Chapter 88 Mysterious Netizen
The next morning, the royal chef brought a sumptuous breakfast to Coco's room.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Cat Whiskers asked with a smile, but he knew at a glance that the answer was no.
"It's alright," the sleepy little coffee bean replied lazily.
"I told Lord Ap that you're not feeling well, so please have breakfast in your room."
The man watched the little boy eat silently; the atmosphere was quiet and somewhat oppressive.
Why isn't Uncle saying anything?
"You eat first, we'll talk after you finish."
"But I'm already full." However, there was still more than half left.
"This is too unusual!"
The chef was deeply frustrated: "You don't like it here, do you?"
The young detective thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, I want to leave. But I can't explain why. There are lovely things here, but there are also sad things. I see the collapse of order, and evil is too deeply rooted. I don't know what to do."
“There’s no need to take all the responsibility on your shoulders; that would be exhausting. I know you want to save everyone, but here, it’s not something you can do alone, or even a group of people can. It will take a very, very long time,” the man comforted him in the gentlest tone possible. He always felt that although this boy had already understood many principles, he was bound to experience disillusionment when faced with things that deviated too much from his understanding.
The young detective lowered his head and remained silent.
The man asked again, "Did you stay up very late last night? I think I heard some noises coming from your room after I fell asleep."
"Huh? Is there...?"
His stammering only fueled his suspicions, and the man became serious: "Your mental state is too poor right now. If this continues, I'm afraid your body won't be able to handle it. I'll find an excuse to take you home. I'll arrange for my colleagues to protect your safety."
"No!" the young detective declared resolutely.
"But I'm worried about you, and I can't just leave you like this."
The young detective bit his lip and said, "I recently met a friend, and I was chatting with him last night."
"An online friend? When did this happen?"
"Well, it was when I was in the US. I didn't know what to do at the time, so I met him while playing video games. We had a lot of fun chatting."
"Dr. Virus?" The man was taken aback. "I thought it was my cooking that cheered you up after your setback, but it turns out it was because of that person?"
The young detective said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I didn't want you to worry about me too much. I was really lost back then, and I couldn't muster any interest in anything. Luckily, I met him."
"But haven't we gone back to that state now?"
The man sighed and said, "I remember you said you felt a bit empty after playing that game too much, why do you want to play it again?"
"Because a new way of playing came out, I thought it was quite interesting, so I tried it on a whim. I happened to meet a friend I got along with, so we played together."
"What are the rules of the game? Could you tell me about them?"
"Hmm... let's start from the beginning. Dr.Virus is a game with viruses as its central theme. Newly registered players first need to study at the medical school to acquire basic medical knowledge. This stage is for obtaining basic equipment and learning how to use various items. Oh, by the way, the D-Lab hourglass logo appears in the medical school."
"I thought the so-called 'virus doctor' was going to create viruses! I didn't expect he wasn't going to spread viruses, but rather cure patients?"
"After successfully graduating from medical school, you can officially start the game. There are generally two modes to choose from: you can be a doctor who heals and saves lives, or you can be a villain who spreads viruses. Different roles will trigger different storylines," the little detective explained. "There are all sorts of maps in this game, each corresponding to a different virus, such as smallpox and rabies. Dr. Virus is popular mainly because of its interesting storyline and diverse gameplay. It's not just about dispensing medicine and giving injections; there are also puzzle elements. For example, in the rabies case, the doctor not only has to treat patients but also solve the case and find the poisoner."
"I see, but that doesn't seem to have anything to do with immortality. Why are you so sure that immortality is that gentleman's ultimate goal?"
"Because the hardest ability to obtain in the game is 'resurrection.' Unlike other skills or items, resurrection isn't something you can acquire by clearing dungeons or spending money; it's entirely based on luck: gacha pulls. Many people persistently pull, but always end up empty-handed." The little detective commented, "I always felt that the original designer of this game was Osiris. I don't know if he put a lot of effort into it or if it was just a passing whim. But while playing the game, I could occasionally sense some underlying motivation. For example, the gacha system where there's absolutely no method and it's all based on luck. Or, for instance, there's a level in the game that requires the ability to resurrect to pass. It's like he's encountered a narrow bridge that he needs a supernatural ability to cross. But he doesn't know how to obtain this ability, so he can only rely on luck."
