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

In Chapter 282, Conan finally understood that the so-called "answer to everything" was none other than "time."

Tokyo at night continues to function slowly amidst the aftershocks of chaos.

During the brief moment when Conan Edogawa was unconscious, under the "command" of the Alliance, GSSRA quickly quelled all the turmoil.

The clock tower square that Kaito Kuroba just left, the helicopters that lost power due to tampered fuel gauges and crash-landed on the road, Kyoto Tower, and several nearby main roads...

The cordon separated the "incident" from the crowds in Tokyo, while the police cars and officers patrolling near the unusual location tried their best to mitigate any other potential impacts.

Under the cover of the troops directly under Hattori Heiji's command, three teams of emergency medical personnel rushed out of the arriving ambulances.

As the special operations personnel began to suppress the fire on the first floor using firefighting equipment, three teams of medics carrying first aid equipment rushed into the inferno under the cover of other armed personnel.

Within thirty minutes, Kogoro Mouri and the others lay unconscious on a white stretcher.

Then, accompanied by the warning siren, after confirming that the important targets were not in mortal danger, the ambulance immediately changed its destination and headed towards Beika Town Central Hospital, which Hattori Heiji had turned into his own territory.

On the flight to Tokyo, Hattori Heiji gave Gehrman a death order.

"We must ensure their safety!"

He paused, considering what the Black Organization had just done, but still said those words.

"Notify the hospital to have all patients transfer to another hospital."

"At the very least, we must vacate the building where the Mori advisor is going. We can no longer risk being attacked by the Black Organization, understand?!"

A resolute response came from the other end of the phone.

"Yes! Promise to complete the mission!"

Meanwhile, on the other side, the calm yet massive RSI anomaly field gradually approached Beika Town, a place with few residents and a manageable situation.

"This is [Heaven's Mandate], the target has been guided to a safe location."

About three hours later, standing on the edge of the city, Wales watched as the RSI value of 150, which was high within a 20-kilometer radius of Kyoto Tower, began to gradually decline on the instrument, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, the CYZ effect devices and the alliance's task force members can finally enter the field.

He then notified the [Mobile Structure] maintenance team of the [Reality Intervention Department] to begin operations.

So, those emergency vehicles disguised as power companies drove to those key "power nodes" and began to deploy emotion-consciousness interference devices.

Soon, the firefighting helicopter's flashing navigation lights illuminated the night sky. Hanging beneath its fuselage was a regulator equipped with an emotion feedback sensor, responsible for detecting the exact location of each person who was experiencing panic, anxiety, or fear.

Because the case began and ended on the same day—the League doesn't intend to waste too much CYZ effect on resetting that day.

Moreover, time has now begun to flow, and the chaos that the entire city recently descended into was also part of both the fourth and fifth "ritual cases".

Given the difficulty in completely concealing these circumstances, the Alliance had no choice but to execute a Class B memory obfuscation procedure on the entire city of Tokyo.

Given that such chaos does indeed occur, everyone will think, "It's no big deal."

And those online records, camera shots, and even notes made with pen and paper—[Panoramic Monitoring] can see all of this clearly after connecting to a "lens group".

Web pages disappearing, photos becoming strangely blurry, paper records being altered or accidentally lost...

The entire night felt like a ritual attempting to cover up the truth, packaged as a superficial illusion of a stability maintenance operation.

Within seven hours of the Kyoto Tower explosion and the 20,000th chime, Tokyo returned to its usual tranquility.

……

But for [Conan Edogawa]

Perhaps it was the intense pain caused by the antidote failing, or perhaps it was the unprecedented power that the pale sun had recently displayed.

He felt terrible.

It was as if he had fallen into a cold and reproachful darkness, and the pure white color embedded in that darkness made him feel as if his soul was being ground by that flowing darkness with white as hard as diamonds.

The darkness itself produced a tremendous and terrifying noise, like... like the cold hum of medical equipment.

And those sounds were mixed with a distinct, repulsive odor.

The smell of disinfectant.

No, this doesn't seem to be a hallucination I had before I died, nor a terrible nightmare I had while I was unconscious.

As touch, hearing, and smell return to Conan's world—

That hazy consciousness began to gradually become clearer.

The hands that pressed down on the "flowing darkness," or rather, the hands that pressed down on the soft silk quilt, gently exerted force, and Conan subconsciously pulled the quilt over his head.

The "pure white" colors that had been grinding away at his soul, the sunlight that had pierced through the gaps in the curtains, had vanished.

It is now noon on the second day.

As Conan groggily pulled the blankets to block out the sun, Ran Mouri was awakened by his actions.

The girl sat on the chair by the bed all night, her body leaning against the edge of the bed, her head buried in her arms, fast asleep.

The arm that was being used as a pillow to hold down a corner of the blanket was just pulled by Conan's subconscious action.

