Conan Rick's Investigator

These temples are similar to the abandoned temple on the plain, with only one gate connecting to the outside, and they are not abandoned.

Passing by the temple, Qin Zhibo and Koizumi Hongzi also arrived at their destination, an apartment very close to the tower.

Hassaji led the people into the detached apartment and explained what was going to happen next.

As it is getting late today, the Kunyang people's council will ask some questions to the outsiders tomorrow and evaluate the value of the two people staying here.

If the two pass the assessment, they can stay in Kunyang forever and become free people here.

This made Qin Zhibo and Koizumi Hongzi look at each other. When did they say they wanted to stay here?

But Khashoggi just said this briefly and finally wished the two good luck tomorrow.

"Have a good sleep, and see you tomorrow."

Just as Hassaji was about to leave the apartment, Qin Zhibo hurriedly stopped him.

"Wait a moment!"

The sentence was in English, and Hassaji didn't understand it, but he still turned around after hearing the voice.

Qin Zhibo conveyed his thoughts to him, "What will happen if you fail the assessment?"

Hassagi pondered for a moment and gave a vague answer.

"It's hard to say. Will the Council send you somewhere useful..."

"But there's no need to worry too much. It's been almost 15 years since the last outsider entered here, according to your human calendar."

"Perhaps we still need to obtain the intelligence from these 15 years."

After saying that, Hassaji pushed the door open and left without looking back.

Qin Zhibo immediately followed to the window and watched as Hasaji ordered two Kunyang people to guard the door while he rode away on the beast.

Although they were invited as guests, they were actually under house arrest.

"What should we do now? Wait until tomorrow?" Koizumi Hongzi walked over and asked.

Qin Zhibo thought for a moment and shook his head, "I'm afraid that won't work."

"Whether we pass the so-called council or not, these Kunyang people have no intention of letting us leave."

"They don't want the outside world to know about their existence, so they have no choice but to keep us underground forever."

Qin Zhibo had communicated quite a bit with Khashoggi just now, and he had already vaguely sensed the attitude of these Kunyang people towards outsiders.

If outsiders could leave here easily, the story of Kunyang would have spread on the ground long ago and would not be just a legend.

"Besides, the agreement with Mr. Clock won't last long. I wonder where he is right now..."

Mr. Clock used a seismic mining machine to go directly to Enkai, so his progress should have been faster than theirs, and he did not encounter the Kunyang people.

If Mr. Clock fails to abide by the agreement and directly enters Enkai, all his efforts will be in vain.

After much consideration, Qin Zhibo told Koizumi Hongzi his decision.

"We leave Tsath tonight."

Koizumi Hongzi nodded in agreement.

But then her eyes turned lonely again, and she asked, "Could my mother... be in this city?"

"The person just now said that 15 years ago was the time when my mother disappeared."

"But I just cast a spell and couldn't find Mom's location. I didn't even sense her..."

Qin Zhibo knew that Koizumi Hongzi was overthinking again. The lady in red, the servant, and the old gray eagle 15 years ago were indeed very likely the outsiders who came to Kunyang 15 years ago as mentioned by Khashoggi.

But just now, Qin Zhibo didn't dare to ask these people about their fate in person. Once the answer pointed in a bad direction, Koizumi Hongzi might go crazy on the spot.

He could only console them by saying, "Though these Kunyang people are powerful, they probably can't imprison someone who can use magic."

"Your mother must have found a way to get to Enkai, and she has succeeded."

Upon hearing this, Koizumi Hongzi didn't say anything more and turned away with a heavy heart.

……

The Kunyang people have no concept of night, but they have their own set of routines.

There were still several hours before the Kunyang people rested, and Qin Zhibo was not idle either.

They first searched the entire apartment to see which room had a window that would be best suited for escaping.

When he found a bedroom on the second floor, Qin Zhibo discovered a bright spot under a wall.

When I got closer, I saw it was an investigation point!

【Topographic Survey√】

Loose bricks are often a good place to hide secrets.

The construction style here is similar to the Mediterranean style. There is a brick skirting under the wall, and the gap between one brick and the other bricks is obviously much larger.

Qin Zhibo took out a machete, inserted the blade into the gap, and took great pains to dig out the long brick.

Inside the brick, a piece of letter paper rolled into a cylinder lay quietly.

Unfolding the completely formed letter paper, it was filled with densely packed small characters, all in English.

A letter to those who come after me

[When you read this letter, I assume that you have become a captive of those Kunyang people]

【Regarding this underground world, I want to tell you that you must escape as soon as possible! 】

[Run as fast as you can! Never stop!]

[The Kunyang people are a degenerate race. In their long evolution, they have lost their original ambition and are indifferent to all life except their own!]

In pursuit of sensory stimulation, the Kunyang people engaged in crazy entertainment, abuse, and various depraved carnival rituals, accompanied by unspeakable horrors.

To compensate for the emptiness brought on by their long lifespans, the Kunyang people invented many methods of torture and interrogation, while scientists used barbaric games to stimulate their lacking spiritual world.

If you fail the review of the Council, I will tell you what will happen.

[You may become a slave of the Kunyang people, your body turned into a machine, and you will be forced to work endlessly]

[You might become a gladiator used by the Kunyang people to entertain themselves, and be sent to that crazy circular arena to fight with Gai Ai-Yousi and other slaves until you die.]

