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

Chapter 269 Destined
"Based on the follow-up results of the Pointer Shaping Project, we have confirmed that the Third Pointer Case Cycle has a significant offset effect on the cosmic temporal structure and the individual's historical process."

"Estimated historical offset rate: 33.33%."

"Cosmic RSI background value: dropped to 133."

“【Conan Edogawa】RSI outlier: 333.”

"Mental model stability: negative confidence level, cannot be estimated."

—(For detailed data, please refer to Appendix 1, Appendix 2, etc.)
"Based on the current accumulated data analysis results, the effectiveness of the pointer named 'Moonlight Heart,' created by the RSI anomaly individual named 'Edogawa Conan,' is evaluated as follows..."

—(Click here for the specific dataset)

On the Lunar Ark, at the Alliance's Third Central Research Platform, the data on countless fluorescent screens changes every second.

Each computer group in the research center is connected to a "neural branch" from the [Circular Computer].

The CYZ Alliance Concept Weapon Manufacturing Plant, the Time Sequence Department, the Time Research Department, the Conan Psychological Research Institute, the Conan Logic Department... almost all the departments within the alliance that are still conducting research are gathered here.

After all, without the calibration of the [cyclic computer], all research data is just a matter of whether it looks good or bad.

As the CYZ effect radiation level increases closer to the core layer, almost all research departments that want to make a breakthrough will squeeze into the "mezzanine".

Finally, the third central research platform was established.

To be precise, it is actually mounted under those [circular computers] that are like mountains, cities, or even small satellites, and it floats around in the "interlayer".

The entire research layer contains over 100,000 people who did not hibernate.

And at the moment when [Conan Edogawa] slowly embedded the gem-shaped hand, which resembled the number "∞", into the watch face.

The people in the research platform were like robots that had been triggered by some kind of preset protocol—almost all of them had enabled the acceleration function of TDD, whether mental or physical.

Even those research directors, such as Dr. Bai Zichen, and everyone at the CYZ Effect Research Institute.

They undoubtedly all secretly harbored the CYZ effect of perhaps 0.00...01 string, and therefore they rarely used the TDD [loop] function.

In any case, the third central research platform is located in the interlayer between the core layer and the execution layer.

If someone is truly "dead," it's just a matter of filing a report.

As a result, the data on every screen and every projection was scrolling back and forth at an astonishing speed.

Those bright red warning boxes that popped up at that moment almost superimposed the virtual projection with a substantial thickness.

The researchers then used more and faster update and repair commands to restore its green color, which symbolizes safety.

Automatic parsing, backup nodes, immediate analysis after sharing data...

They have waited far too long for this moment.

Fortunately, the computing power of the [Circular Computer] has no upper limit, or rather, the combined operations of these hundreds of thousands of people are not enough to put even the slightest load on it.

Therefore, as the data sent to the execution layer or Hitomi Shigenobu demonstrates—

The moment Conan set the third hand onto the dial, the League gained a wealth of valuable data and information.

Even though the CYZ effect is almost nonexistent "today," this moment's achievement has still ignited a new research enthusiasm across the entire research community.

A flood of new research topics, draft papers, and ethical review requests have been pouring into the inboxes of the executive level and the ethics committee.

The vast majority, or almost everyone, was happy.

Not just because of the potential for new developments, but also because, as the alliance has advertised and informed them:

"The third pointer is the most difficult of all; and its completion means that the path to the end has been revealed."

Even though many people, because of their status as researchers, have an instinctive skepticism towards such “prophecy”-like things.

But at this moment, the joy of overcoming difficulties is still hard to suppress.

Even Bai Zichen, the head of the Research Department, said so:

"It's like finally obtaining the true scriptures."

In the executive hall, several members wearing congressional badges were having an informal discussion.

"I suggest... that the league take a day off today."

They then proposed to Member 17 that the coalition be given a day off.

"You see, Mr. ZC-01 does this every time he successfully 'handles' an RSI crisis, doesn't he?"

One relatively young member of parliament even opened a bottle of champagne, letting the cool, fragrant liquid spill onto his uniform.

"Haha, I also think this should be a statutory holiday for the league."

"Furthermore, since the case has just ended and [Conan Edogawa] has obtained the pointer, tomorrow should be a 'quiet period'."

The other person added quietly, half-jokingly.

"Anyway, there's nothing the alliance can do; it's not giving us this opportunity."

