The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 240 Heiji Hattori decides to keep Yusaku's death a secret from Conan
They turned the corner, walked through the corridor that was now filled with light due to the fallen plasterboard, and arrived at the door of the infirmary. Two guards stood at attention and saluted Imogen and Kogoro Mori.

Kogoro Mouri stepped aside.

Then, he watched as Inspector Megure led the officers out in single file, and watched as Kento Oi, dejected, walked towards the port entrance under the escort of two officers and a squad of GSSRA soldiers.

At the dock, the busy forensic doctors and prosecutors looked like they were buying fish at a market. They approached the swollen "fish" like black bears, examining the wounds on the corpses.

What had just happened in the infirmary seemed like a drama that no one paid attention to.

Kogoro Mouri looked up at the sky. The sun had already hidden behind thick clouds. The weather by the sea was so unpredictable. The clouds seemed to be getting gloomy at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The damp sea breeze carried a putrid smell, and Kogoro Mouri suspected that it was the odor emanating from the seemingly moldy, dark sea. He stroked his beard.

"Looks like it's going to rain. But surprisingly, there isn't a single seabird in sight."

"The shadow of a seabird?"

Imogen also looked up at the sky; as a soldier, his focus was not the same as Kogoro Mouri's.

His expression quickly turned serious, and he took out his communicator.

"Have the bodies arranged properly at the dock immediately! Also, notify command that it might rain, and considering the weather, we need more support at the dock!"

With a hint of worry in his eyes, he turned to Kogoro Mouri and apologized.

“Mr. Maori, I still have official duties to attend to. I need to report to Lieutenant General Byron about the route adjustments of the dock patrol team and the search of suspicious persons along the coastline.”

"Since Mr. Heiji is with you, I'll take my leave."

"At the same time, please convey to Mr. Heiji that the Asia-Pacific Command and the Maritime Security Force are very willing to cooperate with BIDUT."

"We will share all the findings we made today with BIDUT as a way of showing our sincerity and as a token of our gratitude for your help."

“I hope we will have the opportunity to work together again,” Imogen extended his hand and shook hands firmly with Kogoro Mouri. His voice was sincere. “Human society needs detectives like you with keen insight and judgment right now.”

Before Kogoro Mouri could even try to stop him, the officer who had just been chatting happily with him had already vanished from his sight.

Walking briskly to the center of the road, Imogen waved, and a military vehicle that was already parked nearby drove over. As he got into the vehicle, the driver immediately followed his orders and drove the car toward the command post in the distance.

The officer's serious demeanor dampened Kogoro Mouri's slight joy at solving the case, and he even began to try to recall the details of his experience when he solved the case.

Details about his "second personality," and about hearing another voice from his direction when he was "drunk."

"Mr. Mori!" Heiji Hattori, having finished sharing secret information with Conan, stepped out of the doorway. "Let me take you out! Imogen just contacted me!"

Kogoro Mouri turned around and saw Conan, that brat, with a thoughtful expression on his face, following behind Heiji Hattori.

This detective kid, it seems he suddenly disappeared at the clinic back then, right?
Also, his appearance and clothes—that blue children's outfit—I feel like I've seen him somewhere before…

"Ahem, Conan, don't be afraid, the case is closed."

Heiji Hattori immediately pushed Conan in front of him, and the moment Conan saw Kogoro Mouri, he instinctively smiled.

"Thump." Kogoro Mouri immediately punched Conan, making him squat down on the spot, clutching his head.

"Ah! It hurts!"

"I don't think this kid was scared at all just now."

Seeing Conan's expression, Kogoro pursed his lips.

"It's amazing that he can still laugh in front of so many dead people. He's just like that guy named Kudo."

As he spoke, Kogoro Mouri reached out and pulled Conan over to his side. They stood side by side, and then, as if he remembered something, he seemed to remember something else.

He looked at the high school student in front of him. Although Hattori Heiji was theoretically his superior, Mouri Kogoro always treated him like a child when he asked him questions.

"Didn't this kid disappear for two days?" Kogoro Mouri glanced down at Conan, his voice laced with accusation. "Where's Kudo? And his parents, they always leave him with..."

Heiji Hattori solved all of Kogoro's problems with just one sentence.

"They're probably all very busy. I heard the child's parents are currently abroad, but Kudo has asked me to take care of him. I'll cover the foster care fees together with the consultation fees for Mr. Mori..."

