An infinite journey starting from paradise

Lin Shangren gently stroked Aso Kasumi's cheek and changed her into a new set of clothes.

……

Meanwhile, on the second floor of Cat's Eye Cafe.

The sisters are preparing their equipment for tonight's operation. The eldest sister, Lei Lai, is tasked with keeping Lin Shangren away from the Kuchiki Museum under the pretext of helping him investigate the Karlsruhe sketchbook. Meanwhile, Hitomi Lai and Ai Lai are tasked with stealing Michael Heinz's collection from the Kuchiki Museum.

Regarding Lai Sheng Lei's sudden radical plan, Lai Sheng Tong asked in confusion: "Sister, why are you suddenly taking action against Kuchikikan? Isn't this too radical? Shouldn't we investigate the reason why Lin Shangren collected Dad's collection before deciding whether to take action?

If he knows the truth about Dad's sudden disappearance, then we won't have to work as Phantom Thieves anymore as Cat's Eye. Maybe we can even work together."

"Besides, if elder sister goes to deal with that dangerous guy in person, wouldn't it be troublesome if the fake becomes real?" Lai Sheng Ai continued.

"That's why I asked you to wait for my order before taking any action." Lai Sheng Lei said to Lai Sheng Tong.

Lai Sheng Lei had already changed into her outfit for the meeting with Lin Shangren: a simple, plain, pale blue business suit with a white shirt beneath. Her breasts, firm and imposing, formed two majestic peaks. The collar of her shirt was unbuttoned, revealing her plunging cleavage. An exquisitely crafted jade pendant dangled deep in her cleavage, its emerald green hue complementing her breasts, making her look particularly alluring.

The tailor-made suit fits her perfectly, suddenly tightening below her breasts. Below her slender waist, the soft and close-fitting suit tightly wraps around Yu Susu's round buttocks, like a sketch, perfectly showing her curves.

The skirt was just knee-length, perfectly covering her plump and firm thighs, making her look both sexy and elegant. She wore a pair of translucent black stockings on her slender upper body. The light black stockings complemented her smooth skin, further highlighting her slender, rounded and well-proportioned figure.

Although this is an ordinary urban beauty outfit, when worn by Lai Sheng Lei, it reveals an intellectual elegance, mature and charming temperament.

Lai Sheng Lei cleared his throat and continued, "I'll go test his strength first. If I can figure out his purpose and reach a cooperation with him, then you two can abandon your action. Otherwise, take Dad's collection and leave a cat's eye card at the scene."

Lin Shangren is amassing his collection faster than we anticipated. If we can't reach a partnership with him, the Ruimu Museum will become an unavoidable target. Rather than waiting for him to improve security and complicate our operations, we should remove this most troublesome 'security facility' now and reclaim the Ruimu Museum's collection as soon as possible.

As for..."

Lai Sheng Lei raised her hand and knocked Lai Sheng Ai on the head: "I know my limits."

Chapter 307: Honey Trap vs. Straight Shot (Part 1)

Trading one's body and fidelity for wealth, peace of mind, and even eternal life. This kind of thing actually happened to her. Aso Kasumi, who had just recovered from the afterglow, initially felt it was a little unreal.

But the fact is that Lin Shangren easily put in front of her the thing she had been pursuing with all her might in her life, and she seemed to have no right to refuse.

"From now on, you will no longer be displaced, you won't have to worry about money, and you won't be in constant panic because of external dangers. If you yearn for freedom, I won't restrict your activities. If you still want to be a phantom thief and pursue the thrill, I won't stop you, and I will even provide you with help." Lin Shangren gently stroked Aso Kasumi's face. "Of course, if you want to live a more normal life, I can also prepare a decent identity and a decent job for you. All you need to do is be loyal to me. How about this deal with me?"

Feeling the burning sensation from the lewd lines on her lower abdomen and recalling the stimulation and pleasure brought by Lin Shangren's caress, Aso Kasumi closed her eyes and nodded.

"Very good. Now, follow me."

……

At 11 o'clock in the morning of that day, in Lin Shangren's room at Seven Star Entertainment Co., Ltd.