As they spoke casually, they glanced at the feedback terminal of the [loop computer] in the conference room—

That's the core layer of the network, the central hub responsible for scheduling all plans and time allocations.

The proposal was quickly submitted to Ota Akikawa, who was acting as the council chairman.

He stared at the proposal in front of him for a few seconds, and finally nodded slightly: "Then I will submit the formal application."

……

The lights were as bright as ever, the temperature was just right, and there was even a faint, cool minty scent floating in the air.

In that office that has never changed.

Shigenobu Hitomi sat in that ordinary chair, looking at the "Management Manual" that she could never finish reading.

She turned to the page with her bookmark, a page about Conan Edogawa, about the "Third Pointer Case," and about the Möbius strip—her own analysis.

Now, she stared at the final, highlighted conclusion, motionless.

The next second, a page in the "Execution Manual" automatically jumped to the top, with yellow flashing between the pages—this indicated that the execution layer was unsure whether to proceed.

It was that "Alliance Holiday Application".

Shigenobu Hitomi glanced at the application form, hesitated for only a moment, and then agreed.

She knew this was indeed a moment to celebrate for the rest of the league.

But she herself felt no sense of relief whatsoever.

She silently turned her head and looked at the hamster lying on the mini sofa, holding a nut almost the same size as itself, chewing it with a satisfied expression.

"Hamster, I'll trouble you to turn back into [Cyclic Calculator] in a bit."

Shigenobu Hitomi paused for a moment, then said, "I will also help with some matters."

The hamster, who had just conjured up the nut to celebrate, was taken aback.

The hamster looked like it had been frozen in time.

The nut that was being held in the palm of my hand and chewed fell onto the table with a thud, rolled once, and then disappeared into thin air.

Its eyes widened in disbelief, and the next second it jumped up from the sofa and started yelling:
"Don't hamsters have human rights?! Isn't the league on holiday?!"

However, Lin Sheng left a very effective method in the "Management Manual" for dealing with these CYZ effect creations.

Shigenobu Hitomi said two words.

Upon hearing a certain person's name, the hamster's expression changed, and its exaggerated rolling around on the table suddenly stopped.

"Alright alright!"

It hunched over, looking as if it had aged ten years, and wobbled to the mini sofa, its round belly suddenly deflated.

"I knew it... I'm just a hamster, I'll never have a real vacation."

Its little face suddenly turned very depressed.

The hamster sprawled in the middle of the sofa, staring up at the ceiling, loudly mocking itself:
"Want to become a member of the league? Naïve! How could a hamster possibly have a vacation, how could it possibly..."

Shigenobu Hitomi didn't know what to say—the logic of these CYZ effect creations always seemed a bit strange in some ways.

She reached out and poked the hamster's soft belly. "Don't you usually sleep in the office?"

"That's different!"

Hamster's eyes were righteous and stern.

“That’s ‘slacking off,’ not ‘taking a vacation.’ Now that the league is on vacation, of course I should too—”

“You’ve already had a vacation,” Shigenobu Hitomi interrupted her seriously.

"Really...really?!"

The hamster's eyes lit up, and the pool of tears at its feet, which looked like a lake, and the tears that flowed from the corners of its eyes like a fountain, disappeared in an instant.

“Yes,” Shigenobu Hitomi nodded, her tone serious and her face solemn. “Mr. ZC-01 said this is a time off in lieu of leave.”

The hamster jumped around energetically again, "Great! I've already taken a vacation!"

Shigenobu Hitomi shrugged.

Although she didn't understand Hamster-kun's exaggerated and fickle logic, as long as it worked, that was fine.

After convincing the hamster to work for the Alliance for a day tomorrow, she sat back down in her chair.

……

The office fell silent again.

Her fingertips lightly rested on a page of the "Management Manual," and she casually turned to another page—as long as it wasn't the one she had bookmarked.

So the emails and documents from all levels floated in mid-air and filled her field of vision.

Applications, congratulations, reports, leave requests... she could see that joyful emotion in every document.

Shigenobu Hitomi looked at all of this, and then suddenly let out a long sigh.

She was one of the very few people in the entire alliance who wasn't overly happy that Conan Edogawa had successfully obtained the third pointer.

—【Core Layer】We are too close to the truth of everything.

too close.

So much so that she could no longer feel pure joy about this "victory".

