give it all to miss machima

But... judging by the timeline, she should have only recently broken through the encirclement; she should either be desperately trying to contact outside help or trying to reunite with Machima...

Vermouth hasn't reported any sign that Makima has reunited with the others, meaning she probably doesn't know Makima is dead... So why did she order an evacuation? Shouldn't she be... at a time like this?

For a moment, Rum had a bad feeling—a very bad feeling.

"Any movement from the police?" he asked his trusted confidant, Curacso.

Although the organization made numerous preparations for this operation, such as cutting off nearby civilian communication lines, such loud gunfire and explosions should have prompted nearby residents to try to call the police.

As planned, as long as the mobile unit doesn't arrive at the scene immediately, there shouldn't be a major problem. Moreover, with Machima's death, the follow-up issues shouldn't be too troublesome...

But now...

"You mean...not a single police car or officer came to check!?"

"Yes……"

"The Metropolitan Police Department and the Public Security Bureau's SWAT team show absolutely no intention of being deployed!?"

"There's still no news, at least not yet..."

Rum and Curaçao's expressions gradually became serious, clearly sensing something strange.

How could such a large-scale shooting and explosion in Beika Town, Tokyo, cause no stir at all? Are the citizens and police of Beika Town blind and deaf?

Simple slow reaction time?

Or is it... that the police are deliberately not dispatching officers?

For a moment, Rum wondered if the BOSS had made arrangements in advance.

But upon closer examination, it becomes clear that this is impossible—if the organization had such control over government agencies, it wouldn't need to spend a fortune hiring a team of professional demolition experts from Russia to carry out a raid. It is precisely because they couldn't handle Machima's overwhelming reinforcements that the organization wanted to resolve the issue through a desperate, swift attack before the reinforcements arrived.

So……

If it wasn't arranged by the organization, then who arranged it?

Who gave the nearby police station an order that seemed to say, "No matter what happens here tonight, do not send any police officers to investigate"?

More importantly, when was such an order issued?

This operation should be known to no one except the core personnel...

Perhaps... it's just a coincidence?

Or perhaps one of Machima's subordinates issued such a "wrong" order without authorization?

Is that... even possible?

In an instant, Rum's mouth went dry, and his heart sank to the bottom. He quickly dialed Vermouth's number:

"Vermouth, I am Rum. Are you sure you killed Makima herself?"

Vermouth paused slightly upon hearing Rum's words, her first instinct being to sneer:

"Of course it's her. I'm absolutely certain. Machima is dead beyond any doubt. I even have her body..."

Vermouth, who was speaking, suddenly paused slightly—she seemed to vaguely hear the sound of something tiny slicing through the air. Then, the black-clad members walking in front of her suddenly stiffened collectively.

Before she could react, several red lines suddenly appeared on these people, and then they scattered like dominoes made of piles of meat.

Massive amounts of blood, along with chunks of flesh, fell to the ground, as if someone had overturned a vat of dye. The crimson wave instantly spread outwards from the piles of corpses, turning the street into an unprecedented scarlet red.

Then, everything around fell silent—as if someone had suddenly turned off the background noise, leaving only a deathly silence and the faint sound of the wind.

Vermouth stared blankly at the absurd scene before her.

This is!?

Suddenly, she felt the hairs on her neck stand on end—a familiar gaze fell upon her, a gaze that had once filled her with immense humiliation and… fear.

She turned her head slowly and incredulously, only to be met with a pair of unique, golden eyes.

—Machima stood perfectly intact in front of her.

Her clothes were still tattered, and the bullet marks were clearly visible, but the skin exposed beneath the tattered clothes was completely unharmed.

Those wounds—bullet holes in her chest, lungs, heart, abdomen, and neck—were all gone. Even her hand, which had been almost broken, was now completely intact. On the tip of each finger, there were taut, taut threads extending in all directions, from which drops of blood were constantly dripping.

She was looking at me with the same expression she always gave me, as if she were appraising some interesting little animal, as if she were appreciating the surprising performance I had given her.

Vermouth stared blankly at the person who shouldn't be alive before her. Countless thoughts and explanations flashed through her mind, but when she met Makima's gaze, she was certain of the unbelievable reality—this was Makima, and no other person; she... had come back to life...

But this...

"How could this be... This is impossible... This is impossible!!!"

Vermouth murmured in despair, her mind telling her she was perfectly lucid, yet she still wondered if she was trapped in some vivid nightmare—how could such a thing possibly happen in the world!?

"I seem to remember saying that I would give you a chance to spare your life?"

Vermouth stepped back, and slipped and fell to the ground due to the slippery blood.

Machima smiled as she approached the trembling Vermouth, lifted her chin, and admired her terrified and frightened eyes.

"What a shame, you just used it like that..."

Then, she stopped looking at Vermouth, walked past her to Shiho, and gently picked her up.

Looking at Shiho, whose brows were furrowed even in her unconscious state, he gave her a warm smile.

“I never break my word, Shirley… From now on, you will be free…”

Chapter 131 The Birth of Ai Haibara (Part 1)

The next morning.

At Dr. Agasa's home.

"Last night, a large-scale yakuza brawl broke out in Beika Town, resulting in three deaths and eight injuries. Fortunately, no civilians were injured. According to the police, the incident stemmed from an economic dispute between two yakuza groups. The scale and severity of this brawl are unprecedented in recent years… Currently, the police have taken action and arrested individuals involved on both sides. The Governor of Tokyo has urged the police to…"

Conan frowned as he watched the news broadcast on TV.

