Conan: Begins to collaborate with Miss Bayonetta and become famous

Chapter 958 The Origin of the Key

The giant hand did not strike the most vulnerable part of the back of the head completely; instead, most of the force landed on the back of Baijiu's neck and the side of his head near his ear.

Even so, the terrifying force felt like being hit hard by an iron rod!

Baijiu felt an indescribable force strike him from the side. His vision went black instantly, his ears rang, and his head felt as if it had been hit by a battering ram, causing his body to tilt violently to the right uncontrollably!

The chains binding his wrists snapped taut instantly, emitting a piercing metallic scraping sound, and even the thick concrete pillar seemed to tremble slightly!

Before the violent shock and pain had subsided, a hot, fishy-smelling current in my chest could no longer be suppressed and rushed up to my throat!

"puff--!"

A mouthful of bright red blood spurted from his mouth, tracing a gruesome arc in the dim light, scattering in specks on the dusty ground in front of him, and staining his own chin and front of his shirt.

There seemed to be some smaller, deeper fragments mixed in with the blood.

Excruciating pain! Dizziness! Nausea!

Baijiu's body trembled violently from the heavy blow, his handcuffed hands spasming unconsciously, his knuckles turning white from being clenched.

His head was bowed, his blond hair disheveled and obscuring his face. Only his suppressed, painful, heavy breathing escaped from deep within his throat, sounding exceptionally clear in the silent factory.

Blood dripped down his chin, one drop, two drops, falling into the dust and spreading into a small patch of dark red.

"White liquor!!" Vermouth's scream was filled with shock and anger. She tried to struggle to get up, but the sharp pain in her ribs and the restraint of the golden handcuffs made it impossible for her to move.

Those eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins and boundless rage.

He stared intently at the giant who had attacked, then abruptly turned to the man in the suit in the shadows, his eyes seeming to want to tear him apart.

"Don't touch him." A familiar male voice came from behind the door.

The man was Rum, dressed in a black suit with a handsome, slicked-back hairstyle, looking as if he had just returned from a grand event.

“You’re not going to do anything about it.” Rum moved slowly, gradually approaching Vermouth, staring intently into Baijiu’s eyes: “You can’t hurt him.”

"Clang!" A metallic sound came from inside the room.

Rum abruptly changed the subject, coldly saying, "Doesn't this feel like a dream of Shanghai?"

“I remember Vermouth was like that back then, wasn’t she?” Rum smiled.

"Oh, by the way, do you remember that 'rabbit foot' device you took?" Rum crossed his arms and they chatted about the past like old friends reuniting.

"It also has a name," Rum deliberately only said half of it.

“Anti-God…” A little blood dripped from Baijiu’s mouth.

Rum didn't respond, but instead circled halfway around Vermouth: "They didn't tell you what was in the jar, did they?"

"But you're always so curious. Stealing the rabbit's foot is just a trivial task in your legendary life."

Rum stopped and stared into Baijiu's eyes: "It's been repeated time and time again. For every life he saves, he risks millions of lives."

"Then you kept increasing the stakes, until now, the fate of every life on Earth has become your responsibility."

"My liquor, I bet you're exhausted." Rum's smile faded. "Tell me, where did you hide the key?"

Baijiu didn't respond, but instead said rudely and coldly, "Release her."

“Then we’ll talk about the next step,” Baijiu added coldly.

"Don't waste any more time," Rum chuckled.

"Someone you cherish is going to die tonight, so what's the point of talking about someone you've never met, unless you obediently do as I say?"

"Baijiu, do you still remember?" Vermouth's eyes showed no fear of death.

He said firmly and calmly, "On the train, Rum himself said that he owns the key, and you only have one task."

"Get on the train, take the key, get off the train."

"How would the boss thank you if he knew you failed the mission?"

"You failed." Baijiu understood Vermouth's indirect implication.

“The intelligent entity has already abandoned you.” Baijiu laughed.

“Your team has been exposed, Baijiu.” Rum remained calm.

His face remained expressionless as he coldly walked towards the liquor store: "I know what Lao Hei is doing right now, and I'm well aware of your methods."

“If you go against me,” Rum said, gripping Baijiu’s neck, “you will only pay a terrible price.”

“But if you cooperate with me obediently…” Rum looked at Vermouth, “perhaps I can help you forcibly change the established timeline.”

"What are your conditions?" Baijiu asked.

“Go find a Russian submarine that suddenly disappeared on its maiden voyage,” Rum explained, vaguely recalling the day he spent in France.

The topics discussed by McClane, Old Black, and himself.

Rum's voice was naturally replaced by McCallum's.

"K559 Sevastopol is currently the most advanced submarine, and it cannot be detected by any sonar technology."

"The secret to its invisibility lies in that thing."

"Its name is Horseshoe."

"This is an anti-acoustic algorithm driver, installed in a sonar sphere in Sevastopol. In the winter of 2012, the Russians discovered an unidentified computer virus spreading within the Black Sea Fleet."

"This was all done by digital secret agents."

"We suspect this mysterious virus is simply a tool to sabotage horseshoes."

"To make submarines detectable by radar."

"However, it deceived the submarine officers and sank the ship."

"If we are right, what we're looking for, aside from what the intelligent entity uses, is its initial source code, which is inside the sonar sphere of the Sevastopol."

"It's somewhere deep in the ocean, sealed away in time."

"In places that even intelligent beings cannot reach."

"The horseshoe's external structure is specially designed to trigger a self-destruct mechanism if it is damaged, so you can open it intact."

"Then a special cross-shaped key will be needed."

"The key is in two pieces, one in the hands of the captain and the first officer of the Sevastopol."

"In the spring of 2012, local Inuit fishermen retrieved the two keys from the ice floes."