I'm in Detective Conan, and the system has appointed Batman.

"If Thomas Sindora attacks Hiroki Sawada's father on the day of the Cocoon game launch, then Chen En will stop Thomas Sindora and work with the police to bring him to justice."

"Isn't that unnecessary? If so, it could be done any day?"

Conan interrupted Yusaku Kudo at this moment.

He frowned and asked in confusion,

“I don’t see why this absolutely has to be done on the day of the Cocoon Games launch event. After all, the police aren’t only on duty on the day of the Cocoon Games launch event, and Thomas Sindora might even commit murder on the day of the launch event,”

"Wouldn't it be more likely that Thomas Sindora would attack Hiroki Sawada's father on a normal day?"

Yusaku Kudo simply replied,

"Hiroki Sawada's father is the maintenance engineer for Noah's Ark, and he cannot die before the announcement of the Cocoon game."

"Furthermore, Mr. Chen En explicitly stated that this plan must take place on the day of the Cocoon Games launch event, and described it as a form of 'end-of-life care,' to give Hiroki Sawada an explanation. Therefore, from all aspects..."

"This plan is non-negotiable."

End-of-life care? And of all times, on the same day as the Cocoon Games announcement?

Conan frowned.

He couldn't understand why Chen En would make this assumption, as if Hiroki Sawada would die again on the day of the Cocoon game's release. That was too absurd! It couldn't possibly be considered end-of-life care.

Could it be that the final boss of the light novel that Hiroki Sawada and Inspector Chiba were talking about next to Poirot's Cafe is the same one?

Just like Kayaba Akihiko, the developer of SAO in the novel, who uploaded his consciousness to the virtual world before committing suicide? No, no, no, that's too far-fetched. How could a person's consciousness be uploaded to a computer?

"I still think..."

"I wrote the script for this game, and the time and place in the script is 19th-century London. The goal is to find the real killer of Jack the Ripper. Because I didn't expect you to be involved in the game, I arranged a character as an assistant."

Yusaku Kudo said this.

Hearing this, Conan pondered for a moment what kind of person could be connected to Jack the Ripper in 19th-century London, then his eyes widened, and he said hesitantly,

"Are you talking about...him?"

"The world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes? You've included Sherlock Holmes as a character in the game script to help players defeat Jack the Ripper?"

Conan, upon guessing this, couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect.

So, Chen En's Cocoon Game plan wasn't entirely without merit.

He felt that Yusaku Kudo wouldn't lie to him; the game might really be a holographic stealth game, and the assisting character was very likely to be Sherlock Holmes. He would have to give it a try.

Although Conan knows nothing about games, he still feels that it's worth playing these kinds of mystery games.

Leaving the Kudo residence, Conan stroked his chin.

His thoughts returned to the question of what Chen En meant by "end-of-life care." Although he didn't know the specifics of the Cocoon Game, he vaguely sensed that it was part of Chen En's plan.

This end-of-life care was Chen En's ultimate goal.

He couldn't help but take out his phone and dial Chen En's number to ask,

"Chen En... what do you mean by 'end-of-life care' that you and my father were talking about?"

In response, Chen En, who was already preparing to leave, held the phone between his shoulder and face.

"Didn't Mr. Kudo tell you?"

"The Cocoon Game is the cyber funeral of the cyber ghost. I respect the cyber ghost's wishes and let him fulfill his last wish to play the game happily with his friends. This is the meaning of 'end-of-life care'."

Conan raised an eyebrow at this.

"What...what is this game...?"

What game?

Before he knew it, Conan had already returned to the Mouri Detective Agency.

Ran Mouri, who was waiting for Chen En downstairs, curiously came over to Conan and asked him, "..."

"Do you want to play games?"

"I'm going to the newly opened arcade nearby with Sonoko and Mr. Chen En today. Conan, would you like to come with us?"

Conan hung up the phone without a word.

He glanced at Chen En, who had just appeared at the apartment door, his mind racing with calculations, and then he said seriously,

"I want to go!"

Chapter 342 The Bat Cave Gets Back on Track

GAME ON GAME arcade.

The newly opened arcade in Beika Town—of course, this "new" is defined by the Beika Town concept, since this arcade has been operating for more than a month now, and there hasn't been a single serious murder inside!

This is a truly brand new facility! It would fetch an astronomical price in Beika Town!

However, despite this, the GAME ON GAME arcade is visibly becoming less valuable, as Conan and his friends have already arrived at the perimeter of the GAME ON GAME arcade.

"Reach the highest point of Mihana Arcade, GAME ON GAME!"

"Oh dear, isn't that Conan, you little devil? Let's look at the new fighting game console over there, everyone."

