“This trip back to China was finally worthwhile.” Bai Ma glanced at Watson, who had been returned to his hands, and then looked around before saying, “Being able to come to this tragic scene, which has been deliberately concealed for many years and can only be heard about in rumors, means that the secret of the past 40 years is about to be revealed.”
At this point, a hint of joy appeared on his usually calm face: "This is enough to arouse my rational excitement."
Aside from the detectives, Ran felt somewhat confused by what Hakuba Saguru was saying.
While waiting for the dinner, everyone changed into formal attire and rested in the recreation room. Hakuba Saguru and Mogi Harufumi were playing billiards, while Chima Kazuyo and Uncle Mori were playing chess.
As a white chess piece was placed, Senma Kazuyo, with her expressionless face, said, "Now you're helpless, aren't you, Sleeping Kogoro."
Guangyou glanced at it casually and nodded. Uncle Mori's way out was completely blocked. No matter which way he went, he could only stall for three rounds at the latest.
Ran seems to be having good luck. She's playing cards with Ikumi Gunta and Conan and has already won several rounds in a row. She can be heard laughing and saying, "Yay! Look, I got a straight! Looks like I'm winning again this time!"
At this moment, she was very confident, so confident that she had already shown her hand to the other party.
"Please wait a moment," Ikumi Gunta said, propping her head up with her hand. "It's not good to cheat, Ran."
Seeing Ran's somewhat bewildered expression, Ikumi Gunda explained, "Look, there are two J cards on your left."
Xiaolan looked closely and confirmed that the J was indeed two cards stacked together. However, she was certain that they had been stuck together from the beginning, and she would not cheat just to play a card game.
She picked up the cards and flipped them over. She saw that the two cards weren't just stuck together normally, but were held together by congealed blood. Xiao Lan screamed.
When everyone gathered around, nothing seemed amiss. Since the incident forty years ago, everything in this villa had remained exactly as it was, untouched by anyone.
The woman pushed open the door and beckoned everyone to the banquet hall. The banquet was ready. After driving all day, it would be a lie to say we weren't hungry.
On the train, they could only eat dry rations; there wasn't even instant noodles available. The maid's voice sounded like heavenly music to Guangyou, which delighted him greatly.
Hearing that the host of the banquet was already waiting in the banquet hall, the detectives couldn't help but chuckle. They weren't particularly interested in the dinner; it was just a meal to fill their stomachs.
They were more interested in the villa itself, or more specifically, in the cases that occurred there.
In this villa, which was said to be stained with blood, Xiaolan had no appetite even though her stomach was empty.
Upon arriving at the banquet hall, the tableware was already set out, and in the very center of the table stood a person wearing a mask, with only two red eyes visible.
The red-eyed man said, "I sincerely welcome everyone to this Twilight Pavilion. Please take your seats now."
His voice sounded somewhat unnatural, like the voice of a voice changer.
Faced with his feigned mystery, everyone chuckled and took their seats.
"The reason I invited you all here is to ask you to help me dig out the treasure that is currently hidden somewhere in this villa. It took me many years to acquire this wealth, and I will find it no matter what, even if it costs me my life."
He gave everyone no time to think. Just as he finished speaking, several explosions rang out outside the villa.
Upon hearing the explosions, the people present were restless, while the red-eyed man spoke with some excitement after the explosions subsided.
“In the past, you were the ones chasing after me, but it’s good to switch places with us sometimes. To be honest, the suspension bridge you just crossed on the way also fell off the cliff at the same time.”
"So there's no way you can escape by car now. Of course, there are no phones here, and no cell phone base stations nearby. You're thinking of asking for help from outside..."
"Hello, is this the police officer? We need backup. We're trapped in a villa, there are ten of us. The address is... Yes, okay, thank you, police officer."
Guangyou was holding a large-looking cell phone, seemingly making a call.
Hakuba Saguru recognized what Kouyu was holding and said, "A satellite phone?"
Kōyū nodded. He had prepared all of this long ago. Seeing Kōyū nod, even the seemingly calm detective couldn't help but show a hint of joy.
The red-eyed man seemed not to hear Guangyou's words and continued, "It's impossible for you to ask for help from the outside, so now, someone can help me figure out a way to find that treasure..."
Before he could finish speaking, Uncle Mori sensed something was wrong. The red-eyed man's scheme had failed, so why was he still talking?
Uncle Mori stepped forward, grabbed the red-eyed man's hood, and easily ripped it off.
Only then did everyone realize that the so-called master was just a dummy fitted with a megaphone. The workmanship looked quite good, except that the eyes had been modified into a large horn.
Harufumi Mogi stood up and slammed his hand on the table: "Damn it, I really don't know why that person did this. Luckily there's a rescue now. Oh well, I'm leaving. I might as well skip dinner!"
"But the bridge collapsed, didn't it?" Xiaolan asked, puzzled.
Harufumi Mogi waved his hand: "I'll wander around and I'm sure I can find another way down the mountain."
He then turned and left, while the others remained, interested in the "phantom of God's forsaken son" and the tragedy that had occurred at the villa years ago.
Guangyou said, "Aki-neechan, let's serve the food first. I'm starving."
The maid responded and pushed the food cart to serve the dishes, in order to prevent the host of the banquet from being identified as the Phantom Thief Kid, as indicated by the coded message.
To prevent Kid from tampering with the banquet, Hakuba Saguru suggested deciding everyone's seating by playing rock-paper-scissors. If anyone did tamper with the seating, whoever got into trouble would be the one who suffered the consequences.
Since that's what they've said, there's no need to gamble with her life if it's something that can be done by waiting for the police. So, Xiaolan decided not to eat it to avoid any trouble.
It must be said that Ogami Shuzen, who became a food detective, has excellent skills, which are no less than those of some master chefs.
After eating, Guangyou felt full of energy, and the emptiness in his stomach disappeared.
After they finished eating, the mannequin started talking again, but Guangyou didn't hear it as he had already left the hall.
Guangyou strolled around the villa, carefully observing the entire structure. However, the villa was so large that even a cursory glance would take some time.
The carpet underfoot is also expensive, and the wood used in the villa is of very high quality. Not to mention the value of the building itself, just selling all that wood and carpet would probably be enough to support a person for a lifetime and even have some left over.
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