Conan: Ran turns into an elementary school student and calls me dad.

Chapter 84 Akai Shuichi’s warning

"Yes, if Akai hadn't exposed his identity back then, he might have already penetrated deep into the organization and uncovered more core information." Jodie's tone also turned somber, filled with regret.

"But it's too late to say anything now."

James changed the subject, his tone now tinged with doubt.

"By the way, Akai contacted me a couple of days ago. After learning that you had secretly gone undercover by going to Hayashi Shuichi's side, he specifically asked me to remind you."

"What are you reminding me of?"

Upon hearing this, Judy's eyes lit up, and she involuntarily leaned forward, eagerly asking further questions.

"That man is... You'd better be careful not to get yourself into trouble."

James spoke slowly, his tone tinged with uncertainty, as if he hadn't quite grasped Shuichi Akai's true intentions.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that?"

Judy's face was full of confusion, her brows furrowed tightly.

"'That man is very...' What comes after that? Did you leave it unfinished?"

"Hehe, I don't know either."

James gave a wry smile, his voice filled with even more helplessness.

"I thought I misheard at the time, and I even asked Akai about it, but that guy just remained silent and refused to explain. No matter how I asked, he wouldn't say a word."

"I reckon Akai probably meant to use words like 'dangerous' or 'ruthless,' right?" James's tone turned serious. "Anyway, be careful in everything you do, and don't underestimate that Hayashi Shuichi!"

"A person who, as an Asian, amassed a huge fortune in America in just a few years and managed to get involved with a woman like Sharon Vineyard, is definitely not as simple as he seems on the surface. He's certainly not someone to be trifled with!"

"Don't worry, James, I know what I'm doing," Judy replied solemnly. After hanging up the phone, she sat on the sofa, lost in thought, the words James had conveyed echoing in her mind.

"That man is very..."

What was the word that Shuichi didn't say?

When Jodie was investigating Hideichi Akai within the FBI, she discovered that whenever someone mentioned Hideichi Akai's name, Akai's brow would immediately furrow.

At the time, she thought it was because Hayashi Shuichi was Sharon's lover that Akai Shuichi hated Hayashi Shuichi so much.

But now, hearing this vague reminder, coupled with the warning to "be careful not to get caught in your own trap," a bold guess suddenly arose in Judy's mind:

Did Shuichi Akai know Shuichi Hayashi before?

After all, she had already gathered comprehensive information about Lin Xiuyi from the FBI.

If Shuichi Akai only wanted to remind her of information from the intelligence report, she would already know that, and there would be no need for her to go to such lengths.

Moreover, even though it was a well-intentioned reminder, they deliberately refused to explain it clearly. What secrets are hidden behind this?

Judy pondered for a long time but still had no clue. She could only suppress her doubts for the time being, get up and walk quickly to the bedroom.

She quickly took off her loose bathrobe, changed into a smart black casual outfit, grabbed her car keys and phone, and hurriedly drove to the Baijing Shopping Mall.

……

"Boss."

When Judy drove up to the Shirai Department Store and parked her car, she immediately sensed the tense atmosphere of the scene.

She pushed open the car door and got out, her eyes quickly scanning the scene:

Lin Xiuyi stood in the center of the crowd, holding Xiaolan's hand, surrounded by a circle of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Every detective looked at Lin Xiuyi as if they wanted to devour him alive.

Upon seeing Judy arrive, Lin Xiu lowered her head and smiled gently at Xiao Lan, then looked up at Inspector Megure and asked with a forced smile,

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my daughter home first. She has to get up early for school tomorrow and can't stay up late."

"Furthermore, if Officer Sato feels that what happened today constitutes harassment, he can contact my lawyer at any time. You should have all seen her in the Metropolitan Police Department case last time."

After saying that, seeing that Inspector Megure still had a livid face and didn't answer, he stopped and took Ran's hand, walking straight towards Jodie's car.

Although the surrounding detectives were filled with resentment, without Inspector Megure's orders, they could only suppress their anger and step aside to make way for him, watching helplessly as Lin Xiuyi left with Xiaolan.

After getting into the car, Judy started the engine and glanced at Lin Xiuyi, whose face was gloomy, in the rearview mirror, cautiously probing.

"Boss, has something happened?"

Judy asked two more questions, but Lin Xiuyi remained silent with a dark expression.

Seeing this, Xiaolan had no choice but to lower her voice and tell Judy everything about her experience in the shopping mall that night, as well as the woman who impersonated Officer Sato and kissed Lin Xiuyi.

"What? Miss Lan, you mean, a woman skilled in disguise suddenly appeared, impersonating Officer Sato, and even kissed the boss?"

Judy's face showed surprise, but her fingers on the steering wheel tightened unconsciously, and her heart was already in turmoil.

Of all the information she knew, the only person who was proficient in disguise and had a close relationship with Lin Xiuyi was Sharon Vineyard!

Could the person impersonating Officer Sato be Sharon?

The witch who was supposed to "die" actually didn't die, and even secretly ran away to Japan to see her old lover!

Damn it! If I had known this would happen, I should have canceled everything tonight and gone with Lin Xiuyi to the Metropolitan Police Department's social event!

We might even be able to catch Sharon on the spot!

Judy inwardly blamed herself for her negligence. She glanced at the rearview mirror again, intending to ask Lin Xiuyi a few more questions to see if she could get any clues about Sharon from him.

But upon seeing Lin Xiuyi's gloomy face, which was so dark it seemed to drip water, the question that was already on the tip of his tongue was immediately swallowed back.

This boss has such a terrifying aura when she's angry; she wouldn't dare mess with her at that moment.

Throughout the journey, a heavy silence filled the carriage.

Lin Xiuyi leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, his face still gloomy. His unease stemmed not only from Chris's resolute departure but also from Xiaolan's situation.

When he first saw Ran shrink, he immediately assumed that Vermouth had done this to get revenge on him.

But his time with Chris tonight made him completely certain that Lan's shrinking had nothing to do with Vermouth.

Moreover, Xiaolan herself said that on the day she shrank, she was just going home from school as usual. She didn't encounter any strange people or come into contact with anything unfamiliar on the way.

This means that it is highly likely that Ran's shrinking is completely unrelated to the Black Organization.

He breathed a sigh of relief upon figuring this out, at least Xiaolan wasn't being targeted by the Black Organization.

But a new problem arises: how can Xiaolan be restored to her original state?

If it was caused by the Black Organization's APTX-4869, we can wait for Shiho Miyano to develop an antidote later.

But if it has nothing to do with the Black Organization, will Shiho Miyano's antidote still be effective?

Moreover, because of his interference, Shinichi Kudo did not become Conan.

As for Shiho Miyano, she probably still doesn't know the true effects of APTX-4869, let alone research an antidote.

In this way, the Black Organization can no longer be relied upon to turn Xiaolan back to her seventeen-year-old appearance.