No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

Even the timbre of their voices was very similar, as if they had used a shadow clone.

"Mr. Kitahara, Mr. Mori and your companions, please enter the house and rest through the east entrance here."

"The other three guests are requested to enter the house and rest through the west entrance."

Honestly, wouldn't a villa with this kind of structure be quite troublesome?

"The interior of this mansion is divided into two different parts, east and west. Guests who are assigned to stay in the west wing should enter the villa from the west entrance, while guests assigned to stay in the east wing should enter the villa from the east entrance. This has always been the custom of this mansion."

Teiji Moriya exclaimed that he was an expert, but unfortunately that old guy had already been sunk into Tokyo Bay by Gin, or perhaps poured into cement by vodka.

"If you don't follow the rules, you will definitely suffer disaster afterward."

What the hell? What are you saying in front of a police officer like me?

"Because this is the mansion where the Cursed Mask resides."

Seeing Conan's serious expression, Kitahara Masaki roughly rubbed his head and said:

"Do you think that messenger of the Cursed Mask could still move after taking a bullet to the forehead?"

"Um, I don't think that will work."

"That'll do."

Those invited to the banquet were led through the east and west gates respectively. After entering the villa, they were greeted by all kinds of masks. Gold and silver masks were naturally hung high, while there were also interesting plastic or handmade masks that looked like they had been bought from a tourist attraction.

"The owner of the mansion, Miss Su Fang, has an interest in collecting masks, so the villa has many masks collected from all over the world."

The maid led us to the second floor. As she pushed open the door to a room, another maid led her guests into the same room. It was as if both sides opened their doors to each other at the same time.

So that's how it is. This room connects the villas on the east and west sides, and it's the room of masks. Masks are everywhere, giving it a truly intriguing and mysterious feel.

"Hmm... is there a Stone Mask here?"

Kitahara Masaki asked the maid.

"Stone Mask... I'm sorry, I've never heard of this mask before."

The room was filled with various masks, but there was neither the Seven Transformation Device nor the Stone Mask, which was quite disappointing.

The masks on display are all rather sinister, yet none of them make one feel inhuman.

What is this?

During the tour, Conan suddenly noticed something that looked like a remote control and pressed it without thinking. The curtains in the room slowly opened, revealing a display case behind them filled with ghastly white masks. Except for Kitahara Maki, the other guests were startled because the masks were incredibly eerie; not only did they look like props from a horror movie, but their sheer number far exceeded that of the other masks.

"How come there are so many?"

"It startled me; all these masks look exactly the same."

"Heh, because these are all masks that Shepherd wears."

The villa's owner, Su Fanghongzi, walked in through the gate and answered the questioning guest.

"It is an honor to have you all here. These masks of Chauble were two hundred masks completed by the Spanish sculptor Chauble Condé shortly before his death, and are also known as the Cursed Masks."

Why is that saying possible?

"Because Shaubel was a tragic sculptor, although he was exceptionally talented, he fell into a trap set by his envious brother, and in the end, his status, reputation, and even his property were all taken away. From then on, Shaubel completely despaired of humanity, and as if possessed by something, he kept carving these masks. When he finished carving the two hundredth mask, he actually ended his own life. At that time, the masks scattered around his body were all stained with blood, as if these masks were sucking his blood."

"After his death, these masks were scattered into the hands of different people, but most of them did not meet a good end. The general manager of a British bank who had one of the masks died in a fall from his horse, while a French jeweler was murdered by robbers. So people later called them cursed masks, which maintained the curse by drinking the blood of the holder."

Oh, so if this old lady collected all two hundred masks, wouldn't she be doomed?

As a staunch materialist, Kitahara Masaki has always held the attitude that if one bullet doesn't kill, then two will. However, the laws of science, being a metaphysical principle, sometimes don't discuss physics with you.

So Kitahara Masaki decided that after the incident, he would see if he could buy all the masks back and send a few to Gin, Vodka, and others. If possible, mailing a few masks to the boss would also be a good idea.

