An infinite journey starting from paradise

Odagiri Susumu and his group stayed in a hotel in the small town. They planned to prepare in Kitayami Town for a day and then go to Rokkaku Village tomorrow.

In the room, Odagiri Susumu was staring at a silver hexagram necklace in his hand. It was the family crest of Tokita Wakaba's family and also the token of love she gave him.

"What's wrong with me?" Odagiri Susumu said to himself.

For some reason, he had been having nightmares in recent days. He dreamed that he came to Liujiao Village, dreamed of many mutilated corpses, dreamed of blood, dreamed that he was holding a knife, and the girl he loved deeply, Ruoye, fell in front of him, covered in blood.

He dreamed that he had killed many people, and his student Kindaichi stood before him, his face full of compassion, yet righteously correcting him.

"What's wrong with me? Who is Six Stars Long Yi?"

Odagiri Susumu stood up and walked to the bathroom. He turned on the tap and scooped up a handful of cold water to wash his face and cool down. He wouldn't notice, not even if someone else were around, that his face in the mirror was rapidly changing. One moment, he was a gentle and delicate teacher, the next a cold-faced murderer, and then a lesbian teacher engaging in lesbian sex with her students.

"It's time to call Kindaichi-sensei and the others to go have lunch together. I don't know how Wright-sensei has prepared it. I hope Jigen Daisuke can get used to it."

The female teacher, "Odagiri Susumu," opened the door and happened to find her 37-year-old single colleague, Mr. Kindaichi, standing at his door. Looking at the beautiful young detective, Kindaichi-san, Rokuho Ryuichi was a little surprised: "Ichi, what can I do for you?"

"I'm here to ask you to go eat with me. Miyuki and the others have found a restaurant, and Kyogoku-senpai has already made reservations. Wada is waiting downstairs."

"I see. Wait a moment. I'll put on my shoes first."

Odakiri turned around, picked up her short high heels from the shoe rack, put them on, and tied the laces of her flat shoes. She picked up a tissue and wiped the dirt off her leather shoes. She looked up at Kindaichi and said, "Let's go. Don't let Gaoyuan Yaoyi wait anxiously."

The above description, which borders on gibberish, is the "fact" happening in a place Lin Shangren has never observed. However, the person involved does not find anything amiss in this scene, which resembles an AI-generated Cthulhu video.

Odagiri Susumu and his group walked out of the motel, and their staff configuration gradually changed from the original weak teacher Odagiri Susumu, the gambler Kinda Ichi, the real detective Nanase Miyuki, the super popcorn man Kyogoku Makoto, and the karate JK Wada Haruna to the hidden killer Six Star Ryuichi, the female detective Kinda Ichi-ni-san, the detective assistant Takato Haruichi, the dark-skinned hottie Kyogoku Mako and the unchanged Wada Haruna.

But this change did not stop, but intensified.

Just then, Jian Qiming, who was taking a lunch break, happened to pass by here.

The girl, who was thinking about what to eat for lunch, walked towards the restaurant she often visited. After she passed by, the ever-changing street finally stabilized.

At this moment, Jian Qiming suddenly heard someone calling her name.

"Mizaki."

Then she felt someone pull her necklace.

Seeing Qi Ming pause in confusion and turn around to look around, her necklace—the silver ring she had tied to it—just happened to point towards Odagiri and his group at the inn entrance. Then, their identities were finally stabilized.

Chapter 316: The Mandela Effect

"I oppose white domination as well as black domination, and I cherish the ideals of a democratic and free society where all people live together in harmony and have equal opportunities..."

At the Maori Detective Agency, Xiaolan was cleaning the room, and the English learning program on TV was playing an inspirational speech by South African President Nelson Mandela.

"Huh?" Xiaolan stopped mopping the floor and looked at the TV screen in confusion. "Didn't this black man die a long time ago? Did I remember it wrongly?"

Just as Ran was hesitating, the phone at the Mori Detective Agency rang. Ran put down her mop and answered. It was Sonoko. To make up for not being able to go camping with Ran, and to help her get over her parents' divorce, Sonoko decided to take her on a trip to the seaside in Izu.

"But……"

"Don't worry, just think of it as spending time with me, okay? Swimming at the beach in Izu, sunbathing, soaking in the famous Izu hot springs, and even attending the fireworks display, how wonderful!"

"That's...ok."

Faced with the cordial invitation of her best friend, Xiaolan finally chose to agree. As for her father, Maori Kogoro, let this old man get drunk to death in the home of a fat and rich woman!

"I never thought about apologizing to my mother or trying to win her back. I immediately accepted that aunt's commission and didn't even go home for two days. And Conan isn't coming back today. Should I take him with me this time? Hmm..."