Shigenobu Hitomi clicked on the observation function in the "Management Manual," and her field of vision immediately turned into a dazzling gold—the color unique to Lin Sheng's CYZ effect.

The complex, almost divine CYZ effects immediately sensed her gaze and carefully bypassed her consciousness and body to prevent causing her any irreversible damage.

She waved her hand, indicating that even the slightest bit of the CYZ effect should fall into her palm.

There was no response to the CYZ effect.

She didn't say anything, but simply opened the operation function of the "Management Manual".

In an instant, those seemingly random CYZ effects obediently responded and moved.

The dazzling golden light flowed obediently along her movements, her gaze, and even her thoughts, like a tide.

It was as if it were a silent response to her will.

Shigenobu Hitomi glanced down at the substances that made her up, the substances belonging to the [Detective Conan Universe-001]. Then, she looked up at the little hamster not far away—enjoying a nut with relish, its face full of satisfaction.

Despite being merely a derivative of the CYZ effect's "self-awareness," it possesses its own unique joys and sorrows.

Although this thought is a bit sentimental, sometimes... she really envies it.

If she weren't currently in this office, she would have no chance to know even a fraction of the "truth."

And this is simply because she "belonged" to this Conan universe from the very beginning.

【Conan Edogawa】is the core of the Conan Universe-001.

This is not just empty talk or praise, but a conclusion reached through a cycle and verified by Your Excellency ZC-01.

In the loop, the most important thing is never time, but Conan's "reasoning process".

The "present" of Moonshadow Island is both the beginning and the end of everything.

The alliance only "completed" its plan by relying on what [Conan Edogawa] believed, wanted to achieve, and was inclined to accomplish.

Heiji Hattori's success, Professor Agasa's success, and even Keiji Aso's alteration of history and Narumi Asai's salvation...

All of this is no coincidence.

The problem lies in the fact that His deduction to the police that "the Crimson Fire Festival was just a front for transporting drugs" contradicted His subsequent deduction that "the pointer was the Crimson Fire Festival's final treasure."

after all--

If the pointer really is the treasure of the Crimson Fire Festival, then why is the ultimate motive "to cover up the crime of drug trafficking"?

In the very beginning of Conan Edogawa's "deduction results", the location of the "pointer" was not left.

But His doubts were not even... not even supported by any evidence.

Hitomi Shigenobu retrieved the latest data sent by the Conan Psychological Research Institute and unfolded it before her eyes.

That's a picture of Conan Edogawa.

In the photo, the child is deep in thought under the moonlight, his eyes revealing a faint sense of unease, doubt, and shock.

The analysis results of the Management Manual told her that the most important thing in the alliance plan was this "suspicion".

This "doubt," rather than "confirmation," forms the core driving force behind the entire alliance plan.

Everything the alliance has built—those vast, complex, and meticulously planned schemes…

— In fact, it's all about capturing, maintaining, and perpetuating this sliver of "doubt."

Everything else... is actually unimportant; it's merely a stage and props built for this "doubt."

……

As a "pet", the hamster noticed that Shigenobu Hitomi's emotions were not right and immediately began to "play" the role of a "companion".

The hamster began its self-evident but futile "psychological therapy," hoping to cheer her up with some good news.

"But the league has now proven that history can be changed, hasn't it?"

"And that doctor named Asai Narumi, he and his family were also rescued."

Shigenobu Hitomi did not respond immediately.

She shook her head, a bitter, even self-deprecating smile appearing on her lips.

"We are not the ones who changed history."

She looked out of the office, at the blank white void where the two timelines had disappeared.

The path to the end is there, quietly watching over her.

"Free will has never existed in this universe."

Suddenly recalling something ZC-01 once said, Shigenobu Hitomi felt a pang of emotion.

"What a cruel world it is."

she whispered.

All choices and all actions ultimately cannot escape the main pointer called "Conan Edogawa".

—It's just that some people can see it, and some people can't.

Now, Shigenobu Hitomi truly understands how Koizumi Akako felt when she learned all of this.

She now truly understands the real meaning of that sentence.

"Yeah... I hope it's really a change made by the League..."

She sighed inwardly.

Ultimately, this was nothing more than Him showing us some mercy within the bounds of the "law".

The alliance did indeed change what it could change.

But the premise of this statement is that some things have never changed and will never change.

"Do you know what the most crucial thing is?"

She looked at the hamster and projected hundreds of strategies in front of it.

