135: Chapter 135 Successful Assimilation of the Detective Conan World, the Spiritual Energy Revival Begins

The cherry blossoms in Tokyo fell and bloomed again; in the blink of an eye, it was already the fifth year.

Lin Long sat on the guest sofa at the Mouri Detective Agency, watching Conan Edogawa rush out the door on his skateboard, followed by the Detective Boys shouting, "Conan, wait for us!"

Sunlight streamed through the window onto the floor, the sound of Mouri Kogoro's snoring drifted through the air, and Suzuki Sonoko was leaning over the table, pointing at a fashion magazine—everything seemed the same as five years ago, yet it felt as if everything had changed.

"Mr. Lin Long, what do you think of this dress? Does it look good on me for the charity gala next weekend?"

Sonoko held up the magazine, her eyes sparkling.

Lin Long took the magazine, his fingertips brushing over the smooth pages, but his gaze pierced through this calm facade, landing deep within the world's origin.

For five years, he had been like the most patient observer, following Conan Edogawa through every corner of Tokyo, from the piano curse of Tsukikage Island to the treasures of the Sunset Manor, from the brewery secrets of the Black Organization to the FBI's undercover operations.

Every spark of wisdom during a case resolution, every clash of wills during the confrontation between good and evil, followed Conan Edogawa's "Thread of Destiny" and transformed into energy to nourish him.

Now, he had assimilated a full eighty percent of the kexue world's origin.

He could clearly sense the chains of this world's laws becoming increasingly "thin," like a web eaten away by moths. The color of the sky, the flow of the rivers, and even the frequency of people's breathing were subtly aligning with his small world. Continuing further would merely be repetitive waiting; it held little meaning.

"It looks very beautiful."

Lin Long returned the magazine to Sonoko, his smile as gentle as ever. "However, I might arrive a bit late to the gala that day; there's some business at the company."

"The company again..."

Sonoko puffed out her cheeks but waved her hand anyway. "Fine, fine. Just remember to come pick me up early."

Lin Long nodded with a smile and stood up to take his leave. As he walked out of the agency, Conan Edogawa happened to be returning on his skateboard, nearly crashing into him.

"Ah, Mr. Lin Long!"

Conan Edogawa braked hurriedly, his glasses sliding to the tip of his nose, revealing those large, wary eyes.

Over these five years, Conan Edogawa always felt an indescribable sense of incongruity about Lin Long.

He was like a perfect "outsider"; no matter how bizarre the case, it had nothing to do with him, yet he always appeared nearby at critical moments;

He seemed to have the movements of the Black Organization in the palm of his hand, yet he never truly intervened;

Whenever that "nightmarish chaotic battle" from five years ago was mentioned, Lin Long would only smile and say, "Conan, have you been reading too many mystery novels?"

"Be careful." Lin Long ruffled Conan Edogawa's hair, the sensation from his fingertips feeling real and warm.

Conan Edogawa was stunned for a moment, and by the time he snapped out of it, Lin Long's figure had already disappeared around the corner.

Sunlight fell on the empty alley entrance; a faint, ethereal starlight seemed to linger in the air, as if it had never existed.

At the same moment, Lin Long's figure emerged at the top of Tokyo Tower.

He looked down at the city—the weaving traffic, the bustling crowds, the sound of the train on the tracks, the promotional broadcasts from the malls, and even the whispers between couples all reached his ears clearly. This was the world he had "observed" for five years, as familiar as the lines on his palm.

"It's time to end this."

Lin Long spoke softly, and before his voice faded, his body began to decompose, turning into countless golden specks of light, like dandelions scattered by the wind, merging into the heavens and earth.

These light specks flowed upstream along the invisible threads of the origin, passing through clouds and over oceans, finally converging at the core of the kexue world—where his true body floated in the purple-gold Heavenly Dao Space, merging into one with the small world's origin.

*Buzz—*

The laws of the small world began to roar.

Lin Long mobilized the energy accumulated over five years, swinging it like an invisible giant axe, fiercely hacking at the remaining twenty percent of the kexue world's origin.

That final line of defense, condensed by the world's will, was as fragile as paper before absolute power.

