Chapter 136: Extraterrestrial Peers?

"Hello, older sister. I'm an old friend of Conan's. This must be some kind of misunderstanding." Haibara Ai’s performance was a masterclass in acting.

Ran Mouri looked at Conan, who could only nod in agreement, confirming her statement.

Ran immediately began to rationalize the misunderstanding in her mind: perhaps Conan had mistaken that man in black for a villain, just as she herself had misjudged him earlier.

"I am so sorry, truly! It was impulsive of me, please forgive me. Do you need me to call an ambulance?" Ran hurriedly bowed in apology.

"It’s fine. The young lady has quite a kick, though she doesn't know how to pull her punches."

Frank walked over from the alleyway on his own. He had braced his abdomen with his hand just in time, so he hadn't sustained any real injury.

As he passed Fina, Frank whispered, "I agree with what you said—the waters in this world run very deep."

A young girl encountered on the street had managed to make him look this disheveled. Based on his own combat prowess, that final strike of hers was strong enough to qualify for the examination of a professional practitioner.

"I am really sorry," Ran apologized again. "How about I treat you all to a meal?"

"No need!" Conan reacted quickly, blinking frantically at Haibara Ai as he spoke. "They have other business to attend to; they aren't heading in our direction."

"Indeed," Fina replied with a faint smile.

And just like that, Ran, still puzzled, left with Conan and Heiji Hattori. However, Conan soon came running back.

Just as Conan was about to speak, Fina produced a map, guiding him to mark the location where Akemi Miyano had died.

Fortunately, Conan had a good memory; it would have been difficult for anyone else to find the spot so quickly, given how many people these days couldn't even navigate with GPS.

After Conan departed once more, Fina turned to Vernon. "Captain, what’s the situation?"

Haibara Ai was anxious, but she knew that her own affairs were not the highest priority for Fina and her team. Since she needed their help, she dared not dwell on extraneous thoughts.

"Very interesting," Vernon said, stroking his beard. "That young girl clearly received help from the world's consciousness during that final strike. Otherwise, given the vast disparity in skill, it would have been impossible for her to send Frank flying."

"The world's consciousness?" Fina questioned.

"Precisely. Yet, we have yet to observe a fully formed world consciousness; that is the contradiction," Vernon continued. "The most likely possibility now is that someone has found a way to fragment it. I wonder if this chaotic timeline is a tool, or merely a byproduct of that fragmentation."

"I am beginning to take an interest in that Black Organization."

A glint shone in Vernon's eyes. Perhaps the person behind the Black Organization shared their ultimate goal. The only difference was that they pursued a path of mutual benefit and order, while the other side walked the path of a predator.

"Fina, go to that location and see if you can still gather Akemi Miyano’s soul. Haibara Ai, you cannot leave yet; there are some things I still need to test," Vernon ordered.

Haibara Ai nodded and let go of Fina’s sleeve. She wanted to know the results immediately, but she knew better than to disobey orders. Fina did not linger; after receiving her instructions, she departed the world via the shuttle pod.

"Frank, find an opportunity to invite them out for a talk," Vernon continued. "As for you, Haibara Ai, try to recall everything you can about the organization—every detail, no matter how small."

While Vernon planned their next move, Conan and Heiji were discussing Frank and his companions.

Conan: "Heiji, do you think what that little girl said is true or false?"

Heiji Hattori: "False. If she were someone who had shrunk like you, she would have used the antidote herself. If she were just a regular kid, nothing adds up. But that drug… my intuition tells me it might be real."

Conan nodded, agreeing with that assessment. "I don't know if you noticed, but that man who was kicked by Ran had the outline of a holster at his waist, and his hand would subconsciously reach for it from time to time. Clearly, he trusts firearms more than his own combat skills."

Heiji agreed with this point; having grown up around the police station, he was more sensitive to weapons than Conan.

"However, Kudo, I think we should be more concerned about that foreign woman and the man who didn't say a word."

"A normal person would be shocked to see someone kicked dozens of meters away, yet they were entirely calm. They didn't show the slightest concern for their companion's injury. They are either cold-blooded or extremely confident."

Conan could only agree with that assessment. He lowered his head, comparing the four people he had just met with the members of the Black Organization he had encountered in the past.

Both sides were mysterious, but their methods were vastly different. If it had been the Black Organization, Ran might not have even had the chance to strike a second time.

Kazuha Toyama, seeing Heiji and Conan whispering together, felt a strange sense of resentment, as if her childhood friend were being stolen away.

"Hey, hey," Kazuha nudged Ran, who was still feeling guilty and impulsive. "Is Shinichi Kudo really the same age as you? If the age weren't wrong, I’d swear that little brat was Shinichi Kudo himself. Heiji is just too much..."

He’s never been that enthusiastic toward me.

Kazuha didn't finish the thought. She felt a bit aggrieved; it was already embarrassing enough to have trailed someone after mistaking a girl for Shinichi Kudo, and now Heiji was ignoring her entirely.

Ran looked at Conan. In her field of vision, the glasses on Conan's nose slowly faded, and his entire figure seemed to grow rapidly, soon taking on the appearance of Shinichi Kudo.

Even the way he was discussing things was cut from the same cloth as Shinichi. Come to think of it, Shinichi as a child really did look just like Conan.

*Mmph, mmph, mmph.* Ran shook her head violently, making indistinct sounds.

*Ran Mouri, what are you thinking! How could Conan be Shinichi?*

*...*

*Why couldn't Conan be Shinichi?*

Clues collided in Ran’s mind.

Conan had appeared shortly after Shinichi went missing. Furthermore, Conan was like a hunter who had caught the scent of prey whenever a case arose—he couldn't be stopped. And Conan’s logical thinking and interests were almost identical to Shinichi’s...

The more she thought, the more she felt something was wrong, and the way she looked at Conan grew increasingly suspicious.

"Conan."

"What is it, Ran-neechan?"

"When is your birthday?"

"May 4th."

*Right.* Now there was one more point in common. In Ran’s eyes, the figures of Conan and Shinichi merged completely.