"Some people on the Internet have started to post videos to expose the matter of the 'wandering planet'."
In the passenger seat, Kuroba Kaito was fiddling with the phone in his hand and browsing the web.
He turned the volume on his phone to maximum.
"The rogue planet, whose real name is Gherros, is a giant planet that visits the solar system every 100 million years."
"It is the pioneer and agent sent by the universe itself; it will urge the stars to go on the right track; it will lift their tombs and awaken their sleeping masters from their graves..."
"It will dominate the world until all humans recognize their hubris and pay them respect."
"The era of mankind's wanton contempt and forgetfulness will eventually come to an end..."
"Only true believers can survive!"
Qin Zhibo, who was driving, glanced at Kuroba Kaito's cell phone next to him.
In the video, a man wearing a brown-red cloth robe, with a mysterious face covering his face, stood on a podium-like place and gave a speech.
"Gherros..."
"It seems that those who know about this matter have begun to prepare for the new era after the stars return."
Qin Zhibo originally thought that Gherros was just the name given to him by Ingalls's father.
But now it seems that Gherros is the real name of the wandering planet.
The religion that has always maintained Gehros as a doctrine also began to take advantage of this time to attract believers.
Although Qin Zhibo doesn't know the use of doing so, when the end comes, weak-willed humans will often place their body and mind on religion.
Such behavior may seem stupid, but it is also the most instinctive reaction of human beings to fear itself.
Anyway, if you can't beat it, just join.
Qin Zhibo looked at the time again, it was now 12 noon.
At this moment, it is the time of return that Ingalls once predicted.
The return time here refers to the fact that the existence of Gheros can be seen on the earth with the help of observation tools.
Two hours ago, the U.S. space probe took the lead in detecting the existence of Gehros and announced this blockbuster news to the world.
Once Gherros enters the observation distance of the Earth, it means that there is not much time left before the real "return of the stars".
"That's it for now, let's eat first..."
"After all, only when you are full can you have the strength to do things."
…
On the other side, Dr. Agasa and Kudo Shinichi drove to Wiltshire.
Just 10 minutes after the car entered Wiltshire, Xiaolan's phone rang again.
Kudo Shinichi, who was in the passenger seat, immediately looked seriously. He held the phone in his hand and gave Dr. Agasa a look.
The latter immediately understood and parked the car on the side of the road to prevent the car noise from making the former ignore the subtle sound clues coming from the phone.
When the car stopped, Kudo Shinichi answered the phone.
"Why did it take you so long to answer the phone? Did you call the police?"
On the other end of the phone, the unpleasant voice shaped by the voice changer sounded suspicious.
This made Kudo Shinichi quickly explain, "Absolutely not! It was because the car was making a lot of noise just now, so I didn't hear it at the first time..."
"Haha..." The person on the phone sneered twice, "It doesn't matter if you call the police, they are all a bunch of stupid guys anyway."
"And given your status, you shouldn't call the police..."
"You have arrived in Wiltshire now, right? The next place is Salisbury. You have to arrive there within an hour..."
"Wait a moment!"
Just as the other party was about to end the call, Kudo Shinichi quickly stopped him.
"I will go wherever you ask, but at least let me listen to Xiaolan's voice, right?"
"Hmph." The other party snorted coldly, "Are you still qualified to negotiate terms with us now?"
"You will know when you get to the place..."
"Kidd."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other party hung up the phone.
Kudo Shinichi had a blank expression, not understanding what the other person was talking about.
The last thing he seemed to be saying just now was...Kidd?
What does Kidd mean?
Kudo Shinichi fell into deep thought. The name "Kid" most easily reminded him of Kaitou Kid.
If it's Kaitou Kidd, what does that have to do with him?
At this time, Dr. Ali on the side also opened his mouth and asked what to do next.
Kudo Shinichi told him the destination requested by the other party, and at the same time, he analyzed in his mind the clues that Mouri Kogoro investigated at the airport not long ago.
According to the surveillance footage investigated by Kogoro Mori at Heathrow Airport, shortly after Xiaolan entered the women's restroom, a person dressed as an airport cleaner also entered the women's restroom.
