books44 Chapter 49 Under the Shadow of the Past
Chapter 49 Under the Shadow of the Past
Twenty minutes had passed since Shinichi last spoke to him.
The Detective Boys' badge still hasn't been answered, but the good news is that it's at least still within range.
Heimen Yaoye turned off the call button and took out a pair of children's non-prescription glasses from his trench coat pocket.
"Luckily, I had brought these tracking glasses with me when I went out just now, as if by some strange twist of fate."
After the terrifying night at the villa, in order to prevent a repeat of Haruya Kuromon accidentally getting lost, Conan specially gave him a badge with a transmitter and a spare pair of tracking glasses.
Pressing the oval button on the temple causes the folding antenna to slowly rise from the head of the lens, displaying a polar coordinate graph indicating the orientation and distance on the lens of the left eye.
"What a brilliant and convenient invention! However, the children's size is still too small for adults; it can only be hung up with difficulty."
As he zoomed closer to the screen, Yoruichi Kuromon noticed a flickering coordinate point slowly moving about 30 degrees east of south.
Turning the car around and accelerating, the black Mazda weaved through the evening rush hour traffic, heading towards its destination.
Gazing at the sea of red taillights on the road ahead, Yoruichi Kuromon impatiently tapped the steering wheel, trying to console himself with the equally slow-moving coordinates.
So, who will be carrying out this mission?
According to Ran's information, the organization member who kidnapped Conan was a plump middle-aged woman with an ordinary appearance, wearing a magenta top and driving a dark green Honda.
The members of the Operations Department each have their own tasks, and they don't act in such a roundabout way; they would simply sweep through the agency by force.
But if it's a member of the intelligence department...
According to Fan Ze, they usually take a day off or go out for entertainment on the second day of the holiday. They don't even have time to find an excuse to postpone the mission, let alone rush to complete it.
The Christmas tree next to the shopping street, still covered with gifts, continued the lively atmosphere from yesterday.
Haruya Kuromon had a sudden inspiration: "That's it! Conan might have been given as a 'gift' to someone, and was asked to carry it out in secret."
Take out his phone, open his contacts, and with his head tilted to the side, holding the phone up, he quickly overtook the car.
"It's me, Guinness. Do you know what the gift from the intelligence department is?"
Upon hearing him address him by his code name, Masato knew that he had important business to attend to, and reluctantly put down Hiromi Taro, who was enjoying a massage.
“I know that Calvados and I were the ones carrying out the exchange of information between the two sides. Aside from Vermouth and Rum's mission details being kept secret, the others' details are…”
While describing the contents, Masato Hanazawa casually mentioned the characteristics of the corresponding codenamed members to help his partner expand the information: "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"It's alright for now, I can handle it."
Kuromon Haruya feigned a lighthearted tone in response to Konohamazuki's concern, but his heart sank heavily to the bottom.
The gifts from the intelligence department were generally simple, containing both rewards and requests, but none of them mentioned or hinted at anything related to Conan.
In other words, he will be facing completely unfamiliar members of the organization, or even Vermouth or Rum in disguise!
"Tsk."
Departing from his usual gentle and composed demeanor, Haruya Kuromon leaned against the steering wheel and clicked his tongue, clearly extremely agitated.
After all, he didn't want to reveal to Shinichi Kudo that he was a member of the organization, or even a codenamed member, unless absolutely necessary...
Whatever the reason, these hands are already stained with blood. If Shinichi finds out, can they still maintain this unwavering trust?
The transmitter's coordinates disappeared in the residential area, which forcibly calmed his conflicted thoughts.
This was within Kuromon Haruya's expectations.
It seems that the other party has arrived at a temporary stop and begun to remove the "small stationery" that Conan was carrying.
"In any case, ensuring Shinichi's safety is the top priority right now."
If the toy gun in my pocket isn't enough to intimidate the other side, then I'll have to use the real thing.
In the cold winter night, the fluttering snowflakes slowly fell under the streetlights, melting into a puddle of dirty water after hitting the ground, along with the stars in the sky.
Haruya Kuromon parked the car on the side of the street nearby to avoid being noticed by any potential vigilant members.
Beep beep.
As Kuromon Haruya looked at the good news sent by Hanze, a murderous glint appeared on his lips—
Calvados heard from Vermouth that Gin, the model worker, had actually gone on vacation abroad!
This means that…
"As long as they're not high-ranking officials, it's understandable that I deal with a few troublemakers while completing my mission."
...
"Honey, just as you said, Shin-chan ran to the professor's house without any warning."
Yukiko Kudo adjusted her disguise in front of the mirror, then clenched her fist and waved it at the air:
"But he's being way too reckless! He actually dared to floor the gas pedal on the road! Does he know how dangerous that is?! I was scared to death!"
Recalling her son weaving through the traffic, she felt her blood pressure spike, and her youthful face might develop a few more wrinkles as a result.
