33: Chapter 33 Conan's Good Friday

In the evening in Beika Town, the night breeze carried a hint of chill, rustling the trash bags at the alley entrance.

Conan Edogawa sat up abruptly from the ground, a dull ache still lingering in the back of his head, his vision swimming with black spots.

"Hiss..."

He rubbed the back of his neck and struggled to stand up, his legs feeling a bit weak.

Looking around, the unfamiliar street scene made his heart tighten—where was this?

He clearly remembered just leaving Dr. Agasa's house and heading towards the Mouri Detective Agency; how could he have suddenly appeared here?

His memory felt like it had been abruptly severed, with a blank space in the middle.

Conan Edogawa looked down to check his body, and when he saw the clear needle marks on his arm, his pupils contracted sharply! The skin around the needle marks was slightly bruised, clearly left recently.

"Who did this?!"

He instinctively reached for his pockets; his Detective Badge and mobile phone were still there, and the change in his wallet was untouched.

The perpetrator hadn't stolen anything, they had just... drawn his blood?

A chill crept up his spine to the top of his head.

Thinking back to the investigation into Lin Long earlier that day, a terrifying thought flashed through his mind—could it be Lin Long?!

"No... impossible. It hasn't even been half an hour since I investigated Lin Long and left Dr. Agasa's house; Lin Long couldn't have received the news this quickly."

"Could it be the Black Organization?"

Conan Edogawa shook his head again, dismissing Lin Long from his mind.

He didn't dare to think too much and took off running in the direction of Dr. Agasa's house.

His small figure darted through the twilight, his heart pounding with fear and anger.

He had to find out as soon as possible what the other party had done to him!

"Dr. Agasa! Dr. Agasa!"

Conan Edogawa practically burst through Dr. Agasa's door, his face pale and his breathing rapid.

Dr. Agasa was tidying up tools in the basement and was startled to see him in such a state: "Conan? What's the matter? What happened?"

"I was knocked unconscious!"

Conan Edogawa rushed over to him, pulled up his sleeve to reveal the needle marks on his arm, "Look! They even drew my blood!"

Dr. Agasa quickly put on his reading glasses, carefully examined the needle marks, and took out a portable simple detector to scan him, his expression gradually becoming grave: "The needle marks were left by professional medical personnel; the technique was very clean... The detector shows there are no abnormal drug reactions in your system, and you haven't been injected with drugs or control agents."

Hearing the words "no abnormalities," Conan Edogawa's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and he let out a long sigh of relief: "Whew... that's a relief..."

"What exactly happened?" Dr. Agasa helped him sit down and handed him a cup of warm water, "Weren't you heading back to the office? How did you get knocked out?"

Conan Edogawa took a sip of water, steadied himself, and recounted his experience after leaving Dr. Agasa's house in detail: "When I was walking through an alley, I suddenly felt a pain in the back of my neck, and then I didn't know anything else. When I woke up, I was on that strange street with these needle marks on my body."

He frowned and analyzed: "The other party was clearly prepared, with a clear goal—which was to draw my blood. But they didn't hurt me, nor did they kidnap me, which is very strange."

Dr. Agasa was worried: "Could it be the Black Organization? Did they discover the secret of you shrinking, so they drew your blood to study the side effects of APTX4869?"

"Impossible." Conan Edogawa shook his head immediately, his eyes sharp, "If the Black Organization had discovered my identity, they would never be this 'gentle.' They would have snatched me away directly, and even to keep it a secret, they would have silenced you and Ran. But the current situation doesn't fit their style at all."

The Black Organization's code of conduct is to "cut weeds and eliminate roots," they would never leave any hidden dangers. This attacker seemed more like they were "warning" or "collecting information."

"Then who could it be?" Dr. Agasa looked troubled, "Could it be another faction?"

Conan Edogawa was silent. Apart from the Black Organization, the only suspicious person he could think of was Lin Long.

He had just investigated his identity during the day, and was attacked at night; this timing was too coincidental. However, from the time he and Dr. Agasa started investigating him until he left, it hadn't even been half an hour; Lin Long couldn't have received the news that quickly. Not to mention arranging for people to ambush him on his path; there simply wasn't enough time.

"Whoever it is, their goal definitely isn't simple." Conan Edogawa clenched his fists, his eyes behind his glasses flashing with vigilance, "What exactly do they want to do by drawing my blood?"

