Conan carefully went down the stairs. If he took the elevator and ran into the Black Organization head-on, it would be over.
The lights in the underground parking lot were dim, and the whole place was silent.
No one's here?
Conan stepped out and stood there, lowering his head in thought. Haibara would not have left him a useless clue, and the tracker had stayed in this spot the whole time. That meant the clue had to be the room number.
He looked around, his eyes focused. The only thing here that could match a room number was a parking space.
Suddenly, a tall man dressed in black came out of the elevator. He walked to one of the parking spaces, glanced at it, then immediately went back into the elevator and headed upstairs.
After a while, Conan appeared from behind a car. He walked over to the same parking space and looked at it.
30... 1?
Next to the two large numbers, there was a very small "1."
"Is it 301?"
The thought flashed through his mind, and Conan quickly ran to the elevator. The elevator happened to be stopped on the third floor.
"Could Haibara be trapped in room 301? It's very possible. That tall man wasn't wearing sunglasses, but judging by his clothes, he must have something to do with the Black Organization."
The elevator came down.
Room 301.
"Shinichi is coming up."
Professor Agasa's voice came from the walkie-talkie.
"Shinichi is here? Is it time for my entrance?"
Yukiko perked up and looked at Heiji with anticipation.
For this operation, Heiji was the one in command.
"Kudo must be in disguise, so just pretend you don't know him," Heiji said helplessly.
"Ah, won't that be too obvious?" Yukiko asked in surprise.
"We're only trying to scare him a little, so don't get too into character."
Yukiko looked confused.
"He means Kudo's analytical mind will make him overthink everything. That's the only way to make him take the bait," Ai explained from the side.
"Is that so?" Yukiko looked at Heiji.
Heiji nodded. "Unless you don't want to continue with this plan anymore."
Yukiko fell silent.
"I do feel a little sorry for teasing Shinichi like this, but I really want to see the look on his face. Just this once, he probably won't be angry."
Hearing the excitement Yukiko was trying to hold back, the room went completely silent.
Poor Kudo.
"He's here. Shinichi has arrived."
Professor Agasa's voice came from the walkie-talkie, his tone a little low.
Heiji nodded to Yukiko. She understood and walked toward the door. She put her phone to her ear, opened the door, and went out.
"I understand. No problem. We'll take her back tonight... That professor? Kill him? ...Yes, I got it."
Her voice grew farther and farther away until it could no longer be heard inside the room.
A smile appeared at the corner of Heiji's mouth.
"Ai, it's our turn."
Ai put down her book in boredom. She folded the corner of one page slightly, then closed the book and placed it beside the bed. She lightly clapped her hands and said, "The clue is ready."
Heiji put on his sunglasses. "Should I carry you now?"
Ai nodded gently. She let Heiji hold her in his arms, rested against him, and closed her eyes, pretending to be unconscious.
As members of the Black Organization, it would make no sense for them to let someone who had shrunk from an adult into a little girl stay awake in a place like this.
They had to play their roles properly. Otherwise, Conan would easily find a flaw.
Holding Ai, Heiji opened the room door and left.
The elevator came up, closed, and everything returned to silence.
Conan came out of a room, his face a little pale.
Fumiyo Edogawa had just come out. If it had not been for the utility room beside him, he would already have been discovered.
But that was not the important part. The important part was that Professor Agasa was not here.
Where did they take Professor Agasa?
Conan wanted to chase after them, but if he ran after them like this, he would definitely be discovered.
Calm down. Calm down. I need to calm down.
His panic slowly began to settle.
"Haibara should have found a way to leave a clue."
After returning to the underground parking lot, Heiji put Ai down.
"Oh my, I really can't wait to see Shinichi's surprised face."
Yukiko had already changed back to her normal appearance, and she sat in the passenger seat with excitement all over her face.
"Yukiko, aren't you afraid Shinichi will get angry?"
Professor Agasa had also been dragged into this at the last minute.
"It's fine. Shinichi wouldn't dare get angry with me," Yukiko said with a proud smile.
"That might not be true. Kudo is very afraid of the Black Organization, so be careful. He might actually get mad."
Ai crossed her arms, lowered her head, and spoke flatly.
Yukiko froze for a moment, then lowered her head in thought.
Heiji started the engine.
He did not feel guilty at all for teasing Conan. From a certain point of view, the two of them were still enemies, and from other angles, they would become enemies in the future as well.
The Night Baron was destined to remain in the shadows, and it was also destined to stand against the absolute justice Conan believed in.
Today's plan was simply meant to make things easier in the future.
Room 301.
"Little boy, what exactly did you leave behind in the room?"
A hotel employee opened the door, and Conan suddenly rushed inside. His eyes swept across the room.
However, the room was very neat.
Conan immediately focused on the book on the bed. In the entire room, that was the only thing someone seemed to have touched.
Flip, flip, flip...!
The pages kept turning, and soon, they reached the page Ai had folded.
It was a promotional page for Tropical Land. On it was a Ferris wheel, and behind the Ferris wheel was a large ocean. A group of dolphins could be seen in the water.
Conan frowned tightly. "This must be the clue Haibara left behind, but what exactly is she trying to say?"
He lightly touched the page and noticed that it was slightly wrinkled.
Suddenly, inspiration flashed through his mind.
"Creases?"
Conan quickly ran to turn on the light. Under the light, he held the glossy page beneath the beam.
The light reflected off it.
With the help of the light, two slightly raised creases could faintly be seen on the glossy page. One was in the middle of the Ferris wheel, and the other was on the dolphins in the ocean.
"I found it. This is the clue."
"Thank you, ma'am."
Joy appeared on Conan's face. He suddenly put down the book and ran out.
A Ferris wheel and dolphins. The only place where both of those exist at the same time is Tropical Land.
Thinking of Tropical Land, Conan's eyes turned cold.
Very well. It would end right where it started.
Tropical Land was not closed. Although facilities like the Ferris wheel could not be used, various ice sculptures had been set up inside for display. Under the colorful lights, they looked beautiful.
Conan's face turned pale from the cold as he ran around the amusement park.
Damn it. Why didn't Haibara make it clearer? The amusement park is so big. How am I supposed to find them?
He had been analyzing things intensely all day, and on top of that, he had not eaten anything. He could feel his strength fading, and his consciousness was starting to blur.
I can't do it anymore. I can't hold on. Damn it. I'm just a little... just a little away. Just a little away from finding a clue about the Black Organization. Just a little...
Conan's whole body collapsed into the snow.
"Shinichi, Shinichi, are you okay?"
"Shinichi, how are you?"
In his fading consciousness, he vaguely seemed to hear Yukiko's and Professor Agasa's voices.
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