"Wild Duck Country"

These words contain a huge amount of information.

"What do you mean, what do you mean by it will happen again?" Nakahara Chuuya frowned and turned to look at me: "If these stories disappear after you read them, and appear after you write them, then you have seen all of this before?"

"Hey - you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want!" I was shocked. What kind of vicious accusation was this? It was totally pointing at my nose and accusing me of plagiarism. I looked at them angrily and said, "Although I don't remember what I wrote, I guarantee it's 100% original."

What is there to copy in ghost stories? Copy ghosts? The slightly popular weird stories have been very popular for a long time, and the scary routines are already commonplace. There is no point in copying them. Just like everyone knows that "jump scare" is scary, but if it is not used well, it will make people feel confused. After all, the author's writing style is the most important part of a ghost story.

"You wrote the story yourself, but the 'strange things' were sourced from other sources." Edogawa Ranpo still had a clear look on his face: "Among all the generated strange things, only the character 'Fujiwara' has his own attitude towards you, and even attacked you. Its previous pursuit of Mr. Hat was also influenced by you, and this influence is gradually fading. As time goes by, it is more and more in line with the original story."

"If it is a purely supernatural creature, then we shouldn't hate the creator, unless it was forced into this role and framed within the story."

"So, Miss Writer, how much weird material have you collected, and how much of it can you still remember?"

Edogawa Ranpo's eyes were sharp, and his pupils turned a solemn dark green under the moonlight.

Is this something that can be disclosed? No, it must be disclosed, otherwise what happened in the past few days will only repeat itself, like a child holding a bomb button. At the same time, it must also be disclosed to the Ganghei leader that it seems that the "ghost" was created with supernatural powers, and it may accidentally lead to the real ghost, and perhaps Mori Owl will have an extra layer of concern.

But the only thing that makes Edogawa hesitate is the direction of the future. His ability is reasoning rather than prediction, and he is more inclined to deal with things that have happened or will definitely happen. He even needs to worry about whether his current actions will unlock another "ghost". Even if the probability is small, once it happens, it will cause irreversible consequences.

"If these captured 'ghosts' are regarded as criminals, then the writer plays the role of 'prison warden'."

Stuck at the intersection leading down the mountain outside of Kamogo, Edogawa Ranpo chooses to reveal everything.

.

Okay, I totally understand it, or maybe I vaguely know it, but I forgot it when the world changed.

I still remember that I had cooperated with the authorities and read a large number of archival records provided to me by them. There were many things in them that made people exclaim, "How dare they become spirits after the founding of the People's Republic of China?" It was really a case of one daring to give and the other daring to see.

Maybe I am a reader too.

I was wondering why it was so good that I could get free material. The serious truth was hidden in the seemingly random story.

No wonder everyone is so hesitant every time I write a horror novel. I really think it’s because I’m too third-rate, so I even practice more for this purpose. Aren’t they just digging their own grave by doing this?

I didn't know what expression to put on, so I could only look at the lights below the mountain, then at the huge duck farm where we came from, and then asked Edogawa Ranpo: "So those weird things are actually real?"

The detective confirmed: "Maybe it was discovered by someone after it caused a murder, so it was finally shown to you."

Behind every mystery is a string of tears, and the acquisition of specific information in each file is at the cost of human lives. So the cultivation of such a writer's "knowledge" is gained through the sacrifices of countless ordinary people.

So even though he knew that the existence on the other side might be malicious from another world, Edogawa Ranpo couldn't get too angry. Without the existence of supernatural powers, he had done his best to achieve this.

Then let's leave it to the Armed Detective Agency!

"Well, one last question, and then we'll go down together." I felt like sighing.

"Am I human?"

Cold.

Nakahara Chuuya subconsciously felt an orange light representing gravity appearing around his body, but the uncomfortable feeling was still like a maggot on his tarsal bone that he couldn't get rid of.

He clicked his tongue, but finally chose to trust the detectives from the Armed Detective Agency and not act rashly.

In such a cold and gloomy environment, the detective who was highly expected remained calm and said, "No, I am not a human being just like Mr. Hat."

"Ah, you are not a human being." I looked at Nakahara Chuuya in amazement, and he replied angrily, "Aren't you not a human being either?"

Why does it feel like being scolded? The face of the Hong Kong gangster turned black.

"Mr. Hat is the god 'Arabato'." The detective at the side continued to expose the dark history of the Hong Kong underworld cadres mercilessly, and explained the legend of Arabato. Unknowingly, several of them had already headed down the mountain.

"Japan is really a country with many gods." After hearing this, I sighed. I always feel that the "gods" here are no different from the "great gods" in shaman dances. No matter how nice the titles are, they are still working for the boss now.

"So..." I brought the topic back to the strangeness: "After completing this journey, will Grandma Fujiwara disappear from reality until I write the next story related to her?"

Edogawa paced randomly: "That's right."

