The group entered the woods just like that.
Then they were drawn over by the commotion around Conan, Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko, and Vermouth.
Vodka had sensed that something was wrong as soon as he heard those noisy sounds. So on the way to the scene, he deliberately slowed down by a few beats, walking behind Jiang Xia and placing his feet strictly where Jiang Xia had stepped, lest he accidentally tread on a bear trap or some huge pit hidden in the grass.
But he hadn't expected that, even after being so careful, he would still be ambushed!
Cursing furiously in his heart, Vodka made a snap decision and rolled on the spot! Almost at the same time, he felt something whoosh past where he had just been standing and fly into the night sky.
"...What a shameless sneak attack!" Vodka's eye twitched wildly. "Fortunately, even though I can't see anything in this dim light, ever since we left the villa, my attention has been glued firmly to Uzo. Not to mention that besides Uzo, there's that devious little brat Uzo personally raised up ahead—hmph, did you think I'd let down my guard against such a terrifying combination?"
The moment he saw Uzo swing the person he was carrying to the side, the alarm bell in his heart had started ringing. Coupled with the anesthetic needle he had narrowly dodged at the side door earlier, Vodka didn't hesitate to take the most effective measure—move a great distance and get out of Conan's attack range.
Realizing that he had actually avoided that elementary school student's sneak attack, Vodka was overjoyed. He clenched his fist hard. "I'm not who I used to be. Don't think you can catch me off guard so easily!"
Just as his delight peaked, he suddenly felt the ground