Ke Xue: I was raised by them in Mihua.

Xiao Lan, Xiao Lan! Xiao Luo is just a child, how could you defile him with such filthy thoughts!

"Of course, what do you want me to do?"

"that is……"

He leaned close to the girl's ear and lowered his voice, preparing to try out his plan.

Ran Mouri's eyes went from bewilderment to surprise, and finally to determination.

"Don't worry! Leave it to me!"

……

Reviewing CCTV footage is a very tedious task; even if you speed it up, you still have to observe it carefully bit by bit.

Furthermore, the playback speed cannot be increased too much, otherwise important information will be missed.

Kogoro Mouri, Director Ochiai, and their employee Iijima—the three of them, with six eyes, watched for over an hour before finally getting the scene they wanted.

This is all thanks to the old man's habit of checking the exhibits in the museum every two days; we only need to look at the surveillance footage from those two days.

Excluding daytime opening hours, there aren't that many things left to see.

"Director, this..."

Iijima looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Fortunately, Kogoro Mouri finished saying what he was going to say.

"You can't see anything at all!"

The surveillance footage showed the time as past midnight. The pitch-black environment, coupled with the less-than-advanced surveillance system, created a hazy and indistinct scene.

That's not all. Even if the image is blurry, you can still make out some of the suspect's features.

But what happened to appear near that bronze statue was a figure dressed in medieval knight's armor.

It was precisely because he was wearing armor that he accidentally knocked the statue to the ground while walking.

Upon discovering this, Armored Guy quickly moved the statue away from the surveillance camera and returned quite a while later.

"This only confirms that the cracks and paint on the statue were done by this guy, but his identity remains a mystery..."

Kogoro Mouri looked at Director Ochiai, the meaning of his words self-evident.

Through the armor, there's no way to be sure if the other person is the one you suspect.

Surprisingly, the old man remained calm and continued to direct his employees.

"Let's switch to another view and see what Kubota is doing right now?"

Kubota is the name of the person suspected of stealing exhibits to sell.

Seeing that the person in question had said so, Kogoro Mouri didn't say anything more, but simply continued to check the surveillance footage.

Whether he gets the commission depends on how hard he works!

Wait, something seems to be missing?!

The belatedly aware father scanned the monitoring room and realized that his daughter and the little boy had disappeared sometime during the day.

Just as he was about to make a phone call to find someone, he was drawn to the commotion on the surveillance footage.

"What the hell!"

Everyone present was familiar with what appeared on the screen; they had just seen it before.

The armored man who had crashed into the bronze statue was now walking through a dark and deep corridor.

Without headlights, only square indicator lights appearing at intervals on the floor and walls, emitting a faint glow to outline the general shape.

In such a depressing environment, this mobile suit of armor appeared even more sinister than it did in the surveillance footage last night.

They moved forward slowly, step by step. Although there was only the visual, it was as if you could hear the friction of the armor seams and the collision of metal with the floor.

"What is this place?"

Kogoro Mouri, of course, didn't believe in any ghosts or gods; he just wanted to get to the location of the armored man as soon as possible and catch him red-handed.

If everything goes smoothly, I'll be able to receive the commission fee soon!

"The gallery of the art museum—a space between hell and hell!"

Director Ochiai didn't speak, seemingly shocked by what he saw. He just squinted and stared intently at the screen. The one who answered was employee Iijima.

Judging from his still-shaken expression, it's not hard to guess that he was quite frightened.

"I'm coming right away. You all stay here and continue monitoring!"

After saying that, Kogoro Mouri quickly left the monitoring room.

The two who were left behind exchanged a glance, and then both revealed resolute looks.

The audience is in place; it's time for the performance to begin!

Chapter 22: The Great Dao was obliterated in the battle.

　"This thing is really awkward to wear!"

In a corner of the exhibition hall known as the "Hell's Chamber," out of the reach of surveillance cameras, Ran Mouri stretched her limbs, which were bound by armor, while complaining.

Luckily, this armor is quite large, otherwise her powerful front armor might not have been able to fit inside.

At the little boy's request, she put on this medieval knight-style armor.

As for the reason, Luo Tian did not elaborate. After all, he couldn't very well tell the girl that he could foresee a murder that was about to happen here, could he?

I just made up a reason, saying that I had heard rumors about the museum being haunted and I was planning to come and check it out.

Wearing armor is for safety, to better fight monsters.

Ran Mouri did not object to this, as she had just received her task for the day.

[Ding! Daily Task: Game Time - Please accompany the lucky star to complete one game!]

"Shh—Sister Xiaolan, keep your voice down, I feel something approaching!"

