Survival Manual of the Science Fiction World

Conan was extremely proud: "I'm a detective, so figuring out your hospital room is a piece of cake. Last time you told me that you called Dr. Watanabe to pick you up because you had a fever at night, so you must have been taken to the hospital where Dr. Watanabe works. As for the specific room, I asked the nurse downstairs, and she helped me find it."

Goodness, thankfully all the groundwork was done beforehand, otherwise Conan's disguise would have been completely exposed by now.

Chu Ming propped his head up and looked around, then yawned. He had gone to bed too late last night and was incredibly sleepy. "Why are you alone? Didn't Xiao Lan come with you? Aren't you always a couple?"

Conan remained silent, his expression one of self-reproach: "She's also at Beika Hospital..."

Chu Ming sat up: "What's wrong with Xiao Lan? Is she sick? Why didn't you say so earlier? Come on, take me to see her."

Conan followed Chu Ming, pointing him in the direction of Ran's hospital room, while dejectedly recounting the events of the previous night to Chu Ming, picking and choosing what to say.

Of course, he didn't know much either, since he was knocked unconscious by Chu Ming halfway through the story.

"So, Xiaolan's English teacher is actually an FBI agent?" Chu Ming feigned surprise.

“Yes.” Conan nodded. “Ms. Jodie told me that the doctor Araide we met before was actually someone from the organization codenamed Vermouth in disguise. She wanted to kill Ai Haibara… And that man we met on the bus kidnapping case last time, I thought he was from the organization, but Ms. Jodie said he was actually an FBI agent. But now it turns out he was actually an undercover agent planted by the organization in the FBI. I don’t know what he really is…”

Conan was completely confused. He irritably ran his fingers through his hair and said, "Sigh, there's still too little information. It's impossible to know much."

"Don't overthink it. Things will work themselves out. There will always be clues," Chu Ming said, offering only half-hearted words of comfort. "Right now, isn't the most important thing for you—did Xiao Lan hear your identity while she was hiding in the trunk?"

Conan was startled, then shook his head in relief: "I also knocked on the side, but I didn't find anything. She probably didn't hear anything. She said she was hiding in the trunk at first, but then she felt too stuffy, so she opened the trunk a crack and heard Vermouth say she was going to kill Haibara, so she jumped out."

Chu Ming threatened him, "How do you know Xiao Lan isn't bluffing? What if she's actually heard everything, but wants you to admit it yourself, which is why she's keeping quiet?"

Conan stopped in his tracks, his face full of trepidation: "N-no way..."

Judging from the small amount of emotional points Conan contributed, he was already stunned by the possibilities listed by Chu Ming.

Chu Ming then raised his hand and knocked on Xiao Lan's hospital room door, and heard footsteps coming in to open the door.

—It's Ai Haibara.

The moment she saw Chu Ming, her eyes lit up: "Brother Chu Ming!"

She finally breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, Chu Ming was alright. Ever since she was abandoned on the dock by that organization member, she had been thinking a lot.

Normally, with someone like her protecting him within the organization, Chu Ming would be much safer, but for her sake, he even gave up the idea of ​​leaving the organization...

Ai Haibara buried her thoughts deep inside, showing no emotion on her face: "Come in quickly, Brother Chu Ming."

Chu Ming stared wide-eyed at Ran's hand, which was wrapped up like a mummy on the blanket: "I heard from Conan that Ran was injured, how did she get so badly injured? What happened to her hand?"

"Brother Chu Ming." Xiao Lan smiled gently when she saw Chu Ming walk in with fruit, and waved her hand, which was wrapped up like a bear paw. "It's nothing, it just looks really serious. Actually, it's just a few scratches. I told them to just put some medicine on it when we got back, but Xiao Ai and Conan wanted to be hospitalized for bandaging, so it got all bandaged up like this. Brother Chu Ming, please help me persuade them."

Chu Ming then passed on the things Conan had just taken to Ran, saying, "These two kids are very opinionated; I can't persuade them. But a girl's hands still need to be well protected; it's good to be careful. These two kids are just concerned about you."

Ai Haibara took the things and placed them on the bedside table. She had previously experienced the warmth of an older sister from Ran, and now, taking advantage of being a child, she clung to Ran as much as possible.

Conan went over and turned on the TV so that Ran could watch TV when she had nothing to do.

As soon as I turned on the TV, I heard the host's sweet voice announcing:

"Mr. Jikichiro Suzuki, an advisor to the Suzuki Group, has already published a notice in the newspaper, issuing a challenge to Phantom Thief Kid with the legendary 'Blue Miracle.' Will Phantom Thief Kid accept this challenge? We..."

Chu Ming was chatting with Xiao Lan by the window when he heard Phantom Thief Kid and subconsciously turned his head to look at the news broadcast.

Kaito Kid, it seems like it's been a long time since I've seen him.

Having just finished fleecing the red and black teams, it's time for Kidd to get his turn.

?(?＞?＜?)?

Chapter 426 Tickets

Wearing Lucifer's disguise, Chu Ming landed lightly on the roof of the Kuroba residence, without disturbing the security measures that Kuroba Kaito had set up around the house.

