Chapter 144: The Threatening Letter
Dr. Agasa stroked his chin, his brow furrowed in thought. "Theoretically, that's correct," he said after a moment, his tone uncertain. "But the sheer computing power required for such an operation would be astronomical. I suspect you would need the combined processing power of two 'Noah's Arks' to even approach that stage."
"So, Doctor, did 'Noah's Ark' really self-destruct at the press conference?" Conan pressed, his small hands clenched into fists.
After hearing Haibara's chilling hypothesis, a seed of doubt had been planted in his mind. He recalled the events of that day with unsettling clarity. Ningguang, a woman of unnerving ambition, had been willing to overlook the danger posed by Schindler just to acquire the Sindora Group. It seemed entirely out of character for her to simply let a tool as powerful as Noah's Ark destroy itself without taking any countermeasures.
"Yes," Dr. Agasa replied, his answer firm and definitive. "It did."
He explained further, "When the self-destruct sequence finished, I and the other relevant personnel personally inspected the server in the basement of the conference hall. The drives were completely wiped. There wasn't a single line of relevant code left. I am certain that Noah's Ark is gone."
Conan's shoulders slumped slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
Could it be that Miss Ningguang didn't intervene because she knew that preserving an artificial intelligence like Noah's Ark would invite even greater trouble? He thought back to the press conference, remembering the avaricious gleam in the eyes of certain economists and politicians as they discussed the AI. He especially recalled their expressions of deep disappointment after confirming that Noah's Ark had indeed been erased. Perhaps she had made a calculated decision to let it go.
Hearing Dr. Agasa's confident answer, the knot of anxiety in Conan's chest finally began to loosen.
"See? It seems things aren't as bad as you said, Haibara," Conan said, a hint of his usual teasing tone returning now that he was more relaxed. "Has your persecution complex been acting up again?"
"You idiot," Haibara shot back, her voice laced with dissatisfaction at his flippant attitude. "I was describing a worst-case scenario." She fixed him with a cold stare, emphasizing each word. "In any case, I feel that this Miss Ningguang is different from the Xiangling and Noelle you knew before. You had better be more wary of her and the people in her circle. For all we know, she has connections to the Black Organization, just like that Kaeya fellow."
If Natsume had been present to hear Haibara's warning, she would have been deeply impressed by the girl's sharp intuition. As it happened, Ningguang was indeed on a path that would soon lead her to an entanglement with the Black Organization.
"And that 'void terminal'," Haibara added, her gaze unwavering. "If you insist on using it, you had better not discuss anything related to the Organization on it."
With her final piece of advice delivered, she turned away from Conan, ignoring him completely. "Goodnight, Doctor," she said softly to Agasa, before walking back to her room to rest.
Conan watched her retreating back with half-lidded eyes, a small frown playing on his lips. Why did it feel like Haibara's temper had gotten shorter lately? It was just a little joke; he hadn't dismissed her concerns entirely.
On the contrary, he felt he was taking her words very seriously.
"Um... Shinichi," Dr. Agasa began, his voice hesitant as he adjusted his glasses. "I think Ai is right. You really should pay more attention... Of course, I'm not saying Miss Ningguang definitely has a connection with the Black Organization, but it never hurts to be more careful..."
"I know..." Conan replied, a sigh of helplessness escaping him. He couldn't understand why the Doctor also thought he wasn't taking this seriously. He absolutely was.
In fact, he was already planning to find an opportunity to visit Wanmin Restaurant and ask Noelle for more information about Ningguang.
Fortunately, Haibara was unaware of his plan. If she knew he intended to go snooping for information on the very person she had just warned him about, her anger would have likely reached a whole new level.
A few days later, at the Mouri Detective Agency.
"So, let me get this straight. You want to hire me to find the person who has been sending threatening letters to a reporter at your newspaper, is that correct?" Kogoro Mouri sat on the sofa, leaning forward with what he hoped was a serious and professional expression as he questioned the client seated across from him.
"Yes, that's right," the client confirmed with a nod.
"Then please, explain the specific situation." Kogoro picked up the teacup his daughter had just placed on the table, took a theatrical sip, and gestured for the man to continue.
After serving tea to both her father and the client, Mouri Ran stood attentively by Kogoro's side, ready to listen to the case details. Of course, the moment he sensed a new case, Conan had already scurried over to his uncle's side, his ears perked and ready to absorb every detail.
The client took a polite sip of his own tea before setting the cup down. He reached into his briefcase, retrieved a business card, and handed it to Kogoro. "Detective Mouri, my name is Takeuchi Koichi. I am the editor-in-chief of the Beika Daily," he began. "I've come to you because one of my reporters has received threatening letters for three consecutive days. The language in the letters is becoming more intense each time. The most recent one, which arrived yesterday, even had a razor blade hidden inside. If Charlotte hadn't been careful, she might have cut her hand badly."
He paused, then added, "Oh, right. Charlotte is the name of the reporter who has been receiving the threats."
"Mr. Takeuchi, did you bring the three threatening letters with you?" Kogoro asked. In his experience, anyone brazen enough to send consecutive threats was usually confident that no clues could be traced back to them from the letters themselves. But that didn't mean it was impossible. He was, after all, a Great Detective, and he might just discover a clue that others had overlooked.
"I did. Ah, here they are..." Takeuchi reached back into his briefcase and produced three identical white envelopes, which he handed to Kogoro.
Kogoro took them, turning them over in his hands. He briefly examined the front and back, noting that they were common, ordinary envelopes, the kind one could buy anywhere.
Mouri Ran and Conan leaned in curiously as Kogoro carefully slid the contents out. Inside each envelope was a single sheet of plain white paper, on which words cut from newspapers and magazines had been glued to form menacing sentences.
Laying the three sheets side-by-side on the coffee table, the escalating nature of the threats became chillingly clear.
The first read: Mind your own pen.
The second was more direct: Don't do anything extra anymore, or face the consequences.
The third and final letter was the most sinister: This is just a warning. If you don't stop, it won't be as simple as just getting hurt and bleeding.
Although Takeuchi hadn't specified the order in which the letters had been sent, the messages themselves told a clear and escalating story.
"Was she hurt by the razor blade?" Ran asked, her voice filled with concern as she looked at the third letter.
"Ah? No, she's fine," Takeuchi replied, visibly relieved as he recalled the incident. "When Charlotte received the letter, she immediately felt that there was something off about the envelope's weight and stiffness. She put on a pair of thick gloves to open it, so she wasn't injured."
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