Chapter 269
Because Usuha Izuki had changed from his usual chatter to being very silent and composed, Gin felt something was off the entire way, constantly suspecting something was up.
So he cautiously had Vodka contact Pisco again.
Vodka had guilt in his heart, so when Gin gave him work to do, he immediately busied himself, trying to dilute the email content that had somehow entered his mind and wouldn't leave...
Vodka even recalled that a few days ago when Usuha Izuki asked him about Sherry's whereabouts, upon hearing there was still no news, he said there should be news after a while, and then today his boss really...!
No, he couldn't think about it anymore!
Vodka began focusing on his phone, preparing to hear how Pisco's progress was going.
After a while, Vodka began feeling uneasy: "Boss, Pisco isn't answering his phone, and he's not replying to emails either."
Gin frowned, sensing the situation wasn't simple, and quickly glanced at Usuha Izuki through the rearview mirror: "Botanist?"
"Why are you calling me? What does it have to do with me? I already promised I wouldn't interfere." Usuha Izuki rolled his eyes. "What, is the mission about to fail? Planning to pin the blame on me?"
Gin cautiously observed Usuha Izuki but couldn't tell much.
Vodka said timely: "But Pisco's computer has a transmitter. We can follow it to find him."
Gin took advantage of a red light to stare coldly at Usuha Izuki.
They hadn't even reached the location yet and there was already trouble. If he brought Usuha Izuki along, who knew what would happen—even if Usuha Izuki had the Boss's backing, his suspicion was quite reasonable.
Usuha Izuki pouted, getting Gin's meaning: "Fine, it's not far anyway. You can drop me off here. I'll walk over myself in a bit. By the time I get there, you should have things sorted out, right?"
Gin didn't respond, just waited for the green light, then drove to the roadside and let Usuha Izuki get out.
Before getting out, Usuha Izuki gave a cold laugh.
Vodka's heart immediately jumped.
Gin also frowned deeply.
Today's Usuha Izuki was really being too cooperative, making him somewhat doubt whether leaving Usuha Izuki behind was the right choice...
No, if Usuha Izuki wasn't by his side, he could handle whatever happened normally, but having Usuha Izuki nearby would distract him!
After leaving Vodka and Gin with deep shadows and suspicion, Usuha Izuki nonchalantly walked along the roadside toward the hotel.
It was just one intersection away—a nice walk would do, and besides... he really should contact Chianti.
So after Gin's car drove away, Usuha Izuki called Chianti: "I saw your earlier email. I couldn't talk to you while I was in Gin's car... You just need to be there. I'll arrive soon."
Usuha Izuki had booked a room at the Haido City Hotel and had Chianti go there first—from that room, looking down, you could see the old building's rooftop, making it a good viewing angle.
Chianti had no objections to Usuha Izuki's arrangements. She looked down at the street with binoculars: "I can see Gin's car. Should I go meet up with him now?"
"Wait for me. I told you I got out of Gin's car." Usuha Izuki said. "Anyway, Pisco has already lost contact. He'll need time to find people too. It'll be fine to go monitor him after I arrive... Speaking of which, why did he lose contact? Did you hear anything at the hotel?"
Chianti immediately said: "I heard the cleaning staff say the police are investigating a case, and media people are also present. It seems there are already suspects... Could Pisco have really failed his mission?"
"Who knows? I don't know Pisco. That person was Gin's choice." Usuha Izuki was indifferent. "More importantly, I just heard something from Vodka. Gin apparently recognized that Sherry had been in his car from just a single hair!"
Chianti immediately showed a disgusted expression: "Ew, is Gin really that perverted?"
"At first I thought he couldn't catch Sherry and was staging this whole thing, but thinking about it carefully, it's possible he's just perverted. Normal people couldn't make up such a reason." Women's friend Usuha Izuki sighed. "Be careful around Gin from now on."
Chianti said decisively: "Don't worry! If Gin dares to be that perverted toward me, I'll definitely kill him!"
"I'm hanging up. Talking to you on the phone, I've been eating wind and snow, and my stomach will hurt in a bit." Usuha Izuki instructed. "Just wait for me in the room! Don't wander around!"
"I know, I know." Though Chianti had a bad temper, she was very obedient when she listened.
After some more time, Chianti finally heard knocking at the door.
She impatiently rushed to look through the peephole, then let Usuha Izuki in: "You're finally here! Shall we go? Where's Gin?"
"Wait, let me rest a bit." Usuha Izuki covered his ears. "The cold wind gave me a headache."
He walked to the chair by the window, planning to sit down and make a phone call.
However, just as his hand reached his pocket, he suddenly called to the impatient Chianti: "Chianti, come look. Are those Gin and Vodka?"
Chianti was startled and quickly came to the window, looking down in the direction Usuha Izuki pointed. She really did see two men in black standing on the rooftop of the lower building below, particularly conspicuous in the white snow and quite familiar.
"It really seems to be Vodka and Gin..." Chianti was shocked. "What are they doing there? Aren't the target and Pisco supposed to be in the banquet hall?"
Usuha Izuki immediately poked Chianti: "Quick, get out the video camera."
Chianti no longer complained about Usuha Izuki being weak and slowing down progress. She immediately moved the video camera to the window, aimed it at Gin and Vodka's direction, zoomed in on the image, and started recording.
