Chapter 39 (Previous Chapter 38): Glacial Ruins: The Wine Is Too Strong...
I have ten virtues:
Sixth, courage: So what if I die?
Zhuge Tongzhi glanced again at the name of the wine, which he knew nothing about, and walked half a step behind Conan and Kuroba Kaito, looking in the direction the navigation arrow pointed.
At the exit of the fire escape, a bright green dot appeared on the head of a hooded man carrying a large violin case who was admiring an art installation. As if sensing that someone was watching him, the man turned his head and met the girl's eyes.
Zhuge Tongzhi paused, only to see that the other person seemed to have simply grown tired of the device in front of him. He quickly looked around and then walked towards another model. His face was mostly covered by the hood, leaving only a chin with a bit of stubble, which added to his age.
With his worn-out violin case on his back and his slightly tattered clothes, it's easy to tell that he is likely a street artist. His every move exudes a natural melancholy and wanderlust, perfectly matching the unique artistic installations around him.
A visually evocative combination that tells a story.
It would be even better if this person wasn't Morofushi Kagemitsu.
Zhuge Tongzhi withdrew his gaze and continued to quietly follow Maoli and his group toward the main exhibit of this Glacier Relics Jewelry Exhibition—an Ice Age emerald named "Glacier Relics"—but his mind was racing.
If Morofushi Kagemitsu is here, then Furuya Rei is most likely here too, and probably as Bourbon. So, was his disappearance a few days ago because he was busy with this? The short-haired girl gripped the straps of her backpack tightly, her tongue lightly pressing against the roof of her mouth, forced to reach a conclusion she didn't want to come to.
First, there is an organized mission underway here, and it is currently known that there are at least three people involved.
Secondly, it's unclear who the target is, but if Ireland personally infiltrates the venue instead of choosing to snipe or kill the eight eggs, then it's highly likely that he's the one who will make the move.
Thirdly, Officer Nakamori's identity was very useful for the mission, so it was directly used, and his current safety is unknown.
Then, Kaito must be very worried.
Zhuge Tongzhi couldn't help but look up at Kuroba Kaito beside him. Sure enough, he saw that the high school student's expression had clearly darkened, and his eyes were fixed on 'Nakamori Ginzo' who was still chatting and laughing with Mouri Kogoro. His nimble fingers mimicked the action of flipping playing cards to aid his brain's thinking.
Zhuge Tongzhi lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He looked at the navigation prompts on the O-do screen again. The blue and white arrows pointed in the same direction as Zhufu Jingguang's departure, still firmly pointing to the right rear, towards the fire escape.
The secret beyond the jewels does not refer to Morofushi Kagemitsu, who arrived in disguise.
Sigh, I was planning to sneak off to complete the path after the introduction. Zhuge Tongzhi glanced at Ran Mouri walking beside Kogoro Mouri. The girl was chatting with Sonoko Suzuki and wasn't paying attention to them. She looked away and continued to think.
Moreover, none of these three points are the most important; the most important point is the fourth one—
If Ireland knew that Gin had silenced Shinichi Kudo, then Shinichi Kudo should have been a quiet dead man in his eyes. But now there was a living, breathing 'Shinichi Kudo' standing in front of him!
Does Ireland know about this? Will Gin be involved in this mission? Could it have already been reported to Ireland...? Zhuge Tongzhi's fingers, gripping the straps, dug deeply into his palms. After a moment of tension, he suddenly released them. No, he couldn't lose his composure.
"Pee-pee-Conan." She called out in a low voice to Conan, who was still carefully observing the fake Nakamori. After the man came closer, she covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "Nakamori has been taken over by Ireland. There must be an organization mission here. You must not make any rash moves."
Whether Ireland knows it or not, as long as he doesn't report it to Gin and attract his attention, then as long as Kid exposes his disguise in the subsequent magic show, he can fool everyone about the fact that 'Shinichi Kudo is suspected to be alive'.
But the real Shinichi Kudo definitely needs to be careful.
