126: Chapter 126 Chaotic Tokyo, Various Forces Place Bounties on Shinichi Kudo

The morning sunlight pierced through the coconut groves of the isolated island, casting swaying spots of light on the beach.

Lin Long stood on the villa's terrace, watching Mouri Ran and Suzuki Sonoko rising and falling on their surfboards in the distance; as the waves splashed, the sound of their crisp laughter drifted over with the sea breeze.

"Kid Lin Long, what are you dazing about?"

Mouri Kogoro walked over carrying two skewers of freshly grilled sea fish, his beer belly swaying slightly with each step. "That wild pheasant we hunted yesterday tasted pretty good, right? Today, let's head to the reef area in the east. I heard you can catch bluefin tuna there!"

Lin Long took the skewers, the charred aroma of the fish mixing with the scent of sea salt. "Mr. Mouri, you're in high spirits. But I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you today—Sonoko just said she wanted Ran to try diving, so I have to go keep an eye on their safety."

"Hmph, a kid who prioritizes women over friends."

Mouri Kogoro grumbled, yet he handed over the other skewer that was grilled even crispier.

"Then you guys have fun. I'm going to the wine cellar to find that leftover whiskey from last time. We'll continue drinking when you get back at noon."

Watching Mouri Kogoro's swaying back as he walked into the villa, Lin Long couldn't help but smile.

Since Suzuki Shiro and Kisaki Eri left, this famous detective had completely let himself go—during the day, he was either heading into the back mountains with a shotgun or basking on the terrace with a wine flask. At night, he would drag Lin Long to chat about cases, sometimes slapping the table and cursing the culprits for having no brains when he got excited. He was living much more freely than he did in Tokyo.

Meanwhile, in Tokyo, the Kudo Family's safe house was shrouded in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

This apartment, located deep within Beika Town, had its curtains drawn tight from morning till night, with only the emergency lights emitting a sickly pale glow.

Kudo Yusaku hung up his thirteenth call and rubbed his brow tiredly. The residue of an encrypted message remained on his phone screen: 'If the "Experimental Subject" is not handed over, the safe house will be "cleaned" tonight.'

"Another threat?"

Yukiko Kudo walked over carrying two cups of hot coffee. Her once radiant face was now full of exhaustion, and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes were particularly noticeable under the light. "Is it the FBI, or those underground forces?"

"Both."

Kudo Yusaku took the coffee, his fingertips cold. "Just now, it was the Italian Mafia, saying they're willing to pay three hundred million Euros for a single strand of Shinichi's hair."

"Half an hour ago, it was a CIA liaison, hinting that if we don't cooperate, they will provide 'forced protection' for Shinichi. The most troublesome ones are the bounties scattered across the Dark Web..."

He opened his laptop. After the encrypted interface loaded, a dense list of bounty information popped up.

The top entry was from the largest black market platform on the Dark Web. The poster was anonymous, and the bounty amount was as high as one billion US dollars, requiring—

"Capture Kudo Shinichi alive, or obtain samples of his blood, hair, or skin tissue." The bidding record below had already reached three digits, and the comment section was filled with the codenames of intelligence agencies and criminal syndicates from various countries.

"What on earth do they want?"

Yukiko's voice trembled as she reached out to touch the photo of her son on the screen—it was Shinichi's last ID photo before he shrank, wearing his high school uniform and smiling brightly.

"Shinichi is just a child. Even if he used to be a detective, he shouldn't be hunted like this..."

"They don't want the detective Kudo Shinichi."

Kudo Yusaku closed the interface, his expression solemn.

"What they want is the secret of 'rejuvenation.' After Gin sent the news back to the Organization, it was leaked by undercover agents from at least seven countries within forty-eight hours. Now the entire underground world knows that there is a person named Kudo Shinichi who went from being a high school student to an elementary student. The 'drug' behind this is enough to subvert the existing order."

He remembered his phone call with Akai Shuichi last night.

The voice of that former FBI ace agent came through the encrypted line:

"Mr. Kudo, all the jackals in the world are staring at you now. The moles in the Organization have sold the news to everyone. the CIA wants to use Shinichi for research, MI6 wants to control him, and even those arms dealers and biotech companies want a piece of the pie..."

"You are already on the brink of desperation."

"But how long can we hide?"

Yukiko gripped the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white. "Dr. Agasa said that the research on Conan's antidote has only just begun. Going out now is a death sentence; but if we keep hiding here, those people will find us sooner or later..."

