Conan: Ran, I really am Shinichi, you have to believe me!

Page 49

Having learned his lesson last time, Conan finally remained silent this time, only sneering inwardly:

Haha, you encouraged me to rob a bank, you encouraged me to kidnap and extort money, you encouraged me to recognize a wealthy tycoon as my father, is this the kind of good person you're talking about?

That makes sense. How good could someone be who partners with a serial killer like my ex?

I, Conan... I, Shinichi Kudo, will send you to prison sooner or later!

Jiang Chengbei, unaware of Conan's inner turmoil, continued:

"After accepting this mission, I didn't think much about it at first. But when I went to Shinichi Kudo's house to find him and saw you there, I was really shocked. I couldn't understand why you were there."

Conan's beady eyes: You came to my house dressed in all black, even I, Shinichi Kudo, was startled.

Jiang Chengbei: "I was going to say hello to you, but you pretended not to know me, which confused me."

Conan, with deadpan eyes: What am I pretending for? I genuinely don't know you. Besides, you're just confused by me, but I was almost scared to death by you! People can die from being scared!

Jiang Chengbei said, "At that time, you gave me a very strange feeling, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why. I also couldn't understand why you pretended not to know me."

It wasn't until Ran told me that you were impersonating Shinichi Kudo, deceiving his neighbors and his childhood friend, that I realized you were capable of such a thing; it was definitely you.

Hearing this, Conan sneered: That's right, that murderous devil Conan from before is indeed capable of doing such a thing.

Jiang Chengbei continued, "When I heard Xiaolan say that you were Shinichi Kudo who shrunk after taking the medicine, I was so scared that I almost drove into the wrong lane."

Conan continued to think to himself: Didn't you also start driving one later?

Although Conan remained silent, Jiang Chengbei continued:

"I never imagined that you would dare to reveal such a secret that could trigger a world war just to deceive Xiaolan!"

But then I thought about it, and besides telling the truth, which was nine parts truth and one part falsehood, there really was only one way for you to deceive Xiaolan's feelings. Otherwise, you couldn't explain why you turned into a child.

Although I know you're impersonating Shinichi Kudo, your behavior suggests you're not the Conan I know.

Also, apart from the fact that you look exactly like my old partner, your temperament, your behavior, and everything about you are completely different from my old partner.

Because I know that you originally looked exactly like Shinichi Kudo, seeing so many inconsistencies and hearing Ran say that you claimed to be Shinichi Kudo who shrunk after taking a drug.

So I got confused at the time and started testing you. The more I tested you, the more I felt that you weren't my old partner, but really Shinichi Kudo who shrunk after taking the drug.

"My old partner can take the A drug I stole, so who knows, as a high school detective, he might be able to steal drugs too."

Conan: Huh? Our full-size forms look the same too? That makes sense, only if our full-size forms look the same can we look the same when we shrink!

Damn it, he looks exactly like a serial killer. What sins did I, Shinichi Kudo, commit?

Listening to Jiang Chengbei recount their emotional journey during their first meeting, Conan felt a cold sweat run down his back. He still felt terrified just listening to it. At the same time, he made up his mind that he must keep the matter of taking the drug and shrinking into a secret, and he would not tell even if his biological father came!

The anti-aging drug is a matter of great importance, with so many terrorist organizations vying for power behind it. We absolutely cannot implicate our relatives and friends, and we cannot let them get involved. They are both murderers and terrorist organizations; it's too terrifying!

Chapter 81 Conan: What?! That pervert and I are actually half-brothers?

“Conan, I suspected back then that you were actually Shinichi Kudo who shrunk after taking the A drug, but ever since you infiltrated the Metropolitan Police Department and started committing murders every day, and you went on a killing spree inside, I realized that you are not Shinichi Kudo, but my good partner, using the alias Conan Edogawa.”

Hearing Jiang Chengbei say so much, Conan was getting anxious:

Brother, stop talking about Edogawa Conan and Niu Erhong. Tell me my... my ex-boyfriend's real name!

If you don't reveal his real name, how am I supposed to find him? How am I supposed to find him, catch him, and bring him to justice?

If I weren't forbidden from asking, as it would expose my identity, I, Conan, would have already asked you what the guy I'm impersonating is called, which countries he's wanted in, and how much his bounty is.

