I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 403 How to Escape the Villa (2 Updates)
In the dimly lit interrogation room, Heiji was tied to a chair with his hands behind his back, the wound on his forehead still throbbing.

But he ignored the pain; when he heard Vermouth say the name "Kazuha," his heart trembled violently!
"How...how could you..." Heiji's voice was hoarse with shock as he struggled to his feet. "Where's Kazuha?! What did you do to her?!"

"Calm down, little detective." Vermouth waved her hand, signaling the other person not to get so agitated.

She casually pulled up a chair and sat down opposite him, saying, "You're lucky, I only met your little girlfriend these past two days."

"She's a nice girl. She begged me for ages to save you."

"..." These words stunned Heiji.

My brain couldn't process it for a moment.

No, these past two days... who exactly did Kazuha and the others meet?

After a brief moment of surprise, Heiji came to his senses and asked suspiciously, "What is your intention in approaching Kazuha?"

"Intentions? What intentions? You're overthinking it... We have a purely platonic friendship," Vermouth teased.

Heiji remained silent, but his expression betrayed his distrust.

Vermouth's red lips curled into a playful smile: "Is this how young people treat their saviors these days?"

She elegantly crossed her legs: "Besides, I was just helping out. It's not a difficult thing for me."

Heiji thought about it for a moment and felt that what the other person said made sense.

If the other party wants to kill me, I can just keep quiet. Why go through all this trouble?

His tense body relaxed slightly, but the vigilance in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Heiji tentatively asked, "In that case, could you just let me leave?"

Vermouth suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh as clear and melodious as a silver bell. "I'll let you go. Do you dare to leave? Hmm?"

These words caused Heiji's expression to freeze instantly, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Indeed, even if we let him go, he wouldn't dare to leave.

These people are real desperados. So what if their parents are high-ranking police officers and they have people protecting them?
Once they find an opportunity, they'll drop a few bombs.

Even if they weren't killed in the explosion, their normal lives would still be disrupted.

Thinking of this, Heiji's heart sank to the bottom.

“It seems you’ve figured it out.” Vermouth leaned back in her chair, watching his ever-changing expression with satisfaction, and said, “So, little detective, are there any other solutions?”

The room fell into deathly silence.

Heiji kept his head down, sweat trickling down his temples.

His mind raced, but he desperately realized that he seemed to have no choice but to give in.

However, joining them wouldn't be without its benefits; at least it would help Kudo investigate that drug.

The idea both excited and terrified him.

Heiji took a deep breath, and when he looked up, his eyes were filled with determination: "Fine. I'll join you."

His voice was deep and firm, “But let me make this clear first, I will not help you do anything illegal or criminal.”

Vermouth clapped her hands in satisfaction and said, "A wise choice... Don't worry, good people are easy to deal with, you won't even need to lift a finger."

"The world is full of bad people, and you'll be tasked with dealing with them when the time comes."

These words left Heiji speechless!
In the dimly lit underground laboratory, the pungent smell of disinfectant mingled with the stench of blood. Heiji leaned against the cold metal wall, the bruises on his wrists still throbbing. Vermouth stood before him, her slender fingers lightly tapping on the walkie-talkie.

"Bring two useless test subjects over," she casually ordered, a meaningful smile playing on her red lips.

Heiji's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively clenched his fists.

Experimental subject. A living, breathing human being?

Do they want me to pay a price for my loyalty?
With a sense of unease, two men dressed in white hospital gowns were soon pushed in by men in black.

They were hunched over, their skin covered with strange bluish-purple patches, their eyes unfocused, and murky saliva constantly dribbling from the corners of their mouths.

One of them suddenly began to convulse violently, emitting a wild, whimpering sound.

Vermouth gracefully drew a silver pistol from her waist, twirled it beautifully in her hand, and then handed it to Heiji: "Here, take this... help them relieve their suffering!"

Heiji's hand hovered in mid-air, hesitant to take it, his throat tightening.

He knew that once he fired that shot, there would be no turning back.
"What?" Vermouth tilted her head, her long golden hair falling over her shoulders, and said mockingly, "A high school detective from Osaka doesn't even have the courage to pull the trigger?"

Heiji gritted his teeth and finally took the pistol.

The cold touch of the metal sent a chill down his spine.

He slowly raised his arm, pointing the gun at the forehead of one of the test subjects.

The man seemed to sense something, and a glimmer of clarity suddenly flashed in his cloudy eyes.

He opened his mouth with difficulty and made a sound that no one could understand.

Heiji's finger trembled slightly on the trigger. Only then did he notice the dense needle marks and stitches on the two test subjects' bodies, clearly indicating that they had undergone inhuman torture.