Dr. Agasa sighed: "There's no clue right now, we can only take it one step at a time. You must be careful when you go out in the future; it's best not to walk on secluded roads alone."

"I understand." Conan Edogawa nodded, but his heart felt heavy. He had a premonition that this was just the beginning.

When he left Dr. Agasa's house, it was already completely dark. Conan Edogawa walked on the familiar street, always feeling like someone was watching him from behind, walking cautiously with every step. He looked up toward the Mouri Detective Agency, the lights were warm, but it made him feel inexplicably uneasy.

...

Meanwhile, inside a bedroom at the Lin Family Manor, the lingering scent of intimacy had not yet dissipated.

Miyano Akemi curled up in the soft bedding, her cheeks flushed with an alluring crimson, her long eyelashes trembling slightly; she was clearly exhausted.

Lin Long leaned over, pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, and tucked the blanket in for her; his movements were so tender that he didn't seem like a dark king who could easily decide the life and death of others.

He turned and walked out of the bedroom, arriving in the living room. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the heavy night, and the thousands of lights of Tokyo flickered in the distance, like scattered stars.

Lin Long picked up his phone and opened the email that "Ghost" had just sent.

In the email were two detailed medical examination reports—one was Conan Edogawa's, and one was the medical record from Kudo Shinichi's adolescent years at the hospital.

The DNA sequence comparison results of the two reports were starkly visible: completely identical.

At the bottom, a photo was attached: Conan Edogawa unconscious on an examination bed, an IV tube inserted into his arm, his face still bearing his lingering childishness.

"Heh, the evidence is conclusive." Lin Long curled his lips, a satisfied smile flashing in his red eyes.

With this, it would be enough to make that couple from the Kudo Family restless.

He dialed "Ghost's" number, the cigarette between his fingertips flickering in the darkness.

"Boss." The emotionless, mechanical voice of "Ghost" came from the other end of the line.

"Send the data out." Lin Long's voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable command, "The recipients are Kudo Yusaku and Kudo Yukiko; use an anonymous email address and send it to their private accounts in the United States."

"Understood."

"Attach a message." Lin Long took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled a smoke ring, "Just say—'I know your son's secret. If you want him to be safe, prepare five million US dollars and wire it to this account. Remember, do not try to investigate me, otherwise, bear the consequences.'"

Five million US dollars was nothing for Kudo Yusaku, the bestselling novelist. What he wanted wasn't money, but an attitude—to let Kudo Yusaku and Kudo Yukiko know that their son was in his hands.

"Do you need to set a deadline?" Ghost asked.

"Three days." Lin Long said indifferently, "If the money isn't received within three days, say that I will send this 'surprise' to major international organizations around the world. I think the Kudo couple should understand that once this kind of successful case of returning to youth is exposed, the fate of their son can be imagined."

"Understood."

"Also," Lin Long added, "ensure that there are no traces throughout the entire process; don't let Kudo Yusaku find any clues about us. He is a world-class mystery novelist, don't underestimate him."

Kudo Yusaku's deductive ability was something even Conan Edogawa admitted he was inferior to. Lin Long didn't want to expose his trump cards because of this small matter.

"Rest assured, Boss, my techniques won't leave any footprints." Ghost's tone carried a hint of imperceptible confidence. As a shadow creature transformed by Lin Long, his hacking skills had long surpassed the limits of humanity, enough to run rampant in the online world.

"Very good." Lin Long hung up the phone, tossed it onto the sofa, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The night breeze blew his blood-colored long hair, and his red eyes were exceptionally bright in the night. Kudo Yukiko, Kudo Yusaku... your precious son has caused me quite a bit of trouble.

This time, consider it a lesson for him. If they are sensible, they will obediently wire the money, then take Kudo Shinichi and get back to the United States, never to appear in Beika Town again.

If they aren't sensible... A cold glint flashed in Lin Long's eyes. Then don't blame him for making a big scene and letting the Black Organization personally "invite" Kudo Shinichi for tea. By then, even if Kudo Yusaku had heaven-defying abilities, he might not be able to save his son's life.

...

The United States, New York. In a luxurious villa in the suburbs, the sun was shining brightly.

Kudo Yukiko was wearing a sexy bikini, lying on a lounge chair on the balcony, sipping '82 Lafite while flipping through the latest fashion magazine.

Her golden curly hair shimmered with a dazzling luster in the sunlight; one couldn't tell at all that she was the mother of a teenager.

