Ke Xue: Xiaolan delivers goods to your door at the beginning

Lin Xiaofeng shrugged and said, "Why don't you try and see? We haven't gone very far yet, and if we really want to run later, it won't take long."

Yukiko nodded, then raised her flashlight and shone it upwards towards the direction where the bats were calling.

The black bat, enveloped by the beam of the flashlight, opened its eyes, but its wings, which had been waving in the darkness just a second ago, immediately shrank back upon contact with the light.

A slight tremor could also be faintly seen within it...

Undeterred, Yukiko moved the beam of light to other locations.

The bat she chose instantly folded its wings and began to tremble, but as soon as she left, it arrogantly flapped its wings.

When Yukiko looked at it again, it shrank back.

a long time.

To prevent the bats from rioting, Lin Xiaofeng grabbed her hand and said speechlessly, "Let's move forward. You're going to ruin the bats up there."

Following the direction he pointed, the bat, which was originally entirely black, was now so exhausted that its eyes rolled back...

Yukiko then chuckled softly:

"Haha, I just thought it was interesting. Since you can't wait, Xiao Feng, let's go."

After passing the area where the poor bats lived in groups, the two walked through several forks in the road.

However, with their glasses that could detect traces, the two easily found the path with more footsteps.

In such a dark cave, every minute and every second is torture.

Yukiko's eyebrows furrowed tightly. "The Yabuchi family's underground is like a maze. If there really is a treasure, they should tell Hiromi for the sake of inheritance, right?"

"But she and her brother don't seem to know."

Lin Xiaofeng gave a cold laugh and replied, "What if the two people from the Yabuuchi family died accidentally before we even had a chance to tell them?"

After turning the corner, there was no road ahead.

Shining the flashlight forward, they saw an ancient temple covered in spider silk standing silently deep in the cave at the far end in front of them.

The Buddha statues on both sides, each with a different form, stand like guardian deities.

Some are posing as if dancing, some as if glaring angrily, some as if crouching a tiger...

Yukiko was horrified by the scene and forgot what she was about to ask.

She quietly moved closer to Lin Xiaofeng and whispered, "Xiaofeng, something feels off about this place..."

To ease her fear, Lin Xiaofeng gently put his arm around her waist and comforted her with a smile:

"The late head of the Yabuuchi family wandered around here for decades. If there were really danger here, he wouldn't have died from inflammation, but would have simply disappeared."

His words made Yukiko feel a little better.

After repeatedly encouraging herself that there were no ghosts or monsters in the world, Yukiko followed him toward the temple.

We arrived at the temple entrance.

Lin Xiaofeng suddenly realized how similar the scene before him was to the Kowada Shrine that had been built in the cave.

However, Owada Shrine is used for tourism, while this place is probably a secret base of the Yabuuchi family.

To prevent their descendants from squandering the family fortune, many families often set up a secret room in their old family home to store hard currency, so that they may have a chance to make a comeback in the future.

And now, it's highly likely that this is the place they've discovered.

With these thoughts in mind, Lin Xiaofeng slowly pushed open the temple gate.

There were no swords or traps, no eerie winds, and a pure gold Buddha statue suddenly appeared before the two of them.

In front of the golden Buddha, two prayer cushions lay on the ground, not alone.

It can also be seen clearly

The knee marks are visible, but the left knee is much deeper than the right.

The golden light made Yukiko's eyes dizzy, and she stood there frozen for a moment.

Lin Xiaofeng picked up a very conspicuous notebook next to the cushion and began to read it quickly.

The first page.

The handwriting was still very immature, comparable to that of the kids in the Junior Detective League.

[On the 13th, I discovered this secret base, number 467, yesterday. There's even a gold Buddha statue hidden in the house! No wonder Dad wouldn't let me near the woodshed, but I already know. I really don't know how much it's worth, hahaha.]

Today, our teacher asked us to write diaries to record our lives, so I'll start today.

The following pages were filled with the teenagers' complaints.

The time span above is very fast; the previous page is about when you were 10 years old, and the next page might be about when you were 12 years old.

It's more of an annual record than a diary.

It seems Yabuchi's father wasn't a diligent person either.

Lin Xiaofeng flipped directly to the last page.

The handwriting at this point was already quite steady.

[On the 23rd, the anniversary of Hideko's death, I suddenly remembered that the camellias are blooming again...]

Just as Lin Xiaofeng was engrossed in reading, Yukiko came over and said, "Hideko? That sounds like Hiromi's mother's name... Could it be Hiromi's father's diary?"

Lin Xiaofeng closed the diary again and handed it to Yukiko. "That's right, what's in here is enough to solve the mystery of the Yabuuchi family."

"I think the head of the Yabuuchi family must have wanted to give the diary to Hiromi before he died, but he passed away before he could say it..."

Yukiko spoke up, "Is there some hidden story behind this?"

.......

548. A chuckle

After learning the truth about the matter, Lin Jiuxiao had Youxizi summon the seven people to the central courtyard.

"Detective Lin, didn't you just say you were sleepy? How do you still have the energy to wake us up and solve cases?"

Yamamura Misao appeared in the courtyard, rubbing his eyes. Seeing that the Yabuchi family members had all arrived, he quickly put on the demeanor of a police officer and said seriously, "Ahem, since Detective Lin says he has found a clue, let's hear what he has to say first."

The others also harbored some resentment, but they dared not show it in front of Lin Xiaofeng.

