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

Chapter 676 Ai: Although it hasn't been tested, when I knew it had worked (1st update)
Yusaku Kudo led E Shiraishi away from the noisy and exciting main observation room, through several more secluded and quiet corridors, and through another security door that required double authentication, to a completely different experimental area.

Unlike the relatively "open and aboveboard" volunteer lab before, the atmosphere here was much more oppressive and closed off. The corridor lights were colder and whiter, the walls were made of soundproof material, and there were no signs on the doors.

Yusaku pushed open a heavy door, and the scene inside made even the well-informed Shiraishi E raise an eyebrow slightly.

This is a huge observation hall, with a huge one-way glass wall in front of it.

But the scene behind the glass wall wasn't a laboratory full of sophisticated instruments; it was more like a large lounge with game consoles, gaming PCs, paintball, a basketball court, a bar, and other facilities.

Clearly, the children inside were not actual infants, but adults who had taken APTX4869 and turned into children.

Most of them wore uniform light blue pajamas similar to hospital gowns, and their eyes lacked the innocence and liveliness that one would expect at their age, instead showing a kind of precociousness.

They appeared to be between four or five and seven or eight years old, and at a rough count, there were over a hundred of them!
On the other side of the lounge, a soft partition separates an area.

Several small medical beds were set up there. At that moment, researchers were carefully injecting some kind of transparent liquid into the arms of several "children".

“That is…” Shiraishi E’s gaze sharpened.

"The antidote was given by Sherry. Researchers are now working on improvements, but we'll have to continue observing its effectiveness," Yusaku Kudo said calmly. "This laboratory is not open to the public; it deals with problems left over from previous experiments."

He further explained, "The current progress of the experiment... is mixed. The good news is that the antidote is indeed effective, and there have been a few cases where children have successfully returned to adulthood."

But then he changed the subject, his brow furrowing slightly: "But the effects are extremely unstable. The reversal process is very painful and risky, and how long the reversed state can be maintained, whether it will shrink again, or produce other unpredictable side effects are all unknown. This requires long-term, extensive follow-up observation and continuous research."

Looking at the hundreds of young faces behind the glass wall, faces filled with emotions beyond their years, Shiraishi E couldn't help but click her tongue twice: "There are probably more than a hundred people here, right? It seems you've had quite a few 'successful' experiments over here."

Upon hearing this, Kudo Yusaku gave a helpless, bitter smile, let out a long sigh, and his eyes behind his glasses were filled with complex emotions: "Sigh... many things had already happened before I took over."

"All I can do is, within the existing framework, try to standardize the process as much as possible, reduce new victims, and... do my best to repair and clean up the mess from before. As for anything else..."

He shook his head and didn't say anything more, but his meaning was already clear.

Shiraishi glanced at him, and could understand Kudo Yusaku's situation and helplessness.

Ultimately, his official position was merely that of a senior advisor or manager who had been "invited," not the organization's top decision-maker.

In the face of that massive, long-running dark machine, the power of an individual is insignificant.

Once Karasuma Renya decides what to do and issues an order, he often finds it difficult to say "no" directly. He can only try his best to find a balance in such a dilemma and carefully maneuver around the situation.

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When Shiraishi left the laboratory, she carried a small, temperature-controlled metal sample box.

It contains valuable samples extracted from the "reversal experiment," including blood and tissue sections from volunteers at different stages, as well as a small amount of experimental antidote.

He went straight back to the Miyano residence and went to Ai's laboratory.

After placing the sample box on the lab table, Shiraishi E briefly told Ai about what she had seen and heard in that "children's laboratory," as well as the strategies and dilemmas that Kudo Yusaku was currently facing.

Ai listened quietly, her cool face showing no surprise, as if she had expected this to happen.

She simply commented, her tone carrying a hint of world-weary indifference and sarcasm: "This is the organization's consistent style. For that vague and elusive goal, any price is acceptable in their eyes. Efficient, ruthless, and never looking back."

At this point, she seemed to have thought of something, a self-deprecating smile curving her lips, her voice lowering slightly: "But... thinking about it carefully, I don't seem to have any right to criticize them."

"In a sense... I am also one of the 'beneficiaries' of this ruthless approach, am I not?"

Without the organization devoting massive resources to the research of APTX4869, her research progress might not have been so rapid.

But this touch of sentimentality only lingered in her eyes for a brief moment before being quickly suppressed by her powerful rationality.

She took a deep breath, her eyes regaining their sharpness and focus.

The past cannot be changed, and there is no point in indulging in useless emotions.

She now has a clearer and more urgent goal—to use all her knowledge and abilities to develop a truly stable APTX4869 to cure her mother, who has become a vegetative state patient!
This belief is her sole source of motivation.

"Alright, enough of this useless nonsense." Ai shook her head, as if trying to cast aside all distracting thoughts.