*Crack!*

The sound of the origin barrier shattering echoed through the void. The chains of laws in the kexue world began to vibrate violently; those origin energies that had not yet been assimilated were like startled schools of fish, crashing around frantically, but ultimately unable to escape the fate of being devoured.

Lin Long could clearly "taste" the flavor of this energy—carrying Conan's wisdom, Ran's gentleness, Sonoko's vitality, and even Gin's paranoia and Akai Shuichi's tenacity... This was the most vivid soul of a world, and now it had all become his nourishment.

The assimilation was completed in an instant.

Without warning, the sky over Tokyo darkened. The originally clear afternoon was instantly covered by ink-black clouds. A gale howling with sand and stone swept through; people on the streets looked up in panic as streaks of blood-red lightning tore through the clouds, like a giant dragon's claws leaving hideous scars on the sky.

*Boom!*

Deafening thunder exploded, and the entire city trembled.

Mouri Kogoro, who was drinking, jerked his hand; his beer can fell to the floor, splashing foam everywhere;

Conan Edogawa and the Detective Boys hid under the eaves, watching the blood-red lightning illuminate the sky, their hearts feeling as if clenched by an invisible hand;

Suzuki Sonoko stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of the department store, suddenly remembering Lin Long's smile from the morning. Her heart ached for no reason, and tears flowed without warning.

It was the same all over the world. In the FBI office in New York, Akai Shuichi suddenly clutched his chest, looking at the eerie celestial phenomena outside the window as a blurred name flashed through his mind;

In the Black Organization's underground base, Gin's sniper rifle dropped to the ground. For the first time, he felt a fear that seeped into his marrow, as if something vital was being stripped from his body;

In a villa in Los Angeles, Kudo Yusaku put down his fountain pen, and Kudo Yukiko took his hand, both of their eyes filled with confusion—

They seemed to have forgotten an extremely important matter, a matter concerning the entire world.

This feeling of "loss" enveloped everyone.

At that moment, time suddenly stopped.

The howling gale froze mid-air, the splashing raindrops hung before eyes, the train wheels stuck on the tracks, and even the terrified expressions on people's faces were frozen still.

The entire kexue world was like it had been paused, falling into a dead silence.

Lin Long's clone quietly appeared on the streets of Tokyo, walking over the frozen rainwater.

He walked through the stationary crowd, looking at the frozen emotions on their faces—fear, confusion, bewilderment, reluctance... These vivid emotions were this world's most precious legacy.

He walked into the Mouri Detective Agency; Mouri Kogoro's action of tilting his head back to drink was frozen mid-air, the beer forming a crystalline arc hanging by his mouth;

Ran's hand holding a teacup stopped before her chest, her eyes still carrying worry over the celestial anomaly;

Conan's skateboard was stuck at the door, his glasses reflecting the blood-red lightning, his face showing a mix of wariness and confusion.

Lin Long then went to the Suzuki Family estate. Sonoko was leaning on the sofa, her cheeks still bearing wet tear tracks, her hand tightly clutching that fashion magazine;

Suzuki Shiro sat behind his desk, brows furrowed, seemingly contemplating national affairs;

Akai Shuichi stood before the FBI's monitoring screens, his finger hovering over the keyboard, the screen frozen on a map of Black Organization bases.

Finally, he went to the Black Organization's underground brewery.

Gin's muzzle was aimed forward, his finger on the trigger, the ruthlessness in his eyes frozen into eternity;

Vodka had his mouth wide open, as if shouting something;

In Dr. Agasa's basement, Sherry (Ai Haibara) stood before the lab bench, holding a test tube, her face a mix of relief and fear.

Lin Long's clone stood in the center of the brewery, looking around at these familiar figures.

Five years of time was like a long movie, and now it had finally reached the moment for the curtains to fall.

"Goodbye."

He spoke softly, and the clone turned into light specks and dissipated.

In the Heavenly Dao Space, Lin Long's true body slowly opened its eyes.

*Buzz—*

An indescribable hum echoed through the two worlds. The sound was not piercing, but carried a power that went straight to the soul, like a new birth, yet also like a farewell.

Time in the kexue world began to flow again.

