Hidden Side Quest

"That's good. But if anything comes up, don't stand on ceremony with me. If I can help, I certainly will." Seeing that Kudo Shinichi himself had said as much, Megure finally set his mind at ease. It had been a long time since they last met, and he had genuinely worried that something had gone wrong. Since everything was fine, he felt relieved.

Kudo Shinichi heard this and replied directly, "Don't worry, Officer. If something really does come up, I will definitely ask for your help."

"Officer, that gun wasn't found at the collection point. We checked, and it seems someone has already processed it." A police officer walked in from outside, his words cutting short the two men's conversation.

"Then that's that, Kudo, my friend. I'll go see what's going on. Let's have a good chat next time we meet." With those words, Megure left with the officer. As he walked away, he instructed the man, "Go check the hotel and see if there's any surveillance footage, or ask around to see who has been over there. Ordinary people don't go to that area for no reason."

Watching Officer Megure walk away, Lin Maoxian didn't pay it much mind. He had been extremely careful when he went there earlier. With his years of experience, if he could be caught out over such a trivial matter, he would deserve to be arrested.

He glanced at Kudo Shinichi and was just about to step forward when a thought struck him; he had suddenly received a notification from the space.

"Adventurer has triggered a hidden side quest: 'The Black' Attack. Difficulty: Normal (C)."

"Quest Description: Due to the Adventurer's interference, Kudo Shinichi has recovered his body early and gained a certain understanding of the Black Organization behind the scenes. However, after recovering his body, Kudo Shinichi failed to properly conceal his identity while solving the case, causing the Black Organization to take notice. Gin has received intelligence that Kudo Shinichi is not dead. He will bring Vodka to capture or kill Kudo Shinichi in 24 hours."

"Quest Objective: The Adventurer must protect Kudo Shinichi for 24 hours to prevent him from being captured or killed by the 'Black' Organization. Protection duration: 24 hours."

"Upon completion, the Adventurer will be rewarded with 2000 Source Points. Failure will result in a deduction of 2000 Source Points. If the balance is insufficient, penalties will be applied (starting with mortgaging equipment, then deducting attributes, until the 2000 Source Points are fully recovered)."

Lin Maoxian's first reaction upon learning of this quest was not anything else, but two words: "Saved me." He had originally intended to spend a large sum of money to hire the media and report widely on Kudo Shinichi's appearance, hoping to draw out the Black Organization and see if any side quests existed. He hadn't expected that before he could even act, simply trying to complete a main quest would drag this out.

He looked at the reward: 2000 Source Points. It was four times that of the first main quest, so the difficulty would likely increase accordingly. Fortunately, he had already planned to do this, so he was somewhat prepared.

24 hours, huh? This was likely the preparation time given to him. No need to rush for now; take it slow. He walked toward Kudo Shinichi. "Kudo Shinichi, you're here too. How about that? I was right, wasn't I? You've changed back to your original body now."

Seeing that it was Lin Maoxian, Kudo Shinichi replied testily, "You were right, but I don't think I ever doubted you. Don't make it sound like I didn't believe you. I'm very grateful that I could change back to this body, but why are you here?"

Lin Maoxian shrugged. "I came with Kisaki Eri. You know her—Ran's mother. I saw Ran over there, too; they're chatting together right now."

"I really admire you. You and Aunt Eri...?"

"Admire?" Lin Maoxian cut Kudo Shinichi off, retorting with a sneer, "If we're talking about admiration, I should be the one admiring you!"

Seeming to catch the sarcasm in Lin Maoxian's tone, Kudo Shinichi asked, "What do you mean by that? If you have something to say, just say it."

"Fine, I'll be blunt. You've changed back into Kudo Shinichi, yet instead of finding a quiet place to go on a date with Ran, you're strutting around in such a crowded building, acting like nothing happened while solving cases. It seems you aren't afraid at all that the fact you're alive will be exposed. Tell me, how can I not admire you?" Lin Maoxian said it straight. He was truly impressed; the guy was incredible. Knowing he might be hunted down and still acting so brazenly—he was truly a badass.

To his surprise, Kudo Shinichi didn't care. "What of it? I already told Officer Megure not to reveal my identity. I don't think my identity will be exposed that easily."

