Chapter 2157 - 2155: There’s a Move Like This?
The fact is, it wasn’t until the next evening that Conan and Ran reappeared in front of Fang Zheng.
"Yo, you’re still alive, not beaten to death, huh?"
Seeing Conan standing there with a pale complexion, barely able to stand, Fang Zheng chuckled and greeted him. Hearing Fang Zheng’s greeting, Conan also rolled his eyes helplessly, but he didn’t have the energy to argue with Fang Zheng now, because—Ran had tormented him all night yesterday!
After Fang Zheng left, Ran immediately started to scold Conan. Of course, she wouldn’t really beat him to death, but for Conan, it was truly an exhausting night. First came Ran’s complaints, then naturally turning to old grievances, such as sleeping together, taking a bath together, and how Conan tricked her into confessing her love for Shinichi in front of him......
Then Ran used her fists to give Conan a fierce electric drill on his head, making Conan cry out in pain. However, just when Conan wanted to get angry, Ran suddenly hugged him again and started murmuring, asking if he knew how worried she was and that every time he called, she wondered what was happening, saying a lot of stuff, making Conan unable to vent his anger.
As Ran talked, she became angry again, started nagging how she suspected Conan was Shinichi multiple times, yet he dared to deceive her, saying he wasn’t, and then proceeded to do this and that...... That was the first time Conan realized how terrifying a woman’s memory could be. He had forgotten many trivial matters, yet Ran remembered them clearer than he did!
Poor Edogawa Conan—or should we say Shinichi Kudou—being a famous detective, couldn’t respond with even half a sentence to Ran’s accusations, mainly because he truly couldn’t remember those trivial matters, nor did he know whether Ran was right or wrong.
Is this what women are like? Terrifying, terrifying.
After Ran nagged Conan for a whole night, she finally fell asleep deeply, and Conan quickly found time to catch up on his sleep before being pulled over by Ran to find Fang Zheng......
Even though both had many questions they wanted to ask Fang Zheng, their first question was......
"Mr. Fang Zheng, why are Miss Shimokasa and the others here?"
Once seated on the sofa, the first question Ran asked was this. To be honest, they were quite shocked when they encountered the two maids at Fang Zheng’s doorstep.
"It’s simple."
Hearing Ran’s question, Fang Zheng glanced at Conan silently.
"Because some famous detective who has people dying wherever he goes caused them to lose their jobs twice, I felt sorry for them and invited them to come here to find employment again."
"Ah hahaha..."
Upon hearing this, Ran broke into a cold sweat, laughed awkwardly twice, and said nothing further—she knew Fang Zheng was telling the truth. As for Conan, he also breathed a sigh of relief. He originally thought the two maids were sent by Fang Zheng to monitor him, but thinking now made him realize he had overthought it.
Alright, the issue isn’t there.
At this moment, Conan became serious and looked at Fang Zheng.
"So... Mr. Fang Zheng, who exactly are you?"
Facing Conan’s question, Fang Zheng didn’t answer immediately; instead, he looked at Ran.
"How much does Ran know about this matter now?"
"Ahh, hmm... I’ve already heard from Conan—no, Shinichi. That day, at the amusement park, Shinichi went to track two suspicious men, ended up getting knocked out and poisoned by them, which is why he turned into a child..."
Saying this, Ran clenched her fist again, glaring angrily at Shinichi.
"So didn’t I tell you to wait? You deduction maniac! You’re always attracted to suspicious things and end up realizing too late. If I’d gone with you at that time, wouldn’t it have been fine? You’re always like this, back then too... usually you are always like that......"
Here we go again......
Hearing Ran start to air old grievances again, Conan stared at the sky in silence, desperately signaling Fang Zheng to help mediate, while Fang Zheng was just silently drinking tea and watching the show — not my problem if you two are quarreling.
However, Ran is still quite sensible; she only complained a bit before stopping. Of course, whether she would continue to complain to Conan after returning is not Fang Zheng’s concern now. At this point, Ran also realized something, looking at Fang Zheng in confusion.
"Speaking of which, how did you find out Conan was Shinichi, Mr. Fang Zheng?"
"Ha ha ha."
Facing Ran’s question, Fang Zheng chuckled.
