Conan Rick's Investigator

Because Hideo Kawashima did not show any violent tendencies after being admitted to the hospital and lacked the ability to take care of himself, although he was a criminal, he was transferred to the first-level ward for care and treatment.

Qin Zhibo's first words were the same: "How are you doing? Are you used to living here?"

"what?"

Hideo Kawashima raised his head slowly, looking even more dull than Akio Koda just now.

Compared to Akio Koda, Hideo Kawashima was not originally a believer of the King in Yellow. He just happened to be exposed to the light cast by Aldebaran and suddenly went crazy.

Just like Keiji Aso twelve years ago, he went crazy and massacred people around him, and shot to death two other drug trafficking accomplices with a pistol.

"Where's your old hairstyle? You need to straighten it up~"

Qin Zhibo patiently "enlightened" Kawashima Hideo, but he just opened his mouth in an O shape, and nodded, not knowing whether he understood or not.

Qin Zhibo: "Do you remember what happened the night you killed your accomplice?"

Kawashima: “Oh.”

Qin Zhibo: "Tell me about it."

Kawashima: "There is a beam of light..."

Qin Zhibo: "What light?"

Kawashima: "Yellow light..."

Qin Zhibo: "What else?"

Kawashima: "And...someone..."

Qin Zhibo: "Is it the King in Yellow?"

"Yellow?"

Kawashima Hideo's drooping eyelids suddenly widened, and he nodded abruptly, "Yes! I saw it! There's someone in the sky!"

"The King in Yellow is there! Kakosha of Aldebaran!"

"My king! Long live!"

There were no handcuffs on Hideo Kawashima's hands. He knelt on the ground and bowed to Qin Zhibo.

Seeing that he was mentally unstable, the nurse took him away again.

In fact, when Kawashima Hideo mentioned that there was someone, Qin Zhibo became alert and quickly turned the topic to the King in Yellow.

On the top of the mountain that night, in addition to their three drug trafficking accomplices, there was also Ma Chengshi who wanted to sacrifice himself for revenge. It would be troublesome if he bit Chengshi out.

Although testimony of mental illness cannot be used as evidence, it can still add a lot of trouble.

However, Kawashima Hideo's illness has evolved from the initial "yellow phobia" to worship of the King in Yellow. This is an evolution from fear to admiration and worship. He is more adaptable to the environment, but also more fanatical.

……

The third patient is Ghana Meifang, the wife of the president of a Ghanaian music company.

She came into contact with the Yellow King through the "King in Yellow" script, and has a brooch with a yellow mark exclusive to the Yellow King.

"Hello, Mrs. Garner, we meet again."

"Are you used to living here?"

It was still the familiar opening line. Compared with the previous two, Gana Meifang seemed much more normal.

"Were you a detective back then?"

"It's okay, but not as comfortable as at home..."

Qin Zhibo nodded in agreement and continued, "Have you been dreaming about the King in Yellow lately?"

Kanami nodded and answered absentmindedly, "Occasionally."

"By the way, do you have any cigarettes with you?"

The nurse next to him became alert at Ganamifang's sudden request.

Fortunately, Qin Zhibo doesn't smoke. He shook his head and said, "No."

"Are you smoking now?"

Kanami Fang also shook her head, "I don't smoke either..."

"Oh."

The conversation didn't last long, and no useful information could be obtained from her.

Dean Fukuyama, who was standing on the other side of the glass, explained to Yukiko that because Kanami had killed her ex-lover, she had always felt guilty, and she asked for cigarettes in order to burn herself and achieve the purpose of self-harm.

However, Kanamifang's guilt was not because he killed someone, but because he killed his old lover who also believed in the Yellow King, which was equivalent to killing a fellow believer.

At this time, Yukiko couldn't help but ask: "Did she say what the 'King in Yellow' is? Is it a person? Or..."

Dean Fukuyama narrowed his eyes slightly. "The police have also asked this question, but it probably has nothing to do with humans. It's a cultural thing, a... phenomenon."

"I found out that the image of the King in Yellow first appeared in the play 'The King in Yellow', written by an unknown author in 1895. It was later banned and destroyed by the French government, but the book has suddenly become popular again in recent years."

"According to my analysis, these patients are all overly obsessed with the characters in the books, and with external accidents as triggers, they worship the virtual characters as an object of worship to escape reality and justify their crimes."

Dean Fukuyama's answer was very professional, which showed that he had done his homework before.

This reminded Yukiko of last year when Sharon invited her and Kudo Shinichi to watch "The King in Yellow" at the Phantom Theatre on Broadway in New York, and she had told her the origin of the script.

The script of "The King in Yellow" was donated to the theater by an anonymous donor who signed his name as "Count Raven".

Sharon's stage debut was also the premiere of "The King in Yellow", and she became an instant star for playing Queen Cassilida.

This experience is similar to Yukiko's, but Yukiko became famous because she was too cute when she played Sakamoto Ryoma's sister Otome.

If the "King in Yellow" reappeared from that time, it means that this "Count Crow" is very suspicious.

Combined with the information collected by her son Shinichi after the full moon night, Sharon herself is a member of the Black Organization, and the so-called daughter does not exist at all. She has always been alone.

Could it be that "Count Crow" is the person behind Sharon's organization?

