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

Chapter 674 Conan's Frustration (1st Update)
A black Hummer drove along a quiet night road, its engine emitting a deep roar, its headlights cutting through the darkness ahead.

The car was deathly silent, the atmosphere so heavy it seemed like you could wring water out of it.

Shiraishi E wanted to say a few words of comfort to them, but after glancing through the rearview mirror, she saw that the girls in the back seat were all leaning back with their heads tilted, their eyes closed, their breathing even and even carrying a heavy sense of fatigue. They had all fallen into a deep sleep, and even Sonoko, who was most concerned about her image, had her mouth slightly open.

Shiraishi E was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.

He almost forgot that they had all taken potent stimulants, exhausting their physical and mental strength to cope with the battle.

Now that the effects of the drug have worn off, the intense side effects—extreme fatigue and drowsiness—overwhelm them like a tidal wave, instantly causing them to fall into a deep sleep.

In this state, let alone holding grudges, one probably wouldn't even have the energy to dream.

However, to his slight surprise, Conan, sitting in the passenger seat, although his face was also a little pale and his eyes were tired, did not seem to be greatly affected by the side effects of the awakening agent and remained awake.

As she drove, Shiraishi glanced at him and casually asked, "How's it going? Feeling alright?"

Conan rested his chin on his hand, carefully assessing his physical condition, and replied, "It's alright, not bad... Aside from being a little tired, I don't feel anything particularly bad... I don't feel the exhaustion from excitement, nor do I have any muscle soreness..."

He paused, then added thoughtfully, "It seems that the physical changes caused by APTX-4869 are not all bad... at least in terms of drug metabolism and tolerance, there seems to be some abnormality."

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi E nodded and said in a tone of someone who had been through it all, "As the old saying goes, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Don't worry too much about the changes that have already happened to you; the important thing is how to make use of them."

Conan rolled his eyes and retorted speechlessly, "You make it sound so easy... This didn't happen to you... You're not the one who shrunk, so of course you can comment so calmly!"

After making a comment, Conan's thoughts jumped to another crucial question. He turned his head sharply to look at Shiraishi E, his tone serious and puzzled: "By the way! Why did Rum call you a bandit in the lab just now? It sounds like... this isn't the first time he's dealt with you? And that title... is quite unique."

Shiraishi remained unfazed, turning the steering wheel as he rounded a bend, and replied in an extremely natural tone, "Oh, that. I guess they saw us all wearing those bandit-like hoods and thought we were part of the bandit Azu's gang."

"Since they were already planning to shift the blame to the ruthless bandit Azu, I just went along with it and didn't bother to explain. Let him misunderstand."

This explanation sounded reasonable, and Conan nodded in agreement: "I see... That's quite clever. If he knew our true identities, or guessed that I was there... we would probably be completely finished today. He would definitely do everything in his power to keep us here."

Thinking back on the harrowing experience of the night, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, his tone becoming somewhat complicated and confused: "Sigh... come to think of it, I've ultimately been corrupted by you..."

He leaned against the car window, watching the blurry night scenery rushing past, and murmured softly, "In the past... how could I, Shinichi Kudo, have done something like this... Let alone shooting someone, even if it were just hitting someone, I would think it over carefully and follow the law and procedures... But now..."

He looked at his still small hands, as if the sensation of detonating bombs with a drone still lingered on them.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi E chuckled and bluntly exposed his attempt to shift the blame: "Come on, kid! Stop trying to pin this on me."

"I didn't force you to use a gun. You asked to play with the drone yourself, and you chose to detonate the bomb. Ultimately, you lost to something deep within yourself... perhaps a strong desire to protect your comrades, or... some kind of latent adaptation to violence?"

Conan remained silent for a moment, offering no rebuttal.

He continued to look out the window, his voice becoming somewhat unsteady: "Yes... perhaps I really did lose to myself. I always thought that my adherence to the supremacy of life was absolutely correct."

"But now it seems that when the people around me are really in mortal danger, I will be like most ordinary people... I will choose to pick up a weapon and protect them in the most direct and cruel way."

"The so-called principles seemed so pale and powerless at that moment."

Upon hearing Conan's words, Shiraishi E's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile as she said, "Isn't it good that you've realized this? It shows that you're a living, breathing human being, not just a saint or a deductive machine who only knows how to follow dogma."

He paused, as if thinking of something, and continued, "Like Sherlock Holmes, he deserves respect and study, but he is by no means worthy of blind worship."

"That guy secretly smokes cocaine, is a workaholic with absolutely no zest for life, and has a terribly eccentric personality. In reality, very few people would truly like a friend like that. And then look at your dad..."

Shiraishi E's tone carried a hint of teasing and admiration: "Kudo Yusaku is truly clever. He was a detective when he should have been one, and when he achieved fame and success, he felt it was meaningless, so he switched careers to become a novelist and lived a carefree life."