"You’ve doubted him more than once, right? You think he could escape my notice? Every time you call Shinichi’s name, this child’s expression becomes extraordinary. And didn’t that Osaka detective boy call him that often too? Just looking at their reactions makes it clear, although Heiji Hattori always says he misspoke, the look on his face tells me he definitely knows Conan is Shinichi Kudou."
You bastard, Hattori......!
Hearing this, Conan also gnashed his teeth. He just knew that the cheeky guy would surely slip up; with Fang Zheng’s sharp mind, how could he not see through that feeble excuse?
"As for Conan’s question.... well, let’s say you treat it as an anime, where that black organization is some evil force attempting to destroy the world, and we’re like a mysterious agency in the show specifically tackling them, about like that."
"Eh, does that organization want to destroy the world?"
On hearing this, Ran was greatly surprised, while Fang Zheng waved his hand.
"Just a metaphor, the world-destroying setup exists only in anime, anyone doing that in reality is basically brain-dead. Anyway, we are continuously tracking and attempting to eliminate this black organization, now you understand?"
"Then, do you have a way to restore Shinichi’s body?"
This question concerned not only Ran but also Conan as he looked towards Fang Zheng, who shrugged.
"As of now? No way, we don’t have such a drug or its documentation. If we could obtain its ingredients for analysis, then perhaps we might achieve something, but without anything, we can’t just conjure it out of thin air."
"How is that..."
Hearing this answer, Ran seemed a bit disappointed, while Conan’s eyes lit up.
"Does that mean if you get that drug, you could make a cure to restore my body?"
"Given our technical level, it’s certainly possible."
To this, Fang Zheng remained quite calm, as it was indeed the case.
"However, my suggestion is not to consider reverting to your former self currently."
"Why not!"
"Because it’s not good for you."
Fang Zheng shrugged.
"You know, with the black organization thinking you’re already dead. They know within the organization that the high school detective Shinichi Kudou was killed by Gin. Then you restore your true identity, make a few big cases, the media reports again ’high school detective Shinichi Kudou cracking big cases’, as soon as the black organization sees it...... ha ha ha, you know what would happen to you."
"........."
Upon hearing this, Conan’s face turned pale, and Ran became uneasy.
"But... does this mean Shinichi has no way to return to his original self ever?"
"Not possible now doesn’t mean impossible later. I actually prefer Shinichi Kudou maintaining his current form because this way the black organization won’t be vigilant about you......"
"And I can take advantage of this opportunity to investigate them, right!"
At this moment, Shinichi Kudou also reacted, and Fang Zheng nodded.
"Partly, you are a chess piece in the dark, but I advise you not to investigate on your own. Simply put, I trust your judgment and observation skills as a detective, but your fighting skill is seriously low. Besides, given your current physique and abilities, dealing with that group of people is simply wishful thinking, which is why I told Ran your true identity—to have her keep an eye on you, so you don’t end up getting yourself killed."
"Please rest assured, Mr. Fang Zheng, I’ll definitely watch over him!"
Upon hearing this, Ran also clenched her fists and glared at Conan, who was sweating coldly.
"But, but Mr. Fang Zheng, I have to go to school..."
"You don’t need to worry about that."
Facing Conan’s "excuse," Fang Zheng chuckled, then clapped his hands, and the door opened. Haibara Ai walked in.
Seeing Haibara appear, Conan and Ran were shocked.
"Wait, Haibara?"
"That’s right, she’s one of our organization’s members and my assistant. She was the one who has been observing you, and her missions won’t change. Moreover, she is very knowledgeable about the Black Organization’s intelligence and should be able to assist you, additionally..."
Saying this, Fang Zheng’s lips curled as he looked at Conan.
"She can also inform us in advance when you’re stirring trouble."
"Great!"
Conan remained silent, while Ran jumped up and grabbed Little Ai’s hand.
"Then I entrust you, Little Ai. Please make sure to keep an eye on Conan and prevent him from running off to do those dangerous things!"
"Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close watch on him."
Facing Ran’s request, Little Ai also smiled slightly, then glanced at Conan’s pale face.
This is the Imperial Sword, if you don’t behave, you can wait for me to report to Ran and then go home and wait for death.
