Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 231 My Sister's Belongings

Tokyo.

Gao Mo returned to the firm very late. The streets were lit up, and the familiar sound of police sirens echoed in the night, which actually sounded a little warm.

Perhaps one day we won't be used to not hearing police sirens?
Gao Mo glanced at the neighboring house while carrying the cake he bought at the station. Dr. Agasa's house was pitch black, but his office was brightly lit.

Did Ai not go to the doctor's house?

"I am back."

As Gao Mo opened the door and entered the entryway, he habitually called out a greeting. He had just changed his shoes when he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.

However, it wasn't Ai who came out to greet them, but another high school student cook—Ran, wearing an apron.

“Kido-nii,” Ran said, holding a soup spoon, relieved but also a little reproachful, “Where have you been? I couldn’t reach you at all… Ai had a high fever during the day and is still unconscious in her room. I was going to take her to the hospital, but she absolutely refused…”

"Is Ai sick?"

Gao Mo suddenly realized a problem.

The shrinking drug isn't without side effects; Conan is always catching colds, which suggests a huge underlying problem.

After putting down the cake, Gao Mo hurriedly ran into Xiao Ai's room.

Seemingly hearing the noise, Xiao Ai weakly opened her eyes. After seeing Gao Mo, she forced a smile and said, "I'm fine. I've already taken my medicine."

Gao Mo didn't speak, pushed away the black cat lying by the bed, and grabbed Xiao Ai's wrist to check the situation.

His medical level has reached level 3. Although his main research direction is surgery, his basic knowledge is very comprehensive, and he would have no problem being a general practitioner.

"Where's the doctor?"

After confirming that Ai only had a cold, Gao Mo asked in confusion.

Before leaving, he asked the doctor to take care of Ai.

"The Doctor went out to buy medicine," Ran said, bringing over a steaming dish. "He called me over because he found Ai lying unconscious in the living room last night... Ai, try my egg drop porridge."

"sorry to bother you."

Gao Mo found a stethoscope for practice and continued to examine Xiao Ai's body. After a while, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The psychic perception revealed that Ai's soul aura was strange, both weak and powerful, but thankfully there were no immediate problems.

"Has the case been resolved?" Ai asked softly after Ran left.

After collecting information about the Fire Sacrifice family, she kept a close eye on related news. Upon discovering the tragic death of the Fire Sacrifice Company president, she immediately realized that Gao Mo was involved in a new incident.

"It has ended."

Gao Mo felt that Xiao Ai's illness might be related to staying up late to help him research information, so he put down his stethoscope and said.

"From now on, leave research to the PhD student. You need to take better care of your health and avoid staying up late."

"..."

Xiao Ai quietly looked at Gao Mo.

Does having a PhD mean you can stay up all night all the time?
"It's nothing. I just overworked myself with research recently. I'll be more careful in the future."

"have a good rest."

Gao Mo covered Xiao Ai with the blanket.

He knew something about Ai's research progress; it seemed they had encountered a major problem with the complete antidote, which led them to voluntarily seal off the research.

Perhaps he could find a way to completely solve the problem of the shrinking drug by looking at the notes.

If even the fate of someone destined to die can be changed through a notebook, what else is impossible?
living room.

After tidying up the kitchen, Xiaolan took off her apron and said goodbye, "I still need to cook dinner for Dad, so I'll head back now."

dinner?

Gao Mo checked the time.

The man with the mustache hasn't had dinner yet at this hour...

"A murder occurred today at the Izujima Design Office. The office director, Sohei Izujima, 54, died of poisoning during lunchtime. Police are currently..."

The living room TV was still broadcasting the news.

Gao Mo, who was used to gathering information, paused in his tracks after hearing familiar words.

The Dejima Office... is that the place Ai and Shuichi Akai were talking about?

He had indeed heard before that Ai asked Shuichi Akai to retrieve something his sister had left behind.

Why haven't I gotten it back after so long? Is there some trouble?

Gao Mo checked the firm's surveillance footage.

Shuichi Akai never returned.

It seems that something has indeed gone wrong.

If that office is the old house of the Miyano family, and Miyano Akemi has been back there, it's not impossible that it would become a key target of the brewery's observation.

Unfortunately, Shuichi Akai himself is a problem and a major target of the brewery's attention.

Asking Shuichi Akai to pick up the item is not a good choice.

Whether Akai himself goes or another FBI agent is sent, there are huge risks involved.

Gao Mo watched the footage of the exterior of the Dejima office shown on the news, his expression thoughtful.

