Conan: The Man Behind the Romance

Chapter 301: Death is not to be feared, Xiaolan tests Conan
"I like a human and find her very interesting."

The sound was so ethereal that it seemed as if a breeze had brought it from an infinitely far distance.

Everyone was shocked, but after the unknown being said this, it changed direction.

"The three people in the villa didn't dare to tell the truth because they were worried that I would take their lives. Tell them that I don't care. Besides, they really don't have a mental illness."

boom--! !

As soon as the unknown being finished speaking, the flame on Takahashi Ryoichi's body, which was about to be extinguished, suddenly exploded and rose several meters.

The skin of the people around felt burning, and they quickly moved away with looks of surprise and doubt.

"He was a coward who acted in the name of justice. Burning him at the stake was merciful."

These words floated from the cliff again, and the wind column, which had already turned pale and translucent, was once again tinged with a hint of fire, and slowly dissipated along with the wind column.

After a while, the wind column became smaller and smaller, and its rotation gradually slowed down. When it reached a certain limit, it exploded in all directions like a bubble bursting.

The wind was fierce and wispy, with white lines flying in the air and rushing towards both sides of the cliff quickly.

Xiaolan and her group raised their arms to block the wind, while at the same time they opened their eyes wide and looked towards the center of the cliff.

There, the wind is gentle and the air is calm, and there is nothing at all.

Conan looked carefully for a few seconds, gritted his teeth, picked up a stone from the ground, and regardless of Megure Jusan's dissuasion, raised his hand and threw it towards the original location of the wind column on the cliff.

He didn't have enough strength, and the stone began to fall just as it reached the center of the cliff, drawing a clear parabola and disappearing into the darkness. No echo was heard for a long time.

This doesn't seem to mean anything.

It also seems to explain some problems.

On the edge of the cliff, Xiaolan looked back at Conan and saw that his face was covered in mud but he still had a look of unwillingness to admit defeat. She then raised her eyes slightly and looked at Megure Jusan.

"Inspector Megure, it's a good thing that Conan has a sense of justice, but he should at least have some self-awareness."

Her words were quite impolite, but after seeing Conan's several attempts to commit suicide, everyone at the scene agreed with her and no one thought there was anything wrong.

This kid is really too reckless.

Megure Juzo also nodded quickly and looked at Conan who stood up silently in the mud. He hesitated for two seconds, but just sighed and said nothing.

Megure Juzo looked at the burning body of Takahashi Ryoichi, then looked at the surrounding land that had been dug into pits by them, and hesitated whether to continue putting out the fire.

After seeing the incredible scene just now, he was actually more inclined to give up.

A fire tornado appeared out of nowhere at the bottom of the cliff, a black cloak spoke, and corpses exploded.

If these things hadn't happened right before his eyes, he would never have believed that they really existed.

No.

Even though he saw it with his own eyes now, he was not at all sure that what he saw was the truth.

This is simply... like a dream.

The others had similar feelings as Megure Jusan. They looked at the torch that was becoming increasingly brighter in the center of the crowd, hesitating and not daring to step forward. Some even took two steps back.

Conan took off his little blue suit jacket, wrapped it carefully in the mud, and walked toward the pile of torches.

Megure Jusan opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He gritted his teeth and began to take off his clothes.

How could a cowardly adult like him stop young people from pursuing justice?

"Just keep the head."

Xiaolan suddenly spoke, and everyone was stunned for a moment. They all looked at her with disbelief, totally unable to believe that these words came from the mouth of a young girl.

"With the body's torso burnt like this, it's impossible to find any evidence. We only kept the head to give an explanation to the family of the deceased."

A trace of compassion flashed in Xiaolan's eyes, but her face remained calm as she explained the reason to everyone.

Conan was silent for a few seconds, then looked up at the figure on the edge of the cliff: "Sister Xiaolan should have considered the burning that being mentioned, and you didn't want to stop it."

Xiaolan nodded: "There are reasons for this, but it does not conflict with what I just said."

"Do you know what clues I want to find on his body?" Conan asked.

"It should be the traces of rope suspension. A heavy body cannot float in the air for no reason. Since there is no support below, it must be hanging from above." Xiaolan said, "But I didn't find the rope at that time, and you probably didn't find it either."

She looked at the torch. "Also, the body was swollen before. If it was tied up with something, there should be obvious marks on the surface. But before he caught fire, many of us looked at the body and found nothing."

Conan walked over to the torch and threw his muddy clothes onto Takahashi Ryoichi's head.

Perhaps because there is less flesh and blood on the face than on other parts of the human body, the flesh preserved here is still quite intact, and one can roughly see the appearance of the deceased when he was alive.

But as Xiaolan said, the edema had made the deceased's head twice as big, and there was basically no suspicious sign.

"Sister Xiaolan, you are right, but there is also a way to hang the body without leaving any traces on the surface." Conan said.

