"Do you have a department in the FBI that specializes in dealing with aliens?"
When "Conan" asked this question, Shuichi Akai on the other side of the phone held the phone, narrowed his eyes slightly, and stood silent.
"..."
"..."
For a long time, Akai Shuichi exhausted his brains to think of how to answer, which was just two words.
"No."
"Really do not have?"
"..."
"Is this some recent popular joke?"
"Um...no..."
"Conan" doesn't know how to explain the existence of "alien" to Shuichi Akai. After all, he is in Vespania now, and the whole thing is a long story.
So, he changed the topic again and continued to ask: "Last time, my mobile phone was borrowed by Teacher Judy to verify the fingerprints on Kusuda Rikudo's body..."
"Do you still keep that mobile phone?"
Akai Shuichi thought briefly for a second, "I don't know... but according to the FBI's internal procedures, it should be sealed and preserved as an important evidence in the agent's death certificate."
"Won't it leak out?" Conan asked again.
Shuichi Akai replied, "Except for cleaning up the files every 20 years, there will be no..."
"Did something happen to you over there?"
"Conan" ignored Akai Shuichi's inquiry, lowered his head and muttered to himself.
"This is strange..."
Even if the serial number of this mobile phone can be forged, the prerequisite is to know the serial number of your previous mobile phone.
And his mobile phone was only lent to Teacher Judy, and according to Shuichi Akai, it must be in the hands of the FBI now.
This is enough to prove that the "father and son" next door must be the FBI.
But Akai Shuichi also said that there is no department within the FBI to deal with "alien" affairs, and denied its existence...
"Conan" frowned slightly, lost in thought.
Suddenly, an idea appeared in his mind.
Could it be...
Akai Shuichi’s level is not enough?
That’s why you don’t know about the “alien” department within the FBI?
Since the 1940s, luminous aircraft resembling oval disks have often been spotted over the United States.
UFO, the full name of Unidentified Flying Object, means "unidentified flying object", which began to rise from this time.
Since the Roswell incident in 1947, there have been widespread rumors that the United States is secretly conducting alien research and conducting "third contact", and has built the famous "Area 51" specifically for this purpose.
In the past, "Conan" thought this was just an urban legend. Without concrete evidence, everything was just a cloud.
But now, even highly intelligent aliens like Mi Go exist, and UFOs are even more of a pediatrician.
Therefore, according to normal logical reasoning, there is a high probability that there is a relevant affairs department within the United States, but the level is very high and cannot be known to ordinary people.
Akai Shuichi is probably only a senior agent, how could he possibly know such deep secrets?
Thinking of this, Conan felt relieved.
"Haha...that's right! It's just a bad joke~"
"Conan" on the phone suddenly smiled, making Hide Akai's eyelids tremble slightly on the other side.
"Isn't it almost April Fool's Day, so I would like to greet you in advance~"
"Since there's nothing wrong, I'll hang up~"
After making the wisecrack, "Conan" decisively hung up the phone.
But Akai Shuichi on the other side of the phone squinted his eyes slightly, silently thinking about the meaning of this call.
He knew that something must have happened to this extremely smart primary school student who suddenly called him.
Thinking back to a few days ago, Vince Qin suddenly appeared in Mihua Town and took Conan to the port with him, as if he was chasing something.
Could it be that when Conan talks about the alien department, he is talking about Agent Qin?
In fact, Akai Shuichi was also very surprised when Qin suddenly appeared in Mihua Town.
Although the two had worked together before, since Shuichi Akai infiltrated the black organization, Qin has been responsible for other cases and left James' command.
If Conan is with Qin these days, maybe he got some news from him...
Could it be that the department Qin newly joined is actually the "alien" department?
Thinking of this, Akai Shuichi, who was standing there, picked up the phone again and dialed James' number.
Although everyone within the FBI thought that Shuichi Akai had died in the line of duty, James discovered in advance that there was a film on Shuichi Akai's fingers to avoid leaving fingerprints, and the plan to fake his own death failed to escape James's eyes in the end.
Therefore, in addition to Conan, Akai Shuichi now also maintains secret contact with James.
"Hello?"
"it's me."
"Ah..." James was stunned for a moment, looked around at the FBI agents who were having a morning meeting, especially Judy next to him, and said quickly: "Wait a moment."