When the store released a new skin for the realistic mechanical wings, Chu Ming bought it immediately.

Anyway, the points he can get from the Red and Black faction are massive. Besides, he's already figured out that when he's not busy, he can follow Conan around and rack up some points. When he needs to buy something, he can manually plan a Red and Black battle, and the points will just pour into his pocket.

There are two new skins released this time. One has cooler wings and the trench coat style is also available. It also has some new features. By mimicking the color and temperature of the surrounding environment, it can make people "invisible" and almost blend into the environment. Not only can the naked eye not see any difference, but the layer on it can also absorb light. When it encounters some active infrared detection devices, it can also absorb the infrared rays that are emitted, making it impossible for machines to recognize it.

Therefore, Chu Ming is currently using this skin.

The other one is hard to describe. There are no preview images for this skin, but the description is full of exaggerated claims. It says that this skin is modeled after a demon from an ancient divine realm. The whole description is full of praise for this demon, such as being born from an endless sea of ​​blood, born with the nature of slaughter, and surrounded by blood energy...

Chu Ming figured he might as well buy one, and since buying two would get him a discount, he decided to buy them both.

I tried it on at the safe house last time, and wow, this skin really looks like it was fished out of blood. After I put it on, blood kept dripping from the wings, almost turning the safe house into a murder scene...

So after using it once, Chu Ming put it at the bottom of the system panel, to see if he would have a chance to use it in the future... Anyway, he definitely wouldn't need it now.

Seeing Kuroba Kaito deep in thought, holding playing cards in the room, Chu Ming reached out and knocked on the window.

Hearing the noise, Kaito Kuroba looked up warily and saw Lucifer leaning against the window with a half-smile on his face. From his angle, half of his wing could be seen drooping neatly behind him. When he saw Kaito looking over, Lucifer greeted him with a wicked grin.

Kaito Kuroba stood up. His room was on the second floor and had no balcony. This demon could stand in the void without spreading his wings... Coach, I want to learn that too.

However, after some time, Lucifer's strength seemed to have increased considerably. At this moment, just his presence alone seemed to draw people's attention.

Unseen by him, Chu Ming's other hand and foot, positioned in Kaito Kuroba's blind spot, were gripping the side water pipe in an odd posture to support his body, making the exposed half of his body appear comfortable and at ease.

What is this called?

The comfort of one half of the body is the result of the efforts of the other half.

Kaito Kuroba opened the window, just about to stick his head out to say something, but how could Chu Ming let him stick his head out?

The instant he opened the window, Chu Ming exerted all his strength and leaped into the room, swift and light. After landing, he used his wings to maintain his balance. By the time Kuroba Kaito turned around, Chu Ming was already standing arrogantly again, showing no sign of anything amiss.

"Lucifer, what brings you to my house all of a sudden? I don't think I called you." Kaito Kuroba put down the cards in his hand, his expression serious. He wasn't surprised that this demon could find where he was, but he was curious why he had come here.

"I saw someone challenge you on TV. You are someone who basks in the glory of Lucifer, how could you allow others to provoke you?" Lucifer's eyes flashed red as he looked at Kuroba Kaito.

"...So trendy? You demons watch TV too? And I'm trying to figure something out..." Kaito Kuroba muttered to himself, looking at the Suzuki Museum model on the table with some distress. It was a model made by his assistant, Mr. Terai, based on information he had gathered.

Chu Ming folded away the wings he used to show off, returning them to their trench coat form. He sat down on the chair next to him with an air of grandeur, turning an ordinary chair into a throne.

“You can ask me for help.” He raised his scarlet eyes, intrigued.

"What exactly is your purpose?" Kuroba Kaito straightened up and looked at Chu Ming seriously. "You couldn't have come to me for just this reason, and even asked me to ask for your help. I remember you've never liked beating around the bush, so why are you suddenly being so roundabout this time?"

Chu Ming clapped his hands, giving him a round of applause, but the smile didn't reach his eyes: "You really are very smart."

"Thank you for the compliment. What exactly do you need me to do this time? Is it related to that Blue Miracle?" Kaito frowned, looking at Chu Ming warily.

"Pretty much, it's a good fit for your major." Chu Ming didn't actually have any specific purpose, but since Kidd needed a reason, he would just make one up for him. "The blood energy of Hell has leaked out and seeped into your realm. A crack has appeared at the Gates of Hell. As the Lord of Hell, I need to collect this blood energy."

Seeing that Kaito was listening attentively, Chu Ming changed his posture and continued to make up: "The only thing here with a little spiritual energy that can be attached to blood energy is gemstones. Blood energy will polish gemstones, and the more precious the gemstone, the more likely there will be blood energy residue inside. Such a troublesome—such a difficult task, the first person I thought of was you, my dear collection."

Kaito's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but say, "I'm just a collectible; I can't take on such a difficult task."

"Don't underestimate yourself. Although you are just a collection, the nature of collections—and for humans, it depends on who the collector is. You are the collection of the Lord of Hell, the most outstanding among collections."