Kasumi Aso had already changed into a slim-fitting office lady uniform, complete with high heels and black stockings. She wore no underwear beneath the uniform, instead sporting a tight gym suit similar to the Cat's Eye sisters, except the outer layer was covered in magical bandages. Hayashi Shangren used the Furnace's Hundred Aspects Wedge to fuse the bandages with the enhanced suit, creating a thief-like suit that combined the strengths of both. Wearing it, Kasumi Aso's physical strength was enhanced, and she could manipulate the bandages without direct contact with her skin.

Of course, although this set of clothes has certain combat capabilities, its main function is still sexy underwear with built-in binding function. If nothing unexpected happens, the only situation in which Aso Kasumi will have the opportunity to use it is on Lin Shangren's bed.

Looking at Aso Kasumi who had changed her clothes, He Huan teased Lin Shangren beside her, "It seems I'll have to follow you all the time from now on. You go out and bring back a woman to bed. If this continues, I'm afraid I'll have to take turns flipping cards if I want to be alone with you for a while."

"That's right," Fululu agreed. "This guy hasn't slept a single minute since the night before last. I don't think we'll even get a chance to attack him at night. I don't care how you find women in real life, but you have to get eight hours of sleep tonight. Otherwise, I won't be your vehicle anymore. Go be a Kamen Rider without a motorcycle or a contracted beast!"

"Okay, I admit my mistake."

Lin Shangren chuckled and raised his hands. Then he said to Hehuan, "Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I'll take Hehuan somewhere else to play. We'll just be together. Is that okay?"

"Heh, that's pretty much it."

Knowing Lin Shangren well, Hehuan was certain her man had other thoughts and agendas. A world of two just for two wasn't realistic. But Hehuan was content with this; at least she could be alone with Lin Shangren for a while.

Lin Shangren caught Fululu flying in the air with his index finger and continued, "As for sleeping, I'll try my best. After all, I might be very busy tonight."

As he spoke, Lin Shangren looked at Aso Kasumi, who was waiting in front of the floor-length mirror, awaiting his next order. He said, "Kasumi, don't be so reserved. Come over here. I'll give you a few more things, and you can start your new job this afternoon."

……

How Hayashi Naoto brought Aso Kasumi to Kuchikikan, how Aso Kasumi became the deputy security director of Kuchikikan, how Aogi Fuyushi told Hayashi Naoto about the situation of Shinmei and his daughter, and how they obtained the new blood capsules will be briefly mentioned here.

After finishing all this, it was four o'clock in the afternoon.

As agreed, Lin Shangren brought his Karlsruhe sketchbook to Lai Shenglei's villa in the harbor area. Led by a maid, he walked through the front yard with an outdoor swimming pool and into the three-story American-style house.

The tears of the next life have been waiting here for a long time.

Her delicate face was lightly powdered, and her navy blue slim-fitting business suit indicated that this invitation was not a date. However, Lai Shenglei's figure was so good that no matter what she wore, she would always be a source of reverie.

A fiery figure clad in a professional attire, the short skirt abruptly stopping just above the knee, her slender legs clad in glossy black stockings. Office lady suits, a villa with a pool, a secret meeting between a man and a woman. It seemed perfectly normal, seemingly harmless, yet in reality, it held a subtle allure, inviting the imagination. This was the atmosphere Lai Sheng Lei deliberately sought to create, convinced that such an arrangement would be enough to tempt the vast majority of men, hypocrites, and scumbags like Lin Shangren.

"As expected of Sister Lei, she doesn't need much embellishment to make a man's heart flutter."

Thinking of this, Lin Shangren put away his admiring gaze and sat down opposite Lai Shenglei. He said, "Miss Lai Sheng, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. There were some minor issues at the police station that delayed us for a while."

"Mr. Lin, you are too polite. It was me who was rude. I rushed back from the company in such a hurry that I didn't even dress myself up properly." Lai Shenglei said.

Then she signaled the maid to pour Lin Shangren a cup of black tea, and then said to him, "Go down. Mr. Lin and I have some private matters to discuss. If you don't have anything to do, please don't disturb us."

"Yes, Miss."

The maid nodded slightly, bowed to Lai Shenglei and Lin Shangren, then turned and left.

Lin Shangren opened the briefcase he was carrying, took out the transparent box containing the Karlsruhe sketchbook and placed it on the table.

He said, "Miss Laisheng, this is the Karlsruhe sketchbook."

