Kaitou Kid—just what kind of person was he?
Vermouth sat in the car, lost in thought, but no matter how she turned it over, she couldn't find an answer. One thing was certain—he wasn't from the Organization.
"Vermouth, how's the situation?" It was Gin. They were meeting.
"He's not the one we're looking for. Looks like we'll still have to hope the police can find the killer for us," Vermouth said.
"Oh, that's disappointing." Then Gin's eyes suddenly narrowed. "What's on your ear?"
"What?" Vermouth froze. On her ear was an earring—what else could it be? She reached up to touch it and her face changed. Something had been attached to her earring, so light she hadn't noticed.
"A tracker. Vermouth, you??!!" Gin hadn't imagined Vermouth would be tagged with something like this.
Vermouth hadn't thought of it either. But who else could it be? Only one possibility. "Kaitou Kid?"
"Kaitou Kid?" Gin paused. He knew that name. The thief who stole Mount Fuji. The phantom who slipped away from a full police encirclement. Even the Boss had praised him, even considered recruiting him into the Organization. "You ran into Kaitou Kid?"
"That's right." Before she even finished, a shadow swept over their car.
If it wasn't Kid, then who else could it be?
Kid already knew Vermouth would meet Gin, so he had followed.
Gin, we meet again.
Bang!
A shot fired upward, punching through the roof of the car and into Gin's seat.
"Big brother, are you okay?"
Gin dodged aside, his face ice cold. He'd brushed against death countless times. Each time he survived because he was willing to retreat. This time was no different.
"Go!" Gin ordered coldly.
"Big brother, there's a card." Sure enough, stuck in the bullet hole on the seat was a card.
On it was written: Gin, you owe Kaitou Kid two lives. Alongside it was a big doodle of the thief, like he was mocking Gin.
Two times. Gin instantly recalled the Twin Towers incident and now this. Altogether two times. Kaitou Kid had deliberately fired wide. He hadn't killed Gin because he wanted Gin to understand—if Kid wanted him dead, it would be effortless.
Gin suddenly felt short of breath. Not fear. Rage. He was the one who toyed with others. Since when did a mere thief toy with him like this?
It was like a cat playing with a mouse. Not killing, just toying.
"Big brother?!" Vodka felt the temperature in the car drop. He dared not say more, afraid Gin might lash out at him.
Vermouth also saw the words on the card. Two times. Kaitou Kid had spared Gin's life twice. The Organization's most feared killer suddenly didn't seem so fearsome in front of the thief.
Was Gin getting weaker, or was the thief just too strong?
Twice Kid could have killed Gin, and twice he chose not to. Vermouth thought, Gin must be absolutely furious right now. Kid's actions were pure provocation. Was he too arrogant—or just too stupid?
Kaitou Kid, I'll kill you. Gin crushed the card into a ball, swearing to himself. But for now, he had to get the memory card back. He needed to contact the Organization's mole inside the police.
"Haibara, did you see Gin's face? Hahaha, it's killing me." Liu A'dou was wicked, replaying the shots he had taken of Gin's expressions. "He looked constipated."
Now it was time for Haibara's second round of Black Organization phobia treatment—making her watch Gin's ridiculous expressions.
But Haibara couldn't laugh. To her, Kid's provocation was suicide. "Do you even know what you're doing?"
"Of course I know. I'm treating your phobia. The Black Organization really isn't that scary. Every time I see you trembling in fear of them, I think you need treatment. Look, look, Gin just crushed my Kaitou card. Right now he must have sworn to kill me. Hahaha. If he wants to kill me, he'll still be searching 10,000 years from now."
"…" Haibara still didn't answer. She was still worried and afraid. Kid might be strong, but behind Gin stood the entire Organization, with countless resources at their disposal. A thief couldn't possibly match them.
"Looks like you still doubt me. Do I have to use my ultimate move?" Liu A'dou said.
He closed his eyes, focused his spirit. His wedding ring glowed, and then a green ring appeared in midair. This was a fake Green Lantern ring, created from Liu A'dou's emotional energy—just right for Haibara.
"Put it on."
Haibara remembered. Back in the underground parking lot, her foster father had used a ring like this to put on his uniform. Now he produced another one. Too unbelievable. Carefully, she slipped it onto her right middle finger. The ring automatically shrank to the perfect size.
"What is this?"
"This is a Green Lantern ring. With it, you can create any device. With this ring, you don't even need to buy a centrifuge anymore. I'll teach you."
The magic of the Green Lantern instantly made Haibara forget everything else. What was this thing? Even if the Black Organization forced the world's most elite scientists, they could never make something like this. The ring was far beyond human understanding. "What exactly is this?"
"This isn't from the human world. It's alien. That explanation's easier for you to accept, right?" Liu A'dou said. "Actually, our family comes from another world filled with aliens."
Tch. Haibara clearly didn't believe him. A truth said so casually—no one would believe it.
But Liu A'dou was laying the groundwork, so that when they had to leave in the future, she wouldn't panic. For now, she was practicing with the Green Lantern ring, studying it with fascination. It really could make anything—even unscientific things like a flying carpet.
Even though she didn't believe it was alien, if it wasn't, then what was it? Haibara found her foster parents more and more mysterious.
"With this ring, even if you're surrounded by an army, you don't need to be afraid. So you definitely don't need to fear Gin and the rest. They're good at sneak attacks, but the ring will protect you."
"Then can you give one to the professor too?" Haibara's kindness showed.
"Of course." Liu A'dou didn't mind. But for the professor, what kind of ring would suit him? Since he treated kids so well, maybe the Compassion Indigo Lantern.
Come to think of it, even the Detective Boys could wear rings. Genta would be Rage Red Lantern. Ayumi would be Love Violet Lantern. Mitsuhiko, the good guy, would be Hope Blue Lantern. Conan, the reaper, would have to wear Fear Yellow Lantern. Haibara, who was both quick to give up and quick to show strength, suited the Will Green Lantern.
But if those brats actually got rings, the consequences would be unimaginable. The whole of Japan would become their playground.
Meanwhile, the serial murder case was still under investigation. Mouri Kogoro was making a fool of himself as usual. But Conan was getting closer and closer to the truth.
It turned out all the victims had stayed at the same hotel, on the same floor. Later, a fire broke out in that hotel. There had been 8 people on that floor, but only 7 survived. Now, most of those survivors had already been killed.
Conan immediately focused on the relatives of the one who died in the fire. Very quickly, he locked onto the suspect. The truth was almost within reach. But the Black Organization, also chasing the killer, was ready to make a move. Even scarier, Conan's true identity was now at risk of being exposed.