I became the emperor in the comic book series.

Who dares to bet that the source of the mutation has intelligence and whether it will discover it?

Even if we tell Yukino Yukinoshita, who can guarantee that she will be emotionally stable enough to accept it, instead of constantly questioning her?

Even if he were to inform her, Higashino Akira would first have to ask Yukino Yukinoshita what she had done that day, whether she had encountered any strange people or events, and whether she had any guesses about the changes in herself.

First, gather all the information and compare it with the information provided by Toyokawa Shoko to get a better grasp of the details.

The last step is to notify the family members to come and claim the property.

Chiba, the car stopped near Saki Kawasaki's house. Akira Higashino got out and drove her for a while. When they were almost at her house, he stopped, gently cupped her face, and kissed her briefly.

"Let's call it a day for now. A lot has happened, and I need to follow up on it. Let's make it up another time."

I'll contact you again when I have time.

Kawasaki Saki blushed slightly, no longer as shy as she had been at the beginning.

After all, it wasn't the first or second time they'd met, and they were practically inseparable. Since he had important business to attend to, she naturally couldn't pester him; otherwise, wouldn't she seem like one of those sexually frustrated women?

She responded softly, said goodbye to Higashino Akira, and told him to be careful on his way back.

Seeing this, Higashino Akira pinched her cheek and turned to leave.

Get some rest early, goodnight.

Kawasaki Saki is a good woman. Being with her gives you a warm feeling of home. Higashino Akira loves to see her shy yet adorable way of saying "I can't stand you" and then blushing as she agrees to his request.

Unfortunately, today was just not a lucky day.

We had a great day, and the atmosphere was really set, but then something suddenly happened.

After taking two steps, Higashino Akira looked back. She was still standing there quietly watching him leave. He waved to her, telling her to hurry home, and then opened the car door and left as quickly as possible so she wouldn't have to wait any longer.

Even if Higashino Akira was a womanizer from the beginning, she was still the first one, which made her special. Moreover, her personal style and the feeling she gave off were different from everyone else.

Even after weathering many storms, their return is still like the first love.

It gets better with time.

喜歡。

Sitting in the car on the way back, Higashino Akira gently kneaded the little cat's paw pads resting on his lap.

As a kitten, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't resist. Fortunately, he didn't touch any more inappropriate places, so she could only close her eyes and let him do whatever he wanted.

Yukino Yukinoshita in cat form is a completely different black and white cow cat from Toyokawa Shoko in blue fur form. Most of her body is jet black and shiny, except for her belly and four paws, which are pure white.

Akira Higashino didn't go back to Miko's place. He just sent her a message telling her not to forget to feed the cat. Then he took Yukino Yukinoshita to the property in Shimokitazawa that he used for his date with Saki Kawasaki.

Once inside, I closed the door and placed the cow-patterned cat I was holding on the low table in the living room.

"Next, I'll ask you a question, and you'll answer it. If you're right, you'll nod; if you're wrong, you'll meow, understand?"

Yukino Yukinoshita nodded.

Upon seeing this, Akira Higashino asked directly, "Are you Yukino, Yukinoshita Haruno's younger sister?"

The cat nodded.

Do you know why you turned into a cat?

Yukino Yukinoshita meowed loudly.

Higashino Akira took out his phone and switched to his chat page with Xiangzi on a social media app.

"Type it out and describe everything that happened to you today, in every detail."

Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita turned her head to look at him, then at the phone on the table, her face full of confusion.

Since she can type, why didn't you do it this way from the beginning, instead of making her meow?

Yukino Yukinoshita felt like she was being tricked. She didn't say anything and just kept typing away.

As she typed, Higashino Akira watched and pondered the contents of the document.

Yukino Yukinoshita then described everything that had happened that day, along with her own dubious speculations.

Akira Higashino clicked and sent the entire message to Shoko Toyokawa.

Not long after, the reply came from the other side.

It was clear that Xiangzi was very excited, and she said that she had also experienced some of Yukino Yukinoshita's experiences.

The strange thing they both encountered was that in the tourist area, they met deer that were not kept in captivity and were begging for food from tourists.