If the organization that turned Shinichi into a child is also the mastermind behind the global spread of the Yellow King's faith, then it would be like "wanting to catch a petty thief, but ended up disturbing a den of thieves."

Yukiko subconsciously smiled as she had gathered incredible information on this trip.

……

Here, Qin Zhibo has already started talking with the last mental patient.

This is a patient who was recently sent to Aoyama Psychiatric Hospital. His name is Hiroharu Nakata. He is the main culprit in the Tokyo Tower bombing case. He killed two police officers and demanded 1 billion yen in ransom with the bomb. The impact he caused is the worst.

"How's it going? Are you doing well here?"

"well enough."

Hiroharu Nakata has chains on his hands, but here, there is no need to worry about him being able to rub the bomb with his hands.

"How did you know about the King in Yellow? Can you tell me?"

"...a mark...is the blessing of my king." Nakata Hiroharu murmured.

Although it was not explained clearly, Qin Zhibo roughly guessed that it was a yellow mark.

This mark may exist on a physical object, or it may be an intangible mark that can be classified as a supernatural phenomenon.

The first time Qin Zhibo came into contact with the yellow mark was in the basement of Akio Koda's house. It was an intangible yellow mark.

Gana Meifang had a physical yellow mark, but that was taken away by the police as evidence.

"What does your mark look like? Where is it now?" Qin Zhibo asked.

Nakata Hiroji frowned. "That belongs to me. How could I possibly tell you?"

"who do you think You Are?"

Hiroharu Nakata came in because he was mentally ill, not because he was stupid. Mentality and stupidity are two completely different things, so he is not easy to deceive.

Qin Zhibo wants the yellow mark because he wants to increase his role-playing value. With the yellow mark, his role-playing value should be higher.

However, Nakata Hiroharu didn't want to say it, and Qin Zhibo didn't force him. There were plenty of ways anyway.

……

After talking to all four mental patients, Qin Zhibo came out and told Yukiko his opinion.

"I believe the spread of the Yellow King is similar to a memetic infection. She is an idea, a concept, without substance, and impossible to manipulate."

"There are two main ways the 'King in Yellow' is spread: one is the 'King in Yellow' script, and the other is a yellow mark. Both of these things can have a subtle influence on people, gradually leading them to believe in the existence of the King in Yellow."

"Of course, there's no need for us to be nervous. The magic power of this thing isn't that great. Otherwise, wouldn't we be prisoners of the Yellow King now?"

"Ha ha……"

Qin Zhibo's words were both true and false, and at the end of his conclusion, he added two laughs to ease the atmosphere.

Dean Fukuyama also nodded and agreed, "Yes, as long as we are mentally sound, it is impossible for us to believe that the 'King in Yellow' is real."

Fukuyama's words reveal his philosophy: people first become nervous and then believe that the King in Yellow is real.

Even if there is no King in Yellow, they might believe in the "King in Red" or the "King in Blue".

Yukiko did not comment on this view.

Although the "King in Yellow" does not exist, there is a high possibility that this concept can be used to brainwash a group of people.

Yukiko: When we get back, we must tell Yusaku about our discovery here.

……

When I came out of the hospital, it was already noon.

At the invitation of President Fukuyama, Qin Zhibo and Yukiko had lunch in the hospital cafeteria.

It was a nice lunch, but when the hospital staff heard that Yukiko was coming, they all gathered in the cafeteria to ask for her autograph, and the cafeteria instantly became a celebrity meet-and-greet.

By the time Yukiko finished signing, the food was already cold.

After lunch, Qin Zhibo and Yukiko left Aoyama Psychiatric Hospital and returned to Beihua Town in a Mustang convertible.

After sending Yukiko to the Kudo family's old house, Qin Zhibo went straight to the Beika General Hospital to deliver "meat" to Matsumoto Ryohei.

But when he arrived at the hospital, Qin Zhibo saw an empty bed in the ward.

After calling the nurse over and asking, we found out that Matsumoto Ryohei had quietly left the hospital alone last night, leaving only a note.

The young nurse held the patient roster and asked, "Are you Mr. Qin?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then this note is for you..."

The young nurse took out a piece of paper from the chest pocket of her white coat, and the handwriting on it was indeed Ryohei Matsumoto's.

Qin Zhibo picked it up and saw that the words on it were a farewell letter.

[Mr. Qin, I'm leaving. No need to look for me.]

[This period is very interesting, and I have a normal friend to share the joy of delicious food]

Please give my regards to Yang Meng.

[PS: My villa and property are now in your care. Goodbye, my friend]

After reading this letter, Qin Zhibo felt a little uncomfortable.

Although Ryohei Matsumoto's habits are strange and even scary, apart from this, he is a very good person and has helped me a lot.

I just don't know why he suddenly left without saying goodbye and even abandoned his property.

Could it be related to the fact that he recently started eating raw meat?

Qin Zhibo looked at the empty ward, stood there for a while, then left alone with the "meat" in his hand.

……

After leaving Matsumoto Ryohei's ward, Qin Zhibo walked towards Judy's ward.

Along the way, Qin Zhibo was observing, but he did not see any passers-by with the information above their heads that they were from the FBI.

It's strange, doesn't the FBI protect Judy anymore?

When I arrived at Judy's ward, the door was wide open and the bed inside was empty.

Ok?