Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 695 Am I also part of your play? (Seeking monthly votes!)
"Um...this is?"

Conan's gaze darted anxiously around the room, from the dilapidated cupboards with their rickety doors, to the walls marked with the marks of time, seemingly telling tales of the past; from the haphazardly arranged tables and chairs, as if they had witnessed a chaotic conflict, to the dusty floor, as if no one had set foot there in a long time. He tried desperately to find a sliver of hope for escape among these seemingly ordinary things...

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to the old toolbox in the corner as if by a magnet.

The toolbox was half-open, and an object was faintly visible inside. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a wine bottle.

Conan suddenly had a thought: perhaps he could use the broken bottle to cut the ropes binding him.

However, the three people outside the door did not leave at this moment.

If you rashly break the bottle, you will not only fail to cut the rope, but you will also inevitably distract the three men and put yourself in an even more dangerous situation.

He had to patiently wait for the perfect moment to try and get his hands on the bottle...

"Shh..." Just as Conan was deep in thought, whether it was because he had unintentionally made a little too loud a noise, or because the other party was too perceptive, they noticed something amiss. The man in sunglasses suddenly tensed up, swiftly raising his finger and saying with extreme vigilance, "Listen, isn't there a sound?"

Upon hearing this, Fumiyo Edogawa and the masked man immediately fell silent, pricking up their ears to listen carefully to the sounds around them.

Conan's heart skipped a beat, as if an invisible hand had gripped his chest and lifted it into his throat. He quickly dropped to the ground, pretending to be unconscious, barely daring to breathe, afraid that even the slightest sound would give him away.

"There's no sound!"

After a while, Fumiyo Edogawa said in a low voice, with a hint of disdain, "You probably misheard. This kid is tied up so tightly, what could he possibly make?"

"Oh no... he's coming this way!"

Conan had just breathed a slight sigh of relief when, unexpectedly, footsteps sounded outside the door.

Conan was startled again, like a frightened bird, and immediately stopped all movement and held his breath.

He didn't know whether the man about to appear at the door would be the alert man in sunglasses, the ambiguous Edogawa Fumiyo, or the cold and mysterious masked man. But he knew very well that once it was discovered that he had woken up and taken action, his carefully conceived escape plan would completely fail, and what awaited him would be an even more severe and cruel test...

The footsteps grew closer, each step feeling like a blow to Conan's heart, making his heart leap into his throat. He clenched his fists nervously, not daring to blink, all his senses heightened, ready to react to any unexpected situation at any moment.

"Ta Tata..."

The footsteps stopped abruptly, and a figure suddenly appeared in the doorway—it was none other than the alert man in sunglasses.

The man in sunglasses cautiously surveyed the kitchen while muttering to himself, "No matter what, it's best to be careful. This kid is cunning and shrewd; we can't afford to get caught in this mess."

The masked man nodded slightly, agreeing, "That's right, there's no room for carelessness in this kind of thing. We have a heavy mission on our shoulders, and we absolutely cannot let it all go to waste because of a moment's negligence. If he gets away, none of us can bear the responsibility." As he spoke, he, like the man in sunglasses, slowly approached the crack in the door and cautiously peered inside.

Watching their movements, Fumiyo Edogawa couldn't help but ask curiously, "Has that kid gotten up yet...?"

The masked man squinted, observed carefully for a moment, and then said in a low voice, "Not yet. I think the drug is still working... This kid probably won't wake up anytime soon."

The man in sunglasses continued, "I estimate he'll need to sleep for a while longer before waking up. The dosage we just gave him was quite strong."

“It’s good that he hasn’t woken up yet, it saves us the trouble of figuring out how to keep him asleep.” The masked man frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in his voice. “However, is that kid inside really high school detective Shinichi Kudo? I still don’t quite believe it.”

The man in sunglasses nodded and agreed, "Yes, it's really unbelievable that a perfectly normal high school student could suddenly turn into a six or seven-year-old child."

Fumiyo Edogawa sighed softly and said slowly, "Don't even mention the two of you, I still can't quite believe it myself. However, the day Shinichi Kudo disappeared coincided with the day this kid appeared at that agency. Moreover, everything that happened around this kid after that was resolved perfectly. The way those cases were solved vaguely resembled Shinichi Kudo's style. So, I think it must be that new drug developed by the organization that shrunk his body."

The man in sunglasses nodded thoughtfully: "Now that you mention it, it seems to make sense. If that's the case, then we can't let this kid live. If he gets away, who knows how much trouble he might cause the organization."

The masked man said decisively, "That's right, anyone who knows the organization's secrets, no matter who they are, must not be let go!"

The man in sunglasses narrowed his eyes slightly and continued, "However, this drug can actually reverse aging; its power is truly beyond imagination. If we can grasp its secrets, the organization's strength will be enhanced like never before. But if this kid doesn't wake up, how are we going to bring him back to the organization? Our superiors are waiting for our news."

The masked man pondered for a moment, then offered his suggestion, “Observe him for a while longer. If he still doesn’t wake up, we’ll find a way to do so, but we can’t let him realize our intentions. Remember, we must be very careful and not give him any chance to escape.”

Fumiyo Edogawa and the man in sunglasses both nodded, indicating that they understood.

Conan, listening intently from inside the door, was burning with anxiety. It seemed they were highly suspicious of his identity, and the situation was becoming increasingly critical. He had to find a chance to retrieve the bottle and execute his escape plan as soon as possible; otherwise, once they confirmed his identity, the consequences would be unimaginable.