When the cleaner came out again, he already had a big garbage bag at hand.
Obviously, the bag contained Maolilan.
The police are currently investigating the identity of the airport cleaner, but have yet to find any useful clues.
However, this also further supported his previous guess.
The person who could carry out such a precise kidnapping operation against Xiaolan meant that he was someone who already knew the time of Maori and his daughter's return today.
The return tickets were all provided by the rich woman named Diana Kingston, so it was natural to know their whereabouts.
It's just that Kudo Shinichi didn't tell Mouri Kogoro about this speculation in his mind, let alone let the police investigate.
After all, Mao Lilan is still in the opponent's hands now, so he can't alert the enemy.
In this way, the two people's car continued to drive south in Wiltshire.
…
On the other side, under the guidance of the navigator, Qin Zhibo drove the car to Salisbury in southern Wiltshire.
This is a small town with a medieval style. Almost all the buildings in the city are in medieval style. It is a typical tourist city.
Among the medieval buildings in the center of the city stands the tallest Catholic church in England.
As soon as Qin Zhibo's car drove into the town, volunteers on the roadside knocked on the car window and motioned for him to lower the window.
When Qin Zhibo lowered the window, the other party smiled and handed over a leaflet.
He took it and looked at it and found that it was a travel brochure.
The leaflet is an introduction to various tourist destinations and attractions in Salisbury, including Salisbury Cathedral, Isle of Wight, Wylie River...
and the world-famous Stonehenge.
"Are you here for sightseeing?" the volunteer asked.
In order to avoid unnecessary complications, Qin Zhibo also smiled and nodded: "Yes..."
"Then where are you going?"
Qin Zhibo took a look at the travel flyer and pointed at the location that occupied the most space on the flyer.
"Stonehenge."
"Oh~" the volunteer agreed, "Of course, the most famous thing here is Stonehenge~"
"But it takes about 20 minutes to drive further north to get to Stonehenge..."
Qin Zhibo nodded, "Yes, but I want to have a meal here first and take a look around the city."
"No problem at all."
"But there are more people sightseeing in the city now. I suggest you park your car outside first. It will be more convenient to move around the city."
At the suggestion of volunteers, Qin Zhibo parked his car in a parking lot outside the city.
The two walked into the city and soon found a restaurant on a street close to the entrance of the city.
They each ordered some food.
While waiting for the food to be served, Qin Zhibo stared out the window.
Compared with the hustle and bustle caused by the arrival of Gheros in the outside world, this small tourist city seems to have been unaffected.
Tourists walked around the streets with great interest, as if they were isolated from the rest of the world.
I guess now in London, people have started to rush to buy supplies because of the doomsday theories on the Internet, right?
Qin Zhibo had something in his mind, and he thought about it repeatedly. Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure walking on the street.
That is……
Qin Zhibo's pupils suddenly shrank, because that was Conan.
Strictly speaking, it is the enlarged Conan, that is, Kudo Shinichi, wearing a white peaked cap.
Kuroba Kaito, who was sitting across the table, noticed Qin Zhibo's slightly open mouth and surprised eyes, and looked over there as well.
"Huh? That's not..."
At this moment, Kudo Shinichi outside the window was observing the surroundings vigilantly, and his eyes were about to turn to the window of this restaurant.
Qin Zhibo and Kuroba Kaito, who were immediately alert, couldn't help but retract their heads under the window sill in synchronization.
When Kudo Shinichi's eyes passed by the window of the restaurant, he did not see the two of them.
When Qin Zhibo raised his head to test outside again, Kudo Shinichi outside had already continued walking towards the city.
"Why is he here?"
Kuroba Kaito also popped up at this time and said in surprise: "I heard that girl named 'Mao Lilan' say that they will take the flight back to Japan at noon today..."
Qin Zhibo looked at Kudou Shinichi's retreating figure and guessed that this boy was definitely not here for sightseeing.
From the cautious look in his eyes, it seemed that he had encountered some kind of trouble and even took a temporary antidote...
What is going on?
Qin Zhibo thought for a while, and it was definitely unrealistic to ask Conan to find out the situation in his own capacity.
