Chapter 15 No, Kudo.
When Cheng woke up again, he was in his dessert shop in North-South Alley. It was noon, and a wave of drowsiness washed over him. He felt as if he had just woken up, and for a moment he was dazed.
After a long while, he smiled and sighed, "So you've come back. What a pity."
The system replied with cheers: [Are you still alive in Beika Town today? Congratulations, host, you're still alive! We hope you continue to live in Beika Town.]
Cheng You: This blessing is strange, but I can't refuse it.
The newly opened dessert shop didn't have a good reputation, so there weren't many customers. Cheng You could relax and slack off. He opened the Gray Fox Assassin Dark Web, which he hadn't used in seven years, and quickly checked the user statistics in the backend. Great, it was already heading towards five figures.
After a quick browse through the website forums, Cheng had a general understanding of what had happened to the Japanese yakuza in recent years.
Although some bounty or forum content was deleted by users themselves, Cheng could still see it after a series of operations in the background.
Over the years, a few daring members of the Japanese mafia have posted bounties on the dark web without ever revealing their identities. This has emboldened them to engage in bloody purges and even offer bounties for assassinating public security officers.
Fortunately, the system had a feature seven years ago that blocked all bounties related to the police, so these bounties were eventually dropped because no one claimed them. Perhaps because this was always the case, some gangs became suspicious, but since they had remained safe for several years, they dismissed the idea, only reporting the issue to the administrator through a message in the backend.
On the website's backend, Nifedier's account had received numerous private messages from users. Cheng sighed helplessly, but for the sake of the website's continued development, he decided to patiently review them.
The latest message that appeared delivered a devastating blow to Cheng: "Administrator, are you dead? It's better that way. Three seconds of silence for you." Several more messages followed, wishing him a happy death anniversary.
Cheng You: ...? ? ? Are they all thinking I'm dead so they can use this website without worry?
On a whim, Cheng searched on the forum: "Is the administrator dead?"
As a result, many posts about this topic popped up. People had been posting about it for four years, and some had even challenged the administrator. Finally, someone confirmed on the forum that the administrator was dead, and with the help of many gangs, they determined the death anniversary of this poor man, Nifedier, whose death date was unknown. This year marks the second anniversary of Nifedier's death.
Cheng You: !! Although I don't understand the behavior of the Japanese mafia, I am greatly shocked.
After a long while, he came to his senses and posted on the forum: 【I'm not dead!】 These three simple words elicited a flurry of responses from members. Some cheered: 【Ah! The admin is alive! Today is his birthday!】 Others calmly commented: 【I knew the admin wouldn't die.】 Still others scolded: 【You idiot! You're not dead, why are you pretending? Don't you know to check your inbox?!】...
Such enthusiasm made Cheng feel somewhat uncomfortable. Were they... really a gang? Compared to them, it seemed like he, the one who created this website, was the biggest villain!
Cheng wiped away non-existent sweat and replied guiltily, "I'm currently in seclusion studying technology. I can currently make further optimizations and updates to the website."
He received many replies as soon as he sent the message. Cheng glanced at them briefly, then put his phone away and asked the system in his mind: "[Will the next timeline involve the incident of Morofushi Kagemitsu?]"
【yes. 】
When will the backtracking task begin?
The system expressed its displeasure: [Rewinding is incredibly laborious! Even the system needs rest!]
【…Oh.】 Cheng You instinctively reached to cover his ears upon hearing the noisy sound, but then realized that the sound was coming from his mind, and his hand froze in mid-air.
Just then, the wind chimes at the door rang, their melodious sound carrying the midday sun into the store counter in the gentle spring breeze.
Cheng was momentarily blinded by the sunlight, and instinctively greeted them with a top hat, "Welcome."
Squinting, you can see the person is dressed in black and is talking to a friend. Turning to Cheng You, the person says, "Two thin chocolate ice creams."
Upon hearing the voice, Cheng You's heart skipped a beat with excitement, but gradually calmed down. He smiled at the two guests and replied, "Okay, please sit down and wait a moment." With that, he slipped into the kitchen and used the system buff to show off his skills.
Do you need it packed up?
"Um."
Cheng quickly packed the box and handed it to Matsuda Jinpei, saying, "Welcome to visit again next time."
After watching Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji leave, Cheng You confirmed that the two had no external injuries and everything was normal. It seemed that Cecil was very obedient.
Thinking of this, Cheng logged into Matsukawa Yuki's account on the system interface to check the messages Cecil had sent him. There was one almost every year, cautiously asking when he would return to China and expressing his longing for Mr. Matsukawa.
Cheng thought for a moment and replied: "I'm going back to China soon, I'll contact you then. How's your organization doing?"
Read.
Just as he was about to exit the chat interface, he watched as the unread message turned into a read message a second later, wondering if the other party was constantly watching the messages.
Cecil: Mr. Matsukawa, welcome back to Japan. I am truly honored. My organization has now developed into one of the leading organizations in Japan, and we eagerly await Mr. Matsukawa's guidance to take us to the next level.
[Matsukawa Yuki: Replying to messages so quickly?]
Cecil: This is a special relationship, and it's my way of showing respect to Mr. Matsukawa.
Cheng You's left eyelid twitched involuntarily as he read this. What kind of attitude was this...? It was too strange...
[Matsukawa Yuki: Your current attitude doesn't seem like you're trying to tame me?]
Cecil: Mr. Matsukawa is joking. I want to work with Mr. Matsukawa forever, not in that kind of relationship.
Cecil: Sir, you are so accomplished, I cannot bear to see you tarnished.