After leaving the room and confirming that no one was around, James asked cautiously: "Shuichi, what's the matter?"
Shuichi Akai: "Is there a department within the FBI responsible for investigating aliens?"
James squinted his eyes for a moment, then felt that he didn't hear clearly, so he asked again, "What did you say?"
But Akai Shuichi already got the answer he wanted to know from James' tone and reaction.
"nothing……"
James: "..." Is today April Fool's Day?
Akai Shuichi asked again: "Do you remember Agent Qin?"
James thought for a second and said in a sad tone, "Remember, he was once one of the best agents under my command. How could he forget..."
"Why did you suddenly mention him again?"
Akai Shuichi replied: "He appeared in Rice Flower Town in Tokyo, Japan a few days ago..."
"What!"
James on the other side of the phone did not hide the shock in his tone and asked quickly: "Are you sure you saw it correctly?"
"Probably not. We had close contact for a while, but he didn't know my current identity. We just had a brief conversation..."
"This is impossible..." James interrupted Akai Shuichi with a heavy tone.
"Because Agent Qin died in a street fight with a Mexican gang during a border anti-drug operation a month ago..."
After hearing the news, Akai Shuichi's fingers holding the phone trembled slightly.
Qin...is dead?
He stood there for several seconds before his brain slowly accepted the information.
"Why didn't I hear the news?" Akai Shuichi asked in a deep voice.
James' tone was also heavy, and he said apologetically: "I asked other colleagues not to tell you, because you had just lost your lover at that time, and I didn't want to hit you again with the same news..."
"I originally wanted to tell you the news after I caught Belmod, but it backfired..."
"Feel sorry……"
James's voice on the phone became deeper and deeper, but Shuichi Akai's thoughts went back to two months ago.
When he learned of Miyano Akemi's death, his will was indeed depressed for a period of time.
If Judy hadn't accidentally seen Belmode attending the funeral of his "mother" on TV and uttered the classic "A secret makes a woman woman" and thus grasped the clues to the investigation, I'm afraid he would have continued to be depressed for a while.
.
At that time, considering his current physical and mental condition, it was understandable that James did not inform himself of Agent Qin's death.
But why would a dead person appear in Miwa Town?
Are they really just two people with similar faces?
But they are so similar, and they are of mixed race...
Suddenly, Akai Shuichi thought of what Conan asked him - "Alien Department".
If the "alien department" really exists, it must be a special department with a very high level of confidentiality.
The identities of people in this department must also be kept secret from the outside world.
The most secret identity in the world is the "dead person". Almost no one will investigate the identity of a "dead person".
Just like myself now, Akai Shuichi, a dead man, even the FBI colleagues except James don't know that he is still alive.
But in fact, not only is he still alive, but he can also abide by his agreement with Mingmei and secretly protect his sister-in-law's safety.
Agent Qin can also use fake death to secretly be promoted to the "alien department" and continue to shine.
In this way, Conan met Agent Qin and suddenly called to inquire about the "alien department"...all this was explained.
I see……
The corners of Akai Shuichi's mouth were slightly raised, and his eyes were wise and deep under the reflective glasses.
…
In the room, Conan didn't know that he just chose the wrong phone to return, causing two people to brainstorm at the same time.
And one of them is thousands of miles away...
This is the power of the butterfly effect.
Qin Zhibo saw that Conan was back and asked casually: "Have you returned the phone?"
"Um……"
"Come in and eat."
Conan closed the door and came back to enjoy the dinner just delivered by the delivery man with Qin Zhibo.
Half an hour later, after finishing his meal, Qin Zhibo lay down on the sofa to rest. After the food in his stomach was digested, he went out to continue practicing his sword.
But looking at Conan, Qin Zhibo remembered the "dream" Conan had mentioned before.
"By the way, Conan, have you dreamed of anything else since the last time you dreamed of the forest?"
Conan, who was playing with his mobile phone, raised his head and shook it, "No..."
"oh……"
Qin Zhibo pretended not to care, but in fact he was guessing in his heart.
Conan probably hasn't gone deep into the dreamland yet, and his subconscious is still on the surface, so he can't easily fall into a dream.
As long as you dream a few more times and your consciousness establishes a stable connection, you will have more dreams.
Qin Zhibo now has a chance to dream at least once every three days.
