Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 38: The Bandaged Monster Murder Case in the Villa

Two days later.

Nagano Prefecture.

After Gao Mo got off the car, he took out the map that came with the invitation and entered the forest. After confirming the marked location of the villa, he took out the props he had brought with him from his suitcase.

A white smiley face mask and a specially prepared hooded robe.

His makeup skills haven't reached level 2 yet. Considering that he has been recognized several times, he decided to play the mysterious role this time.

The invitation letter happened to provide an unknown actor with the role of a special guest participating in a short film shoot with a group of photography enthusiasts.

The performance role also comes with a note that the face does not need to be shown.

Just play a mysterious weirdo with a hidden identity.

In that case, he started acting right from the beginning.

There's something about a mustache that can still recognize him in this situation...

But then again, this is a private gathering of Sonoko's sister Suzuki Ayako's college classmates, so the guy with the mustache probably won't come.

Gao Mo looked up at the deep and dense forest.

A gust of wind blew, and the leaves around rustled, the feeling was completely different from the city.

There were few birds singing under the lead-gray sky, and a pale mist rose unnoticed... There was a terrifying feeling of loneliness.

"Is it going to rain soon?"

Gao Mo chose the electric baton for self-defense between the prop gun and the electric baton, then quickly packed his suitcase and quickened his pace through the jungle path.

There is no one to be seen in this place, and only a villa can be seen occasionally. Fortunately, the terrain is not very complicated, and the routes marked on the map can be seen clearly.

With Eagle Vision, it's hard for him to get lost—

Probably no one would get lost without a detailed map.

"call!"

As a flock of mountain birds were startled, Gao Mo finally walked out of the jungle path and the view in front of him suddenly became clear.

The wide cliffs are connected by a long suspension bridge, and the rushing water underground makes a roaring sound.

Across the cliff was his destination - a three-story brick villa surrounded by dense coniferous forests. It had a red attic tile roof and a chimney with smoke rising slowly, as if it had already started preparing dinner.

"It should be right here."

Gao Mo perked up and was about to rush to the suspension bridge when a dark shadow ran out from the edge of the cliff with hurried footsteps.

His body was also wrapped in a black hood, and his face was covered with bandages, revealing only a pair of scary bloodshot eyes.

"Boom——!"

There was a loud rumble of thunder in the gradually darkening sky. A dark shadow stood at the entrance of the suspension bridge. He turned his head viciously and was obviously startled when he saw Gao Mo's strange outfit.

The masked figure illuminated by lightning in the shadows of the woods, with a terrifying white smiling face, looked like the deadly Grim Reaper holding a scythe.

Especially the pair of eyes under the mask, which seemed to emit a soul-devouring light——

The bandaged man's pupils dilated, and he rushed across the suspension bridge with his head down, disappearing into the dense forest of the villa on the other side.

"this person……"

Gao Mo looked at the bandaged man's back in surprise and did not chase after him.

Bandage weirdo, incident.

He suddenly thought of the "Bandaged Man Murder Case in the Villa" in "Detective Conan"...

No way?
The location of this professional role-playing is "The Bandaged Monster Murder Case in the Villa"?
He had skipped over this kind of bloody and horrific case after reading the art gallery case, and only learned about some of the content indirectly.

The deceased seemed to have been beheaded and dismembered, a particularly cruel death...

Thinking about the possibility of seeing the live-action version with my own eyes this time, my stomach started to feel uncomfortable.

He wasn't sure if he could withstand the shock of such a perverted death on the spot - any normal police officer would probably need psychological treatment after seeing it.

But now that I'm here...

Gao Mo bravely crossed the suspension bridge.

Destined to deal with murder, he would not back down because of such a small matter.

Sooner or later you'll get used to it.

The trouble is, we now know nothing except how the victim died.

Before, I just didn’t remember the key techniques, this time I don’t even know who the criminal is.

You can't tell much from the title alone: ​​"The Bandaged Monster Murder Case in the Villa."

……

"Boom!"

Inside the villa.

As Gao Mo entered the house, the weather outside completely changed. The wind was howling, and it looked like a heavy rain was coming. Amid the thunder, only the inviter Suzuki Ayako was waiting at the entrance. After confirming the invitation, she did not ask Gao Mo about his strange attire.

