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

Chapter 549 Conan and Heiji's Hot-Blooded Combination Techniques (1st Update)
On the metal mesh of the ventilation duct, Conan and Heiji listened intently to the sounds coming from the corridor below.

Suddenly, a series of deafening explosions came from below, shaking the ventilation ducts.

Tiny metal shavings fell from the seam and landed on their hair.

"What's going on?" Heiji asked in alarm, his dark face covered in dust. "Did the organization's armory explode?"

Conan didn't answer. He carefully moved to the edge of the vent and looked down through the gap in the blinds.

The next second, his pupils suddenly contracted, his mouth opened, and his face was filled with disbelief!
"Hey, Kudo, what did you see?" Heiji leaned over, but suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

In the corridor below, Xiaolan was carrying a box of ammunition in one hand and deftly stuffing ammunition into the firing tube with the other.

Sonoko and Kazuha each held another rocket launcher on their left and right, and the three of them advanced forward in perfect coordination.

At the end of the corridor, Ireland was scrambling for his life, his expensive suit torn to shreds on the back.

"Damn it!" Heiji slapped his forehead, dust falling from his black hair. "The side effects of that drug are kicking in! I'm hallucinating that they're chasing Ireland!"

Conan pushed up his glasses and said expressionlessly, "Are they carrying quadruple rocket launchers? Sonoko and Kazuha are carrying them, and Ran is loading the ammunition from behind?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Heiji nodded vigorously, then his expression suddenly changed to one of realization: "Kudo, it seems your side effects have taken effect too!"

"Idiot!" Conan finally couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Don't you think there's a possibility that this isn't a hallucination, but something that's really happening?"

Without saying a word, Heiji slapped himself twice across the face. Then, looking closely, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor: "This is actually real?!"

He frantically ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair: "If I'd known Shiraishi was this tough, I would have just let him handle it himself. Why did we have to get involved!"

"Detectives should be doing things that require thinking!"

As Conan climbed into the ventilation duct next to him, he muttered without turning his head, "Speaking from your mouth, that's just not convincing at all!"

"Hey! Wait for me!" Heiji hurriedly caught up, making a clanging sound in the narrow pipe: "Where are you going?"

Conan's calm voice echoed through the metal pipes: "Of course, we must catch up with Ireland. We absolutely cannot let him get away."

Just as the two were crawling forward, a deafening explosion suddenly came from below!

Boom!

The entire ventilation duct began to vibrate violently, as if it were being grabbed and shaken by a giant.

Caught off guard, the two detectives collided in the narrow pipe.

"Wow!"

"careful!"

The metal pipe was deformed by the shock wave from the explosion, forming a steep downhill slope.

The two tumbled uncontrollably down the pipe, spinning around in the darkness.

Conan tried to grab the seam on the pipe wall, but his palm couldn't get any leverage on the smooth metal surface.

Bang!

With a loud bang, the two men were thrown out of the ventilation duct exit and crashed heavily onto the metal floor of the ship's bottom storage compartment.

Conan landed on his back first, wincing in pain.

Heiji bumped headfirst into a pile of wooden crates, and a large bump immediately swelled up on his forehead.

"Hiss—" Conan rubbed the back of his head and sat up, his glasses perched crookedly on his nose: "Hattori, are you alright?"

"I'm... I'm still alive," Heiji shook his head, his black hair covered in dust. "But I think my phone fell into the pipe."

Upon hearing this, Conan immediately checked his equipment: the glass of his wristwatch-type tranquilizer gun was shattered, and the pointer was not moving; the soccer ball launcher on his belt was also deformed from rolling and could not be used.

Worst of all, they have now completely lost track of Ireland.

"Damn it!" Conan slammed his fist on the floor, the metal making a dull echo.

If Ireland escapes, his secret of shrinking will be revealed—

Click.

Just then, the storage compartment door was suddenly pushed open, and the two looked up alertly.

Ireland stumbled in, his suit tattered and his face streaked with blood. He slammed the door shut behind him, quickly turning the latch to lock the heavy metal door securely.

boom!boom!
A loud explosion was heard outside the door, but the specially made marine steel door remained unmoved.