She reached for the sample box, opened it skillfully, and checked the condition of the samples inside.

Her gaze became incredibly focused, as if the entire world consisted only of the test tubes and data in front of her.

A strong intuition surged within her—this time, with these firsthand samples and data from the latest experiments, she seemed to... have truly touched the threshold to success!
"I feel... this time it should work..." she murmured to herself, her voice soft but filled with unprecedented determination and a faint glimmer of hope.

Seeing that she was fully absorbed in her research, Shiraishi E didn't disturb her further. He knew that any words would be superfluous at this moment.

He quietly left the laboratory and gently closed the door.

Leaving the laboratory filled with the smell of chemical reagents, Shiraishi E walked briskly to find Miyano Akemi.

He missed him terribly after not seeing him for a while.

He preferred chatting with Mingmei and teasing her to the heavy topics in the lab, enjoying some relaxing and pleasant time.

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Shiraishi E and Akemi, having been separated for so long, were immediately overcome with passion and couldn't wait to spend some time together to ease their longing for each other.

A few hours later, the two were soaking in a spacious jacuzzi, the warm water soothing their tired nerves.

The bathroom was filled with the steam and the fresh scent of shower gel.

Akemi leaned against Shiraishi E's chest, her cheeks flushed, her fingers unconsciously circling in the water.

Eri Shiraishi held her close, her chin gently resting on the top of her head, enjoying this moment of peace and tenderness.

The two played in the water while chatting quietly about the interesting things that had happened to them, occasionally letting out light laughter, creating a warm and enchanting atmosphere.

However, just when the atmosphere was just right—

The bathroom door clicked open from the outside.

Ai stood expressionless at the door, still wearing her slightly oversized white lab coat. Her face showed a weariness that came from extreme focus followed by sudden relaxation, as well as an indescribable, almost excited calm.

She didn't say a word, her gaze not even focusing on the two people in the bathtub. She mechanically and quickly took off her research coat and inner clothes, revealing her slender but slightly pale body.

Then, she stepped into the bathtub and, to their astonishment, sat down in the hot water, submerging herself completely, and sat opposite them.

Shiraishi E and Akemi were both stunned and didn't react for a moment.

"Shiho?" Akemi was the first to come to her senses, leaning forward worriedly and asking softly, "What's wrong? What happened? Did the experiment not go well?"

Ai remained silent for a few seconds, as if feeling the warmth of the hot water enveloping her. Then, she slowly raised her head, water droplets sliding down her short, brown hair.

Her eyes were somewhat vacant, yet unusually bright, and she said in an extremely calm, even somewhat ethereal tone, "No... quite the opposite. I have... figured it out."

She paused, then added, "I... need to calm down right now."

It seems that the enormous success brought not ecstasy, but a powerful shock that needed to be soothed with lukewarm water.

Mingmei didn't immediately understand what "researched out" specifically meant, and subconsciously asked, "Research...researched out what?"

Ai's gaze finally focused as she looked at her sister and clearly uttered two words: "Medicine. APTX4869... a stabilizing reversal drug. I've figured it out."

"Really?!" Akemi's eyes widened instantly, her face exploding with unbelievable joy, her voice rising with excitement: "Shiho! Is it true?! It's really... completely figured out?! Can it make people completely recover?"

Ai nodded firmly, her face still expressionless, but her eyes held an undeniable confidence.

While Shiraishi E was also surprised, he was more concerned with practical matters and asked curiously, "Has your medicine... undergone clinical trials? Have its efficacy and safety been verified?"

Ai shook her head, her tone unwavering: "No. No live experiments have been conducted yet."

Shiraishi E was even more puzzled: "Then how can you be so sure that you've succeeded?"

Ai took a deep breath, hugged her knees in the water, rested her chin on them, and gazed at the rising steam. In an almost mystical tone, she said, "Intuition. It's the absolute intuition that a top researcher develops when they finally find the right path after countless failures and trials."

"All the data, all the molecular formulas, were telling me, this is it. It's a very mysterious feeling... You won't understand unless you're doing research."

Seeing her so confident, Shiraishi E smiled and said, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Since you're so confident... how about I be your first guinea pig? Let's see how it goes?"

“Let me do it,” Akemi said, turning her head to look at Ai with a determined gaze.

She knew she could get hurt, but Shiraishi E absolutely could not!
Ai finally revealed a faint but absolutely confident smile: "Okay, no problem. You can try it too, sister. I'm 100% sure that even if... even if the effect isn't exactly as expected, there will absolutely be no fatal side effects. I can guarantee that."

Looking at Ai's determined expression, Shiraishi thought for a moment and decided not to insist anymore.

He knew Ai well; she was extremely rigorous when it came to scientific matters. The fact that she could say something like that and agree to let Akemi try the drug meant that she had absolute confidence in her results, and at least the safety was beyond doubt.

(End of this chapter)