Conan: Ran, I really am Shinichi, you have to believe me!

Page 30

ding~~~

The machete missed its target, but it struck the ground, sending shivers down the kidnapper's spine.

"who are you?"

Suddenly, the kidnapper saw that there was another person behind the kid who had rescued the elementary school student. At first, the kidnapper was scared, but he quickly realized that the person was dressed in all black and would not be easy to spot in the dark. The kidnapper then breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as it's not a ghost story, that's good.

Before the kidnappers could think twice, the man in black on the other end quickly took out his phone, lit up the screen, and started pressing buttons repeatedly, accompanied by the annoying clicking sounds.

"Hurry up, hurry up! What's the emergency number again? 119? 120? 112..."

"court death!"

Seeing that the person in front of him was about to call the police, the kidnapper became enraged and stabbed the young man in front of him.

Jiang Chengbei had never learned kung fu, but he possessed a level 4 skill in scaling walls and roofs, making him exceptionally agile. After earning 2 kill coins, he skillfully maneuvered and evaded the kidnappers.

Then Jiang Chengbei seized the opportunity, pulled out a stun gun, and fired it at the kidnapper, causing him to lose control of his bladder and bowels and collapse to the ground.

After subduing the kidnappers, Jiang Chengbei walked up to Conan and, looking at Conan who was bruised and battered and had been thrown to the ground by Jiang Chengbei, asked him in confusion:

"Are you really Conan? I remember Conan on TV and in the newspapers. He subdued the murderer Seiwa Takatsu with his bare hands."

In the later cases, his abilities became even more impressive. With just his small hands, he subdued a four-person gang that made counterfeit money, a mentally ill woman with a knife, and two murderers who had been on the run for four years.

So many vicious criminals were subdued by you, a mere elementary school student, but today, how come you can't even subdue a small kidnapper? Are you really Conan?

Could it be that some naughty elementary school student impersonated Conan after hearing that he had become famous?

So here's the question: am I right now? A weakling like Conan who can't fight back at all?

Faced with Jiang Chengbei's question, Conan broke out in a cold sweat. In his mind, Jiang Chengbei was indeed an imposter.

Previously, he was unconvinced by the previous Conan, but after experiencing being a primary school student himself, he now admires the previous one immensely.

We're all elementary school students, and we all look the same, so how come our combat strength is so different?

Now that he's being suspected, and by a man in black whom he least wants to be suspected, Conan can only grit his teeth and keep quiet. He can admit it to anyone in the world, but he can't admit it to the man in black!

"You're wrong. I am Conan, Edogawa Conan, the real deal!"

The reason I couldn't defeat this guy was simply because my weapon broke; my tranquilizer gun wasn't working, which is why I lost.

Fortunately, when he was Shinichi Kudo, he was once tranquilized by the former Conan, so the current Conan can only use the excuse that the equipment is broken and the tranquilizer gun can't be used.

"Heh, you're saying the tranquilizer gun is broken? I don't believe you for a second, you naughty little brat."

Sawa Tsunori, the counterfeit money criminals like Silver Fox, the mentally ill person who had been hiding in the basement for 5 years, and the murderer who had been on the run in Meitou Park for 4 years—which of them wasn't bruised and battered and knocked unconscious after being caught?

You're telling me now that it's a tranquilizer gun? You're kidding me!

"Don't you believe me? I first knocked them unconscious with a tranquilizer gun, and then I beat them up."

Upon hearing Conan admit that he had broken the law, Jiang Chengbei immediately got excited: "Subdue him, beat him up, Conan, you've broken the law, I'm going to report you to the police station."

"I'm 7 years old, I'm Ke 7 years old, go ahead and report me, go ahead and sue me, see if the court will listen to you!"

Threatened by Jiang Chengbei, Conan remembered what the previous Conan had said and immediately became arrogant, perfectly mimicking the previous Conan.

"Okay, you're amazing at 7 years old!"

Unable to deal with Conan's misbehavior, Jiang Chengbei could only helplessly ruffle Conan's hair. Unable to reason with him, he had no choice but to resort to violence.

"Jiang Cheng, don't you think there's something strange about this place?"

