The Black Detective of the Detective Conan World

Lin Zhiren would come to the office every day, just like going to work, arriving early and leaving late. And he never came empty-handed, bringing all sorts of small gifts and delicious food and drinks, so Xiaolan hardly needed to go out to buy groceries anymore.

Under the barrage of sweet words and flattery, Kogoro and Ran's affection for Naoto Hayashi skyrocketed, to the point that they missed him terribly if they didn't see him for a day.

Conan's gaze towards him became increasingly strange, and he kept a close watch on him, fearing that he might be alone with Ran.

Conan is now fully equipped with amazing gear: a watch-shaped tranquilizer gun, a bow tie-shaped voice changer, power-enhancing shoes, and even his glasses have eavesdropping capabilities!

With this equipment, he was confident he could go toe-to-toe with Naoto Hayashi.

After all, Naoto Hayashi looked very weak.

……

Soon, the day arrived for everyone to visit the Mihana Art Museum.

This time, Naoto Hayashi was driving again, taking the Mori family, Conan, and Sonoko to the art museum.

Along the way, Sonoko subtly probed Hayashi Naoto, trying to find out his interests, hobbies, and attitude towards choosing a partner. She would occasionally reveal starry eyes, seemingly matching the frequency of some of his words.

Conan, sitting next to Ran, occasionally chimed in to help Sonoko, driven by a mischievous sense of humor and a certain unspoken motive to shift blame, leaving Ran somewhat bewildered.

Upon arriving at the art museum, the group bought tickets and entered. Inside, they were amazed by the variety of paintings and artworks on display.

Ran also met the museum's director, Mr. Ochiai, a kind old gentleman with long eyebrows and a beard.

Then came a short, stout man named Manaka, whose face was filled with greed, coldness, and arrogance. He spoke in a highly provocative manner, making sarcastic remarks towards Ochiai.

And next to him was Kubota, a staff member who looked listless and sleepy, glancing around from time to time as if something was watching him.

There was also a staff member named Iijima, who was muscular and looked at the boss, Manaka, with a hint of resentment in his eyes.

Seeing these people gathered together, Naoto Hayashi knew, "It's all settled!"

There are four people in total: three suspects and one victim. A case is about to unfold!

Thinking of this, Lin Zhiren twitched his fingers slightly, infusing them with spiritual energy. The gold ring on his middle finger instantly transformed into a golden spider, which spread its eight slender, long legs and silently burrowed into the depths of the art museum, ready to begin its surveillance.

Lacking in reasoning skills? Let the cheating spider fill in!

Then Naoto Hayashi felt relieved and began to appreciate the art exhibition.

It should be said that, when Sonoko is not a lovesick girl, she is quite pleasing to the eye, and she is also quite knowledgeable. She can talk about many famous paintings in great detail and can also give a brief analysis of some artworks, which makes Naoto Hayashi look at her with new respect.

The museum was quite large, and several hours passed quickly as everyone viewed it from beginning to end. Kogoro Mouri and Conan's legs were so thin that they wished they could stay on the floor forever.

However, just as Conan was about to sit down, he looked up and was shocked.

Lin Zhiren was flanked by Sonoko and Ran on either side. The three of them stood together, whispering and looking intimate...

It's beyond repair!

What are you doing?!

You bastard Naoto Hayashi! What are you doing?!

Stay away from my little Lan!

Conan squeezed out the last of his strength, caught up with the three, and forcefully squeezed between Ran and Naoto.

Lin Zhiren glanced down at the brat, a cold smile creeping onto his lips.

Go ahead and keep being arrogant, you brat!

Suddenly, Naoto Hayashi's expression changed. The little spider he had sent to the art museum had monitored the crime scene!

The museum's director, Mr. Ochiai, dressed in a heavy suit of metal armor, stood by the wall as a mannequin. When the short, stout Mr. Manaka appeared, he immediately attacked him with two sword strikes, severely injuring him!

