Telling Him About the Organization

Volume One: Detective Conan, Chapter 17: Telling Him About the Organization

Before Kudo Shinichi could say anything, Lin Maoxian heard Yukiko and immediately protested, "Hey, Yukiko, it's true that I came up with the idea in the first place. But after I said it, you didn't object at all. In fact, you were grinning with excitement. You can't pin everything on me."

Hearing Lin Maoxian's words, Yukiko walked up to him, raised her right index finger, and pointed at him with a smile. "Oh, really? What does any of that have to do with me, Lin?"

Looking at Yukiko's smile, Lin Maoxian remembered what she had just said. How could he have forgotten? The woman standing before him could be rather petty. She was even prepared to treat her own son that way, so he didn't want to imagine what she might do to him.

With that in mind, Lin Maoxian could only shake his head helplessly. "All right, it was all my idea. You were forced into it by me. Is that good enough, Yukiko?"

Although she had gotten the answer she wanted, Yukiko still blinked and said, "It was your idea all along. Don't make it sound as if you're being forced to admit it, Lin."

Lin Maoxian could only shrug helplessly at Yukiko's words. What could he do? She was a beautiful woman, and beautiful women had their privileges.

Listening to their conversation, Conan said helplessly, "Mom, now isn't the time to talk about this. Can you tell me what's going on first? I'm still completely confused."

"Lin, you explain it to him. I just put on this makeup, and I'm still not very comfortable. I'll go back next door and wash it off." As she spoke, Yukiko headed for her place next door.

Lin Maoxian shook his head, thinking that women who cared about their looks were such a hassle. He turned to Kudo Shinichi and said, "I'll call you Shinichi, like Yukiko does. How does that sound?"

When he got no answer, Lin Maoxian took it as agreement.

"First, let me introduce myself. As you know, my name is Lin Maoxian. I'm Chinese, and I'm also an agent. I came to Japan this time while investigating an organization. One of its members committed a major crime in China, and I tracked him here. While investigating, I happened to overhear them talking about killing the Holmes of the Heisei era—a high school student named Kudo Shinichi. So I thought I could use that to draw the Metropolitan Police Department to the organization's base. During my investigation, Detective Mouri Kogoro, another famous detective, came to my attention. After observing him, I realized that the little boy you'd turned into—Conan—was suspicious. He was involved in every case Detective Mouri solved, so I set my sights on you. You know the rest. Anything you want to ask?"

Lin Maoxian's explanation only confused Kudo Shinichi further. "You wanted to use my situation to lead the Metropolitan Police Department to that organization. What does Uncle Mouri have to do with any of it?"

"I had no choice. I'm Chinese, and I can't let my identity be exposed. I had to ask Detective Mouri for help and have him bring the police there. It's easier for me to work in the shadows, and there's less danger." Lin Maoxian sounded helpless as he answered Kudo Shinichi. It wasn't easy for a Chinese person to get by in Japan.

Kudo Shinichi thought, That's a good plan, but did you ever consider that Uncle Mouri and Ran might be in danger? But when he remembered that Lin Maoxian was an agent, he let it go. In his mind, agents were all cold-blooded people without feelings, so it was only natural for Lin Maoxian to act that way.

"Do you know what kind of organization it is?" Thinking of the organization, Kudo Shinichi wanted to learn as much as possible, especially since he was now a child.

"No one knows the organization's real name. Its signature color is black, and its members wear clothes 'as black as crows.' The main members use the names of alcoholic drinks as codenames. It seems to have very strict internal rules. Members who are deemed unfit, expose the organization's identity, or betray it are quickly eliminated. It's also extremely secretive; even its members may not know one another. Its purpose is unknown, too, but it's been around for at least half a century. That's everything I know about the organization." Lin Maoxian told Kudo Shinichi all the information he had.

"What? That's all? You don't even know where they are, what they're called, or how many of them there are?" Kudo Shinichi sounded incredulous. Lin Maoxian had said so little that it was almost as if he'd told him nothing at all. He was an agent, after all. Shouldn't he know a lot more?

Lin Maoxian thought, I can't just tell him every name I know. How would I explain that? So he put on a helpless expression and said, "I can't help it. This organization is a mysterious transnational criminal group, and its main base of power is in Japan. My organization doesn't know much about its origins, either. All I know is that the person I'm tracking uses the codename 'Vodka.' He came to Japan to find his big brother."

