Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

They were either squatting on the ground or lying helplessly on the ground.

Without exception, their eyes had lost their natural light, and their faces were etched with deep tear tracks.

Some children were sobbing softly, but even so, they dared not cry out loud.

Everyone's expression was different, but without exception, they were all filled with fear and despair.

In a corner inside the cage, three children were huddled together, talking in hushed tones.

Unlike other children, they seemed quite calm even in this state.

"Genta, Mitsuhiko, it's all my fault... If I hadn't suggested going to Conan yesterday morning to persuade him to join the Detective Boys, we wouldn't have been captured by these bad guys and ended up here. I'm sorry!"

"It's okay, Ayumi. We agreed with your suggestion back then. It's all these bad people's fault!"

"That's right!"

The three are Conan's current classmates: Ayumi Yoshida, Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, and Genta Kojima, all from Class 1-B of elementary school.

Recently, a new student named Conan Edogawa transferred to their class.

Although he never paid attention in class, he could always answer the teacher's questions correctly, which made him a very smart child.

The only drawback is that he never interacts with any of his classmates and usually stays by himself.

Having observed this, the three decided to have him join the Junior Detective Club they had founded.

This way, Conan can solve the problem of not having any friends, and the number of people in the Detective Boys can also be increased. It's a win-win situation!

Therefore, yesterday morning, at Ayumi's suggestion, the three of them asked their teacher for Conan's address and went to the Mouri Detective Agency together.

But when they arrived at the agency, they didn't see Conan, but instead saw a scruffy-bearded middle-aged man drinking beer in broad daylight.

After asking, I learned that Conan apparently went to the home of someone named Professor Agasa.

After getting the address from the uncle, the three of them set off again for Beikacho 2-chome.

When the three of them walked into an alley, they were suddenly grabbed by three strange men and put into a car. When they opened their eyes again, they were already here.

……

Mitsuhiko carefully observed his surroundings, then analyzed, "Those bad guys usually don't come to this warehouse except to deliver food. As long as we can find a way to escape this cage..."

"You think we don't know?!"

He was interrupted halfway through his sentence by a boy nearby.

The boy, who was clearly older than the three, met Mitsuhiko's gaze and shook his head: "You guys were just brought here last night, weren't you..."

"I've been locked up here for four days. Everyone who's been imprisoned here has thought about escaping. But..."

At this point, the boy's eyes were filled with despair, but he still gasped for breath as he said, "The day before yesterday, three people tried to steal the keys and escape while they were delivering food."

"The three of them, right before our eyes, were... killed by those bad guys..."

"To show them the consequences of running away... several of them had their arms and legs broken..."

At this point, the boy seemed to recall the scene, and his whole body trembled involuntarily as he knelt on the ground.

Although he didn't finish recounting the fate of the previous three, Mitsuhiko and the other two, seeing his terrified expression and glancing at the five lifeless figures lying on the ground not far away, vaguely understood something.

No wonder, even though there was no one in the warehouse, everyone just stayed where they were and didn't run away.

No wonder, despite feeling desperate and terrified, everyone only dared to sob quietly in place.

Upon hearing this news, Mitsuhiko and the other two collapsed to the ground, their eyes gradually losing their light.

A moment later, Mitsuhiko gritted his teeth and asked the boy on the ground, "Then... what will happen to us?"

"They once talked about how our organs are very valuable."

"..."

Just then, the warehouse door was opened. Although the noise was not loud, it clearly startled all the children in the cage.

The children who could still move were terrified and either walked or crawled backward until they reached the very edge of the cage.

"Hahaha, you little devils! Soon you'll all be sold! Until then, you'd better cherish your bodies!"

"After all, you are valuable goods!"

……

"Bang! Bang!"

Just as the children were in despair, two crisp knocking sounds reached their ears.

At this moment, the warehouse door was completely opened.

A strange man wearing a black cat mask appeared before the children.

Mitsuhiko and the other two squinted at the warehouse door and whispered, "...Black Cat?"

-

"Xiao Jia, besides these two people and the children in the cage ahead, are there any other survivors nearby?"

No life forms other than those marked could be detected.

"Okay, has the blast radius been calculated?"

[Calculation complete. Would you like to view the forecast results now?]

"Need not."

"By the way, have you recorded their voiceprints?"

[Recorded and ready to be accessed at any time.]

After talking with Xiao Jia, Long Ye nodded and bent down to tie up the two men he had just knocked down.

After finishing everything, Longye looked at the cage in the warehouse.

Inside the cage, the children's eyes had long since lost all emotion; all that remained was numbness and despair.

The children lying on the ground had their limbs in an uncoordinated position, suggesting they had been broken...

"..."

He had just sighed when he suddenly noticed that three children were looking at him in a way that seemed different from what he was used to.

"Huh? Aren't they...the three from the Detective Boys!? Why are they here? Does that mean Conan is here too..."

Ryūno originally thought Conan was here, but after looking around, he did not find Conan's familiar figure.

He immediately realized that Conan hadn't joined the Detective Boys yet; otherwise, Conan definitely wouldn't be absent from this kind of incident.

Thinking of this, Longye nodded and casually threw a hypnotic gas into the cage.

"Don't worry, you're safe now. Go to sleep."

With the masked man's calm voice, all the children fell asleep.

"Next, all we need to do is secretly send these children to the hospital, and then..."

The thought of the people who would soon gather here to make a deal sent a glint of violent energy through Longye's body.

"Let me have some fun with you tonight!"

"..."

Just then, the phone on one of the tied-up men rang.

After changing his voice, Longye answered the phone.

"Yes, don't worry, there are no problems with the goods!"

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Longye revealed a strange smile.

Chapter 55 The Prelude to the Devil (The End)

……

Metropolitan Police Department

First Investigation Division

An officer who had just hung up the phone immediately ran to Inspector Megure and reported loudly, "Inspector! I received a call from Beika Hospital. Just now, more than thirty unconscious children suddenly appeared at the hospital entrance! The hospital is already treating those children."

"Nani?!"

Upon hearing this news, Inspector Megure immediately stood up and said excitedly, "Quick! Call Officer Sato; they're patrolling nearby. Tell them to go to Beika Hospital immediately and confirm the children's identities!"

"Hi!"

After giving instructions to the officers, Inspector Megure glanced down at the densely packed documents and files on the table, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

In just one week, they have received dozens of cases of missing children.

This is no longer a simple case; it is clearly the evil hand of a huge criminal organization!

This matter immediately attracted the attention of the Metropolitan Police Department's top brass, and the entire department was mobilized as a result.

They haven't been home for days and haven't had a proper rest.

Even so, they only caught a dozen or so kidnappers, failing to find the children or even figure out the connections between them.

Now, countless eyes are watching them.

Every so often, the chances of finding those missing children decrease, and even... the chances of those children surviving also decrease significantly.

If they fail to solve the case, in addition to the condemnation of their conscience, they will inevitably face attacks from public opinion.

If things continue like this, Inspector Megure will inevitably have no choice but to resign, or even worse...

Therefore, he now desperately hopes that the children appearing at the hospital entrance are the kidnapped children.

At least, this means those children are still alive!

Just then, the phone on his desk rang. He jumped up and immediately answered it.

"Moshi moshi, this is Megure... Gunshots? Explosion? What!? I understand!"

After hanging up the phone, Inspector Megure hurriedly grabbed his coat and prepared to gather his men and head to Beika Wharf.

……