Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 573 Is this guy eight years old?

After being thrown back by Shiraishi, Narcissistic originally wanted to go out and help, but... not to mention that he didn't have a gun and had no right to get involved, he also saw Namiko Nagae, who was seriously injured and crawling back to the research lab.

Seeing this, the narcissist hurriedly tried to lead the people downstairs first.

"Don't worry! Hang in there... We'll get you to the hospital right away!" The narcissist knew there was help, but he didn't know how long it would take.

"Help me...go back," Changjiang said with difficulty.

"Huh?" The narcissist was taken aback by what he heard.

“There is… a first-aid kit…” Changjiang was obviously lying, and the first-aid kit would be of limited use for her injuries.

However, because Changjiang kept struggling, Zilian had no choice but to help her back first—and if she went straight downstairs, Zilian was also afraid that there were other thugs downstairs, and even the sounds of the chief and those people fighting were still going downstairs...

Back in James's room, Changjiang looked at the projection screen and finally breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "James... I'm sorry, goodbye."

"Goodbye, Teacher Changjiang..." James's synthesized voice rang out at this moment.

Immediately, the hundreds of screens on the walls of the research room began to display garbled text and lost their original content; James's main screen also went black...

"Teacher Changjiang? Changjiang?" The narcissist looked at Changjiang in his arms. Although his eyes seemed to still be staring at the screen, they had lost their luster.

……

Soon after, a group of heavily armed... but not very professional detectives and patrol officers, including the three from Haiya, rushed in—the Metropolitan Police Department's reinforcements would take some time, but the Tsukishima Police Station's reinforcements would arrive soon.

Although the police officers at the station did not seem very professional in this regard, at least "everyone had a gun," so no criminal would dare to confront them directly in this situation.

“Narcissism, Yangtze River Researcher…” Tian Shu also saw it at this moment, Yangtze River, who was no longer breathing, in Narcissism’s arms.

After a quick search, finding no one else in the research institute, Ashiya hurriedly asked, "Narcissist, where's the director?"

"Chief... the fighting sounds just came downstairs, and they disappeared about five minutes ago," the narcissist hurriedly said.

"Inspector Haiya! There's blood here..." Kunikida made a discovery downstairs.

……

When reinforcements arrived, the criminals and Shiraishi were gone; only Narcissus and Namiko Nagae, who had been shot and killed, remained at the scene.

even……

Ash Valley summoned Yuto overnight, and after Yuto's assessment, it was determined that even "James" was no longer there!
However, a large amount of data was uploaded before James disappeared...

"It doesn't seem like it was deleted... more like some kind of emergency backup command was triggered at the last moment..." Yuto deduced.

at the same time……

"The call is connected... Chief! You are now... Ah, okay... Don't worry, leave it to me..." Ashiya finally got through to Shiraishi.

Shiraishi said he chased the suspect, but failed to catch him, so... he went home first?
Ash Valley didn't know why he could go home first; he could only guess that he was injured and was just enduring it.

Of course, Ashiya had no idea that on the other end of the phone, "Conan" was speaking to him seriously using a voice changer!

Just half an hour ago, Conan received a call from Ai Haibara, saying that Shiraishi might have taken APTX4869 and asking him and Dr. Agasa to come and help. Fortunately, Shiraishi hadn't moved yet, and it was very close for Conan and Dr. Agasa to come over.

As for the specifics, Ai wasn't entirely clear either; it was Mayoi who called her out...

……

Fifty minutes ago, Shiraishi was ambushed by Vermouth, resulting in the APTX4869 entry point.

Suddenly, Bai Shi felt as if all his muscles and internal organs were about to dissolve, and he even suffered serious damage.

Shiraishi guessed that his reaction probably wasn't a sign that he was going to shrink...

Unlike "abnormal drugs", the mechanism of action of APTX4869 is unclear, and even the pattern of its differences is unknown. It is not true that the stronger one's constitution, the less likely one is to die!
Shiraishi estimated that his reaction would be the same as most people's "melting".

However, at this moment, Shiraishi suddenly remembered that Ai had previously discovered that Conan's several "growth" incidents all occurred when his body temperature rose...

Shiraishi then raised his body temperature to 45°C instantly through intense muscle tremors!
As expected, the damage caused by APTX4869 to the body was immediately reduced.

Shiraishi also took the opportunity to force Gin and the other two to retreat...