The gale continued to howl, raindrops fell, the train started, and people rubbed their aching temples, looking at each other in confusion:

"Just now... what happened?"

"I don't know, it's like my mind suddenly went blank."

"The lightning in the sky is so strange... whatever, let's just go home."

No one remembered the "pause" just now; no one remembered that feeling of "loss." Only a trace of inexplicable melancholy remained deep in their hearts, like a dream forgotten upon waking.

Conan Edogawa touched his chest; the throbbing there had disappeared, replaced by an unspeakable peace, as if a stone that had weighed on his heart for five years had finally landed.

And what they didn't know was that the land beneath their feet, the sky above their heads, and the air they breathed had all changed owners.

The kexue world had completely merged into Lin Long's small world, becoming a part of it.

Lin Long's consciousness spread throughout the merged world, feeling the earth-shaking changes.

After devouring the entire kexue world, the original small world's boundaries expanded frantically. The chains of laws became incredibly robust, and the mountains, rivers, cities, villages, and all living things were brought into a new order.

This was no longer a "small world," but a true "Lesser Thousand World."

Even more surprising to him was that while assimilating the kexue world's origin, he discovered some forgotten "fragments"—records concerning magicians, werewolves, and knights.

These supernatural powers had once existed in the kexue world but had gradually died out due to the chaos of the world's origin, which also caused the cycle of seasons and the flow of time to become disordered (which was why seasonal confusion often occurred in the kexue world).

"So that's how it is."

Lin Long's consciousness sorted through these fragments in the ocean of laws. "The chaos of the world's origin led to the loss of supernatural powers."

As he completely assimilated the world, those disordered laws were repaired, the seasons became distinct again, and time flowed steadily. Under his deduction, those fragments of supernatural power gradually condensed into a brand-new substance—a type of energy that allowed living beings to break through mortal limits and awaken special abilities.

Lin Long named it "Spiritual Qi."

"Since I already have a complete world, why not make it a bit more exciting?"

Lin Long's consciousness shifted slightly, and the laws of the Lesser Thousand World began to adjust.

In the deep mountains on the outskirts of Tokyo, a silent valley suddenly emitted wisps of white mist.

This mist carried moist energy; where it fell on withered grass, the blades turned green and grew tall at a visible speed. Where it fell on dead trees, the branches instantly sprouted buds and bloomed with emerald new leaves. Small fish in the streams swam through the mist, their bodies becoming more agile and their scales shimmering with a faint luster.

In the Amazon rainforest, a sleeping giant python opened its eyes, inhaling the mist as its scales began to harden;

On the African savannah, running antelopes bathed in the quietly appearing Spiritual Qi, their speed becoming faster and their reactions sharper;

Whales in the deep sea emitted long cries, their sound waves carrying a strange rhythm.

People in the cities were temporarily unable to detect these changes, but those creatures near the mountains and rivers were the first to bathe in the Spiritual Qi, beginning a subtle evolution.

Lin Long stood in the Heavenly Dao Space, looking down at this awakening world.

The cherry blossoms still bloomed, the trains still shuttled, Conan Edogawa was still solving cases, and the Black Organization was still active in the shadows... On the surface, everything was the same as before.

But Lin Long knew that a new era had begun.

The era of Spiritual Qi recovery was about to arrive.

Those powers hidden in bloodlines, those forgotten supernatural heritages, and those creatures that only existed in legends would all slowly awaken under the nourishment of Spiritual Qi.

Conan's deductions, the Black Organization's conspiracies, and the FBI's actions would all evolve into more magnificent stories on this brand-new stage.

And he, Lin Long, as the Heavenly Dao of this Lesser Thousand World, would quietly watch it all happen.

Perhaps one day, Conan Edogawa would find his body changing under the nourishment of Spiritual Qi, no longer needing to rely on an antidote to recover;

Perhaps one day, Akai Shuichi's sniper rifle would be imbued with the power of Spiritual Qi, becoming even more precise;

Perhaps one day, the Black Organization would find remnant magic scrolls and stir up new storms...

A smile of anticipation tugged at the corners of Lin Long's mouth.

The Spiritual Qi recovery has begun, and a new story has also begun!

(The End!)