"Conan, if you weren't still so bloodthirsty, based on your current demeanor and behavior, I would definitely think you were Shinichi Kudo in his shrunken form. You've changed so much in just a few days, I never expected your acting skills to be so good now."

Conan (dead fish eyes): Heh, are you insulting me?

They say I play every role like Shinichi Kudo, and that I can impersonate Shinichi Kudo no matter what I'm doing, but I'm just that lucky. Even though my acting is so terrible, you still got fooled.

"By the way, Conan, why did you go to Ran's place and impersonate Shinichi Kudo? I've never understood that."

Upon hearing Jiang Chengbei's question, Conan felt that the real test of impersonating the former Conan had arrived. He used all his strength to start making up a suitable reason in his mind, trying to deceive Jiang Chengbei.

Unexpectedly, just as Conan had finally come up with a reason and was about to speak, Jiang Chengbei across from him slapped his forehead and said:

"Look at my brain, I almost forgot, do you Conan need a reason to impersonate Shinichi Kudo?"

"No need. Your purpose in coming to Japan this time is to mess with Shinichi Kudo and kill him."

After hearing Jiang Chengbei's explanation, Conan was filled with questions: Why? What did Shinichi Kudo have that made the murderer Conan come all the way back to the country to mess with him?

Because he's currently in a fake Conan situation, he can't directly ask "why," so Conan is feeling really frustrated.

Seeing Conan's eager yet hesitant expression, Jiang Chengbei whetted his appetite before starting to weave stories and establish his character:

"Conan, you and Shinichi Kudo share the same blood. Why are you fighting each other when you are from the same root?"

Conan: Of course I am Shinichi Kudo, and of course my main body and I share the same blood... Wait, are you talking about the criminal world's Moriarty, the murderous Conan, who also shares the same blood as me?

Could it be that he and I are really brothers?!

Jiang Chengbei: "Conan, you've always been jealous of Shinichi Kudo's wonderful life since birth—a loving father, a doting mother, a happy family, and a blissful life."

You, who share the same bloodline and the same father as him, lost both your parents at birth and struggled to survive in an assassin training camp from a young age.

You survived countless near-death experiences, raised like a venomous insect, and before you even grew up, your hands were stained with the blood of your fellow trainees. It was a cutthroat world where it was either them or you who died, which shaped your twisted personality.

"Conan, this is just a nightmare from the first half of your life. Now you've shrunk back to your childhood and have a chance to start over. Let go of the nightmares of the past, start afresh, be a kind person, and stop killing innocent people indiscriminately."

Hearing Jiang Chengbei's words, Conan was stunned. He didn't expect that his predecessor Conan was really his brother, and that he had such a miserable childhood. At this moment, his heart was even more determined: he must catch him as soon as possible and let him spend the rest of his life happily in prison!

"Conan, Shinichi Kudo is still your brother. Even if you're jealous of him or hate him, you still share the same blood with him. But you can't kill him!"

"What? You're saying I killed Shinichi Kudo?"

Just as Conan was feeling sympathy for his psychopathic brother's fate, he was utterly shocked when Jiang Chengbei said he had killed him.

I, Shinichi Kudo, have simply shrunk. Who said I was killed?!

Conan, having confirmed he hadn't been killed, immediately spoke up to clear his current identity of suspicion, saying:

"Jiang Cheng, don't talk nonsense! Zhen Ke... I didn't kill Shinichi Kudo, don't spread rumors!"

"Conan, you didn't kill Shinichi Kudo, so why hasn't he shown up all this time? Even though I've been camping out at Ran's house every day, he still hasn't appeared!"

Also, if you didn't kill Shinichi Kudo, then why did you dare to impersonate Shinichi Kudo at Ran's place?

I think you're just jealous that Shinichi Kudo, who shares your bloodline, has a happy life, a wonderful family, many relatives and friends, and the love of his childhood sweetheart. That's why you hate him, wish you could take his place, and then you kill him, impersonate him, and replace him!

"I……"

After Jiang Chengbei said that, Conan almost thought his reasoning was reasonable and almost believed him if he didn't know that he was still alive.