Immediately afterwards, Heiji Hattori gave Conan a wink, and Conan, who was standing to the side, nodded repeatedly and gave Kogoro Mouri a pitiful look.

“Alright,” Kogoro Mouri sighed, “I’ll do it for the sake of the foster care fee.”

Now, the last remaining doubt in his mind has vanished.

After all, if Shinichi Kudo is this kid's older brother... then it seems reasonable that they look almost identical.

Kogoro Mouri subconsciously "ignored" the reason Ran Mouri had given him, or rather, those memories had become blurred as if a long time had passed.

"Back then, Ran did seem to say that Kudo was a distant relative of this guy, right?"

"Yes, that must be it," Kogoro Mouri thought. "Otherwise, how could Ran have brought the child back so easily? She must have been 'bewitched' by that kid Kudo!"
Kogoro Mouri could even imagine how Shinichi Kudo had "fooled" his daughter back then—

It would definitely be something like, "Xiao Lan! I'm currently busy with a very important case, could you please help me...?"

Xiaolan must have agreed because she felt sorry for herself.

"As for the foster care fee, how about 100 million yen?"

"Wh-what!"

Kogoro Mouri's eyes immediately conjured up images of banknotes. He patted Conan on the head, causing him to groan in pain, and then let out a money-grubbing voice.

"Absolutely no problem! You can foster the child for as long as you want! Hahaha, I will definitely raise this child as my own son!"

"Heh, this bumbling detective..."

Conan couldn't help but mentally mutter a curse about this unreliable old man, then quietly took a step forward and gave Hattori Heiji a look.

Then, Conan's heart settled down under Heiji's approving gaze, or perhaps, it began to pound with excitement at the prospect of a new future.

Conan doesn't think he'll stay at the Mouri Detective Agency for much longer. He's already talked to Heiji Hattori and he'll be moving into Heiji's house, or rather, apartment, soon.

Heiji Hattori will soon send a letter to the agency in the name of his parent or Kudo, and then Heiji will take him away and "adopt" him.

In other words, Conan Edogawa will soon be leaving behind those boring school days and the agency where he must constantly conceal his identity—

Conan now believes that if he chooses to stay at the agency, it will actually put Ran and the others in great danger.

Whether it's the importance of the pointer, Hattori Heiji's important position in GSSRA, the current threat posed by the Black Organization, or other factors...

The dozen or so cold corpses lying on the dock, the submarine sunk to the bottom of the sea by the explosion, the heavily armed soldiers patrolling, the naval flags fluttering on the distant sea...

The situation is very different now than it was in the past.

Conan still remembers the fire that happened at the Beika Hotel the day before yesterday.

Even more so were the photos she had recently found in the command post, and the words she had overheard from the officers who had ignored her and used those malicious jokes to relieve her stress.

"Hehe, let me tell you, the scene was spectacular! A single torpedo from the warship hit the submarine's stern. Look at the photos they sent me, tsk tsk tsk, those severed limbs floating in the sea..."

At that time, another sergeant, who was responsible for liaising with the army and trying to transfer a small team of army officers to search along the coastline, leaned back in his chair.

"Yes, that's why I said the army isn't that useful. I heard that the important figure they just captured had his entire family wiped out!"

"I heard even his daughter wasn't spared?"

He shook his head, a look of regret and pity on his face. "I think that guy named Pisco won't live much longer either."

"What? You believe that rumor too?"

“Hey, if you ask me, something really weird must be going on,” the sergeant said, staring at the screen. “You know, with all this fuss, we still managed to kill everyone on that little boat right under our noses and they got away.”

"Do you believe that? How can you believe that?!"

His voice rose, "If you ask me, we should thoroughly investigate the personnel of the first team who discovered that small boat. Maybe..."

The officers' discussion sent chills down Conan's spine when he overheard it.

If there is anything more dangerous than dealing with a criminal organization with a large number of guns, ammunition, and personnel.

That is to deal with a larger criminal organization that may have its own independent military bases, submarines, torpedoes, and even weapons of mass destruction.

Criminal organizations don't need evidence to commit murder.

Just like the fire that reduced the Beika Hotel to ashes, all the Black Organization needed to do was set up a machine gun on the second floor of their office on a night when everyone was asleep, or drop a bomb, or...

At that moment, Conan even clenched his fist and punched the somewhat sharp edge of the table—

This was both a fabricated reason for him to go to the infirmary and a way for him to vent his complex emotions and fear.

If Xiaolan is because of that organization...

In the corridor outside the infirmary, Conan even made more connections.

