Conan, I'm an actor

As he spoke, he rubbed his fingers on the ropes of the suspension bridge, then smelled them under his nose; sure enough, it smelled of gasoline.

Yue Shui didn't notice this movement and kept up with Xin Cheng's pace.

However, Conan, who was getting on the bus, noticed his actions, but Conan was not in a very clear-headed state at the moment, so he simply ignored this strange behavior.

When Shinjo and Koshimizu entered, they happened to witness Sonoko's dream shattering. If it were just a simple meeting in person, it wouldn't be so bad, but this was an online romance that had come to fruition, and the huge gap between reality and fantasy made it difficult for her to accept.

"Oh, I didn't come here to play, did I?" Shinjo asked with a smile. "I'm amateur magician Asai Takumi, and this is my assistant, Karen."

"You're the AI ​​Kallen? Aren't you a girl?" Naoko Kuroda asked, looking confused.

“My assistant usually manages that account. You guys said you wanted her to perform magic when we meet in person, which has been bothering her for a long time. Just a couple of days ago she told me she wasn’t confident in her magic skills, so she hoped I could come and perform magic for her,” Shinjo said with a smile.

Yue Shui opened her mouth, then lowered her head and said shyly, "It's like this, I'm very sorry."

These were all prepared lines, so she didn't feel any pressure performing them.

"So it wasn't the magician who came with his assistant, but the assistant who brought the magician," Hamano Toshiya said with a laugh. "You almost scared us to death. We thought we were chatting with a magician, and we were worried that our magic tricks would be seen through at a glance."

“That’s right, that’s right.” Araki Yosawa chimed in from the side, “I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am the owner of this little house, Araki Yosawa. As for this gentleman, he is Mr. Sugana, whom I hired to work here.”

"It feels so gloomy." Yue Shui looked at Mr. Sugan and couldn't help but take a step back.

“That’s not very polite of you.” Shinjo stretched and looked at Ara Yize beside him. “Mr. Yize, where is our room? We need to put our luggage down.”

"I thought we should prepare another room..."

"No need," Xincheng said with a smile. "It's not the first time we've stayed together while performing outside. Besides, tonight is destined to be anything but peaceful."

"It seems Mr. Asai has prepared some incredible magic tricks," Hamano said with a smile. "Why don't we skip the lottery tonight and have you, the magician, perform?"

"Let's stick to the draw. My magic trick can be considered the final entertainment." As Shinjo spoke, he had already led Koshimizu past Doi Takaki.

He could feel Doi Takaki's gaze shifting between him and Koshimizu, as if trying to confirm something. He had sent the message using the account 【AI Karen】, so he figured Doi was currently trying to figure out who he was talking to.

Yue Shui tossed her suitcase aside and lay down on the bed, staring wearily at the ceiling.

"What's wrong?" Shinjo opened his backpack and took out some magic props.

"Are you really going to perform magic? What do you need me to do? Didn't you say I was your assistant?" Yue Shui asked weakly.

"I was originally planning to have you fill in as my assistant, but judging from your condition, it seems impossible," Shinjo said with a smile. "So it's better if I do it myself."

"What kind of magic trick is it? Tell me!"

Originally, Koshimizu wasn't interested in magic, but Shinjo's words completely piqued her curiosity. Now she was eager to know the magic trick Shinjo was about to perform and the principles behind it.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Shinjo opened the door and saw the chubby Doi Takaki. He turned to Koshimizu inside the house and said, "It looks like you need to get something downstairs. If you're sleepy, take a nap."

Before Yue Shui could answer, he closed the door.

"So, the one I was talking to was you?" Doi Takaki stared at the guy in front of him, his eyes full of confusion and doubt.

He originally thought that it would be Koshimizu Nanatsuki or a combination of Koshimizu and Shinjo that came this time, but he didn't expect that it would be someone he didn't recognize.

“Yes, I was the one who sent the email.” Shinjo looked at Doi Takaki in front of him and asked with a smile, “Would you believe me if I said I sent the email to the wrong person?”

"I don't believe you for a second!" Doi Takaki charged towards Shinjo. "I don't believe you're named Asai!"