"Sorry to bother you in a while. We'll probably start shooting after dinner... What should I call you?" Suzuki Ayako squinted her eyes gently. She was a beautiful girl like the big sister next door.

"Just call me Ren Sanlang."

Gao Mo quickly got into the role, playing a taciturn actor - a bit strange, but more or less his job as a performance. This time he was going to give it a try and strive for a passing grade or above.

"I don't want anyone to know my true identity. Can I have dinner in my room?"

"Yes, yes..."

Suzuki Ayako felt it was subtle and it was difficult for her to evaluate Gao Mo.

"I'm used to keeping a sense of mystery from the beginning when acting," Gao Mo added, "so it's easier to get into the mood during filming."

"clear."

Suzuki Ayako smiled in agreement.

"I've prepared your room, but... a few rooms are temporarily unavailable. Would you mind sharing with a child?"

"Child?"

Gao Mo subconsciously looked up, and the next moment he saw Conan and Xiaolan appearing from the second floor.

The girl with the hairband who was chatting and laughing with Xiaolan was about a teenager and looked equally young and innocent.

If Xiaolan is the gentle and quiet type who hides her violence, the girl with the hairband seems to be the lively and cute type who is a little naughty——

Is it the garden of this world?

It's in stark contrast to the supporting character image in the animation.

"elder sister!"

Suzuki Sonoko noticed the situation at the entrance and looked at Gao Mo, who was wrapped tightly, curiously. Her little face could not hide her disappointment.

"Is this the actor you invited? Why is he dressed like this now?"

"Is that the bandaged weirdo we just met?" Xiaolan avoided Gao Mo with a little fear.

I always feel that it is more terrifying after changing into a mask.

Even if Gao Mo shook his head to deny it, it was of no use.

The camouflage effect is quite good, but it has some negative effects.

I guess it can only be used this once.

"..." Conan didn't say anything, but he felt inexplicably familiar.

The oppressive atmosphere was like a storm...

"Come to think of it, we encountered him when we got here. He was a man wrapped in bandages and wearing a black cloak. He looked quite scary... Is this the guy?"

Hearing the noise, the rooms on the second floor opened one after another, and Suzuki Ayako's classmates came downstairs complaining.

"Ayako, what's wrong with this guy?" A handsome, melancholy man with long hair looked at Gao Mo with dissatisfaction, "I've always been the male lead in filming, right?"

"I suggested it."

The honest fat man wearing round-frame glasses next to him smiled embarrassedly.

"It's a rare opportunity for us to reunite, and I feel like we can make some interesting suspense short films."

"Hmph, I don't care," the long-haired handsome guy said, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, sitting down at the dining table with his legs crossed, "Anyway, the protagonist must be me."

"Of course, the weirdo is just a supporting role," the fat man scratched the back of his head, "but I didn't expect that the weirdo I saw before was actually this person..."

"It's Mr. Ren Saburo."

Suzuki Ayako introduced herself and turned back to Gao Mo who remained silent.

"They are all my classmates from the film research club at university. This is my sister Sonoko, and her friends Xiaolan and Conan."

"Hello." Sonoko tried hard to appear obedient and gentle despite Conan's sarcastic look.

A pair of smart eyes couldn't help but glance around, as if eager to explore the appearance behind Gao Mo's mask——

Although he doesn't have Xiaolan's fighting power, he is much braver than Xiaolan.

"Yeah." Gao Mo's eyes swept calmly over everyone in the villa.

In addition to the handsome guy with long hair and the honest fat man, there is also a man with a middle-parted hair who has been recording with a camera, and the rest is a short-haired woman with quite aura.

"My name is Chikako Ikeda. I'm the director and screenwriter of this short film. Please give me your guidance..."

The short-haired girl seemed uninterested in Gao Mo. After going downstairs, she turned to several other classmates.

"Just to be clear, I'm not good at suspense scripts. Besides, I finally managed to find the time to come here, and I really don't want to rack my brains anymore..."

"Don't worry," the fat man quickly replied, "I have a script from my junior fellow student here."

(End of this chapter)