"So, did you beat the game?"
"Yeah, I won the 'Resurrection' prize in the New Year's gift package lottery. That's why I'm in first place in points."
"You mean no one else won besides you?"
"The system won't show this, but based on what I've seen on the forum, I don't think I've found any other people who were selected."
The man nodded thoughtfully: "So what is this new feature you're talking about?"
"The previous gameplay involved players going to various places to treat illnesses or poison patients. But the new gameplay involves opening a hospital to provide medical consultations. Starting with choosing a location, you build your own hospital and receive and treat patients."
"The difference feels huge!"
"Yes, this feature was initially launched last Christmas. At first, there were quite a few bugs and the functionality was not very complete, so people weren't very enthusiastic. After a lot of optimization, a new version was finally released for Valentine's Day, and more people started playing it." The little detective paused and said, "I think the new gameplay goes against the original model. Although everyone has their own preferences, I always feel that it deviates from the original author's original intention."
"oh?"
"While Dr.Virus is a multiplayer game, it's surprisingly friendly to single-player gamers. Games are meant to be escapes from reality, so I think the creator must be a very lonely person. In fact, the game was originally designed as a single-player mode, created for those who don't fit in either the real world or the anime world. However, the hospital-building gameplay is very unfriendly to single players. In the game, people with many friends can team up and build bigger and more impressive hospitals. A group of people can do whatever they want in the game, just like a big family. But there are very few creative ways to play it alone."
"I see, so you also found someone to team up with?"
"His name is Tsukuyomi, but I usually just call him Tsukuyomi."
"The moon goddess from Japanese mythology?"
"It's just a screen name; everyone's names are unique."
"So what's your name? Let me guess... Holmes's apprentice?"
“That was my original account name. After Shinichi Kudo died, I registered a new account using the identity of an older man, called 221B. That’s why Tsukuyomi always calls me Mr. Holmes.” The little detective smiled. “Sometimes I also call him Watson, because the virtual avatar he chose in the game is Watson, and the hospital we built together is called 221B Bell Street.”
"You two seem to have a really good relationship. You've only known each other for about half a month, right? I didn't even notice that you've made such a friend."
"Because we have so many things in common! He also really likes Sherlock Holmes, and we share many similar views. You always say I'm a bit too idealistic, but Tsukuyomi is even more pure and passionate than me, and he has a very clear understanding of the world. Although he always sees the pessimistic side of things first, he's not a pessimist who wallows in them. Instead, he actively tries to improve and remedy the situation. Sometimes I feel like he's a soulmate!"
The man looked at the smiling little boy with some unease: "How much do you know about Tsukuyomi? I mean, what did you talk about outside of the game?"
“We talked a lot, but we didn’t go into much personal information. We just let it slip when we talked about certain things. Tsukuyomi told me that he was very busy with work and had experiments at school. So I think he’s probably a biology or chemistry major who’s working part-time. But don’t worry, I’m very careful. I only said that I’m studying in the United States.”
Why tell him he's in America?
"Because of the time difference. He's in Japan, and I can't go online most of the time." The little detective asked curiously, "You seem to really dislike Tsukuyomi?"
"I have some deductions... or rather, conjectures I want to verify. I guess when he first encountered Tsukuyomi, he was probably a complete novice who knew nothing?"
"Yeah, he didn't even pass the initial medical school course before he came to build a hospital. I was the one who taught him how to do it!"
"Has this person never been good at playing games?"
"No, it's just that I've never played anything like this before. He said he was heartbroken and a classmate recommended it to him."
"So Watson didn't find a girlfriend in the game, but he did find Mr. Holmes?"