Hearing his friend's whispered words, Conan was startled. He instinctively opened his mouth to say something, but Zhuge Tongzhi quickly stuffed a plum candy into his mouth. The strong sour taste made him close his mouth with a distorted expression, and he could only ask his companion with his eyes what was going on.
"All I know is that it's Irish liquor, nothing else." Zhuge Tongzhi stuffed a plum candy he got from the hotel reception into his mouth and mumbled, "I've noticed something I'm interested in and want to check it out. Are you going with Ireland or with me?"
Conan's cheeks puffed out like a piece of candy, and without much hesitation despite the plum flavor in his mouth, he looked up and said, "I'll go with you."
Since Ireland would impersonate the high-ranking Officer Nakamori to enter the venue, he must have access to privileges that Officer Nakamori could only obtain, such as access to the list of exhibitors or the authority to mobilize personnel.
The jewelry exhibition will not officially open until the evening in the central exhibition area. Right now, they are just preparing to capture the Phantom Thief Kid. The exhibits on display are only from the permanent collection of the venue. Therefore, many people who came to the exhibition for the Ice Age gem have not yet joined the event.
Now is the best time to conduct the investigation.
Zhuge Tongzhi nodded, pulled Kuroba Kaito aside, and quickly whispered the situation in Ireland to him after the latter squatted down. Conan stood to the side with his hands in his pockets, occasionally adding a few words.
Having already learned about the Black Organization through Shinichi Kudo, Kaito Kuroba quickly grasped the situation. He turned to look at the fake Nakamori, a flash of coldness crossing his eyes. His serious expression shed his usual frivolity and made him look exactly like Shinichi Kudo.
Seemingly sensing that someone was looking at him unfriendly, Ireland, still in disguise, stopped and turned to look at the three who had fallen a distance behind the group in just a few words. In Nakamori Ginzo's usual cheerful tone, he asked, "Is there a problem, little detectives?"
Kaito Kuroba was certain he saw a hint of ruthlessness in the other's eyes, while Zhuge Tongzhi felt that Ireland always spoke with a strange mix of amusement and amazement when talking to 'Shinichi Kudo'.
Sigh, he seems to know Shinichi Kudo's identity.
Zhuge Tongzhi swallowed the last bit of plum candy, then reached into his bag and pulled out an unopened bottle of mineral water. He unscrewed the cap and gulped down most of it, washing away the sour taste in his mouth and letting the cool sensation soothe his slightly anxious heart.
"It's alright, Zhuge Liang. The Shinichi Kudo he saw was a fake too. The truth will come out eventually, and everything will be fine." She secretly cheered herself up, while Conan beside her had already skillfully begun his performance of making excuses to escape when faced with the adult's questions.
"Huh? That's weird, there aren't any restroom signs in this exhibition hall." Conan exclaimed in a high-pitched voice, then awkwardly turned to the kind-looking Ireland and asked, "Inspector Nakamori, I really need to use the restroom, but I can't find any signs and I'm in a real hurry."
Kaito Kuroba, understanding perfectly, mimicked Conan's gesture and awkwardly chimed in, "I was in a bit of a hurry too, but when Conan asked me if I'd seen the restroom, I didn't quite spot it either."
Hey, you idiot, Shinichi Kudo would never do that pose!
Conan looked at the clone of himself making an inward-pointing pigeon-toed pose. Even though he knew it wasn't the real Conan, the striking resemblance between the two made him blush with embarrassment. He looked more like he was about to burst out laughing. Zhuge Tongzhi stood aside, watching the two acting masters put on a speechless expression.
The girl raised her hand as if answering a question, and said obediently and politely, "I also want to go to the toilet."
"Ah, the venue is under renovation, and the signs here may not have been painted yet." Ireland took a deep look at the vibrant Shinichi Kudo, pointed to where everyone had come from, and patiently guided them: "The nearest seat is around the corner over there, why don't you go there first?"
"Thank you, Officer. Ran, you guys keep shopping. I'll be here with the kid for a while." Kaito Kuroba grabbed Conan, winked at Ran, waved, and ran off quickly, calling out, "Don't wait for us! Conan just said he wanted to buy a souvenir coin."
