Survival Manual of the Science Fiction World

"Miss Miyano, what's wrong?" Ran asked, puzzled when she saw Vermouth suddenly stop.

"Ah, is that so? I suddenly remembered there's a detail I haven't made clear to Mr. Kudo. Ran, you go and line up first, I'll come find you later, okay?"

"Okay, then hurry up, I'll take the children over first." Xiao Lan's tone was gentle, and her smile was warm, just like when Vermouth first met her.

Vermouth watched Xiaolan walk away before walking up to Chu Ming, her face serious: "The bomb you mentioned, did you plant it?"

"Tsk tsk, sister, you're looking down on me, aren't you? How could I possibly make something with such low technical content? Tch, what's the use of wearing a bracelet on your wrist? What if someone is really about to explode and just cuts off their wrist? For some people, losing a hand is better than losing their life. If it were me, I'd put it around their necks~" Chu Ming's tone rose as he gestured with his hands.

Vermouth reached out and covered his face: "Don't make that face, it hurts my eyes."

"...I don't know who did it in front of Sherry—okay, okay, I won't say, and don't make such a coquettish expression on Sherry's face, it hurts my eyes too."

"So, the bracelet on Xiaolan's wrist could explode at any moment?" Vermouth's expression shifted, a hint of worry in her eyes. "How did you know?"

"It won't explode at any time, but it will explode once you leave the amusement park area. I just overheard Conan and Sherry's communication. It was given to them by Kogoro Mouri's client. On the surface, this bracelet allows free access to all the rides in the amusement park, but it actually contains a plastic bomb that can blow people away. And it seems like it will explode if Kogoro Mouri hasn't solved the mystery by 10 p.m.."

"Haven't you been complaining about being bored?" Vermouth urged Chu Ming. "Playing these rides at this amusement park involves long queues, which isn't as fun as solving puzzles. Why don't you go—"

"No, why should I use my brain on my vacation? Besides, isn't it quite interesting to watch these people explode like fireworks?" Chu Ming turned his head away and refused Vermouth. "This is much more interesting than solving a mystery. I'm not a detective obsessed with solving cases. No way."

Vermouth took out her phone, tapped it a couple of times, and turned the screen to show Chu Ming: "I've taken care of all your tasks for the next month, so the tasks assigned to you will automatically be transferred to my email. You'll be cooperating with Conan's operations in the future, how about that?"

"No way, I don't have any missions for the next month. Isn't this just a free lunch for you, sister? Besides, you clearly dumped all the missions on Bourbon. I don't think I'm making any profit, and if I'm not making any profit, I'm losing out!" Chu Ming shook his head and smiled slyly. "One price, six months!"

“No, three months at most. I’ve already requisitioned Bourbon for three months!” Vermouth blurted out.

"Deal! Three months it is!" Chu Ming quickly finalized the deal, giving Vermouth no chance to back out. "Then I'm off, bye-bye, sister~"

"..." Vermouth felt a tightness in her chest, but finally let out a long sigh. Oh well, Bourbon was handling most of the work anyway, and she would only take over if Bourbon was too busy. It was alright.

Fortunately, Bourbon is here. Since Bourbon started taking on the main responsibility for tedious tasks, even Gin hasn't been as busy.

Bourbon, the organization is so fortunate to have you! ( ????` ) Sending you love.

Chu Ming walked out of the amusement park and casually swiped a bracelet identical to the one Xiao Lan and the others had from a VIP member, then put it in his pocket.

Following the green dot on the system interface, Chu Ming headed towards Yokohama Marine University. He also saw Heiji Hattori nearby, so Chu Ming drove there to meet them.

As soon as Chu Ming entered the campus, he saw Conan and Heiji Hattori standing in front of the bulletin board, each holding a notebook and muttering something to themselves. Behind them stood Hakuba Saguru, but Chu Ming's focus was on the four characters "Kaito Kuroba".

Goodness, look at this lineup! Heiji Hattori disguised as Shinichi Kudo, Kaito Kuroba disguised as Saguru Hakuba, plus Conan whose real identity is Shinichi Kudo—it's practically an amazing team!

Unfortunately, of the four, only Hattori was real; the others were fake.

Chapter 502 Shinichi Kudo Appears

Conan and Hattori are searching everywhere on the bulletin board for what exactly 'CRY' is.