Just as she was thinking about it, Mao Lilan received a text message from Conan. The text message said that he wanted to stay at Dr. Agasa's house tonight and would not be coming back tonight.

"call……"

Mao Lilan sighed. She was really bored. She wanted to call her childhood sweetheart, Kudo Shinichi, to vent her frustrations, but she ended up throwing her phone on the sofa, slumping down on it and closing her eyes.

“It’s so uncomfortable…”

It was as if something was stuck in her chest, making her feel extremely depressed.

"Should I go to the hot spring bath again to soak in the hot springs?" thought Ran Mao Li.

She now deeply missed the feeling of waking up the day before yesterday, that sense of ease and comfort. In other words, she seemed to be experiencing a "withdrawal reaction" to Lin Shangren's semen.

"A subconscious counterattack can defeat Suzumi-san. If she gives it her all in that state, she can easily defeat Wada-san from Haido High School. Even that 'Kickboxing Princess' Kyogoku Sadako-san... Wait!"

Ran Maori sat up abruptly. She imagined a heroic woman resembling the busty, innocent Ken Saki, only with slightly darker skin. Key words to describe her appearance included: dark skin, high ponytail, huge breasts, muscular, and a karate uniform...

The image of "Kyogoku Sadako" in her mind was instantly replaced by "Kyogoku Makoto".

"What was I thinking just now?" Mao Lilan rubbed her temples. "Is it because I didn't sleep well? Hmm... That's weird."

Since the existence of Mao Li Ran has been confirmed by Lin Shangren, and it was almost confirmed in one step, and her physique is special, Mao Li Ran can vaguely perceive the abnormality of the world, so she has a feeling similar to the Mandela effect.

Kujo Reiko is in a similar situation. She has even vaguely sensed the abnormality of the seasons and time in this world.

"Strange, it's summer now, why did I have to find my sweater last night?"

Looking at the gray sweater placed beside the bed, Kujo Reiko fell into deep thought.

"Uh-huh?!"

Reiko Kujo suddenly recalled a piece of clothing she had seen in a magazine about sexual assault cases in the evidence room.

"Cut off the sleeves, cut open the chest horizontally, then the back, cutting all the way down to reveal the entire back, but don't cut it completely open. Such a bold design. It looks like something you can only wear for the closest of people."

Should I secretly buy one to wear for Shangren to see? I haven't seen him for almost a week. Should I give him a call to ask about his situation?

Kujo Reiko picked up the phone.

On the other side, Kuchikikan.

Lai Sheng Lei has already left here with her two younger sisters. Lai Sheng Lei plans to explain the current situation to Lai Sheng Tong and Lai Sheng Ai, and is also preparing to send Heinz's collection that they had stolen before to Lin Shangren, who will protect it secretly.

After bidding farewell to his two sisters from the next life who had accompanied him to watch a swordplay movie all night, Dong Shi took Lin Shangren into the office alone.

Lin Shangren originally thought that Dongshi wanted to get some semen from him, but he didn't expect that Dongshi just wanted some blood from him.

"Shangren, do you still remember the father and daughter with the new surname?" Dongshi asked.

"Niname Rentaro and Niname Kaori, did you give my blood capsule to her?"

"Yes." Dong Shi nodded. "The night before last, Mr. Xinming's condition suddenly worsened, and he was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Xiang Baoli called me. Fortunately, I got there in time, and Mr. Xinming's life was saved..."

"Just saved it?" Lin Shangren asked.

"This is what I wanted to tell you. Originally, after taking the blood capsule, the cancer cells in his lungs were completely eliminated and he recovered. However, just now, Xiang Baoli called me. She said that her father was diagnosed with an early-stage lung tumor during a follow-up examination at noon."

"That shouldn't be the case. Could it be that the capsule he took didn't contain enough blood? It's just cancer. Logically, as long as the soul is still in the body, [Little Bird Healing] should be able to save the person and cure him.

This is really strange. If it's not that my blood medicine is not strong enough, then it's very likely that something around Shinmei Rentaro has caused him to develop cancer again."

With this in mind, Hayashi Naoto decided to accompany Fuyushi to the hospital, and then say goodbye to Kujo Reiko and Kisaki Eri as planned. Tonight, he'd take Hehuan and the female thief named Hannyaka Kaede to Aomori Prefecture to see Saki Ming, prevent the tragedy in the original "Another" story, and investigate the ninja family suspected of possessing psychic magic.

At this time, Lin Shangren just received a text message from Kujo Reiko.

"She missed me and wanted me to accompany her tonight. Hum~ Is this considered telepathy?"

