Kiyonaga, who asked him why he was still investigating the case, which resulted in the death of a police officer.

"Megure, do you know how many people have been sacrificed in the recent search of the three systems? Hoshino has only been there for less than a week!"

Megure Juzo remained silent. He was also deeply saddened by Hoshino's sacrifice.

But things have come to this, and he has the lives of so many colleagues on his shoulders, so he can't let go easily.

"This time I wasn't investigating privately. Someone called the police and I ran into the murderer by accident..."

Megure Juzo gave his superior a general report of what happened. Although Hotaru reported the shooting location to the police as being on the 25th floor, they did not even go to the scene. It made sense for them to ask the person who called the police first.

"You take care of yourself."

Finally, Matsumoto Kiyonaga was silent for a moment, and after saying this, he hung up the phone.

Megure Jusan rubbed his eyebrows, sighed, closed his eyes, and remained silent all the way.

At 3:30 in the afternoon, the red light above the emergency room turned green, and the doctor came out to tell everyone waiting in the corridor that Yingsheng's vital signs were normal and there was no need to worry.

"Two ribs on the heart were broken, and there was an obvious blade notch. The heart muscle was injured, but fortunately it did not pierce the atrium. It is difficult for us to recover the Adam's apple through surgery. The patient's voice may be a little different after waking up, but it is not certain. It still depends on his body's ability to regulate itself."

Everyone felt relieved.

Conan asked hurriedly: "When will he wake up?"

"After general anesthesia, it will be around 6pm. However, his trachea was damaged and his body was deprived of oxygen for a while, so he may wake up a little later."

"Is there something wrong with my brain?" Xiaolan asked.

"I'm not sure, but Miss, you helped him close the throat injury in time, and the brain was deprived of oxygen for a short time, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Thank you."

Only then did Xiaolan feel completely relieved.

At 6:15 in the afternoon, Yingsheng's eyelashes on the hospital bed trembled slightly. Before he regained consciousness, he heard a gentle voice in his ears.

"Don't open your eyes so quickly, Ying, take your time."

Yingsheng's lips curled up slightly, and just as he was about to speak, he heard:

"Don't talk either. Your Adam's apple is injured, and even a slight vibration will affect recovery. I don't want your voice to become unpleasant in the future, especially when you call my name."

Yingsheng slowly opened his eyes, his eyes full of tenderness.

Naturally he didn't say anything.

Then, the ward fell silent.

In another ward, Conan, who was eavesdropping, frowned, "Did Xiaolan discover the bug we installed? She deliberately prevented Suigetsu from speaking."

Kuroba Kaito and Megure Jusan looked at each other and shook their heads, both thinking that Conan was simply possessed.

I thought: Could it be that he was upset because Xiaolan and Mizuki Hotaru were living together?

In the original ward, Xiaolan leaned over to Yingsheng's ear and whispered, "Ying, you are really bold. You use the self-torture trick to this extent. I am scared."

Yingsheng held Xiaolan's hand and slowly wrote a few words on her palm:

"God bless you."

Xiaolan raised her eyebrows slightly and was about to speak again when her cell phone rang.

When I took it out, it was gin.

(End of this chapter)