Chapter 86 Singing and Dancing

When Bourbon woke up the next day, he found that Kiel was still beside him.

He suspected that her not running away wasn't solely due to fear of getting lost, but he never asked her the real reason. It was an unspoken understanding between them.

Perhaps, as Jingguang said, some things transcend nationality, profession, or stance. After experiencing certain things, one naturally comes to know who will become a companion.

“Let’s go.” Bourbon handcuffed Kiel.

The two spent half a day arriving at Maitai's headquarters near noon. It was understood that Maitai and his men were stationed in this place far from any town. This was partly to conceal their tracks and prevent enemies from easily finding them, and partly due to Maitai's personal preference; he enjoyed the feeling of being a self-made king, operating his own faction.

This was the first time Bourbon had ever seen a village like this, integrated with the tropical rainforest, forming a unique ecosystem. The outermost edge of the village, with its wall-like wooden fence, gave off a strange sense of oppression, yet cheerful music emanated from within, making him curious about what lay behind the walls.

He visited in the name of Innislig, and after explaining his purpose to the guard at the village entrance, a man who looked like an officer soon came over. The man introduced himself as Maitai's secretary, glanced at Kiel, and then said to Bourbon, "Mr. Lig, today is Lord Ap's birthday. A banquet is being held inside. A fiftieth birthday is a very important day, and it's unlucky to talk about such unlucky things. So let's detain this woman for now! We'll discuss the specifics tomorrow."

Bourbon nodded in agreement. After the guards took Kiel away, the secretary said, "Mr. Lig, it's very lively here today. Why don't you come and join the banquet?"

Bourbon readily agreed: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

Upon entering the village, Bourbon realized that Maitai's birthday banquet was very different from what he had imagined:

The banquet was outdoors! In a large open space in the center of the village, men and women dressed in their finest clothes sang and danced.

They were dressed in traditional ethnic clothing, which Bourbon found quite exotic. But the reality was that Bourbon, who had spent many days trekking through the rainforest and looked somewhat disheveled, was the one who stood out. Soon everyone noticed this handsome foreign man in a plain jacket and big boots.

Bourbon originally intended to find Mai Tai first, but the revelers were not about to let him go.

As the music melody abruptly changed, the dance party formation also shifted dramatically. Before Bourbon could even process what was happening, he was inexplicably thrust into the ranks of dancers, surrounded by a large group of people.

"Help! I can't jump!"

One after another, radiant smiles, painted with colorful makeup, bloomed before his eyes. They sang songs he couldn't understand, full of energy and dancing gracefully. Bourbon could only stand there helplessly, jostling and frantically trying to follow the dancers. He wanted to slip out of the circle, but he couldn't move an inch.

The goofy golden retriever felt awkward standing in the middle of this group of people.

Suddenly, he heard a few clear, resonant notes from strings, and a man carrying a zither walked towards him. The zither resembled a guitar in shape, but it only had four strings; it must be a local instrument!

As the musicians moved a little closer, Bourbon felt his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest. His blood was boiling, and tears welled in his eyes!

Who else could it be?

Of course, it's his partner who saved him from danger countless times, and the guide who led him out of the forest.

"Jing, you'll always find me."

Bourbon forced back his tears. He had wandered around this unfamiliar forest for so long before realizing that they had always been so close.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, with birds in the forest carrying messages—what could be more wonderful than this?

Bourbon later learned that Kagemitsu had rushed over as soon as he heard about the plane crash. Based on his childhood friend's tendency to only report good news and not bad, Kagemitsu assumed that Zero must have been seriously injured.

To get close to Mai Tai in a legitimate way, Jing Guang introduced one of Mai Tai's underlings under the guise of Octopus, saying he was going to bring him a very important child. Mai Tai believed him and personally sent someone to pick him up, so Jing Guang arrived at his destination before Ling.

Bourbon noticed that Jing's face was also covered in colorful makeup, but her skin was tanned. He initially thought Jing had applied something to her body. Later, he learned that Jing had tanned to a similar shade as his partner in order to blend in with the local environment.

This made Ling feel both heartache and amusement: Jing, you don't have to go to this extent for me!

The man playing the four-stringed lyre danced and sang around the blond stranger with light, quick steps, the playful lyrics drawing cheers and applause from the crowd.

As the music ended, the musicians escorted the blond man off the stage, and everyone stopped teasing him. Bourbon breathed a sigh of relief.

