"Aniki!"
Gin put away the baton and slipped it back into his pocket. Looking at Vodka as he ran over, he said irritably,
"You idiot. You actually let this brat tail you."
Seeing that someone might end up dead here, the bald chairman who had already recovered the negatives seized the opportunity to slip away from the other side.
If he stayed any longer, he was afraid he'd end up being framed as a suspect himself.
Vodka glanced at the Shinichi sprawled on the ground and said in surprise, "Isn't he the high school detective from earlier? Damn it. Should we kill him?"
"Stop, Vodka."
In the end, Ritsu had arrived a step too late. By the time he got there, he had already witnessed Gin bringing down the baton.
Slowing his pace, he walked over. Fortunately, he was currently wearing Augier's face. Even if Shinichi saw him, it wouldn't matter.
Of course, the nearly unconscious Shinichi wasn't in any condition to see anyone.
"Augier?! Didn't you already leave?" Vodka asked in surprise.
Gin remained silent, merely staring coldly at Ritsu.
It was obvious he was wondering whether Ritsu had gone soft and intended to spare the young detective.
"There are police everywhere around here right now," Ritsu said as he looked at Gin. "Firing a gun recklessly won't do us any good."
Then he added, "I heard from Sherry that you took that newly developed poison the Organization created. Consider this a field test. I need data on the drug anyway, and he'd make a suitable lab rat."
Gin pursed his lips slightly before snorting. Then he withdrew his right hand.
In it was a long metal case.
Opening it, he removed a red-and-white capsule and smirked. "Hmph. I didn't expect that woman to tell you even that."
As for drug-related matters, Vodka knew practically nothing. He holstered his pistol and asked, "Aniki, can such a tiny capsule really work?"
"Yeah."
Gin nodded.
"This poison is extremely convenient. Even after the victim dies, no traces can be detected during an autopsy. It's the perfect tool for committing a flawless murder."
Ritsu looked expressionlessly at Shinichi.
Hidden inside his pocket, however, his hand was clenched tightly into a fist.
This was all he could do right now.
APTX4869 was still in its development stage, but if luck was on their side, perhaps its true effect would manifest.
'Kudo... If you're really Holmes, you won't die so easily, right?'
Gin roughly grabbed Shinichi by the hair.
After forcing the capsule into his mouth, he poured water from a matching test tube down his throat to ensure the drug reached his esophagus.
Once he finished, Gin handed the metal case to Augier.
"Did that woman stop giving these to you? Take them."
Ritsu had been wondering how he could trick Gin into handing over the remaining APTX4869 capsules.
To his surprise, Gin simply gave them to him. Naturally, he accepted them.
If Shinichi survived, then the remaining capsules might also prove effective.
"Thanks."
"We should get moving," Vodka said. "It'll be troublesome if the police find us."
"Yeah."
Gin lowered the brim of his hat and looked at the fallen Shinichi. Slowly, he said,
"Farewell, great detective."
Out of the corner of his eye, Ritsu carefully observed Shinichi. It seemed the effects of APTX4869 weren't immediate.
That was actually better.
Whatever happened next, Gin and Vodka wouldn't be around to witness it.
He could come back later and check on the situation himself.
...
"Why were you following us?"
Hearing Gin's question, Ritsu finally realized he had instinctively walked over to their car as if he were hitching a ride.
Suppressing the awkwardness with a yawn, he replied calmly, "I've been so busy lately that I forgot. I came here on my motorcycle."
"Go back and get some rest. You don't need to concern yourself so much with the MPD."
Ritsu raised an eyebrow.
"The only reason I care about the MPD is because of the Organization. Honestly, after solving this many cases for them, it's pretty ridiculous that I still haven't been promoted."
He muttered quietly, "Though I do have a little influence inside the department now. If you ever need anything, let me know."
"Really?"
Gin looked at him. "Then why weren't you there today?"
For a moment, Ritsu couldn't think of an answer. After a brief pause, he finally said,
"Because I forgot to bring my disguise equipment. I can't exactly go to work as Onizawa while wearing Augier's face."
"Hahahaha!"
Vodka burst out laughing. "That would've scared the hell out of those cops!"
Gin opened the car door and looked at Ritsu. "What about that kid? How do you plan to handle him?"
Ritsu swung onto his motorcycle, put on his helmet, and lifted the visor.
"Most likely, a patrol officer will find the body before long."
Then he added, "But I'll keep monitoring things for a while just to make sure he's dead."
"Hmph."
Gin climbed into the car and said, "Augier, what right do you have to call me cautious?"
"A cautious sailor sails for ten thousand years."
Ritsu shrugged.
"There's nothing wrong with that saying."
To avoid arousing Gin's suspicions, Ritsu rode his motorcycle toward one of his safe houses. He parked beside a lakeshore and checked his phone.
The small red dot on the tracking display was gradually moving away from Tokyo.
Apparently, Gin and Vodka had other assignments to deal with.
"That little thing that self-destructs after an hour is pretty useful."
Ritsu truly was cautious.
He was worried that Gin and Vodka might swing by his safe house to verify whether he was actually home.
That was why he had secretly planted a tracker and waited until they had fully left Tokyo before retracing his route back to Tropical Land.
Because of the murder case, the amusement park had closed four hours earlier than scheduled.
Without a ticket stub anymore, Ritsu had no choice but to scale the towering wall and leap back inside.
Avoiding patrol officers along the way, he headed straight for the transaction site. Hiding behind a cluster of bushes, he cautiously poked out half his head.
"What the hell?"
He frowned. "Why are there still so many police officers inside the park? Did another case happen?"
'Wait, don't tell me Kudo died?!'
The thought made him stop caring about stealth. He immediately sprinted toward the transaction site.
"Kudo!!"
Breathing heavily, Ritsu stared at the empty patch of grass.
That wasn't right.
Had he remembered the wrong location? He crouched down and carefully examined the ground.
There were bloodstains.
So he definitely hadn't made a mistake.
Which meant...
'Had Shinichi really? No, calm down.'
There were police all over the park. If Shinichi had actually died, the area would already be surrounded and sealed off.
That left only one possibility.
APTX4869 had worked on Shinichi Kudo.
Just like himself and Vermouth... Or perhaps Shinichi had become the first true successful test subject and reverted all the way to childhood.
If it was the former, he needed to find Shinichi immediately and prevent him from continuing to live as Kudo Shinichi.
As for the latter...
Then he would have to ensure APTX4869 disappeared from the world completely.
Ritsu didn't waste any more time searching the amusement park. Using the same method as before, he climbed over the wall and returned to his motorcycle.
Then he headed toward Nishitama City.
As he thought about the successful effects of APTX4869, his expression gradually darkened.
A drug this miraculous should never exist in the world. It seemed that plan would have to be set in motion ahead of schedule.
Thinking of the figure dressed in a white lab coat, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
Looks like it was time to put his acting skills to work once again.
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bonus chap every 20 PS, currently at 421 PS
read ahead up to 475 chapters on my p4tr3on.com/Siamus404