Lin Shangren was about to say something when Laisheng Lei suddenly interrupted, "Mr. Lin, the way we address each other is still too unfamiliar. Besides, there are three sisters in our family, and each of them is Miss Laisheng. If we sisters were together, it would be a bit troublesome to address each other like this, and it would be easy to confuse us. Since we are already friends, it should be fine for us to call each other by our first names."

"Of course," Lin Shangren replied. "Actually, I feel a little awkward being called 'Lin-san' all the time. So, Miss Laisheng, just call me 'Shangren'."

"In that case, Shang Renjun, please call me 'Little Tears'. After all, I am much younger than Shang Renjun, so it doesn't matter if we call each other brother and sister."

"Um...actually, the age I filled in on my file is fake, to prevent the old stubborn police from using my age and rank to make trouble. In fact, I am only 22 years old." Lin Shangren said.

Lin Shangren was not wrong to say so. Judging from the bone age of this body, Lin Shangren was indeed only twenty-two years old, and his body would always be "twenty-two years old" for trillions of years to come.

Lai Sheng Lei was stunned for a moment and then said, "It's okay, I'm only twenty-one years old."

"Ah? Um... But, from your nails and teeth, Sister Lei..."

"I'm really only twenty-one years old, Brother Shangren." Lai Shenglei's expression changed slightly, and the ambiguous atmosphere she tried hard to create became more harmonious because of Lin Shangren's voice.

[I say, you definitely did this on purpose, right? (?_?)]

"Oh my god, I didn't turn off my passive this time, and I subconsciously argued." Lin Shangren said in his heart. Then he expressed his apology: "My problem, then I will call you Sister Lei, Xiao Lei."

"..."

Lai Sheng Lei did not respond, but just maintained a professional fake smile.

On the other side, Hitomi Raikou and Ai Raikou couldn't help laughing after hearing the entire conversation between the two through the miniature walkie-talkie in Raikou's pocket.

"Second sister, did you hear that? Big sister suddenly became four years younger and became your twin."

"Xiao Ai, stop being disrespectful and call me Big Sister. Ah, do you think Sister Lei will be four years younger and become the youngest among us?"

Listening to her two sisters' echoing voice through the invisible headset, Lai Shenglei's expression remained unchanged. She said, "Let's get down to business first, Brother Shangren. Last night you said you were investigating a collection of artworks related to German artists. And your attitude clearly changed after hearing my father's name."

"Can you tell me what you're investigating? You've collected so many of my father's belongings. Is your investigation related to my father, Michael Heinz?"

Lin Shangren took a deep breath, then put on a serious expression. He then said seriously, "This matter is indeed related to your father. But your father doesn't seem to have told you sisters about it. This shows that he doesn't want you to be involved in this dangerous incident. Therefore, I won't tell you everything about this matter.

All I can say is that your father and his friends accidentally came into contact with a secret so important that it might even concern the entire world. For this, they were persecuted by a powerful force. Ultimately... they fled and died."

Chapter 308: Honey Trap vs. Straight Strike (Part 2)

Lai Shenglei originally thought that he would need to play along with Lin Shangren for a few more times, but he didn't expect that the other party would directly throw out this bombshell information.

"Does he know the truth about Dad's disappearance?"

Despite her intense excitement, Laisheng Lei maintained a calm facade. But Laisheng Tong and Laisheng Ai, overhearing all this through their headsets, couldn't contain their emotions. After all, after Michael Heinz's sudden and silent disappearance, searching for their missing father and recovering his belongings had consumed the vast majority of their lives. Until they fulfilled this obsession, they were unable to pursue the lives they truly desired.

"Sister, quickly ask him where Dad is right now?!"

Lai Shengtong's sudden shouting made her ears ache, and she frowned slightly. She also wanted to know her father's whereabouts, but could Lin Shangren's words really be trusted? They had encountered villains before who threatened them with information about their fathers, and those villains usually ended up in a bad way.

Therefore, Lai Sheng Lei did not speak, but silently looked at Lin Shangren.

Lin Shangren continued, "Sister Lei, do you know Von Claude Clement?"

Lai Sheng Lei didn't correct Lin Shangren's address for her. She replied, "A German naturalist, a close friend of my father's, regardless of age difference. I don't know much about him, but I know he was once a noble. He died of illness the year before my father disappeared... Wait, Grandpa Clermont is the friend you mentioned who shared a dangerous secret with my father?"