Even the person named Akimoto Kazuta just now committed suicide despite GSSRA's heavy protection!
Thinking back to the rumors I heard in command post...

Was that really suicide?!

The thought of this possibility filled Conan with apprehension and fear.

After Heiji Hattori received a notification from headquarters that the Black Organization might have a secret base on Tsukikage Island, Conan became even more determined.

He immediately described the urgency of the matter to Hattori Heiji.

“I’m worried that those people will target the people around me…and neither Ran nor Professor Agasa are capable of protecting themselves…and if I use Uncle Mori as cover, not only will many of my actions be difficult, but he will also be in great danger…”

"So, Heiji, I need you to take me away from Uncle Mori's house."

Conan's reasons are undoubtedly very valid.

In fact, considering his mention of the pointer, it would be even more necessary to take him away from the Mori family and bring him to a safer place.

Therefore, even though Mr. Yusaku had repeatedly instructed that all decisions regarding Conan's whereabouts and actions should be reported to him before a decision was made, Heiji Hattori still agreed at the time.

However, Heiji Hattori considered things even more deeply than Conan. "No, I can't adopt you; my identity is too sensitive."

In his heart, he had another sentence he didn't say aloud—

Mr. Yusaku's identity is obviously more sensitive. As Mr. Yusaku's confidant, every move I make will be magnified in the eyes of some people.

Conan's identity cannot withstand scrutiny.

GSSRA has captured Pisco, and even considered that follow-up troops have likely surrounded the Beika Hotel and the ruins of the abandoned pharmaceutical factory—

They wouldn't miss a single suspicious trace, especially considering the sinking submarine...

If most "ordinary people" wouldn't believe that a high school student could shrink to a small size.

GSSRA is unlike any ordinary government department. For an alien civilization, having the technology to "rejuvenate" people is perfectly reasonable.

Considering what Conan just said, and what he heard from those officers, the situation seemed even worse.

Hattori Heiji recalled his earlier hint to Imogen and thought to himself, "That was a terrible move. Luckily, the liaison officer was sent by the maritime security forces to cooperate with our side."

If I were to request Mr. Yusaku's transfer and find a reason to keep him under my watchful eye...

However, Heiji Hattori doesn't actually need to worry about Imogen leaking information.

Because he will die tonight—he will die from various causes, or perhaps from only one.

So, seeing Conan's somewhat disappointed look, Hattori Heiji added a sentence.

"I will send someone to pick you up in your parents' names, and then register your identity under—"

Heiji Hattori hesitated for a moment, unsure if Yusaku would agree to do so, but he gritted his teeth and made the promise anyway.

“I will give you a real ‘fake identity’ directly: the favored illegitimate son of a high-ranking figure in the Japanese police system, and a detective enthusiast.”

"This gives you ample opportunity to work alongside GSSRA."

Then, before Conan could rush towards Hattori Heiji out of his overwhelming excitement, he saw Hattori Heiji looking at him with a serious expression.

"I'm not sure if I can do it, Kudo. All I can say is that I will do my best."

Heiji Hattori already knew a little about Conan's importance.

However, he initially thought it was related to Mr. Yusaku's work and safety, but after Conan told him about the pointer, he immediately dismissed those ideas.

Heiji told himself that Yusaku must know something. Since he knew that Kudo had shrunk a long time ago, he probably also knew about the pointer.

As for the matter of "pointers," Hattori Heiji had never heard of it within GSSRA—which already speaks volumes.

Thinking that Mr. Yusaku's arrangement for Kudo must make sense, Hattori Heiji repeated it to Conan again.

"I'm not sure if I can do it, Kudo. All I can say is that I will do my best."

Of course, Heiji Hattori ultimately broke his promise.

Because, just as he was trying to contact Mr. Yusaku to report on his progress over the past few days, his phone rang prematurely.

Heiji Hattori was sitting in his office, looking through some documents about Tsukikage Island that Maria had sent him.

Then came a series of calls, one after another, from Gehrman, from the GSSRA Strategic Command, and even within GSSRA itself—the hotline of Yusaku Kudo's faction…

Those familiar names, those usually calm to the point of being indifferent, all called in with hurried tones, all saying the same thing.

In just a moment, Hattori Heiji's blood seemed to freeze.

"What?!" He jumped up from his chair, even knocking over the corner of the table.

But he has no time to deal with this trivial matter, or even the pain in his body.

His pupils revealed an incredulous and terrifying look.