"Use a very thin piano wire to pierce the skin and tie it directly to the bones, right?" Xiaolan said, "And that kind of wire is translucent. In a dark background, it is difficult to be discovered as long as it is retracted in time."

Seeing that Xiaolan knew everything, Conan felt inexplicably depressed and nodded.

"After the flames burned, that kind of trace would definitely not be found. I just... felt a little unwilling to accept it."

The fire was still burning fiercely. Conan stared at the flames for a few seconds, took a deep breath of the hot air, walked to the edge of the cliff, and looked down like Xiaolan.

The first target of observation was the rock wall illuminated by the sunlight, but he looked for a long time and still found nothing, just like before.

Moving the sight downwards, the bottom of the cliff where no sunlight is seen is still pitch black and deep, making it impossible to tell how deep it is.

Snapped--!
As if it had substance, a bright beam of light shone down.

Conan tilted his head to look at the miner's lamp in Xiaolan's hand with a surprised expression. Xiaolan told him not to be reckless, but her actions were so bold?
If there really is some unknown existence living beneath this cliff, then her current actions would definitely be considered an offense.

"Didn't he say that he didn't care?"

Xiaolan said calmly without turning her head.

In fact, she used to be most afraid of ghosts, strange things and other inexplicable things, but after spending a long time with Yingsheng, she has changed a lot.

Especially when Yingsheng occasionally talked about his past experiences and the fantasy world that Xiaolan thought of, that magnificent and twisted world, and the peculiar values ​​of human beings under the rule of gods and Buddhas, always brought her a lot of feelings.

In that world, in addition to the righteous gods, there are also many evil gods who ascended to heaven secretly, as well as countless ghosts, wild spirits, and monsters.

According to Yingsheng, Tianshu's main responsibility is to eliminate these evil gods and obscene sacrifices.

Of course, Xiaolan just listened to the story, but she was still quite moved by Yingsheng's determination to sweep away the evil spirits of the old world.

Well, there is nothing to be afraid of.

Even if a real ghost appeared in front of her, as Tianshu's companion, she should face it calmly.

——"Keep calm, Xiaolan. Life is easy for us."

Yingsheng's words, which he didn't know whether to say were arrogant or confident, inexplicably echoed in his ears. Xiaolan raised the corners of her lips slightly, put on the mining lamp on her head, and once again grasped the rope that had fallen off the cliff before.

Conan was speechless, thinking that Xiaolan was too bold. When he saw her actions, he immediately ran towards her.

"I want to go down too!"

"I don't want to bring a burdensome kid with me, and you're too dirty."

Xiaolan wiped her hands on Conan's white shirt that was not yet stained with mud, leaving some brown mud marks.

"..."

Conan's big eyes, Xiaolan has become so bad now.

Dodo——

Conan quickly came back to his senses after being gently poked on the forehead, and saw Xiaolan smiling at him.

"There's probably no cell phone signal down there. Is there a radio? You little detective can stay up there. If you find anything suspicious, tell me and I'll go check it out."

Conan was stunned for two seconds and nodded heavily.

"Have!"

After saying that, he immediately ran towards Megure Jusan, and his face turned red for no apparent reason halfway through the run.

Oops oops oops!

Why is the heart beating faster?
Why is Xiaolan so charming now?
Running to Megure Jusan, Conan quickly looked up at him and asked for the radio, which was originally prepared to be used to contact Megure Jusan when necessary.

Megure Jusan looked hesitant and looked at Xiaolan who was looking down at the edge of the cliff.

"Xiao Lan, can't you see it from up there?"

"There's fog obscuring the view below. We can't see."

Xiaolan turned around and said, "It's really strange that there is still fog after the fire tornado appeared. It may be that the cliff is too deep, or there may be an underground river below with a lot of moisture. I will connect a few ropes together. If I still haven't touched the bottom after going down, I will give up. Don't worry."

She said so, but how could Megure Jusan not be worried?

Although he was happy to see the changes in Xiaolan, he would regret it if something unexpected happened.

"This... Xiaolan, aren't you worried that this is something that cannot be solved by human power?"

Megure Jusan hesitated for a few seconds, but finally spoke.

As a police captain, he really shouldn't say such words that he doesn't believe in science, but he saw the scene clearly and couldn't turn a blind eye to it.

"Even if it's something like that, he said he liked a human woman, told others that he didn't care at all, and he's punishing the bad guys, so he's probably kind."

Xiaolan turned to face the cliff and bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry to bother you."

After saying that, she looked back at Megure Jusan and said, "The most important thing for the police now is to find out what happened last night. Bring Miss Ayako and the others here and tell them what happened before. There is no need for them to continue hiding it."

This set of actions made Megure Jusan stunned. When Conan asked for the radio again, he suddenly came to his senses and nodded. Alas, am I getting old?
Today's young people are really amazing.