Since the murder occurred at noon, the police seem to have been unable to solve the case.

Regardless of Shuichi Akai's reasons for not getting the items back, now seems to be the best time for him to make his move.

The distillery usually prefers to keep a low profile, at least in its early days it preferred to operate mysteriously and leave no trace.

This Dejima office certainly won't allow the brewery to break with tradition.

In other words, there should be no members of the organization monitoring this area.

After quickly analyzing the situation in his mind, Gao Mo made a phone call to the doctor, then put on his coat and shoes again and went out.

When he arrived at his destination street, he was a completely unfamiliar bearded man.

His "Ever-Changing" talent brought about a dramatic change in his ability to disguise himself. When combined with other magical talents, it almost exceeded the normal range of abilities, making it 100% Conan-esque.

It's said that the disguise and casual clothes can be completed in a very short time, but in reality, it's not much different from an instant transformation.

No wonder her makeup skills were upgraded to level 5.

The only problem is that it requires advance preparation, rather than being able to transform into whoever you want on the spot. It's still a bit short of the level of those freaks in this world.

"Crack!"

Under the cover of night, Gao Mo skillfully opened the door and entered the island office.

Although the notes did not include it, his lock-picking skills were quite high, allowing him to enter and exit freely without leaving any trace.

Without turning on the lights, Gao Mo's eyes, dimly lit, quickly took in the scene in the room.

This place was originally just an ordinary residential house, the old house of the Miyano family. I don't know why it was lent out and then converted into an office.

It's a stand-alone place, but it lacks the grandeur of his detective agency and isn't very large.

Gao Mo found the toilet location immediately.

but……

After inspecting the toilet tank, Gao Mo frowned deeply.

No.

There was nothing visible in the water tank.

He couldn't hear clearly through the door, but he did hear Ai mention the toilet tank.

Was it taken away or...?

Gao Mo activated his eagle-eye vision, taking in every detail of the toilet.

Perhaps because the police have already investigated, there were no valuable clues.

There were traces of a listening device under the sink, but it had been there for a long time.

"Whoosh!" The subtle swirling water caught Gao Mo's attention.

It's not very obvious on the surface, but upon closer inspection, you can see that the water tank is slowly leaking.

Is it a buoy?
Gao Mo reached under the water tank float and indeed felt a square object sealed and secured with a waterproof bag.

As long as you're still here.

If the distillery takes it, not only will it be extremely difficult to get it back, but it might also be destroyed by those guys.

But if he just takes it away like that, what if Shuichi Akai comes running back later?
Gao Mo was about to leave the island office with his waterproof bag and belongings when he couldn't help but think of Shuichi Akai's cold face as he approached the door.

Will they screw over Shuichi Akai?

Turning around, Gao Mo had messed up the toilet, which had previously been untouched, and pried open the window again.

That'll be fine.

Since they took the items so obviously, the news will probably spread tomorrow, saving Shuichi Akai from having to make another trip.

"call!"

The streets outside the Dejima office were unusually quiet, with a faint smell of smoke carried on the cold wind.

As soon as Gao Mo took a step, he sensed a creature with a strong killing intent.

As I casually passed by the intersection, a black Porsche came into view.

What a coincidence.

Gin actually came over.

This guy definitely likes to do things differently.

"Brother," Vodka, the burly man in the driver's seat, asked, puzzled, "is that guy really coming here?"

“We can’t let go of even the slightest possibility,” Gin sneered, a hint of twisted excitement in his voice. “It was Miyano Akemi who brought him into the organization. I think there’s a high probability he’ll come to confirm it. After all, even we suspect that Miyano Akemi left something behind, and we did find traces of him nearby…”

"Big brother, someone's coming!" Vodka pulled over and noticed Gao Mo walking on the road. His expression immediately tensed up. "Could it be that guy?"

After all, the opponent was that FBI agent, a top assassin who had once been active within the organization.

Gin narrowed his eyes, and after finding no threat, let Gao Mo walk away: "It's not him. No matter how much that guy pretends, he can't change some habits... He's just an ordinary person."

"Tch, it suddenly popped up and startled me."

Vodka wiped his sweat, pointed the pistol at Gao Mo's head with a wicked grin, and then put it away in his pocket with a look of utter disinterest.

"But brother, that woman is really good at hiding. It's like she's vanished into thin air, without a trace."

“She’s probably under FBI protection, just like her sister,” Gin said, observing the Izushima office. “But as long as she hasn’t left Japan, we’ll meet again someday… huh?”

