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

Chapter 677 Mingmei Injects Medication (2 Updates)
Inside the underground laboratory of the Miyano residence.

The cold, shadowless lamp illuminated the central experimental table.

Mingmei, wearing a loose white lab coat, lay flat on the table, her hands clasped nervously over her abdomen.

She looked at the glaring lights overhead, took a deep breath, and said with a slight, barely perceptible tremor in her voice, "It's my first time on the operating table, I'm a little nervous."

Wearing a white lab coat, looking exceptionally professional and petite, Ai stood to the side, skillfully checking the syringe and the data on the instrument next to her.

Without looking up, she calmly reassured me, "Don't worry, sister. It'll be fine. It's just an intramuscular injection, not surgery."

"The whole process is quick... there might be some pain during the middle of the medication taking effect, but just bear with it, it will pass quickly."

Standing on the other side, Eiji Shiraishi patted Akemi on the shoulder, giving her a reassuring look: "Don't be afraid, we're all here with you. Don't you trust Ai's skills?"

Akemi looked at her sister and lover beside her, nodded vigorously, took another deep breath, as if she had made up her mind: "Yes! I'm ready, let's begin, Ai."

Xiao Ai no longer hesitated.

She carefully disinfected Mingmei's arm with an alcohol swab, then picked up the syringe filled with clear liquid, the needle tip flashing coldly under the light.

With steady hands, she pushed the needle into the vein and slowly injected the latest version of the reversal drug that she had painstakingly developed.

After the injection was completed, Ai pulled out the needle, pressed the injection site with a cotton swab, and at the same time pressed the switch of the timer next to her.

"Alright. Start the timer now." Ai's voice remained calm, but a closer look revealed that her fingers gripping the recording tablet tightened slightly. "Tell me immediately if you feel anything, especially heat, pain, or any unusual sensations. Describe your feelings in detail; this is very important."

Mingmei nodded, closed her eyes, and focused entirely on the changes inside her body, her heart filled with trepidation and anticipation.

Time passed by minute by minute.

The laboratory was so quiet that only the faint hum of the instruments and the sound of each other breathing could be heard.

About five or six minutes later, Mingmei's brows suddenly furrowed slightly.

"It's here..." she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of something unusual, "My body... is starting to feel hot..."

The heat quickly rose, and her fair skin began to flush an unnatural red, with fine beads of sweat even appearing on her forehead.

"Mmm...it's getting hotter and hotter..." Her voice carried a hint of pain in it, "My bones...it feels like...like ants are crawling inside my bones, it's sore and swollen...it feels like they're melting...ugh..."

She couldn't help but let out a suppressed groan, clearly enduring considerable pain. But she bit her lower lip tightly, forcing herself not to move: "But...but I can still bear it..."

As she described the event haltingly, an astonishing change quietly occurred within her!
Both Shiraishi and Ai could clearly see that Akemi's facial contours seemed to be becoming softer and firmer, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes seemed to be smoothed out by an invisible hand, and her skin was becoming smoother and more delicate at a visible speed, full of collagen luster.

The aura she exudes is rapidly transforming from that of a gentle and intellectual mature woman into that of a youthful and energetic girl!
But this amazing "reverse aging" did not last indefinitely.

The changes abruptly stopped when Akemi's appearance stabilized at around seventeen or eighteen years old.

She looked like a girl who had just graduated from high school, full of youthful innocence and vitality, completely different from before, yet you could still vaguely see her original self.

"Wow..." Shiraishi E witnessed this magical scene and couldn't help but marvel, clapping her hands in amazement: "It really worked! Ai, that's simply divine!"

Ai's tense face finally broke into a relieved and extremely confident smile. She raised her chin slightly, her tone tinged with a hint of smugness: "Of course! I already told you it was a success, but you just wouldn't believe me?"

She stepped forward and skillfully untied the soft restraints securing Mingmei's wrists: "Sister, how do you feel? Try sitting up slowly, move around a bit, and then walk around. Be careful."

Akemi nodded, and with Shiraishi E's help, she carefully sat up and slowly placed her feet on the ground.

She tentatively took two steps, then jumped lightly.

"It seems... I don't feel particularly uncomfortable," she said with delight, her voice even sounding clearer and younger. "I just feel... much lighter and full of energy!"

She hurried to a full-length mirror on the lab wall. When she saw the familiar yet unfamiliar face of a young girl radiating youthful energy in the mirror, she couldn't help but cover her mouth and exclaim, "Oh my god! Is...is this really me? I feel...I feel like I've gone back to high school!"

Ai walked to her side, looked at the two of them in the mirror who looked like sisters, and nodded affirmatively: "You guessed right, sister. I deliberately stabilized the final effect of the drug at around eighteen years old, the age when the genes are most active."

Hearing this, Shiraishi E was immediately shocked: "Wait?! This thing... can precisely control age?! You can make someone turn back to any age you want?"

Ai said with great certainty, "Of course! At least in theory, it is possible to make certain adjustments within an individual's original life age range."

"The human body is an incredibly sophisticated system. Our genes are like a detailed blueprint, recording various data and information about the body at different stages of life."

"The principle behind APTX4869, in a sense, is to crack and 'trick' this genetic blueprint, making it mistakenly believe that the body needs to go back or advance to a certain stage, thereby triggering the corresponding physiological change program!"