The boss, Manaka, screamed in agony, yelling, "There are cameras here! Director Ochiai, if you kill me... you won't escape either!"

Inside the armor, Director Ochiai said in a hoarse voice, "The camera only shows images, not sound. You might as well die in peace!"

"You!" Boss Zhenzhong glanced around and saw that there was paper and pen on the table in the corner. He immediately pounced on it, grabbed the paper and pen and wanted to write down the murderer's name, but after writing two strokes, his expression suddenly changed and he threw the pen away!

"What a bastard!"

Director Ochiai rushed over, grabbed his neck, and then pierced his chest with his sword, pinning him to the wall!

Blood splattered everywhere!

Naoto Hayashi was shocked!

This is insane!

What kind of humanoid monster is this curator!

The armor he was wearing was a late medieval Gothic style armor, weighing a total of 70 pounds!

This old man, wearing 70 pounds of armor, was still able to run and charge, and even lifted a fat man with one hand and then nailed him to the wall with a sword.

Is this a normal human being?!

Could it be that he also broke through the limits of humanity and became a non-human with a health level of nine?

Watching the curator stride away in his blood-stained armor, Naoto Hayashi fell silent.

He was a little intimidated.

Something's not right.

The little spider's gaze swept across the entire crime scene, suddenly stopping on a huge painting.

The painting was nearly four meters tall. It depicted an armored knight pinning a demon to a wall, the demon's blood soaking into his armor. The setting sun in the sky was blood-red, creating a tragic atmosphere.

This painting exudes an eerie atmosphere, something that can only be seen through spiritual means.

Naoto Hayashi glanced at the painting, then at the murder scene; the two were almost identical.

Either Ochiai deliberately imitated the painting to commit murder, or... he was influenced by something.

Chapter 22 Legend

This painting is the prized possession of the Mika Art Museum, a famous painting called "Heavenly Punishment".

When Naoto Hayashi was gathering information, he realized that this place was not simple.

Now he has seen it with his own eyes, and there is definitely something wrong with the painting!

However, to get to the bottom of it, the person in question must get involved.

He immediately turned his attention back to his own body and discovered that the exhibition hall was now filled with the strange and mysterious creatures.

The scene of the crime!

Naoto Hayashi immediately took two steps back silently, preparing to avoid the two girls' screams.

Conan didn't notice and ended up walking in the front row.

The group entered the dimly lit exhibition hall, where the walls were covered with all sorts of strangely shaped weapons, armor, and eerie paintings with indescribable scenes.

Ran and Sonoko first saw the huge painting "Heavenly Punishment" directly in front of them. While they were still in shock and amazement, they turned around and saw the gruesome death of their boss, Manaka!

"Ah!!!" x2

A deafening scream pierced the eardrums.

Conan, sandwiched between the two women, endured double the volume.

For a moment, I felt dizzy and my ears were ringing; I couldn't hear anything.

It took him a long time to recover.

Only then did he realize that Lin Zhiren, that bastard, had silently retreated to the back, completely unaffected by the screams, and was now staring at the corpse with a peculiar gaze.

That gaze didn't seem to be looking at a horrific corpse, but rather at a delicious feast!

Conan shook his head, trying to banish this outrageous idea.

I must be stunned; how could such a strange thought even come to mind...

However, Naoto Hayashi does seem to have a special interest in corpses. The first time they met was at the crime scene in Dorobiga Park, where he stared intently at the headless corpse.

This person probably has some kind of mental illness...

Kogoro Mouri, who was following behind, rushed in immediately after hearing the scream. He was startled by what he saw and then shouted, "Ran! Call the police!"

"Okay, okay, Daddy!"

Several people protected the scene, and soon the police arrived.

Inspector Megure, leading the team, was overjoyed to see Kogoro Mouri and his group. He walked over and patted Kogoro on the shoulder forcefully: "Hey Kogoro, it's you again? You've been running into a lot of murder cases lately."