After feigning rudeness to unlock his full potential, Conan suddenly remembered that the previous Conan didn't seem to be as polite as he was, always addressing people by their names.

To act more convincingly and to get closer to his ex-boyfriend Conan, Conan also started calling Jiang Cheng by his real name.

Knowing that the Conan in front of him was a high school student who had shrunk into his human form, Jiang Chengbei didn't pay much attention to the fact that he called him Jiang Cheng. He casually replied, "What's so strange about that?"

"This is the school's warehouse, why are there large machetes here?"

Even if he saw through it, he could just use the secret to threaten the secret, and they could threaten each other. So Jiang Chengbei said nonchalantly, "The kidnapper brought it."

"Impossible. The kidnapper acted on impulse after meeting Gu Jingzi. He didn't have a machete at first; he just picked one up while hitting me."

"And even if the kidnapper brought a machete, he only needed to carry one. Why are there so many knives in this warehouse, and they're scattered everywhere?"

It's cheap. How much can a big machete cost? You can just buy it anywhere in the system store.

You should only think these words in your heart. If you don't want to threaten Conan with secrets, you shouldn't say such frivolous things.

So Jiang Chengbei could only retaliate: "Conan, I really doubt whether you are real or if someone is impersonating you."

"Such an obvious answer, how could you, a primary school student detective who's been navigating the complexities of society for so many years, not know it?"

"What?"

Why is this bringing up the fact that he's a fake again? Conan thought to himself, annoyed.

Although no one in the world could tell that he was a fake Conan, he still dared not take the risk in front of the man in black, so he could only remain silent and stare at Jiang Chengbei, who was looking at him with suspicion.

Using magic to defeat magic is the only solution Conan can think of.

"This is Futabashi Junior High School, a public school, not a good school like Teitan Junior High School or Beika Junior High School."

In a third-rate public school like this, the school rules are just for show, and there are countless bad students. Isn't it normal for them to bring machetes into the school and hide them in the school warehouse?

On the contrary, you, Conan, claim to have been working your way up in society for several years and supporting yourself. How could you not even think of this?

"You're not an imposter, are you?"

Conan was stunned by what Jiang Chengbei said.

He grew up in good schools like Teitan Kindergarten, then Teitan Elementary School, Teitan Junior High School, and Teitan High School, all the way up from good schools. How could he have known that delinquents in public schools would bring a machete to school!

Although he didn't know, Conan still stubbornly insisted: "Of course I thought of that, but I still think what you said is wrong."

Even if what you say is true, these machetes should be hidden away, or at least placed in an inconspicuous place, not displayed like they are now.

So I was thinking, you were even more amazing than me, a primary school student detective, because you solved the case before me and caught the self-directed and self-acted Tani Akiko and Aso Butler.

But in the next step, to find the place where Gu Jingzi is imprisoned, given your previous strength, you couldn't possibly arrive later than me.

So I suspect that you put these large machetes, which are placed so obviously, here.

Even if you didn't bring it, did you deliberately find it and leave it outside?

"Conan, you really love to overthink things."

The kidnappers and the hostage are both there. Even if they're blind and can't see me rummaging through the warehouse, I'm not crazy. Why would I find a knife and leave it outside? Why would I do that?

"Because you can't stand the bad behavior at school, you have a lot of opinions about them bringing knives to school, and at the same time you have no trust in the incompetent police officers of the Metropolitan Police Department. You think that even if they catch the kidnapper here, they will not be able to find the machete hidden in the warehouse."

"To rectify school discipline and to make the school, society, and police take note of the harmful effects and lawless behavior of these individuals, you secretly retrieved the machete."

In order to dispel Jiang Chengbei's doubts about his Conan combat abilities, the physically weak and powerless Conan could only take a roundabout approach, demonstrating his extraordinary reasoning skills to convince Jiang Chengbei that he was indeed the brilliant detective Conan.

Jiang Chengbei had no idea that Conan had gone to such lengths to prove he was the real Conan, nor did he realize that Conan's actions were motivated by the fact that Jiang Chengbei's teasing was fake. Had he known, he would have definitely... continued teasing him.

"Although your intentions were good, you are responsible for the fact that I was almost killed because you found the knife you had hidden."

