Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

A glass ball was placed in front of him.

The gentle woman bent down and patted his head.

"A special, one-of-a-kind gem."

She looked exhausted, as if she hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

He picked up the glass ball with a puzzled look. It was cold, smooth, and showed no particular characteristics.

"gem?"

“Look at it in the moonlight,” she said softly. “There’s a surprise.”

He raised the ball and aimed it at the moon outside the window.

The moment the moonlight pierced through the glass, the inside of the sphere lit up.

The shape of a gem emerged from nothingness, like a teardrop, or like flowing light. It trembled slightly in the moonlight, as if it were alive.

“This is a very special gem.” The woman crouched down, her gaze level with his. “It is said that it can carry people’s wishes.”

The equally tired man next to him reached out and gently placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Zhiyu will face great hardships in the future." His voice was low and deep. "Your parents may not be able to protect you. But don't worry—"

He paused, then exchanged a glance with the woman beside him.

"It will protect you forever in our place."

The woman smiled, but her eyes were a little red.

She reached out and smoothed the stray hairs on his forehead.

"Zhiyu." Her voice trembled slightly, but she tried to remain calm. "If one day we part ways... don't be sad."

The moonlight shone on her face, and something flickered in her eyes.

"We love you forever."

Chapter 596 Twenty-Day Time Limit

Kuroba Toichi sat behind a large desk, his computer screen filled with dense emails and reports.

The main light in the room was off; only a table lamp on the desk was lit, casting a dim, yellowish shadow over everything around it.

Rum is dead.

Champagne is dead too.

Three days have passed since the news arrived. In these three days, his rest time has been extremely limited.

His phone vibrated. He picked it up and glanced at it—it was a progress report from the research institute.

Shirley was still working, having barely rested for several days. Fiano was watching her; progress was being made, but not quickly.

He put down his phone and continued browsing the content on the screen.

The mess Rum left behind was bigger than he had anticipated.

Those hidden contact points, those funding channels known only to Rum, those "eyes" scattered across the country—all of them are now out of contact.

It's not that everyone has lost contact, but rather that the most crucial people are now unreachable.

Rum is too cautious.

He had everything in his own hands, and when he died, those things died with him.

The organization has issued a recall notice, but returning doesn't mean they can come back immediately. There are things to arrange at hand, and the journey will take time, but it is expected that they will all be able to arrive in three days.

He put down his phone and his gaze fell on another document.

The organization's financial shortfall.

Kuroba Touichi rubbed his temples.

This is the most critical problem right now.

Rum's death affected intelligence and personnel, while Champagne's death affected money.

The organization's working capital has always been managed by Champagne.

Those complicated accounts, those hidden funding channels, those detailed inflows and outflows known only to her. Now that she's dead, those numbers have died with her.

There's still money in the account.

No abnormalities are visible in the short term.

But the research institute is a money-devouring beast, burning through astronomical sums of money every day. Without new funding, the existing reserves won't last long.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Gin".

"exist."

"Put the cleanup on hold for now. Have your people check the last few transactions involving funds that Champagne handled before his death. Report back to me as soon as you find them."

Gin was silent for a second.

"clear."

After hanging up, he dialed another number.

"Vermouth".

"Sir?" came a lazy voice from the other end.

“Find out Champagne’s cause of death as soon as possible.” He paused. “Get her phone and computer back. Capture Asaka—get Gin and Koniak to cooperate with you. I need to know if Champagne’s death is related to her, and who else is behind her.”

"understood."

Kuroba Toichi put down his phone and leaned back in his chair.

The night outside the window was dark, with a few scattered lights twinkling in the distance.

He stared at the few points of light, his mind racing through all sorts of possibilities.

Champagne couldn't possibly remember everything. She must have left something behind. A paper ledger, encrypted documents, or a safe house known only to her.

It must be found before the funding chain completely breaks down.

He glanced down at the institute's budget report.

At the current rate of consumption, it can only last for a maximum of twenty days.

Twenty days.

If the champagne residue cannot be found, this seemingly massive organizational machine will begin to malfunction due to lack of fuel after twenty days.

He stood up and walked to the window.

His face was reflected in the glass—a face that bore an uncanny resemblance to Yusaku Kudo, but it was expressionless at that moment.

He remembered the son he had seen at the alley entrance that day, and how he walked alone on the winter night street, his back so thin and lost.

He probably guessed something, but he couldn't care less about that now.

He turned back to his desk and continued browsing the endless reports.

Outside the window, the night remained deep.

No one knew that a large crack had appeared in the bottom of the ship that appeared to be sailing smoothly.

Seawater is seeping in.

......

Vermouth looked up at the silent building in the night not far away.

Most of the windows in the Metropolitan Police Department building were dark, with only a few floors still lit up with scattered lights.

The snow was still falling, swirling and fluttering, landing on her hair and shoulders, quickly melting into fine water droplets.

She touched the disguise on her face, and after confirming that it was correct, she walked towards the side door.

The corridor of the forensic department was deserted.

The motion-sensor lights turned on one by one, casting a stark white light on the gleaming floor. She stopped in front of the door, pushed it open, and went inside.

The desk was messy, with various documents scattered around. She quickly flipped through them and soon found the autopsy report that belonged to Champagne.

Champagne died nearly six days ago, and her body was found to be completely cold.

Her gaze swept over the various data points: time of death, location of discovery, preliminary assessment...

She read line by line, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

The toxicology section clearly states: No common toxins were detected.

Not detected.

Vermouth stared at the three words and tapped her fingertips lightly on the table.

The phrase "not detected" has a wide range of meanings.

She happened to know of a poison that could not be detected after being ingested.

She picked up her phone, took a picture of the report, and disappeared silently into the night, just as she had come.

Snowflakes were falling heavily, and an ordinary car was parked in a quiet alley.

Vermouth removed her disguise, revealing her beautiful face.

She rolled down the car window a little and lit a cigarette.

A cold wind carrying snowflakes rushed in, dispersing the swirling smoke.

She stared at the blurry snow curtain in front of her, her expression wistful.

Rum is dead.

On the surface, it was Asaka who killed him, but she didn't believe that conclusion.

Someone had been eyeing Rum for so long, wanting to kill him for ages, but hadn't made a move yet.

Now that Rum is dead, it's more likely that he used someone else to do the dirty work, deliberately luring someone in so he could absolve himself of any blame.

And champagne.

It's likely that someone killed him by feeding him an APTX4869.

The cigarette ash flickered on his fingertips, and the smoke spilled from his lips only to be blown away by the wind.

Bourbon defected, abandoning his identity as Amuro Tooru.

Shirley has returned to the research institute, still appearing as a child.

The fact that APTX4869 can shrink people has been completely exposed, and the identity of that cool guy has probably also been revealed.

Will that person make a move against the cool guy?

What would Yukiko do?

Japanese police...FBI...CIA...and most importantly, Koniak...

Unbeknownst to them, the large ship was already on the verge of sinking.

The cigarette ash accumulated on my fingertips for a long time, but finally, unable to bear its own weight, it fell silently.

The snow was still falling, blanketing everything, burying the dirty, the clean, the living, and the dead.

All that remained in my field of vision was an ever-thickening white, blurring the streets, the buildings, and the boundaries between near and far.

Vermouth gazed at the heavy snow, remaining silent for a long time.

After a long while, she gently exhaled a puff of smoke, watching it be swallowed up by the wind and snow.

Chapter 597 Wherever Big Brother Goes, I Go Too

Gin narrowed his eyes upon receiving Vermouth's call.

He tapped his fingers lightly twice on his thigh. A moment later, he pressed the answer button.

"Gin".