Ke Xue: Shinichi and I are childhood friends.

Chapter 1325, First Victim

Sera Masumi glanced at Akai Shuichi but didn't stop him, continuing to answer Conan's question: "I also have some issues on my end."

Sera Mary hid behind a pillar, watching the three people talking, hesitated for a moment but still did not come out.

Although both sides were aware of each other's existence, they did not make it public.

Most importantly, Sera Marie felt somewhat ashamed after being tricked while stealing medicine last time.

A top-notch MI6 agent was outsmarted by two high school detectives—no, now it's one high school detective and one elementary school student.

Even if we're going to have a face-to-face conversation, we'll have to wait until we've gotten our revenge.

Moreover, for some reason, that man gave me a very familiar feeling.

Thinking of this, Sera Mary sent a message to her daughter, telling her not to worry about her and to leave first.

Sera Masumi glanced at the message, and Conan's voice rang in her ears: "Sera-neechan, is the person you're looking for Mr. John?"

Sera Masumi paused for a moment, then gave a helpless smile: "As expected of you, your insight is truly extraordinary. That's right, I am looking for Mr. John."

Conan immediately replied, "We know where Mr. John is! Follow me!" and turned to run.

"Huh?" Sera Masumi was taken aback. "Conan, come ride on my motorcycle!"

"No need," Conan shouted without turning his head, "We have a car!"

Sera Masumi was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Yuya, knowing that Yuya also owned a sports car.

Yu smiled and asked, "Are you going to ride in my car, or will you ride your own motorcycle?"

Sera Masumi hesitated for a moment. She wanted to leave the motorcycle to her mother, but then she thought it would be too conspicuous for a child to ride a motorcycle on the street, so she decided to ride it herself.

She said casually, "I'll just ride my own bike."

Yu nodded to indicate that he understood, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally sweeping over the pillar not far away: "Let's have a formal meeting next time."

Sera Masumi was startled and subconsciously turned around to look.

Sera Mary, hiding in the shadows, was startled—had she been discovered? What keen insight!

Yu didn't say anything more and quickly got back into the car.

A little while later, Sera Masumi also came out on her motorcycle.

A sports car and a motorcycle tracked after the transmitter.

On the way, Conan asked Sera Masumi how she found the warehouse.

Sera Masumi replied, "I saw it in the hospital lobby. Someone was driving a luggage cart, casually walking through the panicked crowd, and then disappeared."

Conan quickly asked, "Did you see what the driver looked like?"

Sera Masumi shook her head, her voice tinged with annoyance: "He was driving too fast, and I was jostled around by the crowd, so I didn't get a good look at him. But judging from his build, he was probably male."

Conan pondered, "Is the culprit male?"

Yuya remained expressionless and listened attentively, knowing that the person Sera Masumi saw must be Inoue Osamu.

Shiho Miyano drove intently; she was now a ruthless driver, leaving the case-solving to the two detectives.

Just then, Ran Mouri's voice suddenly rang out: "It's right there! The transmitter is very close to you!"

Shiho Miyano quickly braked and stopped the car on the side of the road, and Masumi Sera also braked suddenly to a stop.

"What's wrong?" she asked, turning her head.

Yuya replied, "Mr. John's signal is nearby."

"Really?" Sera Masumi was overjoyed. She thought it would take a while to track them down, but she found them so quickly.

Yu also spoke up: "Judging from the previous two kidnapping cases, the perpetrators' purpose was not to harm people. This time, they should have left the person in a place where it would be easy to find."

Conan quickly said, "Then I'll call Mr. John's cell phone and see."

Sera Masumi looked at Conan in surprise: "How did you know his phone number? By the way, do kidnapped people still turn on their phones?"

Without looking up, Conan replied, "Of course, if my reasoning is correct..."

The call connected, and the group fell silent, listening intently to the sounds around them.

Sure enough, a cell phone rang faintly.

Sera Masumi exclaimed with delight, "There's a sound!" She looked around, "Where?"

Conan was also closing his eyes and carefully examining the object.

Yuuya pointed to the overpass: "There it is!"

The three of them quickly ran up the overpass and found John Freud at the edge of a flower bed.

"This, this is?" Sera Masumi was stunned.

Conan also looked completely stunned.

Yuya's expression was subtle.

John Freud looked rather pathetic. His face was covered in bruises, especially his black eyes. His clothes were tattered, and there wasn't a single unscathed spot on his body. It looked as if he had been beaten up by a dozen people.

Conan quickly stepped forward and checked John's breathing, then breathed a sigh of relief: "He's not dead, but..." He paused, "...he looks like he got a good beating."

Sera Masumi's lips twitched slightly: "Does he have a deep grudge against the criminal? How could he be so ruthless?"

Having been a detective for so long, this was the first time she had ever seen a hostage being treated so cruelly.

As the three remained silent, John Freud groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

Upon seeing Yuya and the others, he immediately burst into tears: "You...you came to rescue me? That's wonderful! That kidnapper was inhuman..."

Seeing a grown man suddenly start crying, Yuya and the other two had very strange expressions—what on earth had happened to him?

···

It took some time to finally calm John down.

Yuya asked, "Mr. John, do you remember what happened when you were kidnapped?"

John, sporting panda eyes and eyelids so swollen he could barely open them, opened his mouth, revealing a few missing teeth, and mumbled, "At that moment, white smoke suddenly appeared all around..."

John's experience was similar to Yuya's; he was suffocated and lost consciousness due to oxygen deprivation caused by vaporized liquid helium.

However, he woke up once during the process.

He must have been in the car at the time, and besides the driver, there was another person next to him.

"Is he a criminal?" Sera Masumi asked anxiously.

John strained to open his eyes and shook his head: "I don't know."

"Male or female?"

He shook his head again: "I don't know."

John knew nothing about the details of the kidnapping.

Conan pondered for a moment and said, "Just like the previous two kidnapping cases, the victims were completely unaware of the details."

Was it genuine ignorance, or was there some reason for choosing to conceal it?

If it weren't for the fact that a kidnapping actually happened and the hostage was found, one would have to wonder if it was all a dream.

A while later, an ambulance arrived and took John Freud to the hospital.

Just then, Ran Mouri called to say that she, her father, and the children were getting ready to take the Shinkansen back home.

"Huh? The maglev train isn't running anymore?" Conan asked in surprise.

Ran Mouri replied, "No, they said the train will depart from the station to coincide with the opening ceremony, but it won't be carrying passengers."

Conan was even more puzzled. If there were no passengers, was there any need to start the journey?

However, considering it was in conjunction with the WSG opening ceremony, I felt relieved.

"By the way, Conan," Ran Mouri lowered her voice, "I just heard from the staff that President Ran is missing!"

"what?"

Yuya stroked her chin and said, "Mr. John just said there was another person in the car..."

Conan and Sera Masumi exchanged a glance: "Could that person be President Ran?!"

A fourth victim has emerged in this kidnapping case?!