Although they knew that Shiraishi had been poisoned, they dared not linger when they saw Shiraishi, who was emitting smoke all over his body and looked like a ghost. They could only flee in a panic.

Meanwhile, Shiraishi was already struggling to withstand the effects of the drug, but he forced himself to drive back to the Kudo residence—after all, the person who knew the most about APTX4869 was right there!
If anyone could help Shiraishi at this time, it would definitely be Ai Haibara...

At this point, Shiraishi was exhausted and almost lost consciousness. Fortunately, Chihiro Ayasato was there and quickly left Shiraishi, floating back to the room and notifying Mayoi. Mayoi immediately pulled Ai out as well.

Ai Haibara has brought Professor Agasa and Conan again...

Although the old and the young are both old, fortunately, Professor Agasa has plenty of tools and some inventions similar to exoskeletons, so he was able to bring Shiraishi in.

According to Ai's assessment, Shiraishi's body is indeed not a type that is "compatible with APTX4869", and it has even begun to show signs of dissolving!
but……

Because Shiraishi deliberately raised his body temperature, not only did it delay the process for a while, but his body also showed signs of "accepting APTX4869"—that is, "accepting" like Conan and Ai!
Ai's research has yielded some results recently. Although she still doesn't understand the specific principles behind "APTX4869", she has at least made some progress...

After giving Shiraishi an injection, the signs of dissolving on Shiraishi's body gradually disappeared, and he began to... "evaporate"!
During this time, Shiraishi's phone rang several times. Conan was afraid that if he didn't answer the phone, people would think he was dead and would definitely conduct a large-scale search. So he used a voice changer to deal with it.

"Why is he shrinking so slowly?" Conan asked, looking at Shiraishi with a puzzled expression after putting down his phone.

Unlike him and Ai, who were shrunk by APTX4869, Shiraishi shrank little by little...

"It's his body that's resisting... Normally, he wouldn't have had a chance to shrink at all." Ai didn't know the difference either, but most people die on the spot, and only a very few experience rapid reverse aging.

Just then, the white smoke emanating from Bai Shi's body gradually stopped; the "evaporation" was over...

"Alright." Ai looked relieved.

Conan:? ? ?
Shiraishi immediately opened his eyes as well—just like Conan and Ai, they both woke up immediately after shrinking.

Shiraishi opened his eyes and immediately recalled what had happened not long ago. Then he looked at Ai, Conan, Professor Agasa, Mayoi, and the translucent Chihiro in front of him...

Shiraishi quickly checked his own physical condition!
My first thought was that the clothes were too big. Then Shiraishi looked at his palm and stood up again.

Conan: ...

Immediately, Shiraishi closed his eyes and carefully sensed his body's condition—and indeed… “Indeed… I feel about seven or eight years old,” Shiraishi said accurately.

Conan: ...

Shiraishi's judgment was very accurate, after all, Shiraishi already had meticulous control over his own body!
"What exactly is the principle behind this?" Shiraishi asked, frowning.

Conan: ...

"The principle isn't fully understood yet, but you'd better come up with a reason quickly. You're going to attend some group event tomorrow, right?" Ai reminded her.

"Right now, I look exactly like an eight-year-old... Oh well, I'll try to change back in a bit," Shiraishi said helplessly.

At this point, Conan finally couldn't help but exclaim, "Is this guy eight years old?!"

Shiraishi looked down at Conan, who was now almost up to his knees: "You've grown quite a bit taller..."

That's right, Shiraishi clearly determined that his current physical condition was that of an eight-year-old.

but……

Eight-year-old Shiraishi is still two or three heads taller than Professor Agasa, about 1.9 meters tall. He is a bit "slender" than before, but still within the range of being strong and fit, weighing about 85 kilograms.

It wasn't visible under the already oversized clothes, but Shiraishi could feel that his muscles were still very active, only more "streamlined" than before.

Conan couldn't help but complain about it...

"You were like this when you were eight years old?" Conan continued to question.

“No, when I was eight years old… I was probably only about 1.6 meters tall,” Shiraishi recalled.

Conan: ...

For Conan, 1.65 meters tall at eight years old is already too tall. However, in reality, considering Shiraishi's final height, his height data from ages 8 to 12 is actually somewhat short.

After all, Shiraishi's "final height" was achieved by continuously increasing his [physical fitness] before he turned eighteen!
When Shiraishi was only eight years old, his [Constitution] was only Lv5. Although this was already much higher than that of a normal person, it was only when he was eighteen years old that it was actually increased to Lv10.