The so-called opportunity to dream is actually a choice. You can choose to reject it or accept it.
If you don't want to enter the dreamland, your brain will fall into deep sleep normally and will not enter the dreamland.
Therefore, if it is not necessary, Qin Zhibo will still sleep normally. Entering the dreamland all night is really not conducive to rest.
Moreover, the Usa Village in the fantasy world probably has nothing to do with itself at the moment.
Those villagers have learned the technique of sterilizing cats, but there are thousands of cats in and around the village. Even if only half of the cats are sterilized, it cannot be completed in a short time.
What's more, after the surgery, you still need to recover for a while.
Let’s wait until we return to the original world…
Original world...
Suddenly, Qin Zhibo, who was lying on the sofa, thought of a way to return to the original world.
It is known that the dreamland of this world is connected with the dreamland of the original world. Not only can Conan enter, but he can also enter.
So can I return to the original world by finding the ghoul cave in the dreamland?
no……
A disembodied soul should be unable to return directly to the earth through the Ghoul Cave.
But what if you enter the dreamland through the ghoul cave in this world; and then return to the original world from the ghoul cave?
On the Xin Plain where the ghouls live, there are countless cave entrances, each of which represents a different exit.
In addition to some exits on the ground in the original world, will these exits also include exits to other parallel worlds?
After all, the ghoul elders also said that they have lived here for generations, and only a small part of the final destination of these crypts has been discovered.
This may be a feasible solution...
But the question is, are there really ghouls and ghoul caves in this world?
If it really happened, would the bandage monster incident in this world end easily?
When Qin Zhibo was searching for cases solved by "Conan" in this world at Kudo's house, he saw how the bandage monster incident in this world was solved.
The deceased was still the plagiarized female writer, the murderer Takahashi Ryoichi did not escape, and the case was successfully concluded.
Maybe it's because Takahashi didn't escape, so the ghoul subplot wasn't triggered?
Or are there no ghouls at all?
have?
still none?
this is a problem……
The doubt in his heart caused Qin Zhibo's brain to fall into a kind of repetitive thinking. If he were not in a foreign country now, he would have a strong curiosity to go there and find out in person.
But anyway, this is an alternative.
…
The next day, dusk.
In the bamboo forest, the shadows of the dense bamboo poles gradually tilted at a certain angle, and the darkening environment also reminded the two that today's training was about to end.
Ishikawa Goemon put the bamboo sword to his side, faced Qin Zhibo with a serious face, and commented in a deep voice.
"You have made rapid progress in these two and a half days."
"Based on your current swordsmanship strength, it is probably equivalent to the skill of an ordinary person in 10 years or even 12 years."
"But this is still far from the 20 years of skill you promised..."
Ishikawa Goemon's words are nothing more than a reminder to Qin Zhibo: Your death is near.
There is still half a day left, and it is impossible no matter how you think about it, it is impossible to catch up with the eight-year swordsmanship of ordinary people.
Ishikawa Goemon informed Qin Zhibo of this situation half a day in advance, hoping that he would understand and make a choice early.
It's time to run for your life...
If Qin Zhibo chooses to leave silently tonight, Ishikawa Goemon will not pursue him, which can be regarded as indirectly bypassing his life.
Of course, this does not constitute a violation of the original agreement, because the time for the duel has not yet arrived, but one of the dueling parties was afraid in advance and ran away.
However, this man cannot appear in front of Ishikawa Goemon in the future, otherwise he will still abide by the agreement and continue the duel.
But Qin Zhibo has been wearing a mask these days, and Ishikawa Goemon actually doesn't know his true identity.
He even said arrogantly that as long as Qin Zhibo escapes here for a few days, takes off his mask, changes his identity and comes back, everything will start anew.
It's a stuck bug...
But what Ishikawa Goemon didn't expect was that when faced with such loose living conditions, the man in front of him gave him the most unexpected answer.
"As long as I leave here tonight, can you promise not to hunt me down in the future?"
The stern face with long hair on both sides did not change at all. Ishikawa Goemon said coldly: "Yes, because the duel time agreed between you and me has not yet come..."
"..."
Qin Zhibo thought for a moment, then raised his slightly lowered head.
"Very attractive conditions..."
"But, I refuse!"
"And I want to advance the duel time to tomorrow morning!"