"Sister Ran, I'll go too. I'll come back with Shinichi later." Zhuge Tongzhi stuffed the half-full bottle of water back into his schoolbag, quickly informed Ran Mouri, and ran off with Kaito Kuroba.
“Shinichi…” Ran Mouri placed her hand on her chest, her brows furrowed, the strange feeling in her heart almost reaching its peak.
“Then let’s continue walking in. I wonder when those kids who always like to run around will be back, Inspector Nakamori.” Kogoro Mouri waved his hand and continued walking towards the central exhibition area with Ireland, who had turned his gaze away.
“Okay.” Ireland smiled and casually asked, “Kudo and Mouri get along very well, haha, middle-aged people just love watching you young people get along.”
Kogoro Mouri opened his mouth dismissively, about to say something, but Sonoko Suzuki, who was holding Ran Mouri, interrupted him. The lively and straightforward high school girl said bluntly, "Of course, they're childhood sweethearts."
"And you still talk on the phone every day, right?" Sonoko Suzuki nudged her friend, who looked helpless, with her elbow and chuckled, "The first thing this guy did when he got to Osaka was ask where you were."
"Okay, Sonoko." Ran Mouri held her friend's arm and easily stopped the girl's movements with a little force, correcting her statement: "Shinichi and I are just classmates, and we haven't seen each other in person for a long time."
Ireland listened to the two girls bickering with a kind smile.
"Ha, although I don't know what that idiot is up to outside while leaving his wife all day, how could such a thing be kept from me, the great detective Suzuki Sonoko!"
Having seen through the whole truth, Sonoko Suzuki was unmoved by Ran Mouri's sophistry. She exaggeratedly waved her arms in a circle, pointing directly at Ran, the wind whipping her short hair aside for a moment, and shouted with full force:
"You childhood friends who grew up together are destined to be together!"
"If that's the case, then Sonoko, you grew up with us too." Ran Mouri smiled wryly. She was used to her friend's comments, who was always at the forefront of shipping couples, but the stares from those around her because of her loud pronouncement still made her slightly embarrassed.
However, Sonoko Suzuki never cared about the stares of strangers. She was the kind of woman who could stand up and shout encouragement at Ran's karate match. Facing these stares, she simply tossed her hair confidently and ignored them.
Ireland smiled slightly and tried to elicit more information about Shinichi Kudo's recent situation, but a somewhat impatient voice came from afar, refuting Sonoko Suzuki's statement.
"I don't think so. Maybe she's just not my type." Hattori Heiji said loudly as he walked alongside a girl with a high ponytail tied with a bright yellow ribbon, his hands in his coat pockets, while deliberately glancing at the girl beside him.
“Ah, yeah.” The girl with the ponytail put her hands on her hips and leaned closer to Hattori Heiji. Her strong aura made him lean back slightly, and she said loudly, “Even if we grew up together, we would probably only see each other as silly little brothers.”
"You're the idiot, Kazuha! I told you to bring the tickets and you forgot! Now we have to go back for them." Hattori Heiji crossed his arms, looked down at the girl's indignant face, and drawled, "You might as well change your name to Toyama Baka! Baka—ga—!"
"Huh? Didn't you tell me your ticket was a joint ticket, allowing you to bring others along?" Toyama Kazuha grabbed his childhood friend's arm with one hand. His aikido skills were anything but weak. With a forced smile, he tightened his grip and said, "But when we got to the meeting place today, you realized you gave all your joint tickets to others, didn't you?"
"Ouch! When will you stop being so violent, woman?!"
"That's why I told you to remember to bring your ticket yesterday!" Hattori Heiji, his baseball cap worn backwards, twisted his expression for a moment, then retorted defiantly.
"You didn't explain it to me clearly at all! I thought you had a combined ticket, that's why I didn't bring it!"
The two of them walked towards Ran Mouri, bickering and arguing all the way.
"Oh, 'Don't be so violent,' that phrase sounds familiar." Sonoko Suzuki squinted at the national women's karate champion beside her, thinking of her usual routine of punishing Shinichi Kudo with justice. She turned to the two high school students who were arguing so much that they had turned their heads away and were ignoring each other, and asked Ran Mouri, "Who are those young lovers over there?"