Cheng You pondered the meaning of those words. They sounded strange. Was someone testing him? Cheng You said that he enjoyed being a riddle teller, but being trapped in riddles was really unpleasant!
After a moment's thought, Cheng replied seriously, [Matsukawa Yuki: Covered in dust? Ridiculous.]
Cecil: Forgive my ignorance, but Mr. Matsukawa is like a star, never to be obscured.
[Matsukawa Yuki: There will be no next time.]
Finally, Cecil made a sincere guarantee, and the conversation between the two ended. Cheng You couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He was certain that Cecil's current attitude towards him was entirely due to the information from that time. Cecil believed that he was still useful and that Matsukawa Yuki had even more useful information in his hands.
Once he discovers that Matsukawa Yukiki is worthless, subduing Matsukawa Yukiki or affecting those around Matsukawa Yukiki may only be a small part of the punishment; Cecil's madness will not stop there.
From the first day he met Cecil, Cheng You knew this man was not someone to be trifled with. Cooperating with the police or the distillery were both options Cheng You needed to consider.
Try to contact the police and gain their trust. If you encounter Morofushi Kagemitsu earlier, you should be able to succeed quickly by using him as a lead. However, given the system's inertia, it's unclear when the backtracking mission related to Morofushi Kagemitsu will begin.
Cheng stood up and stretched: "Sigh, I guess I still have to rely on myself."
After finishing his workday in the evening, although there weren't many customers, Cheng was still a little tired after the rewind mission, so he decided to find an employee.
Back home, Cheng You happened to see Yagami Kamisama carrying a large black bag, about to leave. He subconsciously asked, "Where are you going?"
"A part-time job at a haunted house," Yagami replied casually.
"What?! You actually got the job?" I just said it casually back then, he's not even suitable to play a ghost.
“Hmm,” Yagami said, staring at Cheng You for a moment.
Cheng You's heart skipped a beat. No way, he wouldn't hold a grudge, would he...?
Seeing Cheng's expressive face, Yagami said, "Come with me to the amusement park."
"What?!" Cheng was shocked. Was the other party inviting him?
"Not going?" Yagami Kamisama narrowed his dangerous eyes, and the temperature around him plummeted.
"..." Cheng sighed inwardly, but maintained a smile on his face, "Of course I'm willing, hahaha."
"Walk."
Although he didn't know what Yagami was thinking, Cheng You obediently followed along. The other party had already started inviting him, which was another big step forward in the mission! Thinking of this, Cheng You suddenly felt his blood boiling. The system's missions were nothing compared to this!
The two took a taxi there, and the journey was eerily quiet. When they arrived at the haunted house in the amusement park, Yagami Kamisama finally spoke to Cheng You, saying, "Don't go. Wait for me to get off work, or I'll kill you."
"..." Cheng You was speechless. The other person was still a minor high school student, so he should be more tolerant and magnanimous. So he forced a smile and said, "Whatever."
However, Cheng You still did some mental reading and interpretation of Yagami Kamisan's words. He thought that Yagami Kamisan, an orphan who came to Beika Town all alone, might have joined the brewery just because he was rebellious. In reality, he might be afraid of the dark and being alone.
Yagami nods in satisfaction and enters the haunted house's studio. Cheng wonders if the haunted house owner was also threatened by Yagami before taking him on as an employee.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar figure. Turning his head, he saw it was indeed Mori and his two companions; they seemed to be passing by the haunted house. Cheng You greeted them, wondering if there was another case brewing.
Ran Mouri greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Cheng You, are you here to play too?"
"I came with friends, what about you guys?" Cheng Youli replied, but it was still too strange for Maoli and the others to come to an amusement park.
"Because Dad received a report here, we're going to check out the haunted house," Xiaolan said with a smile.
"A haunted house?"
"Yes, the person who reported the incident said that the mummified props in the haunted house looked like real corpses. He secretly asked my dad to handle it."
"I see, this is really bad news." Cheng You showed a sad expression.
Ran and Kogoro Mouri entered, and Conan had just stepped into the haunted house when he seemed to sense something else. He suddenly stopped and looked towards the east side of the haunted house. Ran came up to him and grabbed him: "What are you doing, Conan?"
Conan hesitated for a moment, seemingly wanting to check the situation on the east side of the haunted house. Cheng You's intuition told him that there were Japanese yakuza members nearby. Judging from Conan's reaction, Cheng You suspected that it was another transaction by the winery in the amusement park. He subtly turned to look at the east side of the haunted house and indeed vaguely saw two men in black.
He smiled and said to Ran, "Maybe Conan also wants to play at the amusement park, Miss Ran. I'll take Conan there, don't worry."
"Oh? Okay then, thank you for your trouble, Mr. Cheng You." Ran looked at Conan, "Don't cause trouble for Mr. Cheng You."
"Okay, okay." Conan agreed with an innocent smile. However, he was already starting to get nervous. He had just noticed that Cheng You seemed to have also noticed the Black Organization. He wasn't sure if Cheng You, who happened to be here, was an accomplice in the winery's transaction, so he needed to think of a way to leave.
"Brother Cheng, I need to go to the restroom," Conan said.
“No, Shinichi Kudo.” Cheng You said with a smile, his dark eyes as unfathomable as an abyss.
The surrounding air froze instantly. Conan's face turned deathly pale, his pupils shrank, and he involuntarily took a step back. Accompanied by a rapidly beating heartbeat, he felt as if a pair of strong hands were gripping his neck, rendering him unable to utter a single word.
A note from the author:
Song Tiantian loves chocolate gummies, but she had to give them up for a while because they caused her toothache from eating too many. Haha, she's such a sweetie.
Hagiwara isn't quite sure yet...
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