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

Chapter 295 Poker Club
Now, everyone is gathered around the notebook that Genta discovered.

Standing in front of the mahogany desk, Conan Edogawa coincidentally flipped directly to the page in his notebook that contained the clue.

He then read out the clues he deemed important:
"The last recorded crime was on September 8th."

"The second victim was Honey Charlest, 41 years old, a woman living alone. Her body was found at—"

Looking at the familiar scene in the photo tucked inside the book, Conan paused for a moment. He then pulled out the yellowed photo from his notebook and showed it to everyone.

"It's in the Whitechapel district, the vacant lot next to St. Mary's Church."

"Huh?" Sonoko Suzuki also recognized the familiar church wall. "Isn't this where we first appeared?!"

"Hmm, it seems the organizers didn't just throw together a haphazard set."

Conan nodded and gently placed the photo aside. "The information provided by the game so far is all useful clues."

However, a question arose in his mind.

"So, could that homeless man, and the page that Xiaolan just showed... be related to the pointer?"

Conan had not forgotten his purpose in infiltrating the Cocoon System—to obtain the sixth pointer.

"Two lines running in parallel... two lines running in parallel..."

He pondered for a moment the most important clue he had recently obtained.

"Since entering the game, the word 'pointer' has only appeared once in the very beginning of the game space—wait a minute!"

The few words that Xiaolan had just read aloud immediately came to mind.

If time refuses to move straight ahead,

Then follow its reflection to find your way.

Because sometimes,
In order to truly understand the future,

You must go back to where you all started.

"The very beginning!"

Conan immediately realized a problem, especially for someone searching for the "pointer".

"Is the starting location of the game really the Whitechapel area?"

His eyes immediately sharpened; this completely different direction of reasoning gave him a jolt.

"Plus, there were the problems that arose at the end of Noah's Ark..."

Conan felt he had grasped the crux of the matter.

"In other words, as long as I verify at the end of this game whether Jack the Ripper really got a pointer, the truth will be revealed!"

"Because, as with several cases I've encountered in the past, the connection between the pointer and the case itself... is two parallel lines."

"The only problem is how to understand the first sentence."

If time refuses to move in a straight line, then find your direction by following the reflection it leaves behind.
Just as he was getting deeper and deeper into his "reasoning," three curious faces crowded in front of him.

"Conan?" Ayumi Yoshida stared at Conan, who had suddenly started to space out. "Is there something wrong with this photo?"

"Ah! Yes!"

Conan answered instinctively, then his gaze shifted to the photo Ayumi was pointing to, and his brow furrowed again.

"This is--!"

This is a photo of a ring.

Conan carefully peeled off the black and white photograph and then explained to the others why he had been spacing out.

“Look, we found two rings here that are clearly different sizes. If one of them belongs to the victim, then the other was obviously left behind by the murderer.”

"So, if we find the owner of the ring, we can find the murderer?" Mitsuhiko's tone was tinged with excitement.

“No.” Conan denied Mitsuhiko’s speculation. “Since Holmes has already pasted the photo here, it means that this method won’t work.”

He mentally searched for the appearance of the two rings and their original owners based on his memory.

"Judging from its style and appearance, its owner was probably not wealthy. This is likely a silver ring made in a private workshop. In other words, it is difficult for us to trace its origin."

"And the size of these two rings..."

This contradicts the information we just saw.

The victim, Honey Charlest, 41, a woman living alone.
Conan was somewhat puzzled by this.

"The deceased was a woman living alone, and the second ring looks like the kind a child would wear, so the murderer's purpose in doing this was—"

Having already formed a few guesses in his mind, Conan put aside this particular question and continued reading.

At the end of this page is Holmes's speculation about Jack the Ripper's identity.

"Judging from the unprecedented social panic caused by Jack the Ripper in London, and the identities of those who were still able to move around at night and were not afraid to go out—"

Conan then read out the last sentence in a very solemn tone.