"You're being too optimistic. Never mind the police, are you sure no one around here recognizes you? And what if there are people from that organization nearby? Don't forget, you came here with Ran. If you're discovered, Ran will be in danger too." Looking at the nonchalant Kudo Shinichi, Lin Maoxian was speechless. If he didn't need his help and wasn't tasked with protecting him, he would have left long ago instead of wasting his breath.

"Th-then what should I do?" Hearing that Ran might be threatened, Kudo Shinichi panicked instantly, losing all traces of the great detective he had been moments ago.

Watching the flustered Kudo Shinichi, Lin Maoxian nodded inwardly. He might have other flaws, but his feelings for Ran were undoubtedly genuine. "Don't worry, I'll look into this. Don't go find Ran for now; ask her to meet you somewhere else, preferably somewhere quiet. I'll come to your house tomorrow morning. Remember to tell your mother not to go out; I need her help with something, understand?"

"I'll call Ran in a moment and ask her to meet somewhere else. But what does this have to do with my mother?" Kudo Shinichi agreed, but asked about Yukiko, not wanting his family involved.

Without answering, Lin Maoxian said, "Alright, you'll know tomorrow morning. Just remember not to forget. It's not safe to talk here; let's meet tomorrow morning. Remember, you must wait for me at your house." Lin Maoxian was still a bit uneasy and repeated the instruction several times.

"Alright, alright... don't worry, I won't forget. Well, I'm off. See you tomorrow." Kudo Shinichi said impatiently, waved, and walked outside. It was clear he was going to call Ran to change their plans.

Meanwhile, on a high-speed road, a black Porsche looked entirely unremarkable amidst the traffic.

Putting down his phone, Vodka drove while speaking to Gin, who was sitting in the back. "Boss, the organization just sent some intel. The famous detective Kudo Shinichi has appeared again. It turns out he wasn't dead at all."

"Kudo Shinichi? Who's that?" Gin didn't remember who the person was at all. In his eyes, the dead had no right to be remembered, and he wouldn't bother memorizing the names of corpses; there was no point.

Vodka knew his boss's personality—he wouldn't remember the names of the dead—so he explained, "Boss, have you forgotten? That time at the park during the trade, a brat discovered the organization's business, and you fed him the drug the organization developed."

"Oh. I remember now. There was something like that. He took the drug and should have been dead. You said he isn't dead? What's going on?" Reminded by his subordinate, Gin finally recalled. It was just a brat who didn't know his place, someone with no real skill who dared to oppose the organization. He deserved to die.

"The organization's intelligence officer said they saw the long-missing Kudo Shinichi appear at the Beika Center Building, and he disappeared shortly after." Vodka relayed what the officer had said.

Gin finally took an interest in the fact that Kudo Shinichi had survived the drug and was now strutting about. "Oh? Is that so? That's good news. Tell the people below to search thoroughly. I want his exact location within 24 hours. I will bring him back to the organization myself to see why he's fine. Perhaps it will help the progress of the drug's development. Don't you agree, Vodka?"

"Boss, I'll give the orders. With the organization's power, we will definitely find that brat within 24 hours. Even though I don't know why he didn't die last time, he won't escape this time. The organization's power is not something he can contend with," Vodka said, his tone filled with pride. The organization was a massive entity spanning the globe; even he, an old hand, didn't fully grasp the extent of its power.

"He won't escape this time," Gin said with a cold laugh.

When Lin Maoxian returned to where Kisaki Eri and the others were, he happened to see Ran getting up to leave. He knew Kudo Shinichi had already called her, but he still thought to himself, That kid is fast.

He greeted Ran and sat down in her vacated seat.

"How was it? Was the case over there solved?" Seeing Lin Maoxian sit down, Kisaki Eri asked immediately.

"Solved. Didn't you see Ran leaving? Kudo Shinichi asked her to meet somewhere else," Lin Maoxian said with a smile.

Kisaki Eri was surprised. "So fast? That kid really lives up to his name as a great detective. A murder case, and he solved it so quickly. But why did he ask Ran to change locations?"

Lin Maoxian couldn't tell her the real reason, so he said, "Perhaps it's because we're here; he might have felt a bit awkward."

Hearing this, Kisaki Eri said nothing more.