The Different Color Tracks in the Detective Conan World

A week later, on the weekend, the sun, unusually, pierced through the clouds and shone on the streets of Beika Town. Lin Mo received a message from Ishikawa Yuki, saying that the original "Star Trails at Dusk" had been found and was temporarily stored at the reopened Suzuki Museum of Contemporary Art, and she wanted to invite him to see it.

"I guess it's... thanking you on behalf of my father." She added a slightly shy emoji at the end of the message.

Lin Mo smiled as he looked at his phone screen and replied, "I'll be there this afternoon."

As she was leaving, she happened to run into Conan running out with his schoolbag on his back, followed by three members of the Detective Boys. "Brother Lin Mo, are you going out?" Ayumi asked, looking up at him, holding a taiyaki she had just bought.

"Yes, let's go to the art museum."

"An art museum? We want to go too!" Genta exclaimed immediately. "Mitsuhiko said they have a new robot guide!"

Conan adjusted his glasses and looked at Lin Mo: "Is it the Suzuki Museum of Art? I heard that Ishikawa Yuki donated the original to the museum and they've also increased security measures."

"Perfect, let's go take a look together." Lin Mo had no objections.

As the group approached the art museum entrance, they spotted Ishikawa Yuki standing on the steps in the distance. She was wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, her hair tied in a ponytail, and she looked much more relaxed than when they last met. Standing next to her was a girl wearing the same volunteer vest, with neat short hair—it was Sera Masumi.

"Lin Mo-jun!" Ishikawa Yuki's eyes lit up when she saw them. "This is Sera-senpai; she's here to volunteer today."

"We meet again, Lin Mo-jun." Sera Masumi waved with a smile. "What a coincidence."

"You two know each other?" Ishikawa Yuki asked, somewhat surprised.

"We solved a case together at a restaurant in Beikacho last week." Sera Masumi raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, Lin Mojun's reasoning ability is much more reliable than that old man's."

Conan rolled his eyes and didn't say anything.

Upon entering the art museum, the original "Star Trails at Dusk," now re-hung, was placed in a specially made bulletproof glass case. Two security guards were now on its side, and several tourists were taking photos. Lin Mo stood before the painting, gazing at the deep starry sky, when he suddenly noticed a tiny pinhole on the edge of the canvas, almost invisible unless one looked closely.

"How come there's a pinhole here?" he asked softly.

Ishikawa Yuki leaned closer to take a look, then paused, stunned. "This is the first time I've noticed this... Could it be that Father accidentally made this while drawing?"

Sera Masumi also came over and took out a small magnifying glass she always carried: "It doesn't look like an accident. The edges are very neat, as if someone stuck it in later."

Just then, the museum's alarm suddenly went off! The piercing sound instantly caused a stir among the visitors.

"What's going on?" The security captain ran over, his face grave.

"It's the infrared alarm for the 'Star Trails at Dusk' area!" a staff member in the monitoring room shouted over the intercom. "Something blocked the infrared beam, but the glass enclosure wasn't damaged!"

Everyone's hearts were in their throats. Lin Mo immediately looked at the picture frame; the glass case was intact, and the painting showed no signs of being tampered with. "Go check the security footage."

In the monitoring room, the screen showed the scene from earlier: a person wearing a black hoodie lingered in front of the painting for a few seconds, seemed to be holding something in their hand and waving it at the frame, then the alarm went off, and the person immediately blended into the crowd and left.

"Zoom in!" Conan pointed at the screen.

When the image was zoomed in, all that could be seen was that the person was wearing a mask and gloves, and his face was not visible at all. However, Lin Mo noticed that he was wearing a silver bracelet on his wrist, with a strange snake-shaped pendant.

"Is it someone from the organization?" Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. The serpentine pattern looked very similar to the mark of a peripheral member of the Black Organization that he had seen in his research.

"What organization?" Ishikawa Yuki asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing," Lin Mo said, trying to cover it up. "Maybe it was a thief trying to steal the painting."

Sera Masumi frowned: "Wait, if he's a thief, why doesn't he just break the glass cover? And what he's holding... looks like a miniature scanner."

"A scanner?" Conan immediately realized, "He wants to scan the contents of the drawing?"

Lin Mo looked at Ishikawa Yuki: "Besides the note from before, are there any other secrets in your father's painting?"

Ishikawa Yuki shook her head: "I don't know... but my father's diary mentioned that he hid 'evidence that could prove something' in the painting, but he didn't say what it was."

Just then, Lin Mo's phone rang. It was an unknown number. He hesitated for a moment before answering. A hoarse voice, altered by a voice changer, came from the other end:

"Want to know the secret in the painting? Come alone to the old warehouse in Mihana Port at 8 PM tonight."

The call was immediately disconnected.

"Who is it?" Conan keenly sensed something was wrong.

"Someone who claims to know the secret in the painting." Lin Mo stared at his phone screen, his eyes turning cold. "He wants me to go to the old warehouse in Mihua Port tonight."

"A trap!" Sera Masumi exclaimed immediately, "It must be a trap set by that hoodie-wearing character!"

"I also feel something's wrong," Ishikawa Yuki said worriedly. "Lin Mojun, don't go."

Lin Mo shook his head. "If we don't go, they might cause trouble again, or even hurt other people." He looked at Conan. "What do you think?"

Conan adjusted his glasses: "You can go, but you have to be prepared. We'll go with you."

"No, it's too dangerous," Lin Mo refused. "They only want me to go alone."

"Then let the police lie in ambush nearby." Sera Masumi took out her phone. "I know someone in the Metropolitan Police Department; I can contact him."

