Anime Crossover: Master is Not Here Today

Conan was surprised to see this, but then he took out a badge from his pocket and smiled faintly, saying:

"But sorry, you can't leave me behind this time."

"Conan, you got the badge too?!"

Ayumi Yoshida's face lit up with surprise, while Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, after his initial astonishment, couldn't help but tease him with a smile:

"It's Conan who's the one. He said he wasn't interested in games before, but it seems like that's not true after all!"

"Forehead"

Upon hearing this, Conan's expression froze, and he could only awkwardly scratch his head and chuckle.

"Ahaha, well, that's how it is anyway."

On the other side, Ran Mouri was also somewhat surprised and puzzled to see Conan obtain the game badge from somewhere at some point.

Here, this is for you.

At that moment, Sonoko Suzuki moved closer to Ran Mouri, took off her game badge, handed it to Ran, and said with a grin:

"Xiaolan, you care a lot about that brat, don't you?"

"Anyway, I'm not interested in games, so it's fine with you having it."

"The garden."

Ran Mouri accepted the badge with some emotion and thanked him:

"Thank you, Sonoko."

Sonoko Suzuki pretended to be unhappy and said:

"Seriously, if you keep saying that, I'm going to take the badge back, you know?"

Seeing her like this, Ran Mouri immediately chuckled.

"Hehe, sorry, sorry."

Inside the gathering hall, after introducing the basic information about 'Cocoon', the organizers invited the celebrity Yoko Okino to perform a song.

Needless to say, the most excited person in this segment was none other than Yoko Okino's loyal fan, Kogoro Mouri.

After the singing performance, we finally arrived at the core part of the press conference: experiencing and observing the game content.

Guided by the staff, the group moved to another venue in an orderly manner. Children with game badges lined up to enter the game pods, while others went to the back seats to watch.

After Conan and the others who went to experience the game left, only Fujimaru Ritsuka, Mashu, Suzuki Sonoko, and Mouri Kogoro remained in their group. The four of them sat down side by side, waiting for the game to begin.

"Hehehe, I don't think I've missed anything, right?"

A familiar laugh rang out, and Moriarty, who had disappeared earlier, finally rejoined the group. He smiled and nodded at Fujimaru Ritsuka, indicating that the mission was complete.

"No, the game demonstration hasn't officially started yet."

Fujimaru Ritsuka also nodded slightly in acknowledgment, indicating that she understood.

However, Kogoro Mouri disagreed with her and corrected her with a serious expression:

"Of course! Missing Ms. Okino's singing performance would be a huge loss!"

Sonoko Suzuki rolled her eyes at him and said:

"Not everyone is like you, a middle-aged person who is not young anymore and still likes to chase after idols."

"what?!"

Kogoro Mouri glared at him and said:

"Ms. Okino's charm knows no age!"

However, just as they were bickering, a sudden change occurred. A very young, electronically synthesized voice rang out over the loudspeaker—

"My name is Noah's Ark, and the game can't be stopped."

"I've already taken over the simulation game 'Cocoon'."

Come spicy!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 234 Surrender, Noah's Ark, Sudden Changes

"Confess?"

Upon receiving the report, Inspector Megure, who was originally responsible for maintaining order downstairs, rushed to the venue with his men and arrived at the central control console of the game 'Cocoon' where the person who reported the incident was located.

Meanwhile, the programmers monitoring the game were working methodically, while behind them on a sofa sat Sindora, Tadahiro Kashimura, Yusaku Kudo, and Professor Agasa.

Inspector Megure was slightly surprised to see Yusaku Kudo and Professor Agasa here.

However, after calming down, he turned his gaze to Sindora, who was sitting in the very center, and asked:

"Chairwoman Sindora, I am Inspector Megure of the Metropolitan Police Department. I think I heard you say something on the phone just now, that you wanted to turn yourself in? May I ask what happened?"

The central control console is located on a high platform at the very back of the exhibition hall. Through the transparent glass window, you can see the projection wall in the exhibition hall, which projects game scenes.

