In this iteration of the "Cocoon" game, Jack the Ripper was a man defined by the resentment of a mother's abandonment. Driven by the cruel whims of fate, he had been reduced to a destitute street urchin, scavenging just to survive.
When Professor Moriarty spoke of Jack the Ripper's "talent," he likely referred to the deep-seated malice simmering behind those eyes.
The Professor had taken that darkness, magnified it, and honed the boy into a razor-sharp blade meant to plunge London into chaos. Jack, in turn, had never failed those expectations; his work was as efficient as it was surgical.
Yet, the fact that he chose the day of the parent-child charity bazaar for his strike suggested a lingering, twisted desire—perhaps, deep down, he had simply wanted to belong to such an event just once.
"His first victim was a woman with no connection to him at all. Most likely, that was just a feint to blur the police's focus," Conan explained, his voice calm despite the tension.
Everything had been a meticulous preparation for his second target.
"And yet, a third and fourth victim still appeared," Ran added with a heavy sigh.
Even after achieving his primary goal, the killer showed no sign of stopping. In a single night, he had claimed the lives of two more women in rapid succession.
"That is the result of Professor Moriarty's 'education.' He groomed Jack the Ripper into a criminal with an abnormal personality. Even after his revenge was complete, he continued to seek out targets who resembled his mother."
However, the Professor had also realized that Jack was spiraling toward the edge of total insanity. That was the reason for the so-called "assistance" they had encountered later.
"Who is it?" Hideki Moroboshi asked, his eyes darting sharply among the numerous passengers.
"If someone had worn a ring of the exact same size since they were a child, what would happen to that finger as they grew?" Conan's question hung in the air.
"I imagine that out of all ten fingers, that one specific finger would be unnaturally thin." As he spoke, Conan's gaze locked onto a lady sitting silently in the corner.
When the conductor had ordered everyone to raise their hands earlier, the evidence had been laid bare for all to see.
"Jack the Ripper—it's you!"
A disturbing smile spread across the woman's face. Her eyes were as cold as ice as she slowly extended her right hand.
Indeed, of all the passengers in the carriage, she was the only one whose ring finger matched that distinct physical deformity.
In the next heartbeat, Jack the Ripper surged to his feet. With a violent tug, he tore through the elegant dress, shedding the disguise to reveal a practical black outfit beneath. He wiped away his lipstick in one smooth motion, though he left his long, crimson hair untouched—it seemed that was his natural look.
One had to admit, this killer was skilled. In a remarkably short amount of time, he had managed to apply a convincing face of makeup and even find the time to paint his nails.
"Leave this to me!"
Ran glanced at the two children and the panicked passengers scattering in all directions before charging forward. Now that the true culprit had been unmasked, she was the only one capable of resolving this crisis.
"Heh..."
With a low, chilling laugh, the carriage was suddenly engulfed in a thick, rising fog. Jack had deployed some sort of smoke bomb.
"Open the windows! Quickly!"
Conan shouted, covering his nose and mouth. He and Hideki Moroboshi scrambled to opposite sides, throwing open two of the windows.
The rushing wind of the speeding train quickly swept the smoke away.
However, both Ran and Jack the Ripper were gone. Even the other passengers and the conductor had vanished without a trace, leaving the carriage eerily silent.
The two boys immediately burst through the door to begin their search.
"It's not just the passengers—the driver is gone too." Conan's expression darkened as he looked at the controls. The brakes had been sabotaged.
The coal was burning white-hot, and the train was relentlessly gaining speed.
"Hey, if we don't find that big sister soon, we're in real trouble!" Hideki warned.
Conan frowned deeply. They ran from the rear carriage all the way to the front, but there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Up there!"
The Great Detective turned his head and spotted the iron ladder. He began to climb immediately.
"Ran-neechan!"
With Conan in the lead, the two of them scrambled onto the roof of the moving train.
He couldn't afford to be calm. He didn't know how the fight had progressed, but not only had they ended up on the roof, but Ran's hands and feet were now bound tightly with rope.
"Don't come any closer!" Ran screamed.
Only she knew how terrifyingly strong this Jack the Ripper was. He possessed an illogical, overwhelming power that felt even more oppressive than Tsuneo, who spent his days literally tackling trees for training.
"I've tied myself to this lady with a rope. If I fall, she goes down with me. Now then... what are you going to do?"
Jack the Ripper pulled out a dagger, spinning it fluently between his fingertips. He looked at the two boys with a playful, mocking smirk.
To be honest, if he had licked the blade, the scene would have been peak depravity.
"What is it you actually want, Jack the Ripper?" Conan looked down at his shoes, his mind racing for a solution. In this situation, there was no clear path to victory.
"What do I want?" Jack the Ripper chuckled, clearly finding the question beneath him.
"You killed your own mother. You settled the grudge that consumed you for years. So now, what else is there?" Conan demanded.
"I want to live! I want the 'evil blood' flowing through my veins to board this Noah's Ark and be passed down to the next era!" Jack's laughter grew increasingly manic.
Conan: "..."
The Great Detective was utterly lost. What kind of nonsense is he talking about? Passing down "evil blood"? That didn't sound like the wish of a psychopathic serial killer at all.
"This is the end, brat." Jack the Ripper seemed bored of the conversation. He lunged, swinging his dagger, and pinned the rolling, dodging detective under his heavy boot.
"Let him go!" Hideki Moroboshi yelled, charging forward.
He was met with a brutal kick that sent him tumbling across the roof. He nearly slid off the edge, his fingers desperately clawing at a protrusion on the carriage to stay on.
Ran, her limbs bound, watched as Jack the Ripper's hand closed around Conan's throat.
Even though she knew it was a game, the sensation of life-and-death was terrifyingly real.
Shinichi... what should I do?
Ran looked at the rope connecting her to Jack's ankle. Suddenly, a memory of something Shinichi had said during a date echoed in her mind.
"I really love that quote from Sherlock Holmes..."
"If I were assured of your eventual destruction, I would, in the interests of the public, cheerfully accept my death."
Ran's eyes grew cold and resolute. With a painful effort, she forced herself to stand.
Beside the tracks lay an abyss of bottomless shadows. At this moment, there was only one way left.
"Conan!"
The girl gave one final cry. Before Jack the Ripper could react, she threw herself into the abyss without a moment's hesitation.
"RAN!"
Conan's eyes widened until they felt like they would burst from his head.
"Why is it always this lively every time I show up...?"
A familiar voice cut through the wind. A hand reached out, snatching the falling rope with casual ease. With a few powerful tugs, the person hauled Ran back up onto the roof.
"Cough... cough!" Conan stared as someone appeared out of thin air on top of the carriage. He coughed violently from the shock.
Are you actually Noah's Ark in disguise? How are you just running around between different game worlds?!
"I already cleared my side." Tsuneo unbuttoned the rope around Ran, completely ignoring the dagger-wielding Jack the Ripper who was glaring at him.
The Pirate World had been completely leveled.
Even the final boss of that Great Kingdom couldn't withstand a single punch from Tsuneo.
One had to remember that as the Captain, all the experience from the pirates he had ordered his fleet to blow to bits had been funneled directly into him.
The current "Repairman" was essentially a Superman.
Hideki Moroboshi pulled himself back up, a smile breaking across his face. "You were much faster than I expected."
"Tsuneo-san?"
Ran looked at the young man who had accompanied them with utter bewilderment.
As the group spoke, Jack the Ripper's form began to dissolve into pixels, and the runaway train ground to a supernatural, silent halt.
"Let's have a chat."
Tsuneo glanced at the three of them and sat down cross-legged on the roof.
(End of Chapter)
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