Previously, Haibara had advised Conan several times not to risk his life, but Conan didn’t listen. From now on, let’s see if you listen.
"And one more thing."
Fang Zheng waved his hand, indicating the matter wasn’t over.
𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Considering your future cases, I have a proposal."
"What proposal?"
Upon hearing this, Conan immediately perked up. Although he indeed solved many cases, his identity as an elementary school student limited him greatly, and not solving cases was impossible for Conan...
"It’s very simple, you cooperate with Ran."
Fang Zheng pointed at Conan, then at Ran. Hearing this proposal, the two were stunned for a moment.
"Cooperate?"
"That’s right, Ran Mouri is the daughter of the sleeping detective Kogoro Mouri and the childhood friend of the famous high school detective Shinichi Kudou, so it’s not surprising she has reasoning abilities, right?"
"...Me? I can’t... I don’t have Shinichi’s abilities..."
Hearing this, Ran hurriedly waved her hand, and Conan’s face turned ugly immediately.
"Wait, you mean..."
"Exactly, don’t you just use Kogoro Mouri as a cover for yourself? Compared to the clueless Kogoro Mouri, Ran is clearly a better choice. You can use the bowtie voice changer to cooperate with Ran for deductions to catch the culprit, and it would also help Ran’s reputation skyrocket, wouldn’t it?"
"No, absolutely not!"
Upon hearing this, Conan frantically shook his head.
"That would put Ran in danger!"
"I’m truly surprised."
And facing Conan’s response, Fang Zheng chuckled, leaning back in his chair.
"Do you think the danger you’ve brought to Ran is less now? Come on, recall properly, let me see if your brain is mush."
".............."
Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s words, Conan froze for a moment, then his face turned red, then dark, and then pale...
"So you see, whether or not you tell Ran the truth, there is already considerable danger involving Ran because of you. Instead of having her face danger blindly, it’s better to prepare her mentally and accrue experience. That way, when something happens, she has measures to respond rather than just reacting passively, right?"
"What do you mean because of me..."
Upon hearing this, Conan widened his eyes and said, "How can you accuse someone baselessly..." "What innocence, I personally saw Ran almost get shot dead by a Scout, and you talk to me about innocence?" Conan’s face turned red, the veins on his forehead bulging, arguing. "That’s not my fault... can detective matters be called fault?" Then followed some incomprehensible words, like "There’s only one truth," or "Swear in the name of my grandfather," which made Fang Zheng laugh.
At this point, Little Ai could laugh along, but Fang Zheng would not blame.
"Can’t we continue using Uncle Maori as a cover?"
Conan was still unconvinced, and Fang Zheng shook his head.
"It’s not impossible, but given your identity, it would be dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
"Precisely, Kogoro Mouri is a former policeman, although he is now a detective, he is still connected to the Metropolitan Police Department, and that can easily draw attention from those with motives. Look, if you discover some secret of the Black Organization using Kogoro Mouri’s identity, the opponent might worry Kogoro Mouri will report the intelligence to the Metropolitan Police Department and consequently target him."
Saying this, Fang Zheng pointed at Ran.
"But Ran is different. She is a young, beautiful girl, and men generally underestimate a young, beautiful girl’s capabilities in other areas, inadvertently exposing lapses or clues. Moreover, it’s widely known Ran Mouri is Shinichi Kudou’s childhood friend, so her appearance in situations where Shinichi Kudou is specifically named won’t seem strange, but there hasn’t been any connection between Kogoro Mouri and Shinichi Kudou previously, so his appearance would arouse suspicion."
"What you say makes sense, but..."
"You can go back and discuss it."
Fang Zheng didn’t expect to persuade Shinichi Kudou, as long as Ran Mouri could be convinced. In fact, by now, Ran seemed already persuaded.
After all, she hasn’t been able to help Shinichi much before, which would definitely make Ran quite anxious, but now, even if she’s being pushed to the forefront, she can fight together with Shinichi rather than just staying behind, worrying sick. Fang Zheng knew Ran is a brave and strong girl, and she surely wouldn’t miss the opportunity to fight together with Shinichi.
Just that, in this case, shouldn’t this story’s name change to "Detective Ran?"