"If Jing hadn't become a policeman, what would he be doing now?"

Bourbon gazed at the familiar figure dancing and playing music in the crowd from afar, wondering: a chef? A musician? A designer?

In Ling's eyes, Jing has been multi-talented since childhood.

Such a person seems unsuitable to be a policeman, but he did it anyway, and did it very well, even incorporating his talents into his work.

"Cat Whiskers is indeed a master pianist!" Bourbon suddenly overheard several men chatting nearby, their conversation seemingly related to Jingguang. He couldn't help but prick up his ears to listen carefully—

"Is he supposed to be from Octopus?"

"Of course! He's now one of Lord Ap's favorites!"

"She can play the piano and cook; what about her doesn't please Lord Apu?"

"Yes, yes! If you ask me, Cat Whiskers is much easier to get along with than Octopus! I really hope he'll be the one doing it from now on."

"Hey! What do you know? Does Lord Apoo need a cook or a musician? Don't you all know why Cat Whiskers was favored?"

"Why? If you know, then tell us."

The man cleared his throat, took a sip of his drink, and said, "Isn't it all because of that little kid who's really good at soccer! Lord Apoo is a soccer fanatic, Cat Whiskers just hit the jackpot!"

Bourbon then learned that Jingguang had given himself a new nickname with an octopus-like style: Cat Whiskers.

But what about that child?

"A kid who's really good at soccer, surely he's not one of them?"

Suddenly, the jubilant square fell silent.

Bourbon looked up and saw a richly dressed man standing in the center of the stage. This must be today's protagonist, the birthday boy, Mai Tai.

Maitai raised his ugly, large head and addressed the crowd: "Ladies and gentlemen! Today is my 50th birthday, thank you all for coming! I received two special birthday gifts. The first is this pure gold football, a gift from the football club owner. It's a very meaningful gift, and I will cherish it forever. The second gift is my child, a gift from heaven—my Coco!"

Mai Tai lifted the equally dressed little boy high above his head, and a cheer erupted from the crowd. Bourbon couldn't help but think of a famous scene from the movie "The Lion King."

Bourbon stood on tiptoe, peering intently. He already knew the answer in his heart, but it was still hard to believe. Looking at the little boy dressed like a tribal prince from the forest, Bourbon simply couldn't accept that it was Conan, and he couldn't understand why Hiromitsu would do something so crazy.

"Blatantly causing trouble right under the organization's nose, are they afraid Vermouth and Gin won't find this place?"

Maitai made a gesture, and the restless crowd quieted down. He then said with deep sorrow, "I'm sure you've all heard about the tragic death of my brother Carlo. As his elder brother, I haven't spent a single day without self-reproach and regret. But Heaven heard my prayers and sent Carlo's child to my side!"

"Wait a minute, what's going on?!"

Bourbon was shocked: Could it be that Conan was pretending to be Carol's illegitimate son?

However, upon closer examination, this seemingly reckless and daring action also has its merits:

First, Carlo had numerous mistresses, and even he probably didn't know exactly how many illegitimate children he had. Even if Carlo were still alive, he might not be able to verify the truth, let alone now that he's dead and there's no way to prove it!

Secondly, Mai Tai is a rather superstitious and conservative person who doesn't really believe in modern medicine. He would never think of doing DNA testing or paternity testing, and it's hard to say whether someone is his biological child based solely on appearance.

In reality, Conan's Spanish is worse than that of the two police officers. His broken Spanish makes even basic communication difficult, and he often needs his secretary or Cat Whiskers to translate for him.

Coco won over Mai Tai entirely because of his exceptional basketball skills. After several matches, Mai Tai was completely won over by the little boy and even considered him his godson.

Mai Tai solemnly announced to everyone: "I am getting old. Although I once had children, they have all ascended to heaven and can no longer have any earthly connection with me. Therefore, I have decided to make Coco my heir! I will nurture him with all my heart, and you should also take good care of and assist him."

The crowd held the little boy high, rhythmically chanting, "Coco! Coco!"

Catwhisker glanced back at the blond man in the crowd and gave him a wink.

Stunned by the scene, Bourbon could only console himself: they've gained Maitai's trust, that's good. And the little guy seems much better, he should be alright now, right?

However, Bourbon couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Edogawa Conan, you change dads way too fast!"