As evening fell, Lin Mo walked alone towards Mihua Port. The setting sun dyed the sea golden, and the old warehouse stood on the shore like a silent behemoth. He entered the warehouse at the agreed time, but it was empty, with only a dim light bulb hanging overhead, flickering on and off.

"I'm here," Lin Mo said, his voice echoing in the empty warehouse.

"Very punctual." A voice came from the shadows, the same hoarse voice that had just made the phone call.

A person wearing a black hoodie walked out; it was the same person from the surveillance footage. He was holding a tablet computer, the screen displaying a scan of "Star Trails at Dusk."

"The secret in the painting lies in this shooting star." He pointed to a shooting star on the screen. "Ishikawa Toru discovered evidence of someone's crime and hid it in the painting. It was painted with special pigments and can only be seen under ultraviolet light."

"Who are you? Why are you looking for this evidence?" Lin Mo asked.

The man chuckled, his laughter grating. "Who I am isn't important. What's important is that this evidence can be exchanged for a lot of money. If you know what's good for you, help me get the evidence out, otherwise..." He pulled a dagger from his pocket, its blade gleaming coldly in the light.

Lin Mo's hand stealthily reached for the alarm in his pocket—it was the one Conan had given him; pressing it would allow the police to locate him. "Where's the evidence?"

"It's inside the frame," the man took a step forward, "but it requires special tools to open, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the warehouse lights suddenly went out! In the darkness, a figure rushed over and kicked the dagger out of his hand!

"Who is it?!" the man exclaimed.

"Sorry, I was a little worried, so I came along anyway." Sera Masumi's voice rang out, accompanied by a burst of rapid fighting sounds.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Mo pressed the alarm button while fumbling to turn on his phone's flashlight. When the light came on, he saw that Sera Masumi had already pinned the person to the ground, her movements clean and efficient.

"Why are you here?" Lin Mo asked in surprise.

"I told you to be prepared." Sera Masumi gasped for breath as she ripped off the man's mask—it was a middle-aged man she didn't recognize. "Conan has already contacted the police; they should be here soon."

The man struggled and shouted, "You can't fight them! The organization won't let you get away with this!"

"An organization?" Sera Masumi frowned. "What organization?"

The man stopped talking and just stared fiercely at Lin Mo.

Not long after, the sound of sirens grew louder as Inspector Megure led his officers into the warehouse and took the man away.

"Lin Mojun, are you alright?" Ishikawa Yuki rushed over, her face full of worry.

"It's alright." Lin Mo looked at the man being taken away, but she wasn't at ease. The snake-shaped bracelet and the "organization" he mentioned both indicated that things weren't that simple.

Conan walked over to Lin Mo and whispered, "I had Officer Takagi investigate. That man is a habitual thief. He was recently hired by a mysterious person who said he would give him a large sum of money if he could get the evidence in the painting."

"Where is the mysterious person?"

"We're still investigating. He's using anonymous accounts." Conan sighed. "It seems that the person eyeing this painting isn't just a thief."

Lin Mo looked out at the distant sea. Night had fallen, and the waves crashed against the shore with a dull thud. He knew this was only the first indirect confrontation with that massive organization, and many more dangers awaited them in the future.

"Let's go take a look at that painting," Lin Mo said. "Now that we know the evidence is hidden in the frame, we need to get it out as soon as possible."

Back at the art museum, the police had already removed the painting. Under ultraviolet light, a line of text appeared in the lining of the frame: "Matsumoto is involved in the arms smuggling case; the evidence is in a safe in an abandoned factory in the east of the city."

"Arms smuggling?" Inspector Megure's expression changed drastically. "Director Matsumoto is involved in something like this!"

"It seems that Ishikawa Toru's disappearance back then wasn't just because Matsumoto forged his signature," Lin Mo said. "He was likely silenced because he discovered Matsumoto's secret."

The case was finally solved. Based on clues, the police found evidence of Matsumoto's involvement in arms smuggling at an abandoned factory, thoroughly investigating this 15-year-old cold case.

The art museum fell silent again, and "Star Trails at Dusk" was safely stored away. Ishikawa Yuki stood before the painting and whispered, "Thank you, Lin Mo-jun, and Sera-senpai, Conan. I think Father can finally rest easy."

"It was the clues your father left behind that helped him," Lin Mo said with a smile.

Sera Masumi patted Ishikawa Yuki on the shoulder: "If you need anything in the future, you can always come to us."

The moonlight was perfect when they left the art museum. The Junior Detective League members were already yawning from sleepiness and were picked up by Professor Agasa. Lin Mo, Conan, Sera Masumi, and Ishikawa Yuki walked side by side down the street, their shadows stretched long.

"Lin Mojun, you seem to care a lot about that 'organization'?" Sera Masumi suddenly asked.

Lin Mo paused for a moment, then didn't deny it: "Yes, they are dangerous."

"I've heard of similar mysterious organizations in America before," Sera Masumi said thoughtfully, "They do shady things. Maybe I can help if anything happens in the future." Her eyes were serious, with an undeniable sincerity.

Yuki Ishikawa nodded: "I want to help too! Although I may not be able to do much, I know a lot about my father and maybe I can find more clues."

Looking at the two people beside him, Lin Mo felt a surge of warmth in his heart. In this perilous world, he wasn't fighting alone. These girls who had appeared in his life, though perhaps with different personalities and backgrounds, were all protecting something in their own ways, and unwittingly, they had become the people he wanted to protect.

Conan looked at Lin Mo, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. This guy who had suddenly barged in seemed to be slowly changing something.

The streetlights ahead were on, illuminating the path beneath his feet. Lin Mo knew that many challenges lay ahead, but as long as these people were by his side, he had the courage to keep going.

And those intertwined destinies, on this moonlit night, quietly extend in a new direction.