After hearing this explanation, Shiraishi E was so shocked that she didn't know what to say for a moment.

This has completely transcended the scope of ordinary medicine; it's almost like a mythical elixir.

But then he thought about it again. APTX4869 could turn people into children, and such fantastical things had actually happened. So, now that he had just accurately turned back to eighteen years old, it didn't seem like there was anything to be surprised about.
He suddenly thought of a question and asked curiously, "Then... if a real child, like Ayumi, a primary school student, took this medicine, could she immediately grow up to be eighteen years old?"

Ai shook her head decisively: "That won't work. The reversal potion is more like 'reading' and 'restoring' existing backup information in the genes."

“A child’s genes haven’t recorded the complete data of an eighteen-year-old’s body yet, so it’s impossible to ‘modify’ them into that stage out of thin air. Forcing it would likely only cause unpredictable genetic collapse.” Shiraishi nodded knowingly: “I see… I understand.”

He couldn't help but exclaim, "But... this is already incredible! If those women outside, especially those wealthy and powerful socialites who are afraid of aging, knew that you had developed this drug... they would absolutely go crazy for it!"

"Let alone spending a fortune, they would probably sell their pots and pans, or even their husbands, without batting an eye, just to be able to return to being eighteen again!"

Looking at her younger self in the mirror, Akemi nodded in deep agreement: "Yes... I believe... it definitely will."

As a woman, she knew all too well the immense allure of youthful beauty.

Ai Haibara, however, poured cold water on the situation at this moment: "That's true. But don't get your hopes up too high."

"I must clarify one point: Although my sister looks like she is eighteen years old now, her telomere length, the potential number of cell divisions, and other genetic information related to the essence of life are still twenty-three years old."

"Changes in appearance cannot truly reverse the passage of life. It's more like an... extremely realistic and thorough 'disguise'."

Upon closer examination, Shiraishi E realized that this was just like the youth-preserving pill from fantasy novels.

They may maintain their youthful appearance, but their lifespan will still eventually run out.

He reached out and ruffled Ai's hair, his tone full of admiration: "But this is already very, very amazing! Ai, you really are a genius! This is absolutely a discovery that could change the world!"

Ai received a heartfelt compliment from Emi Shiraishi. Although she tried her best to maintain her signature indifferent expression, the slight upturn of her lips and the fleeting light in her eyes clearly showed that she was very happy inside.

The successful outcome greatly boosted her self-confidence.

Driven by this strong confidence, she immediately made a momentous decision: "Then... let's begin! Inject Mom with the APTX4869 reversal agent!"

The decision made Mingmei's breath catch in her throat slightly, but seeing the unprecedented determination in her sister's eyes, she nodded heavily without any hesitation: "Okay! Mom will definitely wake up."

Eya Shiraishi crossed her arms, looking on with anticipation, demonstrating her support through her actions.

Xiao Ai acted swiftly and decisively, immediately turning back to the lab table and beginning to prepare a special medicine for her mother with extremely precise techniques.

She was more cautious than before, checking each step repeatedly to ensure that nothing went wrong.

With the medication prepared, the three of them went to the quiet and clean nursing room next door.

The room was filled with a faint scent of disinfectant and flowers. Elena Miyano lay quietly on the nursing bed like Sleeping Beauty, her face serene, as if she had simply fallen into a deep sleep. Only the sophisticated life-sustaining instruments around her indicated her unusual condition.

Ai took a deep breath, walked to the bedside, and picked up the syringe that carried all her hopes.

However, as the needle tip approached her mother's arm, her hand began to tremble uncontrollably and she could not steady it.

Fear, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed the confidence that had just been there.

Even with her sister's perfect success story as a precedent, when the subject was her beloved mother, countless "what ifs" swirled wildly in her mind like the whispers of a demon:

What if it fails?

What if that extremely low probability of failure happens to the mother?

What if the medication causes an unpredictable rejection reaction in the mother's body, which has been dormant for many years, leading to unexpected and terrible consequences?

What if... what if the worst happens, and the injection is successful, and Mom's body regains its youth, but she still can't wake up from her vegetative state?
Wouldn't that be giving hope only to cruelly take it away again?
The immense psychological pressure and long-held expectations were intertwined, almost crushing her. Her hands trembled more and more violently, and cold sweat even broke out on her forehead.

Just then, a warm and steady hand gently covered her trembling hand.

Shiraishi E walked up to her without her noticing. He didn't say much, but conveyed silent comfort and support with his eyes. Then he slowly took the heavy syringe from her hand.

Ai looked up and met Shiraishi E's calm and reassuring gaze. Her eyes were filled with gratitude, and she nodded slightly, entrusting this important task to him.

She stepped aside, clasped her hands tightly to her chest, closed her eyes, and began to pray silently, placing all her hopes on the unseen forces of luck and her sister's successful blessing.

Shiraishi E had no hesitation or reservations whatsoever.

He skillfully disinfected the area, located the vein, and steadily and quickly inserted the needle, slowly injecting the medicine into Elena Miyano's body.

The whole process was quiet and quick.

After injection, remove the needle and apply pressure.

Next, everyone held their breath and waited.

The room was so quiet that only the rhythmic beeping of the instruments and the tense heartbeats of the Miyano sisters could be heard.

All eyes were focused on Elena Miyano's peaceful sleeping face, awaiting a miracle, or... the pronouncement of fate.

(End of this chapter)