Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 704 Mihua's Filial Son! (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
"Kid, let's see how you run this time!"

The masked man glared at Conan with gritted teeth, his eyes seeming as if he wanted to devour Conan alive.

"I didn't expect that brat would actually sneak into the room..."

Fumiyo Edogawa, slightly out of breath, leaned closer, a hint of confusion on her delicate face, and asked softly, "But, when did he...?"

The masked man snorted and explained dismissively, "This brat secretly pressed chewing gum into the keyhole while the waiter he called was talking to us, preventing the door from locking automatically."

He paused here, staring intently at Conan, and continued, "Then, while all our attention was focused on this car, he sneaked in like a mouse."

After saying that, the masked man glared fiercely at Conan. "I told you so, kid!"

That wretched brat actually hit him in the groin with a teacup, and he's still in pain to this day.

No, he has to go to the hospital to get checked out as soon as this farce is over. Otherwise, if he gets seriously injured, he'll regret it and be left with nothing but tears.

"hateful……"

Conan's face turned deathly pale as a sheet of paper when the masked man saw through his scheme.

He never imagined that his every move was under the control of the masked man.

His meticulously planned scheme was seen through at a glance, and this sense of defeat struck him like a heavy hammer.

Now it seems that the only solution to this difficult predicament is to use a wristwatch-type tranquilizer gun!

Thinking this, Conan pretended to struggle while subtly reaching for his left hand.

There, his last hope was hidden—a wristwatch-shaped tranquilizer gun.

However, to his surprise, after he pressed the button, the anesthetic needle did not pop out of the watch as usual.

"Why? How come it's not working?"

Conan was startled, thinking he hadn't pressed hard enough, so he pressed the button several more times in quick succession.

However, the anesthetic needle he had placed so much hope in remained motionless, failing to eject as usual, as if the anesthetic needle had never existed in the watch at all from the beginning.

But this is obviously impossible.

Since being attacked by Gin and forced to drink APTX4869, he shrunk to the size of Conan Edogawa. This tiny body makes many movements extremely difficult; his reasoning is often unconvincing to adults, and when chasing suspects, his small size often leaves him powerless, helplessly watching them escape. Professor Agasa, who lives next door to Shinichi Kudo, uses his exceptional inventive talent to create various ingenious gadgets tailored specifically for him to solve these problems, including this crucial wristwatch-shaped tranquilizer gun.

The watch-shaped tranquilizer gun closely resembles an ordinary watch, featuring an understated yet sophisticated silver finish and a deep, dark blue dial that seems to hold endless secrets. A striking red triangle adorns the top, bottom, left, and right corners of the dial, like mysterious symbols, adding to its unique aura.

The watch-style tranquilizer gun consists of several ingenious components, including a wristband, pointer, dial sight, tranquilizer dart, and flashlight. Unlike ordinary watches, it features a unique "+" shape on its dial. This "+" can stand upright, instantly transforming into a precise sight. Simply aim it at the target and gently press the button to fire the tranquilizer dart.

For targets at close range, they usually fall into a coma within 3 to 5 seconds after being hit by the needle; there has never been a case where the target has not fallen into a coma within 10 seconds.

It was with this magical gadget that he was able to frequently anesthetize Kogoro Mouri and others, and then, with the help of the bow tie-shaped voice changer, imitate their voices to deduce and solve cases, successfully solving one tricky case after another.

He cherishes this "weapon" that always plays a crucial role in critical moments, and he always remembers to replenish the anesthetic injections whenever he goes out, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

But why is it that even after pressing the buttons on his watch so many times, the anesthetic injection still hasn't worked? Could it be that he's already used it without realizing it? Or perhaps...

A terrifying thought flashed through his mind: Could it be that someone had tampered with this watch-shaped tranquilizer gun?
Thinking of this, Conan felt a chill run down his spine. His gaze unconsciously swept over the masked man and the man in sunglasses, and he wondered to himself when they had discovered and destroyed his weapon. How could he get out of this increasingly difficult predicament?

Taking in the astonishment and panic on his face, the man in sunglasses beside him smirked, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "Isn't it strange that your anesthetic needle isn't popping out?"

"The reason is actually quite simple!" The man in sunglasses deliberately dragged out his words, his eyes full of smugness and mockery. "Because, I already tampered with your interesting little watch the moment I caught you!"

"what?"

Conan's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He never expected to find himself in such a predicament, let alone that such crucial equipment on his person had been secretly sabotaged during his "kidnapping."

Had he known this would happen, he would have carefully checked the condition of his equipment before taking action.

Unfortunately, it's too late to say anything now.

Moreover, along the way, he was either busy carefully observing his surroundings or racking his brains to figure out where the transaction was taking place and how to deal with the masked man and his group. He really didn't have a moment to check his equipment.

As for why he didn't specifically check the little boy when he encountered him before?
It should be noted that the wristwatch-type tranquilizer gun only contains one tranquilizer needle, and he would naturally not use it lightly unless absolutely necessary. It was precisely because of this that he neglected to check it.

The man in sunglasses and the masked man exchanged a knowing glance, then slowly raised their guns, their faces cold and ruthless. "Once you get to the underworld, then you can regret being so careless!"

"High School Detective, Shinichi Kudo!"

"Boom..."

Filled with despair, Conan slowly closed his eyes, a wave of sorrow surging within him, fully prepared to face death.

At this moment, memories of the past flashed through his mind like a slideshow.

