Conan: When Shinjiu and Maolilan swap bodies

Ai Haibara's face was as white as paper. "What did you do to them?!"

“Just let them have some peace and quiet.” Spider stood up and took two steps toward her.

Ai Haibara lowered her head abruptly, unable to look him in the eye.

The spider walked past her, stopped in front of the control panel, and started pressing the buttons without looking back.

"The submarine has entered its self-destruct countdown. The sir instructed me to take them away. As for you—the sir did not give any instructions."

Ai Haibara remained silent.

"The choice is yours. Stay here, or leave."

"Are you really going to take them out?"

"Why would I need to lie to you at a time like this?"

Ai Haibara remained silent.

Indeed. If Spider wanted to, he could easily throw Ayumi and the others out of the lifeboat. She wouldn't be able to stop him.

"I will stay here."

She will stay. She will take the secrets of Drug A, all the information about Drug A, and the sins of Drug A, and bury them all in this sea.

"A wise choice."

Spider watched her exit the escape pod step by step, looking towards the command center, a hint of sadness appearing in his eyes.

"To stay young forever, what a pipe dream, when you're so close to achieving it..."

He looked at Ai Haibara as she exited the hatch, his eyes regaining their coldness.

If the gentleman can't have it, no one else can!

He pressed the close button.

Ai Haibara watched as the door closed narrower and narrower, and as the figures of the three children huddled on the ground grew smaller and smaller.

The door closed, the cabin shook, and it separated from the submarine.

Ai Haibara stood outside, watching the escape pod being ejected and disappearing into the dark depths of the sea.

The submarine's alarm echoed through the corridor, urgent and shrill.

Ai Haibara leaned against the cabin wall and slowly slid down to the ground.

The metal panel was cool. She leaned against it, and the expression on her face gradually relaxed, as if a string that had been stretched for too long had finally snapped.

It's not giving up, it's not despair, it's finally that I don't have to hold on anymore.

She had done what she needed to do. She had told Kid the location of the antidote, destroyed all the data on Drug A, and disposed of the finished product she brought with her.

That's enough. She doesn't need to keep pushing herself anymore; she can rest now.

A smile appeared on her face, relaxed and calm, as if she had finally put down a burden, carrying a profound tranquility.

From the moment she returned to the lab, she had no intention of continuing to live.

She knew very well that as long as she lived, this experiment would never end.

Many people already know about drug A. Now everyone may be working together to keep it a secret, but who can say for sure what will happen next?

FBI, CIA, M16, Japanese Public Security Bureau...

Which of these forces is easy to deal with?

If even one person accidentally leaks a little bit of information, countless ambitious people and insatiable individuals will flock to her.

In better circumstances, she could hide her identity and live under Shuichi Akai's surveillance. In worse circumstances, she could be imprisoned and used as a test subject, just like before, and threatened with various means to force her to continue researching drugs that could reverse aging.

Perhaps there are capable people who can accept her, but she cannot accept herself.

She is a sinner; she is guilty.

She could see the dead faces and hear their painful cries when she closed her eyes; her hands were covered in blood.

She should have died the day she took APTX4869.

The extra days I've lived have been enough.

She gained friends and family who truly cared for her.

This life has been worthwhile.

They will be saddened by her death, but their sadness will only be temporary.

The sun will still rise tomorrow, and life will continue.

She leaned against the wall, a deep weariness washing over her, her eyelids feeling as heavy as if they weighed a ton.

In a daze, she saw her sister reach out her hand to her.

"Sister, I'm here..."

The countdown has reached zero.

Explosions and flames erupted, and her figure disappeared in the firelight, a faint smile still on her face.

……

Qingze sat in the escape pod, looking back at the submarine in the distance.

The explosion was very powerful; the dull thud reverberated in our chests even through the seawater.

A massive fireball exploded from beneath the sea surface, violently hurling the black wreckage of the submarine to the surface by the blast wave, only to slam it back into the sea.

Qingze sat in the escape pod, his body spinning, swaying, and colliding with the shock of the pod.

Beyond the sea, police cars flashing red and blue lights formed an arc along the coast of Tokyo Bay, like a wall.

Ships of all sizes sailing in the bay were thrown into disarray by the sudden explosion, and began to rock violently.

After a long while, the explosion subsided, and the escape pod returned to a stable state.

Qingze rummaged through the escape pod, found a first-aid kit inside, and used it to stop the bleeding and bandage his wounds.