After handing the radio to Conan, Megure Juzo immediately contacted the police officers staying at the villa and asked them to bring Suzuki Ayako and others over.

Next to the cliff, Kyogoku Makoto wanted to go down, but Xiaolan shook her head to dissuade him, asking him to stay there to protect everyone.

"If this incident was man-made, then what happened below the cliff could be a diversion."

Xiaolan's reasons were very convincing. Kyogoku Makoto clenched his left fist and felt a tingling pain in his arm, so he nodded and agreed.

Conan looked at the blood on the bandage on Kyogoku Makoto's left arm for several times, and was about to say something. "You still want to rock climb in this situation? You should deal with it quickly."

Xiaolan didn't even look at that place. She just walked to Yuan who had been looking at her, whispered a few words to her, then put on the radio and went down the cliff alone.

After about ten seconds, Conan heard Xiaolan's calm voice in the headset.

"Conan-kun, please don't humiliate the consciousness of a warrior."

"........."

Conan secretly glanced at Kyogoku Makoto and saw that Sonoko was already walking towards him, thanking him for his previous help and offering to help him treat his injuries again.

Kyogoku Makoto politely declined, saying "it's no big deal", but after Sonoko insisted, he agreed and walked with her to sit on a large rock nearby.

Conan's heart moved, knowing that this was definitely what Xiaolan had just told Sonoko, and this solution was indeed much better than what he had thought before.

But he was still quite unconvinced, and snorted, "It doesn't matter what happens with such a small matter."

"When you investigate a case, don't you also pay attention to details? The same is true for interpersonal relationships." Xiaolan chuckled, "It's true that you can accomplish a lot with your personal talents, but no one in the world is a jack of all trades. In terms of management..."

"Hey, I understand."

Conan interrupted and couldn't help muttering: "Sister Xiaolan said these things, she is really just like my mother, everyone knows that, but it is totally unnecessary."

"Heh, you little brat, am I as nagging as your mother?"

"Sorry, sorry, but that's not it."

"Can't she be just as beautiful? Aunt Yukiko is my idol."

"Eh? Mom..."

Conan paused, his eyes suddenly sharp.

Oops, I overacted. Xiaolan’s observation ability is now much better than before, and she has begun to doubt her own identity!

However, Conan had already received special training from Megure Jusan this morning, so he reacted very quickly to such things. After realizing Xiaolan's test, he immediately changed the subject.

"Mom also likes Aunt Yukiko, but what Xiaolan said is weird."

Xiaolan smiled and said, "Because you are a handsome boy, I think your mother must be very beautiful. Speaking of Aunt Yukiko, I can't help but recommend her to you. She is really a great actress. Let me tell you about her deeds."

"I'm sorry, Sister Xiaolan, I'm not very interested in this aspect."

Conan knew that Xiaolan was still testing him, so he changed the subject decisively: "And sister Xiaolan, you are descending a cliff now, so please be careful."

"Thanks for the reminder, little detective. I'm almost at the end of the rope. It seems... there is a bottom!"

Xiaolan's tone was surprised. She landed lightly and looked around. Even with the mining lamp shining, the visibility was still extremely low due to the fog.

Xiaolan took a deep breath carefully because she heard that the air at the bottom of the cliff was very turbid and poisonous.

The next second, I was surprised to find that the mist around me seemed to be just pure water vapor, and it was quite fresh, without any turbid smell.

This made her wonder, could it be that this fog was new?
But there is clearly solid ground below and no water source. How could the fog form so quickly?

Or is there really some mysterious being living at the bottom of the cliff, and he pays great attention to environmental hygiene?

A branch with dense leaves was thrown down from above. Xiaolan waved it vigorously, which roughly cleared away some of the fog around her. She turned on the mining lamp and squatted on the ground to search carefully for traces. Soon, she found some bloodstains.

Judging from how dry the bloodstains on the edge of the lichen have become, they must have been there for some time.

But because it rained last night and the air humidity at the bottom of the cliff was quite high, Xiaolan couldn't be completely sure.

She speculated that it was Takahashi Ryoichi's blood, took out the evidence bag that Conan had given her before, and took some soil.

Apart from this, there is no other obvious trace below.

Xiaolan was not sure if her observation skills were limited. After confirming that there was no danger below the cliff, she climbed up the cliff and took Conan for another walk.

Preface: Conan wiped the mud off his body and put on Megure Juzo's coat.

"Haha, I didn't expect that Sister Xiaolan, you have mysophobia."

Conan was a little unhappy because he was despised.

"Yes, especially a dirty kid like you."

When they got to the bottom of the cliff, Xiaolan threw Conan to the ground and said seriously: "Don't run around. Tell me as soon as you see anything suspicious. You are absolutely forbidden to touch it without permission, otherwise I will spank you."

