Conan's grammatical investigator

Chapter 1465: Old Friend in Hawaii
"Hey, do you smell that?"

"Well, there is a smell..."

Kuroba Kaito sniffed the room and suddenly his face twitched and his expression turned into fear.
"yue~"

“It smells fishy!”

With Conan's "police dog" attributes, he naturally smelled the fishy smell in the room earlier.

But he didn't expect that Kuroba Kaito's reaction would be so big.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Kuroba Kaito turned his back, covered his mouth and nose, and waved his hands, "No, it's okay... I just hate this smell..."

Because he had a fish bone stuck in his throat when he was eating fish as a child, Kuroba Kaito is still very afraid of fish.

Whether it is freshwater fish or sea fish, even the fishy smell will cause Kuroba Kaito's body to suffer great pain.

However, Conan did not pay too much attention to this, nor did he discover this weakness of Kuroba Kaito.

After all, some people just hate the smell of fish, and that's normal.

"Then I'll go in by myself, you go wait outside."

Kuroba Kaito made an "OK" gesture to Conan, turned around and opened the door to go out, leaving only a crack.

The curtains in the room were drawn. The black curtains blocked out light, making the room very dark.

Conan did not turn on the light, but used the light from a watch-shaped flashlight to search the room for the source of the fishy smell.

In fact, it is not difficult to find. This apartment has a living room and a bathroom. The kitchen is an open kitchen and the bar is both a place to eat and a place to cook.

There is a table in the corner by the window with a laptop on it.

There was a mat on the middle floor with the quilt neatly folded. It looked like it was where people usually slept.

The whole room was very simple and without any furnishings, and it was obvious that it was just a temporary living place.

Conan first went around to the kitchen, opened the door of the small refrigerator, and was immediately shocked by the scene in front of him.

Each layer of the small refrigerator was filled with black plastic bags, and there seemed to be something hard wrapped inside the plastic bags.

Conan took out a plastic bag, opened it, and found frozen fish inside.

The fish species is rainbow trout.

Conan tied the plastic bag, took out another bag, and when he untied it, he found frozen cod pieces inside.

Here comes another bag of frozen eels.

So the fishy smell comes from here...

I didn't realize she likes fish so much.

Conan was too lazy to take out the frozen food in the refrigerator one by one to check it, so he put them all back to their original state.

Then he went straight to his desk and opened his laptop.

The computer has no password set and it goes directly to the desktop when it is turned on.

However, Conan searched inside for a while and did not find anything useful.

The browser is in incognito mode and the file manager is blank.

It seems that he is very vigilant and cleans his computer every day...

Conan turned off his computer, jumped off his chair, and looked around the room.

Judging from the condition of the room, Wakasa Rumi must have been dragged in temporarily because the room was not prepared for leaving.

Beyond that, there isn't much else to explore.

After drawing a conclusion in his mind, Conan turned around and was about to leave.

But when I walked towards the entrance, I saw a toilet with its door closed.

Conan: "..."

Now that you're here, let's go in and take a look.

Conan raised his hand, grabbed the door handle, and gently pushed it inside. A strong and pungent fishy smell instantly hit his nose.

"Um……"

Conan frowned slightly and couldn't help covering his nose with his hands.

The fishy smell actually came from here...

With the help of the light from his watch, Conan looked around but did not find anything emitting a strange smell.

The toilet and sink were clean without any dirt.

So Conan turned the light to the bathtub at the innermost side of the bathroom.

The milky white bathtub reflects a round halo under the light of the flashlight.

As Conan got closer, the fishy smell became stronger and stronger.

Until he walked to the bathtub, stood on tiptoe, and shone the flashlight into the bathtub.

The rippling water surface reflects the light source, creating water ripples that are almost like broken lines.

And deep in the ripples, an octopus between dark blue and dark green was wriggling at the bottom of the bathtub.

"drink!"

Conan's eyes widened in surprise, frightened by this octopus-like "monster".

The diameter of this octopus's tentacles when stretched out is about 50cm. The slender tentacles with wing membranes spread out are like an umbrella that can be opened and closed freely in the water.

Just looking at the octopus swimming alone in the dim water, Conan couldn't help but feel that the scene was a little creepy.

Conan shuddered and stopped looking at the octopus, instead looking at the dagger beside him.

On the platform next to the bathtub, there was a bloody dagger.