In this case, since you saved my life, I can only repay you with money at most. You cannot threaten me with a life for a life, because my life was in danger because of you.

And most importantly, I've deduced that you were the one who made these giant machetes. Now I can prove I'm Conan, right?

"Boring, self-important elementary school student."

Seeing that Jiang Chengbei didn't say much, Conan finally felt relieved: Why is it that he doesn't believe what he should believe, and is so suspicious of what he shouldn't believe? Being Conan is so hard!

Chapter 50 Everyone thinks: Jiang Chengbei, not very smart, is like this.

After subduing the kidnappers and rescuing Conan in Jiangcheng North, Ran quickly followed the giant monster that had been chased away earlier to the school warehouse.

With Ran around, things became much simpler. She quickly and perfectly completed the tasks of calling the police, summoning an ambulance, and contacting Kogoro Mouri and the hostage's family.

This time, Jiang Chengbei solved the case, caught the kidnappers, and rescued the hostage Gu Jingzi and the unlucky Conan. Therefore, Tanikawa's gratitude and the millions of dollars in reward all went to Jiang Chengbei.

Kogoro Mori only received 10 yen for the travel expenses from Jiangcheng North, and a perfunctory thank you.

Despite accepting the case himself, the money he received was dozens of times less than what he got from Jiangcheng North, who had driven him there. Kogoro Mouri had mixed feelings: Cases really aren't for him; beer is still the best match for him.

All of that is fine, but what's most infuriating is that the guy who stole my business, after receiving a large sum of money, actually went and chatted happily with Xiaolan.

Seeing this scene, Kogoro Mouri, furious, secretly moved closer to eavesdrop while waiting for the police to arrive. If he heard anything bad, he would definitely make this pretty boy conman taste the power of his judo.

"Ouch~~~"

Just as he sneaked over to eavesdrop, Kogoro Mouri kicked Conan, who shared the same thoughts, was worried about Ran, and was full of hostility towards Jiang Chengbei.

Seeing that there was another Kogoro Mouri beside him, Jiang Chengbei didn't pay any attention and continued the previous topic:

"Xiao Lan, I just witnessed your father's reasoning ability, and it's truly indescribable. I feel that entrusting the task to him is somewhat unreliable."

I thought about it, and I'll only feel at ease leaving this to the high school detective Shinichi Kudo. So, Ran, if you run into Shinichi Kudo, please give him the phone so he can contact me.

After saying this, Jiang Chengbei smoothly handed over his contact number to Xiaolan, while the old man and the young man next to him were itching to see it.

"Okay, as soon as I see Shinichi at school tomorrow, I'll give him my phone number and have him contact you."

As Xiaolan spoke, she took Jiang Chengbei's contact number and also gave him her own home phone number.

"I really hope you can see Kudo early on your way to school tomorrow."

Jiang Chengbei glanced at Conan, then said something insincerely, while silently thinking to himself: Ran, you'll never see Kudo coming to school again, unless you go to elementary school.

At the same time, Conan scoffed at Jiang Chengbei in his heart: You want me to help you, to do things for you? Dream on! I, Shinichi Kudo, will not accept a single request from you, Jiang Chengbei!

Also, Xiaolan, I'm sorry, I can't go to school tomorrow, and you won't be able to see me at school.

"Damn it! You damn pretty boy, you damn high school brat! I'm right in front of you, and you're going after a high school kid! Damn it!"

While Jiang Chengbei and Conan were silently complaining, only the injured Kogoro Mouri was muttering to himself.

Seeing Conan, being short and hiding in the shadows, looking at him with a rather sinister gaze, Jiang Chengbei didn't tolerate it. He picked him up and placed him in front of Ran, saying:

"Ran, have you noticed something's off about Conan, who got beaten up by a mere kidnapper and has a bruised and swollen face?"

"What's wrong? Oh, Conan's injured? I'll go get some medicine from Butler Aso."

"Ran, wait, don't bother. Conan's injury isn't serious. He has a special constitution, and he'll be fine after a good night's sleep. Besides, this isn't the main point."

Hearing Jiang Chengbei say this, Conan was shocked: What makes him think he has a special constitution and can recover from this minor injury with a good night's sleep? Who is he, and what gives him the right to say that?