Before she could finish, the apartment's alarm system suddenly emitted a piercing buzz.

Red warning lights rotated on the ceiling. On the security screens, several men in black suits were prying open the back door of the safe house, their movements as efficient as well-trained agents.

"They're here!"

Yukiko stood up abruptly, instinctively reaching for the handgun hidden in the closet—a self-defense weapon Kudo Yusaku had prepared in advance.

"Don't move!"

Kudo Yusaku pulled her back and quickly pressed the emergency button under the desk. "They are 'Cleaners'; they don't want to leave any survivors. I've already activated the backup plan. Akai Shuichi's people will be here within five minutes."

He dragged Yukiko into the secret room behind the wall, watching the outside through the observation hole.

The men in black had already burst into the living room. The leader, wearing a silver mask and holding a sprayer filled with anesthetic gas, checked every room with practiced movements, speaking in low Russian: "Target is not in the bedroom. Check the bathroom and the storage room..."

"It's the Russian 'Black Night Organization.'"

Kudo Yusaku lowered his voice. "They specialize in biological sample smuggling. They intercepted a CIA shipment in New York once..."

Just then, rapid gunfire erupted outside.

The masked men alertly raised their guns, but were suppressed by a dark figure suddenly crashing through the window—Akai Shuichi, wearing a black trench coat, rested his sniper rifle on the windowsill. His bullets precisely struck the wrists of every man in black, and screams instantly filled the apartment.

Five minutes later, silence returned to the safe house. Akai Shuichi walked into the secret room, the smell of gunpowder still clinging to his trench coat. He took off his hat, revealing his silver-white hair:

"Mr. Yusaku, Ms. Yukiko, you can't stay here anymore. 'Black Night' is only the first wave. More people will be coming soon."

"Where can we go?" Yukiko's voice was still trembling.

"I've arranged a freighter to leave Japan tonight."

Akai Shuichi's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's. "The destination is a secret base on the West Coast of the United States. That is the secret base of our Nightingale Organization."

"Furthermore, Mr. Kudo Yusaku, you don't need to wonder why I am being so kind as to help your family. The reason is simple: my mother was also rejuvenated by someone, just like Kudo Shinichi, and she also has bounties on her head from major organizations."

"So we have a common enemy. We are comrades in the same trench."

Kudo Yusaku nodded silently and looked at a small backpack in the corner of the secret room—it was Conan's, containing the Voice-Changing Bowtie and Stun-Gun Watch invented by Dr. Agasa.

Since Conan had been moved to another safe house, they could only see each other once a day via encrypted video. The smile on the child's face was becoming rarer, yet his eyes looked more and more like that young detective who pursued the truth years ago.

"We must find the antidote as soon as possible."

Kudo Yusaku clenched his fist. "Not just for Shinichi, but also to prevent that drug from falling into the hands of evil people. If someone truly gains control over 'rejuvenation' technology, the entire world will fall into chaos."

Akai Shuichi nodded in agreement.

"We have already secretly contacted the best biologists in the world; they will assist Dr. Agasa."

"But before that, you must survive—the Kudo Family cannot fall, and Kudo Shinichi still needs you."

As night fell, the Kudo couple followed Akai Shuichi and left the safe house.

Outside the car window, Tokyo's neon lights still flickered, but they could not illuminate the shadows hidden within the city.

Yukiko looked back at the receding apartment building, suddenly remembering many years ago when she brought a toddler Shinichi here to fly kites. The wind was warm then, the sun was bright, and they never had to worry about where they would wake up tomorrow.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pacific, a small barbecue party was being held at the villa on the isolated island.

Mouri Kogoro held a beer mug, his face flushed as he bragged about how he "took down three bank robbers with one punch" back in the day.

Suzuki Sonoko pulled Mouri Ran's hand, excitedly planning to go sea fishing tomorrow.

Lin Long sat by the bonfire, looking at an encrypted message on his phone—'Kudo Family has been moved; Dark Web bounties are still escalating. Suggest strengthening island defenses.'

He looked up at the starry sky. The sea breeze blew sparks from the bonfire, like scattered stars. On the distant horizon, a freighter was sailing toward the United States, carrying two weary parents and a secret about "rebirth," while the hunters hidden in the darkness watched with greedy eyes, waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

This chase centered around "Kudo Shinichi" had only just begun.