Shinjo was taken aback when he saw Doi Takaki charging towards him. He had thought this guy was a civilized person, but what was going on? His body reacted faster than his brain, and he threw Doi Takaki over his shoulder. However, at that moment, he also felt his face being pinched.

Fortunately, at the last moment, Shinjo loosened his grip, preventing the guy in front of him from being thrown too badly.

"How is this possible!" Kaito Kuroba stared at the face in front of him, his expression full of astonishment.

He initially thought the guy in front of him was also in disguise, just like him, but the sensation he felt just like real skin. Moreover, a visible red mark appeared where he had pinched him, something no disguise technique could create.

"That's not how you greet someone," Shinjo said with a smile, looking at Doi Takuki who had stood up again. "I have no intention of exposing your identity in public. Let's play a game."

"game?"

"You've come here to deceive the virgin, haven't you?" Shinjo asked with a smile. "How about trying to stop her?"

"Stop what?"

"Yesterday morning, the chat room manager, the escape king Nishiyama Takeshi, died in his apartment in Beihu Town," Shinjo said with a smile. "The culprit was Shadow Mage, isn't that interesting? Now, Shadow Mage is going to strike again, who will it be?"

"Who exactly are you? Asai is an alias, isn't it?"

Kaito Kuroba sensed trouble. But more than trouble, he wanted to know who the person in front of him was.

“In this house, I am Asai. And you are Doi,” Shinjo said with a smile. “Don’t try to find out my true identity, or you’ll only have regrets.”

Seeing the door close again, Doi's expression turned serious; he was determined to stop her from killing again, no matter what.

Meanwhile, Kogoro Mouri and Conan, who were driving back, heard the news of Tsutomu Nishiyama's death. The two chose to turn around immediately, but when they arrived at the scene, they saw the suspension bridge burning fiercely.

Chapter 203 The Burned-Out Suspension Bridge

Looking at the suspension bridge being engulfed in flames, Conan took off his down jacket. Down jackets are too easy to catch fire, and he didn't want to be burned to death.

"Hey, you little brat, you're not planning on..."

Kogoro Mouri felt like he might be going crazy, actually thinking that this kid was preparing to rush across the suspension bridge, or that the kid was just feeling hot. But the next second he realized that it wasn't him who was going crazy, it was Conan who was going crazy, or rather, the world had gone crazy.

Conan simply said, "Uncle Mori, please notify the police immediately," before rushing towards the suspension bridge amidst the flames. As he stepped onto the bridge, it began to creak under the weight of the fire.

"Hey, you're kidding, right..." Kogoro Mouri's face showed a frightened expression.

Just then, the suspension bridge broke in the middle, and burning planks fell off the cliff.

Besides the smell of burning wood, he also smelled a familiar scent, and his expression changed drastically.

At this moment, Kogoro realized what that strange smell was—it was the smell of gasoline, only it wasn't strong because it had solidified at low temperatures.

He looked nervously towards the other side of the cliff, and only when he saw Conan's figure appear and run towards the hut did his heart relax a little.

With Conan tipping her off, Ran's fighting skills should be more than enough to protect herself.

At that moment, Conan felt like his lungs were on fire, probably because he had inhaled some toxic gas when crossing the suspension bridge. But he couldn't care less about that now; he had to tell Ran about the existence of the "Shadow Mage."

The howling cold wind froze his sweat and quickly took away his body heat. After running only 200 meters, his vision began to blur. Before he lost consciousness, he saw the small wooden house and someone smoking outside it.

"Hey, hey, hey, at least consider your own health." An unfamiliar voice rang in his ear, and Conan's nerves instantly tensed up.

It was that guy, the one checking the gasoline on the suspension bridge. He was doomed; he'd run into the killer. He tried to use a tranquilizer dart to sedate him, but his hand was completely powerless. Then everything went black, and he lost consciousness completely.

"Hey, does anyone know this kid?" Shinjo walked in from outside, carrying Conan in his arms.

"Conan!" Ran asked nervously, "What's going on?"

"I was smoking by the door when I saw this kid stumbling over from outside, calling out 'Xiao Lan' or something," Shinjo said with a smile. "You must be Xiao Lan, right? Looks like this kid is quite attached to you."