This news is complete nonsense!

Last night, after witnessing the entire attack with Professor Agasa until late at night, the two finally saw the police arrive late and set up a cordon in that area.

These police officers seem more like they're there to cover up the incident than to investigate the case.

Dr. Agasa, watching the nonsensical television program, also looked worried.

"Such a big case was only briefly mentioned in the morning news... There must have been more than just us who saw or heard those gunshots last night..."

Haha ...

Conan rolled his eyes as he watched several government officials bowing deeply to the public in a flurry of flashing lights.

If the media doesn't report it, how much can it spread through public communication alone... In the end, it was just glossed over.

It seems that regardless of how last night's events unfolded, the victors managed to suppress the situation...

"Damn it... we finally got a lead, and now it's gone cold again..."

Conan rubbed his head, looking like he had a headache.

Now we can only hope that his father can get some information from his friends.

Because he barely slept the entire night, Conan stayed at Professor Agasa's house to catch up on sleep until the afternoon before finally saying goodbye to Professor Agasa.

Yawning, he waved to Professor Agasa:

"I'm leaving now, Doctor."

"Ah, take care, Shinichi."

After saying goodbye to Professor Agasa, Conan returned to the Mouri Detective Agency.

In the following days, just as Conan had predicted, this "ordinary" gang fight was quickly forgotten, and the police soon lifted the cordon around the mansion.

As for Dad, it's said that he hasn't been able to get any information about the attack, and even Machima from the Special Investigations Department doesn't know his condition.

Almost a week later, on a Friday evening, Conan, as usual, returned home from school. As soon as he entered the door, before he could even greet Ran, he saw a little girl sitting on the sofa.

She had a pair of ice-blue eyes, and judging from her features, she seemed to be of mixed race. She had long, slightly wavy brown hair and was wearing an outfit that didn't look very good on her.

Admittedly, Conan's first impression of this child was that she was a very pretty little girl.

However, the other person's expression was lifeless, which should not be seen at her age, as if she were a child who had just survived a disaster and lost her parents, with no light in her eyes.

But strangely enough, her expression seemed to change slightly only the moment she saw herself, as if... she recognized her.

Xiao Lan, who was sitting next to the girl, turned around when she heard the door open:

"Huh? Conan, you're back?"

"Huh? Sister Xiaolan, who is this 'sister'...uh...who is she?"

Conan, who was already getting used to elementary school life, quickly got into his daily role. Because the child looked a little taller than him, he called her "older sister".

Conan initially thought it was another client's child who had come to see Kogoro Mouri, but Ran's answer surprised him.

"Do you remember Akemi-neechan who came last time? This is her younger sister~"

"Wh...what!?"

After a moment of stunned silence, Conan, still too shocked to control his expression, looked at the other person in disbelief. The girl was also looking at him with a meaningful gaze.

Realizing what was happening, Conan immediately tried to revert to his role, scratching his head and awkwardly greeting the other person with a forced laugh:

"Um...you...hello, my name is Conan Edogawa..."

Ran also stood up and said to Conan:

"Conan, you stay here with Miyano for a bit, okay? I'm going to prepare dinner."

Why bother preparing dinner at a time like this!

Under the other person's gaze, Conan chuckled awkwardly and stood in the living room for a few seconds. Then, he excused himself to put down his backpack and rushed into the kitchen, whispering to Ran, "..."

"Ran-neechan! That child... I mean, Miyano-kun, why are you here!?"

Xiaolan was busy taking vegetables out of the refrigerator:

"Huh? It seems that Miyano's younger sister secretly ran away from home because she heard from her older sister that we are her friends."

Ran glanced towards the living room, crouched down, and whispered to Conan:

"Conan, did you see Miyano's expression?"

"Ah? Um..."

A hint of worry flashed across Xiaolan's face:

"This child probably had a fight with his family, so he secretly ran away, but he had nowhere to go, so he came here."

"Then...what about her older sister!? You mean...uh...Miyano Akemi's older sister?"

“Akami…”

Xiaolan also showed a hint of confusion:

"I'm not sure. I've actually called Akemi several times secretly, but she hasn't answered... Could something have happened?"

Encountered something? Of course you did!

Conan recalled the attack a week ago; if Akemi Miyano had been in that building, she probably would already be...

But how did her sister get here?!

"Anyway, I'm going to cook now. If I still can't get in touch with Akemi-senpai in a bit... well, we'll see... Oh, right, Conan!"

Ran patted Conan on the head and said something that sent chills down his spine:

"Miyano seems quite interested in your Shinichi brother. She asked him a lot of questions earlier, maybe she's curious about detectives too? You could tell her more about Shinichi solving cases. I'm going to prepare dinner now~"

Interested in...Shinichi Kudo!?

A hint of shock flashed in Conan's eyes. He walked with somewhat stiff steps, trying his best to appear to be smiling, before returning to the living room.

"Um...Miyano-san..."

"Xiaolan said that you weren't at home last weekend, but went to stay out... I guess you probably went to investigate that house in 10-chome, right?"

With Conan's expression completely out of control, Shiho Miyano continued speaking:

"So, you should know what happened there, right, Mr. Detective?"

"……you……"