At this moment, he forced himself to remain calm, continuing to feign unconsciousness. Meanwhile, his mind raced, racking his brains for a solution. Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him: perhaps he could exploit their trust in his unconscious state by deliberately creating some subtle noises to lure them in, then seize the opportunity to strike, catching them completely off guard…

However, this plan is undoubtedly fraught with risks, and if one is not careful, it could very well destroy all hope of escape.

After all, the man in sunglasses, the masked man, and even Fumiyo Edogawa were all adults, and their strength far surpassed that of a child like him. A slight misstep could easily cost him his life. Not to mention, if more than one person entered, his chances of escape would become even slimmer.

But if they don't try to escape as soon as possible, once they are forcibly taken away, escaping again will be virtually impossible. Moreover, the actions of the Black Organization are extremely harmful, and if they are not escaped and exposed as soon as possible, more innocent people will be put in danger.

What should he do?
For a moment, Conan was caught in a fierce and painful internal struggle...

Just as Conan was struggling with an internal struggle and hesitating, the voices of the three people talking outside the door came through again.

"Hehehe..." The masked man chuckled softly, "Rejuvenation, huh? That's quite interesting. I'll give it a try!"

Fumiyo Edogawa looked puzzled and couldn't help but ask, "Try it? How exactly do you plan to try it?"

As the masked man spoke, he pulled an exquisite box from his pocket, a strange smile playing on his lips. "I took some of the organization's newly developed drug with me when I came out."

As he spoke, he gently flicked the box open, revealing neatly arranged capsules inside, gleaming with a cold luster in the dim light.

Conan glimpsed this scene through the crack in the door, his pupils instantly contracted, and a strong, almost suffocating unease surged in his heart, as if he foresaw a huge disaster about to befall him.

The masked man greedily examined the capsules in the box, each radiating a mysterious and dangerous aura. A cruel smile crept onto his lips as he slowly said, "Hmph, once I've given this medicine to others, I'll know for sure if it truly has that magical effect of shrinking people."

Fumiyo Edogawa pressed further, "So, who do you plan to give this medicine to?"

The masked man carefully put the box back into his arms, a chilling glint suddenly appearing in his eyes, a gaze that seemed capable of freezing all life in the world. "This is the man we're trading with tomorrow. Didn't the organization give orders long ago that we should get rid of him as soon as the transaction is over? Hmph, we can use him as a test subject for this drug, it's a good way to make use of him."

The man in sunglasses stroked his chin, a sly glint in his eyes. "He is indeed a good test subject, but I have a few more suitable candidates for drug trials."

The masked man immediately became interested, a bloodthirsty glint flashing in his eyes. He asked with great interest, "Oh? Who is it? Tell me quickly."

The man in sunglasses' eyes grew even more sinister. He lowered his voice and slowly said, word by word, "That's the Mouri Detective Agency family that brat is currently staying with."

"Since that kid chose to stay at the Mouri Detective Agency after his body inexplicably shrank, even if Kogoro Mouri and his group don't know his true identity, they probably know some inside information. In order to prevent the organization's secrets from being leaked, I think it is necessary to take measures against Kogoro Mouri and his group. And making Kogoro Mouri's whole family take the same medicine that kid took is undoubtedly a good choice."

"In this way, we can eliminate all suspicious personnel who may know the organization's secrets at once, preventing future troubles, and at the same time, we can take this opportunity to obtain a number of extremely valuable experimental data to further explore the drug's miraculous effects. This is simply a brilliant plan that kills two birds with one stone, so why not do it!"

"Hmm... Kogoro Mouri's family?" The masked man nodded slightly, his face expressionless, but his cold eyes flashed with a thoughtful light, as if he was carefully weighing the feasibility of the suggestion and the huge potential risks behind it. After a moment, he slowly said, "That is indeed a good choice."

"Damn it!"

Listening to the conversation between the man in sunglasses and the man in a mask, Conan was terrified, and his blood seemed to freeze at that moment.

He knew that if the Black Organization's evil plan succeeded, Kogoro Mouri, Ran, and everyone in the agency would be plunged into an abyss of no return.

In a state of extreme anxiety and fear, his mind raced, desperately trying to come up with a way to stop the disaster in this critical moment.

At that moment, he knew he could no longer hesitate and had to take immediate action.

But with his hands and feet bound, he could barely move, and time was so tight that every second felt like a heavy hammer, striking his heart relentlessly.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he remembered the wine bottle in the half-open toolbox in the corner.

He knew that this might be his only hope at the moment, although the chances of success were extremely slim, but he had no other choice but to save Ran Mouri and the others.

Conan took a deep breath, suppressing his fear and tension, and began to carefully move his body toward the toolbox.

With his hands and feet tightly bound, every inch of movement seemed to exhaust all his strength, and sweat poured down his forehead like beans, soaking the ground beneath him.

But he had only one firm belief in his heart: he must get the bottle, cut the ropes, escape, and stop the evil deeds of the Black Organization.

However, just as he was struggling to get close to the toolbox, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door again, as if someone was walking towards the door.

Conan's heart skipped a beat, his whole body tensed instantly, and his heart almost jumped out of his throat.

He didn't know who had come, nor was he sure if the other party had noticed his movements.

But he knew that once discovered, all his efforts would be in vain, and the Maori family would be doomed.

So he quickly stopped what he was doing, continued to feign unconsciousness, and at the same time, pricked up his ears, nervously listening to the sounds outside the door, his mind racing as he considered what to do...

(End of this chapter)