"Yusaku, do you think this new outfit of mine looks good?" She shouted into the house, her voice coquettish.

There was no response from inside, only the sound of a typewriter—Kudo Yusaku was rushing to meet a deadline again.

Yukiko pouted and was just about to get up to "reason" with her husband when her phone suddenly "dinged," and she received an anonymous email.

"Hmm? Junk mail?" She clicked it open casually, intending to delete it immediately, but the moment she saw the content, her expression changed drastically!

There was no text in the email, only two attachments. The first attachment was Conan Edogawa's medical report; the child in the photo looked very much like her son "Kudo Shinichi" when he was little!

The second attachment was Kudo Shinichi's medical record from ten years ago. And what made her feel chilled to the bone was the comparison result below the attachments—DNA completely matched!

"Shin-Shinichi?!" The red wine glass in Yukiko's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter" and shattered into pieces.

The wine splashed and wet her skirt, but she didn't notice at all; her fingers trembled as she swiped across the screen and clicked on the only line of text in the email.

"I already know your son's secret. If you want him to be safe, prepare five million US dollars and wire it to this account. Remember, do not try to investigate me, otherwise, bear the consequences."

Every word was like a hammer, smashing hard against Kudo Yukiko's heart.

Kudo Yukiko covered her open mouth, looking at the information in her hand in disbelief.

"Yusaku! Yusaku!" Yukiko could no longer maintain her composure and screamed as she rushed into the house, her face as pale as paper.

Kudo Yusaku, who was in the study rushing his manuscript, heard his wife's scream and quickly put down his pen and Ran out: "What's wrong, Yukiko? What happened?"

"Look! Look at this!" Yukiko shoved the phone into his hand, her voice trembling with fear, "Shinichi... Shinichi he..."

Kudo Yusaku took the phone in confusion, and when he saw the contents of the email, this master of deduction who wouldn't change his expression even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, his pupils contracted sharply, and his face instantly darkened.

He quickly browsed through the two reports and the threatening text, his fingers sliding rapidly across the phone screen, attempting to trace the sender's IP address, but discovered that the other party's anti-tracking technology was outrageously high, just like dealing with a ghost.

"Damn it!" Kudo Yusaku cursed in a low voice, gripping the phone tightly until his knuckles turned white.

He finally understood why Shinichi had been avoiding them all this time, and why Yukiko said she saw a child who looked very much like Shinichi—his son had actually encountered such a terrifying thing!

And now, there was someone holding this secret to threaten them.

"Yusaku, what should we do? Let's call the police!" Yukiko grabbed her husband's arm, tears welling up in her eyes, "Will Shinichi be in danger?"

"We can't call the police." Kudo Yusaku shook his head immediately, his eyes sharp, "The other party is clearly prepared. If we call the police, in case we provoke him and he leaks the secret... the consequences would be unimaginable."

"And Yukiko, you should understand what this change in Shinichi means to those powerful people?"

He knew better than anyone how terrifying the forces involved in the cases Shinichi was investigating were, and what a terrifying obsession those powerful people had for immortality. Once the secret that "Kudo Shinichi had shrunk" was exposed, what awaited Shinichi would likely be a catastrophe.

"Then, then we just give them the money?" Yukiko was so anxious she was about to cry, "Five million dollars is a small matter, but after they take the money, will they still not let Shinichi go?"

Kudo Yusaku took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. As a top-tier mystery novelist, he quickly sorted out his thoughts: "What they want is money, but more importantly, an attitude. Let's do as they say first, wire the money to stabilize them."

"You go and contact Shinichi in a while and ask him what exactly is going on?"

He paused, a fierce look flashing in his eyes: "As for who is behind this... I will find out. Anyone who dares to touch Kudo Yusaku's son will have to pay the price."

He immediately turned and walked toward the computer: "Yukiko, prepare the transfer first. I'm going to track the sender's trail; even if he is a ghost, I will drag him out from the network!"

The sun was still bright, but a heavy atmosphere permeated the villa. A transnational contest quietly began the moment Lin Long pressed the "send" button.

And Conan Edogawa, far away in Tokyo, didn't know that his secret had already been exposed, nor did he know that his parents had fallen into a huge crisis because of him. He just stood downstairs at the Mouri Detective Agency, looking up at that familiar window, his heart filled with unease. He kept feeling that something terrible was quietly happening.