"So, Ms. Su Fang, aren't you worried that these masks might have a negative impact on you?"

"Don't worry, I already asked a highly skilled medium to seal all the curses on these masks."

Looking at her nonchalant demeanor, Kitahara Masaki could only think, 'But you forgot to seal Conan away.' However, it's probably impossible for humans to seal away a Shinigami (death god).

It's more likely that the cursed mask of Sheaul summoned Death here, and these underlings wanted their big brother Death to take them away from here.

After explaining the masks, Uncle Mori took out the threatening letter, and it turned out that all the guests had received it, so it seemed to be a very clear warning rather than a prank.

"Sorry I'm late."

"Why are you so late, Touya? Ah, everyone, this is my adopted son—Aikawa Touya. He's the hottest rock singer in all of Japan right now."

"Haha, sorry everyone, I'm a little late because of the national tour, please don't mind."

Kitahara Masaki watched quietly as all the characters gathered. He had been wondering who the victim would be, but after hearing about Xiao Buer Mask's past, he understood—this time, the one who would die was definitely Su Fang Hongzi, the one who hosted the banquet.

However, the middle-aged woman continued chatting with the guests, completely unaware that death was approaching her.

Chapter 118 You're still having an attack late at night?

"Speaking of which, I also received a strange letter."

"May I take a look?"

Aikawa Touya handed the envelope to Uncle Mori, who opened it and read:

"Tonight, the Cursed Mask will drink blood. — The messenger of the Cursed Mask."

"Hmph! Ever since I started my charity work, threatening letters like these have never stopped."

It seems that Su Fang Hongzi doesn't care about this threatening letter at all. She doesn't care about these non-substantial threats. Then the maid took the guests to the restaurant. As for Kitahara Masaki, since the master isn't worried, why should I be?

However, as a well-known police officer, he still needed to make a statement, saying things like, "I will definitely catch the person who wrote the threatening letter."

Then, at the dinner table, they talked about why Su Fang Hongzi adopted Lan Chuan Dongya and held a charity gala. It was because Lan Chuan's mother died in a traffic accident, and Su Fang Hongzi and his mother happened to be very good friends. That's why she adopted Lan Chuan and held this charity gala for children who lost their parents in traffic accidents.

Su Fang Hongzi recounted this past event in an extremely emotional way, and Xiao Lan couldn't help but shed tears as she listened. Everyone else fell silent, except for Kitahara Masaki, who continued to enjoy his food in silence. He had only one thought in his mind—the beef tongue made by a professional chef is truly delicious!

After dinner, it was time for the guests to exchange contact information and deepen their relationships. Kitahara Masaki went to find the fortune teller who seemed to have touched the edge of the metaphysical world of Detective Conan.

"Miss Nagara, may I ask you to perform a divination for me?"

"Of course, no problem. But does Officer Kitahara also believe in divination?"

Kitahara Masaki smiled, shook his head, and replied:

“Sometimes, certain encounters may seem like coincidences, but they are actually inevitable. My rationality tells me that I shouldn’t believe in these unfounded things, but my intuition tells me that I should listen to your divination.”

After a simple divination, Nagara Haruka said:

“Officer Kitahara, the Wheel of Fortune hints at the ups and downs of your destiny. However, fate always cycles fairly. Your life ahead seems to bring both lucky and harmful changes... My abilities can no longer provide a more specific interpretation. It seems that something is hindering my divination.”

Listening to Nagara Haruka's interpretation, Kitahara Masaki couldn't help but gasp. This girl's skill level was probably genuine. Next, he asked Conan and Ran to do a simple divination as well.

Conan, as expected, drew the Death card, representing the end, while Ran drew the Star card, representing hope.

"Hahahaha!!! Conan, the famous fortune teller's prediction also came true, so it seems you should really change your self-introduction to—Edogawa Conan, a Grim Reaper!"