Gin suddenly picked up his binoculars and carefully observed the office window.

"It's been pried open! No, catch up with that person!"

An unspeakable rage exploded in Gin's heart.

He was actually fooled.

Think about it, if an ordinary passerby saw his luxury car, they would at least take a look; it's impossible for them to be completely uninterested.

"Chase!"

"No good, boss," Vodka turned the car around, sweat beading on his forehead, "It's gone! We just walked this way a moment ago..."

Gin's killing intent intensified, his face darkening for a moment before bursting into an even more twisted smile: "Interesting. I can't wait to see his pale, stiff, dead face!"

"call!"

At the corner of the house, Gao Mo watched the Porsche drive away, its figure disappearing back into the night as it left from the other side.

After several transfers of the mind network, it returned to the agency without attracting the attention of the mission team.

He did not open the items he brought from the Dejima office.

There were four cassette tapes inside. They were probably recordings that Miyano Akemi had a premonition of something and specially left for her sister.

"Amo," Professor Agasa yawned in the living room, "where have you been so late? I'm getting old, I really can't keep up."

They're old and still doing those dangerous experiments.

Gao Mo glanced silently at the doctor's old face.

This guy is incredibly fit when it comes to inventions; it's a miracle he wasn't blown up.

"Doctor, go back to sleep. I'll find you a girlfriend as a thank you another day."

“No need for that, I’m doing just fine on my own,” Professor Agasa almost choked. “Besides, I’ve always treated Ai like my granddaughter, so it’s only right that I take care of her.”

Fearing that Gao Mo would bring up his girlfriend again, Dr. Agasa quickly returned to the next room.

"Meow~"

The black cat emerged from Ai's room and circled around Gao Mo as if taking a second look.

It sensed from the beginning that Gao Mo was different; it seemed that an incredible change had occurred since his return from this business trip.

If what initially made it feel dangerous was something about Gao Mo, now it's Gao Mo himself.

This danger is different from the past; it lacks the terror of the past, but it's still unpleasant.

"Where did you go?" After eating the egg drop porridge, Xiao Ai's spirits had recovered quite well, but she still looked weak.

"I went to get something."

Gao Mo took out the waterproof bag, which still had water droplets remaining.

"Don't ask outsiders for these kinds of things in the future. That FBI agent himself has a lot of trouble."

"You know it all?"

Ai stared in astonishment, then suddenly realized what was happening.

"Wait, how did you get it? The organization is already watching that area..."

"Just go over and get it, it didn't take much effort,"

Gao Mo handed the tape to Xiao Ai and then left the room.

"Don't worry, I'm disguised and haven't revealed anything. At most, the organization will know that something has been taken."

"Is it really that simple?" Ai Haibara was skeptical.

She knew Gao Mo was no ordinary person, but what Akai Shuichi had been unable to retrieve these past few days, Gao Mo had obtained with a single, casual trip...

"You're just a detective, right?" Ai looked at the cassette tape in her hand, bewildered. "Even with disguise, those people in the organization shouldn't be so easy to deal with..."

"Didn't I tell you? The organization you see isn't that scary. If the person behind it hadn't been so well hidden, it would have been finished long ago."

Gao Mo gently closed the door.

Xiaolan's egg drop porridge made him hungry too.

Treat yourself before bed.

“Kido-kun,” Conan suddenly called, “have you noticed Ran acting strangely? She’s been going out a lot these past few days since Valentine’s Day, saying she’s going to do karate training, but that’s not really the case…”

"What's the problem? Ran just came over to take care of Ai."

Gao Mo could sense Conan's jealousy even over the phone.

Could this kid be suspecting him?
To be honest, Xiaolan was indeed quite close to him.

“That’s not what I meant,” Conan sighed. “Ran seems to be doing something behind my back.”

"do not think too much."

Gao Mo quickly made a hot soup, intending to eat it with the cake.

"If you ask me, you're just being paranoid. If you're really worried, just tell Xiaolan the truth. There should be more trust between two people. Why do you think Xiaolan can't know?"
I know you don't want to drag Xiaolan into danger, but have you considered that continuing to deceive her will cause even greater harm...?

“This isn’t the time to talk about that,” Conan said, shaking his head. “I just want to know what’s been going on with Ran lately.”

"You damn cat! You stole my cake!"

Suddenly, a series of banging noises came from the other end of the phone, leaving Conan speechless. In the end, he could only helplessly hang up the phone amidst the black cat's pitiful cries.

(End of this chapter)