Survival Manual of the Science Fiction World

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From afar, Chu Ming saw Lafitte slacking off. He originally intended to scare him, but Lafitte, who was slacking off and playing games in the duty room, saw the unconscious Xiao Lan being carried off the stretcher and immediately stood up: "What happened to Xiao Lan?"

"She probably suffered a shock and fainted, she—"

Before Chu Ming could finish speaking, Lafitte had already deftly changed into his white coat: "I'll go take a look!!"

Then I planned to run to Xiaolan's room.

"Dr. Watanabe! I've been looking for you!" A nurse ran up breathlessly. "The police officer who was just brought in is bleeding heavily. The bullet was less than half an inch from his heart. Among the surgeons in the hospital who can operate in time, you have the steady hand. What do you think—"

Lafitte waved his hand dismissively: "I'm just a neurosurgeon, I only do general surgery. Shouldn't such major surgeries be handled by the hospital director? Besides, I'm busy right now, a friend of mine was just admitted, I need to go see him—"

Chu Ming grabbed him and said meaningfully, "If you're in a position, you should do your job. This is an excellent police officer, and he's practically the most beautiful policewoman in the Metropolitan Police Department. You saved him, and everyone in the Metropolitan Police Department will thank you."

Hearing Chu Ming's pointed words, Lafitte's eyes flickered slightly: "Alright, I'll go check on that officer. You go and keep an eye on Xiaolan for me."

Chu Ming gently pushed open the ward door. Everyone was gathered in front of Officer Sato's emergency room. Since Xiao Lan was not in any immediate danger, only Sonoko was there to keep watch.

Upon seeing Chu Ming, Sonoko lost all interest in being infatuated and simply gestured for him to sit wherever he pleased.

As soon as Chu Ming sat down, Xiao Lan's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Ran, you're awake! You scared me to death, waaaaah—" As soon as she saw Ran wake up, Sonoko was instantly revitalized and hugged Ran tightly.

"Uh—who are you?" Xiaolan's pure eyes were full of doubt, and she looked at the two of them as if they were strangers.

"Ran, waaaaah, don't scare me, waaaah, it's me, Sonoko, waaaah, I'm your best friend QAQ" Sonoko grabbed Ran's hand, tears welling up in her eyes.

Xiaolan looked apologetic: "I'm sorry, but I don't know you..."

Sonoko was stunned and immediately sent people out to find Kogoro Mouri and the others. After Conan and the others rushed into the ward, Conan asked Ran in a trembling voice, "Ran-neechan, don't you remember me?"

Xiaolan looked puzzled and confused: "Kid, who are you?"

Conan's ahoge (cowlick) drooped down: "I-I'm Conan..."

The people around her introduced themselves, but Xiaolan didn't remember any of them.

Lafitte performed exceptionally well, completing the surgery with precision, and rushed over to Xiaolan's ward.

"Xiao Lan doesn't remember anything?" Lafitte looked surprised, but Chu Ming dared to use his 5.3 vision to testify that a hint of calculation had just flashed across the scoundrel's eyes.

He wouldn't be thinking of taking advantage of Xiaolan's amnesia... to make his move, would he?

Alas--

"This should be reverse amnesia. It's just that after being stimulated, you tend to forget some things, but you still remember most common sense."

"Witnessing Officer Sato being shot must have been very traumatic for Ran..." Kogoro Mouri sighed softly.

"But Ran-neechan doesn't seem like such a fragile person..." Conan didn't dare to retort loudly, "Just seeing the culprit commit a crime would cause amnesia?"

"Flashlight," Chu Ming reminded Conan. "The locker door under the sink was open. It's very likely that after the light went out, Ran saw the light inside and took it out to illuminate the room. It's possible that Inspector Sato was also there because of that light..."

Chu Ming didn't finish speaking, but Conan already understood.

No wonder Xiaolan was so heartbroken and remorseful that she protected herself by completely forgetting this memory.

"Don't worry, I'm a certified psychologist too. You can leave Ran to me with confidence," Lafitte said, patting his chest to Kogoro Mouri and Eri Kisaki.

Eri looked at Lafitte with admiration. This young man seemed quite good, much better than that detective who only knew how to solve cases.

Kyosuke Kazato hurried to the ward. The person in charge had just called him, saying that Kogoro Mouri's daughter had suffered a shock and lost her memory, and hoped that he could go and see her.