Sindora stared intently at the projection that had no image yet. Only after hearing Megure's question did she slowly look at him and say in a deep voice:

"I am the one who is going to turn myself in."

"But before I tell you everything, I'd like to watch the game launch event first."

"This"

Inspector Megure was immediately in a very difficult position.

Frankly speaking, the other party, as the emperor of the IT industry and the chairman of Sindora Corporation, seems quite far removed from the concept of surrendering himself to the authorities.

When he received the report, he thought he had misheard.

Now, the other party is admitting to surrendering, but is unwilling to immediately confess to their crimes. In addition, the other party's special status is really giving him a headache.

But just as he was pondering how to handle the situation, the lights in the control center suddenly flickered, and the next moment, the staff at the console cried out in panic:

"Chairwoman Sindora, the system has malfunctioned and become uncontrollable!"

"what?"

The group was taken aback upon hearing this, and then quickly looked at the game pod on the exhibition stage, which had already been closed. Kashimura Tadahiro and the others' expressions changed on the spot.

If the system really gets out of control, these children will be in danger!

"let me see!"

So Dr. Agasa, without bothering to explain in detail, quickly sat down at the control panel and began checking the system.

But just then, a very young, synthesized electronic voice suddenly rang out over the loudspeakers throughout the exhibition hall—

"My name is Noah's Ark, and the game can't be stopped."

"I've already taken over the simulation game 'Cocoon'."

"?!!"

Upon hearing the other person's self-identification, Sindora's pupils contracted slightly, and she fell silent again. Inspector Megure asked with some confusion:

"Noah's Ark, what is that?"

He knew about Noah's Ark in mythology, but he figured the other party probably wasn't that kind of thing.

Yusaku Kudo, who was somewhat aware of this, looked at the game's development manager, Tadahiro Kashimura, who was also his college friend, and asked:

"I remember, that's the AI ​​that claims to have achieved in just one year what humans take five years to develop, right?"

"Yes."

However, it wasn't Kashimura Tadahira who answered him, but Sindora, who spoke as if to herself:

"That was a design completed by Hiroki, whom I cherish like my own son, two years ago."

"That is to say, it is now the same size as Hiroki."

Upon hearing the name Hiroki, Inspector Megure finally realized and said:

"So it was invented by that genius boy, Hiroki? I remember him."

Halfway through his speech, he suddenly realized that two years ago, that same gifted teenager had committed suicide by jumping off a building due to depression, which caused quite a stir at the time.

The chairman of Sindora in front of him is Hiroki's adoptive father, so it would be impolite to bring up this matter in front of him.

However, Sindora seemed to sense Inspector XIII's thoughts, his expression turning pained, and his voice becoming lower as he replied:

"No, suicide due to depression is not the truth behind Hiroki's death."

"Under my constant pressure, he ultimately had no choice but to commit suicide."

"what?!"

Inspector Megure stared in shock, somewhat incredulous, at Sindora's sudden confession of her crimes.

However, Yusaku Kudo seemed to have known about this all along, so he wasn't too surprised.

He looked at Professor Agasa, who was frantically operating the control panel. Judging from the beads of sweat on his forehead, he knew that the current situation did not seem optimistic.

So he stepped forward and asked the screen on the control panel:

"Noah's Ark, what are you trying to do by taking over the children's games?"

Soon, Noah's Ark answered his question—

"My goal is to give Japan a fresh start!"

-

Upon entering the game, Conan felt a sudden darkness before his eyes. When his vision cleared again, he found himself and the other children on an empty platform.

There was a bright light overhead where they were standing, like a spotlight, while it was pitch black all around them, and they couldn't see anything in the distance.

"This is virtual reality, simulating the five senses."

Conan looked down at his hands, clenched them tightly, and felt that the real world he was in was almost no different from what he was used to, giving him a sense of awe from the technology.

"Conan-kun!"

"Sister Xiaolan, everyone..."