"Not only Baron Clermont, but also his late wife, Chiyoko Mine, the great magician Jasper Maskelyne, the chivalrous thief Arsène Lupin... Together with your father, Michael Heinz, they founded an organization dedicated to protecting cultural relics and historical sites from the Nazis. It was called the Monuments Men."

As he spoke, Lin Shangren pulled out a few old photos from his pocket. They were a group photo of the early Monument Guards, preserved by her grandfather, which he had obtained from Kuroba Chikage. The photos showed the individuals he'd mentioned, along with a pretty young woman and a gentle, dark-haired Asian youth. The young man was holding what looked like a prosthetic right arm, likely the so-called "third hand" used by street thieves to deceive others.

According to Kuroba Chikage, this young man seemed to be her grandmother's adopted brother. Kuroba Chikage wasn't sure of his name. However, based on his appearance and the records in Michael Heinz's diary, he was likely "Kroye."

"dad."

Lai Shenglei recognized Michael Heinz standing in the center of the crowd in the photo at a glance. He was only in his early twenties at the time, full of vigor and vitality.

Lin Shangren continued, "This is the last group photo taken when the Monument Guardians disbanded in 1946. After that, they each went their separate ways, returning to their original lives. Your father returned to being a painter and collector, and with his accumulated wealth, he founded the Heinz Group. Baron Clermont and the first-generation Phantom Thief Lady Mine Chiyoko returned to West Germany, married, and lived a quiet life, occasionally contacting your father. The chivalrous thief Arsene Lupin disappeared, and his son Lupin II and grandson Lupin III later inherited his Phantom Thief legacy. Master of strategic deception, battlefield magician Maskelyne, went into seclusion, never appearing in public again..."

It seemed that they all lived a peaceful life, but the secret they accidentally learned during World War II became their death warrant: some people wanted to force the secret out of them, while others wanted to make them shut up forever and take the secret to the grave.

Baron Clermont was murdered because of this, and before his death he was tortured by a certain organization, and all his artworks were confiscated. The same thing happened to others.

I'm currently investigating the very secret that has driven the Monuments Men into despair. My research has revealed that this secret lies within the historical artifacts once held by the Monuments Men. This is one of the reasons I'm collecting artifacts and works of art from around the world."

"So, fulfilling wishes for deceased loved ones is all a lie?"

The thought flashed through Lai Shenglei's mind for only a moment, but she still asked the question that concerned the three sisters the most: "Shang Renjun, I don't want to know what that secret is. I just want to know my father's whereabouts. Even if I can't see him, at least I want to know whether he is alive or dead, and whether he is safe."

"This……"

Lin Shangren hesitated for a moment, then said, "I can't answer."

"If you know, you know. If you don't know, you don't know. How can you say you can't answer that?!"

On the other side, Lai Shengtong was anxious. She wanted to rush over there and confront Lin Shangren in person, even if it meant catching him and torturing him.

Lai Sheng Lei was much more rational. She asked, "No answer? Why can't you answer? Shang Renjun, just tell me whether you know my father's whereabouts and current situation. Besides knowing or not knowing, is there any other answer?"

"Well...it's really hard to explain." Lin Shangren said.

According to what Aso Kasumi said about her experience in Florence, Michael Heinz should be dead. He fled alone with the relics of the ancient monument guards, and eventually ran out of options. After using teleportation magic for the last time to send himself to a safe house, he died of exhaustion.

The problem was that when Aso went back to look for the old house, it and the surrounding buildings had all vanished. Even the nearby landmark, the Ponte Santa Trinita, had moved. When Aso told others about this, they replied that the Ponte Santa Trinita had always been in Florence, not on the outskirts. It was as if Aso's memories of Florence over the past decade were false.

Upon discovering this, Aso Kasumi thought she had traveled to another world, but only after encountering familiar faces did she calm down. After speaking with acquaintances, Aso Kasumi discovered that, aside from the discrepancies between her memories of the Trinity Bridge and the old suburban house, her other memories were intact. However, her grandmother, who had prayed every night at the "original site" of the Trinity Bridge, still remembered it. When Aso Kasumi inquired about her reason for praying there, she was unable to explain. She remembered going to the Trinity Bridge to pray for her grandson, who was traveling abroad, but she didn't know why she had become so accustomed to it.