After a while, a person climbed out of a chimney opening.
This person was the mysteriously missing organization researcher from not long ago—Sherry.
"I've climbed out." Through the communication function of the glasses modified by Dr. Agasa, Haibara Ai asked her companion on the other end: "What now? Kudo?"
Haibara Ai and Edogawa Conan didn't know that Gin had already identified her from a single hair. They had just obtained intelligence from surveillance about organization activity at a banquet in this hotel and rushed over.
As a result, Haibara Ai was accidentally discovered by an organization member who had seen her as a child, was kidnapped to a wine cellar, and had to drink old liquor as a temporary antidote to become an adult again before escaping through the chimney using all four limbs.
The most dangerous part was just now—Gin and Vodka had found the wine cellar based on the transmitter on Pisco's computer. If she hadn't changed into cleaning staff clothes and hidden in the middle of the fireplace chimney, she would have been discovered by Gin and Vodka long ago.
Dr. Agasa continued talking to her: "Kudo just left. Just wait there, he'll come get you soon..."
Before he finished speaking, Haibara Ai felt a sudden sharp pain in her shoulder, and Dr. Agasa also heard gunfire, immediately becoming very nervous.
"Ai?"
But Haibara Ai no longer had the energy to deal with Dr. Agasa. She covered her wound and turned around, looking in horror at Gin and Vodka pointing guns at her.
"Ah~ Sherry~"
Gin's call made all the blood in Haibara Ai's body instantly run cold.
"...How did you know I would come up from the chimney?"
Gin, who hadn't smiled in a long time, finally showed a smile that could stop children from crying: "Because of hair. I saw your hair by the fireplace and heard your heavy breathing... I could have killed you in the wine cellar just now, but I thought it would be better to let you die more spectacularly."
Immersed in the excitement of catching his prey, Gin didn't notice Vodka's hesitant expression behind him.
Boss... why is it hair again... isn't that a bit too perverted...
And why say so much...
"Now, tell me how you escaped from the research facility."
Like a cat toying with its prey, Gin cruelly fired shot after shot at Haibara Ai, but Haibara Ai was tight-lipped and wouldn't talk.
After all, if she talked, it would expose that her drug caused people to shrink, and then Kudo Shinichi would be in trouble too. She could die herself, but she absolutely couldn't implicate Kudo Shinichi.
Watching Gin's marksmanship that was just barely better than human outlining, Vodka's expression kept changing behind him.
Hmm... it seems the boss is just not delivering the killing blow because he's interrogating Sherry. Indeed, this question needs to be answered. If he can't get an answer, the boss definitely won't be soft-hearted!
It's impossible for there to be the kind of behavior that Usuha Izuki kid mentioned about deliberately letting people escape... the boss isn't that kind of person!
But this can't go on forever. They still need to confirm what's happening with Pisco.
So Vodka found an opportunity, looked at the traitor who had been shot multiple times, and reminded Gin: "Boss, it looks like she doesn't want to confess."
—Hurry up and kill her! Slap Usuha Izuki in the face! The night is long and dreams are many!
Though Gin didn't quite understand why Vodka was so urgent, thinking it might be because they encountered Usuha Izuki today, and thinking about this made him uneasy too, he gave up his original plan to torture Sherry a bit more and coldly raised his gun with a sneer: "In that case, go meet your sister..."
Vodka looked expectantly at Gin's gun.
Boss! There's no Chianti this time! Feel free to shoot! As long as you fire, I can argue with Usuha Izuki and righteously say you couldn't possibly miss!
Just then, Gin suddenly froze, his hand holding the gun jerking back to cover his arm.
...A needle? Something had hit his arm and it was already going numb... anesthetic?
The drug was too strong. Gin swayed, dropped to one knee, but forced himself not to fall completely.
Vodka was shocked: "Boss?!"
Boss, what's wrong with you, boss! Why are you dropping the ball at such a crucial moment!
Just then, a strange voice came from behind the rooftop door: "Quick, into the chimney!"
This was clearly not said to them. Vodka had originally wanted to give Sherry a finishing shot, but discovering there were others so close, he quickly turned his gun toward the voice and fired: "Who's there?!"
Haibara Ai knew this was Edogawa Conan using the voice changer, so she immediately followed Edogawa Conan's command and fell backwards into the chimney.
In just those few seconds, Haibara Ai had already gotten half her body into the chimney. When Vodka turned back to fire the finishing shot, he didn't know if he hit any vital spots and could only watch helplessly as she fell completely down.
"Damn it!" Vodka couldn't worry about Sherry anymore and looked helplessly at Gin: "Boss, what just happened to you? Are you alright?"
Iron-blooded tough guy Gin had been hit with a powerful anesthetic dart but forced himself to stay conscious until now, even using his last bit of rationality to fire a shot at where he'd been hit.
The intense pain finally overcame the anesthetic effect, clearing Gin's mind somewhat and allowing him to stand up.
Gin frowned and explained: "Nothing much. I felt like I was hit by something just now."
Vodka: "................"
Boss, have you considered what Usuha Izuki's reaction will be when he finds out about this?!
Based on my understanding of Usuha Izuki, he'll definitely say you're destroying evidence! You have no proof that you were hit by anything! You're just avoiding killing Sherry!
...Boss, you really weren't staging this yourself, were you?