The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

"You haven't forgotten how you were knocked unconscious, have you? Never mind, let's not talk about that now. I'll take you out of here first."

Unexpectedly, the kid wasn't exploring or trapped as he had imagined; instead, he was knocked unconscious.

"Wait, don't go out yet. Didn't you notice? There are some words carved on these steps. This must have been carved by this person, but he was killed before he finished writing them."

"Mysteries can be solved anytime, but you have such a big wound on your head right now, aren't you afraid of tetanus? Do you know how long you've been unconscious?"

"Doesn't this corpse look familiar?"

Conan looked down at the text, clearly having completely forgotten what Kazama Kaoru had said.

"This does look very familiar. Based on the white hair and body shape, the closest match is the first wife of this castle. So the person outside must be an imposter."

"That's right, I found it strange at the time. How could an old lady who broke her leg ten years ago know about the passport size change? Unless she travels by plane frequently, there's absolutely no way she would have noticed that."

“I also think that old lady is strange, and the shape of the leg bones of this corpse is very strange. There must be something wrong with it. If that’s the case, then the one sitting in the wheelchair now is probably not the real First Lady. She must be someone who had plastic surgery and was someone who used to live in the castle. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to imitate her so well.”

"Do you think the person who knocked you out might be the first wife?"

"Very likely, but unfortunately I didn't have time to turn around and look before I fainted."

Conan touched the back of his head in regret, only to be surprised to find that his hat was gone.

Did you see my hat when you came down? It was that linen knitted hat?

"What precious hat are you in such a hurry for? Could it be a love token given to you by your sister Xiaolan?"

"No, I'm not kidding you. If the person who knocked me out really takes it, there might be trouble."

"Don't panic. Maybe things aren't as bad as they seem. I left my phone with the doctor and the others. If something happens, they'll call the police immediately. Right now, the most important thing is to treat your wound. The chances of infection are much higher in this kind of place than outside. If you don't want to get a fever and become mentally impaired, you'd better behave yourself."

Kaoru Kazama had no choice; this stubborn mule insisted on solving the mystery first, so he could only bandage the kid in this dark basement.

Fortunately, I had bandages and first-aid supplies with me. These were things that Akemi had prepared when we went camping. She had just packed some of them while packing her gear, and now they came in handy.

"Okay, that's perfect now. Not bad, much more handsome than before."

Conan didn't even look up. Ever since Kazama Kaoru woke him up, he'd been looking down, initially examining the inscription left by the deceased on the steps, and later looking at his notebook.

Kaoru Kazama glanced at it; the drawing was of the chess set in the yard.

Chapter 177 Almost got raided

"Don't make a sound yet, it sounds like someone has come in."

Because Conan was engrossed in studying the clues, he silently followed Kazama Kaoru.

"What? Could it be the murderer who knocked me unconscious?"

"I'm not sure yet, but it should be. Don't move, I'll go check the situation."

It was pitch black all around, and when Kazama Kaoru said someone was coming, the two of them had already turned off their flashlights.

It's a pity that the Sharingan doesn't have built-in night vision, otherwise it would be much more convenient.

"Da, da, da"

Almost a minute after Kaoru Kazama reminded him, Conan finally heard footsteps coming from afar.

They are now hiding in a blind spot, and the other party will not be able to spot them unless they shine a flashlight directly down on them.

Unexpectedly, the sound grew closer, but no light appeared.

Clearly, the prisoner knew the secret passage inside and out, and could find his way without even needing any light.

This makes things even easier for the old lady. If she doesn't actually have a foot injury, then she's the only one in the house with so much free time to explore the secret passage without being discovered.

"Don't worry, she's already gone far away, you can continue your research."

"Phew, I thought I'd be able to see her face clearly, but there wasn't even a glimmer of light."

Conan sounded somewhat resentful, probably because he still remembered the person who knocked him unconscious quite well.

After all, this person was the second person, after Gin, to knock him unconscious with a single blow, which stirred up some painful memories.

Fortunately, when he woke up this time, he saw Kazama Kaoru. If anything else had changed, he really wouldn't have been able to accept it.

After walking for about ten minutes, Kaoru Kazama stopped again. This was the same path the old lady had taken before. Although ten minutes had passed, it seemed that the old lady was still outside.

He also heard the old lady talking to Nobleman Mamiya, accompanied by a faint sound of a door opening.

It's not hard to deduce that, within this castle, the only person who needs to be wary of, and who is also cautious and prudent, is Ai.

Since Ai can open the door, it means this is the children's room.

Wandering through the dark tunnel, turning left and right, Kaoru Kazama, who had no sense of direction, had long since lost his way. He was following the scent on the old woman; in this poor visual condition, his sense of smell was much more reliable.

“Conan, I heard that old lady’s voice, and also that Mamiya Noble. She’s pretending to have dementia, which means we’re not far from the exit.”

"Really? Then hurry up and search. I now know the secret hidden in this castle, though it might disappoint the prisoner."

Judging from the tone of his voice, even without a flashlight, Kaoru Kazama could tell that this guy had a smug look on his face.

"Alright, great detective, now that the mystery is solved, please hurry up and find the exit."