Kogoro Mouri laughed heartily, quite shamelessly saying, "Perhaps this is my special ability to attract murderers, as the famous detective Kogoro Mouri. But don't worry, Inspector Megure, with me here, no criminal can escape!"

Inspector Megure nodded with satisfaction: "Brother Mouri, then it's all up to you."

While the police began to examine the scene and summon the suspects, Naoto Hayashi slowly strolled to the huge painting "Heavenly Punishment".

Nobody pays attention to this place.

Even Conan was searching for clues near the corpse when Kogoro Mouri spotted him, punched him hard on the head, and threw him outside.

Lin Zhiren stared intently at the painting, silently switching between his half-soul and his other half.

His spiritual connection with the painting allowed him to instantly understand what it depicted.

A legend was born from that painting!

"Legend" is a higher form of existence than the "spirit" possessed by Naoto Hayashi's Soul Devouring Body.

Just like "sin" and "merit," which are special substances born from human beings, "legend" is born from human beliefs and thoughts!

It takes countless people and a long period of time to believe in and celebrate something before it can finally be born.

Take this painting, for example. It has been created for hundreds of years. The knights and demons on it have been seen, praised, revered, and passed on by countless people. They firmly believe in the knights' justice and invincibility, and revere the demons' power and terror. This is how the "legend" gradually came into being.

This thing is extremely valuable!

Lin Zhiren's Soul Devourer instinct surged with a strong urge to make him obtain this "legend"!

Without hesitation, he immediately opened his mouth and took a deep breath!

A blood-stained knight's phantom immediately flew out of the painting and merged into Lin Zhiren's body!

Lin Zhiren felt an intense heat surge within his body, as if he were about to burst!

However, that feeling quickly subsided.

A small, bloodstained knight phantom appeared on his chest.

Naoto Hayashi communicated with the phantom through spiritual means and quickly understood the use of this "legend".

As long as he infuses it with spiritual power, the knight's phantom will manifest, attach itself to him, and form an invincible knight's armor!

Furthermore, because the armor is stained with demon blood, it also has the ability to reflect attacks. Any attack aimed at it will be deflected back to the attacker, causing slightly less damage!

"Holy crap, this is amazing!" Naoto Lin's eyes lit up.

This armor is not only invincible in defense, but also has the ability to reflect damage. If he puts on this armor in the midst of a hail of bullets, he won't even need to lift a finger; anyone who dares to surround him will be wiped out!

Of course, with his current level of spirituality, he can only activate the knight's phantom for less than half a minute at most, and it cannot be used as a regular piece of equipment.

Nevertheless, with this thing, Naoto Hayashi felt that his survival rate in this world was finally guaranteed.

After Naoto Hayashi absorbed the "legend," the eerie feeling on the giant painting vanished instantly, and it returned to being an ordinary painting.

Naoto Hayashi turned and left.

He now understands that most of the strange legends circulating in this art museum are probably caused by the "legend" surrounding this painting.

The special spirituality contained in the "legend" can influence the people around it.

Some people will see visions of knights' activities, while others will have their memories affected.

However, this thing does not have the ability to affect the real world, so the rumors that some exhibits are mysteriously moved at night are probably the work of some museum staff.

By this time, the capable police officers had gathered all the clues and found out that the deceased, Zhenzhong, had bought the art museum but wanted to demolish it and build a big hotel instead, and wanted to lay off all the current employees! In addition, he was also secretly running a loan shark business.

Therefore, the suspects are the three people associated with them.

The long-haired, eyebrowed, and bearded director Ochiai; the staff member Kubota who borrowed a large sum of money from boss Manaka at exorbitant interest rates; and the staff member Iijima who was informed that he was about to be dismissed.

A just choice of three.

As for the evidence at the scene, it was plentiful, including the crime scene recorded by the camera and a note left in the victim's hand with the name "Kubota" written on it.

Although the killer was covered in armor and his face was not visible on the camera, the note from the deceased made the perpetrator obvious.