Isn't it very scientific to use the Death Note to kill people?

After all, it's a brand new car, isn't it?

Knowing that his "why" referred to why he had to do such a dangerous thing himself, Amuro Tooru made a joke.

Using a brand new car to intercept someone is just too heartbreaking, especially since my job application stated that I was a skilled driver.

He seemed to have no intention of discussing this with Lin Jiashu, and immediately shifted up gears and accelerated, the white Mazda sports car overtaking the vehicles in front and heading straight for its target.

Takayo Tegawa, who was on the train, was completely unaware of this.

Although she had the courage to become a bank robber and murderer, she was completely unaware of counter-surveillance capabilities. When the white Mazda sports car roared across the line and appeared in her field of vision, she still didn't think twice until Amuro Tooru calculated the distance, suddenly turned the steering wheel, and pulled the handbrake, causing the entire car to swing sideways—

boom!

The two cars collided unexpectedly in the middle of the road with a loud bang.

Takayo Tegawa, who was holding the gun, only remembered that moment of darkness and confusion. Her whole body was suddenly secured to the seat by the tightened seatbelt under the impact, and the deployed airbag hit her face, scraping her nose hard.

Finally regaining her senses, she was furious and forced Conan to open the car door and get out, brandishing a gun as she threatened him:

"What's going on?! What are you guys doing?!"

The fear brought on by the exposure of the crime had robbed the woman of her normal judgment. She stared intently at the people in the car opposite, completely ignoring what was behind her.

Until something touched the back of her neck.

Crackling sounds!

A blinding flash of electricity erupted from the front of the stun gun, and the powerful current instantly rendered Takayo Tegawa unable to move.

Her gun-wielding hand suddenly lost all strength, and her whole body convulsed—and Conan, who was being held hostage, was also unable to escape, falling to the ground after being electrocuted.

"...Is it still too powerful to go straight to maximum power?"

Seeing Takayoshi Tsurugi lying on the ground convulsing without saying a word, Yoshiki Hayashi flicked the switch on the stun gun in his hand, making a terrifying crackling sound, while muttering to himself.

"it hurts……"

Conan, who was implicated, slowly sat up.

"Brother Jiashu!"

At that moment, Ran immediately unbuckled her seatbelt and ran out of Amuro Tooru's car.

Lin Jiashu looked at her with a smile.

Then Kogoro Mouri, Nanatsu Koshimizu, and Tooru Amuro also got out of the car... However, compared to this, Ai Haibara, who was sitting in Yoshiki Hayashi's car, hesitated to get out.

Her gaze was fixed on Amuro Tooru, who was standing there.

That person...

There's no mistake, that guy is one of the organization's people.

Watching Lin Jiashu chatting and laughing with that girl named Xiaolan, Xiao Ai just hid in the car, cautiously shrugging her shoulders.

At that moment, Amuro Tooru, who was extremely sensitive to gazes, seemed to glance at Hayashi Yoshiki's car unintentionally.

Upon seeing the little girl with brown hair in the passenger seat, he seemed to be drawn to her, his gaze fixed on her for a long time.

In that instant, Ai Haibara's heart felt as if it had been clenched.

"I'm a little worried that she might recover. Let me give her another go."

crackling-

At this moment, Yoshiki Hayashi smiled and pressed the switch of the stun gun as if to move. Conan, who had been affected, immediately jumped up and moved away from Takayo Tegawa, who was lying on the ground.

Chapter 492: A Conversation with Ai Haibara

By the time Inspector Megure and his team arrived and finished documenting the scene, it was indeed getting late.

He wasn't in a hurry to have the people come back to the Metropolitan Police Department with him to give statements. With a wave of his hand, he put Urakawa Serina and Tegawa Takayo, who was unconscious from the electric shock, into the police car and said that the statements of the others could wait until tomorrow.

"Then let's go back first."

Lin Jiashu said with a smile.

Seeing his gentle smile, Inspector Megure, who had just told everyone to go back first, seemed hesitant to speak.

"I said, Brother Lin..."

"What's wrong, Inspector Megure?"

"I know you applied for a permit to possess dangerous controlled items, but the stun gun you're using... its specifications exceed the permitted limits, don't they?"

As a controlled weapon, stun guns can be legally possessed by certain individuals through an application, but there are still requirements regarding their output specifications.

Thinking back to how Takayo Tekkawa was trembling and even a little incontinent when they helped her up and put her in the police car, Inspector Megure had a bad feeling.

It only took one shock to cause this...

"I did make some changes without permission."

Hayashi Yoshiki's unexpected frankness came as Inspector Megure had a "I knew it" look on his face. He continued, "But isn't there any room to improve this output level? Last time when I attacked Lupin, he was shocked twice but he was completely unaffected... I was even planning to ask Professor Agasa to upgrade it for me."

"Uh--"

Megure squinted, "That would be too dangerous."

After replying "okay," Lin Jiashu smiled and walked towards his car.

