The Different Color Tracks in the Detective Conan World

The first snow of early winter arrived without warning, turning Tokyo into a pure white wonderland. Lin Mo received a gold-embossed invitation from the Suzuki Estate in the suburbs—Suzuki Jirokichi was hosting a small dinner to celebrate the exhibition of his newly acquired gem, "Frost Blossom," and had specially invited "young people who had performed outstandingly in recent cases," with Lin Mo's name prominently featured on the list.

"Uncle Jirokichi is up to his usual tricks again," Sonoko muttered, pouting at the invitation from inside the car. "But 'Frostflower' is truly stunning! It's said to be a royal gem from a hundred years ago, and it refracts seven colors under the light of snow!"

Ran Mouri looked out the window at the fleeting snow scene and said softly, "With such heavy snowfall, won't the mountain roads be difficult to travel on?"

"Don't worry, there's a dedicated snow removal team at the manor." Kogoro Mori yawned, clearly still half asleep.

Conan leaned against the window, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the glass. He had a bad feeling about the Suzuki family's jewel banquet—the last "Black Star" had attracted Kaito Kid, and this "Frost Blossom" would probably be no different. He glanced at Lin Mo, who was looking at the weather forecast on his phone, his brows slightly furrowed.

"What are you worried about?" Conan asked in a low voice.

"The snow is too heavy, accidents are likely to happen." Lin Mo put down his phone. "Besides, this kind of weather is perfect for creating alibis."

By the time the car entered the Suzuki Estate, the snow had lessened somewhat. The estate is vast, and the main building is in a retro European style, its pointed roofs resembling a fairytale castle under the blanket of snow. Uniformed butlers stood at the entrance, politely guiding guests out of their vehicles.

"Lin Mojun! Over here!" Ishikawa Yuki, wearing a beige coat, stood in the entryway waving at him, with Sera Masumi beside her. "We just arrived a short while ago."

"Sera-kun is here too?" Lin Mo was a little surprised.

"Uncle Jirokichi said he had a tricky puzzle and specifically asked me to come." Sera Masumi cracked her knuckles, her smile bright. "But I bet it's mostly to keep an eye on Kaito Kid, right?"

As they were talking, Suzuki Jirokichi walked over, leaning on his cane, followed by a helpless-looking Inspector Nakamori. "Hmph, a bunch of brats, don't think I don't know what you're thinking!" Jirokichi blew on his mustache. "This time I've laid a trap. If that kid Kid dares to come, he'll never leave alive!"

The banquet was held in a magnificent ballroom. Crystal chandeliers reflected dazzling light, and long tables were laden with exquisite dishes. Guests, dressed in formal attire, raised their glasses and conversed. "Frost Blossom" was placed in a bulletproof glass case in the center of the exhibition hall, surrounded by infrared sensors.

Lin Mo stood by the window, a glass of champagne in hand, gazing at the snowy scene outside. The snow had started falling again, the swirling snowflakes seeming to swallow the entire world. His gaze fell on the annex not far away—the guests' lounge, its lights on, and figures faintly visible.

"Watching the snow all by yourself?" A cool voice sounded from behind. Lin Mo turned around and saw Ai Haibara wearing a dark blue dress with a white shawl over it, standing in the shadows, completely out of place with the lively atmosphere around her.

"It's too noisy in there." Lin Mo handed her a cup of hot cocoa. "I just had the waiter make it."

Ai Haibara took the cup, her fingertips touching the warm rim, and paused slightly: "You seem quite uncomfortable in this kind of setting."

"It's not that I'm not used to it, I just find it troublesome." Lin Mo looked at "Frostflower" in the glass case. "Do you think Kidd will come?"

"I don't know, but people from the organization might come." Ai Haibara's voice was very low. "The origin of the 'Frostflower' gem overlaps with a batch of rare metal veins they are investigating."

Lin Mo's heart tightened: "How did you know?"

"My sister saw their information by chance." Ai Haibara took a sip of hot cocoa. "Don't tell anyone else, especially Miyano-neechan; she doesn't know about this yet."

Lin Mo nodded: "I understand."

Just then, the lights in the banquet hall suddenly went out! Screams erupted, and when the emergency lights came on, the glass case in the center of the exhibition hall was empty—"Frostflower" was gone!

"Kid! It must be Kid!" Inspector Nakamori shouted as he rushed over, only to find the glass cabinet intact and the infrared sensor showing no signs of being triggered.

"It's not Kidd." Lin Mo walked to the glass case and examined it carefully. "The lock was opened from the inside, and there are subtle electric shock marks on it, like an electronic lock that was cracked with a special tool."

Conan also came over and pointed to a small hole in the corner of the cabinet: "There's a pinhole here. They probably used a tranquilizer dart to knock out the guard standing next to us."

The guard indeed collapsed behind the cabinet, breathing steadily, as if he had been injected with an anesthetic.

Jirokichi Suzuki was trembling with rage: "Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! Everyone who entered the exhibition hall today is a suspect!"

The guests were gathered in the living room, where the atmosphere was somber. After investigation, it was found that three people had visited the exhibition hall before the incident: one was a gemologist who claimed to be there for a final appraisal; another was the manor's old butler who said he was there to check the equipment; and the third was Jirokichi's distant nephew, Suzuki Takuya, who said he was there to check on the placement of the gems.

"It must be that nephew!" Sonoko whispered to Ran. "I just saw him lurking suspiciously at the entrance of the exhibition hall."

Conan searched back and forth between the exhibition hall and the lounge, discovering that the lounge's ventilation duct led to the ceiling of the exhibition hall, and there were signs of prying on the fence. He climbed up the ventilation duct and found a small cufflink inside, engraved with the character "拓" (tuo).