Heiji Hattori felt as if the phone in his hand was a red-hot iron, and the chandelier above him was pouring its snow-white light into his collar.

A metallic taste immediately filled Hattori Heiji's mouth, and he clenched his teeth.

In the end, all the emotions culminated in a kind of anger that denied the status quo.

"Immediately order our troops to cordon off the entire area within a ten-kilometer radius, no, a fifteen-kilometer radius of the safe house!"

"Block all entrances and exits, shut down all communication channels—I need a complete log and detection report."

He even immediately dialed the GSSRA Strategic Command.

"Have the core members of each faction make a statement within one hour—whoever doesn't step forward, I will assume they are one of the murderers!"

“Mr. Hattori, according to our on-site investigation,” the voice on the other end of the phone was heavy, “it was done by members of the Black Organization. They used a complete optical cloaking device.”

"However, this kind of thing won't happen again. We intercepted one set of this equipment during the final firefight, and the R&D department..."

"That's utter nonsense!"

Hattori Heiji was so angry that he was trembling all over, and he even said things that he would never normally say.

"Who issued that order prohibiting reinforcements from leaving the building?! Shoot him out, and shoot everyone in that entire command chain!"

The other person stopped talking.

Heiji Hattori paced around his office for a long, long time, made countless phone calls, argued with countless people, and sometimes even started swearing.

Now, this child is beginning to try to shoulder responsibilities that are not originally his.

In reality, Hattori Heiji had already calmed down. He didn't even have time to grieve; he even had to maintain his anger and his toughness.

Anger is also a stance.

Hattori Heiji knew he couldn't show weakness.

Otherwise, those who did this, and even those who didn't, would pounce on them like jackals.

At the same time, he immediately called BIDUT's direct combat units, the army under Gehrman's command, the rapid reaction force of the Asia-Pacific Command, and the maritime security force under Imogen's command.

Heiji Hattori thus learned of Imogen's death, which clearly indicated that someone had begun to sabotage the cooperation between Yusaku Kudo's faction.

What Byron and Olsen said earlier couldn't be more apt.

A military without troops can't change anything.

Although my actions were absolutely overstepping my authority.

But Heiji Hattori knew very well that by taking such a tough stance, he still had a chance to be court-martialed, while if he didn't, he might not even have that opportunity.

Heiji knew exactly what cards he could play right now, and in fact, the maritime security forces had just informed him.

For Imogen, dying was a consequence of exploring, collecting, and preserving information about the "mind modifier"; he paved a path with his own life.

This is a steadfast warrior who fights for humanity.

—He died a worthy death.

"Before Imogen sacrificed himself, he repeatedly emphasized to me, 'Please believe in you, this lucky lad.'"

Byron's voice even choked with emotion; this tough man had just lost his best friend and subordinate.

"Heiji Hattori, I beg you, don't disappoint me."

It was Byron who, along with Olsen, the GSSRA Asia-Pacific Command, and Hattori Heiji, sided with him—after all, he had already sent the warships toward Tokyo Bay.

Sure enough, the GSSRA Strategic Command called soon after:
"Heiji Hattori! What are you doing? Do you know what you're doing? Get those fleets that were planning to head to Tokyo Bay to withdraw first!"

Heiji Hattori wasn't buying it at all; he just kept talking to himself.

“I’m going to call a GSSRA board meeting in half an hour, and everyone needs to be there.”

“Mr. Yuzaku foresaw this day long ago. He gave me the relevant orders, and I was just acting according to his secret instructions.”

"Even the actions of the maritime security forces are precisely because I have confirmed Mr. Yusaku's conclusions..."

A heated discussion came from the other end of the phone.

Kudo Yusaku's significance was so great that, in the end, the headquarters made some compromises.

"The fleet must not enter within 21.6 nautical miles of Tokyo Bay. At the same time, you must always display your position on the radar system."

"I will relay this to the maritime security forces."

……

After hanging up the last phone call, Heiji Hattori glanced at the wall clock.

It's already 7 p.m.

Heiji Hattori picked up the business card with the Mori Office's phone number on it.

Now, they've become the very center of the vortex.

Although I hate to say this, since Imogen and his entire guard have been killed, it means that Conan should still be safe.

"I'm sorry, Kudo."

Hattori Heiji thought to himself, "I may have to break my promise, and I must keep the news of your father's death a secret."

Heiji Hattori then dialed that number.

On the other end, the call was immediately connected.

(End of this chapter)