"I am certain that he has some connection with Professor Moriarty."

A look of seriousness appeared in Conan's eyes.

"Does that mean we're likely to face off against Professor Moriarty?"

As if everyone was terrified by the name, the air in the room became heavy.

So, Genta, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, and Sonoko all gathered around and asked in unison, puzzled, "Who is this Moriarty?"

"Okay..." Conan slapped his forehead, and the heavy atmosphere that had just been created immediately disappeared.

"I forgot you haven't read the Sherlock Holmes stories."

Ran Mouri's tone carried a hint of unease as she explained to the children and the garden:
"If it is as written in the original book, Professor Moriarty is the mastermind behind London's largest crime syndicate, and he controls the entire London underworld, earning him the title of 'Napoleon of the criminal world'."

"So it was him!" Sonoko Suzuki acted as if she had completely understood.

She smiled nonchalantly, hands on her hips.

"Hmph~ I am the noble daughter of the Duke of Beaverbrook!" Sonoko Suzuki patted her chest. "If I really have to face that guy, I'll call my guards over!"

She put her arm around Ran's shoulder and announced seriously, "Ran, you'll be the team leader!"

Conan's lips twitched, and he mentally cursed again, "Sonoko, you... don't always take the established rules seriously!"

However, Sonoko also unusually used her wisdom, adding:

"Besides, our goal in this game isn't to capture Moriarty."

"Our goal is simply to find and capture Jack the Ripper. If that professor you're talking about is really that capable, surely it's not worth going against a serial killer?"

"That's right!" Mitsuhiko's eyes lit up, and he immediately began to try to figure out the game developers' thought process.

"If this game was really designed for children, it would never put us directly against a boss we couldn't beat!"

“That makes sense.” Ran Mouri felt a little relieved. “Holmes only caught up with Moriarty in the final stages… We should still be in the stage of gathering clues right now.”

Then she raised a question: "The problem is, where are we supposed to find him?"

"Moriarty doesn't seem to have a fixed location; even Holmes only caught him at the very end."

"That's easy, we just need to find his confidants."

Ai Haibara suddenly interrupted.

"A poker club in the city center."

She closed the other document booklet she had finished reading.

"It's written in this book that Colonel Moran, the second most dangerous man in all of London, often appears there."

She looked up, her gaze falling on Conan's face, and said softly, "If I remember correctly, he should be Professor Moriarty's confidant."

……

To be fair, Conan and his friends' current behavior is undoubtedly "over-the-top" and goes against the principles of gaming.

However, because it involves human life.

Using a little "outsider tactics" nowadays won't hurt.

As everyone began discussing what methods to use to negotiate with Colonel Moran.

Genta took out the pistol that Ran Mouri had just put aside from the open drawer.

He excitedly held up the silver revolver and asked Conan, "Do we need to bring the gun?"

"Yuanta, put the gun down!"

Conan turned his head sharply, his voice more urgent than ever before, as if he were about to complete a task that had to be accomplished.

“Using an unfamiliar weapon can easily lead to accidental discharge—it will only cause conflict, so put it back!”

Seeing Conan's almost ferocious expression, Genta swallowed hard in fear.

"Well... I think Conan is scarier right now..."

Just as Yuan Tai was about to subconsciously do as he was told, he was stopped by the actions of another person.

"Give it to me," Ai Haibara said calmly.

She reached out and took the pistol from Genta's hand, then, to Conan's incredulous gaze, skillfully twirled it with one hand.

Conan's breath hitched. "Haibara, you—!"

Ai Haibara will not give up any possible opportunity.

The death of her sister, and her past experiences, have repeatedly shown what happens if one simply relies on others.

Ai Haibara understood this long ago.

Those who are not fully prepared have no choice at all.

"If I were to follow the historical inertia, that would be my biggest mistake."

Ai Haibara glanced at Conan. "Especially this time."

Although so far the "historical inertia" seems to have not changed much, she knows that the most crucial change happened from the very beginning.

