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

Chapter 301 The time for reckoning has come! Hongzi, you are actually...

Lin Sheng, Conan, Akako, and Professor Agasa are currently on the sightseeing elevator heading to the fiftieth floor.

Beneath their feet, the city known as "World's First Detective Paradise" was quietly sinking into the twilight, a tapestry of gold and deep blue.

Lin Sheng withdrew his gaze from the horizon.

"It's time."

He turned his head to look at the detective being led by Professor Agasa, his tone surprisingly calm.

"The timeline of Universe One has advanced to the point of the [Detective Conan Year One]."

In order to ensure that the midpoint is fixed, and to ensure that the current Conan Edogawa does not lose his identity as "Conan Edogawa" due to the overlap in the timeline.

"It's time to nail the core of the device to the tower."

A moment of silence fell over the elevator.

Professor Agasa gently held Conan's hand, while Akako leaned against the glass, gazing at the "moonlight" that was getting closer and closer to the top of the tower.

after all--

In the original "Star Tower", the Alliance absolutely could not let go of the "acknowledgment" of "Conan Edogawa" when the "Shell" mechanism was in operation.

Conan simply turned his head slightly, looking back at Lin Sheng's back. There was no surprise or fear in his eyes, only a complex meaning.

"Don't worry," he replied lightly, his voice light and whimsical, with a touch of childish playfulness. "It's not like I can't come down once I go up."

With a "ding," the elevator stopped ascending.

The metal door slowly opened, and Conan walked into the familiar corridor that had been ravaged by the old story timeline.

He raised his wrist and shook each of the stopped hands.

"After all, Lin Sheng, your power has broken through its limit once again."

But as he said this, a sense of longing rose in his eyes.

That feeling about everything that had happened rested on the center of the observatory—on Yggdrasil, which had once been made up of lightning, storms, and inverted towers.

There should have been a detective named Conan Edogawa hanging upside down there, but now the place is empty.

Conan could only see the shadow reflected on the ground, called "the truth".

Even the shadow of that "truth," along with everything within this "tower," still sings that eternal hymn:
"Those 'tree branches' extending from the ground"
He has been wounded.

That sacrifice,

A sacrifice dedicated to Shinichi Kudo.
He sacrificed himself.
On that tree,
Nobody knows.

Where does the root of the truth extend?

He gazed down.
He picked up those truths,
Then he fell from the tree.

But that's all they can do.

But now, all of this can no longer continue.

Because Conan ignores these things, ignores the praise that the universe and time itself sing of Him.

"hey-hey."

Now, looking at the somewhat anxious universe itself, Conan couldn't help but laugh out loud, with an undisguised sense of pride.

Does He still remember the moment when the [Shell Universe] tricked Him?

"As long as I don't continue to look at the hints the [shell] gives me, the [truth] will forever remain outside the [tower]."

He stared at his own reflection in the tree and nodded, then turned to look at the thing floating behind Lin Sheng, firmly bound by the CYZ effect.

"All right!"

With an increasingly radiant smile on his face, Conan even rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Now it's finally his turn to settle scores.

"Let's put the [story timeline] up there!"

Yes, in the end, it won't be Conan who gets hung on the tower.

No one would be so naive as to think that a detective who has already been "hanged upside down" once would obediently repeat that boring and foolish tragedy, right?

Conan had already decided to erase that terrible dark history in the next loop.

And amidst those malicious gazes—

[Karasuma Renya], who had already fallen into a coma, couldn't help but tremble.

Perhaps his subconscious mind also sensed the unbearable "fate" that was about to befall him.

[Story Timeline] In the past, he attempted to personify as a "human".

But now, it must finally pay the price for its transgression of testing the gods.

To perfect that vast, sophisticated, and intertwined system of fixed time and cosmic event propulsion—

What could be more perfect material than "the timeline itself"?

Since Lin Sheng has already used the main axis at the "real timeline" end to construct a stable foundation for the [Second Universe] on the spot.

Therefore, there is only one possible destination for the [story timeline].

"As long as [Karasuma Renya] is hung up, Conan, who was just before he came into contact with the [truth], will be moved to the back of the [ring].

Lin Sheng tells Koizumi Akako and Professor Agasa the ending of the plan.