“Do you see that?” Vermouth whispered in his ear, her warm breath brushing against his earlobe like a devil’s whisper: “You are helping them to be free. Do it.”

Heiji closed his eyes, the faces of his parents flashing through his mind, along with Kazuha's radiant smile. Finally, he opened his eyes and pulled the trigger without hesitation!

"Bang! Bang!"

The two gunshots were particularly jarring in the confined space.

The two test subjects collapsed to the ground, but a look of serene relief appeared on their faces, as if they had finally gained freedom from endless suffering.

Heiji's hand fell limply to his side, and the pistol clattered to the ground.

His voice was so dry it sounded unlike his own: "Are you satisfied now?"

Vermouth bent down to pick up the pistol, gently brushed away non-existent dust, and reminded him, "It's not a matter of whether I'm satisfied or not... you have to pay the price for your choices."

"This was all your own choice; no one forced you."

These words struck Heiji's heart like a heavy hammer.

He staggered back a step, his back slamming heavily against the wall.

Yes, if I hadn't barged in without permission, if I hadn't been so overconfident.
Thinking about this, he felt very annoyed and regretful.

Vermouth looked at the distraught boy before her, and the sharpness in her eyes gradually softened, even showing a hint of sympathy.

She also felt that the price of growing up was too high.

But who can blame it?
Vermouth composed herself and said to the man in black beside her, "Take him away and treat his wounds... As for these corpses, I'll have someone else handle them."

As Heiji was helped away, Vermouth knew that Heiji's life was saved and he could go back and report to them.

Vermouth gently closed the door, the metal lock clicking softly.

She leaned wearily against the door, rubbing her temples with her long, slender fingers.

As soon as Shiraishi E looked at her, she knew she was putting on an act again.

Although he didn't know what Vermouth did, it was highly likely that she only used her mouth.

Furthermore, given Heiji's identity, as long as Gin doesn't dare to expose this place, he won't dare to kill or eliminate anyone.

Unless Vermouth cooperates with him, disguises herself as Heiji to fool Hattori Heizo, and then finds a reason to make Heiji die in an accident.

Given the current situation, that's most likely impossible.

The three girls, Xiaolan, Yuanzi, and Ye, couldn't wait to surround Vermouth.

"Miss Chris!" Kazuha was the first to rush forward, her hands clasped nervously to her chest, and asked anxiously, "Is Heiji alright?" Her voice trembled noticeably, and her eyes were slightly red.

Ran and Sonoko didn't speak; their faces were filled with worry.

Vermouth looked into the three pairs of hopeful eyes, and a gentle smile curved her lips.

She reached up and smoothed her blonde hair from her forehead, saying softly, "Don't worry, he's fine."

"Luckily he didn't intend to sneak in here, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to protect him either."

Upon receiving this news, the three girls breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted from their hearts.

With red eyes, Kazuha bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Miss Chris."

Vermouth gently patted Kazuha's head and said with a smile, "You're welcome, it was nothing."

She glanced at her watch and said, "It's getting late. Get ready, I'll see you off later."

Shiraishi E, who had been watching the whole thing unfold, asked, "How do you plan to send us away?"

Vermouth did not answer immediately, but simply gestured for them to follow her.

Shiraishi and the other three followed her out of the room, turning east and west until they arrived at a warehouse.

Vermouth pointed to the protective suits and said, "Put them on. They might be a little stuffy and uncomfortable, but bear with it."

The four stopped talking and began helping each other put on their hazmat suits.

Vermouth then led them to the interrogation room, and when she opened the door, a strong smell of blood hit them.

Ran gasped, Sonoko covered her mouth tightly, and Kazuha turned away immediately. None of the three girls could stand it.

If it were a corpse, they wouldn't be able to handle it, since they've seen quite a few corpses at murder scenes.

However, the skin of these two corpses was covered with strange bluish-purple patches, making them look like monsters, which they found unbearable!
Shiraishi E frowned, but quickly stepped forward, took out a body bag, stuffed them inside, and tied it shut.

Once they could no longer see the two "monsters," Xiaolan, Yuanzi, and Ye were no longer so afraid.

The four men silently lifted the two corpses and followed Vermouth outside.

There were many men in black along the way, but when they saw the four people in hazmat suits, they all silently backed away and kept their distance, without any intention of checking them.

What if I get infected? Then I'm doomed.

This was the consensus among those men in black.

Upon arriving outside the villa, the four men placed the two bodies in a black van.

Vermouth opened the car door, gestured for the four to get in, then started the engine and drove away from the villa openly.

(End of this chapter)