The young detective was quite annoyed: "What are you thinking? It's just a game! I started as Watson, and I could only customize my virtual avatar after graduating from medical school. Tsukuyomi hasn't changed it because he's not interested."
"He said it himself?"
The young detective, unable to contain himself any longer, shouted, "Please show some respect for my friend! What's with this aggressive tone?!"
The man said seriously, "I'm not being aggressive, I'm just very worried about you. And I have good reason to be worried about you."
"Tsukuyomi is fine. I know I've made you a little worried these past few days. But it has nothing to do with him, and nothing to do with the game!"
“I hope so. Then I'll ask one last question. If you can answer ‘no’ with absolute certainty, I won't bother you and your friend anymore.” The man took a deep breath, looked directly into the other's eyes, and asked, “Are you sure Tsukuyomi isn't Osiris?”
"What?!" The young detective was stunned, his mind going completely blank.
Seeing this, the man already knew the answer. He patted the young detective on the shoulder: "You're very smart, I don't think I need to explain..."
"Let me have some peace and quiet!" the little detective interrupted before the other person could finish speaking, then burrowed into the blankets and curled up into a small ball.
The man raised his hand and then lowered it, his heart filled with bitterness. He knew all too well what this meant for Conan: being deceived just once could crush this proud young man, so what if it happened again?
If his guess is correct, it means that Osiris's close monitoring of Conan wasn't just for 33 days, but more than three months: it started in early December when Pisco was secretly plotting against that man. This explains the new Christmas game feature, the New Year's Day gacha system, and the various events surrounding the Nagano Winter Olympics…
Upon closer examination, he was filled with dread; for the first time, he truly grasped the meaning of this word.
The man sighed heavily and finally said, "I'll wait for you outside."
After some time, the little detective finally came out.
“It was him… You’re right, I was blind.” He gave a bitter smile. “I always said there’s only one truth, but in reality, many people can’t understand it. It’s not because the truth itself is incomprehensible, but because the world is distorted and warped in their eyes, like images refracted through various lenses. But when Osiris appeared, the world seemed to become like that in my eyes too, and I couldn’t see the truth…”
“I don’t want you to blame yourself. We have no experience dealing with this opponent. From a sick rich young master to a seriously ill orphan girl, he suddenly transforms into a college student you can chat with so happily… No one could have predicted that he would act so completely unpredictably.”
"But he lied to me twice!"
"Perhaps Osiris's extraordinary ability is to trigger his opponents' self-defense by feigning weakness, showing goodwill, and catering to their preferences."
The man thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile, then asked, "Have you ever wondered why Osiris is so interested in you?"
"I don't know." The little detective shook his head helplessly.
"Perhaps Osiris felt he had found his kind. A clever child, but not a real child. Bourbon said that Vermouth's last question was why we became kindred spirits? I suppose that gentleman also valued this the most!"
"How do I resemble him?" the little detective pouted indignantly.
"For someone to make you feel like you've met a kindred spirit, they must know you very well. But the question is, why is he only interested in you? The police have two generations of undercover agents, spanning nearly 20 years, and no one has ever had the opportunity to contact that gentleman. You are the only one who has attracted his attention. This is already a remarkable achievement. Do you know how big a step you've taken? Before, we thought the organization was unfathomable and knew very little about its inner workings. But now the supreme ruler has appeared before us. He is just a real person! Just like us, he has flesh and blood, emotions and thoughts, he eats with his mouth and breathes with his nose... Thinking about it this way, do you still find him scary?"
The young detective frowned and remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "But I lost, twice."
"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. We are in the open, the enemy is in the shadows. We lost because we didn't understand him, but the more he talked to you, the more weaknesses he exposed. We will win eventually!" the man encouraged eagerly, then, seeing the other's lukewarm response, added, "If you feel too tired, I can arrange..."
The young detective interrupted loudly, "No! I will continue to approach him and find his weakness. I will never give up! I am not reconciled!"
The man smiled with relief: "Thank you, Mr. Holmes. I will always be by your side."
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