"After all, the inherent function of the [story timeline] is to create 'cases' and guide the [loop].

"That's why I specifically told Hitomi to make sure she gave the Seven Chapters Sutra to Karasuma Renya."

From beginning to end, the "Seven Chapters of Conan's True Lord Sutra," which was infused with "Conan's memories of the truth," was never a deal made for the personal escape of [Karasuma Renya].

It is merely a medium, a transition, a tool to obscure the "shell universe".

And when [Karasuma Renya] embodies both the symbolic "sides" of the "story timeline" and [Conan who knows the truth],

He became the perfect sacrifice.

A container without a "self";

A light source mistakenly identified by the universe;
An ideal "substitute" and "cover".

In doing so, the real Conan could wear a "mask" just like Professor Agasa in the past, and thus become completely free.

Of course, our [story timeline] and [Karasuma Renya] probably wouldn't care about such trivial matters.

If he can break free from his two "sides" and come to his senses.

He would surely support this heroic act, and with a smile, sincerely tell the people surrounding him, "I am absolutely doing this voluntarily."

Because he ultimately achieved his wish.

Now, possessing both the [story timeline] and the "Edogawa Conan who knows the truth," he is undoubtedly able to change the course of the world and shape the future he desires.

【Karasuma Renya】will be hung on this tower forever.

He will possess that "last cyanide," which will be embedded high up in the Star Tower, becoming part of the [Global Event Retrieval Guidance Device].

"In this way, the last person's name should be left in the past, future, and present."

Koizumi Akako sighed softly.

She was amazed at how... how insane the true nature of this "plan" was.

But Lin Sheng and Conan were quite satisfied with this.

In short, a future where no one gets hurt has been achieved!
……

After wrapping up the plan, Lin Sheng glanced at [Karasuma Renya], who had fallen into a peaceful slumber.

Then he turned to look at Conan.

"However, I'll still need you to stay on the tower and keep an eye on things during this time."

"Yes, I know."

Conan composed himself slightly from the elation that everything was finally over, and nodded. "After all, we're still not sure if this system is stable."

But the next second, that detective's maturity and caution vanished.

"But it's okay if there are any problems! Lin Sheng, you just need to add your CYZ effect to it!"

Conan was very clear about the constancy of Lin Sheng's CYZ effect—

If it can be activated even for a moment, then the "perpetual" time structure can continue forever.

"After all, as long as the system is running, even if it's only for a second, you can keep it constantly in this state of pain!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Sheng couldn't help but reach out and "tap" him on the head from a distance.

After all that effort, the most important thing they've done is to avoid "going to jail again"!

“You better pray I don’t have to do this again…” Lin Sheng paused, his words carrying a hint of threat.

"Otherwise, I'll make sure you get hung up there again from time to time, and I'll send you those photos of your 'maniacal laughter' while you're hanging on the tower, showing your changing personality..."

The thought of that terrifying future made Conan's body suddenly shudder.

His expression immediately changed. "Don't worry, I've calculated everything. There won't be any problems in the end!"

This sudden burst of noise eased the previously heavy atmosphere.

"So, is this all over now?"

Looking out the window at everything that had stabilized, Koizumi Akako blinked and interrupted the farce unfolding before her.

Although she still feels a bit unreal.

But without a doubt, it's all truly over.

Lin Sheng nodded.

"Yes, that's the case for now."

"For now?"

Hongzi's gaze sharpened slightly; she discerned another layer of meaning in the words.

"Will we encounter any other difficulties in the future?"

Lin Sheng did not answer immediately.

He glanced at Professor Agasa first.

"Ah! Now that it's all over, I should go!"

Dr. Agasa immediately understood and kindly said, "Then I'll trouble you, Lin Sheng, to take me home—"

"Well, after all, Fusae Campbell is already waiting for you in the living room."

Lin Sheng smiled and, amidst Professor Agasa's cries of "I'm not ready yet," teleported him home.

—This elderly man, who persevered until the very end, deserves a pleasant vacation.

So, only three people remained in the fiftieth floor.

"Hongzi."

The silence was suddenly broken.

The moment Lin Sheng spoke, Koizumi Akako suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

Lin Sheng, Conan —

They were both staring intently into their own eyes, and there was something deeper in their gazes.

