Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

As soon as Lin Xiuyi entered the hall, she saw a group of familiar figures anxiously waiting at the door.

Eri was the first to see him, her eyes instantly reddening. She rushed over and carefully examined his body from head to toe, afraid that he might be injured.

After confirming that Lin Xiuyi was safe and sound, the girl could no longer hold back and threw herself into his arms, bursting into tears: "Xiuyi! You're finally out! When I was hiding in the laboratory building, I heard gunshots outside, and my heart was pounding in my chest. I was so worried that something might have happened to you..."

Lin Xiuyi gently hugged the girl, patted her back tenderly, and whispered to comfort her, "It's alright, don't cry, I'm fine now."

He could feel Eri Kisaki trembling, and knew how scared she had been. He felt guilty and heartbroken.

Yui Murakami also came over, looking at Shuichi Lin with a face full of relief and lingering fear: "Shuichi, you were so brave. The police just told us what happened, and it's really not easy for you to protect yourself in that situation. You can't take such risks again, okay?"

"Yes, Lin, you are really brave."

Miss Grey also stepped forward and spoke, her tone full of admiration.
"Thanks to you this time, if you hadn't drawn the gunman away, the consequences would have been unimaginable. The school will definitely thank you properly."

The students from Teitan Junior High School also gathered around, expressing their concern in various ways. Some handed over a bottle of water, while others offered tissues to Eri Kisaki. The scene was warm and touching.

Looking at the familiar faces before him, Lin Xiuyi felt a warmth in his heart. The fear and tension he had experienced earlier seemed to vanish in that moment.

Just then, he saw the Brians standing at the back of the crowd.

Mr. Brian stepped forward and patted Lin Xiuyi on the shoulder: "You are a brave and good boy."

"You're too kind," Lin Xiuyi smiled, but involuntarily, she thought of the two FBI agents she had met that morning.

“Alright, let’s leave here first,” Murakami Yui said. “Everyone has had a long day, especially Shuichi, who needs a good rest. The school will arrange the follow-up matters tomorrow, so let’s go back to our host families first.”

Everyone nodded and surrounded Lin Xiuyi and Fei Yingli as they walked out of the police station.

……

The evening glow streamed through Brian's floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm dappled light on the living room floor.

Lin Xiuyi sat on the sofa, with Fei Yingli sitting next to him. The Brians sat in the armchairs opposite them, their expressions showing a lingering worry.

Under Eri's questioning, Hideaki Hayashi briefly recounted his encounter with the gunman on campus during the day, deliberately omitting Sharon's appearance and only emphasizing that he had taken advantage of the chaos to launch a sneak attack and was acting in self-defense.

"The situation was too urgent at the time. I didn't have time to think. I only knew that I had to subdue him first, otherwise not only would I be in danger, but other students might also be in trouble."

Lin Xiuyi spoke calmly, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs, but his tightly clenched fingers betrayed the turmoil in his heart that had not yet been completely calmed.

The Brians listened attentively, nodding from time to time.

After Lin Xiuyi finished speaking, Mr. Brian spoke first, his voice full of praise: "Lin, you are a very brave child. It is not easy to remain calm and successfully protect yourself when facing a madman with a gun."

Mrs. Brian echoed, her eyes filled with pity: "Yes, thank goodness you're alright, otherwise we really wouldn't know how to explain it to your parents."

Eri sat to the side, a proud smile on her face, as if the two elderly people were praising her.
She gently grasped Lin Xiuyi's hand, feeling a warm strength emanating from her fingertips. Lin Xiuyi returned the grip, but his gaze inadvertently swept over Mrs. Brian.

Although she was smiling, her eyes were somewhat unfocused, as if she were thinking about something else, appearing absent-minded.

Lin Xiuyi's heart skipped a beat, and she asked casually, "Mrs. Brian, are you tired? By the way, what happened when those two strangers came to see you this morning?"

He deliberately brought up the FBI agents from that morning to see the elderly couple's reaction.

Upon hearing this, the Brians exchanged a glance, and their smiles gradually faded.

They were looking for someone to talk to about this, and Lin Xiuyi's inquiry gave them just the right opportunity.

Mr. Brian sighed and slowly said, "Actually, it's nothing serious. Two FBI agents came this morning to ask us about our son, Noah."

"Noah?" Eri Kisaki looked up in surprise. "Didn't he die two years ago because he got involved in a gang fight?"

Mr. Brian nodded, his expression grave: “We’ve always thought so too. But this morning, the two agents said that they investigated the two gangs that were fighting at the time and found that the bullet that killed Noah was not fired by the guns used by those two gangs at the time.”

"No way?" Eri covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock. "Could it be that Noah wasn't accidentally caught up in the fight, but was deliberately murdered?"

“That’s what the FBI meant.” Mr. Brian’s voice lowered even further. “Noah has been gone for two years. We’ve been grieving, but we’ve slowly come to terms with it. But now they’re suddenly telling us that our son might have been murdered…”

When he said this, his voice was choked.

Mrs. Brian gripped her husband's hand tightly, her eyes reddening, but she gritted her teeth and said, "No matter what, we must find Noah's killer. We can't let him leave like this, without knowing why!"

Looking at the excited elderly couple, Lin Xiuyi fell into deep thought.

He had heard that the Brians had lost their son and daughter within two years, and he simply thought it was the cruelty of fate.

But now the FBI investigation has overturned Noah's cause of death, and a terrible thought has surfaced in his mind.

If Noah may have been murdered, what about Lily, the Brians' daughter?

Miss Grey said that Lily was robbed and shot to death on her way home from school. Could this also be a murder disguised as an accident?

The Brians were clearly unaware of this, still murmuring about their son's life, their voices filled with longing and pain.

Seeing their tired faces and bloodshot eyes, Lin Xiu gently advised, "Mr. Brian, Madam, you've both had a long day. Why don't you go back to your room and rest? Now that the FBI has gotten involved in Noah's matter, they'll definitely find out the truth. Don't worry too much; taking care of yourselves is the most important thing."

Eri Kisaki also offered a few words of advice, and the elderly couple finally nodded and got up to walk towards the bedroom.

Watching their faltering figures, both Lin Xiuyi and Fei Yingli fell silent. (End of Chapter)