She looked up, somewhat dazed.

To be honest, Ran Mouri looks haggard, sad, and exhausted.

Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her face was pale from the consecutive nights of vigil; in fact, there were still traces of tears that she hadn't had time to wipe away at the corners of her eyes.

Because of excessive worry and exhaustion last night, the girl fell asleep while anxiously waiting.

The next second, Ran Mouri realized what had just happened.

Her gaze met Conan's slightly dazed eyes, which held a hint of confusion.

"Conan! You're awake?"

Ran Mouri suddenly stood up, her voice filled with surprise and barely suppressed sadness, and she choked up immediately.

"That's great...that's really great..." Ran Mouri kept murmuring.

Immediately afterwards, she remembered the doctor's instructions when he left.

"Wait a minute, I'll go get the doctor!"

Before Conan, who had finally regained some consciousness, could even ask a question, he saw Ran hurriedly run out of the ward.

……

Conan is now fully awake.

Everything before my eyes gradually became clear—

Some glaring sunlight dappled the white walls and headboard of the ward, while a device that looked like emergency medical equipment sat in the left corner.

The faint noise I just heard was its slight mechanical sound.

I'm in the hospital right now.

Conan had no idea what had happened.

He slowly sat up, but this became an extremely difficult task.

Conan felt as if every ounce of his strength had been drained, his limbs felt as heavy as lead, and the heaviness in his body was trying to pull him back onto the soft sheets.

But Conan gritted his teeth and persevered.

Because in the instant he regained full consciousness, his first reaction was not to what was wrong with his body, but rather—his wrist was completely empty.

The watch with four hands is gone.

Conan leaned back on the pillows, let out a heavy sigh, and then began to look around.

Right now, I'm wearing a hospital gown without pockets, and there's nothing on either side of my pillow or along the edge of the bed.

When he peeked at the bedside table on his right, Conan's heart sank.

On the bedside table to the right, there were only a few bottles of mineral water and a glass vase with light-colored carnations in it; nothing else.

What happened before I lost consciousness?
So Conan forced himself to calm down and began to try to recall—he tried to dig out memories from his still somewhat dazed mind before he fell into a coma.

The antidote has lost its effectiveness, and the body is experiencing excruciating pain as it shrinks again...

Then, the pain almost made me lose consciousness, my vision tilted, and I collapsed onto the cold concrete floor...

And the last thing I saw was—

It was a very familiar, anxious figure running towards him.

"Xiaolan..."

Conan muttered something under his breath.

"It must have been Xiaolan who took it in the end, since she witnessed the whole struggle for that watch and knew how important it was."

The thought that crossed Conan's mind initially made him breathe a sigh of relief, but then he was suddenly stunned.

"Oh no! I was on the rooftop as Shinichi Kudo."

Conan realized that his shrinking was likely exposed.

As Conan Edogawa, I had absolutely no reason to be there at that time.

Furthermore, if the watch that fell next to him was picked up by Ran, then the "suspicion" related to [Shinichi Kudo] would be impossible to clear.

There's also the issue of clothes after shrinking...

Wait, if we reason this way, the problem becomes:

If Ran had already recognized that she was Shinichi Kudo, why didn't she just say it directly?

Conan frowned.

If Ran really recognized him, she wouldn't have kept calling him Conan.

Conan even recalled Ran Mouri's expression and actions after she realized he was awake.

At that moment, her expression showed no questioning or doubt, as if she were truly just a child.

Something is wrong.

Something else must have happened after I fell into a coma.

Conan glanced at the position of the sun outside the window.

He immediately realized that more than ten hours had passed since he fainted.

Ten hours is enough time for a lot to happen.

"What if... what if it wasn't Xiaolan who got the watch?"

The thought suddenly popped into his mind and then spread rapidly.

Now Conan is more inclined to believe that Ran Mouri actually discovered her true identity in the end.

If someone from the Black Organization, or someone else, like someone from GSSRA, found that watch...

The thought made Conan's heart sink.

Although Gin himself said that the Black Organization was destroyed, what if it was because he was just a "pawn"?

There are too many unexpected factors involved.

Conan bit his lip.

He tried to relax by taking deep breaths, attempting to temporarily put the missing watch out of his mind.

The momentary tension made his head spin a little.

But as soon as he put the issue with the watch aside, more and more endless doubts began to surface in his mind, and some more complex and frightening questions flooded into the depths of his consciousness like a tide.

Time gave Conan Edogawa no chance to catch his breath.

He thought of another crucial question:

【pointer】.

—Gin's words echoed in my ears again.

"Look at you, Shinichi Kudo, this is really ridiculous."

But why is it "funny"?
Why "funny" in particular, and not any other word?

That was absolutely not a word that should appear in that context; it was...it was...

That's so out of place.