"Later, I guess he was dragged down by your precious son and had no choice but to turn around and infiltrate the Black Organization to work. He even rose to a high-ranking position and became the second-in-command? Tsk tsk, what a smooth move, what an ability to adapt!"

"You should learn from your dad! Learn his survival wisdom of being flexible and adaptable, and switching tracks at any time!"

Conan opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found himself at a loss for words. In the end, he could only let out a helpless sigh.

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The next morning, Teitan High School.

Sunlight streamed in through the classroom windows, but Ran and Sonoko felt as if their bodies were falling apart, every muscle protesting with aches and pains.

Especially my shoulders, arms, and back; even the slightest movement caused sharp pain, as if I had been sacked and beaten up last night—although in a sense, the aftereffects of that intense gunfight and carrying heavy weapons were indeed similar to being beaten up.

After last night's thrilling, adrenaline-pumping adventure, reminiscent of a Hollywood action movie, the teacher's lectures on trigonometric functions and classical literature seemed utterly pale and powerless, failing to capture their attention at all.

Since they already knew all the textbook knowledge, the two of them felt justified in slacking off.

Xiaolan rested her chin on her hand, her gaze drifting out the window, but the scenes from last night kept replaying in her mind: the fireball of the exploding helicopter, the whistling exhaust of the rocket, the terrifying shriek of the Gatling gun tearing through fabric, and that final, difficult choice…

Every feeling was so intense and real that, while leaving her with lingering fear, she also felt an indescribable...stimulation and excitement, as if her mundane life had been suddenly injected with a bold and colorful stroke.

Sonoko next to her was in a similar state, rubbing her sore shoulders from time to time, but the corners of her mouth would unconsciously turn up, clearly also savoring that extraordinary adventure.

Finally, the lunch break arrived, and the two of them, as if by prior arrangement, quickly went to the rooftop of the teaching building.

Sure enough, Shiraishi E was already leaning lazily against the railing, waiting for them, with three cans of juice in her hand.

As soon as they met, Sonoko started yelling without any hesitation, stretching her aching arm out to Shiraishi E: "E! Quick! Give me a massage! It hurts so much! I feel like all the bones in my body are going to fall apart!"

Shiraishi E smiled at her exaggerated expression, walked to the bench on the rooftop, sat down, and then patted her thigh, indicating, "Okay, lie down here."

Sonoko immediately beamed and unceremoniously lay down on her side, resting her head on Shiraishi E's lap.

But she felt that wasn't enough, so she turned to Xiaolan next to her and said, "Xiaolan, sit down too! Can you massage the other side for me?"

Ran chuckled as she watched Sonoko enjoying herself. Of course, she wouldn't refuse her friend's small request and sat down on the bench as well.

Sonoko adjusted her position with a smug look, and simply lay down flat, resting the back of her head on Ran's soft thigh, while her calves unceremoniously draped over Shiraishi E's legs. She comfortably stretched between the two of them, enjoying a "royal" double massage service.

Ran gently massaged her temples and arms, while Shiraishi E skillfully kneaded her sore calves and shoulder muscles.

"Mmm...so comfortable..." Sonoko squinted her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.

Enjoying the massage, she brought up the topic of last night again: "By the way, guess what? Just as expected, last night's events didn't make a ripple in the news at all. They were completely suppressed, as if they never happened."

She changed the subject, a hint of smugness in her voice: "But... well, what can I do? My family is one of the major shareholders of the TV station!"

"I managed to get my hands on the leaked news footage! Those reporters and editors worked through the night to produce it, but unfortunately... it didn't even get a chance to be broadcast. Do you want to take a look?"

As she spoke, Sonoko took out her phone from her pocket, unlocked it skillfully, opened a video in an encrypted folder, and then turned the phone screen towards Ran and Shiraishi E.

The video started playing. Although it was filmed in the early hours of the morning and the picture was a bit shaky and blurry, you could still clearly see the flames shooting into the sky in the direction of the nursing home and hear the faint sounds of explosions and gunfire.

The scene shifts to a reporter's excited and rapid commentary from the periphery of the scene, with subtitles displaying alarming headlines such as "Suspected Fierce Gang Fight," "Multiple Casualties," and "Cause Unknown."

There were also long-range shots of the helicopter crash wreckage and footage of police cordoning off the scene.

Ran and Shiraishi E watched the video while listening to Sonoko's explanation.

Xiaolan couldn't help but sigh, "These journalists really have it tough... They risk their lives to get to the scene, stay up all night to produce news, and then..."

Eiji Shiraishi nodded and added, "Yes, often the truth, like this original film, can only remain in the darkness. What the public can see is often only what is allowed to be seen."

Xiaolan sighed. She hadn't realized the world was so dangerous; those criminals were hiding in nursing homes!
(End of this chapter)