A voice interrupted: "It's the Yokohama Crime Research Society. I think this is what you're looking for."

The two turned around and looked at each other. Hattori asked in surprise, "Who are you?"

With one hand in his pocket and a slight smile, Kaito Kuroba directly stole the identity: "I am Hakuba Saguru. In every respect, my situation is the same as yours."

"You're in the same situation as me?" Hattori turned around and looked him up and down. "What do you mean by that?"

Conan blinked: "I know, you're the son of the Metropolitan Police Department's chief of staff, and a high school detective, right? So you're in the same situation as Hattori-nii."

Hattori Ryoko: "That's right. My dad is the Osaka Prefectural Police Chief. You mean this when you say 'same'?"

“It’s not just that.” Kaito Kuroba raised his hand from his pocket, revealing a bracelet just like Hattori’s.

"So, you also—" Conan frowned.

Kaito Kuroba straightened up: "There's someone very important to me who's been detained in Paradise. Alright, let's talk about this as we walk. Wasting time will only make people cry and feel sad."

Startled by Kaito Kuroba's sudden pun-based joke, Conan and Hattori exchanged a glance and were about to follow when they heard a strangely familiar voice from beside them.

"Hattori, and Conan, it's been a long time—"

Hattori Heiji's eyes widened as he looked at Chu Ming, then at Conan beside him, and he took a step back abruptly: "Th-this, that, Kudo, you, he, this..."

When Conan saw the person's face, his expression instantly filled with resentment. He glared fiercely at Chu Ming, who had stolen his account, and muttered to Hattori, "This must be Kaito Kid, stealing my identity again! Damn it!"

With his exceptional hearing, Kid looked at Conan, then at Chu Ming disguised as Shinichi Kudo. Wait, that's Kid! Who am I?!

This is slander!!

What's going on?! How can accounts be hacked together like this?!

Kaito Kuroba's lips twitched: "This must be the famous high school detective Shinichi Kudo, right?"

Chu Ming waved his hand: "It's nothing to mention, just empty fame. If I were really that good, I would have caught Phantom Thief Kid long ago. Sigh, I'm still not as good as him."

Kaito Kuroba was pleased by this obvious comparison, and he almost couldn't control the smile on his face.

On the other hand, Conan felt the veins on his forehead bulging. What was going on? It was one thing to steal his identity, but why did they have to use his words to put others down?

What, you're trying to elevate yourself by stepping on me, huh?

That damn thief!

Hattori, always eager for drama, remarked, "That's true. You haven't been doing so well lately, being a high school detective in the Kanto region. If Kaito Kid were in Osaka, I would have caught him long ago."

"That's not necessarily true. You're not as famous as Kudo-kun, are you?" Kaito Kuroba chimed in, trying to sow discord.

"Hey, hey—that's enough! Aren't we investigating a case?! And you, Shinichi, brother, brother!" Conan said through gritted teeth, "Why are you here?!"

Chu Ming reached out and shook the bracelet on his arm, the same style as theirs, feigning grief: "My beloved Xiao Lan has been held hostage by him at Fantasy Park, so I'm forced to stay at work~"

Conan, his face flushed red from being teased, retorted, "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Why are you so agitated, kid? That's my Ran, not yours." Chu Ming leaned closer to Conan, revealing a playful smile.

"You bastard—" Conan was only halfway through his sentence when Hattori covered his mouth.

Hattori frantically signaled to Conan with his eyes, indicating that he should look at Hakuba Saguru, who was completely unaware of the matter. After Conan calmed down, Hattori chuckled a few times at Kuroba Kaito, who was watching the show from the side: "Please excuse me, Mr. Hakuba. This kid just loves to argue with his Shinichi brother, hahaha. The more they argue, the better their relationship becomes, hahaha."

Kaito Kuroba gave a subtle smile: "Yes, they do have a good relationship."

Conan struggled to break free from Hattori's hand covering his mouth, and angrily charged ahead towards the research club's location.

Chu Ming continued to provoke him, saying, "Sigh, why is this kid so temperamental?"

Hattori glanced helplessly at Chu Ming and followed Conan forward, leaving only Kaito Kuroba and him behind.

Chu Ming looked at Kuroba Kaito, who was maintaining Hakuba Saguru's aloof demeanor, raised an eyebrow, and gave him a meaningful smile.

