Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Lin Xiuyi watched her retreating figure, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke, his voice filled with unwavering determination.
“Sharon, if you really intend to harm them, I will definitely stop you. Even if you hate me, I cannot allow you to kill two innocent old people. This is my bottom line, and I will never back down.”

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly breaking the stalemate between the two.

Vermouth's body stiffened abruptly, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she hadn't expected Lin Xiuyi to be so resolute.

She stood at the doorway, her back to Lin Xiuyi, remaining silent for a long time. Only the unconscious curling of her fingers at her sides betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

Silence fell upon the room once more, broken only by the howling wind outside the window and the ticking of the clock on the wall.

After a long silence, Vermouth finally spoke, her voice filled with an unfathomable complexity: "...Is that so? This is my job. If you want to stop me, then try..."

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, like being bitten by a small insect, and then the world began to spin. Her vision began to blur.

"you you……"

Vermouth clutched her neck and struggled to turn around, but her consciousness seemed to be swallowed by the tide. Before she could finish speaking, everything went black, and she collapsed straight down.

In her last moments before losing consciousness, she saw Lin Xiuyi holding a small device that looked like a flashlight, with an apologetic yet resolute expression on his face.

Lin Xiuyi put away the tranquilizer gun that looked like a small flashlight in his hand and sighed helplessly: "Professor Agasa's thing is really useful."

This tranquilizer gun was a "little invention" that Professor Agasa gave him when he helped him move, saying it could protect him in times of crisis. He had never had a chance to use it before, but he never expected to use it on Vermouth for the first time.

Lin Xiuyi bent down and picked up the unconscious Vermouth. The woman's body was very light, and her long hair was scattered on his arm, carrying a faint scent of perfume.

Lin Xiuyi placed her on the bed, carefully took off her high heels, and then pulled the blanket over her.

After doing all this, Lin Xiuyi sat on the chair by the bed, looking at Vermouth's sleeping face, and fell into deep thought.

Vermouth is right; he can't just focus on saving the Brians while ignoring her situation.

If the mission fails, given the Black Organization's ruthlessness, she will inevitably face severe punishment, and may even lose her life.

He had to come up with a way that would both protect the elderly couple and allow Vermouth to escape unscathed.

……

An hour later, Vermouth shook her groggy head, her consciousness gradually struggling to emerge from the fog.

"How...how could I be here..."

She stared in confusion at the unfamiliar ceiling, then her gaze fell on Lin Xiuyi, who was fast asleep in a chair beside her. Suddenly, she remembered everything that had happened.

That bastard... he actually dared to use an anesthetic needle on himself!
Vermouth gritted her teeth in anger and struggled to get up to confront Lin Xiuyi.

But as soon as she tried to get up, she immediately discovered that her hands and feet had already been tied to the bedpost by Lin Xiuyi with rope.

The rope was tied professionally, not too tight to affect blood circulation, but secure enough so she couldn't break free.

Vermouth struggled desperately, but she couldn't break free.

Although she made some noise, Lin Xiuyi, who was sitting in the chair next to her, seemed to be too tired from all the things that had happened that day and was still fast asleep in the chair.

His head was tilted slightly to one side, and his breathing was steady; he looked like he was really fast asleep.

Vermouth's face flushed with anger. She wanted to wake Lin Xiuyi up and let go of her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

If he shouted for help, he would be breaking into a private residence tonight, and if he got arrested by the police, that would be incredibly embarrassing.

Tomorrow's headlines will be all about it: famous American actress Sharon Vineyard assaults Asian boy at night... Vermouth grew angrier the more she thought about it, and looking at Lin Xiuyi next to her, she wished she could pounce on him and bite him a couple of times right away.

The next day, the morning sunlight shone through the window and fell on Lin Xiuyi's face, waking him from his sleep.

"Uh……"

He stretched and yawned, having curled up in the chair all night, and was inevitably sore all over.

Lin Xiuyi stretched his stiff neck and turned his head to check on Vermouth, only to meet a pair of blue eyes filled with anger.

Vermouth was staring at him with red, bloodshot eyes, clearly having not slept all night.

"You didn't sleep a wink all night, did you?"

Lin Xiuyi couldn't help but laugh, his tone slightly teasing.

"Go to sleep peacefully, I won't do anything to you."

"Hmph, who knows what you're up to!"

Vermouth gritted her teeth, her voice filled with annoyance.
"You dared to use a tranquilizer dart to ambush me, Lin Xiuyi! You just wait, I'll settle this score with you sooner or later!"

The thought of being subdued by this brat in such a way made her tremble with anger.

"I'm sorry..." Lin Xiuyi chuckled awkwardly, "I had no choice at the time. I couldn't just watch you go downstairs and start a fight, could I? I didn't want to actually fight with you, because it would be bad if anyone got hurt."

He was telling the truth; he could never bring himself to be ruthless towards Vermouth.

"...Let me go!"

Vermouth glared at him, her tone harsh, but a hint of barely perceptible grievance flashed in her eyes.

"Let's wait a bit longer." Lin Xiuyi shook her head, her eyes becoming serious. "Let's talk about it after I come up with a solution."

"What's the solution?" Vermouth frowned.

"Of course, it's a way that will allow you to avoid killing the Brians and going back to be punished."

Lin Xiuyi then changed the subject.
"By the way, what exactly is your organization all about? Can you tell me a little bit? I can't give you any advice without knowing the details."

He had long wanted to understand the internal structure of the Black Organization, and this might be a rare opportunity.

"Hmph, don't even think about getting any information about the organization out of me," Vermouth said, her eyes resolute. "I will never betray the organization, so give up on that idea."

Seeing her stubborn expression, Lin Xiuyi couldn't help but laugh.

Never...

Twenty years from now, you might be hoping for the organization's destruction and pinning your hopes on a certain silver bullet.

Vermouth may still harbor illusions about the organization, or perhaps she hasn't fully seen through its true nature.

"what's so funny?"

Vermouth was baffled by his laughter and became even angrier, but just then, a hint of panic flashed across her face, and her expression turned somewhat embarrassed.
"You...you let me go! I have urgent business!" (End of Chapter)