“…Huh—”

Conan shuddered. The thought of being spanked by Xiaolan was embarrassing.

"I know, I won't!"

Conan quickly assured and began to search around. After a while, he actually found something unusual.

"Look here, Sister Xiaolan. The lichens here are much newer than other places, and the color is more cyan, just like they were exposed to sunlight before."

Walking to the direction Conan pointed, Xiaolan looked up at the cliff and pursed her lips slightly.

"This should be the center of the fire tornado."

Her tone was quite complicated. After Conan looked up to confirm the direction, his eyes were also solemn.

Why do lichens become more resilient after being burned by fire? Shouldn't they be burnt and withered?

Is there something wrong with the flame?

Is there a life force in it?
Some fantastic ideas flashed through his mind subconsciously, Conan shook his head and continued to search carefully for clues on the ground.

But he still got nothing in the end, and said in a complicated tone: "If there is no mysterious power involved, the person behind the scenes must have been very careful and cleaned up everything."

Xiaolan nodded, acknowledging his useless nonsense.

At this time, Suzuki Ayako and the other two had been brought to the top of the cliff. Megure Juzo explained what had happened on the cliff before and told them not to worry and to speak frankly.

"It's Death!"

The handsome man, whose spirit suddenly relaxed, looked anxious and couldn't help but speak first.

"!!!What's the meaning?!"

Megure Jusan's heart trembled, thinking that this could really be a mysterious incident, and hurriedly asked them to explain clearly.

The pretty boy began to tell the story stutteringly, and Hiroki Kadoya joined in to fill in the gaps for him.

Suzuki Ayako stood quietly aside, as if she had no intention of speaking.

But when Hua Meinan was about to say that he saw the dismembered body of Chikako Ikeda, she interrupted him.

"Takahashi Ryoichi used a balloon dummy to create a sleight of hand. The head in the bandaged dummy's hand was just a model. I was the first one to see it, and because her profile looked a bit like Chikako, I screamed in fear. But in fact, it wasn't her at all."

The pretty boy was slightly stunned. It was obviously not like that last night. He saw Chikako's head in the forest.

According to subsequent analysis, shouldn't it have been Ryoichi Takahashi who brought it over personally?
Although I don't understand how Takahashi Ryoichi brought the head over, but...

"I was the first one to discover Chikako's body. She was stabbed in the heart and died instantly. She was nailed firmly to the tree trunk." Hiroki Kadotani lowered his eyebrows slightly and spoke calmly.

The pretty boy was stunned again. Is this really the case?
Could it be that everything he experienced last night, the bandaged monster, the dismembered corpse, the undead, and the Grim Reaper, were all hallucinations? !
He tilted his head hesitantly, wanting to confirm with his other two companions, but was surprised to find that his vision was completely blocked.

The person standing in front of him is Suzuki Ayako, and the person standing to the side of him is Kakutani Hiroki.

At the same time, a rather amusing voice floated into his ears from somewhere, which made him shudder.

"Help each other, Mr. Ohta."

It was the sound of the flowing darkness last night.

It's the God of Death!
The pretty boy immediately understood where the changes in Suzuki Ayako and Kadoya Hiroki came from. It turned out that they had already secretly contacted the god of death!

His consciousness returned to normal in an instant, and Hua Meinan also noticed the source of the sound.

The cell phone on Suzuki Ayako's waist!
? ? ? ?
This discovery made him feel extremely absurd. The god of death used a mobile phone to communicate. Was this some kind of joke?
However, he recalled what Megure Jusan had just said the next second, and combined it with what he knew...

Could it be that the woman that the Grim Reaper likes is Suzuki Ayako? !
hiss--!
The pretty boy took a deep breath and felt like he had discovered a huge secret. No wonder Suzuki Ayako dared to stand up last night. It turned out that they knew each other!
Later, Suzuki Ayako rested in the lobby on the first floor for the night. Who knows if she was having a tryst with the god of death!

This guess made Hua Meinan feel his scalp tingling, and then it spread throughout his body, making him feel relaxed.

Interesting material.

Or he could just go back to the film industry. I believe the Suzuki Group would be willing to invest in him.

Suzuki Ayako moved away naturally, and the pretty boy felt inexplicably excited that "he was favored by the god of death" and completely agreed with the other two people's statements.

In fact, except for the part about Chikako Ikeda being dismembered, they were telling the truth.

A conspiracy two years ago, framing someone with death, resurrection from the dead, revenge of the dead, the god of death...

One incident after another, filled with a gloomy atmosphere, was clearly revealed in broad daylight, and the police officers around him got goosebumps after hearing it.

You shouldn't report this matter to the police, you should go to the priest!
Under the cliff, Xiaolan's eyes flickered.

Resurrection from the dead...

Could it be you, Mizuki-kun?

(End of this chapter)