Fortunately, there happened to be a person sitting across from me who would not feel out of place even if he appeared here.
Thinking in his mind, Qin Zhibo cast a meaningful look at Kuroba Kaito across the table.
…
On the streets of Salisbury, Kudo Shinichi was walking forward with a serious expression.
Unlike the relaxed-looking tourists around him, he was directed here because of a phone call from the kidnapper, so he naturally had no smile on his face.
However, since the kidnappers had not yet made a call, Kudo Shinichi suggested to Dr. Ari that he should go into the city and explore the city, and maybe he could directly find the location where Xiaolan was being held.
As Kudo Shin walked, he scanned the surrounding street scene, hoping to find some clues.
However, just as he was concentrating on exploring forward, a palm slowly came from behind him.
Snapped.
The palm of his hand patted his shoulder gently, causing Kudo Shinichi to shrink his shoulders in fright.
Dead memories are attacking the back of my head.
He quickly looked back, only to see another version of himself greeting him with a smile.
"Hi~"
"...Hey, you are so good!"
Kudo Shinichi shouted.
He realized that the boy in front of him was Kuroba Kaito who had escaped from him before!
Regarding Kudou Shinichi's overreaction, Kuroba Kaito did not respond, and still asked with a smile: "Why are you here? And you have changed into your original appearance..."
Kuroba Kaito quickly looked at the "himself" in front of him.
I have to say that I am indeed very similar to Kudo Shinichi, they are almost carved from the same mold.
With this level of similarity, it's not like my parents were hiding the fact that I have a twin...
"I……"
Kudo Shinichi was about to subconsciously tell him the purpose of coming here, but he immediately reacted and asked: "I'm the one who wants to ask you, why are you here?"
"Travel~" Kuroba Kaito answered without thinking.
"Only a ghost can believe it!"
Ever since Kuroba Kaito thought of using the two of them to have the same appearance to exchange passports, Kudo Shinichi no longer dared to look down on the young man in front of him who was about the same age as himself.
In addition, he is still unable to determine the opponent's position, so he naturally has to adopt a cautious attitude.
However, Kuroba Kaito directly put his arm around Kudo Shinichi's shoulders familiarly and asked again: "I have told you the reason why I came here, it's time for you to tell me your reason too, right?"
"If I remember correctly, you should be on the plane back to Japan now, right?"
Kudo Shinichi took away Kuroba Kaito's hand on his shoulder with a look of disgust, and said angrily: "The flight is grounded, we can't leave for the time being..."
"Grounded?"
Kuroba Kaito was stunned for a moment, but then he thought that it might be due to the influence of Gherroth.
"Then what are you doing here by yourself, and where are the other people with you?"
"Where's that 'Sister Xiaolan'?"
Kuroba Kaito deliberately imitated Conan's tone and said the four words "Sora-chan".
Upon hearing this title, Kudo Shinichi's pupils immediately trembled.
He lowered his head and decided to put down his negligible dignity.
"Xiaolan was kidnapped. I came to this city under the instructions of the kidnapper..."
"Since you came earlier, do you know what's going on here?"
"Even the smallest abnormality can..."
What Kudo Shinichi lacks most now is information. If he blindly follows the kidnapper's instructions, he will only be led by the nose.
For this reason, he did not hesitate to bow to his "opponent" just to save Xiaolan.
Hearing that Xiaolan had been kidnapped, Kuroba Kaito also suppressed the ungrateful smile on his face.
After getting along with her that day, he had a pretty good impression of Xiaolan, especially her appearance, which was very similar to Qingzi, which made him a little worried.
"Kidnapped?"
"When did this happen?" Kuroba Kaito asked.
Kudo Shinichi did not answer immediately, but glanced around first.
"There are a lot of people here, let's go back to the car and talk..."
"Go back to the car..."
Kuroba Kaito groaned, thinking that he just came here to ask what happened at Qin Zhibo's request.
And the matter of recovering Crimson Tears is also very urgent for them.
"Wait a minute, I'll make a call and ask."
Kuroba Kaito decided to ask first, and then decide whether to help or not.