[Or your body will be used for inhumane experiments. Your organs will be moved: lungs to kidneys, kidneys to stomach, bladder to head, brain to buttocks... Then, you will be exiled to the ground, no different from a corpse, as a warning to outsiders not to approach.]

[As long as they can bring them fresh entertainment, no matter how cruel it is, they will try it without hesitation]

Even if you manage to pass their council and become a free man of Tsath, don't think that the madness is over.

The Kunyang people set up a strict daily schedule for outsiders, forcing them to participate in their horrific religious activities. They included Tulu, Yig, Shab-Niggurath, Nag, Yeb, and the Nameless One.

The Kunyang people do not have the family as a social unit. They only have large emotional communities, which are composed of extremely beautiful and artistic men and women.

They will claim you, using their infinite lifespans to consume your limited existence every night, fifty people... taking turns... without stopping!

[One more piece of information for you. If you are unfortunate enough to be sent for deliberation along with your companions, remember to act more knowledgeable than them.]

The people of Kunyang will not allow too many low-quality outsiders to stay with the same group of intruders. You must show that you are more valuable than your fellow travelers to have a chance of passing the review committee.

【…】

The longer I stay here, the more I can no longer bear the danger and terror here. I know I must leave.

[But all entrances to the ground are guarded by Kunyang people. It is impossible for me to leave here through those places.]

The only way to escape alive is to challenge the forbidden abyss spoken of by the people of Kunyang—Enkai.

[I will go to Enkai, even if death lies ahead, I will not look back!]

If you are determined, use the silk thread to hang up the metal coin from Kunyang. The special magnetism of this object will point you to the path of salvation.

Chapter 993: The One Who Can’t Be Named!

The content of the note abruptly ended without a signature.

But it can be seen that the person who wrote this note was someone who had been to Kunyang and lived there for quite a long time.

This person's handwriting was smooth and steady at the beginning, but later it became more and more shaky, as if his mind was always on the verge of losing control.

Qin Zhibo handed the note to Koizumi Hongzi, and Koizumi Hongzi's expression immediately cheered up after reading it.

"It's Mom! This must have been written by Mom!"

"It's a letter from Mom!"

Qin Zhibo watched as Koizumi Hongzi excitedly held the letter, and he did not agree with her guess.

This is a letter to warn future generations. From beginning to end, the identity of the writer is not mentioned, not even his gender.

The only thing that fits the description is that the person who wrote the letter mentioned that "he" did not come in alone, but had other companions.

But this is not enough to prove that the person who wrote the letter is Koizumi Akako's mother.

"Mom must be heading to Enkai, let's go there quickly!"

"Hurry up and try the instructions in the letter!"

Koizumi Hongzi urged Qin Zhibo to take out the Kunyang coin he picked up on the avenue, tie it with a thin string, and hang it in the air.

At this moment, a wonderful thing happened. The coin did not go straight down, but tilted at an angle, slanting down in the direction of 60° to the northeast.

This metal coin contains metals brought by objects from the stars and has a cosmic magnetism different from the earth's magnetic field, which is why it can attract the deep underground where this metal exists in the largest amount.

And that place is Enkai.

……

Now that we have a direction, the next step is to prepare to escape.

There were two Kunyang guards at the door. They did not rest according to the schedule and always stood guard at the door of the apartment.

But these two guards obviously could not hold Qin Zhibo and the other man captive, so they could choose to leave the apartment through the window facing the back.

Qin Zhibo and Koizumi Hongzi carried their luggage again, and in order to reduce the weight and facilitate escape, they took less food.

When the Kunyang people on the streets gradually disappeared, the opportunity came.

Qin Zhibo slowly pushed open the arched window facing the back, jumped out of the apartment first, and then caught Koizumi Hongzi from the outside.

The two ran out along the road they remembered coming from, trying to escape from the city of Sato first.

Although there were no Kunyang people wandering the streets at this time, Qin Zhibo still felt a little uneasy.

There is no darkness here, so there is no such thing as walking at night in fine clothes.

It would be unsettling to escape in such a bright day.

And even if it was break time, the streets shouldn't be so quiet that there wouldn't be any sound at all.

He had never heard that Kunyang had a strict curfew system.

Qin Zhibo stopped and looked at the house on the side of the road. The dark glass made it impossible to see what was inside even in the daytime.

"Why did you stop?" asked Koizumi Hongzi from behind.

"Something is wrong..."

Qin Zhibo walked to the side of the house and put his eyes as close to the glass as possible to eliminate the factor of light reflection and see clearly inside.

There was actually a group of Kunyang people in the house. They stood behind the glass, staring straight at themselves outside the glass.

"drink!"

Qin Zhibo was startled and quickly took a few steps back.

"No! This is a trap!"

Qin Zhibo looked around and saw that the doors of the houses on both sides of the street were slowly opened one by one, and countless Kunyang people walked out.

They stared directly at Qin Zhibo and Koizumi Hongzi, their expressions gloomy and their gazes intimidating, as if they were staring at someone guilty.

"Run!"

Qin Zhibo hurriedly grabbed Koizumi Hongzi, who was still in a daze, and fled along the road.

But a lot of Kunyang people also came out of the house in front, blocking the road out of the city.