Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

But how did he know?

Sherry?

His gaze fell on Shirley, who was working with her back to them, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

What did he and Shirley agree to?

He glanced at it, his gaze settling on Fiano.

How much does Fiano know?

As if he had suddenly noticed the anomaly in these records, he asked directly, "Why is it that only those with the Karasuma bloodline react to Aptx? Is its mechanism of action only effective for specific bloodlines?"

Fiano paused for a moment.

He adjusted his glasses and turned to meet Gin's gaze. This kind of thing couldn't be hidden. Anyone with a discerning eye could reach the same conclusion simply by reviewing the records.

“This is an early insurance measure,” Fiano said, his tone calm, even with a hint of a composed smile. “Once the drug is successful, we can expand its application range and make it effective for more specific groups of people.”

He paused, a certain certainty shining in his eyes behind his glasses.

“You know how dangerous it would be if this drug were to leak.” He stated it as if it were common sense. “Only by setting limits can we benefit, right?”

Gin didn't say anything.

He looked at Fiano's composed face, his expression unchanging. After a moment, he looked away, his expression seemingly relaxing slightly.

"How is it progressing?"

“The latest test subject, after taking the drug and regaining his youthful appearance, can now survive for four minutes.” Fiano’s tone carried a hint of barely perceptible pride. “The progress is quite remarkable.”

Gin's gaze lingered on the screen for a few more seconds before shifting away to continue watching the recording video of the latest experiment.

Koniak sat in a chair, one leg slightly bent, his posture relaxed. He glanced around at the busy people in the laboratory, then tapped his toes, sliding his chair next to Shirley, and stared at her.

Ai Haibara turned her face away, frowning to avoid his gaze.

Qingze's lips curled into a smile, and he leaned forward slightly to block the camera, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. "My dear Shirley, why are you afraid to face me?"

Ai Haibara turned her back again in annoyance, but her ears perked up as she listened to the rhythm of the tapping.

Qingze took out a lollipop and handed it over, "Want one?"

"Don't interfere with my work!" Ai Haibara turned around, her tone stern.

"I was just offering you candy, why are you being so fierce? I'm easily scared, you've frightened me..."

Qingze turned his hand and took back the lollipop he had handed her. He slowly tore open the wrapper and put the lollipop into his own mouth.

He had a lollipop in his mouth, a cold and dangerous smile playing on his lips.

"As compensation for scaring me, how about I give you one of my fingers tomorrow?"

Ai Haibara's already pale face instantly lost all color. Her eyes widened, her pupils contracted, and her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

"you......"

Qingze took out another lollipop, slowly tearing off the wrapper, his movements unhurried, as if he were enjoying something.

Then, with that cruel, chilling smile, he held the candy to her lips.

“Come on,” he said softly, as if coaxing a frightened animal, “open your mouth. Ah—”

Ai Haibara stared at the candy, at the smiling face, at the flickering light in those scarlet eyes, and humiliatingly opened her mouth to take the lollipop.

Qingze patted her head with satisfaction, his tone carrying a strong sense of control. "Good girl, that's more like it."

Not far away, Gin's cold laughter rang out.

Does your girlfriend know you're flirting with people like this?

Qingze raised an eyebrow and stood up.

"Oh?" He turned to Gin, his eyes crinkling. "Gin, are you trying to flirt with me?"

He then pulled out a lollipop.

"Want some?" He handed it over, his tone overly sincere. "It's yours, don't be shy."

Gin's face was as cold as ice.

"roll!"

He turned and left.

Qingze followed at a leisurely pace. When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

That gaze pierced through the entire laboratory and landed precisely on Ai Haibara.

A wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't throw it up after I leave." His voice drifted in from the doorway, light and airy, yet like a thorn. "I can see it."

The door closed.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Ai Haibara remained motionless, the lollipop still in her mouth.

A strange, sweet and sour taste spread in her mouth, stimulating her taste buds. Her expression twisted slightly; she felt like vomiting, but dared not.

The researchers around her glanced at her furtively, their eyes filled with pity. But no one spoke; no one dared to speak.

The lollipop melted slowly in my mouth.

One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes...

Ai Haibara finally stood up, walked to the trash can, and threw the candy stick in.

She returned to the lab bench and sat down. With a gentle press of her tongue, she brought the capsule-sized object hidden deep in her mouth to the space between her teeth, then pressed it back under her tongue.

Then she put on gloves, picked up the test tubes, and continued working.

There was nothing unusual about it.

Chapter 603 Can you help me?