Luo Tian hid behind the display stand and the armor; the narrow space was just enough to accommodate his small body.

Meanwhile, the girl dressed in armor was cosplaying the armor itself, standing in the armor display area.

As long as they remain still and silent, no one would be able to tell that a beautiful young girl is hidden inside this armor.

"Okay, I know."

Ran Mouri lowered her voice and cautiously peered around through the gaps in her armor visor.

Normally, she wouldn't even approach such a gloomy environment, let alone stay there!

However, now, just thinking about the little boy behind her gives her boundless courage and strength, and all she wants to do is protect him!

Perhaps, this is the spirit a knight should possess!

The unprecedented and novel experience made the girl's brain exceptionally active, and her thoughts wandered freely.

Suddenly, a clear metallic clanging sound rang out in the silent exhibition hall.

Ran Mouri recognized the voice; it was the same voice she made when she put on her armor, though it seemed to be mixed with other sounds as well.

"Is it really haunted?"

She didn't think anyone would be as bored as she was, wearing armor and playing games with kids.

Gripping her knight's sword tightly, the girl prepared for battle!

……

President Manaka is very happy lately.

He decided to convert the art museum into a hotel after surveying the location of the museum and the surrounding business district.

This is a business that's sure to make money!

He spent a lot of money on this, investing almost all of his working capital and even taking out a loan from the bank.

Although some underhanded methods were used in the acquisition, that's just how businessmen are!

So even though he had just had an argument with the curator, he didn't feel any guilt and continued to happily wander around the art museum, making his own renovation plans.

As he walked, he arrived at the exhibition hall.

The argument just now didn't end well, but afterwards he received a message from Director Ochiai, asking him to meet here.

"Hmph, what hellish place? That's utter nonsense."

After glancing briefly at the nameplate outside the exhibition hall, President Manaka muttered disdainfully.

"But the corridor is so dark, is it meant to create a creepy, hellish atmosphere? What a boring design. I want to tear it all down, knock down the walls, and turn it into an open-plan space..."

Lost in thought about the renovation plan, he lost his footing and had to grab the wall to avoid falling.

What kind of design is this?!

Looking back at the dimly lit ground, I realized that without careful observation, it was impossible to see the steps.

Was the terrain made lower than the outside to give the impression that hell is underground?

That old man Ochiai called me over. Could it be that he deliberately didn't turn on the lights because he wanted me to fall and die here?

Filled with resentment, President Manaka continued walking forward.

Hanging in the center of the wall at the far end of the exhibition hall is a huge painting. In the painting, a dying demon is pierced by a knight with a longsword. The oppressive colors create a hellish atmosphere.

At the very end of this "between hells," a demon is slain by a knight—it's quite a symbol!

Despite his dissatisfaction with Director Ochiai, at this moment, President Manaka had to admire the other's ideas.

"Snap—Clang!!!"

"Who?!"

He turned around abruptly and nearly suffered a cardiac arrest.

A sharp blade, gleaming with a cold light, was less than half a meter from his head. It didn't fall because another sword blocked it.

"Come on!"

Having no time to deal with this malicious president, Ran Mouri increased the force in her hand and with an upward thrust, deflected the opponent's sword.

Although it's uncertain whether the other party is human or ghost, since this scene has appeared before my eyes, I absolutely cannot let it go unchecked.

Moreover, she is afraid of ghosts because they have no physical form and cannot be attacked with karate, but armor has a physical form!

All fear stemmed from insufficient firepower, a truth the girl deeply understood!

Wearing armor and holding a sword, she immediately felt more confident.

Most importantly, there's a cute little boy behind her who needs protection!

"Ah ah!"

With a sharp cry, she bravely charged forward, startling the armored man.

Based on the sound coming from inside the armor, Curator Ochiai had already guessed the other party's identity, but...

What's up with this girl? Is she really that wild?

Even if a normal person didn't faint from fright like President Manaka later, they would still run away when they saw this scene, right?

Surprised as I may be, I can't afford to lose in terms of momentum.

I've been preparing for this for so long, I can't let a little girl ruin my plans!

The still vigorous Ochiai Museum Director immediately retaliated, delivering a leaping slash.

Clang—another crisp sound of weapons clashing rang out, sounding particularly jarring in the dimly lit exhibition room.

It's blocked again!

Director Ochiai was quite surprised.

In his youth, he was a master swordsman, and even though he is older and his physical strength is not what it used to be, his foundation is still there.

It's unbelievable that my attack was blocked by a girl who appeared out of nowhere!

I feel like I can do it!

This is what Ran Mouri is thinking.