It was something that, like the rising sea, slowly engulfed Koizumi Akako's heart.

A sense of unease.

A hint of confusion flashed in Koizumi Akako's eyes.

Why is everyone suddenly looking at me like that?
Why... did that gaze contain not only worry, but also a hint of... pity?

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Hongzi wanted to find out the source of that unease.

But she felt as if she had realized that she was about to face some unbearable truth.

Everyone was waiting for the "Red Witch" to speak.

Finally, the witch asked the question, trembling.

"Has...has something bad happened?"

Lin Sheng neither confirmed nor refuted the question.

He glanced at Conan, then slowly spoke:
"It's like this, Akako. Conan and I think it's necessary for you to know about this."

Time held little significance for these two transcendent beings—it did not symbolize a "passage," but rather a material used at will.

Therefore, at the moment when the "today" of the Star Tower settles down in the Möbius ritual cycle,
The alliance located in [Universe Two] had already completed the analysis and summarization of all the data and information it had finally obtained.

To be honest, neither Conan nor Lin Sheng were very surprised by that result.

Just as Conan just said, after everything settled down, Lin Sheng's CYZ effect unsurprisingly surged, increased dramatically, and increased rapidly.

It only stopped when it reached a capacity of 9999 to 10000 strings.

This is also the theoretically observable limit known to the Alliance at present.

And it is precisely at the moment when the [Möbius Ritual Cycle] closes.

Lin Sheng's RSI value reached -3, which is theoretically non-existent.

The simultaneous variation of these two values, along with the overall data observation of the Conan Universe-001, marks an unprecedented discovery.

The CYZ Effect Research Institute ultimately determined the growth pattern of Lin Sheng's CYZ effect.

Their conclusion was:
Just as the universe itself once warned—

The CYZ effect indeed grows based on the depth of Lin Sheng's immersion in the "characters and plot".

As for why Lin Sheng's CYZ effect stopped increasing after the second pointer case, which rose to 1024-1042 chords.

The reason is actually very simple—

At that time, he had truly influenced everyone except for Conan Edogawa.

"In other words, if I want to truly reach the limit of this [shell universe], what I need to do is like this—"

Lin Sheng glanced at Conan beside him.

"I need to construct a system that can truly affect [Conan Edogawa], that is, the pale sun itself."

To help Hongzi understand, Lin Sheng used a vivid analogy:

"If we compare the [Shell Universe] to a solar system, then my previous actions should be considered as occupying all the matter in the solar system except for the sun."

"And the Sun accounts for 99.86% of the mass of the solar system."

Conan added, "That's why Lin Sheng's power reached its limit the last time."

After all, in theory, the effects that the one-string CYZ effect can achieve can easily create a real and authentic universe.

This is also why Conan wasn't too worried about problems with the Star Viewing Tower.

As long as he doesn't trigger the "shell" mechanism, Lin Sheng is now absolutely invincible in the current "Detective Conan Universe-001".

Even Conan himself would find it hard to compare.

Of course, if you let Conan Edogawa use the "shell" mechanism, that's a different story.

"So... what does this have to do with me?"

Koizumi Akako spoke with difficulty, her voice beginning to tremble slightly.

She had no idea how this had anything to do with what Conan and Lin Sheng were about to tell her.

But she felt increasingly uneasy and nervous, and her fingers unconsciously rubbed the hem of her clothes, repeatedly clenching and unclenching them.

Lin Sheng didn't continue beating around the bush.

“You are that alien celestial body, Red Child.”

This sentence struck Koizumi Akako's mind like a meteorite with a "literal translation".

"I...I am...that alien—celestial body?"

Koizumi Akako was stunned.

The next second, her face drained of color, her breathing became erratic, and her mind suddenly went blank.

"That...that..."

Without any regard for her image, she pinched herself to steady her swaying body.

Although Koizumi Akako already knew in her heart the terrifying and unacceptable answer, she still forced herself to ask the question, clinging to the last glimmer of hope.

"That Kaito...he is—?"

Lin Sheng remained silent for a moment.

In the end, he still told the truth.

"Kaito Kuroba, he is actually a derivative effect of your RSI value, Akako."

—This is the truth behind why Akako will never disappear.

Of course, it was clearly somewhat cruel to this young girl.

(End of this chapter)