Survival Manual of the Science Fiction World

Conan was taken home by Ran Mouri, who came to pick him up. Chu Ming also wanted to say goodbye, but Ai Haibara stopped him. Chu Ming followed her into her underground laboratory.

Faced with Chu Ming's curious gaze, Ai Haibara pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked softly, "You—with your family background, why did you join the organization in the first place?"

Chu Ming paused for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Because I'm just like you, I have no choice."

Ai Haibara was clearly confused: "Your parents... are also—"

Chu Ming nodded, gestured for Ai Haibara to sit down, and then added, "It's the same, yet different; your parents are researchers in the organization, and you were valued by the organization because of your medical talent, which earned you a codename at a young age; although my parents are also researchers, my talent is mediocre, and I don't have anything particularly outstanding. My meager combat skills are only enough to get by among the outer members, and I only have the privilege of choosing missions."

Looking at Ai Haibara's somewhat apologetic gaze, Chu Ming continued to play the victim, revealing a faint smile: "Life is pretty good like this now. I take on a small mission every now and then, and I can arrange the rest of my time as I please. I'm already better off than many members. Although I don't know when I'll die at someone's hands while doing a mission, I have this memory, which is already wonderful."

"sorry, I……"

Chu Ming waved his hand: "There's nothing to apologize for." He made it all up anyway.

He continued, "Among the inheritance my parents left me, there was some private property that was enough for me to live a comfortable life. I have nothing to complain about. By the way, you were just lying to Conan about how the documents your parents left behind were burned, right? You didn't tell him because you were afraid he would act impulsively?"

Ai Haibara nodded with a cool expression, a rare hint of hesitation in her eyes: "The data is indeed still in the base, but it's not the base I was in before. If Conan finds out, he'll definitely take the risk. It's actually quite good as it is now. Gin saw his appearance but didn't connect it to Shinichi Kudo, which means that shrinking the body is the best protection. It's not bad to live like this forever."

“I’ll find a chance to get it back for you. Whether or not we have the antidote, it’s not always convenient to keep doing this. Besides, Gin might not make the connection when he sees Conan, but he’ll definitely make the connection when he sees you shrunken. After all, I heard that you followed Gin around for a while when you were little.”

Ai Haibara pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "No need. Members on the outer perimeter of that base don't have permission to enter. I can't let you take the risk."

...The story seems to have been fabricated.

Chu Ming didn't insist. Since he knew that Shirley hadn't taken him out of the organization, it didn't matter. In any case, although the organization couldn't get the information, it wouldn't lose it either.

Moreover, there will be plenty of opportunities to get information out of them later.

The only downside is that Conan and his friends just checked the ownership of Twilight Villa out of boredom, and they found out that they are the owners of Twilight Villa. It seems they can't use Baileys's identity to cause trouble anymore.

It's a pity about Conan's emotional value... But when Chu Ming thought of the golden walls of the Twilight Villa, all his heartache and reluctance disappeared.

My golden villa!!! I'll come find you tomorrow!!!

(づ￣3￣)づ╭?～

Chapter 278 Although I didn't get wet in the rain, I still want to tear your umbrella.

The next morning, Kogoro Mouri took his group to rent a car.

Kid, disguised as a receptionist, handed the car rental form to Kogoro Mouri. Ever since he learned that someone was impersonating him and had gathered a group of detectives in his name, Kid felt that if he didn't go, he would be smeared without even knowing it.

After watching Kogoro Mouri get into the car, Kid saw Conan peeking out from the back seat. He waved and greeted him with a big smile. Conan silently pulled his head back in. Before Kid could even wipe his smile off, another head popped out of the car window and smiled back at him.

Isn't this the guy who was pretty strong at the magicians' gathering the other day? Kidd treated him the same way, smiling and waving at him.

Seeing that playful smile, Chu Ming opened the system's focus list and, sure enough, saw the words "Kaito Kuroba" in large letters.

The system is truly a magic tool against disguise. Chu Ming had already added focus points and notes to several disguise masters in Detective Conan. Whenever they get close, he can recognize who it is just by looking at the focus point. It's convenient and simple. Mom won't be afraid of me being tricked anymore.

Once the car was on the highway, Xiaolan held the map and carefully checked the route.