Those were all evaluated as simpler, safer, and more complete solutions, but one by one they were all deemed "unfeasible".

“Look at these—”

Shigenobu Hitomi looked at those who had voluntarily erased their memories, those who only had hints left in their minds.

The league's real efforts began even before time itself was born.

“Even if the entire island is pointing to Him, and all the participants in the events and all the logical clues are hinting to Him—'the true ending of the Crimson Fire Ritual is another.'”

"But in the end, it still led to the original ending of 'The Moonlight Murder Case'."

The hamster scratched the fur on its chin, as if it were thinking seriously.

"But—isn't that the only feasible method we've analyzed?"

"If we don't stabilize the timeline according to the original historical inertia, won't the story timeline in the past try to interfere with our actions?"

“Yes, of course, that’s the only thing we can do,” Shigenobu Hitomi said calmly.

She is about to do something that no one will find unusual.

She had previously discovered a detail that might only be noticeable in the core layer.

"So, why was it that in the case of Keiji Aso's suicide 12 years ago, at the end of the arson case, only one of Keiji Aso's teeth was found?"

The database of records in the core layer includes data from before it was altered by Conan Edogawa.

Or rather, the data before the "Moonlight Case" occurred.

So, what happened to the remains of the wife and daughter that Keiji Aso "killed" in the original "Moonlight Case"?

"It is impossible to come back to life from the dead."

Shigenobu Hitomi softly read out the conclusions drawn by the Narrative Studies Department in the Second Pointer Case.

"Any deceased person whose 'evidence' is deduced by [Conan Edogawa] will never come back."

"Unless we try to make it never happen."

The Narrative Studies Department then provided the reasons why the Alliance could not do this:

This would most likely require Conan Edogawa to actively cooperate by 'forgetting' and 'doubting'.

She glanced quietly at the record that had just been highlighted in red by the Narrative Studies Department.

Then, gently, I deleted it.

"Let the entire Narrative Studies Department undergo a Level B subconscious adjustment."

She instructed the executives, "Don't delve too deeply into the specific details of the Moonlight case."

……

"But... thankfully he's a good person, isn't he?"

Hamster spoke cautiously, trying to make Shigenobu Hitomi feel better from another angle.

"Even if the Alliance does nothing, that detective will still bring the 'ending' to us."

Shigenobu Hitomi paused for a moment, then was actually amused by the hamster's clumsy humor.

"do nothing?"

She raised her eyebrows, and then the smile in her eyes quickly faded, replaced by an unconcealable anger.

The subtle anger in Shigenobu Hitomi's voice made Hamster instinctively take a half step back.

It immediately shut its mouth and pretended to be a small doll.

The clenched fist finally loosened.

After a while, Shigenobu Hitomi's voice rang out again in the office.

"Has the book Dr. Lighthouse mentioned, called 'The Rules for Utilizing the Möbius Time Ring,' not been found yet?"

"And then there's that non-existent assistant named ■■■."

After receiving a positive response from the CYZ Effect Research Institute, Shigenobu Hitomi stared at the "Management Manual" for a very long time.

The [Cyclic Computer] projected the thousands of failure records from the experiments conducted by Dr. Liangliang on "using/manipulating/incorporating the CYZ effect".

This is also the source of another feeling of powerlessness in her heart.

Shigenobu Hitomi was well aware that this massive and meticulous "Alliance Plan" had indeed been achieved through the hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance of countless people in the Alliance.

But she also knew that every crucial key, every breakthrough point that would advance the situation...

None of those were "created" by them.

Each key appeared "naturally".

For example, the key to Dr. Liangliang's "Pointer Shaping Project" is the book "The Rules for Utilizing the Möbius Time Belt".

Such a large-scale intervention plan will naturally be subject to full review by the alliance.

Shigenobu Hitomi even personally spent an extremely long time trying to figure out every detail of the entire plan and to make it more perfect.

The Union Library does not have the 12-29 [interface] mentioned by Dr. Lighthouse, nor does it have any record of borrowing or placing this book—not at any point in time.

So where did all of this come from?
Shigenobu Hitomi sighed: "Perhaps, that was just a backup plan left behind by Lord ZC-01."

Then, after a moment of "thought," she finally placed her finger on the command window.

In any case, the path to the end has been set.

With a simple swipe, she deleted the suggestion to continue the investigation.

This matter is unremarkable.

This matter... was destined.

(End of this chapter)