"Although we have Sonoko Suzuki and everyone's identities are more convenient, we have lost four children."

These things were not mentioned in the doctor's initial instructions.

Therefore, if you want to protect everyone at the poker club node—

She wanted to seize the initiative and determine all the variables before fate even began to unfold.

For example, that exceptionally crucial bottle of "wine".

In the "original script," it was a key item that Conan discovered could be used to threaten Colonel Moran only after Mitsuhiko and Ayumi's unexpected "exit."

Therefore, since our group has already "over-completed" the game, let's just finish it.

During her time as Professor Agasa's assistant, she also secretly learned some of the "historical inertia jump technique" that Professor Agasa mentioned.

Since Conan Edogawa is destined to get that item in the future, why not just get it now?

Moreover, in the original timeline, Mitsuhiko and Ayumi did not actually die.

All I need to do is make it impossible for them to "keep up" with this historical trajectory.

Thinking this through, she explained, "I went to a shooting range when my sister took me to Hawaii before, and I practiced shooting there."

She walked up to Conan, held the gun upside down, and tapped the arrogant detective on the head with the butt of the gun.
Immediately before Conan could snatch it away, he stuffed the pistol into his inner pocket.

"Children's identities are not easily noticed by adults."

Haibara said softly, "That way, if anything unexpected happens, we can catch them off guard."

"But--"

Ai Haibara silenced Conan with just one sentence.

"Would you like to check how many people are left on the clock tower when you go downtown?"

Conan stood there, stunned, as if he had been suddenly jolted awake by a bucket of cold water.

I think of that clock tower, that counter-clockwise minute hand, and the ever-decreasing number of people...

He ultimately fell silent.

"Alright everyone, let's get ready to go!"

Ran walked towards the apartment entrance, calling out to everyone to head to the city center, while glancing down at Ai Haibara, whom she was holding hands with, and quietly lowering her voice.

"Ai-chan, what do you think of Conan?"

Meanwhile, Ran was secretly trying to find out Ai Haibara's opinion of Conan, and Ai Haibara was also taking the opportunity to secretly "tease" Ran Mouri.

Conan stood there, stunned.

He realized a problem, a very, very, very critical problem.

"Wait, why...why am I suddenly angry with Genta because of this?"

Logically speaking, it would be very necessary to carry a gun for self-defense when taking a group of children to meet the second most dangerous person in London.

The most crucial question is, why did I suddenly become so agitated?

If you're not familiar with a weapon...

It's easy to accidentally fire something...

It will only bring conflict... The accusations that I had just blurted out, those accusations that were almost abruptly changed in emotion, resurfaced in my mind.

It was as if another version of myself was speaking.

"And..." Conan muttered to himself, "Isn't this a game world? Why did I instinctively stop the shooting just now?"

"Conan! Everyone's waiting for you!" Sonoko's voice came from the doorway.

Conan kept in mind what he had said when he was emotional.

— He subconsciously felt that this was important.

He then put the two photos in his pocket and ran towards the door.

"I'll come right away!"

……

It's probably around 1 or 2 a.m. now.

Perhaps because of the game, even though they had been in the game for almost half a day, the children did not feel tired or sleepy at all.

"We've been here for so long already!"

Mitsuhiko was somewhat astonished by this, and he keenly realized what it meant.

"It's like an extra period of time just appeared out of nowhere!"

Yuan Tai's focus, however, successfully misled the other children:

"Won't we have a lot more time to play games in the future?"

Even Ayumi started to dream about it, "And there are pretty dresses too!"

"Sigh—I'd better not shatter their fantasies now."

Conan sighed inwardly.

He even had the illusion that this "journey" was meticulously planned by someone.

Whenever the atmosphere gets heavy, there are things that lighten the mood.

But what if it's too easy?

There will be other things that make it a little heavier.

This sense of rhythm even inexplicably reminded him of the feeling of watching a movie.