Meanwhile, after hearing Jiang Chengbei's guess, Conan suddenly had a flash of inspiration:

Could it be that the ambush by Gin that night, the poisoning that nearly killed him, was actually orchestrated by his twisted brother hiding behind the scenes?

So that he could be killed and replaced?

Thinking about it this way, Conan felt it made more and more sense.

However, no matter how much Conan planned, things still went wrong. He didn't expect Gin to take the wrong poison and give him a pill of A. In the end, he didn't die and luckily escaped death.

Although he didn't die, he turned into a child. Logically speaking, the perverted Conan could impersonate him...

Well, I forgot he's turned into a child too, so he can't fake it. I've even tried to impersonate the real Shinichi Kudo, and no one around me believes me. So Jiang Chengbei's logic doesn't hold water here.

No, that's not right. Since Jiang Chengbei could steal the A drug from the winery, he might also have the antidote. If he had the antidote, he could impersonate the person. That would make sense if he said that the perverted Conan killed him and took his place.

In order to find out if there is an antidote for Drug A, Conan decides to take the risk. Anyway, with the Metropolitan Police Department having people dying every day due to bad luck, Conan couldn't be more genuine.

With this plan in mind, Conan's heart raced, but he held his breath and tentatively asked what he wanted to know:

"Jiang Cheng, you're really amazing. You were able to guess that, but you overlooked the most important point: where's the antidote?"

If there is no antidote, how can I turn back into an adult and impersonate Shinichi Kudo?

As you saw before, no matter what I said, no one around me believed I was Shinichi Kudo who shrunk after taking the drug.

When Conan asked about the antidote, Jiang Chengbei laughed and said, "Don't worry about the antidote. Leave it to me. I'll steal it soon."

A few days ago, he flew to Conan's room every night to pull off the covers, but he still couldn't make Conan catch a cold. He truly deserves to be called a super kid who runs around in the snow wearing shorts.

But now that he's finally asking on his own initiative, it's not in vain that Jiang Chengbei made up such a big story to fool him. The rest can be left to him; let him catch a cold on his own, and then I'll go deliver the liquor to him.

Chapter 82 Jiang Chengbei: Conan, do me a favor, help me chase after Ran.

"What? You're saying that if I catch a cold, I'll have a chance to turn back into an adult?" Since Conan didn't know how old the Conan he was impersonating was, he could only vaguely refer to him as an adult.

"That's right, I think I told you before, did I forget to say it?"

When I was stealing Drug A, I heard that Drug A is not yet perfect, its efficacy is unstable, and it is still fluctuating between immortality and death.

Its developer, Shirley, discovered during her experiments on mice that a very small number of mice had a very low probability of recovering to their original state after catching a cold and having a fever.

However, the probability of this happening is extremely small and not likely to occur.

However, based on this phenomenon, she still developed an amplifying agent: when used on mice with colds and fevers, it would guarantee that the mice would return to their original state.

"Really? That's great!" Upon hearing that there was an antidote, Conan immediately became excited, his eyes shining as he looked at Jiang Chengbei and exclaimed excitedly:

"Jiang Cheng, where is the antidote? Give it to me!"

Seeing Jiang Chengbei looking at him with disdain, Conan immediately understood and said, "I will pay."

"I'd like to sell it to you right now, but unfortunately I don't have any on hand." Jiang Chengbei shrugged, then continued:

"However, you can place an order. As long as you pay enough, I will immediately risk my life to sneak into the winery and steal it for you."

"No problem, as long as you have the medicine, I'll pay right away."

After saying that, Conan regretted it. He felt that waiting for Jiang Chengbei to steal it was too slow, and it would be faster for him to go and brute force it himself. So he said impatiently:

"Jiang Cheng, tell me the address of the winery, and I'll go steal it myself! Don't worry, even if you only give me the address, I'll still pay you after I steal it and get the antidote."

"Conan, why are you in such a hurry to change back?"

Could it be that you really killed your own brother, Shinichi Kudo, and you're in such a hurry to change back and impersonate Shinichi Kudo to live his life?

"No, how could I possibly kill Shinichi Kudo?"

Conan instinctively retorted, but after saying it, he felt that if he acted too kindly, wouldn't that go against the dark Conan persona?

So he added, "I just..."