Akira Higashino took out the tourist guide, flipped to the back page, and laid it out on the table.

It clearly states above: Visitor Notice

1. All animals in the park are kept in the exhibition halls and enclosures. No animals roam freely outside. If you encounter any, please move away from them as soon as possible and contact the staff nearby.

2: Only captive animals can purchase food from staff and be fed it, and only designated foods can be fed to them.

3: There are no pet exhibits for cats and dogs in the park, so there will be no small domestic pets.

4. The park's opening hours are from 9:00 AM to 17:00 PM. Please plan your time accordingly and leave half an hour in advance. Do not stay beyond the designated time, otherwise there will be no staff in the park.

5. If you feel dizzy, sleepy, or have other strange symptoms during your visit, please immediately find the nearest legitimate kiosk and buy a special hot drink. Hot drinks can effectively help you stay awake.

There is a lot more content after that, but it all seems to be just some normal precautions and solutions for unexpected situations.

However, some descriptions in the content, coupled with the experiences of Yukino Yukinoshita and Shoko, have a strangely unsettling feel to them.

This art style... is it some kind of weird fantasy?

Akira Higashino raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Yukino Yukinoshita.

Then I picked up my phone and dialed a number.

"Let's change direction and investigate all the past staff and owners of that zoo."

"As ordered!"

After doing all this, Akira Higashino turned off his phone screen, gently tapped the side of the phone frame with his right index finger, and fell into deep thought.

If it's truly a strange rule, then it'll be even more difficult to deal with.

Unlike evil spirits, which ultimately have a physical origin and will die if hit, this is different.

The most troublesome thing about rule-based supernatural tales is the rules themselves. They are invisible and intangible, and you can easily fall into their trap without even realizing it. There are no clues, no numerical values, and they are all mechanisms.

After thinking for a moment, Higashino Akira called Kongming again. Since acquiring the large tract of land in Itomori, Higashino Akira's territory had been approaching the 10 square kilometer mark, and his daily income bonus had reached nearly 1 billion yen. The funds were put into corporate profits, and then used to continuously acquire assets, buy and sell land, hire employees, and so on, which consumed most of them.

The snowball has already started rolling, and the funds will only increase in the future. As a result, more and more people will live off the Yunmeng Group under Akira Higashino's name. One day, it is not impossible for them to buy the entire island nation and naturalize all its citizens as employees of their own group.

It's fair to say that Akira Higashino has no shortage of money. Even if he needs to mobilize a large amount of funds, he usually just needs to pause the recruitment process for a few days, or he can simply go to the bank and ask them to generate gold coins for him, thanks to the huge amount of revenue generated by the Yunmeng Group and the large number of low-level employees who rely on the group for their livelihood.

Once the scale increases, and it's not using bad properties as collateral, but rather genuine, high-quality enterprises with sound financial standing, banks will indeed become much more accommodating. Even if you clearly don't need money, they'll still come knocking on your door, begging to lend you some.

When the call connected, Kongming took the initiative to inquire about the situation.

"My lord, what brings you here so suddenly?"

Upon hearing this, Higashino Akira said, "Kongming, go and contact Junluan, provide the necessary funds and resources, and buy that zoo. Just in case, create a separate company and put it under that company name."

"clear."

"That's fine."

Akira Higashino nodded and hung up the phone.

Having opened up to Xiangzi for so long and talked things out, now that I've taken her in, I should try my best to help her out.

Akira Higashino didn't believe that in this materialistic and technologically driven world, there could really be such a powerful set of pure rules that had just taken root on Earth.

At worst, we can try tearing down that zoo first.

Even the zoo is gone; let's see if its strange rules and legends still hold true.

If there's really no other way, then you can call him awesome.

He honestly gathered his strength and focused on his inner energy, relying on the inherent strength of his inner energy to overcome all evil and directly break through all laws with sheer force.

Coming to his senses, Akira Higashino looked at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was squatting on the coffee table, staring intently at the tourist guide and racking her brains trying to find a way out of the rules. After thinking for a moment, he asked her.

