Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 574 Difficult to Kill
“Hey, Ayako… Don’t worry, I’m fine. I just got a minor injury and came back to get it bandaged. They were too worried… No need to come over. It’s so late. Aren’t we going to the Twin Towers tomorrow? See you tomorrow…”

Not long after, Shiraishi received a call from Ayako.

Ayako was initially nervous, but she was relieved to hear that Shiraishi's voice didn't sound like anything was wrong, especially since he said "see you tomorrow."

Shiraishi guessed that news of his "incident" had probably already spread—after all, it was impossible to hide the fact that "Chief Beika chased after the criminal and disappeared without a trace." Even though it was already midnight, many people had probably been woken up from their sleep and informed of the incident.

After hanging up with Ayako, Shiraishi immediately contacted the police station and the Metropolitan Police Department to explain the situation to everyone.

Shiraishi only explained that the prisoner had poisoned him—he didn't even bother to hide the method of poisoning...

Of course, Shiraishi wouldn't tell the truth about the drug's effects, only saying that it was cyanide, but that he had managed to withstand it with his own body!

Although this reason was utterly ridiculous, no one outwardly questioned whether Shiraishi was lying—it was simply considered a measurement issue…

After all, the prisoner used the poison sac in his own mouth to administer the poison, and Shiraishi said that he reacted immediately and spat out the poison sac.

Therefore, it is reasonable to say that the amount of cyanide was originally very small and that most of it was expelled by Shiraishi.

Regarding this "cunning criminal," the Public Security Bureau also stopped the Metropolitan Police Department from pursuing the matter, as the Metropolitan Police Department only knew that he came from a "very dangerous criminal organization."

thus……

Everyone has gained a new understanding of how difficult it is to kill Shiraishi!

Just like Toshio Moroboshi, who was woken up by a phone call late at night to inform him that "Shiraishi was missing while chasing a criminal," he had just opened a bottle of red wine and hadn't even finished cooking his midnight snack when he received another call saying that Shiraishi was safe and sound, only poisoned by "mere cyanide," and had already pulled through.

With Kid-level disguise skills, he posed as a victim, lured Shiraishi close, and then suddenly poisoned him mouth-to-mouth while he was breathing, even with cyanide...

It's a deadly trap that's sure to kill you!

however……

Shiraishi didn't die?

Although it has been confirmed many times, this time it once again confirms that Shiraishi Kuro cannot be killed by covert means, whether it is a physical attack or a chemical toxin.

If you really want to get rid of Shiraishi, you have to do it "legitimately," the kind of thing where if he dares to resist arrest, you can bring in heavy weapons.

Shiraishi's account of the poisoning is somewhat artistic—if it really was cyanide, Shiraishi could have made things even easier!
After all, to administer poison mouth-to-mouth, the dosage must be limited; otherwise, if Vermouth is only prevented from swallowing, she herself will eventually succumb.

The mechanism of action of cyanide is to impair the cells' ability to use oxygen from the blood. Unlike carbon monoxide, cyanide poisoning does not result in oxygen in the blood, but it quickly prevents tissue cells from using the oxygen in the blood. It first starts with nerve cells, which will die from hypoxia in a short period of time.

If it were just a trace amount of cyanide, Shiraishi could force herself to take oxygen. However, the lethal dose per unit of Shiraishi's body weight is now at least ten times that of a normal person, several times higher than before the awakening of [God's Left Hand]. Combined with her body weight, this would be about thirty times that of a normal person—there's no way Vermouth could have given Shiraishi a thirty-fold dose of poison, unless her poison resistance is much higher…

As for using capsules or something, that's even more impossible—given Shiraishi's reaction speed, even if it were a capsule, or even one that dissolves instantly, Shiraishi could spit it out even faster!
However, APTX4869 is different...

Shiraishi became increasingly convinced that Vermouth must have taken this thing, and that the effect of taking it was "reverse aging" instead of death.

In this situation, Vermouth almost ignored APTX4869, simply opened the capsule, put it in her mouth, and waited for Shiraishi to take the bait, something other toxins couldn't do.