"...Isn't that still a collectible?!" Kaito Kuroba was speechless. "So other collectibles just need to be collected, but as the Lord of Hell's collectible, it has to do things for you while it's still alive? What kind of capitalist are you? Do you know that's the kind of thing that would get you hung on a lamppost?"

This little pigeon is going too far. You insisted on getting a reason from me, and now that I've given you one, you're complaining that I'm a capitalist. How despicable!

Chu Ming flicked his sleeves, stood up, seemingly nonchalant, but his words were full of threat: "Tch, if it weren't for the fact that you're my most precious collection, I wouldn't have come here. This little bit of blood energy is negligible to Hell, but it's different in your realm. Even a trace of blood energy can ignite the evil and desires in people's hearts. If blood really flows like a river, don't say I didn't warn you, my collection, in advance."

Seeing that Chu Ming was about to leave, Kidd became a little anxious and grabbed Chu Ming's sleeve: "Wait, that's not what I meant."

Seeing that Chu Ming didn't speak, but just turned around and stared at him, Kaito took a breath and slowly exhaled: "What I mean is that I am just an ordinary person. Of course, those blood energies should be dealt with by you, the Lord of Hell. There is absolutely no need for me, an ordinary human, to do it."

"It's alright." Chu Ming casually tossed him a small black stone. "This is a magic stone. It will absorb blood energy directly. Just keep it with you whenever you go to steal gems. The main problem is that the Gates of Hell won't be repaired anytime soon. It's a long-term job. If you do a good job, I can be a little more patient and wait until the day you die of old age."

Actually, it's just a testing stone used to check the quality of gemstones. The higher the quality, the brighter the light it emits. It's cheap and easy to use. The system store is really a great thing.

Seeing Kaito's eyes light up and his sudden excitement, Chu Ming secretly raised an eyebrow. "This means I've got permanent tickets to Kaito's big shows!"

Chapter 427 Playing around is fine, but don't joke about me, Shinichi Kudo.

Kaito Kuroba carefully put the magic stone away from his body; it was his talisman. Lucifer had just told him that after absorbing enough blood energy, the magic stone could form a shield around him, blocking some damage.

This is a treasure; it needs to be kept safe.

After putting away the stones, Kaito turned around with a troubled expression. After several interactions, he had become quite familiar with this demon and knew that although the demon was arrogant, he probably wouldn't lay a hand on him. So he spoke more casually: "I'll do the physical work. What are you going to do?"

"Let's see your performance." Chu Ming propped his head up with one hand, his fingertips twirling his long hair, his posture casual. "Don't worry, I'll change my appearance and blend into the crowd, so you won't be tainted by the blood aura."

Kaito Kuroba was studying the video that Kijiro Terai had investigated when he spotted Conan following Ran in the corner of the video. After hearing what Chu Ming said, he pointed at the video and said, "This kid already said last time that you might be my assistant. If you go over there again this time, he'll definitely think you're my accomplice."

Chu Ming's eyelids were drooping slightly, but when he heard his words, he looked up and saw Conan grinning as he followed Sonoko into the museum, looking around as if he were looking at something. He chuckled and said, "Then I'll just change my face and go over there."

At this point, Kaito Kuroba realized his role was being played. He leaned closer, his eyes sparkling: "I'll help you disguise yourself? I'm a professional, you know~"

"Disguise?" The demon in front of him arrogantly raised his chin. "No need, I can transform."

Kaito Kuroba stared wide-eyed at the demon sitting in front of him. First, the two horns on his head slowly disappeared, then his long hair shortened out of thin air and turned black. His sharp face softened, and his whole person instantly transformed into—hmm?

Kaito Kuroba looked annoyed: "Why did you transform into my appearance? Inspector Nakamori was going that day too, and it wouldn't be good if he saw me..."

"You're such a hassle." Chu Ming casually tousled his hair, changing it to Shinichi Kudo's hairstyle. "This will do. The soul inside that child's body looks like this."

Kaito Kuroba smiled slyly: "Not bad, not bad, this is good, this is good."

If he goes like that, that sticky detective will definitely suspect him immediately, and then I'll have an opportunity to take advantage of him.

Chu Ming knew what he was thinking, but he did it on purpose. He had disguised himself as Shinichi Kudo so many times and with so many people, but he had never pretended to be Shinichi Kudo in front of Conan before!

Just thinking about it is so exciting!

"How are you planning to get that Blue Miracle? Do you need my help?" Chu Ming browsed through the shop, looking for any items that could help him make a high-profile appearance.

However, Kaito Kuroba refused. He genuinely loved magic and hoped that his identity as the Phantom Thief Kid could shine alongside magic: "This is my grand magic show. I have to show that picky brat what real magic is. If I need your help, then it's magic."

Chu Ming didn't insist and stood up directly: "I've informed you of the matter. Keep the crystal ball I gave you before safe. Call me if you need anything, and remember to call me if there's any excitement. It's too boring to stay in hell fighting all day long. Why not watch the survival and changes of ants to change your mood?"