He bled quite a bit, and his lips were a little pale.

Outside, there was a vast, inescapable net, and beside her lay the pitch-black seabed.

It seems we've reached a dead end.

Qingze lay on his back on the floor of the escape pod, staring blankly at the pod wall above him.

Rei Furuya sat in a helicopter, flying over Tokyo Bay.

His subordinate, Yuya Kazami, sat beside him.

The two men stared intently at the sea below, keeping an eye on anyone who might be hiding there.

The nuclear submarine exploded. Will Koniak die like that?

No, it won't.

How could that dangerous, terrifying person who almost orchestrated all of this possibly blow himself up?

He wouldn't believe Koniak was dead unless he saw the body with his own eyes.

"Report! An unidentified small submarine has been spotted!"

A rapid report suddenly came through the walkie-talkie.

Rei Furuya's face instantly darkened, his eyes sharp as knives.

"Surround it immediately and prevent it from diving any further."

The sea surface rippled slightly, forcing the small submarine to slowly rise to the surface.

Several Japan Coast Guard patrol vessels quickly surrounded the boat, their searchlights shining down on its hull, illuminating the dark metal exterior.

The submarine was completely silent; there was no response.

After confirming that there were no obvious explosives, the assault team immediately launched a forced breach, and the hatch was violently pried open.

However, inside there was only one unconscious boy and three unconscious children.

Chapter 621 Believe Me

The patrol boat brought the four awakened people back to shore, and Conan rushed over quickly.

Seeing the three little ones safe and sound, Conan breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that they're alright.

His gaze fell on the person who had been silent all along.

The man had a strikingly similar face to him. He sat on the boat, hugging his knees, silently gazing at the dark depths of the sea, his eyes filled with deep sorrow.

Kidd?

Why is Kid here...?

Conan suddenly realized what was happening.

Yes, he's Kaito Kuroba, that's his father. It would be strange if he did nothing after knowing the truth.

He wasn't sure if Kuroba Kaito was currently impersonating him, and he called out uncertainly:

"Shinichi-nii-san?"

Kaito Kuroba responded softly without turning around to look at him.

Ayumi tugged at Conan's sleeve, tears welling in her eyes, "Ai is missing. She was with us just now..."

Conan suddenly looked into the sea, his pupils shrinking sharply.

Haiyuan!

The First Investigation Division, which had been cooperating with tonight's operation, received the news and Inspector Megure quickly arrived to inquire about the situation.

He wasn't surprised to see "Shinichi Kudo".

Did the police know about Shinichi Kudo's faked death, or did he cooperate in issuing the death certificate?

Now that organization's forces are being besieged, and its leader has fled for his life.

Shinichi Kudo is now able to reappear.

"Brother Kudo, what exactly happened at the bottom of the sea?"

"That submarine self-destructed, and I brought them out in an escape pod..." Kaito Kuroba briefly recounted what happened inside, using Shinichi Kudo's voice.

He didn't intend to involve his own identity; using the identity of Shinichi Kudo was the best option.

"Who is the leader inside? Why did they self-destruct?" Inspector Megure pressed.

Kaito Kuroba was silent for a moment. "I don't know. I haven't seen him. I only know his name is Brandy. They had an internal conflict and started killing each other..."

"Inspector Megure, Ai Haibara hasn't come out yet, she's still inside!" Mitsuhiko shouted anxiously.

They all came out, but Haibara was nowhere to be seen.

He simply couldn't believe it!

Inspector Megure's heart sank.

Such a huge explosion, if they hadn't come out yet...

He looked at the grieving group and then turned his head away.

The voice of Commander Furuya Rei came through the communication, clearly having already grasped the situation on this side.

"Everyone, full-scale search and capture! Land teams keep an eye on the shore, Japan Coast Guard to increase patrols..."

Time passed slowly, and the darkest hour was just before dawn.

Rusty iron barrels and rotting cables were piled up on the abandoned dock. The sound of the seawater lapping against the shore was muffled, as if it came from a great distance.

Qingze climbed over the gap in the dam, his boots making a clattering sound as they stepped on the gravel.

He was soaked to the bone, his clothes clung to his body, and strands of water dripped from his hair.

After being washed by seawater, there wasn't as much blood on his body anymore, but new blood kept gushing out and blending into his black clothes.

The dock was quiet, with patrolling police officers shining their flashlights, their lights occasionally sweeping across the area, creating an atmosphere of unspoken urgency.