Chapter 43
Pisco Didn't Have Time to Say His Lines
Once the smoke had mostly dissipated, Jonah seized the opportunity and rushed from behind the door to where Ai Haibara had fallen, forcefully lifting her up.
Jonah had planned this from the very beginning: to escape with Ai Haibara through the back chimney, take advantage of the smoke to go down, and leave with Ai Haibara. If Gin and Vodka dared to chase after them, he would block the entrance of the chimney and give them a good beating!
Jonah moved quickly, using the stretch belt to tie Ai Haibara and himself together, with the other end wedged against the top of the chimney.
Sensing what Jonah was about to do, Gin and Vodka, though wary of Jonah's firepower, did not rush into the smoke to stop him. However, they still relied on their memories to fire at the location where Ai Haibara had fallen and the location of the chimney.
"Hmm!"
A bullet struck Jonah's bulletproof vest on the back, causing him to stagger. But the real pain came from the bullet that hit Jonah's thigh. Fortunately, the bullet was very powerful, and Jonah's body was too small, so it passed right through him and did not remain in his body.
Despite the pain, Jonah managed to drop down the chimney with Ai Haibara. The landing was a bit rough, but compared to their escape, the slight pain and injuries were nothing.
Jonah was having a headache about how to move Ai Haibara, who was growing to the same size as Conan Edogawa, when he discovered that Ai Haibara's body was also starting to shrink, and soon she turned into a child.
Just as Jonah was marveling at the amazing scene, his ears twitched and he suddenly heard someone turning the doorknob. He immediately drew his pistol and pointed it at the door.
At first glance, he was an elderly man in a black suit.
The second time I looked at him, I saw he was holding a pistol.
boom!
Without the slightest hesitation, Jonah pulled the trigger, and the bullet struck Pisco precisely in the head, causing Pisco to fall to the floor before he could even utter a word.
Seeing that the shrunken Ai Haibara was wrapped in clothes, Jonah opened a case of liquor, broke it open and spilled it all over the ground, then used his belt to carry Ai Haibara on his back and used a bullet to set the alcohol on fire.
Jonah pushed Pisco's body further inside, then, as if remembering something, bent down to pick up his pistol. He then felt around in Pisco's arms and found a small medicine box containing red and white capsules.
Guessing that this was the A-something-69 that Conan Edogawa and Ai Haibara needed, Jonah took a deep breath and quickly ran out of the wine cellar.
While searching for an exit, Jonah encountered Conan Edogawa, who was also rushing over, covered in sweat. Upon seeing Jonah and Ai Haibara on his back, Conan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
God knows how panicked he was when he heard such intense gunfire through his earpiece.
No, they don't even need headphones anymore! The entire area around the Beika Hotel heard it! Megure and the others, who had already driven away, suddenly changed their expressions and drove back, organizing a team to explore the rooftop.
"Come on, follow me!"
They ran out of the hotel through the chef's passage with Jonah, where Professor Agasa was anxiously waiting in his car.
"Hurry up and get on!"
After putting Ai Haibara into the car first, Jonah himself sat in the back seat from the other side. Seeing that all three children were in the car, Professor Agasa immediately started the car and quickly drove away from the dangerous place.
After disassembling the bulletproof vest into a backpack and placing it aside, Jonah took the pre-prepared first-aid kit, sat up, and approached Ai Haibara, who had regained consciousness and was enduring the pain. He reached out to unwrap the clothes covering her body.
"What are you going to do?"
"You've been shot and need treatment!"
Jonah stared intently at Ai Haibara, his face serious. He had seen too many people die from infections after their gunshot wounds weren't treated immediately on the battlefield, and he didn't want Ai Haibara to suffer the same fate.
"I understand. Wait for me to put on some clothes."
Seeing Jonah's serious gaze, Ai Haibara nodded and, with a reluctant effort, changed into the clothes she wore before Jonah shrunk, using the oversized repairman's uniform as a cover.
Of course, she was only wearing a simple shirt, which exposed her wounded arm and shoulder.
The doctor skillfully and quickly treated Ai Haibara's gunshot wound. Ai Haibara was lucky because it was a close-range shot, so no bullet was left in her body, which was a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune.
"Wait a minute, Jonah, you've been shot too!"
After Jonah treated her wounds, Ai Haibara, who was still very tired and in pain but had regained some energy, was about to thank Jonah when she realized that her hand, which had been unconsciously touching Jonah's leg because of the pain from her wounds, was covered in blood.
"Yes, it's a penetrating wound, but there's no bullet residue, so it's not a big problem."
"What do you mean by 'not a big problem'? Hurry up and get ready, I'll bandage you up."
No, you need to rest.
"But."
"Lie down, Haibara!"
Looking seriously at Ai Haibara, Jonah was confident in his body. He had endured much worse gunshot wounds in the past, so in Jonah's eyes, this was just a minor injury.
"Jonah, let me handle this for you."
Seeing this, Conan Edogawa, who was sitting in front, was also worried and climbed through the gap in the seats to the back to help Jonah treat his wounds.
Seeing this, Jonah did not refuse. The gunshot wound on his thigh was easy to treat, but it was difficult to tie up one of his arms.
Jonah hadn't noticed before because he was focused on the battle, and only then did he realize that he had not only been shot in the thigh, but also had abrasions on his arm.
"That guy, he's got a really good shot!"
Jonah said this harshly, feeling that this guy named Gin was more terrifying than the Scrooge he had encountered in the castle last time, although the big guy next to him was not so bad.
"Jonah, thank you so much for today. I thought I was going to die there, but I never expected that you would save me."
Slowly sitting up, Ai Haibara looked at Jonah beside her, her eyes filled with deep emotion and gratitude. Although she was in very poor condition and could not move much at the time, she could still see.
So Ai Haibara knew just how much danger Jonah had taken to save her, yet Jonah still did it without hesitation.
"It's alright, I told you, I'll protect you."
"...Um."
It was that same simple promise, yet it made Ai Haibara close her eyes tightly, trying to hold back her tears.
Although Conan Edogawa had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, looking at the injuries on Ai Haibara and Jonah, and considering the current atmosphere, he could only turn his head away and silently examine the bulletproof backpack and rifle that Jonah had left in the car.
"Well, it seems we don't need to worry about Pisco who discovered Ai's identity anymore. I heard from the glasses Ai left in the wine cellar that those two people later went into the wine cellar and found Pisco's body there. And it sounds like Pisco didn't have time to tell them that Ai had shrunk."
"How lucky!... Hmm, Shinichi, why aren't you guys saying anything?"
"Jonah, how did Pisker die?"