Telling of the Organization

Before Kudo Shinichi could say anything, Lin Maoxian heard Yukiko's words and immediately retorted, "Hey, Yukiko, it's true that the idea was mine. But once I said it, you didn't object at all; in fact, you were laughing with excitement. You can't just push everything onto me."

Hearing Lin Maoxian's words, Yukiko walked up to him, raised her right index finger, and pointed at him with a smile, "Oh? Is that so? You're saying this has nothing to do with me? Lin!"

Looking at Yukiko's smile, Lin Maoxian recalled her earlier words. How could he have forgotten that the person in front of him was a bit petty? She was even prepared to treat her own son that way, so there was no need to mention how she would treat him.

Thinking of this, Lin Maoxian could only shake his head helplessly, "Fine, it was all arranged by me, and you were forced by me to do it. That should be enough, right, Yukiko?"

Although she had received a satisfactory answer, Yukiko still blinked and said, "This was arranged by you from the start, so don't make it sound like you were forced, Lin."

Lin Maoxian could only shrug helplessly at Yukiko's words. Who told him she was a beauty? Beauties always had privileges.

Listening to their conversation, Conan, who was standing to the side, said helplessly, "Mom, now is not the time for this. Can you just tell me what exactly is going on? I'm still completely in the dark."

"Lin, why don't you explain it to him? I just finished changing my makeup and I'm not feeling very comfortable, so I'm going back to wash up and change," Yukiko said as she walked toward her own residence next door.

Lin Maoxian shook his head, thinking to himself that women who love beauty are truly troublesome. He turned to Kudo Shinichi and said, "I'll call you Shinichi, just like Yukiko does. How about that?"

Receiving no answer, Lin Maoxian took it as his silent consent.

"First, I need to introduce myself. As you know, my name is Lin Maoxian. I am Chinese, and I am an intelligence agent. I came to Japan this time because I was tracking an organization. Some of their members committed a major crime in China, and I followed them all the way here. While investigating, I accidentally overheard their conversation about killing the Sherlock Holmes of the Heisei era—a high school student named Kudo Shinichi. So, I wanted to use this to lead the Metropolitan Police Department to their base. During my investigation, Mouri Kogoro, who is also a famous detective, entered my field of vision. Through observation, I discovered that the little boy you turned into—Conan—was very suspicious. He was behind every case the detective handled, so I locked my target onto you. You should know everything that happened after that. Do you have any questions?"

Lin Maoxian's words left Kudo Shinichi even more confused, "You wanted to use my situation to lead the police to that organization, but what does that have to do with Uncle Mouri?"

"I had no choice. Who told me to be Chinese? My identity cannot be exposed, so I had to ask Detective Mouri for help, letting him lead the police there while I worked from the shadows. It's safer that way," Lin Maoxian replied to Kudo Shinichi's question, looking quite helpless. It wasn't easy being a Chinese person in Japan.

Kudo Shinichi thought to himself that while this was a good plan, he wondered if he had considered that Uncle Mouri and Ran might be in danger. However, when he thought about Lin Maoxian's identity as an agent, he stopped dwelling on it. In his view, agents were cold-blooded animals without emotions, so doing something like this was perfectly normal.

"Then do you know what kind of organization it is?" Kudo Shinichi wanted to learn more about the organization, especially since he had turned into a child.

"No one knows the organization's real name. Their representative color is black, and their members wear clothes 'as black as a crow.' The main members use alcohol names as codenames. They seem to have very strict internal discipline; unqualified members, those who expose the organization's identity, or those who betray it are quickly eliminated. Furthermore, their secrecy is extremely high; even members may not necessarily know each other. The purpose of the organization is also unknown, but it has been established for at least half a century. That is everything I know about them," Lin Maoxian told Kudo Shinichi everything he knew.

"What? That's so little! Do you mean you don't even know where they are, what they are called, or how many of them there are?" Kudo Shinichi's tone was filled with disbelief. What Lin Maoxian said was so little that it was almost as if he hadn't said anything at all. He had to remember that this man was an intelligence agent; he should have known much more.

Lin Maoxian thought to himself that he couldn't possibly list every name he knew, or he wouldn't know how to explain it. He had to pretend to be helpless and said, "There's no helping it. This organization is a transnational criminal group shrouded in mystery. Their main power is in Japan, so my organization isn't very clear about their origins either. I only know that the person I was tracking this time goes by the codename 'Vodka,' and he came to Japan to find his boss."