Sonoko Suzuki, arm in arm with Chen En, cheered as they arrived outside the arcade. Then, noticing Conan following behind, she changed the subject, shifting the conversation to the new fighting game machines inside the arcade.

This new fighting game console is no ordinary product.

Its name is Great Fighter Spirit, a holographic virtual game machine that creates game effects similar to AR. At the same time, it provides real-time vibration feedback to the player's body based on the attack or injury of the game character.

This creates an immersive experience, as if a real battle is taking place.

However, Sonoko Suzuki and Ran Mouri's purpose in coming here this time was not that fighting game arcade machine.

They came here to take photos.

"Hey, this arcade game looks like it's from a completely different era than the ones next to it."

Conan muttered under his breath,

Although he wasn't particularly interested in games—not because he was a gaming idiot, but simply because as a detective he wasn't interested in low-difficulty games—once he entered this arcade...

He was also slightly influenced by the gaming atmosphere nearby, glancing at Chen En, who was on the phone next to him.

Then, Conan approached the adults and children who were playing a game to check on the situation.

Surprisingly, the kid easily beat up the adult dressed in karate in the game called "Street Fighter," showing impressive skill, which made Conan think he could do it too.

The adult became increasingly agitated as he was hit, and his face visibly turned red.

The karate-uniformed man glanced at both players' health bars. When he was down to only one-fifth of his health, he suddenly kicked over the chair next to the young boy, causing the boy to fall to the ground and lose control.

The next moment, the karate uncle seized the opportunity and finished the match with a smooth combo before the kid could get up.

"Hahahaha, you still have a long way to go before you can defeat me!"

The karate uncle gave a smile that looked strangely familiar.

He walked away, leaving the kid speechless.

Conan: ?

Is this the dark will to do anything to win the game?

It seems that sometimes, when your gaming skills are lacking, you have to resort to underhanded tactics to win. That's the essence of the Dark Game, isn't it?

Conan glanced at Chen En again.

He figured Chen En looked like he wasn't good at games either, so maybe he could ask Chen En to play a couple of rounds of Street Fighter later? He couldn't beat those kids from the Junior Detective League, but surely he could beat an adult like Chen En?

Normally, the Junior Detective Club should have come along to play with them too.

However, because the Junior Detective League always seems to get into trouble wherever they go, and the recent hijacking incident at the Tokyo National Stadium was so outrageous, their parents are worried that the Junior Detective League might cause some trouble, so they've grounded them for the past two days.

It's estimated that Conan won't be able to meet his fellow members of the Detective Boys again until the Cocoon game announcement event the day after tomorrow.

He had originally planned to go back and have Kogoro Mouri ask his former colleagues about the current status of the Steel Association, but Ran Mouri took him away as soon as he returned, so he didn't have a chance to ask.

Right now, Uncle Mori is probably still in his room catching up on the videotape of Yoko Okino's concert that he recorded yesterday.

...He even helped record this yesterday afternoon. Speechless.

"Who exactly is Chen En talking to on the phone? And why are they chatting for so long?"

Conan turned to look at Chen En and muttered to himself.

At this moment, the person calling Chen En was naturally Suzuki Jirokichi.

As an advisor to the Suzuki Foundation, Jirokichi Suzuki had access to a vast intelligence network. In fact, not only Jirokichi Suzuki could mobilize the Suzuki Foundation's intelligence network, but Sonoko Suzuki could as well.

However, Sonoko Suzuki never encountered anything that required her to investigate.

In Chen En's memory, the only time Sonoko Suzuki personally used the Suzuki Foundation's intelligence network was in the special theatrical version of "Lupin III VS Detective Conan," where she used the network to get rid of the big star who came to perform in Tokyo.

The die-hard fan is speechless.

“Brother Chen En, I’ve investigated the relevant matters concerning the Saint-Foni.”

"It is said that someone found a letter on the St. Francis Xavier that was pieced together entirely from newspaper clippings. The letter was just broadcast on the local news in the Ogasawara Islands today, and it can be basically confirmed that it is a letter from Ye Caisan."

"But it's still unclear who it's addressed to. Honestly... the price of the St. Francis is going to go up again."

Suzuki Jirokichi said with some complaint,

He genuinely wanted to buy another ferry for travel, so he was quite interested in information about the Saint-Foni. Chen En nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Ye Caisan is still alive, right? It's alright. As long as Ye Caisan dares to come to Tokyo, he won't be able to leave.

Chen En had already downloaded the entire passenger list of the St. Francis Xavier. He remembered clearly that one of the female passengers was Ye Caisan's biological daughter, and coincidentally...

Haha, there was only one female passenger on the St. Francis Xavier.

"By the way, Brother Chen En, didn't I say earlier that a temporary bat cave is still a bit unsafe?"