Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

Shuichi Akai seemed not to hear his sister's cries.

He calmly released his finger, and the pistol fell with a clang onto the dusty cement floor, the sound particularly abrupt in the silence.

Facing the deadly muzzle of a gun, his expression remained unwavering, his voice as cold and stern as ever, even carrying a hint of inquiry:

“I’m curious,” he said slowly, his eyes fixed on the shadow beneath Gin’s hat, “who was it that took down my sister, you or… Koniak?”

It has been confirmed that the person who appeared disguised as him that day was Gin.

But Koniak has not yet appeared, and according to the information, he was not involved in the mission.

Gin raised an eyebrow slightly, then chuckled:

"Oh? You're about to die, and you still have the mind to care about this?"

"Since I'm about to die, aren't you going to satisfy the curiosity of a dying man?"

Gin scoffed, unconvinced by the remark.

He posed another question, his voice lowering:

"Binga...is in your hands, isn't he?"

“Binga?” Shuichi Akai frowned.

Since the explosion at "Eye of the Sky," the member of the organization codenamed Binga has vanished without a trace, and the FBI has used a lot of resources but has been unable to find any trace of him.

"Why is he in our hands?" Shuichi Akai countered.

"Not here?"

Gin narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife beneath the brim of his hat, trying to find any trace of pretense on Akai's face.

If it's not in the hands of the FBI... then where could it be?

died?

Suddenly, a short video he had seen by chance—of Ran Mouri defusing a bomb in the subway—flashed through his mind…

The truth seems to have come to light.

He suddenly felt annoyed and lost interest in wasting any more words with the person in front of him.

"Since you're not with you, then you have no value in living."

“Before that,” Gin’s sneer deepened, his thumb slowly pressing down on the scarlet button, his voice filled with cruel pleasure, “I’ll let you watch your sister go first.”

Shuichi Akai's pupils suddenly contracted to cold, needle-like points, every muscle in his body tensed instantly, his adrenaline surged, and all he could see was that thumb about to deliver his death sentence.

In that critical, life-or-death moment—

boom! ! !

Gunshots rang out!

A bullet pierced through the darkness and landed precisely on the black remote control in Gin's hand!

The remote control suddenly shattered between Gin's fingers, the plastic casing broke apart, and tiny circuit boards and components scattered everywhere. A faint spark flickered briefly among the fragments before going out completely.

There are other people here!

Gin's gray-green pupils contracted sharply, his expression a mixture of shock and anger.

His reaction was faster than usual. In the instant the remote control exploded and his right hand went numb from the shock, his left hand, holding the gun, had already swung towards the dark corner where the bullet was coming from, based on his instantaneous judgment of the direction of the gunshot, and pulled the trigger!

boom!boom!

Two bullets whistled into the darkness, striking the rusty steel beams with a dull thud and sending up a few sparks, but they only hit the empty darkness.

Mother!

Shuichi Akai felt a sudden sense of relief, which was then replaced by an even stronger sense of determination.

Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly drew his concealed spare pistol from his lower back.

Raise your arm, aim, and fire in one smooth motion!

boom!

The bullet struck Gin in the chest, but only caused him to sway violently.

The bulletproof vest absorbed most of the kinetic energy, but the enormous impact still caused him to catch his breath and his movements to slow down for a moment.

Gin's eyes flashed with malice, and using the force of the bullet, he rolled violently to the side and behind a thick concrete pillar.

During the roll, he pulled out a grenade, bit the pin with his teeth, and yanked it hard!

The safety pin flew off, and without pausing, he hurled it fiercely at Shuichi Akai.

Chapter 449 Goodbye, Shuichi

Shuichi Akai's pupils contracted again!

In my field of vision, the dark grenade drew a brief arc in the air, like a ghostly shadow of death.

He unleashed all his strength with his legs, lunging to the side with all his might, while simultaneously protecting his head with his arms and curling his body up to minimize his exposed area.

boom--

The explosion erupted suddenly inside the warehouse, and a massive shockwave, carrying scorching air and sharp metal and cement fragments, swept outwards in all directions.

The explosion was deafening, the warehouse shook, and dust billowed down.

Although Akai had already thrown himself several meters away, he was still affected by the blast wave.

The shockwave slammed into his back, his ears rang sharply, and the world seemed to fall silent for a moment, with only the scorching air and the acrid smell of gunpowder filling his lungs.

In the midst of the explosion, a swift, petite black figure appeared silently and rushed towards her daughter.

Qingze was hidden in the darkness, the muzzle of the gun still burning hot from the recent firing.

