The police didn't arrive until the evening of the next day. However, the results of the autopsy also confused them. Like Conan and others, the coroner couldn't figure out the cause of death. According to common sense, whether these three people accidentally fell into the water and smashed their heads or were killed by stones, their heads should have been smashed.

It is unheard of that the bones inside the body are completely broken even though the body looks intact on the surface. Of course, according to the coroner, if the body was caught in the current and hit a reef or something, it is not impossible to leave similar injuries, but it is difficult to determine whether it was caused by human factors. After all, according to common sense, it is basically impossible to beat three people to death in this way and the cause of death is almost exactly the same.

So this is why martial arts cannot appear in mystery novels, but Fang Zheng said it’s none of my business…

The only gain is that the three people died five days ago, which was the day when Hattori Heiji received the letter and called Kadowaki Saori. However, Kadowaki Saori did not answer the phone at that time, which shows that she had already been killed at that time.

So everyone reasoned and reasoned, and finally found that Kogoro's accidental theory was the most convincing...

This also resulted in Hattori Heiji and Conan having black faces when they returned to the room.

"Yo, what did you get?"

Looking at the two of them, Fang Zheng chuckled and asked, while the two of them sighed helplessly and sat down.

"No, we have asked people on the island, and most of them think that these three people died in an accident."

"Some people also say that it was caused by a mermaid..."

"But we can be sure that the three people who died all believed in the existence of mermaids and the power of the longevity lady."

At this point, Hattori Heiji also frowned.

"But I still find it strange. After all, she clearly sent me that letter, and then she died suddenly. There must be something fishy about this."

"Then I have an idea, do you want to hear it?"

Fang Zheng drank a sip of tea silently, then looked at everyone.

"Hey? Brother Fang Zheng's reasoning? I want to hear it!"

Hearing this, Conan perked up immediately, and Xiaolan also looked over curiously. After all, they had a lot of contact with Fang Zheng, and knew that Fang Zheng rarely engaged in reasoning on weekdays. It was really surprising that he had an idea now.

"This is not reasoning, it's just an idea."

Fang Zheng put down the teacup in his hand and looked at the people in front of him with a smile.

"It's very simple. You see... the people on this mermaid island firmly believe in the existence of mermaids, so will they do something to protect this secret? Didn't Miss Miko also say that it would bring disaster if the arrow was lost? So can we think about it this way? Miss Kadowaki Saori lost the dugong arrow and violated the taboo of the island. Her two friends tried to protect her and escape from here, but they were discovered by the residents here. Then, they used ancient and cruel methods to kill the three ignorant people who violated the taboo and sank their bodies somewhere on the island..."

At this point, Fang Zheng's voice became much deeper.

"As for why Miss Miko didn't go with them, the reason is very simple, because in fact it was she who commanded those villagers to kill the three people who violated the taboo..."

“Woo…”

Hearing this, Xiaolan and Kazuha hugged each other tightly, while Hattori Heiji and Conan also gasped. Indeed, if all the villagers on this island were criminals, then it would make sense that they could not find any clues.

but……

"Do you have any evidence?"

"No."

Fang Zheng picked up the teacup again.

"This is just a story I made up after all."

“…Huh?”

"I'm planning to write a book based on this incident. The story is about a murder that happened on an isolated island. The protagonist goes to investigate and finds out that the witch on the island is the mastermind and all the villagers are criminals. They killed the victims because they discovered the biggest secret of the island - in fact, all the residents on the island are not humans, but mermaids... What do you think of this story?"

"The story..."

Hearing this, Hattori Heiji and Conan rolled their eyes, while Xiaolan and Kazuha nodded as if they were attracted.

"It sounds like it's very interesting, Xiaolan."

"Yes, Mr. Fang Zheng, are you really going to write a book?"

“I write a little in my spare time when I’m bored.”

“Haha…”

Hearing this, Hattori Heiji stretched lazily out of boredom.

"Really? In the end, there are still no clues."

"After all, it's an artistic creation. In real life, there won't be such coincidences. Like this mermaid legend, if the person who got the arrow could really live forever, then this island would have been taken over by the big chaebols and high-ranking officials by now, and it wouldn't be our turn to come here. Besides, people nowadays have to take physical examinations and blood tests. If the people on this island are really the incarnation of mermaids, they would have been sliced ​​up long ago."

Fang Zheng shrugged.

"At the end of the day, stories are made up for convenience, not the truth."

Having said that, Fang Zheng looked at Conan and Hattori Heiji.

"By the way, didn't you check the homes of the three of them? Did you find any clues?"

"No clue."

In response to Fang Zheng's question, Hattori Heiji and Conan looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.

"We found the bag that Ms. Kadowaki Saori usually carried when she ran away from home at her home. We also found out that the deceased Ms. Kadowaki Saori, Naoko Kuroe, Sumi Ebihara, Ms. Kimie Shimabukuro and Mr. Rokuro Fukuyama were in the same club at the university. Mr. Rokuro Fukuyama and Ms. Sumi Ebihara were engaged, but that was arranged by their parents. In fact, Mr. Rokuro Fukuyama liked Ms. Kimie Shimabukuro."

"Could it be that the man named Fukuyama Rokuro killed Miss Kadowaki Saori?"

Hearing this, He Ye also asked curiously.