"'Vodka' is indeed the name of a liquor. It seems their organization is truly strict; even their codenames are so unique. Do you know anything else?" Kudo Shinichi continued to ask, desperate to know everything about the organization.

Looking at Kudo Shinichi's current state, Lin Maoxian smiled and said, "During the conversation where they mentioned you, I also learned some information about a drug."

"Drug information?" At first, he didn't understand what this was about, but when Kudo Shinichi realized, he said, "You... you mean..."

"That's right, the drug that made you shrink into Conan. APTX4869, full name APOPTOXIN4869. They said it was a lethal drug developed by the organization. In thousands of experiments, every person who took it died, without exception. However, I think since you survived after taking it and turned into Conan, you are the first survivor," Lin Maoxian introduced the drug to Kudo Shinichi.

Kudo Shinichi gave an ironic smile, "APTX4869, so that's the name of the drug I took. Everyone else died, but I survived. I really am lucky."

Lin Maoxian was noncommittal about Kudo Shinichi's words. If he weren't the protagonist, it was uncertain whether he would have survived at all. Now, seeing him with such a resentful expression, he thought it was a bit ridiculous—it was a classic case of someone asking for a beating.

Coming back to his senses, Kudo Shinichi thought about how he had turned into a child after taking the drug and asked urgently, "Did they say what the antidote for this drug is?"

"They don't even know you're alive, so how would they know you turned into a child? There is no antidote." Thinking of his promise to Ran that he would let her see Kudo Shinichi again, he had to make something up, "However, the organization is very interested in the drugs they develop. I stole some and sent them back to my country. According to experts there, it is currently impossible to develop an antidote."

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

"What is it?" Hearing that there was no antidote, Kudo Shinichi, who had been very disappointed, immediately perked up.

"Laobaigan, it's a type of Chinese liquor. The experts obtained experimental data by chance and found that Laobaigan contains a component that can temporarily suppress the effects of APTX4869, allowing you to return to your original form." Lin Maoxian told him about the Laobaigan.

Knowing it was only a temporary relief, Kudo Shinichi was still a bit disappointed, "Do you know how long it can keep me in my original form?"

"Well, according to the experts, a small 250ml bottle can suppress the drug's effects for about 24 hours. Also, the sign that the drug is taking effect is that you will feel your whole body heating up, followed by intense pain. However, your instinctual consciousness will cause you to pass out, so you won't feel the pain for long." Lin Maoxian didn't actually know how long it would last, so he had to make up a figure. Anyway, the more he drank, the longer it should last.

"That much? But, if I turn back into Conan and then drink again to become Shinichi, wouldn't I never have to be small again?" At first, Kudo Shinichi felt a headache hearing he had to drink so much Laobaigan. But thinking that as long as he kept drinking, he could stay in his original form forever, he couldn't help but get excited.

Seeing Kudo Shinichi's expression clearly, Lin Maoxian poured cold water on him, "You're thinking too simply. Although I don't know the specific situation, no matter what kind of drug it is, there will be resistance. At first, you might be able to recover for 24 hours, but later it might only be 18 hours, or 12 hours. Eventually, the Laobaigan will stop having any effect on you. By then, even if an antidote is developed based on Laobaigan, you won't be able to return to your original form."

Kudo Shinichi felt a wave of discouragement. Although he knew these were just guesses, he understood that the human body develops resistance to drugs. He also felt this was highly likely. Thinking about how he would have to continue existing as Conan and couldn't tell Ran the truth, he felt deeply depressed.

Ignoring the dejected Kudo Shinichi, Lin Maoxian took a bottle of Laobaigan from his person and said directly, "This is the Laobaigan. Decide for yourself if you want to drink it. Remember to prepare clothes for yourself when you drink it, otherwise you'll be left naked." Saying this, he placed the liquor on the table and walked straight out of the professor's house.

Looking at the Laobaigan on the table, Kudo Shinichi struggled. If he drank this bottle, the next time he drank it, the effect would be greatly reduced. If he drank too much, he might never be able to turn back later. However, when he thought about how long it had been since Ran had seen him and how worried she must be, he picked up the liquor on the table. He returned to the house next door, just as that person said, he had to prepare clothes before drinking it. The professor's house only had Conan's clothes; Shinichi's clothes were only at his own home.