"Ahem, it's just the result of a divination, it doesn't mean anything!"

"That's right, little brother. Tarot readings only offer a glimpse into a corner of your destiny, but they also serve as a reminder to pay more attention to your actions in the future."

This older sister with long, straight black hair silenced Conan with just one sentence. Even though he was confident in his deductive skills, he couldn't refute this intellectual older sister at all.

Soon it was midnight, and just as Kitahara Masaki was about to ask more questions about tarot readings, the maid sisters suddenly appeared and said:

"Dear guests, please return to your rooms to rest. The lobby here will be locked at midnight."

Is there a reason?

"I'm curious," Conan asked.

"Shobul's mask has a history of playing pranks. After midnight, there are supernatural events where the mask moves on its own, such as tilting left and right or falling to the ground. This has happened many times. So please go back to your rooms and rest."

Kitahara Masaki sighed. After all, he was in someone else's house, so he should go to sleep early.

Thanks to the sleeping skills he honed in the desert country, Kitahara Masaki fell asleep within three minutes of lying on an unfamiliar bed.

However, around midnight, a phone call suddenly came to the landline in the room.

The incessant ringing of the phone forced Kitahara Masaki to get up and pick it up.

"I am the messenger of the Cursed Mask. The Cursed Mask now thirsts for blood. Who will be our sacrifice?"

"Did you call me so late at night just to have a seizure?"

This murderer seems to be mentally unstable, still displaying his delusional tendencies late at night. However, judging from his appearance, he's going to kill Su Fang Hongzi.

Normally, in cases like this with threatening letters, Kitahara Masaki could use drones to monitor everyone and stop the perpetrator when he commits the crime. However, after receiving the invitation, Kitahara Masaki investigated the organizer and found that her charitable donations were always opaque, and there were several suspicious large transfers in the company's bank account.

So perhaps she deserved to be killed. Staying up all night for a middle-aged woman who was sucking the blood of kind people is not Kitahara Maki's style.

After reciting some pointless riddles, Kitahara Masaki put the phone aside, which had already been hung up, and went back to sleep.

"Conan, I'm leaving this case to you. Just say that I'm handing it over to Uncle Mori to avoid suspicion."

Kitahara Masaki sent Conan a random excuse that allowed him to slack off, and then went back to sleep.

Upon seeing the text message, Conan's eyes widened in disbelief. Faced with Kitahara Masaki's hands-off approach, his choice was:

"Ah, where did Kitahara go? Did he see the messenger of the Cursed Mask?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately ran to Kitahara Masaki's door, especially Uncle Mori, whose loud voice shouted extremely loudly:

"Kitahara-san! Kitahara-san!"

Kitahara Masaki always brings two bottles of alcohol with him when he goes to the detective agency to see Conan, so Uncle Mori is on good terms with him. At this moment, under Conan's guidance, everyone thought that Kitahara Masaki had been attacked by that so-called masked bastard.

However, Kitahara Maki only wanted to sleep and didn't want to solve the case, but judging from their attitude, it was as if they would break down the door if you didn't come out.

So Kitahara Masaki did come out, then squinted at Conan, who had successfully 'taken revenge', and put his hands behind his head, looking as if what happened here had nothing to do with him.

You'll have some delicious fruit juice to enjoy later.

Chapter 119 Top Assistant Officer Takagi

Reluctantly, Kitahara Masaki still went to the scene, and the dead person was indeed Su Fang Hongzi, who hadn't cared about the threatening letter at all.

The scene was chaotic. The deceased, Su Fanghongzi, was lying in bed when she was stabbed in the neck, resulting in massive bleeding and death. Around her body were Xiao Bu'er's masks, two hundred of them scattered throughout the room, both on the bed and on the floor.

Most importantly, this room was a locked room; when Kitahara Masaki and the others arrived, the door was still locked.

"This is a locked-room murder case, and the murderer left this at the scene."