"Now that the situation is clear, do you need me to contact your sister to pick you up and let her know how you are doing?"

Yukino Yukinoshita pondered for a moment and then nodded.

No matter what, her sudden disappearance must have worried her family. Since nothing bad happened, she should have told them, even if she didn't tell her parents about these unscientific powers, it would have been good to put their minds at ease.

Moreover, we cannot only listen to this person's side of the story.

He may not be able to do anything, and Yukinoshita may not be unable to do anything either.

If ghosts and spirits truly exist, then there must be corresponding monks and onmyoji (yin-yang masters) to them; otherwise, humanity could not have survived so safely to this day and entered the technological age.

Given the size of the Yukinoshita family, it wouldn't be difficult to hire professionals if such people were available.

Higashino Akira had no idea that Yukino Yukinoshita was thinking so much in such a short time. Seeing that she hadn't refused, he dialed Yukino Yukinoshita's number.

"Did you discover something by contacting me at this time, Higashino-kun?"

"I won't do anything that would be unfair to Saki."

This woman, whose voice clearly sounded haggard, was still stubbornly maintaining that social facade.

Higashino Akira didn't waste any more words with her. "I've found your sister. Can you drive over and pick her up? I've sent you the address. Go take a look."

On the other end, Yukino's voice immediately perked up, followed by a flurry of rummaging through things. She said she'd be right there and then hung up.

....................................

....................................

P.S.: Update a little late, 3000 words, still owes 21.5 chapters. Total update for today: 8000 words.

Chapter Sixty-Three Substitute

About half an hour later, Akira Higashino heard a knock on the door.

Seeing the anxious look on Hiyono's face outside the door, her hair disheveled, and her eyes constantly darting into the room, Higashino Akira remained silent for a moment.

You arrived so quickly, were you speeding?

If you accidentally get into a car accident on the road, it will become a double tragedy.

"Please come in."

Higashino Akira stepped aside and led the way into the house.

Yang Nai behind him paused for a moment, glanced at the shoe cabinet next to him, then ignored it and followed him inside.

It's good that you don't need to change your shoes, but if there's any accident, it's inconvenient to run away or fight back while wearing slippers.

Sorry to bother you.

As Yukino Yukino entered the living room, her gaze wandered around, but she couldn't find her younger sister anywhere. Her initial excitement gradually subsided, and although it didn't erupt, a sense of unease lingered around her.

"Um, excuse me, where is Yukino?"

She forced a smile, unwilling to give up any possibility.

What if... Yukino wasn't in the living room, but instead encountered some accident and fell into a coma, so she was placed in another room, such as the bedroom?

Higashino Akira, sitting on the sofa, pointed to the cow cat on the coffee table upon hearing this.

"There it is."

"Although you may find it hard to believe and even harder to understand, the fact is that she turned into a cat for some reason."

"When I was at the zoo, I saw this cat rubbing against my legs and meowing, trying to get my attention. I thought it was strange. If it were your cat, you wouldn't be completely unresponsive. But this cat was so clean, it didn't seem like it was wild."

"In addition, a friend of mine encountered the same situation, so I had some suspicions and brought the cat back first."

"After I got home, I had a conversation with her to confirm her identity. I asked her if she needed to contact you to find out about this. You know what happened after that?"

As they were talking, Higashino Akira picked up the tea set, poured two cups of tea, handed one to him and placed it beside him, then patted the spot next to him, gesturing for Haruno to sit down.

"sit."

"I'm just saying this, you might not believe me."

"But the cat is right here. You and your sister must have many private experiences that outsiders don't know about. You can bring them out and see if the content matches up with this cat."

Upon hearing this, Yukino's expression became somewhat complicated. She glanced at him, then at the little cat staring intently at her. Even though the idea sounded absurd, she didn't refuse.

At least in her memory, her old classmate was not the kind of person who liked to talk nonsense. His style of doing things was always rational, respecting the bottom line, and pursuing the goal. Knowing the size of the Yukino family and the importance of such a big event as Yukino's disappearance to her, he had no reason to provoke her with such a thing at this time for no reason.