He watched the battle in the warehouse, and also watched Sera Masumi being rescued, his gaze lingering on that petite figure.

This height, this build... how come he looks like an eleven or twelve-year-old child?

He narrowed his eyes and frowned in confusion.

Is it dwarfism or something else?

No, people with dwarfism are eliminated in the first round of FBI screening and have no chance of becoming FBI agents.

The infiltrator was agile and nimble, making no sound, clearly a professional agent.

But this presents a contradiction...

Where did you find this special helper?

Or is it that someone else also took drug A and shrunk in size?

Two extremely rare cases of people accidentally shrinking after taking medication are enough, right? If this person is also one of them, then the success rate of aptx4869 is far too high...

Recalling the DNA test report, his gaze fell on the petite figure in the darkness, his eyes filled with deep inquiry.

If his guess is correct... then who could this person be?

The battle inside the warehouse continued. Sera Masumi was rescued, and the outcome was no longer in doubt. Aozawa remembered the figure, turned around, and quietly left.

Sera Mary, who had joined the battle with Gin, quickly glanced back at the dark space, her embroidered eyebrows slightly furrowed.

She felt like someone was watching her just now.

Is it just an illusion?

……

In the abandoned office building of the steel plant.

Heavy, rapid breathing echoed through the dark corridor, along with unhurried footsteps, as if toying with prey.

Judy entered the abandoned room, leaning against the cold, mottled wall, her left hand pressing tightly against her hip.

Warm blood seeped uncontrollably between his fingers, and each breath brought forth new, excruciating pain.

She could feel her strength and body temperature rapidly draining away with the blood, and her vision began to darken intermittently at the edges.

She was lucky; the bullet from the sniper rifle was stopped by her body armor.

But she was also unlucky; as she tried to evacuate, a bullet came from the side and hit her hip, and her bulletproof vest failed to protect her.

This wasn't a fatal wound, but her right arm was already unable to grip the gun, rendering her unable to attack. Blood loss and pain were rapidly robbing her of her mobility.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Fryward's voice came from the corridor, carrying a cat-and-mouse-like pleasure, echoing softly in the empty space.

The voice was neither hurried nor slow, but it grew closer and closer.

Judy gritted her teeth, forced herself to sit up, and dragged her injured body half a step upwards, trying to find the next cover or a possible exit.

Footsteps sounded clearly behind her, each step feeling like they were pounding on her heartbeat.

Is it over?

The thought surfaced uncontrollably.

She slid down against the wall, the intense pain making it impossible for her to move any further.

With trembling hands, she raised the pistol, aiming the muzzle at the entrance, though she knew that in her current state, it would be difficult to hit that cunning and agile opponent.

The footsteps stopped outside.

"Not running away anymore, you little FBI bird?"

Fryward did not appear immediately, his voice filled with clear disappointment, as if the game had ended too quickly.

Judy didn't answer; she just tried to regulate her breathing and steady her hand holding the gun.

The cold wall pressed against her back, and the distant gunshots and explosions became blurred, as if they came from another world.

I'm really not reconciled...

Due to excessive blood loss, his consciousness began to waver.

Some images, some sounds, surged up uncontrollably.

She recalled the first time she met that man at the FBI firing range.

He was aloof and arrogant, and his shooting performance was unparalleled.

Shuichi Akai.

At that time, she did not know what the name meant; she was simply attracted by his deep-sea-like silence, which was out of place with his surroundings.

What followed was countless battles fought side by side.

He always rushed to the front, taking on the most dangerous tasks himself, his back view so resolute that it seemed he never thought of turning back.

She had shielded him from bullets, and he had pulled her back from the brink of death several times.

Those moments of sharing life and death, that silent yet unwavering trust, have long transcended ordinary camaraderie.

"Judy, stay close to me."

"The left side is safe."

"Retreat, that's an order."

His voice was always concise and calm, yet it made her feel incredibly at ease.

And then... the world collapsed into darkness when I learned of his death...

It was the unspoken hope that rekindled when they discovered he might still be alive; it was the heartache when they finally reunited and saw the deep weariness and determination hidden in his eyes…

She suppressed those feelings under the care of her comrades and the respect of her subordinates.

She knew he had a mission he had to complete, a past he couldn't let go of, and a family he needed to protect...

All she needed to do was stand behind him, watch over him, and support him.

But... it seems there's no way to continue like this.

Footsteps sounded again, drawing ever closer, carrying a sense of impending doom.

Judy strained her eyes to look towards the entrance. Through her blurry vision, she saw Fryward standing by the broken window, the muzzle of his gun pointed steadily at her.

The gun barrel couldn't be turned in time; death was inevitable.