"The boy is the Kansai high school detective I mentioned to you, Hattori Heiji. I don't know the girl; Hattori-kun hasn't mentioned his girlfriend." Ran Mouri shook her head and looked at the two who were greeting Inspector Nakamori. "He's probably here to see Shinichi, but Shinichi just went to the restroom."
"Anyway, I'll be back in a bit, let's not talk about these boring men playing detective games." Sonoko Suzuki instantly lost interest in Heiji Hattori, who was also a detective, and instead began excitedly imagining the exhibition that evening, "Ran, I'm going to see Kaito Kid tonight! Kaito Kid's performance is truly the best in the world!"
Ran Mouri smiled, and the group introduced themselves to the newly joined Heiji Hattori and Kazuha Toyama before continuing their journey towards the central exhibition area, led by Ireland.
Meanwhile, Zhuge, Conan, and Kaito Kuroba are staring at a freshly baked eight-egg pastry.
Indeed, Zhuge Tongzhi squatted on the ground, looking at the bomb that had been covered by the fire extinguisher box in front of him, and revealed a speechless half-moon eye. Even if the organization members personally went deep into the mission site, it didn't mean that they would not use the bomb.
Eight eggs, everyone who used them said they were great!
Zhuge Tongzhi moved aside, making room for Conan to check the bomb, then looked up blankly at the O-D navigation box that was updating in real time:
"Pathway: The Struggle Beyond the Gems (Completed)"
Next stop: Meeting an old friend in a foreign land (incomplete)
Continue moving 7.6 meters in the current direction.
What do you mean by "meeting an old friend in a foreign land"? Zhuge Tongzhi glanced at the direction the arrow was pointing and found that the blue and white arrow pointed directly to a sliding window at the end of the passage. The distance, accurate to the decimal point, was undoubtedly the distance between her and the window.
"They're not going to make her jump, are they? This is the third floor." The frizzy-haired girl stood up and followed the navigation to the window, squinting as she looked outside.
A well-maintained black car was parked on the road outside the jewelry exhibition venue.
With its retro lines and two vintage-style white headlights at the front, the jet-black paint gives it a mysterious feel, making it seem like a large, glossy black crow.
It's a Porsche 356A.
Of course, these were all filters that Zhuge Tongzhi added herself after a moment of breathlessness. She quickly turned back and took the pair of high-tech non-prescription glasses from Conan's face, one hand on the windowsill and the other adjusting the knob on the side of the glasses.
The blurry details magnified further in his eyes. Zhuge Tongzhi bit his lower lip, moved away from the '48-69' license plate on the front of the car, and looked at the passenger seat with the window rolled down. The person in the seat was making a phone call with his hand raised, and his silver hair reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight.
Before she could zoom in on the details, the man suddenly turned his head to look at the third-floor window. His eyes, raised from under his black hat, met her gaze like an eagle's. Zhuge Tongzhi instinctively let go of his hand and fell to the ground.
"Zhuge?" Seeing the girl fall hard and wince, Kuroba Kaito took a few steps toward the window to help her up, but Zhuge Tongzhi frantically waved his hands, signaling him to stay away from the window, and then hesitated and stopped, taking a step back.
This is terrible!
Zhuge Tongzhi stood hunched over under the windowsill, turned on his phone's video recording function behind the wall, zoomed in to the maximum angle, and then furtively extended the phone's camera above the windowsill, waving it around suspiciously.
With tears welling up in her eyes, she scrolled through the video, stopping at the moment the Porsche was captured, took a screenshot, and sent it to Conan's phone.
That damn Gin is here too.
Oh dear, is this what you call meeting an old friend in a foreign land? Have you even bothered with your Chinese language skills?
Haha, the smell of alcohol here is a bit strong. I, the little mouse, feel a little like dying.
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Author's Note: 10,000 words a day (Part 1)
Zhuge: I'm very brave. For example, at worst, I'll just... (conan covers his mouth)
Mwah
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