When he arrived, he discovered that his job had already been taken by someone else.

"Watanabe, do you need me to come?" Kyosuke Kazato asked feigning concern.

Lafitte decisively waved his hand, rejecting Kazeto Kyosuke's suggestion. He was determined not to give up this position, as he had finally managed to spend more time with Ran!

Absolutely not! ! !

Chapter 257 What does he want to do?

"Mr. Mori, how is Ran doing?" Shinichiro Mouri, carrying a bag of fresh fruit and a bouquet of flowers, was about to ask a nurse about Ran's ward when he saw Kogoro Mouri downstairs, looking worried, coming out for some fresh air.

"Is it Dr. Shinichi? Yesterday's test results showed that she has temporarily lost her memory, but fortunately she still has some common sense. Dr. Watanabe said that what we need to do now is to stimulate her memory with gentle methods to see if we can help her remember."

"Dr. Watanabe?" Shinichi Tomoaki—that is, Vermouth—was taken aback. Watanabe from Beika Hospital... Could it be that bastard Lafitte? But he's not a psychiatrist, why would he cause trouble?

Vermouth began to consider whether she should use her connections in the United States to find a reliable psychologist to take Xiaolan to see.

Following Kogoro Mouri into the ward, Vermouth saw Lafitte gently explaining precautions to Eri Kisaki as soon as she entered. Chu Ming was lying on a recliner by the window playing on his phone, while Ran sat calmly on the bed with a somewhat melancholy look in her eyes.

Chu Ming was playing on his phone when he glanced back and said, "Dr. Shinichi is here too?"

Watching Vermouth subtly push aside Lafitte by the bedside, place fruit and flowers on the bedside table, and gently speak to Xiaolan while looking into her clear eyes, Chu Ming couldn't help but give Xiaolan a thumbs up. Goodness, what kind of organization's trap is Xiaolan? Three core members of the organization in one hospital room.

"Sister Ran, we've come to see you~" Ayumi gently knocked on the door, and the children obediently followed Professor Agasa into the ward.

"Ran-neechan, this is Ayumi. These two are Genta and Mitsuhiko. Ai originally came with us, but when we got to the door, she suddenly felt unwell, so the professor let her rest in the car. We'll bring her to see you again next time~"

Upon hearing this, Chu Ming looked over there. Of course he would feel unwell. There were three bottles of alcohol there, and none of them were fake. The alcohol concentration was seriously over the limit. Ai Haibara's alcohol alarm was probably about to explode.

"Thank you all, but I'm sorry, I still don't remember anyone..." Xiaolan said apologetically.

Several children chattered amongst themselves. Vermouth stood next to Chu Ming, seemingly chatting casually, and asked curiously, "I remember there was a professional psychologist at Beika Hospital, how come Watanabe took over?"

Chu Ming turned off his phone and, seeing that no one was paying attention, whispered to Vermouth, "He got the job through a competition and took a liking to that girl's skeleton. He's taking advantage of her amnesia to win her favor."

What is this?! What is Lafitte trying to do?!

Vermouth was inwardly turbulent, but she was able to remain completely calm on the surface thanks to her decades of acting experience.

Chu Ming, with malicious intent, leaked the information to Vermouth and then washed his hands of it, leaving the old monster to worry about. He's still young; worrying too much will make him age faster.

Suddenly, the three people from different directions turned to look at the door at the same time and made a gesture. Chu Ming leaned down and quietly approached the door. Vermouth tacitly took over the conversation, signaling everyone not to stop and to continue chatting, so that Chu Ming could get closer and at the same time lull the other party into a false sense of security.

Amidst the chatter of the crowd, Chu Ming yanked open the door. Kazeto Kyosuke, who had been eavesdropping at the door, was pulled so hard that he stumbled and took a few steps inside.

"Dr. Kazeto?"

Meeting the questioning gazes of the crowd, Kazato Kyosuke steadied himself, gritted his teeth inwardly, glanced at Chu Ming who was holding the handle, and a hint of killing intent vanished in an instant.

"Um... I was thinking that Dr. Watanabe is a surgeon, and it's a completely different field, so I came to see if he needed any help..."

Lafitte silently took out his phone and placed a photo of his Level 1 Psychological Counselor Certificate in front of Kazato Kyosuke: "Do you think I need it?"

"..." Kazato Kyosuke, whose excuse had been rejected, clenched his fist and said with a dry laugh, "Since you don't need it, I'll be leaving now."