And Gin's suicide...

Something was wrong, completely wrong.

This all makes absolutely no sense.

If the Black Organization has truly disappeared, why would Gin, as the last remaining member, commit suicide?
He didn't even finish finding the "pointer," so there was no need for him to complete the task of verifying that he was "Shinichi Kudo."

Not to mention that whole box of pointers—that's something no underground organization could have done in a single night.

Then consider the destruction of the Black Organization mentioned by Gin.

If it really was the Black Organization, how could they have collected all the pointers from every corner of the world overnight?

But then, in just a dozen hours, or even less, Gin took care of it all by himself?
To accomplish such a task, at least a global intelligence network would be needed, along with the ability to mobilize tens of thousands of armed or espionage personnel in a short period of time.

In other words, this must be a powerful force capable of influencing major organizations around the world.

Those who can do these things...

GSSRA.

The name of this behemoth, this organization established through cooperation among various countries, was the first thing that popped into Conan's mind.

Then he rejected the answer in the next second.

Perhaps there is another organization that can do this.

Conan suddenly remembered that there seemed to be another organization that had been well hidden from the beginning, and it seemed to have not appeared for a long time.

That was an organization that delivered that letter to itself;
An organization that "wears" that black watch on its wrist;

An organization that put the first pointer in its own hands. — [Science Frontiers]

The organization that Professor Agasa once joined, but forgot about due to amnesia.

That letter.

Conan found the letter almost from the deepest part of his memory.

At that time, he did not understand its meaning.

But now... he finally understands.

He then recalled the specific contents of that letter:

To Dr. Agasa:
Dear friend,
I felt a tremendous shock upon receiving your letter.

I have been trying to remain calm and rational in the face of everything, but now, all of this is no longer within the realm of rational explanation.

……

The question you presented me was a door to another reality, a door through which there is no turning back once you cross it. But when the truth was revealed, I found myself already deeply trapped within it.

……

It reveals a truth that we cannot imagine, a truth so magnificent that it transcends the realm of common sense.

……

All our guesses and all our efforts turned out to be wildly wrong, even insignificant.

……

But believe me, you can find the answers to all of this, as long as you have the courage to keep going. You have the ability to see what no one else can; your eyes are sharper than anyone else's.

Whatever decision you make, remember that once you step into the heart of this mystery, there is no turning back.

Conan murmured, "That letter... it was written to me."

Suddenly, those seemingly unrelated clues—

The unusually heavy black watch, the letter that refused to provide details, the poison APTX-4869 that was accidentally ingested...

In his search for the pointers, he encountered the Black Organization, which was also pursuing them, and many inexplicable mysteries in those cases...

All of these factors eventually coalesced into a cold and unshakeable conclusion.

Yes--

Now, everything is clear.

This is beyond the realm of common sense...

An unimaginable truth...

Unbelievable facts...

All of this points to only one terrible, unbelievable, yet clear fact.

Conan finally understood what the so-called "answer to everything" was, and what the "key" that could turn everything around really was.

He then softly read out the answer that had been waiting for him for so long.

"The answer... is time."

But—how could that be?!

Conan's heartbeat gradually quickened, and he even felt that time around him slowed down or even froze at this moment.

The detective's mind was shaken by this unbelievable answer.

"No, I must be mistaken, that must be it."

Thus, Conan Edogawa began to ponder any other possible explanation.

He, or Him.

Now, Conan Edogawa is going to come up with a forced but plausible explanation for this unspeakable mystery and the road of no return.

But at that moment, a series of hurried footsteps sounded in the corridor.

The door to the ward clicked open.

Perhaps the subconscious is also avoiding the astonishing answer that was just reached.

Conan's thoughts were abruptly interrupted.

—It's Ran Mouri.

She walked into the ward, looking slightly more relaxed, followed by a doctor in a white coat.

The doctor opened the medical record book and then glanced at Conan, who had already sat up.

"Since he can move around on his own, there shouldn't be any problems."

"After all, it was just a brief shock and coma caused by intense emotional fluctuations; to put it bluntly, he fainted from fright."

"Observe for a few more hours, and if there are no problems, you can be discharged from the hospital."

After giving a few more words of advice on rest and diet, the doctor left.

As the door closed gently, the ward returned to silence.

A brief silence slowly settled between the two, like an invisible pane of glass separating them.

Conan's gaze remained fixed on Ran Mouri.

Conan could tell that Ran Mouri was deliberately avoiding eye contact with him.

Her fingertips kept rubbing the hem of her clothes, as if she was hesitating or suppressing some kind of emotion.

Ran Mouri even tried to say something several times, but in the end, she swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

The silence grew increasingly suffocating.

In the end, Ran Mouri simply shook her head slightly.

Conan had just woken up from his coma, and according to the doctor's instructions, he couldn't upset him any further.

