"Grandma, why are you still out so late?" the nobleman said to the first wife, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

The first wife's eyes showed some panic, but it wasn't very clear in the darkness: "My daughter hasn't come back yet, I'll wait for her here."

The noblewoman said somewhat helplessly, "Grandma, leave these things to us. You should go back and rest and wait for my mother in your room."

With that, the nobleman pushed the first wife, who was in a wheelchair, away.

Kōyū released his hand from Ayumi's mouth and breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness, the benefactor arrived in time, otherwise it would have been quite difficult to handle."

“However, this important person seems a bit off,” Guangyou said, stroking his chin.

After hearing this, Ai asked with some confusion, "What's wrong with him?"

Guangyou shook his head: "I can't quite put my finger on it, but something's not right. His mother has passed away, yet he's still staying in this castle. It doesn't make sense for him to give up his promising future studying abroad for some vague treasure. Besides, I remember he had pretty good grades!"

Guangyou touched his head: "Never mind, let's take it one step at a time. Let's go check that room first."

Arriving at the room where Conan was missing during the day, Ai walked to the bookshelf: "Kuyou, put the chair under the clock."

Ai put the book on the chair, climbed up, and fiddled with the clock. The wall started flipping!

The flip was somewhat sudden; the chair tipped over, and Ai fell off. However, to Ai's surprise, the fall was different from what she expected.

She opened her eyes and saw Guangyou's slightly deep eyes. When she saw that she had fallen into Guangyou's arms, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. However, a blush appeared on her face, but thankfully, no one saw it.

Ai broke free from Kouyu's embrace and stood on the ground, acting as usual.

Ayumi ran to Ai's side and whispered in her ear, "Just now, when Kousuke saw you fall, he ran straight over. You two, were you...?"

Ai's face flushed even more, and she said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "How is that possible!"

However, she didn't notice that she didn't seem very confident when she said that.

Kōyū approached the secret passage, sniffed it, and said in a pretentious manner, "There's Conan's scent here!"

After a few moments, Ai took a deep breath to calm herself down.

Ai led Ayumi into the secret passage. Looking at the pitch-black surroundings, Ayumi couldn't help but feel a little scared.

Ai understood Ayumi's feelings, patted Ayumi on the back, and comforted her: "Don't worry, there's a boy here, and Kousuke will definitely protect such a cute girl like Ayumi."

Ayumi asked expectantly, "Really? Kousuke-kun?"

Guangyou patted his chest and said, "Of course! I will definitely protect both of you!"

Ai pretended not to hear Kouyu's words and said, "Look ahead and find Conan."

Guangyou nodded, squinting slightly. The dark passage in front of him gradually became clearer, revealing the outlines of objects.

Being able to quickly adapt to the night and see in the dark is an essential skill. It sounds difficult, but it's actually not that hard to do.

When Guangyou was training in his former organization, his instructor once said: "Night vision is hard to explain in words. Everyone has different adaptability. The only way to get into the zone faster is to integrate yourself into your surroundings! Whether it's night vision or stealth, integrating into your environment is something you must work hard to practice!"

Guangyou quickly entered this state. Although he couldn't see things as clearly as he could during the day, he could still see a lot in complete darkness.

In the pitch-black secret passage, there was a long, dark staircase leading downwards. In this environment, the normally unremarkable staircase was imbued with an air of terror.

Ayumi followed behind Kousuke, holding Ai's hand.

Kōyū stopped and said, "Don't I remember the doctor gave you a watch-shaped flashlight? Mine is still at the agency, where are yours?"

Ai shook her head: "Mine is in the room."

Ayumi tapped her palm: "Oh right! I brought it!"

Kōyū stood still and waited for Ayumi to turn on the flashlight. Although night vision could see a lot, some light was better than no light at all.

Ayumi turned her watch, but there was no response. In a fit of anger, she slapped the watch twice. The watch flashed a faint light under Ayumi's attack, but then went out again.

Ayumi scratched her head: "It seems... it seems the battery is dead, hehehe..."

Guangyou slapped his forehead: "Never mind, let's keep moving forward."

Following the long, winding staircase, the three slowly approached the bottom.

Suddenly, Guangyou noticed a dark red mark on the ground. He quickly squatted down next to the mark, moistened it with saliva, wiped it, and then smelled it.

"The taste of blood," Guangyou said sternly.

Ai squatted down and looked at the bloodstains, saying, "It looks like these bloodstains were left not long ago; they must be Conan's blood."

Ayumi looked very worried when she heard that Conan was bleeding.

Guangyou looked around: "Hmm? What's that?"

On the first step of the stairs, Guangyou noticed what appeared to be engravings. In the dark, secret passage, Guangyou couldn't make out what was written on it, but he touched it: "That person has now taken my place and wants to steal the castle's treasure... Is the last thing written as 'treasure'?"

"When Bao finished writing, it meant that he couldn't write anymore. Perhaps that's where he breathed his last."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!