Gin and Vodka didn't recognize Conan.
The APTX4869 that Gin gave to Kudo Shinichi before was a drug Sherry was working on. Gin thought it was just a poison, not knowing it had side effects that made people shrink.
So when Conan gave the desperate look of someone who thought they'd been found out and was about to die (and possibly drag their classmates into it), Gin didn't make any connection between this kid and Kudo Shinichi.
Gin just waved him off casually, shooing him away before walking down the corridor to find an empty seat.
Conan froze for a second, realizing what just happened. He glanced nervously at where Gin and Vodka had settled. From their reactions, it seemed like the people in black had no idea about the side effects of the drug, and they still didn't know that Kudo Shinichi was alive.
Thinking quickly, Conan's mind started running wild.
What if... he could sneak in and steal some of the poison from the people in black? Then he could give it to Dr. Agasa to research the antidote, and maybe, just maybe, he could restore Kudo Shinichi's true identity. That way, he could expose the black-clad organization and take them all down.
While Conan was lost in his thoughts, Jiangxia casually glanced at his arms.
Miyano Akemi's Q-version ghost, who had been lounging on his head, suddenly wore an expression of sheer horror. With a jolt, a wave of eerie energy rolled off her, and she tried to hide herself inside Jiangxia's clothes.
Almost at the same time, Jiangxia caught a glimpse of Xiaobai's eyes lighting up. The little devil rubbed his hands together eagerly.
Jiangxia sighed. Alright, I know exactly who's here now.
He was seated with his back to where Gin and Vodka were sitting, so they couldn't see him. He nodded subtly to Xiaobai, who slipped out in response.
A few minutes later, Xiaobai returned with a few strands of killing intent.
Jiangxia gave him a quick look. "Hmm... seems like you grabbed a bit more than usual."
Overflowing murderous intent? he thought, Who is Gin planning to kill today?
Jiangxia connected the dots: Gin + Shinkansen. After thinking it through, a terrible premonition struck him.
As the two classmates chatted away, Jiangxia subtly collected the stolen killing intent while they weren't paying attention. Then, his gaze shifted to Xiaobai, who was now floating towards Gin and Vodka, and slipped his head into the briefcase that Gin was holding.
Inside the bag, Jiangxia saw a bunch of complicated circuits, alongside a dynamite detonator.
"...Well, well, the Shinkansen is getting blown up so early today. Just another day in the life of the man who'll eventually shoot down the Tokyo Tower."
After taking a peek at the contents, Jiangxia instructed the ghost to climb back out of the briefcase. Before returning to his seat, he pulled at the murderous aura attached to Gin.
He found himself unable to tear it off.
Looks like Xiaobai's methods are pretty effective. The ones who could be "smashed" are already gone, so I guess I can relax about that for now.
Finally, Jiangxia managed to pry away the murderous aura and withdrew his sight, pulling the ghost back. He then briefly thought about how Gin planned to blow up the Shinkansen.
Apparently, there was a transaction happening on this train—according to the deal, Gin was supposed to provide the other party with some intel, and in return, the other party would give him 400 million yen.
But, of course, the "intel" was actually just a briefcase packed with a bomb powerful enough to take out an entire train car.
Gin wanted the 400 million, and he also wanted the life of his trade partner.
Jiangxia quickly assessed the bomb's weight. If it went off, he calculated, it would definitely kill several people on the spot, with more dying later.
That's a lot of ghosts to handle.
However, mass casualties are only profitable for the strong. A regular medium, when faced with such a disaster, would be thinking of running, not collecting ghosts. Ghosts are greedy for the medium's support, so weaker psychics will find it difficult to deal with them. It's like when too many slaves revolt; the psychic becomes the prey.
After estimating the aftermath of the explosion, Jiangxia also considered his own abilities as a ghost hunter.
Forget it, he sighed internally. Strength comes with time.
He glanced out the window, propping up his head, and settled on a course of action.
Plan A: The bomb must not go off on the Shinkansen.
Plan B: A much sloppier option—if the bomb can't be stopped, at least don't stick around when it blows.
After some quick comparison, he concluded that Plan A would be easier and less risky. If he wanted to avoid a ghost-filled mess, running a few kilometers wouldn't do. Plus, there were three of his classmates on the train, each one a magnet for trouble, so he didn't want to just leave them behind.
As for defusing the bomb, there are a lot of ways to deal with it, but Jiangxia quickly ruled out trying to defuse it himself.
There's only so much you can do when it comes to bomb disposal. It's not all about "cutting the wire." In most cases, bomb disposal means removing the bomb from the site and letting it explode somewhere else.
After inspecting the briefcase, it was clear that Gin's bomb wasn't the type to be easily disarmed.
Too much tech on this one—definitely a no-go for defusing.
Better to throw it away entirely.
The trick would be how to dispose of it without getting caught.
The objective of the transaction was the target Gin wanted to kill. If he tried anything fishy, the organization would mark him as a traitor.
Jiangxia had a simple solution: Let the enthusiastic Anonymous handle the bomb disposal in the most high-profile way possible. That way, if the organization investigated, they would go after Anonymous first, leaving the rest of the passengers (including Jiangxia) alone.
As Gin and Vodka looked at their watches and got up to go to the dining car to finalize the deal, Conan quietly followed them, hoping to eavesdrop on the transaction.
However, Ran spotted Conan's sneaky move and quickly escorted the "bear child" back to his seat.
As they walked, Conan tried to resist, but his strength was no match for Ran, so he could only leave a bug wrapped in chewing gum near the seat Gin and Vodka had just vacated.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 23/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS*
Glossary:
Xiaobai: A mischievous ghost companion who helps Jiangxia.
Murderous aura: The lingering presence of death or malevolent energy, often associated with spirits or intense emotions.
Shinkansen: The famous high-speed bullet train in Japan.
Bear child: A playful or mischievous child, often a term of endearment.