Kuroba Toichi's gaze fell on Sherry through the monitor screen.

In the video, the small figure sits at the lab table, his face still bearing the lingering annoyance of eating the weird-tasting candy.

She took a few sips of coffee, seemingly managing to suppress the taste, and continued working.

Kuroba Tou glanced at it for a while, then looked away and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

"How's the investigation into that gem organization going?"

The person behind him bowed slightly, his posture respectful.

"We found nothing."

"Found nothing?" Kuroba Tou narrowed his eyes, his tapping stopped.

There are very few organizations in the world that can hide so deeply and leave no trace.

Either it's very well hidden, or it doesn't exist at all.

He lowered his eyes and remained silent for a few seconds before leaning back in his chair.

“I understand.” His voice was calm. “Pass down the order—tonight at midnight, Base One. All returning codenamed members, be present.”

"Yes."

The people behind him retreated silently.

Kuroba Toichi watched the busy figure on the screen for a while longer.

Then he stood up and walked out of the room.

......

The winter sun lazily spread across the earth, and the moisture from the melting snow filled the air.

In the park's open space, three children were arguing excitedly around a newly built snowman. The snowman's nose was a little crooked, and a carrot was stuck out at an angle, making it look quite comical.

Kuroba Touichi stood not far away and watched for a while.

A slow smile appeared on his lips as he walked over.

"You must be the famous Junior Detective Club?"

The three children turned their heads at the same time.

He stood in the sunlight, a kind smile on his face, looking like an ordinary, slightly clumsy middle-aged man.

"I have a request I'd like to ask you," he said, a little embarrassed. "I don't know if you'd accept it?"

Ayumi's eyes lit up.

Genta and Mitsuhiko also perked up.

"What kind of request?"

Kuroba Toichi took a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. It was a drawing with childlike strokes, crooked lines depicting a sofa, bookshelf, curtains, and a few circled red dots.

His expression was a mixture of happiness and distress, like an ordinary father struggling with his son.

"My son drew a treasure map, saying it was a gift for me, and he hid it at home for me to find." He sighed, smiling helplessly, "But I can't understand it... Can you help me?"

The three children gathered around and stared at the painting for a few seconds.

"no problem!"

......

The car was driving on the winding mountain road.

The scenery outside the window changed from towns to fields, from fields to mountains and forests, and finally only snow-capped mountains and bare branches remained.

The sky was overcast, and the clouds hung low, as if they were about to fall at any moment.

There were almost no other vehicles on the road; only their car continued forward along this quiet mountain road.

Kogoro Mouri gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, unusually quiet and without nagging.

In the passenger seat, Eri Kisaki was scrolling through her phone. The signal bars in the upper right corner of the screen kept dropping until only a hollow icon remained.

She tried refreshing the page, and after the screen spun for a long time, a message popped up: "Network connection failed."

She put down her phone and looked out the window at the rapidly receding snow scene.

"No signal."

A soft "hmm" came from the back seat.

Ran Mouri leaned against the car window, her gaze fixed on the snow-covered mountains and forests outside. She held her phone in her hand, the screen lit up, displaying a message that couldn't be sent.

She glanced at it for two seconds, turned off the screen, and put the phone in her pocket.

Kogoro Mouri glanced at his daughter in the rearview mirror and cleared his throat.

"Um..." he began, deliberately keeping his tone relaxed, "I just went out for some fun, to clear my head. This place is a bit remote, but the scenery is beautiful and the air is fresh, so don't overthink it."

Eri Kisaki didn't say anything, but just turned her head and glanced at him.

Kogoro Mouri continued rambling, "The police will handle those things; we don't need to worry about them."

Ran Mouri looked away, her lips curving into a faint smile.

“I know, Dad.”

There was little worry in her expression; she was even calmer than usual.

This appearance, however, only made Kogoro Mouri more worried.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he said nothing, only gripping the steering wheel tighter.

Yesterday, Qingze came to our house, bringing some food as usual. He said that the weather had been cold lately and suggested that they go out for a walk to clear their heads. He said he had a quiet house in the mountains where they could stay for a while.

The sudden decision to send them away to stay for a while was clearly unusual. Under their questioning, Qingze finally revealed some details.

Shinichi Kudo's faked death failed, and Conan's identity was exposed, attracting the attention of that organization.

The Mori family's entanglement with Conan is too deep; if they continue to stay at the agency, no one can guarantee their safety.

So that very night, they packed their bags and drove away from Beika Town under the cover of darkness. They didn't tell anyone, left no message, and vanished without a trace, like a drop of water merging into the ocean.