Seeing Chu Ming's meaningful gaze, Kidd knew that his identity had been exposed, but he intuitively felt that this person pretending to be Shinichi Kudo did not seem to have any ill intentions.

The four arrived at the classroom of the Crime Research Club at Yokohama Marine University, all with their hands in their pockets in a tactical pose. Hattori knocked on the door, but no one answered.

"It seems like no one is here..." Hattori was a little troubled. He tried to push the door open, but found that it seemed to be locked.

"I'll do it." Chu Ming reached into his pocket and rummaged around, actually taking out the master key from his system backpack, inserting it, and it opened instantly.

The others started giving him strange looks, especially Conan. This lock-picking skill made him even more certain that the person impersonating him was Kid. He looked at Chu Ming with a meaningful gaze: "Shinichi-nii-san seems quite skilled..."

Chu Ming replied calmly, "Yes, as a detective, you need to learn many skills, Conan. You still have a lot to learn!"

Ignoring Conan's speechless look, Chu Ming reached out and pushed open the door, taking the lead and walking in.

The research club has a lot of materials, and the walls are covered with all kinds of photos.

"I don't know what the client wants us to find here..." Hattori looked at the wall and cabinet full of documents and was about to take out his phone to take pictures for future reference when the phone the client had given him rang.

On the other end of the phone, the client's voice had been specially processed, indicating that they were able to find the correct location using YOUCRY's clues. They were indeed excellent high school detectives. However, the previous clues were just to test their detective skills, and there would be no more clues for the truth they needed to find.

Just as the group was pondering where to begin, two members of the research club suddenly walked in. They looked quite surprised to see the four of them inside: "Who are you? Who are you looking for? I remember the door was locked. How did you get in?"

Caught red-handed trespassing, Hattori was quite embarrassed and stammered, "Um, I—that—uh—actually—"

Kidd quickly chimed in, spouting nonsense: "We plan to apply to this university next year and want to check out the environment and visit the campus beforehand."

Hattori Heiji felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and hurriedly followed behind, nodding his head.

Sigh, Hattori's skin still isn't thick enough.

Look at Kidd, he can just spout off.

And look at you, speechless!

Point and point.jpg

Chapter 503 Killing and Punishing the Heart

"Oh, I see." Seeing that Hattori and the others would become his juniors, the man stopped worrying about how they got in and warmly invited them to join his club after they passed the entrance exam.

"That's for sure." Chu Ming replied with a smile, glancing at the school badge hanging on the man to confirm his name. "Could you give us a detailed introduction to the clubs, Chiyo-senpai? I see a lot of portraits on the wall. Are these the previous club presidents?"

"You mean these portraits? That's right. These are the portraits of our past presidents. After they step down, we will hang their portraits on the wall. For example, this Senior Shangwu was the founder of our research club. He was the one who applied to establish the research club. And over here—"

Seeing that he was talking nonstop and had no intention of stopping, Conan, taking advantage of his status as a child, interjected, "Then, big brother, why is there one less photo on that wall? There's a section of the wall next to the last photo that hasn't changed color, which means there used to be a photo hanging here, right? Why was it taken down?"

"This—" Chiyo and the girl behind her exchanged a glance, seemingly hesitant to speak.

Chu Ming put on an apologetic expression: "Oh, I'm sorry, did he die in an accident? I'm so sorry, you don't need to take a child's words to heart. He was just a curious little boy. I'm so sorry for reminding you of sad things."

"No, no, that's not how it is." Chiyo quickly waved her hand vigorously. "Actually, it's because Ito-senpai was expelled from school, so we took down his photo. It's not that he passed away."

Chu Ming nodded knowingly, exchanged glances with the others behind him, and confirmed that this newly appeared senior, Ito, was very likely related to the matter entrusted to him by the client.

Kaito Kuroba stroked his chin and began to probe for information in a familiar tone: "Ah~ it's Ito-senpai, I think his name is Ito Jiro, right?"

Chiyo paused for a moment, then said, "No, my senior's name is Ito Suehiko. Do you know him?"

"I guess so." Kaito Kuroba's answer was vague. He walked over to the photos on the wall, glanced at them, pointed to a long-haired boy, and said confidently, "I remember this is him, right?"