After sitting quietly for a while, Chu Ming got bored. He pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket, patted the dazed Conan and Ran who were holding the map, and waved the cards in his hand.

"The car ride is so boring, let's play cards!"

Kogoro Mouri gritted his teeth in anger. "Damn it! I'm driving this car with all my might, and you guys are playing cards?"

Conan and Ran felt a pang of conscience seeing Kogoro Mouri smoking a cigarette and looking gloomy, but they still happily accepted Chu Ming's invitation.

After all, sitting in a car all the time is really boring...

……

"A royal flush!" Xiaolan excitedly threw down her last two cards, beaming with joy. "I won again!"

"..." Chu Ming and Conan exchanged a glance, looking at their faces covered with notes, and then at Ran's face with only two or three notes.

With just these two or three notes, it was only because Chu Ming and Conan, those two old fogies, disregarded all sportsmanship and took advantage of Ran's naivety to secretly exchange notes that they won.

That's why Xiaolan's luck is so incredible!

"That's enough, we've already exited the highway. Uncle must be tired after driving all morning. Let's go see if there's anything to eat nearby."

Seeing that if he kept sticking the cards on, his face would be nothing but paper, Chu Ming decisively stopped playing cards with the lucky guy.

After finishing our meal, we continued on our way until the sun began to set and the sky gradually darkened. We drove onto a winding mountain road, where the surrounding area was deserted.

As Chu Ming was using the sleeping Conan as a pillow and closing his eyes to rest, a tire suddenly screeched, and the car jolted violently a few times. Kogoro Mouri quickly released the accelerator and slowly slowed down to a stop.

Hmm? As expected of Kogoro Mouri, his car breaks down nine out of ten times during his trips. He truly is the nightmare of car rental companies—a vehicle killer.

The sleeping group was also startled awake. Conan rubbed his arm, which felt inexplicably sore and numb. "Uncle, what's wrong?"

"Conan, can you check if the tires over there are flat?" Kogoro Mouri reached out and turned on the interior light.

"The tires over here are flat; it looks like they've blown out." Conan leaned out to take a look.

"What bad luck! I'm exhausted and I still have to change a tire—wait, no spare tire??? Damn it! This rental company is really cutting corners!"

Chu Ming pointed to a gas station in the distance: "Uncle, there's a gas station over there, why don't you go check it out?"

Shunshun went to check on Kidd, who had been waiting at the gas station for a long time. He probably caused the tire blowout.

Kogoro Mouri is in danger.

Sure enough, not long after, the one who returned with his backup plan was none other than Kid, disguised as Kogoro Mouri.

Sigh, Sonoko must be envious of the car that Kaito Kid drives—uh, could he be driving without a license?

Help! Let me off the bus!!!

The car bounced and jolted along the muddy road for most of the day, and Chu Ming felt like he was about to fall apart, before finally reaching a normal road.

"Brother Chu Ming, I see that villa. Look, it looks really eerie..." Conan leaned against the window, looking into the distance.

While driving, Kidd also glanced at the scene a few times and said, "Indeed, I think we should stop calling it Twilight Villa and just call it Vampire Villa."

Chu Ming slapped his car seat: "Uncle, watch the road! Don't look around while driving! It's dangerous, four lives could be lost in one car!"

"You brat, my driving skills are absolutely fine! Besides, what could possibly be on this deserted highway? A troll??" Kidd gritted his teeth and roared.

"Yes, if you don't brake soon, you'll kill Granny Mountain Demon..." Chu Ming reminded him quietly.

Kidd slammed on the brakes immediately. Looking at Chima Kazuyo, whose face appeared especially terrifying under the car headlights, he recoiled, nearly screaming, "!!!!!! Is there really... a mountain spirit?"

“Speaking like that is incredibly rude to a woman you’re meeting for the first time,” Chima Kyouyo said slowly.

Chu Ming leaned out and said, "But the way you're stopping cars doesn't seem very polite to anyone... including yourself. Who stands in the middle of the road to stop a car? What if the old man doesn't realize what's happening?"

Despite being teased by Chu Ming, Chika Kazuyo remained unhurried: "Sorry, but in this weather, you probably wouldn't even see me if I stood by the roadside. The main problem is that my precious Fiat suddenly stopped working, so I waited for someone to pass by and give me a ride. You're probably going to Twilight Villa too, right?"