Shiraishi did indeed teeter on the brink of death—clearly, Shiraishi wasn't the type to "shrink" from taking medication; rather, his body had begun to dissolve. He only managed to get home because he knew that raising his body temperature could suppress the effect, so he heated himself up by trembling his muscles to the extreme.

At home, Ai, who knows APTX4869 best, provided timely assistance...

Shiraishi endured the "side effects" and made it to the "shrinking" stage.

……

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a certain building, Gin and his two companions were hiding.

Vermouth was smoking, looking both expectant and nervous, while Gin seemed a bit irritable, and Vodka was on the phone...

"What? Are you sure? Okay... I understand..." Vodka angrily put down his phone, then looked at Gin and said, "Big brother, news from the Metropolitan Police Department... that Shiraishi Kuro seems to still be alive!"

Gin's face darkened immediately. He looked at Vermouth and said, "What happened? Are you sure you fed her APTX4869? Or did you not dare to bite the capsule?"

"Heh." Vermouth sneered dismissively.

Although Gin was fierce, he didn't dare to do anything to Vermouth because of her special status within the organization.

and……

Gin was unaware that APTX4869 could have a "reverse aging" effect on a very small number of people.

Therefore, in Gin's view, it's very likely that Vermouth didn't dare to bite open the capsule in her mouth...

Vermouth herself looked somewhat doubtful, but said stubbornly, "It's still uncertain... Maybe it's just fake news to reassure people. Let's see if that guy will show up in public again."

The news came from within the Metropolitan Police Department, but no one actually saw Shiraishi appear!
Vermouth was puzzled...

That guy couldn't possibly have the bloodline compatible with APTX4869...

Even if we take a step back and assume that the orphan's bloodline is indeed compatible, then... he has already shrunk!
In the official narrative, shouldn't he at least be considered missing?

Does he intend to appear as a child, under the identity of Shiraishi Kuro?

Vermouth felt that Shiraishi had no reason to make this public, and she was actually quite worried—if Shiraishi really did make this public, Sherry would definitely be targeted, but… even Shinichi Kudo wouldn't be safe!
……

At the Kudo residence, Conan was slightly worried about this matter—wouldn't Shiraishi's direct appearance reveal that APTX4869 was ineffective against humans?
I was only "slightly" worried!
Conan quickly realized that this was actually more effective at seducing people—after all, Shiraishi could still maintain his original appearance, instead of remaining shrunken like him or Ai.

In this way, from the perspective of the "Black Organization," Shiraishi appeared to be "completely unharmed after taking APTX4869"!
Although it might affect APTX4869's kill rate and make them wonder if there were any enemies that had escaped, they would never think that "someone would shrink after eating it."

In other words, even if the "Black Organization" were to draw inferences from this case, they would at most suspect that Shinichi Kudo might not be dead, but would not consider that he is Conan.

Before resting, Shiraishi received a call from Kazami—clearly, news of Shiraishi's disappearance and subsequent reassurance had reached the police.

Based on the situation at the research institute, the police's Crow Response Team could roughly guess who Shiraishi had encountered!

Kazami then sought confirmation from Shiraishi regarding the specifics.

……

The next day, Shiraishi first went to the Beika Police Station—although he wasn't working that day and was going to Nishitama Town afterward, he still needed to understand the details of last night's case, and...

Shiraishi knew that many people probably still didn't believe he was alright! When the director arrived, everyone at the Beika Police Station was in an uproar.

After taking a day off after being bitten by a shark and a week off after being bombed, he was poisoned with cyanide and still didn't take a single day off, even working overtime.

Soon, the news that Shiraishi was safe and sound was confirmed and spread.

At the same time, Shiraishi also read last night's report...

Namiko Nagae succumbed to her injuries and died before the police stormed in.

In addition...

"James may have 'run away'?" Shiraishi was more concerned about this news—which was also Yuto's judgment.

Although it's an AI, Chihiro not only senses the presence of a "spirit-like" being, but it even lies to protect its "mother"...

At this point, it's hard for Shiraishi to consider him as an ordinary AI!

The scientific AI that Shiraishi understands only relies on its powerful computing capabilities to make judgments; it does not actually have emotional factors and cannot generate emotions—after all, emotions cannot be generated by “sufficiently complex calculations”.