Conan stood on the street corner, looking up at the familiar landmark in the distance—the clock tower, gleaming golden in the dreamlike sea of ​​fog, illuminated by the lights below.

The minute hand of the clock points to the "30" position.

"—There are thirty people left."

After Conan pointed this out, the other children, who had also realized this, quickly fell silent again.

Considering the consequences of losing the game, no one dared to delay any longer.

So, amidst the swirling fog on the street, the group followed the route Conan had noted down, quietly bypassing the main entrance of the pub and stealthily arriving at the back door of the poker club.

Conan gestured for everyone to stop, then he spoke in a low voice:
"Okay, everyone wait here for me. I'll sneak in through the back door and check what's going on inside."

Ran looked at him worriedly, "Conan, do you want me to come with you?"

"No need, I'm just going to do some scouting, I'll be back soon."

With that, Conan's figure disappeared around the corner of the back alley.

The very next second after he disappeared, Ai Haibara pulled a gun from her pocket, much to Ran's surprise.

She also turned to look at the others, "We'll follow them, and then once Conan points out the target, we'll act immediately."

"But—" Ran Mouri hesitated.

“He can’t handle it alone.” Ai Haibara knew exactly how to convince her. “It’s written in that notebook that the tavern at night is actually a place where various underground forces exchange information.”

Ai Haibara made the decision for Ran Mouri directly.

"So, Sister Xiaolan, please go in through the main gate and use the garden as bait to attract their attention."

"Huh? Me?" Sonoko was completely confused.

"Hmm." Ai Haibara's eyes suddenly became a little mischievous. She seemed to remember something and covered her mouth to chuckle.

She suddenly remembered the Alliance's "evaluation" of Sonoko Suzuki that she had seen in Professor Agasa's database.

"Just pretend to be a noblewoman who has run away from home and is interested in taverns."

She paused, "The less aristocratic the better, just play yourself."

"Huh?!" Sonoko felt that there was something hidden in this guy's words.

"And then there's Sister Xiaolan, who's the maid and bodyguard you dragged around and you couldn't stop her no matter what you did."

"What about us?" The children from the Junior Detective Club gathered around.

"You all come with me, we're going to help Conan prepare for the operation."

And so, everything was settled.

……

While Ai Haibara was making arrangements, Conan had already quietly slipped into the back door of the club, sneaking along the mahogany wall by the entrance.

At the end of the porch, he reached out and grabbed the openwork of the wall, then quietly peeked out to observe the situation.

He recognized Colonel Moran at a glance.

Perhaps because there were fewer people near the back door, Colonel Moran chose the rather luxurious open-plan private room in front of Conan.

There were four people at that table.

Colonel Moran was playing cards with one person opposite him, while two other people watched the game from the sidelines.

Conan was about to move forward a little further to check on the others when a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"How's the situation? Have you found the target?"

He turned around and saw that it was indeed Ai Haibara.

Ai Haibara leaned against the wall, already pulling out her revolver—while the other three children followed behind her.

"How did you all follow us here?"

"Do you think you can handle Colonel Moran all by yourself?"

Ai Haibara's gaze swept across the tavern, and she immediately noticed the men who were secretly on guard.

“There are at least nine of them.”

Conan opened his mouth, he was indeed a little embarrassed, and then he noticed that Ran and Sonoko hadn't followed.

"Where are Ran and Sonoko?"

Ai Haibara responded with a somewhat mysterious smile, "I'll be there soon."

Just as Haibara finished speaking, the bell at the main gate rang loudly as the gate was suddenly pushed open.

"Ding--!"

The tavern's clamor subsided for a moment.

Amidst the scents of cigars, rum, and money, a richly dressed noblewoman entered, pulling along a bewildered-looking attendant.

"Are you crazy!" Conan suddenly looked at Ai Haibara, almost shouting out loud, "This place is—"

"It's Colonel Moran's stronghold."

Ai Haibara picked up where Conan left off and then posed a question.