"Eh? Are you leaving just like that? Are you willing? You've been turned into a dish!" I stopped and encouraged Nakahara Chuuya to take revenge: "Don't wait, who knows when it will appear next time."

I almost understand it. As long as I write another story for Fujiwara later, it will still come out. Weirdness will never die. As long as someone still remembers it, all the old things will reappear in a certain year and month.

"Will something this disgusting happen again?"

Nakahara Chuuya looked disgusted, but I just smiled and said nothing.

Just kidding, I am a horror novelist. Besides my profession, I am also a horror enthusiast. Prison and prison warden are definitions given to me by others. Since I have been given input, I must accept the output.

And if I were the warden, I would have the right to decide which prisoners to let out, right? Please, I really want to know what the weird guy I met before looks like. How can a warden not even know the prisoners he has locked up? I might as well say that I am a human prison!

"So as long as you don't use your special ability, this kind of thing won't appear again, right?" Nakahara Chuuya frowned and said to me, "If it really doesn't work, then the special ability of that bastard Dazai can be of some use at this time."

"We'll talk about this later. First, let me ask you whether you really want to retaliate—" I was a little anxious. This person looked so imposing, could he be a Bodhisattva?!

Edogawa Ranpo had a look of having endured too much, and for the first time he understood how the president felt when facing him: "I have no objection, but you should agree to it, just in case she deliberately takes revenge again."

By then, in order to take revenge on Fujiwara, I will definitely write even more powerful weird things. Isn't this endless?

Nakahara Chuuya still felt something was wrong: "Are you going back just to get revenge on it? You are the culprit!"

“I do hold grudges.”

“Damn it—” Nakahara Chuuya clenched his fists, thinking of the human head balloon from before, and tried his best to suppress the thought of revenge: “Then that Dazai Osamu guy must have offended you too, right?”

"Yeah." I nodded and responded: "Scare him to death next time."

At this moment, Ranpo Edogawa suddenly poked me, and I looked at him with some confusion.

"This great detective is not interested in ghost stories at all!" Edogawa Ranpo said confidently, "Next time, don't bring Ranpo-sama with you to this kind of event. Just give him the same treatment as Nakajima Atsushi."

Thinking about how Edogawa Ranpo answered every question you asked along the way, I nodded happily.

"But that marble*—"

"Detective Ben has kept this marble and will give it to someone who needs it." He replied with his hands on his hips.

After all, I gave it away by myself, so I let go of the idea of ​​taking it back:

"Okay."

That way, we can gain the upper hand in the next and most extensive supernatural power field.

The solemnity on Edogawa Ranpo's face did not disappear.

.

In the end, he took revenge.

As expected, there is still some resentment in the hearts of those who have been turned into roast ducks. I was satisfied, and after walking to the foot of the mountain, I looked at the scene in front of me with shock.

"You may not understand." I explained the scene, "but there is a cartoon squid in the street selling dried squid, which promotes how flavorful the squid is and praises the deliciousness of the dried carcass. It's the same principle."

A huge duck stood in front of a stall, selling the fingers of some animal. The animal in the promotional picture said, "I do hand exercises every day." Different stores sell different parts, all hanging prominently in front of the door. The three of us walked through each store, and we felt a chill in our hearts.

"It's not that I have a problem, nor do I think everything I see is beautiful. Or maybe I must agree that it's horrible, so I'm willing to write it into a ghost story."

I had never thought of embodying this story at first, as it was too glaring, a virtual oppression and pollution of all humanoid creatures.

"I just put myself in the perspective of the ducks that entered the duck shop. Fortunately, they don't have the intelligence to understand all this, otherwise it would be too scary."

"Like praising bees for their hard work, because they make honey for humans, it makes people feel proud of themselves, but this kind of self-satisfaction is actually unnecessary. Humans are at the top of the food chain only because they defend their position. This is a very cruel war." I pointed to everything in the distance and said to them: "If you are weak, you will be beheaded."

I've said a little too much, but when you think about the fact that humans have accommodated so many strange things and even found a way to completely solve them all, isn't this the most bizarre thing?

I look forward to humans once again defending their position at the top of the food chain.

The horrible things before my eyes shattered like bubbles, and everything that had just happened was being erased from my memory, leaving only a few words.

Edogawa Ranpo raised his head and narrowed his eyes.

It's dawn.

"Listen, Hat-kun." Seeing that they were the only two people left, Edogawa Ranpo said solemnly: "Tell your leader that there will be a 'war' that will decide everything."

"Collect all the weird information you can. The more information you have, the closer this war is. The detective agency will contact you later with the details. Success or failure depends on this one move. If you fail, you will be a 'duck' forever."

"I will report it."

Nakahara Chuuya noticed the seriousness of Edogawa Ranpo and was wary of the future that his words foreshadowed.

"Anyway, once we resolve this next incident, this matter will be over, right?"

"That's right!" The detective squinted his eyes and smiled, "Maybe we can get treasure from another world."