After saying that, he hurriedly left the scene.

Chu Ming watched his retreating figure and stroked his chin: "Something's suspicious."

“Indeed, the way Dr. Kazato stumbled in just now indicates that he was leaning against the door sideways.” Conan demonstrated this, then turned to Kogoro Mouri and said, “Dr. Kazato was likely eavesdropping. Is it possible that Ran saw the culprit's face before she fainted? And that culprit is Dr. Kazato, who was eavesdropping to see if Ran remembered him…”

Vermouth listened proudly to Conan's reasoning, but in order to prevent Chu Ming and Lafitte from noticing anything amiss, she quickly covered for Conan: "Conan is still so smart. It seems that following Mr. Mori is indeed very beneficial."

Chapter 258 Dark Cuisine

“That’s right, Conan’s brain has been getting sharper lately.” Chu Ming nodded and rubbed Conan’s hair. “It’s gotten quite bald, almost bald.”

Conan covered his head with both hands in dissatisfaction, looking sullen, just like a child.

Lafitte himself hadn't suspected anything, and now, with the two of them singing in unison, he was even less inclined to think about it further.

Kogoro Mouri hurriedly ran out to tell Inspector Megure outside Conan's analysis. Inspector Megure frowned, transferred Takagi to protect Ran, and listed Kyosuke Kazato as a suspect, ordering someone to investigate his possibility of committing the crime.

“In that case, why not let Xiaolan be discharged from the hospital?” Vermouth suggested, taking the opportunity to keep Xiaolan away from Lafitte. “After all, if that doctor is the murderer, staying in his home turf would probably be extremely disadvantageous for Xiaolan. On the contrary, keeping Xiaolan in her familiar environment would be more helpful for her memory recovery.”

“Alright, I’ll move back home for a while. I think Ran will have an easier time with me around.” Eri Kisaki made the decision happily.

Kogoro Mouri was horrified: "No!! I don't agree, then I won't have an easy time!!"

Eri Kisaki completely ignored him: "What do your feelings have to do with me? Ran is fine as long as she's relaxed."

Before Kogoro Mouri could say anything more, she waved her hand to stop him: "Alright, it's settled then."

Then he turned to Chu Ming and the others with a big smile and said, "Thanks to you all this time, Dr. Shinichi, Dr. Watanabe, and Chu Ming, why don't you all go out for a simple meal? I'll cook for you myself."

Vermouth's gaze swept over Kogoro Mouri and Conan's faces. Following her sixth sense, she politely declined Eri Kisaki's invitation: "No, I have some things to do at school. Maybe next time."

Eri didn't insist, but looked at Lafitte and Chu Ming with questioning eyes. Even after seeing the glances from Kogoro Mouri and Conan, Lafitte still agreed immediately, and Chu Ming thought about it and agreed as well.

Vermouth gritted her teeth. If she had known that Lafitte was so easily tempted, she would have agreed to go too... Is it too late to change her mind now?

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“That’s my desk. I used to sit there a lot and work on big cases.”

Chu Ming whispered to him, "Big cases = drinking, listening to the radio to bet on horse races, and watching Yoko Okino's shows."

Kogoro Mouri quickly pulled Chu Ming away, saying, "Go away, go away, don't disturb me while I'm helping Ran regain her memories."

Chu Ming complained irritably, "Uncle knows it's to help Xiao Lan regain her memories, but you're clearly taking the opportunity to tamper with her memories."

Kogoro Mouri herded Chu Ming to sit on the sofa like a chicken, while he and Conan led Ran upstairs.

Chu Ming sat for a while, but didn't see Lafitte, so he followed the sound and made his way to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Lafitte, holding a scalpel, looked serious and meticulous, as if performing surgery, carefully slicing the beef in front of him. Beside him were a pile of perfectly sized cubes of potatoes and carrots.

Meanwhile, Eri looked equally serious as she stirred the pot with a ladle. Inside the pot, a dark brown, unidentified liquid was bubbling and churning, like poison in a witch's pot of potions, with a few mushy vegetable leaves occasionally floating to the surface.

Chu Ming felt his appetite vanish instantly, while Lafitte, on the contrary, was still in high spirits: "The color is so beautiful, your cooking skills are truly superb. Should we add some salt now?"

Eri, beaming with pride at the praise, grabbed the salt shaker and generously poured a large handful of salt into the bowl: "Is that enough?"