Conan picked up the dagger and sniffed it.

He thought it was the knife Wakasa Rumi used to cut fish to feed the octopus, but there was no fishy smell on the dagger.

Instead, there was a faint smell of rust.

This is……

Suddenly, a tentacle sprang out of the bathtub and wrapped around Conan's neck at lightning speed.

Before he could react, Conan felt a cold, clammy touch on his neck.

"Well--!"

Conan groaned and subconsciously reached out to grab the tentacle on his neck.

But the tentacle kept wrapping around him tighter and tighter, with incredible force, and within a few seconds it strangled him to the point where he couldn't breathe.

thump.

Conan fell to the ground, struggling in pain, trying to get out with his hands.

But the dense suction cups on the tentacles had already tightly attached to his neck and even began to wrap around his hands.

After a while, a layer of purple blush appeared on the young face.

Just as Conan's consciousness was on the verge of death, a familiar voice echoed in his ears.

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"Kudo...what are you doing!?"

"Kudo! Wake up!"

Kuroba Kaito forcefully pried open Conan's hands that were pinching his neck, and the latter's eyes finally became a little clearer.

"I, I am..."

"Huh...what are you doing?"

Kuroba Kaito breathed a sigh of relief, but in order to prevent Conan from doing anything stupid again, he still held his wrist tightly.

"I..." Conan stared blankly for a moment, then said hesitantly, "There's an octopus wrapped around my neck..."

"octopus?"

"Where did the octopus come from?"

Hearing what Kuroba Kaito said, Conan got up from the ground in a trance, quickly ran to the bathtub and stood on tiptoe.

The water was so clear that you could see the bottom. Not to mention the octopus, there wasn't even a single noticeable impurity.

Kuroba Kaito also came over and said, "Look, where is the octopus here?"

Conan touched his neck in surprise. Apart from some warmth and pain, he felt no coldness or wetness.

There was not a single water stain on the edge of the bathtub or on the floor.

How can this be?

Conan looked around in surprise. It was the same place he had seen before, except that the octopus in the bathtub was missing. "Are you hallucinating because of the fishy smell here?"

Kuroba Kaito looked down at Conan and complained.

But the next second, the sense of crisis in his brain was lifted, and he suddenly became aware of the strong fishy smell here.

"not good!"

"I'm going to throw up! I need to get out of here right now!"

"You should come out quickly too!"

Worried that Conan would do something stupid again, Kuroba Kaito forcibly dragged Conan out of the apartment.

The two stood in the corridor of the apartment, Kuroba Kaito breathing heavily.

"Hey, what were you doing? Why were you strangling yourself?"

Conan's eyes widened as he stared at Kuroba Kaito in disbelief.

"You saw me pinching myself?"

"Yeah." Kuroba Kaito nodded affirmatively.

"I...I don't know..."

Conan raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. He couldn't explain all these strange phenomena now.

However, judging from the search of the apartment, Wakasa Rumi should have also been involved in the organization's operation to capture Haibara Ai.

Maybe she was also captured by the organization...

He would report this latest development to Qin Zhibo immediately.

……

Kona International Airport, Big Island, Hawaii, USA.

Qin Zhibo received a call from Conan as soon as he left the airport.

After learning of Conan's judgment, Qin Zhibo did not agree with it immediately, but felt something was strange.

Logically speaking, Wakasa Rumi should not know the true identity of Haibara Ai.

So even if someone from the organization kidnapped Haibara Ai, she would most likely handle it as an ordinary kidnapping case.

In addition, Wakasa Rumi's identity is rather special. In order not to expose her true identity, calling the police anonymously is the most sensible choice.

And now she has disappeared again. Was she captured by the organization?
Qin Zhibo thinks not necessarily.

But for a moment, Qin Zhibo couldn't figure out what this woman was thinking.

Even Luc Villiers of the Nine Angels said that Asaka has been missing for many years and he doesn't know what her purpose is now.

Maybe revenge for Amanda?

"I understand. Don't move for now. Wait until the organization sends back reliable intelligence."

Qin Zhibo has already told Bourbon and Kiel about Haibara Ai's situation. If they can get any relevant information, they will inform him immediately.

"Yeah." Conan replied in a low voice.

"Is there anything else?"

"……there is none left."