Thinking of this, Lin Shangren raised his hand and gathered a ball of shadow to wrap himself and Dong Shi in it.

"Ready, let's go."

……

In the oncology ward of Haido Central Hospital where Shinname Rentaro is working.

Shinname Kaori was stirring the hot porridge in her bowl with a spoon while her father, Shinname Rentaro, lay in bed, looking tired but still rosy-faced.

Besides the father and daughter, Ie Taira was also staying in the ward. Because she had helped call an ambulance and provided immediate first aid to Niina Rentaro that night, and because she was also a fan of Detective Samamonji and got along well with Niina Kaori, she and Niina Kaori became friends.

Rather than staying alone in the hotel with nothing to do, Taira Ie would rather come and help the father and daughter. After all, she saved the life of Shinmei Rentaro, which made her, who had always been in self-loathing, finally feel a little bit of "redemption".

At this time, she was reading the novel "Substitute" written by Shinna Kaori herself.

"Twenty-six years ago, the students of Kitayami Middle School collectively pretended to be alive in memory of a classmate who had died unexpectedly. They even reserved a spot for their long-dead classmate during their graduation photo shoot. When the photos were developed, everyone was shocked to discover that the person's eerie, pale face had indeed appeared in the photo.

Then, in the second year, the student who had long since died actually returned to Kitayami Middle School, and everyone else had forgotten the fact that she had died, as if she had never died and had just taken a year off from school.

As the dead resurrect, misfortune begins to befall those around them. Accidental deaths continue. It's not until a serial rapist and murderer, who has wandered into Kitayami Town, accidentally kills the resurrected 'dead' that the misfortune subsides, and the people finally realize the resurrection of the dead.

In the end, in order to prevent the recurrence of the dead, distorting others' memories, and causing a series of disasters, the students of Kitayami Middle School established a rule: randomly select a student in the school, treat them as "non-existent", and collectively ignore them. This "non-existent person" will replace the "dead person who should not exist" in order to prevent the occurrence of disasters...

Isn't this straight up school bullying? Who knows if this legend is true or not? But since Xiang Baoli wrote it, then the legend must be true, right?

With this in mind, Taira Ie asked, "Kaori, does the legend of the resurrection of the dead in your novel have a real-life basis? I seem to have heard of a similar legend."

"You mean the Seven Wonders of the Campus? It's the campus legend of Fudo High School. Huh? Resurrection of the dead? This doesn't seem to be mentioned in my novel?" asked Shinname Kaori in confusion.

"Ah? Ah... I mean the dead body in the piano room... um, or something else?" Taira Ie looked at Shinna Kaori in confusion.

Suddenly, Taira Ie discovered that the bright red pebble on Shinname Kaori's necklace seemed to flash suddenly.

"Ok?"

"Ie?"

Seeing Taira Ie staring at her chest, Shinna Kaori also lowered her head.

"What's stuck on my chest?" Shinna Kaori asked in confusion. She didn't see anything except her cross necklace.

At this time, the door of the ward was knocked, and the voice of Aoki Fuyushi came from outside the door.

Chapter 317: The Prosecutor's Sweater and the Girl Swimming at Night

Metropolitan Police Department, DIE Office.

The flower of the Metropolitan Police Department, one of the top three most popular detectives in the Criminal Division, and formerly a member of the First Investigation Division, Officer Miwako Sato was sitting in front of a table piled with documents, eating her dinner in a hurry and voraciously.

While chewing the curry pork cutlet rice that filled her mouth, Sato Miwako reached out to flip through some photocopied documents of old case files. Her already furrowed brows became even more twisted.

"Random poisoning of Coke, armored car robbery, Fujiya candy poisoning case... the clues, witness testimonies, and suspects are all so vague, and so much time has passed. Can these cases really be cleared up?" Sato Miwako thought to herself.

Sato Miwako was more worried about her future job than the cases themselves. Although her salary had increased after being selected for the DIE, and she would even be promoted from Inspector to Superintendent in a month, if her future work consisted of merely sorting through past records, she would rather return to the most dangerous frontline work.

"Let's prioritize these cases first. Administrator Samezaki should be back soon..."

At this time, someone knocked on the door of DIE's office, and then the door was pushed open, and Saeko Nogami and Reika Nogami walked in.

"Sato."

"Nogami Police Department!"

Miwako Sato quickly swallowed her food, stood up and saluted Saeko Nogami. She had great respect for this "Fox of the Metropolitan Police Department" who was only two years older than her. She had heard about how she single-handedly defeated a human trafficking organization when she was in police academy.