But now...

Shiraishi's body has returned to the age of eight, and his [Constitution] is still Lv10!

Normally, Shiraishi's system is not "one certificate for life" and requires training to maintain. However, due to the effect of APTX4869, his physique regressed from a normal Lv10, so he is still at the maximum Lv10.

The unique feeling of Lv10's full-body strength, as if it were an extension of his own arm, without any flaws, is still there. It's clear that Shiraishi is now an eight-year-old Lv10, only his various stats have fallen behind quite a bit...

"It's just that children's bodies are inconvenient..." Shiraishi Sora said, shaking his head after throwing two punches.

Although Shiraishi is currently only Lv10, he is not a normal Lv10 who is "190cm tall and weighs 80kg"...

They are weaker in absolute strength and explosive power, and tire more easily, but they are more flexible and recover faster after fatigue. While they are more agile, their precise control is reduced.

This is also because of Shiraishi's current "age"—even if the body size is the same, there is a difference between the body of an eight-year-old and an adult.

Eight-year-old children not only have less muscle mass, but also higher water content and weaker contractile force, making them prone to fatigue and recovery. Their bones are highly elastic but less rigid, their ligaments are significantly looser and more flexible, their hearts contract weakly but can withstand higher heart rates, their lung capacity is reduced, and their nervous system is overly excitable...

These issues have resulted in Shiraishi's current state being different from that of an adult of the same size, even though they are both Lv10.

However, it's not accurate to say it's stronger or weaker, and...

To put it another way, if we compare it with an adult of the same size at Lv9, it is superior in every aspect. The aspects that are reduced are also stronger than those at Lv9, and the aspects that are enhanced are even stronger!

Conan, standing to the side, was now completely envious...

Conan, seeing Ai's worries, said enviously, "It's alright... Even if you can't use your original identity, at least apart from looking a bit younger, you don't look like a child at all. As long as you wear sunglasses... or glasses that make you look older, you can totally say that you're an adult!"

“He’s not like you. You could say he’s just being ‘reckless as a high school student’ and has gone off to investigate somewhere. If ‘Chief Beika’ goes missing, the consequences will be huge… unless he completely fakes his death,” Ai calmly reminded him.

That's right. Even if Shinichi Kudo goes missing, he can still secretly use his identity to contact other people, as long as he is not directly discovered by the Black Organization and the authorities do not leak the news of his appearance.

But Shiraishi obviously can't do that!

For "Chief Mikasa," it was clear that he was either dead or alive. There was no way he would let some people know that he was alive while the Black Organization remained unaware.

"As for this... I think we shouldn't need to," Shiraishi said speculatively.

Immediately, Shiraishi assumed a stance to exert force, and his entire body began to tremble...

Silvering!

Shiraishi's skin turned bright red, and then his whole body began to swell up inexplicably. A few seconds later, Shiraishi's clothes, which were already "not fitting" properly, were stretched out again!

Conan: ...

Shiraishi actually managed to forcibly restore his "original form" through his own power!
"Hoo..." After taking a few deep breaths, Shiraishi's body gradually cooled down, but he did not revert to his eight-year-old appearance.

"You... this isn't the antidote, is it?" Conan looked at Shiraishi with shock and anticipation—to him, APT4869 was a kind of "poison".

"No, it's similar to how you coincidentally reverted to your original state before," Shiraishi said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Conan immediately looked at Ai and said, "Didn't you say that state was dangerous?"

Ai actually has a way to temporarily turn him back, but she specifically emphasized that this cannot be maintained in the long term, otherwise it would not only be a problem of drug resistance, but also extremely dangerous.

“That’s right.” Ai nodded matter-of-factly, then reached out to grab Shiraishi’s hand.

Seeing this, Shiraishi half-squatted down and checked her over...

After touching her head, Ai said in a tone of "I knew it," "Your heart rate is 240 now, right? Although you've brought your body temperature down, can you hold on to this heart rate for a long time?"

Bai Shi thought for a moment and said, "It can't be too long. If it lasts for more than 24 hours, it will probably cause permanent damage... However, if you rest for a while every night, you can basically recover from the fatigue."

Ai nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Conan and said, "See... he's trained before, why don't you try it too?"

Conan: ...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Dongdong: Today is October 25th. On this day in 1945, Taiwan was liberated, ending fifty years of Japanese occupation. Starting this year, today is also Taiwan Liberation Day. Please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!
(End of this chapter)