Conan thought about it and decided not to tell Qin Zhibo about the hallucination he had in the bathroom of Wakasa Rumi's house.

After all, even Kuroba Kaito, who hates fish, was not affected at all, so it should just be a problem of not getting enough rest.

"That's it for now, wait for me to come back."

After hanging up the phone, Qin Zhibo went to a car rental agency outside the airport, rented an off-road vehicle, and drove straight to the south of the Big Island of Hawaii along the coastline.

Based on the photo on the postcard with the words "Come back soon" written on it, Qin Zhibo has found out that the photo was taken at the Green Sand Beach at the South Cape of the Big Island of Hawaii.

The Big Island of Hawaii is the largest island in the entire Hawaiian Islands, and South Point Green Sand Beach is the southernmost beach on the island.

This beach has matcha green sand and is one of the four largest green sand beaches in the world.

However, since this place does not have any other special attractions and there are no tourist facilities around it, most people do not consider it as a tourist destination, but rather as one of the scenery to enjoy along the way.

……

In the dark night, Qin Zhibo was driving an off-road vehicle alone on the road.

A pair of headlights illuminated the dim road ahead, and the rumbling sound of a volcano could be faintly heard outside the car window.

The Big Island of Hawaii is home to one of the world's most active volcanoes, Kilauea, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, so it's not surprising to hear sounds like this from time to time on the road.

After driving for about an hour, Qin Zhibo turned south from the ring road, drove through the bumpy and rugged gravel road, and finally arrived at Nanjiao Beach.

But when Qin Zhibo got out of the car to check, the scene in front of him disappointed him.

Below the cliff is the legendary green sand beach, which is pitch black in the night.

Looking further away, there is the boundless South Pacific Ocean.

There is no moon today, and the entire sea exudes a dark atmosphere like the abyss of hell.

A gust of sea breeze blew by, blowing up the hem of Qin Zhibo's windbreaker as he stood on the edge of the cliff.

Due to [Bottled Fear], he now has almost no fear of sea water.

But facing this boundless "Black Sea", one can't help but feel a chill in his heart as he faces the unknown mystery.

That sea...

There may be great terror.

Qin Zhibo got back into the car, turned it around and drove back.

South Point Beach has nothing.

There are not many tourists in this place usually, and there are neither shops nor accommodation on the beach.

Although there is a pure and natural beauty to this photo when promoted as a postcard, it doesn't seem to have much meaning beyond that.

Was that postcard just randomly chosen by the sender?

For now, Qin Zhibo can only return to Kona and find a place to stay.

I will study the family location of the original owner of this body tomorrow...

While driving on the road, Qin Zhibo felt a little hungry.

I just had an airplane meal before getting off the plane tonight. I was so busy that it was almost 11 o'clock in the evening. I was already starving.

Qin Zhibo still remembers that on the way here, less than 10 kilometers away from Nanjiao Beach, there was a parking lot next to the road and a small shop next to the parking lot.

You can go to the store to buy some food to fill your stomach first.

Having made up his mind, Qin Zhibo gave up on taking the shortcut and drove towards the parking lot according to the instructions on the navigation system.

After a while, the parking lot appeared in front of us.

There were no lights in the parking lot near midnight, but one could vaguely see only two cars parked there, an SUV and a van.

The door of the store next to the parking lot was dimly lit. There was no sign at the door, but a light board indicated that it was open 24 hours a day.

Qin Zhibo parked the car in front of the store, got out, and walked straight into the store.

Bell~~
The doorbell rang crisply as the door was pushed.

The lights in the store were also dim.

Although the lighting conditions are not sufficient, the layout of the entire store is quite lively.

Personal clothing was draped haphazardly by the window, as was a round table and a chair with a teapot and cups on it.

Only the counter in the middle, which is less than two meters long, is the business area.

Qin Zhibo walked to the counter, took a look at the snack display under the glass, and then pressed the call bell on the counter twice.

Ding, ding——

"coming……"

A leisurely male voice came from behind the door curtain behind the counter.

Wow...it's the sound of pouring water.

A few seconds later, a man lifted the door curtain and walked out, wiping his hands with a towel.

When Qin Zhibo saw the man's somewhat familiar face, he was stunned for a moment.

This is……

He raised his eyes and saw an incredible name appear on it.

[Name: Akai Tsutomu]

……

(End of this chapter)