Good grief, you think you can find someone to give you a ride so your car can escape this mess? No way! Don't even think about it.

Chu Ming spoke up decisively: "Grandma, our bus is already full, but I've repaired cars before, so I can take a look and see if there's anything wrong with your bus. Don't worry, I'm a professional."

Chima Kazuyo's lips twitched: "Uh... this..."

Chu Ming got out of the car decisively: "Don't be so polite with me, it's just a car repair. I guess the spark plug cap is broken, and it's raining, so it won't start. Let me take a look, it'll be fine in a bit."

【_(:з」∠)_ I made this up; I really don't know anything about cars】

Five minutes later, facing the starting car, Chima Kazuyo had cursed countless times in her heart, but her face was still full of smiles as she thanked Chu Ming for his help. Then, with her heart bleeding, she parked the car in front of the villa.

Chapter 279 Overturning the table

The rain was pouring down, and Chu Ming, holding an umbrella, enthusiastically went over to help Chizuru Kagami carry her luggage inside, leaving her no room for regret.

Kidd was walking forward with them, but when he saw a group of luxury cars parked at the entrance, he forgot about his umbrella and went forward to admire them with shining eyes. In particular, when he saw an Alfa Romeo, he almost pressed himself against the hood.

Chu Ming stood under the eaves at the door and turned around to see the car owner telling him to stay away from his beloved wife.

Alas, do you know that your beloved wife is going to perish in the fire tonight...?

Without looking back at the group of detectives recognizing their relatives, Chu Ming patted the wrinkles in his clothes, slightly raised his chin, and pushed open the door. The maid behind the door, who had heard the noise and was about to open it, was startled.

She quickly bowed and said, "Welcome, uh—please come in."

When she applied for the maid position, the employer only showed her a few photos of detectives, so she didn't know how to serve Chu Ming.

Chu Ming walked through the gate, looking at the luxurious but outdated facilities inside. He glanced around and wondered if this was the BOSS's former residence.

The interior was covered in bloodstains, on the doorknob, the stair railing, the carpet, and every part of the villa.

This villa has changed hands countless times. Hasn't any of the previous buyers ever wanted to renovate it and live there themselves? Or is everyone after the legendary treasure left behind by Karasuma Renya?

While Chu Ming was touring around, the detectives had already gathered. They boasted to each other about their achievements and then began to find their own entertainment in the villa while waiting for dinner.

Hakuba Saguru and Mogi Harufumi each grabbed a cue to play pool, while Senma Kazuyo and Kid disguised as Mouri Kogoro sat on the side playing chess. Ran got interested in playing cards in the car and wanted to invite Chu Ming and Conan to play a few more rounds, but Chu Ming hesitated and declined Ran's invitation. So now it was Gunta Ikumi playing with them.

Xiaolan tossed down her last straight, beaming, "I won again!"

Chu Ming rested his chin on his hand, watching Xiao Lan single-handedly defeat two people. He shook his head. He knew it would be like this. No matter how skillful you are at card counting, you can't beat the luck of a lucky person.

Just then, the maid came over and said it was time to eat. The detectives all expressed their desire to see who had gathered them together.

Chu Ming did not reveal that he was the owner of this villa for the time being, but simply followed the crowd toward the restaurant.

The restaurant door opened, and everyone looked at a hooded man sitting at the head of the table. They couldn't help but sneer, "You've gathered so many of us together, yet you're hiding your face. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

But the man remained unmoved and continued reciting his lines, stating that he had spent a fortune and incurred gambling debts to finally buy this villa, all for the legendary treasure within. He needed the detectives to help him find the treasure, or he wouldn't be able to leave.

They bought the villa? Conan looked at Chu Ming with suspicion. When he checked yesterday, Chu Ming was clearly the owner of the villa...

No sooner had the man finished speaking than a violent explosion occurred outside the door. All the cars were instantly engulfed by the bomb, including the wooden bridge they had just crossed. The man also said that there was no signal here, and phone calls could not be made. This place was now a veritable island.

Chu Ming had somehow walked up to the man and poked him with his finger: "Then you can't leave either, can you?"