Kaoru Kazama carefully felt around on the wall, clinging to it like a gecko.

"Aren't you curious about the secrets hidden inside this castle for decades?"

"Only hot-blooded detectives like you would be interested in something like this. As soon as you mentioned it, I knew it wasn't gold or silver treasures. I think the only valuable thing here is this castle."

Persistence pays off. The switch was similar in shape to the previous one and was located not far from where he had been.

It seems there's no treasure hidden here after all, otherwise they wouldn't have set up the switch for the secret passage entrance so hastily.

"Alright, let's go out now. I'm worried that the children will run out and get caught by that old lady, which would be troublesome."

------------

In the dark corridor, Ai sneaked out alone. She had just been secretly observing the conversation between Consort Jian Gong and the old lady in the corridor.

She planned to go find Akemi. She had already checked Dr. Agasa's room when she passed by it before, and there was no one inside. With Conan missing and Kaoru Kazama searching for him, Dr. Agasa shouldn't make any rash moves.

Therefore, there is only one possibility: the doctor has also disappeared.

She was extremely worried that her older sister might also disappear, so she ran quickly toward Akemi's room.

My heart was pounding in my chest, and I had to be careful not to make a sound.

She had previously tried to call the Metropolitan Police Department using the phone in the hallway, and sure enough, she was stared at by Mamiya Mitsuru with a strange look.

Sensing something was wrong, she hung up the phone immediately and persuaded the children to go back to their bedrooms. However, she was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of conversation outside and found that the doctor was still missing.

"Sister, please don't let anything happen to you."

"It's all her fault. Of all the times, she had to come camping. If anything happens to my sister, I'll definitely research and make you eat all of the aptX-4869 so you can turn back into a fertilized egg."

"Ah"

Kaoru Kazama, who was also walking in the shadows of the castle, suddenly sneezed, and the sound was quite loud. If he hadn't covered his mouth in time, he might have been exposed.

"Strange, could it be that someone is missing me?"

Kazama Kaoru was a little puzzled; he never expected that someone was "talking about" him.

"click"

A faint sound rang out in the darkness.

The doorknob of Akemi's room turned slowly, and a petite, slender figure entered, calling out softly:

"Sister, are you asleep?"

"elder sister?"

The person who came in was Ai. She should be glad, because Kaoru Kazama knew that the only people who were actually sleeping in the castle were the servants. Even those naughty kids were awake.

Oh, right, the doctor who was knocked unconscious is also considered to be asleep.

"Shh, don't make a sound."

"How did you get here? Did you find him?"

Ai didn't get a response and was about to turn on the room light when a hand pressed down on her. If Kaoru Kazama hadn't covered her mouth in time, she might have screamed.

"I just rescued Conan from the secret passage. The kid had been knocked unconscious inside. If I hadn't found him in time, he'd probably be stuck in the dark basement with that neglected old lady."

"What old lady? What have you encountered?"

Seeing Ai Haibara, who is usually calm and wise, with such an obvious look of confusion is just so adorable.

Kazama Kaoru then explained the whole story. After he and Conan opened the door, they found that the children's door was open, and the three mischievous kids were still inside, while only Ai Haibara had disappeared.

Kaoru Kazama's previous speculation has been confirmed; the person who opened the door to peek was indeed Ai Haibara.

Then the two of them discovered that the doctor's room was also empty. After a brief pause, they quickly went to Akemi's room. Fortunately, she was still sleeping soundly in bed, which made Kazama Kaoru breathe a sigh of relief.

If you try to take on five opponents by yourself, but your base gets raided, wouldn't all your efforts be in vain?

Just as Akemi was woken up and was about to explain the situation, Ai opened the door and came in, and then the scene in front of us unfolded.

Chapter 178 The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

What are your plans next?

After Kazama Kaoru explained the situation, Akemi naturally asked what to do next. Without realizing it, she had already come to regard Kazama Kaoru as her pillar of support.

Although she is now Kazama Kaoru's "boyfriend" in terms of their relationship, her actual position as the head of the household has never changed.

"Akami, keep an eye on Conan. Don't let that kid do anything rash."

"Hey, don't get excited. I'll give you a chance to deduce things in front of that old lady, but not now. I suspect that Mamiya Mitsuru is also involved."

Seeing Conan's indignation, he could understand it; this was one of the few opportunities he could use his own name to conduct deductions.

Kaoru Kazama's dismissal of it so easily is bound to cause resentment.

He had figured it out somewhat: rather than using a voice changer to help Kogoro Mouri with his deductions, this guy clearly preferred to be told, "My name is Conan Edogawa, and I'm a detective."

Indeed, a reserved and brooding nature is the true essence of a great detective; pursuing the truth is just a side effect.

Moreover, I just heard Ai mention Miyamoto's unusual reaction when she tried to make a phone call. If he didn't have something to hide, he wouldn't have acted that way. It's obvious he didn't want Ai to contact the outside world.

On the way here, he had already heard Conan's deduction: the secret passage to the treasure was hidden behind the portrait of the old man. The chessboard arrangement contained two pieces of information, one of which was that he was mocking himself as an intellectual full of twisted logic. It seems that this old man was quite humorous.