Having already bound his son hand and foot, Kudo Yusaku, who was counting Professor Agasa's amazing inventions, walked over to his wife's side, gave her a treat by massaging her shoulders, and firmly stood by his lover's side:
"I think so too. Shinichi's sense of crisis is still too weak, especially during that time when he was investigating the organization."
It's better not to mention this matter. The moment the organization is brought up, Yukiko rips off her disguise, her smile gradually turning sinister and distorted.
“Honey, how about we add some more spice to the script? It’s a rare opportunity for the whole family to get together, it would be so boring if it were too bland.”
"Of course, that's what I think too."
Without a trace of guilt, Kudo Yusaku mentally lit a candle for his son: I'm sorry, Shinichi, just treat this as a detective drama that you personally experienced.
However, was Shinichi's forced drugging by the organization an accidental encounter or premeditated?
After receiving the news from Professor Agasa, Yusaku Kudo has been pondering this question.
According to Dr. Agasa, Shinichi's contact with the organization and his subsequent elimination were entirely accidental, and his body reverting to his childhood state was a low-probability event.
However, after that, there were no reports of Shinichi Kudo, who was a drug test subject, being harmed. In fact, he indirectly demonstrated his activity in several incidents. The organization, meanwhile, remained completely silent.
Given the organization's meticulous closing procedures, such an oversight should not have been overlooked.
"By the way, Yukiko. You mentioned before that you'd seen that Kuromon guy somewhere, right?"
When planning this operation, Yusaku Kudo had considered the possibility that Shinichi was being monitored by an organization.
The fewer people involved in an organization, the safer it is. Therefore, the only participants in this kidnapping plot were Professor Agasa and his wife.
Hearing her husband ask for advice, Yukiko Kudo smiled and took out her phone, forcing a playful expression onto her otherwise ordinary face.
"Not only me, but you also know a lot about Yusaku."
She walked to the desk and opened a webpage that was saved on her laptop.
Because the video was filmed six years ago, the image quality is now somewhat blurry.
The background of the video appears to be a stage at a university, and Yusaku Kudo can see a decoration resembling a school emblem at the edge of the frame.
Young people from different countries, dressed in classical performance costumes, sang Italian songs loudly on stage, freely expressing their youthful energy.
The video only captured the climax of the performance. When the lights suddenly dimmed and the demon king in black robes kidnapped the princess, the knight, whom everyone thought was dead, descended from the sky!
His mithril armor, though tattered, shone with a holy light under the spotlight, as if blessed by a mythical angel.
The cracked helmet fell off, revealing his resolute and calm expression.
Just then, Yukiko Kudo pressed the pause button and excitedly pointed at the knight, showing him:
"Look! I never expected him to be the main character in this video!"
Do you remember Yusaku? Six years ago, a rehearsal video of a university drama club was uploaded online, and it unexpectedly went viral due to the lead actor's superb acting skills!
After his wife reminded him, Yusaku Kudo also remembered: "I remember that video went viral for a while, and then it was deleted by the person who uploaded it for some unknown reason? You were really looking forward to this junior entering the entertainment industry."
"Well, so I found a replacement video online. That's how I found out about this..."
By sliding her mouse, Yukiko Kudo brought up the comments section.
The author wrote the following at the top level:
[Re-posting this video in memory of my seniors.]
They were all students at the private Lilium University in Italy, and most of the performers tragically died in the 1988 campus terrorist attack.
We pray for their souls, that they may ascend to heaven and find supreme peace and comfort.
Now, Yusaku Kudo finally understands what his wife meant by "getting to know more about it."
The attack on the campus of Sant'Lieutenant University in Italy left four survivors, eight seriously injured, and a staggering 69 students and faculty members dead.
Due to its egregious nature, long-lasting impact, and wide-ranging influence, this incident became a source of material for many filmmakers and writers at the time.
Even though Yusaku Kudo didn't deliberately investigate the details of the tragedy within the same social circle, he still learned the inside story from well-informed friends:
Because of this incident, the Mafia's reputation among the Italian public plummeted, and various gangs and illegal organizations faced spontaneous public boycotts.
Meanwhile, the once-powerful gang leader, through a power-sharing deal with the government, announced its dissolution and then laundered its criminal activities.
To prevent media influence on the victims, the group of survivors were placed under strict government protection and have been out of contact ever since.
"So that's one of the reasons why I couldn't find out about his background," Yusaku Kudo mused, stroking his chin.
This man, Kuromon Haruya, has an unknown background, and his surname contains the character "Kuro".
Although not explicitly stated, Yusaku Kudo has always considered him a potential surveillance agent for the organization. Therefore, when Dr. Agasa mentioned taking Haruya Kuromon along on an operation, he immediately denied it.
With a reasonable explanation, the level of suspicion level between Kuromon Haruya and Kudo Yusaku decreased.