Yabuchi Yoshiyuki yawned. "Mr. Hayashi, have you already found the culprit? Could it be that he came to cause you trouble tonight and you caught him?"

"Who told you the murderer was an outsider?"

Lin Xiaofeng looked at the Yabuuchi family members with a cold smile and said, "No, it's not entirely accurate to say he's a member of the Yabuuchi family..."

As he looked at him, Yabunouchi Yoshifusa's pupils shrank.

Lin Xiaofeng's gaze finally settled on him. "Mr. Yabuuchi Yoshifusa's agent—Mr. Tanaka Hickson, the time has come to reveal the truth."

"If you continue to hide it, you can no longer be considered to have surrendered yourself."

Everyone snapped out of their daze instantly, and Yabuuchi Hidekazu exclaimed incredulously, "How is this possible? Isn't he Yabuuchi Yoshifusa's uncle?"

"Guangmei has already confirmed that he has scars on his legs from when he was a child."

Having read the diary, Yukiko already knew the whole story. She took Hiromi Yabuuchi's hand, pouted, and said:

"This Mr. Hickson and Uncle Yoshifusa Yabuuchi are good friends in Brazil. He just came here pretending to be Uncle Yoshifusa."

“The one behind him, Carlos, is the heir of the adoptive uncle, that is, the mixed-race child born to the adoptive uncle and the Brazilian woman.”

"..."

Looking at this guy who didn't look like a mixed-race person at all, but rather looked like a purebred black person, no one really thought of that possibility.

Yabuchi Yoshiyuki felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of having such a relative, but then he suddenly remembered Lin Xiaofeng's words, and his eyes widened even more.

"Wait, Mr. Lin, are you saying that the murderer of my stepmother is this Mr. Hickson?"

"Isn't he trying to seize our family's property?!"

Lin Xiaofeng couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Haha, family fortune, your family fortune is about to become someone else's, do you still need to embezzle it?"

Yabunouchi Yoshiyuki frowned and asked, "What does this mean?"

Yukiko shielded Hiromi Yabuchi behind her and spoke calmly:

"What else could it mean? Yabuchi Keiko, Yabuchi Machiko, and Yabuchi Hidekazu are all in cahoots. They approached you only to take full control of your family fortune."

Hidekazu Yabuuchi and Keiko Yabuuchi's expressions suddenly changed. Keiko Yabuuchi pointed at her with trembling hands, "You, you can't talk nonsense, how could I be such a person...~..."

Yukiko threw the diary directly into Yoshiyuki Yabuuchi's hands, saying, "Take a look for yourself. This is your deceased father's diary."

“There are records from when he was very young until a few days before he died. You don’t think they’re fake, do you?”

Today, my younger brother is being sent to live in Brazil. Although I know he doesn't want to fight me for the family fortune, is the family fortune really that important?

【…】

Actually, I'd rather not have the family fortune...

……

Today, I'm getting married. My wife is Hideko, whom I grew up with. I'm so happy to be able to build a family with her.

[This is the first time I've brought her to the 'secret base'...]

……

[Our first child is born, let's name her Guangmei...]

……

The second child was just as adorable; Hideko named him Yoshiyuki...

……

Guangmei loves camellias. To ensure the only camellia tree in her yard thrives, she dug a well next to it. Unexpectedly, the well leads directly to a small lake next to a temple. She wonders if she should seal it off...

……

Hideko has passed away...

The reason given was ridiculously simple: falling into a well and dying! We both knew exactly where the well led; do fish drown?

[To prevent the police from searching the well and ultimately discovering the family's treasure, which would attract thieves, I agreed with this reasoning...]

……

I married the only housekeeper in the family. Hideko's death must be related to her. I need to find evidence that she committed murder and force her to turn herself in without alerting the police...

……

[On the 23rd, the anniversary of Hideko's death, I suddenly remembered that the camellias are blooming again...]

This is the last diary entry.

After reading this, Yabunouchi Yoshiyuki gritted his teeth and growled like a wild beast, "My mother was actually killed by this woman, and I called her 'Mom' for so long..."

As he spoke, he suddenly looked up at Tanaka Hickson, who was standing in front of Carlos, "You did the right thing! People like her deserve to die! If you hadn't killed her, I would have killed her by now!"

Tanaka Hickson: "..."

Hiromi Yabuchi, who was standing to the side, was already in tears. Yukiko was holding her tightly, but she didn't know what to say to comfort her.

When you can't empathize, anything you say will sound like you're just being sarcastic.

At this time, just stay quietly by their side.

Lin Xiaofeng looked at Yabuchi Hidekazu, whose eyes were now lifeless, and mocked, "Your Aunt Machiko is dead. Do you have anything else to say now?"

That's right.

Yabuchi Machiko, Yabuchi Hidekazu and Yabuchi Keiko

Before entering the Yabuuchi family, everyone was from Saitama Prefecture.

A careful investigation into the backgrounds of these three people reveals that they are actually distant relatives!

Thanks to the incredibly shrewd calculations of Machiko, ten years later, half of the six remaining members of the Yabunouchi family, including herself, were actually on her side!

Lin Xiaofeng couldn't help but admire her after reading it. She had schemed and plotted, but in the end, she was outsmarted by her own cleverness, killed the wrong person, and was stabbed to death by the other party.

When Lin Xiaofeng revealed his biggest secret, Yabuchi Hidekazu was speechless for a long time.

Standing to the side, Yamamura Misao stared blankly at the inexplicable change before him, finally unable to hold back his question: "Detective Lin, what happened?"