Chapter 20 Paradise Hunting (Edited) “So you are here. …
Everything is getting better.
Taking over the Karasuma clan went even smoother than Rum had imagined. Those who should disappear disappeared, those who should be destroyed were destroyed, and those who should disappear disappeared—just like cooking, preparing the ingredients in order before adding them to the pot. Everything proceeded smoothly. Lin Xi and his plan had essentially been completed—except for the loss of a third of the guards.
Baijiu Pharmaceutical also announced its dissolution, with its doors closed and empty.
At this time, Rum was in the library of the Karasuma family.
The books in the library were treasures from the Karasuma family's century-long collection, some even older than Karasuma Ren'ya. Rum was previously forbidden from entering, but now that he had become the head of the family, no one dared to stop him.
Rum's main reason for coming here was to search for books from his mother's former home. He remembered that before his mother's funeral, the Karasuma family had come to their home and removed all the books from his mother's bookshelves. At the time, he was still young and only focused on anger, but now, thinking about it, it was full of doubts.
Why did the Karasuma family specifically take their mother's books? What did they want in those books?
Also, why did Karasuma Renya agree to take him back to the Karasuma family? It's said that his mother begged him to do so... but what was the reason? He could have easily lived on his own with the money his mother had left him over the years. And his mother surely knew what kind of place the Karasuma family was and what kind of person Karasuma Renya was. So why, on her deathbed, did she beg the old man to take him in?
My own purple eyes...
The inheritance of my mother's family...
Could it be related to these?
He remembered when he was little, his mother once said to him about his eyes -
"Haru. Our eyes can see things that ordinary people can't," said Kuikei Kae. "Magic tricks, fake things, people in disguise... none of these can be hidden from your eyes. Just like the little tricks you saw that thief perform today."
"But they didn't believe me..." Young Rum wiped his tears. "He was clearly a thief, and after I pointed him out, he pretended to be slandered and attacked me..."
"I know. I know Haru was wronged." Kuikei Hana stroked his hair gently, "But, Haru must understand that not all 'truths' in this world need to be told."
"B-but...if I don't tell him, that person's money will be stolen..."
"But if Haru tells you, she'll get beaten up. I'm more worried about Haru getting hurt than about the money of other unrelated people. I don't want Haru to get hurt, no matter what. So I hope that Haru, who has the ability to see the true nature through falsehood, will remain silent when appropriate. Similarly, don't show off this ability... that might bring disaster."
"Huh? Disaster?"
"...Our abilities, and ourselves, are foreign to this world and shouldn't exist," Kuikei Kae said softly, "so we must hide them and not be discovered... Sorry, I'm suddenly saying something strange. However, since Haru has awakened this ability, there's something very important that Haru must remember."
"—If you see something you can't explain with your purple eyes, never investigate. Never."
That's what my mother, dressed in a kimono, said at the time.
Of course, he didn't understand what that meant as he was young, but he just memorized the words obediently.
As he grew up, he finally understood why his mother asked him to remain silent, and gradually realized how special and unreasonable this ability he possessed was.
But when he wanted to turn around and ask those questions again, the person was gone.
If her mother insisted on letting her enter the Karasuma family, there must be some profound considerations behind it...
Oh right. Speaking of "unexplainable things"...
Rum remembered the night when Lin Xi broke into his room.
At that time, something happened that he saw with his own eyes but could not understand.
Lin Xi clearly hadn't cheated. The gun and the bullets were all prepared according to the rules. The reels were spinning randomly. But why was it so coincidental? Why did all the bullets miss her? Based purely on probability, there was no way Lin Xi would have won all the way to the end that night. And she had been so sure of victory from the start.
Why?
Is this what they call "the unexplainable"?
He followed his mother's instructions and did not delve into what happened that night. However, that incident was indeed one of the reasons why he agreed to cooperate with Lin Xi.
There must be something on Lin Xi...something that can solve the mystery of his eyes and life experience.
Huh…?
Rum pulled a book from the shelf.
This is it.
He had an impression of the fairy tale book with the picture of purple eyes.
He pondered for a moment and opened the book.
.
Main timeline, 2004.
Lin Xi slowly opened her eyes from the sofa.
She lay there in a daze for a while.
Although it was only three months, returning to the main timeline always feels like a lifetime ago.
She opened the system panel.
This dungeon gave out a lot of rewards, including a new mobile phone, three safe houses, "Dead Water" and a communication email account.
The new phone was a touchscreen one. A very high-end one. Lin Xi logged into her mailbox and checked her emails.
There is no past message record.
I have some recent contacts.
Gin, Madeira and rum.
Lin Xi pondered for a while.
Want to message them?
No, now is not the right time... Haibara Ai has not made any arrangements, a lot of information has not been collected, and a lot of intelligence is still unknown.
Anyway, let's use the new 35,000 experience points to upgrade our skills.
Fighting: Level 2 (Agile) → Level 3 (Fighting Mastery)
"Obtained Trauma Medicine x5, Fast-Healing Bandage x5, and Copper Knuckles x1."