"Looks like it's Takuya Suzuki." Conan handed the cufflinks to Inspector Megure—he had come over in the heavy snow after receiving the notification.

Takuya Suzuki's face turned deathly pale, but he vehemently denied it: "It wasn't me! I just glanced at the exhibits and didn't touch the gems at all!"

"Then how do you explain this cufflink?" Inspector Megure held up the evidence.

Takuya Suzuki was speechless, his hands clenched into fists.

Lin Mo noticed a fresh scratch on the scholar's finger, as if it had been cut by the edge of metal, and some black mud that didn't belong here was stuck to the old butler's leather shoes—the manor was all white snow, and there was no such mud at all.

"I don't think the killer is Takuya," Lin Mo suddenly said. "The cufflinks in the ventilation duct are too obvious; it looks like they were put there on purpose."

He looked at the scholar: "How did you injure your hand?"

The scholar instinctively put his hand behind his back: "I accidentally got scratched by the filing cabinet."

"Really? But the angle of these scratches looks more like they were caught on the fence when you climbed out of the ventilation duct." Lin Mo walked up to the old butler. "The dirt on your shoes is from the chemical plant in the west of the city. They've been processing a batch of discarded electronic components there recently, which can be used to make tools to crack electronic locks."

The old butler's face turned ashen instantly.

Sera Masumi immediately added, "And when you were checking the equipment just now, you said it took ten minutes, but actually it only took five minutes to check all the equipment. The remaining five minutes were enough for you to sneak into the exhibition hall through the ventilation ducts."

The old butler slumped into his chair and confessed to his crime. He had worked in a chemical plant in his youth and had mastered the technology to make special tools. Because he owed a huge gambling debt, he took the risk of stealing gemstones and even tried to frame Suzuki Takuya, who had always been at odds with him.

With the case solved and "Frostflower" recovered, Jirokichi Suzuki breathed a sigh of relief and began boasting about his security system again. The guests, however, had lost much of their enthusiasm and were preparing to leave.

The snow was still falling, and the mountain roads were covered in snow, making driving dangerous. Jirokichi had no choice but to arrange for everyone to stay overnight at the manor.

Lin Mo was assigned a south-facing room, from which he could see the cedar trees in the courtyard. He had just put down his luggage when he heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, he saw Miyano Akemi standing there, holding a first-aid kit.

"I heard from Ran that you stood outside for a long time this afternoon. I was worried you'd catch a cold, so I got you some cold medicine." Miyano Akemi walked in, placed the medicine on the table, and looked out the window. "The snow is falling so heavily. I wonder if it will stop tomorrow."

"It should be fine." Lin Mo poured her a glass of hot water. "Why did you come? I thought you didn't like these kinds of banquets."

"The professor sent me here. He said Mr. Jirokichi has some information about new energy sources and asked me to keep an eye out for it." Miyano Akemi smiled. "But I didn't find anything useful. I did see a lot of beautiful gems, though."

The two chatted for a while, mostly about their studies and everyday matters, avoiding those heavy secrets. Miyano Akemi's eyes sparkled as she spoke about her recent research in pharmacy, filled with anticipation for the future.

Lin Mo listened quietly, but felt a pang of unease. He knew what dangers lurked behind this dream, but he didn't know how to warn her. He could only silently resolve to make sure she could safely realize her dream.

"It's getting late, I should head back now." Miyano Akemi stood up to say goodbye, but stopped at the door and turned back to say, "Lin Mo-jun, thank you for your reminder earlier, I will be careful."

Lin Mo paused for a moment, then realized she was referring to the used bookstore. "Take care of yourself."

Akemi Miyano smiled and nodded, then gently closed the door.

Lin Mo stood by the window, watching her figure disappear at the end of the corridor, his heart filled with a heavy feeling. He took out his phone, found Ai Haibara's number, hesitated for a long time, and then sent a message: "How much does she know?"

The reply came quickly: "You only know the surface; don't let her delve deeper."

Lin Mo put away his phone and looked out the window at the snow. Snowflakes danced in the lamplight, like countless tiny starlight. He knew that this snow not only covered the mountain road, but also many unknown secrets and dangers.

In the dead of night, Lin Mo was awakened by a slight noise. He went to the window and saw a black figure flash past from the direction of the annex and disappear into the snow. He immediately put on his coat and chased after it, finding a trail of footprints of varying depths in the snow leading to the back gate of the manor.

The footprints disappeared at the back door, leaving only a small black wallet. Lin Mo picked up the wallet and opened it. There was no money inside, only a note with a few words written in coded language: "'White Dove' has been dispatched, target 'Silver Bullet'."

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. "White Dove" was the codename for a mysterious action group within the organization, while "Silver Bullet"... did they refer to Conan, or himself?

He put his wallet away, turned around and walked back. His footprints in the snow were quickly covered by the newly fallen snowflakes, as if nothing had happened.

Back in his room, Lin Mo sat by the window, watching the snow fall heavily, unable to sleep all night. He knew the organization had taken notice of this place, and the peaceful days might not last long.

The next morning, the snow stopped, and sunlight streamed through the clouds, reflecting a dazzling light onto the snow-covered ground. Everyone bid farewell to Suzuki Estate and began their journey home.

As the car drove away from the manor, Lin Mo glanced back at the castle that stood silently in the snow, like a huge secret, hiding countless unspoken worries and dangers.

He glanced at Conan beside him; the little guy was looking down at his phone, his brow furrowed—he had clearly received some message too. They exchanged a look, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

This road is destined to be difficult. But as long as there are people around them who need protection, they must keep going, even if the wind and snow ahead are even deeper.