So, Xiaolan forced a smile that was almost crumbling.

"Conan, do you... what would you like to eat? It's already noon."

Conan gently shook his head, and his gaze finally met Ran's eyes.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and in those familiar lake-blue eyes, besides sadness, there was also a hint of despair.

Conan felt a sharp pang in his heart.

He even felt that Xiaolan at this moment was like a drowning person being repeatedly swallowed by the tide, relying on her last bit of strength to force a smile.

Conan made up his mind; he knew he could no longer avoid this moment.

He could no longer keep it a secret.

He could no longer let her bear it alone.

"Xiao Lan—"

But the moment he opened his mouth, Ran Mouri rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

It's like a gate deep inside your heart finally breaking under the pressure—

Ran Mouri's emotions, which had been strained for far too long, finally broke down completely.

"Conan... Conan..."

She called his name, her voice trembling, her whole body shaking, her voice choked with sobs.

"Dad... he might not wake up... The doctor said he hit the safety net too fast..."

The helpless girl finally burst into tears.

The choked voice, the slightly trembling body, and the sad news made Conan, who was being held in someone's arms, suddenly stiffen.

Uncle Mori—!
Xiao Lan's eyes welled up with tears.

She had cried many times yesterday, but she still felt endless sorrow in her heart.

"Even Shinichi..."

"He left you with me and then flew away... I can't get through to my mother either..."

Ran Mouri buried her head.

"Conan, what should I do now...?"

The vortex she herself created has plunged her closest loved ones into pain, shock, self-blame, and anger...

The deepest trace is a kind of silent regret.

Why did things escalate to this point?
Conan felt that everything around him had suddenly become so unfamiliar.

—Another Shinichi.

Conan closed his eyes tightly, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart, but the name kept uncontrollably appearing in his mind.

—Kaito Kid.

Has Shinichi Kudo "flown away"?
Did Shinichi Kudo give himself to Ran?

All the clues are piecing together a cruel picture.

It turns out that all along, the "boundaries of science" has been the ultimate mastermind behind everything.

This organization uses his wisdom and Professor Agasa's amnesia to gain his trust.

Moreover, at the last moment, it retrieved those items along with the watch.

Perhaps this provides a temporary refuge for our questions about time.

Or rather, Conan now desperately hopes that the answer to that mystery is correct.

Conan grabbed Ran Mouri's shoulders tightly with both hands, and then slowly... pushed her away.

His eyes were now full of seriousness.

"Shinichi-nii will never abandon Ran-neechan!"

He told me about the agreement you made with him!

"Conan...?"

Time was running out. If everything was as he suspected, the phantom thief would likely have gone straight for the fifth one after retrieving the four hands and the watch.

In Conan's view, after witnessing the "fourth pointer" in that treasure chest, he fully understood why "Science Frontier" deliberately allowed the watch and the first three pointers to be lost.

Yes, in Conan's view, the first three pointers were a trap.

The Black Organization was deliberately allowed to operate by that organization.

All of this is because there are many forgeries of the fourth pointer, making it difficult for them to identify or find the truly valid pointer.

Although upon closer examination, some doubts remain.

But since that organization chose to act on the fourth pointer, it means that they probably already know the location of the fifth, or even the sixth, pointer!
When Ran Mouri suddenly stopped crying because of Conan's words, Conan broke free from her embrace and ran quickly down the corridor.

"Sister Ran! I will go find Shinichi! He would never abandon you and run away!"

The real pain he had just experienced, the inescapable reality, ignited a flame in Conan Edogawa's eyes.

Conan needs to find Heiji Hattori immediately and use the power of GSSRA to find the whereabouts of Phantom Thief Kid and that organization!

Of course, at this moment, [Edogawa Conan] was unaware of this.

A huge surprise and even greater pain awaited him soon.

……

Karasuma Renya's Twilight Villa.

The two travelers, hurrying along, looked up at the celestial phenomena that night.

One of them took out a black watch from his pocket, the fifth groove of which was filled with a jet-black hand.

That was the fifth pointer that Kaito Kuroba retrieved from the top of the clock tower.

The Dark Star.

Koizumi Akako then looked at the person beside her.

"How did the idea of ​​defying fate turn out?"

Kaito Kuroba's silence says it all.

After a very long time, he finally spoke.

"Make the final prophecy, Akako."

Then, Koizumi Akako read out the original words, which had been rearranged.

"The two travelers, hurrying along, looked up at the celestial phenomena that night."

The king, along with Bao, fled.

The princess wept as she poured out the Holy Grail, praying for divine mercy.
The devil descended upon the castle.

The soldier, exhausted, drew his sword and committed suicide.

The earth changed color.

Everything seemed to have changed.

But nothing changed.

Ultimately, fate is unchangeable, and destiny is singular.

(End of this chapter)