Looking at Sato Miwako, whose lips were still stained with rice grains, Nogami Saeko suppressed a smile. She coughed lightly and then said, "Don't be so nervous, Sato. I came here this time to look up some information from your DIE. It's about a serial murder case from thirty years ago. The Archives Department said that those documents were transferred by Administrator Samezaki to be copied."

"Ah, I see. That serial murder case from thirty years ago...what's the case number?"

"KA113, the Setagaya Serial Dismemberment Case," Nogami Saeko replied. The case she was referring to occurred thirty years ago in 1967, when a seemingly indiscriminate serial murder rampage occurred in Setagaya District, with the perpetrator murdering six people. The victims varied in age and identity, with no apparent connection. Their only commonality was a missing hexagram found at the crime scene, and the victims were all dismembered and their body parts removed by the perpetrator.

This case caused quite a stir at the time, with many different versions of the story. Ultimately, the police were unable to find any strong evidence, let alone the identity of the murderer, or even a single suspect. As time went by, society gradually forgot about the case, and it eventually became an unsolved case.

Saeko Nogami's sudden desire to research the Setagaya serial murders stemmed from Hannyaka Kaede. She had always believed Hayashi Naoto had a hidden agenda in capturing the thief, so she had been digging deeper into Hannyaka Kaede's past. This, combined with Hayashi Naoto's sudden creation of DIE, led her to focus on past unsolved cases.

Finally, Nogami Saeko found a case that vaguely connected to Hannya Kaede's life story: the Setagaya serial murders. The connection was somewhat far-fetched—the Hannya family crest, along with several other families in Rokkaku Village, was a six-pointed star with one missing corner. The missing corner varied depending on the family's location in Rokkaku Village, corresponding precisely to the Setagaya serial murders.

"Could it be this case? One of the reasons the Setagaya case caused such a stir was that one of the victims was a 'big shot' named Ono Tetsuji, the brother-in-law of Chief Cabinet Secretary Tsuda Daisaburo and the cousin of left-wing MP Nosaka Sanzo. And Nosaka Sanzo also had an alias..."

Thinking of the mysterious life background of "Hayashi Naoto" and his influence in all walks of life, Saeko Nogami had a guess in her mind that was both outrageous and reasonable.

"No matter what, if we want to continue the investigation, we have to go to Rokkaku Village." Saeko Nogami made up her mind.

"Reika, please book me a ticket to Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture." Saeko Nogami said to her sister and deputy Reika Nogami.

Nogami Reika looked up and asked, "Sister, are you going to Aomori Prefecture too?"

"What do you mean by 'also'?" Nogami Saeko asked back.

"It's that girl Yuika," Nogami Rika replied, "She said that one of her classmates was forcibly taken back to her hometown to get married, and she wants Aomori Prefecture to rescue her classmate."

"What? You just let her do something so dangerous?!"

"What's the danger? She's not alone. There are two teachers leading the team, and there are several students. Among the students is Kyogoku Makoto, the male karate champion with 400 consecutive wins. I heard there are other people besides them, like a famous singer. They look like they're just going on an outing under the pretext of traveling. What could go wrong? Besides, it's not like Yuika can't protect herself." Nogami Reika said nonchalantly, "She shouldn't have left yet. If you go home now, you should be able to see her. If you're really worried, just go with them."

"Oh...it's true, as the eldest sister, I don't know anything...By the way, Yuika is also going to Hachinohe City?" asked Nogami Saeko.

Nogami Reika nodded. "I think we're going to some village. Ask her. I don't remember."

……

On the other side, at the door of Reiko Kujo's apartment.

Fresh from leaving Haido Central Hospital, Hayashi Naoto arrived at Kujo Reiko's doorstep. Shinmei Rentaro's problem had been resolved. Perhaps it was because Fuyushi hadn't added enough blood to the capsules Shinmei Kaori had given him, making the medicine less potent. Regardless, after taking the two powerful pills Hayashi Naoto had just delivered, Shinmei Rentaro was instantly cured and full of life.

Compared to the situation of the old mystery writer, Lin Shangren was more concerned about the condition of the dark-skinned and hot girl named Pingliang Ie. For some reason, Lin Shangren always felt that there was something strange about her, but he couldn't put his finger on it. So he added Pingliang Ie to his daily surveillance targets.

Hayashi Shangren lowered his hand from covering his left eye and, through the crystal compass in the shadowy space, took a general look at everyone's situation: Dr. Agasa was still researching Drug A, Miyano Shiho seemed to be deliberately slowing down its development, Miyano Akemi was organizing the 1 billion yen heist, and Gin and Vodka were recovering from their injuries. No one else was in any serious trouble either.