Amuro Tooru's car was so badly damaged that it needed to be towed away for repairs, leaving only one car at the scene. Originally, Inspector Megure planned to send a car to take Amuro Tooru and Koshimizu Nanatsuki back, but Kogoro Mouri suggested that Yoshiki Hayashi take them instead, and that they could take the police car back to the office, since Amuro Tooru and the others had come to help.

then,

As Amuro Tooru sat in the back of Hayashi Yoshiki's car and stared at the passenger seat, Ai Haibara's limbs gradually stiffened.

She didn't dare to breathe.

Amuro Tooru seemed quite interested in her, and leaning forward slightly from the middle of the back seat, he asked, "Boss, who is this child...?"

“Ai Haibara is the child who lives in Professor Agasa’s house,” Yoshiki Hayashi answered for her.

"...Alas."

"What's wrong? Does Mr. Amuro actually like children?"

“No, no.” Amuro smiled. “It’s just that this child seems a little different from ordinary children… like that kid named Conan, he doesn’t seem like an ordinary child at all.”

"..."

Ai Haibara felt that her face must look very stiff at that moment.

That guy from Edogawa—

Has this person, who is suspected to be a member of the organization, already noticed it?

“That child does seem a bit different,” Nanatsuki Koshimizu said with a smile. “Even though he’s just an elementary school student, I don’t know why, but when I saw him, I felt he was very reliable.”

"cough--"

Dr. Agasa suddenly spoke up.

He didn't suspect that the two assistants at Hayashi Yoshiki's office had any problems, but he just felt that listening to them talk about these things was not a good sign, so he changed the subject and said, "Mr. Hayashi, were you just talking to Inspector Megure about the stun gun?"

"Yes, I originally wanted to upgrade the output power, but Inspector Megure doesn't seem to agree."

"Do you need my help? Actually, all we need to do is design it so that we can hide the switch for higher output," Dr. Agasa said. He could understand Yoshiki Hayashi's need to increase output. "After all, sometimes you really can't judge people by common sense."

"Just like Uncle Mori."

"Yes, just like the Maori."

The dosage of tranquilizer darts used on Conan gradually changed from those used on humans to those used on elephants... Kogoro Mouri's tolerance to anesthetics is probably comparable to Lupin III's tolerance to electric shocks.

Conan's best hope right now is that Kogoro Mouri won't get any serious illness in the future.

Otherwise, if the latter situation required anesthesia for surgery, the dosage of anesthesia injected by the hospital would probably only be enough to make Kogoro Mouri yawn.

The car slowly drove back to Beika Town.

Ai Haibara sat in the front row with her head down, barely daring to breathe.

Amuro Tooru smiled and seemed no longer paying attention to her, instead chatting idly with Hayashi Yoshiki, who was driving, and Koshimizu Nanatsuki beside him... However, the subtle gazes she felt made Haibara Ai extremely uncomfortable.

"Ai, it's very quiet."

Nanatsuki Koshimizu noticed that she had been withdrawn in the car and couldn't help but ask her about it.

"They're probably just shy... Okay, where should I take you later?"

“Ah, I should be the one with the most convenient route, it’s an apartment near the office,” said Nanatsuki Koshimizu first.

"Okay, then I'll send off Mr. Amuro next... I'll send off Professor Agasa and Ai last."

"no problem."

The nearly one-hour drive back from Beika City would be a bit tough for Ai Haibara.

But at least,

"..."

Looking in the rearview mirror, the girl saw the tanned man get out of the car and wave goodbye. She finally felt a sense of relief.

It took a little more time to drive the car to 2-chome of Beikacho.

When the car stopped in front of Professor Agasa's house, Yoshiki Hayashi handed his stun gun to the man sitting in the back seat.

"I'll study it when I have some free time these days, and I'll tell you when it's done, Mr. Lin."

"Okay, then I'll leave it to Professor Agasa."

"It's nothing."

Professor Agasa cheerfully opened the car door and called out to Ai Haibara, "Let's get out, Ai."

"I'll go in later, Doctor, you go in first."

"...Ah, okay."

Dr. Agasa hesitated for a moment, then glanced at her and Hayashi Yoshiki before getting out of the car without asking any further questions.

After the car door was closed,

There are now only two people left in the white BMW.

The entire street, lined with various detached houses, was deserted. Under the dark night sky, the bright streetlights quietly illuminated the smooth asphalt road.

"what happened?"

Lin Jiashu asked.

He didn't look at Ai Haibara's expression, but calmly gazed ahead.

"..."

Ai Haibara did not speak.

She asked Professor Agasa to get off the bus first. She had thought she would have a lot to say to Hayashi Yoshiki, but when the time came, her mind seemed to be completely blank.

What can I say?

What can I ask?

After more than half a month of silence and melancholy, I couldn't utter a single word here.

She suddenly felt ashamed.

—To myself, who seems unable to say anything.

"……I don't know either."

Finally, as if deflated, she spoke in a calm and childlike voice.

Seeing this, Lin Jiashu couldn't help but laugh.

But before Ai Haibara could turn around, he said, "Actually, there's nothing that's hard to say. I'm sorry... I let you down. It's really my fault."

"..."

He started speaking, and then all sorts of complicated thoughts finally surged up, making Ai Haibara look at him.

I've let myself down...