"Schools have been unlocked. Players can choose to consume 2500 experience points to unlock a school, and can light up a maximum of two schools at the same time."
There are five fighting styles: Jeet Kune Do, Taekwondo, Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, and Chinese Kung Fu (combined). Lin Xi chose Chinese Kung Fu and Jeet Kune Do.
"Fighting styles: Chinese Kung Fu (combined) has been lit up, Jeet Kune Do has been lit up."
Next are "Hide" and "Cold Weapons".
"Hide: Lv2 (disappearance of traces) → Lv3 (elusive)"
"Obtain Night Clothes x1, Night Vision Goggles x1"
"Firearms: Lv2 (Firearms Proficiency) → Lv3 (Firearms Master)"
『Obtain tactical eyepiece x1』
"Cold Weapons: Lv0 (No Knowledge) → Lv1 (Beginner's Guide to Cold Weapons)"
『Obtain Scimitar x1』
Cold Weapons: Lv1 (Beginner's Skill) → Lv2 (Mastery of Cold Weapons)
『Obtain Tang Sword x1』
It takes 5,000 business points to upgrade a level 2 skill to level 3. This upgrade cost a total of 24,000 experience points. Including the 3,000 experience points left from the last time, Lin Xi still has 14,000 experience points in his account.
She took out the machete she had just obtained and waved it.
It felt nice and smooth to use, as if she had used it many times before.
As for the tactical eyepiece, it seems to be used to assist shooting. There is a line of small text below the item:
"Wearing this eyepiece will give you 100% accuracy and 100% avoidance of vital points."
...It's a bit useless, but it seems to work wonders if used properly.
She glanced at the map. Haibara Ai was still at Agasa's house.
She stood up and opened the window. The sun was blazing outside, so she hesitated for a moment before grabbing a parasol.
It's time to pick her up and take her home.
.
Living room in Dr. Agasa's house.
"So, you were picked up by a kind-hearted person after escaping from the organization's base?" Conan looked at Huibara Ai suspiciously, "What kind-hearted person would casually take a stranger home? Wouldn't they send him to the hospital immediately? Are you sure the person you met was not from the organization?"
"I asked her not to go to the hospital. If everyone she met was a member of the organization, then the organization would be too rampant." Huiyuan Ai said calmly, "Besides, do you think I can still be alive and talking to you now if she is a member of the organization?"
"She's a good person. She probably thought I was a kid who ran away from a problematic family. My parents were alcoholics, violent, quarrelsome, or maybe I didn't have any parents at all... things like that are why I'm so miserable. She's a college student and should have gone to class today. I sneaked away after she left."
As Haibara Ai spoke, she casually flipped through a fashion magazine.
Conan looked at her speechlessly.
This guy is really calm...
"So, what are you going to do?" he asked. "You definitely can't go back in this state. If anything untoward is discovered about you, you might be taken to the police. And you're an illegal resident now..."
"This is why I came to you, Kudo Shinichi." She said lightly, "Take me in and solve my identity problem. In return, I will help you develop an antidote for APTX4869."
"Even if you say so..."
Ding Dong—Ding Dong—
At this moment, the doorbell rang at Dr. Agasa's house.
Dr. Agasa quickly stood up: "I'm coming, I'm coming..."
The two children stopped talking at the same time.
Conan looked towards the door.
Who would come to the doctor's house at this time?
When Dr. Agasa opened the door, he saw a girl wearing a white dress and a thin khaki short jacket standing in front of it.
The French dress was tied with a sky-blue ribbon, and the girl's light pink ballet shoes were tied with the same thin straps.
Her slightly curly black hair was elegantly draped behind her head, tied with a blue plaid ribbon, and she held a small mint green lace parasol in her hand.
An elegant and energetic outfit.
"Hello, my name is Lin Xi." The girl's eyes curved and her smile was so friendly that it was hard not to be fond of her. "I live in Beika-cho 7-chome. Excuse me, have you seen a girl with short brown hair?"
"She looked about 7 or 8 years old, wearing a dark blue vest and yellow shorts. She must have run away in the morning. She's my sister, and I'm worried about her... I asked nearby residents, and they said they seemed to see her walking in this direction, so I came to ask you. Sorry to bother you."
She speaks clearly, with a steady tone and a pleasant voice.
Hearing her description, Dr. Agasa couldn't help but look behind him.
Short brown hair, wearing a dark blue vest and yellow shorts... Isn't this talking about Haibara Ai?
Following his gaze, Lin Xi also saw Huiyuan Ai. A smile appeared on her face: "Little Ai."
Haibara Ai stood there in a daze.
Ah, she actually came here?
It's already afternoon... Could it be that she had been looking all the way here? Did she spend half a day looking?
Thinking of this possibility, she pursed her lips.
Dr. Agasa looked at Huihara Ai and then at Lin Xi in front of him, scratching his head, "How about we go inside and talk?"
"So you're here." Lin Xi squatted down and gave Huiyuan Ai a hug. "I was worried about you..."
Her hug smelled like sunshine, making Haibara Ai feel a little helpless.
Conan watched silently from the side.
Well, now he kind of believes what Haibara Ai said, "She is a good person."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