Ireland slumped to the ground, letting out a long sigh of relief: "Finally, we've shaken off those three crazy women."

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then suddenly kicked the shelf next to him in a fit of rage, yelling, "Those useless security guards! They didn't even notice someone bringing a rocket launcher onto the ship!"

Conan and Heiji hid behind a mountain of shipping containers, holding their breath.

Through the gaps in the wooden crate, they saw Ireland stride quickly to the other side of the cabin and press a switch on the wall.

With the sound of hydraulic equipment operating, a bottom plate slowly opened, revealing a small speedboat suspended underneath.

"Oh no!" Conan exclaimed in alarm, lowering his voice, "He's going to escape through the bottom of the ship!"

Ireland deftly untied the speedboat's mooring ropes and jumped aboard.

Conan hurriedly raised his wrist, only to find that the tranquilizer gun had completely malfunctioned.

His anxious gaze swept across the storage compartment: there was no football, no suitable projectiles, not even a suitable stone.

"Kudo, what are you looking for?" Heiji asked in a low voice.

"Anything I can kick!" Conan cried, sweat beading on his forehead. "My belt's broken! I have to find a way to stop him!"

Heiji looked around but couldn't find it either. Helpless, he pointed to a huge wooden crate: "I can't find it. Why don't you try kicking that crate?"

Conan glanced at the wooden crate that was almost twice his height, and his lips twitched: "Kick the crate? I'd rather kick you! Always coming up with terrible ideas—huh?"

He suddenly stopped, a glint of light flashing on his glasses.

Heiji felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly realized Conan's gaze was off. He instinctively took a half-step back: "Hey, why are you looking at me like that? I'm scared!!!"

"Hattori!" Conan put his hands on Heiji's shoulders, his tone more serious than ever before: "Brother, now that things have come to this, I can only ask you for a favor. Please squat down, hug my legs, and turn your backside towards me..."

Heiji realized that Conan was trying to kick him like a soccer ball, and he flew into a rage: "Are you even human? I treated you like a brother, and you're kicking me like a soccer ball?"

Conan watched as Ireland untied the yacht's mooring ropes and got on, and said anxiously, "There's no way out now!! If we delay any longer, Ireland will escape!!"

"Once he escapes, my shrinking will be exposed, and then you won't be able to escape!"

"For our friends, for our families! Don't hesitate, get up and do it!!"

"Squat down, hug your legs, and stick your butt out." Conan had already pressed the switch on the powerful shoes, and the soles began to glow faintly.

"Are you crazy?! I'm a human being!" Heiji yelled, but he knew the seriousness of the situation. He bit his lip and said, "Fine, for my friends, for my family! I'm willing to sacrifice myself!"

"Kick carefully, don't miss, understand? Don't kick the wrong spot!"

"Alright, stop dawdling! Ireland's already started the speedboat!" Conan jumped up and down anxiously, watching the speedboat start. "If he escapes, the organization will know Shinichi Kudo is still alive! Then it won't just be me, everyone connected to me will—"

"Enough!" Heiji interrupted him through gritted teeth. "I understand."

He took a deep breath, squatted down with a look of grim determination, hugged his knees, and turned his buttocks toward Conan, reminding him again, "Be more accurate!"

"Trust me." Conan took a few steps back, ran up, and kicked—

"Take this volley shot!!!!"

boom!
Heiji felt like he had been hit by a Shinkansen bullet train.

He drew a perfect parabola in the air, his black curly hair flying in the airflow, and the expression on his face changed from horror to utter despair.

"Aaaaaah, Shinichi Kudo, I'll never forgive you—"

Ireland heard the sound of wind behind him, and as soon as he turned around, he saw a dark figure coming towards him.

Heiji's buttocks struck him squarely in the face, and the two of them flew out of the speedboat and crashed heavily into the sea.

咕噜 咕噜
A string of bubbles rose to the surface of the sea, then calm returned.

Conan ran to the opening at the bottom of the ship, while Heiji and Ireland floated on the surface of the water.

Ireland had already fainted, but Heiji was still conscious, giving Conan the middle finger: "Next time, you'll be the soccer ball!!!"

(End of this chapter)