"If you were Colonel Moran, facing an unknown nobleman who looked very important, what would you think?"

Before Conan could answer, she continued:

“If a duke’s daughter were to get into trouble at Moran’s stronghold, he could forget about staying in London any longer—these underground forces value reputation and face more.”

"Therefore, in order to avoid any trouble, he will definitely send people to check the situation."

"But what if he decides to harm them?"

“That’s still kidnapping and ransom extortion. Their identities are there, which makes them much safer than just homeless children on the street.”

Conan was about to say something more when he saw Ai Haibara make a "shh" gesture to him.

"Quiet, Conan, don't forget, our most important task is to use this to get in touch with Professor Moriarty."

"That's exactly what I wanted to remind you of, Haibara!"

Conan lowered his voice. Although he didn't know how good Ai Haibara's shooting skills were, they weren't here to go on a killing spree.

"If you kill someone, your connection with Moriarty will be severed!"

Conan watched Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki walk into the main hall with some nervousness, and then he noticed that Ai Haibara did not respond.

He turned his head and found that Ai Haibara's gaze was fixed on the expensive mahogany tabletop—on which was a bottle of red wine, tied with a ribbon, and solemnly placed on the empty main seat.

Sometimes, you don't actually need to say anything to hint at something to a detective.

"That is--!"

Hearing Conan's surprised voice, Ai Haibara breathed a sigh of relief; that idiot had finally realized it.

Ai Haibara also turned her head and met Conan's gaze, which was filled with verification.

She nodded. "It should be him."

With such an important clue right in front of him, Conan could only temporarily put aside his worries and look at the other children.

"Okay, Haibara, you'll threaten them with a gun so they won't move."

"Genta, you and Mitsuhiko go and hold off the other two."

“As for Ayumi,” Conan paused, “you should protect yourself.”

……

Meanwhile, in the tavern's main hall, the two "guests" tasked with causing the disturbance perfectly completed their mission.

"Hey! Is this what a London pub looks like? It's so shabby!"

Yuanzi stood with her hands on her hips, looking around while loudly complaining.

"A mere tavern in the lower city dares to refuse service to my daughter? Humph, they have absolutely no manners."

—With just three sentences, the garden successfully attracted the majority of attention and criticism.

However, due to the tavern owner's status, no one took immediate action; only the malice in the air grew stronger.

"Colonel, it seems there's been a bit of a problem today."

The gentleman sitting opposite him placed the cards in his hand face down on the table, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry.

"How should we calculate today's card game?"

Colonel Moran narrowed his eyes, looked up in the direction of the commotion, and then pushed the pile of chips in front of him toward the crowd.

"These are yours."

Then he stood up and instructed his subordinates, who had walked up to him and were waiting for instructions, "That's a nobleman, don't hurt him."

The colonel's gaze swept across the hall, and the space suddenly became quiet.

Meanwhile, his four men standing near the private room moved closer to the garden.

The leader of the group had a sinister smile on his face.

"Although I don't know which duke's daughter she is... perhaps you should inquire about whose tavern this is."

"It's Professor Moriarty's tavern, isn't it?"

A somewhat young but calm voice rang out.

For Colonel Moran, the moment he saw the boy pointing a revolver at his child was a moment of profound realization.

He remembered the words the professor had told him that morning.

Women and children?!

He suddenly turned his head to look at the main table.

"Wait, what about the bottle of wine I gave the professor!"

There was already someone sitting at the main table.

It was a child wearing a tattered gray robe.

But the smile on his face and the light shining in his eyes.

—To make him look like the master of the world.

Conan watched as Genta and Mitsuhiko tackled the two people who were near the main table from under the table.

He easily picked up the bottle of red wine, which looked very expensive, then grabbed the neck of the bottle, brought it close to the hard edge of the table, and pretended to smash it.

"Now, can we have a nice talk?"

"Colonel Moran?"

(End of this chapter)