Cold. Weak.
It felt like pulling an all-nighter watching detective dramas followed immediately by running 10 kilometres.
Conan groggily opened his eyes to see an entirely unfamiliar ceiling.
Wait, unfamiliar ceiling?
Conan's sluggish brain was doused with ice water - instantly sobering him up.
He remembered now.
While investigating the corpse of the deceased diplomat, he was attacked by a strange woman and drugged into unconsciousness.
The crucial point was that Inspector Megure, whom he trusted and considered a close friend, Uncle Kogoro Mouri who disliked him but wasn't a bad person, and most importantly, his childhood friend Ran Mouri - all witnessed him being drugged right before their eyes.
Remembering that scene sent a sharp pain through Conan's heart, waves of anger surging uncontrollably.
How could people he trusted so deeply, people he considered dear friends, just stand by and watch him being taken away?
Conan instinctively tried to sit up, but found his body completely weak, likely from prolonged anaesthesia. He could only move his eyes while his body remained paralysed.
'Calm down, calm down. The more critical the moment, the more composure I need.'
Conan took several deep breaths before finally subduing his anger and beginning to think rationally.
'Though it's still hard to believe, the fact remains that they drugged and took me right under Inspector Megure's nose. This at least proves they must have some connection to the Metropolitan Police Department, possibly even high-ranking officials.'
'If that's the case, then Ran's lack of reaction when I was taken makes sense.'
Though Conan knew he hadn't told Ran Mouri he was actually Shinichi Kudo, he was certain someone with Ran's personality would never allow a child to be abducted.
Therefore...
'Did Uncle Mouri convince Ran?'
'And Uncle Mouri did this because... my identity was exposed?'
'No, unless I'd experienced it myself, I wouldn't believe a drug could turn a high schooler into a child either.'
'Assuming that wasn't discovered... no, it must have been. At least the Metropolitan Police Department suspects my identity...'
At this moment, Conan thought of a key figure.
The man who had stood beside Inspector Megure just before he was drugged.
Luo Shu, a high-ranking official at the Metropolitan Police Department.
The man belonged to a secret division - comparable to an agent like 007.
While his actions might have escaped Uncle Mouri and Juzo Megure's notice, slipping past Luo Shu was far less likely.
Most likely, he'd exposed something that drew Luo Shu's attention, leading to his capture.
"So was it Shinichi Kudo's identity being exposed, or did I display something suspicious?"
Thinking about suspicious behaviour, one incident came to mind - he'd apparently used Luo Shu's name to bypass Wataru Takagi's crime scene blockade when investigating the diplomat's murder.
At this realisation, Conan's face turned green.
While he couldn't be certain this was why Luo Shu captured him, he could guarantee it was at least crucial evidence.
Legally speaking, this action was entirely justifiable, too.
What kind of suicidal behaviour was it to impersonate a high-ranking police official and issue orders?
While immersed in solving the case, Conan hadn't realised. Only now, in danger, did he understand how reckless he'd been.
Even in court, this crime could land him several years in prison!
Oh, but he was a child now—a minor. In that case, his parents would be the ones arrested.
And if his true identity wasn't discovered, he'd be an illegal alien - meaning jail time followed by deportation from Japan...
Hiss...
The more Conan thought about it, the more certain he was that he was doomed. Panicking, he instinctively scratched his head, and it was then that he realised his body had regained mobility. Slow, but at least he could move.
He immediately scrambled up and surveyed his surroundings, discovering he was in some sort of sealed room where even the walls were indiscernible.
This discovery made Conan's heart skip a beat.
Wait a minute... Had he been captured by the Metropolitan Police Department's secret research division?
Which meant... his identity as Conan Edogawa had been exposed?
Had the Metropolitan Police Department investigated and discovered he was Shinichi Kudo, intending to research the secret of his reverse ageing?
The thought of being strapped to an examination table, as a cold experimental specimen, sent waves of terror through Conan.
Not this! Anything but this!!!
[It appears you've regained consciousness.]
A cold, stern male voice came from above.
Conan instinctively looked up, but beyond the glowing ceiling, he couldn't spot anything resembling a speaker.
His heart raced before he forced himself to calm down and asked:
"Who are you?"
The man seemed to pause briefly before replying:
[Conan Edogawa... no, I should address you as Shinichi Kudo.]
[The sole survivor of the Black Organisation's APTX-4869, enabling reverse ageing, as well as host to a high-ranking Abyss Artefact.]
[Heh. Your existence holds considerable research value.]
"Who are you? How do you know the name of the drug I took?" Conan's expression darkened as he shouted, though internally he was probing for information.
Was this the Metropolitan Police Department? Or those black-clad men who'd forced the drug on him? Or perhaps more directly, were the Metropolitan Police Department and those black-clad men working together?
Had he accidentally witnessed a transaction by the Metropolitan Police Department's secret division?
As Conan's mind raced, the man calmly changed the subject:
[I'm currently signing a contract.]
"What?" Conan couldn't follow the sudden shift but asked anyway: "What contract?"
[One permitting scientific institutions to conduct research on you.]
[Under my authorisation.]
Hearing this, Conan burned with anger and accused:
"By what right?"
"Treating people as lab animals on a whim - what do you take human lives for?"
[Haven't you realised yet?]
The voice carried a hint of impatience.
[I said, as your legal guardian, I'm authorising research on you, Shinichi.]
"What?" Conan froze, then suddenly recognised something familiar in that stern voice. It sounded like... his father, Yusaku Kudo.
"Dad?"
Conan was dumbfounded.
At that moment, a projection screen materialised before Conan.
Displayed on it was none other than Yusaku Kudo's face.
And beside him, Conan could see Yukiko Kudo barely containing her mischievous grin.
"Mum?"
Now Conan was completely lost.
As for Luo Shu nearby, or the unfamiliar women and infant, Conan might as well have been blind to them right now.
Because his brilliant mind had short-circuited.
It was then that Yusaku Kudo sighed and signed his name on a document filled with text:
"The contract is settled. From now on, Shinichi, you'll be cooperating with the research team at the base."
"Yes, all the researchers here are your uncles, aunts and older siblings. Make sure to work well with them."
"Shinichi, though I'm reluctant as your mother, since things have come to this, you should stay here properly. I'll visit you once a month."
Yukiko Kudo smiled while wiping away tears, her emotions exceptionally complex, perfectly displaying the professionalism of a former actress.
"You guys..." Conan stared dumbfounded as his parents seemed dead serious about having him studied like some lab specimen.
He sat frozen on the metal platform, questioning himself and others:
"Am I really their biological child?"