He recalled the laughter and joy he shared with Xiaolan as they strolled under the cherry blossoms; her gentle smile, like the warm spring sun, illuminated every corner of his heart. He remembered the tense moments when he meticulously unraveled complex cases, those moments of intellectual brilliance that were the most radiant times of his life. Now, all these beautiful memories and unfulfilled dreams seemed destined to shatter like bubbles after this single gunshot, ending abruptly. His heart was filled with resentment and helplessness.

However, what happened next struck him like a heavy blow, leaving him speechless.

After the gunshot, what came out of the muzzle was not a bullet that could kill instantly and was terrifying, but a delicate green rose!
The petals were so delicate, as if they still bore the morning dew, that they seemed out of place in this tense and absurd atmosphere.

What on earth is going on? Conan's mind went blank for a moment. Did the man in sunglasses grab the wrong gun in his panic?

Or was it someone who meticulously planned and cleverly arranged to secretly switch the guns?

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, leaving him somewhat at a loss for what to do.

Seeing Conan's bewildered and stunned expression, the man in sunglasses and Fumiyo Edogawa and the others exchanged knowing glances, and then could no longer suppress their laughter, bursting into a burst of uproarious laughter.

The laughter echoed in the room, as if to completely dispel the tense and oppressive atmosphere that had been there.

"I couldn't keep up the act any longer, it was actually me!"

Amidst a burst of cheerful and unrestrained laughter, the masked man leisurely removed his hat and wig, and then slowly peeled off the eerie mask from his face.

"The world's foremost mystery novelist—Yusaku Kudo—is here!" Yusaku Kudo said with a smug smile, his tone full of teasing, as if he was enjoying his son's shocked reaction.

"Dad?" Conan stared in shock, his jaw nearly dislocating, his eyes wide as saucers. Then, he quickly glanced to the side, a thought flashing through his mind, "Could this woman be...?"

"I'm sorry... Shinichi..."

Fumiyo Edogawa wore a gentle yet slightly playful smile. She gently pinched a corner of the human skin mask with her fingers and then slowly tore it off. She then casually removed the heavy and complicated disguise from her body.

"However... even my son couldn't recognize me. It seems my acting skills as an actress haven't deteriorated yet!" Yukiko Kudo said with a hint of pride, her eyes sparkling with a lively light.

"..." Conan looked helpless and speechless, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He never imagined that his usually composed parents would be so bored as to impersonate members of the Black Organization to "kidnap" him, putting him through this thrilling "life-or-death crisis."

This made him both angry and amused. He felt a mix of shame and anger at his parents' prank, as well as relief at surviving the ordeal. These emotions were difficult to express.

Immediately afterwards, with a hint of annoyance and obvious irritation, he cast a sharp glance at the tall man and the man in sunglasses beside him, his tone unconsciously carrying a questioning tone: "So, this big guy, and the man in sunglasses are......"

The man in sunglasses and the tall man exchanged another glance, then burst into hearty laughter once more, saying in unison, "That's right... it's us!"

"Professor Agasa! Byakuya!"

Conan looked at the "culprits" in front of him with a mixture of anger and amusement, and couldn't help but grit his teeth and say, "How could you do this? I really thought I was going to die here!"

God knows the intensity of fear that surged within him the moment he saw the man in sunglasses raise his gun and pull the trigger—a primal, instinctive fear of the unknown. At the same time, he was filled with boundless resentment; he had so many unfinished business, so many mysteries waiting to be solved, and Xiaolan…

He still hasn't been able to tell the girl he's been longing for how he feels.

It turned out that it was all just a prank, and one that was orchestrated by his closest parents.

This made him feel both annoyed and amused, but more than anything, it was a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

"Don't be angry... Shinichi."

Seeing that Conan seemed genuinely angry, Yukiko Kudo quickly went over to him, her eyes filled with concern and affection, "Mom and Dad, we were so worried about you!"

“Yes, Shinichi, we finally managed to come home, but we found you weren’t here…” Yusaku Kudo continued, a hint of helplessness and worry on his face. “Do you know how worried we were?”

"So, after you heard Professor Agasa tell you about me being shrunk..." Conan said expressionlessly, with a hint of displeasure in his tone, "you came up with such a despicable prank?"

He said that when the masked man fired the gun, he vaguely felt that the sound of the gunshot was a bit strange, the power of the bullet did not seem to be as great as he had imagined, and the sound of the recoil was also a bit odd.

But at that time, I was on the verge of life and death in extreme tension, and my mind was occupied by fear, so I had no time to think about these unusual things.

But now that I think about it carefully, oh, so that's how it all happened!

Haha, it's really impressive that his father, a great writer, could come up with such an ingenious and hilarious idea.

"We just wanted to test your detective skills!"

Yusaku Kudo patted Conan on the shoulder with a smile, his smile filled with satisfaction and praise, his eyes brimming with pride for his son. "And look what happened! You, my excellent son, have lived up to our expectations. You successfully found your way here by following the clues we deliberately left behind! Everything was exactly as we predicted before Byakuya-kun fired his gun! You see, we knew you could do it."

Conan chuckled, a hint of frustration in his smile. "So... you guys knew I was hiding in the kitchen storage box back then, and in the cupboard before that?"

"Of course!" Yusaku Kudo nodded with a smile. "If you want to become an excellent detective, you still have a lot of work to do! And it's all your own fault for not paying attention!"

As he spoke, he shook the mask in his hand, "Dad recently published a new novel, and this time Dad is playing the Dark Baron in it! I put a lot of effort into creating this role."

(End of this chapter)