"Thank you, Mr. Asai. I'll take Conan to rest now," Ran said, her face flushed.

"Why is it so hot!" Huang Yize frowned and said, "I'll go down the mountain to find a doctor. There's a small clinic down there."

“If you want to go down the mountain via that suspension bridge, I’m sorry, you can’t.” Shinjo shrugged. “That suspension bridge has been burned down. I think someone probably wants to leave us here.”

"What did you say!" Several people exclaimed in surprise.

Hamano and Doi rushed out first, and when they saw the charred wooden stakes, their expressions were extremely grim.

The others in the cabin followed one after another, and when they saw the abyss between the cliff and the other side, their faces showed a hint of horror.

"What... what's going on?" Sonoko was a little confused.

She could understand if the suspension bridge burned down, and she could also understand if someone wanted to harm them.

However, every time she went out for a trip, an accident would happen when she encountered a suspension bridge, which she couldn't understand. She had clearly drawn a fortune at the shrine before this trip, and it was a very auspicious one. Could it be that she was destined to be unlucky with suspension bridges?

"No matter what, let's get back inside first. It's freezing outside, and if you get sick, it'll be even more troublesome." At this moment, Huang Yize displayed the qualities of a reliable middle-aged man.

Everyone knew that staying by the suspension bridge wouldn't yield any results, so they could only listen to Huang Yize's advice and go back to the cabin first.

At this time, the wind blew harder and harder, and the snow fell heavier and heavier.

"The weather seems to be getting worse," Doi said, looking up at the sky.

"In this weather, even a police helicopter would have a hard time getting here," Hamano Toshiya took a deep breath. "Let's go back and call the police first."

But when they returned to the cabin and were about to call the police, they found that the phone was no longer working.

"Maybe the phone line broke because of the snow or strong winds," Hamano said with a smile, though his smile seemed somewhat unnatural.

Xincheng suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He turned around and saw Yue Shui staring at him with a resentful look. He responded with his most sincere smile.

"By the way, how did the suspension bridge start burning?" Doi suddenly asked. "Mr. Asai was smoking outside earlier and was the first to discover the child. Did he see who burned the suspension bridge?"

“If you were the one who wanted to burn down the suspension bridge, would you have let anyone see it?” Shinjo yawned. “When I found out the suspension bridge was on fire, it was already half burned. Also, someone must have smeared oil on the bridge, so it was too late to put out the fire. When you all came over, you should have smelled that unusual odor, right?”

"I could definitely smell it. I thought it was the paint used for maintaining the suspension bridge." Tanaka nodded.

“I hadn’t really paid attention to it, but now that you mention it, it seems like there might be something like that.” Ms. Kuroda nodded as well.

Just then, Ran and Sonoko came down from upstairs.

"How is that little brother?" Huang Yize asked with some concern.

"I just gave him cold medicine, so he should be fine," Xiaolan said somewhat uncertainly.

The main issue is that Conan inhaled some toxic fumes when he crossed the suspension bridge, and she doesn't know if it will have any effect on his health.

Sonoko sighed helplessly, "I just called the Metropolitan Police Department, but there's no way any rescue can arrive tonight. The snowstorm is too heavy; even helicopters can't land."

"Huh?" Huang Yize was taken aback. "Isn't there no signal here?"

“I encountered a similar situation last time. Someone in the team had a satellite phone, so I prepared one as well,” Sonoko said with a smile.

"Satellite phone? You mean one of those satellite phones that has a signal anywhere on Earth?" A smile appeared on Hamano's face. "Those things are very expensive. I didn't expect you to be a young lady from a wealthy family."

Chapter 204 Conan's Suspicion and Group Actions

Doi and Kaito Kuroba, both wearing masks, looked somewhat frustrated. The same thing happened at the Twilight Villa last time. Why didn't he think of getting himself a satellite phone?

However, the thought of the thief calling the police for help made him abandon the idea. What a joke, wouldn't that be walking into a trap?

"But who exactly burned down the suspension bridge?" Naoko Kuroda asked, frowning. "And what was their purpose in burning it down? To trap us here?"

“I think he might be planning to target one of us,” Yue Shui said, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Miss Karen."