So, Aso Kasumi made a judgment: "In other words, my memory is correct, it is the world that has changed. Although others may not realize this, they still subconsciously retain the habits they had before the world changed. Even if they have no relevant memories. As for the disappeared old house and the body, there is no way to confirm where they went. It is also impossible to confirm whether the deceased is really Mr. Heinz.

But no matter what, everything Mr. Heinz left in the house has been a blessing to me. That's why I changed my name to the name of the daughter Mr. Heinz mentioned last, whom I never met: 'Xia'.

Therefore, Lin Shangren really couldn’t answer the question of Lei Sheng’s tears now.

Based on this strange phenomenon mentioned by Kasumi Aso, combined with the world's unpredictable seasons and uncertain weather, the constantly changing and bizarre text in Michael Heinz's diary, and the sentence "This world is constantly ■■" obscured by dirt on the diary, Hayashi Naoto made a bold hypothesis: reality and time in this world are not fixed, but are constantly changing for some reason. Those caught in this flux are oblivious, and no matter how bizarre, they perceive it as normal and logical. Only an "outsider" like Hayashi Naoto can detect this anomaly. This may be the cause of the timeline distortions in Conan's stories.

To prove this speculation, we have to wait until tomorrow to use the [Double Eagle Coin] to eliminate the "reading difficulties" in Heinz's diary.

At this point, Lin Shangren could only say with a hint of apology, "A friend of mine once met someone in Italy who looked like Mr. Heinz and even received a favor from him. However, that person looked very different from Mr. Heinz and was likely not him. So, I can't confirm Mr. Heinz's current situation."

Looking at Lin Shangren's earnest attitude, Lai Shenglei still found it hard to believe: "Maybe Dad has changed his appearance. He must still be alive!"

"I also hope that your father will be safe. After all, he may be the last person to know the secret." Lin Shangren said.

Although she didn't get the information about her father, the one she cared about the most, she at least knew the general reason for his sudden disappearance. Lai Sheng Lei calmed herself down and asked, "Then why are you pursuing this secret, Shang Renjun? What have you found? And...what organization is persecuting the ancient monument defenders?"

"This..." Lin Shangren shook his head, "I can't say. At least not now."

Hearing this, Lai Shenglei couldn't help but feel a little angry. She thought to herself, "Can't tell? Then why did you tell me so much? You're not saying you're afraid of implicating me, are you? You talked so much, aroused people's curiosity, and ended up stopping at the crucial point. Could this guy be trying to get some benefit?"

Lai Shenglei looked at Lin Shangren suspiciously, but his expression remained unchanged. She lowered her head and reached for the teacup on the table, wanting to drink some tea to calm her down.

When she saw the pearlescent stockings on her legs, she suddenly remembered, "I think I wanted to seduce him with my beauty."

With this in mind, she took a deep breath and said to Lin Shangren, "If Shangren-kun has something to hide, then I won't force it. I'm already very satisfied to know a little about the reason for Dad's disappearance. Dad's sudden disappearance has always been a knot in the hearts of the three of us sisters. Especially me... My two sisters were still young at the time, and the despair of being separated from our flesh and blood... I'm sorry."

As he spoke, tears welled up in the corners of Lai Shenglei's eyes. Looking at this charming and pitiful beauty, Lin Shangren also seemed a little shaken.

Lai Sheng Lei then didn't continue to play the victim, but instead changed the subject: "Shang Renjun, let's take a look at this sketchbook. You must have your reasons for not telling me the inside story... Although I don't know what you're investigating, I want to help. I also have some knowledge of art, so maybe I can help you."

As she spoke, Laishenglei naturally moved closer to Lin Shangren. Lin Shangren also opened the transparent box containing the Karlsruhe sketchbook.

Chapter 309: Honey Trap vs. Straight Strike (Part 3)

On the other side, at Dr. Agasa's house.

Since Maori Kogoro accepted Sayuri's employment as her personal bodyguard temporarily, Xiaolan also went to Sonoko's house to accompany her because of her bad mood. Conan, who didn't want to stay alone at the Maori Detective Agency, came to Dr. Agasa's house and planned to stay overnight at the doctor's house.

"Doctor, what are you busy with?"

Conan walked into the laboratory on the basement floor of Agasa's house.

Because the doctor received generous funding from Lin Shangren, his laboratory was upgraded. In addition to adding many new instruments, he also installed a sci-fi-feeling large screen suspended in the center of the laboratory to help the doctor, who has some presbyopia, see the experimental data clearly.