"It's not impossible. After all, Mr. Fukuyama Rokuro is a fisherman and he's very strong. But we can't find any suspicious points. He himself confessed that he once confessed to Ms. Shimabukuro Kimie, but was rejected by the latter."

Hattori Heiji was also very depressed.

"Moreover, on the day the three people disappeared, Fukuyama Rokuro stayed at his home the entire time. He has a clear alibi, and he doesn't look like someone who would kill for such a thing."

"We also investigated Kadowaki Saori's father. The arrow in Kadowaki Saori's hand was not lost, but was sold to tourists from other places by her father. Her father confessed to it and said that it was okay for him to sell his daughter's things..."

"So he is also a suspect?"

"That's what he said, but in fact he was hanging out in the tavern those days. Of course, if it was after the festival and Kadowaki Saori was hit by the dugong arrow again, it would be understandable to kill people for the dugong arrow, but Kadowaki Saori and the other three died before the festival, and looking at her father, it seems that he doesn't care whether this matter will be known by others. It doesn't seem like he killed people to keep it secret..."

This is the limit of detective work.

Looking at Hattori Heiji and Conan who were holding their heads in distress, Fang Zheng laughed and poured himself another cup of tea. For detectives, they usually solve cases by answering three questions.

Who killed that person?

How to kill people?

Why kill people?

These three problems are usually closely linked, but for Fangzheng, these three problems are basically unsolvable. At least for them.

Fang Zheng had never met the victim before, and his method of killing was unconventional, making it impossible to be discovered - let alone the Iron Sand Palm. Next time Fang Zheng changed his method and used the North Star Hundred Fists to kill someone in front of Conan, he would still be confused.

As for Fang Zheng's motive to increase the dead energy and his own boss characteristics, Conan naturally couldn't think of such an unconventional reason, which meant that Conan couldn't solve any of the three problems. So Fang Zheng didn't need to do anything at all, just watch them perform quietly.

As for the result of the performance... Fang Zheng already had some ideas.

"Brother Fang Zheng, you really don't have any ideas?"

At this moment Conan had no choice but to ask Fang Zheng for advice. Logically speaking, they were not willing to get standard answers from Fang Zheng, as it would make them feel very unfulfilled. However, given the current situation, they decided to solve the case first.

"I have this idea, but it probably has little to do with the murder case."

Fang Zheng took a sip of tea.

"In fact, I once heard a local resident say something interesting... 'Fortunately Jun Hui was fine, otherwise the festival next year might not be held.'"

Having said that, Fang Zheng raised the corner of his mouth slightly and looked at the two of them.

"Very interesting, isn't it?"

"……?"

Facing Fang Zheng's words, Xiaolan and Kazuha looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Hattori Heiji and Conan frowned and began to think about the meaning of this sentence. Then, Conan's face suddenly changed.

“Wait, could it be that…!”

"I see!"

At this time, Hattori Heiji also clapped his hands vigorously and showed an excited expression.

"Hey? What? What did you understand?"

Seeing the excited expressions of Hattori Heiji and Conan, the two girls were confused. However, the two did not answer, but looked at each other excitedly.

"Let's go!"

"Yes, that must be it!"

After saying this, the two of them left excitedly, leaving Xiaolan and Heye looking at each other in confusion.

You don't need girls when you have a case. How do you keep yourself from being single?

Fang Zheng glanced at the two figures and silently withdrew his gaze.

"Mr. Fang Zheng, what did you just say to Heiji and the others?"

"Let's wait until they come back and tell you."

Hearing He Ye's question, Fang Zheng chuckled.

"Wouldn't it be boring if I gave away the plot?"

“…”

That's not the question, okay?

"I'm just sitting around doing nothing."

As Fang Zheng spoke, he took out a deck of playing cards.

"How about we play cards? Whoever loses takes off a piece of clothing?"

"Why--!?"

At this moment, Hattori Heiji and Conan had no idea that someone was using an excavator to dig into their walls. On the contrary, they were still immersed in the joy of discovering new clues.

"Hattori, do you remember?"

"Yes, I remember it very clearly."

Hearing Conan's question, Hattori nodded.

"During the ceremony yesterday, the Longevity Lady showed up, but Miss Jun Hui didn't!"

"And when Miss Jun Hui appeared, Grandma Changshou disappeared!"

"Although when we went to see the longevity lady last night, Miss Jun Hui came and asked her to take a bath."

"But we didn't see Miss Jun Hui, we only heard her voice!"

As they talked about this, they became more and more excited.

"So there is only one truth, that is, the Longevity Lady is Miss Shimabukuro Kimie in disguise!"

Conan clapped his hands suddenly, and Hattori nodded excitedly.

"We also know that the three dead people were very superstitious about the longevity lady. They really believed in the existence of the longevity lady. So they must have discovered the secret of Miss Jun Hui pretending to be the longevity lady, and then the two sides had a dispute, so Miss Jun Hui killed them!"

"But the problem is... Miss Jun Hui is a weak woman, how can she kill three people?"

Conan thought again.

"Maybe he lured them out separately? And then killed them one by one?"

"But... how did Miss Jun Hui pretend to be the longevity lady?"

“That’s not a problem.”

After hearing Hattori Heiji's question, Conan also had an idea.

"I think the residents here should be able to give us the answer."