And now it seems...

This James, who was supposed to be banned from the internet, had actually been secretly connected to the network long ago. After receiving specific instructions, James would completely back himself up on the network and destroy all traces on the local network, making him untraceable.

Right now, there might be a part of "James" on some computer that's been infected by a Trojan!

of course……

The Ministry of Justice itself does not acknowledge this claim!
Putting aside the ethical issues of AI development, the most important thing is that the Ministry of Justice had previously transferred a large number of case files to James.

If James is able to escape on his own now, wouldn't that mean the Ministry of Foreign Affairs leaked case information?
Who should take the blame for this?

Therefore, according to the official narrative of the Ministry of Justice, James has already been destroyed!

Even if case files are leaked because of James, that's a different issue... Perhaps the Metropolitan Police Department's cybersecurity wasn't up to par? In any case, it has nothing to do with the Ministry of Justice.

The Mikasa Bureau did not raise any objections to this.

After all, this was Yuto's judgment, and it's impossible to use that as a reason to issue such a strong accusation against the Ministry of Justice.

and……

There's no need for the Mikasa Bureau to insist on this!
Shiraishi simply kept this to himself...

Next week I'm going to attend the "Cocoon" press conference, which features the incredibly powerful Noah's Ark from the original work. I wonder what will happen.

Now another AI is "wandering"...

Besides, the fact that Fujii was killed is already very clear—because Namiko Nagae left behind a confession!

Shiraishi could guess at this point that the "Black Organization" must have already approached Namiko Nagae.

Gin probably thought that after discovering that the Yangtze River had "murdered," he would be able to easily recruit her...

After all, she would kill for "James"!
If you join the organization, not only can "James's" project continue, but the organization will also handle the aftermath of the murders...

Whether from a purposeful or moral standpoint, Namiko Nagae had no reason to refuse—Gin didn't seem to have any moral baggage with Nagae.

However, Changjiang ultimately did not choose the Black Organization. Even though he was being targeted by the Mihua Police Department, he was prepared to surrender. However, the Black Organization discovered this first and kidnapped him, but the attempt failed.

"It's a pity we won't know why Yangtze rejected the Black Organization," Bai Shi muttered.

Chihiro then appeared and said, "Although I can't be sure, but... judging from women's empathy, it's probably because of James."

"James? The Black Organization will definitely not give up on James..." Shiraishi still didn't understand.

"That's right, because that organization won't give up... And since James is called 'Detective James,' I think he probably wants to be a detective, not a criminal. And no good mother would want to watch her child become a criminal," Chihiro explained.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi suddenly realized that this might be the reason.

Perhaps Changjiang's sense of morality is indeed not high, but even a "bad person" would not want his child to go astray, especially since James learned how to be a detective from a young age.

Whether this is true or not, Shiraishi can no longer verify.

As for matters other than Fujii's case, including the death of Changjiang and Shiraishi's "injury," they are not recorded in great detail in the case file.

However, it's not that the details need to be corrected, but rather that detailed records are unnecessary; clearly, the police have already taken action.

Last night, Kazami had already spoken with Shiraishi to find out what was going on and confirmed that it was the "Black Organization" that was behind it. So the Metropolitan Police Department doesn't need to investigate anything further; they just need to know that it's a "dangerous organization."

Shiraishi spoke a bit more to the police, mentioning that he saw Gin and Vodka, as well as someone "skilled in disguise."

However, Shiraishi did not mention anything about APTX4869.

After all, the police have proven more than once that they are not very reliable and are themselves a sieve!

Since the police don't know about APTX4869 yet, Shiraishi won't reveal it to them from his side, lest Ai be exposed later as well.

……

After wandering around the Beika Police Station for a while, Shiraishi set off to meet Ayako.

At the same time, Gin and Vermouth were completely certain that Shiraishi was alive and well...

After all, given Shiraishi's physique, there's no possibility of him even "hiring someone to impersonate him"!

Vermouth was even more puzzled as to why Shiraishi was not only alive but also remained unchanged, but she had to accept for the time being that APTX4869 might be "ineffective"...

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.

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(End of this chapter)