"Vodka really is the name of an alcoholic drink. Their organization must be extremely secretive, even giving its members such unusual codenames. What else do you know?" Kudo Shinichi continued questioning him, eager to learn everything about the organization.

Watching Kudo Shinichi, Lin Maoxian smiled and said, "From what they said about you, I also learned something about a drug."

"Information about a drug?" At first, Kudo Shinichi couldn't see what that had to do with anything. Then he understood. "Y-You mean..."

"That's right, the drug that shrank you and turned you into Conan. APTX4869—its full name is APOPTOXIN4869. They said it was a lethal drug developed by the organization. In thousands of tests, everyone who took it died, without exception. But since you survived after taking it and turning into Conan, I suppose you're the first survivor." Lin Maoxian gave Kudo Shinichi a brief explanation of the drug.

Kudo Shinichi gave a bitter smile. "APTX4869. So that was the name of the drug I took. Everyone else died, but I survived. I guess I'm really lucky."

Lin Maoxian didn't respond to Kudo Shinichi's remark. If you weren't the protagonist, who knows if you'd have survived? And now you're acting as if the heavens have it in for you. What about everyone who died after taking the drug? You're practically asking for a punch.

Coming back to himself, Kudo Shinichi remembered that he'd been turned into a child by the drug and asked urgently, "Did they say what the antidote is?"

"They don't even know you're alive, so how would they know you turned into a child? There's no way they'd have an antidote." Remembering that he'd promised Ran she would see Kudo Shinichi again, he made something up. "But the organization is very interested in the drug they developed. I stole some and sent it back home. According to the experts there, they still can't develop an antidote."

Seeing the disappointment on Kudo Shinichi's face, Lin Maoxian continued, "Still, the experts did find something that can temporarily suppress the drug's effects."

"What is it?" Kudo Shinichi had been disappointed to hear there was no antidote, but he perked up immediately.

"Laobaigan. It's a Chinese liquor. The experts happened to get some test results showing that Laobaigan contains a component that can temporarily suppress APTX4869's effects, turning you back into your original self." Lin Maoxian told him what he knew about Laobaigan.

Learning that it would only suppress the drug's effects temporarily, Kudo Shinichi was still a little disappointed. "Do you know how long it can turn me back into my original self?"

"Well, according to the experts, 250 milliliters—one small bottle—can suppress the drug's effects for about 24 hours. When the drug starts to wear off, you'll feel your whole body heating up, followed by intense pain. But your body's natural response will make you pass out, so you won't feel the pain for long." Lin Maoxian didn't actually know how long it would last, so he'd made up a figure. The more he drank, the longer it would probably last.

"That much? But if I turn back into Conan afterward, couldn't I just drink more and turn into Shinichi again? Then I'd never have to be a child again, would I?" At first, hearing that he'd have to drink so much Laobaigan made Kudo Shinichi wince. But when he realized that he might be able to keep his original form by drinking it regularly, he couldn't help getting excited.

Seeing Kudo Shinichi's expression clearly, Lin Maoxian poured cold water on his hopes. "You're making it sound too simple. I don't know exactly how it works, but any drug can cause resistance. Maybe it'll work for 24 hours at first, then only 18 or 12. Eventually, Laobaigan may stop having any effect on you. By then, even if someone develops an antidote based on Laobaigan, you still might not turn back into your original self."

Kudo Shinichi felt deflated. He knew this was only a guess, but he also knew the human body could develop resistance to drugs. It seemed quite possible. Thinking that he would have to keep living as Conan and wouldn't be able to tell Ran the truth made him feel deeply miserable.

Ignoring Kudo Shinichi's gloomy expression, Lin Maoxian took a bottle of Laobaigan from his clothes and said directly, "This is Laobaigan. Decide for yourself whether you want to drink it. Make sure you have clothes ready before you do, or you'll end up naked." He set the bottle on the table, then left the doctor's house.

Staring at the Laobaigan on the table, Kudo Shinichi struggled with the decision. If he drank it, the next dose might not work nearly as well. If he drank too much, he might never be able to turn back again. But when he thought of how long it had been since Ran had seen him, and how worried she must be, he picked up the bottle. He went back to the house next door. Just as that man had said, he needed to get some clothes ready before drinking it. The doctor's house only had Conan's clothes; Shinichi's were at his own home.