Me and countless me.

Chapter 548 Cases and Supernatural Events 6k
The soccer ball bounced on the ground, but Shinichi Kudo, who had just kicked the ball, acted as if nothing had happened, raising his foot again, ready to do it again!
The monster watched this scene in horror, then immediately flipped over, smashed through the window, and jumped out. This made Shinichi Kudo reluctantly stop his plan to launch the soccer ball, and instead rushed over to look at the window, only to see a trail of blood extending towards the flowers, plants, and trees before disappearing into thin air.

"Gone?"

Shinichi Kudo and Li Ke jumped out of the window to look for each other, but they couldn't see each other at all, or even see any footprints.

But this is quite illogical, because the café is surrounded by alleys with only one exit, and all the windows around it are tightly closed. At their speed, the other party would not have had time to climb up the window and close it, leaving no clue.

Most importantly, that guy's head was kicked in the head by Shinichi Kudo. If he had climbed the wall, there would have been no way he wouldn't have left bloodstains!
However, what was strange to Li Ke was that even with his senses, he had no idea how the other party had escaped!
You have to understand that his senses are at the limit of human capabilities, it's impossible for him to not perceive anything within a distance of more than ten meters, but that's exactly what happened!
"That doesn't make sense..."

Li Ke was starting to have doubts about life, and Shinichi Kudo couldn't help but mutter to himself, feeling confused about the matter. However, another unexpected event occurred.

"Junfu! What's wrong with you! Junfu!!"

As the beautiful shop owner screamed in anguish, Li Ke and Shinichi Kudo exchanged a glance and ran back without hesitation. Upon re-entering the coffee shop, they saw a policeman lying among the corpses, being held by the beautiful shop owner. The policeman's face was covered in blood, and he had numerous scratches on his body. He was vomiting blood when Li Ke and Shinichi Kudo arrived.

"I...I'm fine...Xiaotong...I'm fine..."

He had numerous wounds on his body, especially on his head, but apart from those wounds, there were no other fatal injuries on his body.

Although the new wounds were still bleeding, none of them were fatal. Furthermore, his chest was heaving violently, clearly indicating he had just engaged in strenuous exercise.

This caused Li Ke and Shinichi Kudo to exchange a glance, both feeling as if the answer to the riddle was already revealed. Li Ke instinctively picked up another knife, while Shinichi Kudo's eyes lit up with interest. He then whispered the question to Li Ke, a smug look on his face.

"That's really interesting. How did he do it? Did you figure it out? What was his method?"

Li Ke didn't know, but the reason he was certain that this man named Junfu was the murderer was quite simple—

The other party was still surrounded by a large number of evil spirits and vengeful spirits, and even the ghosts of the police officers who had just died were staring at the other party with ferocity, showing no intention of leaving.

However, Li Ke still has a way to determine whether the other party is the murderer.

He silently used the talent he had during his time at university in Arkham, the talent that allowed him to change people's names without them even noticing.

'Change the murderer's name to Swallow!'

A thought flashed through Li Ke's mind, and the next moment, the beautiful shop owner's shouts changed.

"Yanzi, I'm so glad you're alright! I'll call an ambulance right away! Yanzi! You absolutely must be alright! I don't want you to die! Yanzi! Yanzi! How can I live without you!"

The beautiful shop manager, Xiaotong, screamed with heart-wrenching pain, but upon hearing her call out the name 'Yanzi,' Li Ke nodded, finally becoming 100% certain that the murderer was the Yanzi in front of him... no, it should be the man named Junfu.

But if he remembers correctly—

"This guy's full name is Toshio Utsumi, right? He's the male lead in Cat's Eye, isn't he? Is Conan really that powerful?!"

Li Ke felt a little guilty, because he didn't know whether the other party was bound to have trouble in this chaotic world, or whether the trouble happened because he had lured Shinichi Kudo over.

But just as he was thinking this, Mikami Reiko's initial panic turned into sharpness, and she grabbed the arm of the woman named Hitomi without hesitation, pulling her away from Utsumi Toshio's men in the moment of his astonishment!
"Sister Tong, don't be fooled by him! He's the murderer!"

As she spoke, Mikami Reiko took out a retractable iron rod brimming with spiritual energy from her lower back. Strictly speaking, this kind of retractable iron rod was not suitable as a magic weapon or magic tool, but judging from Mikami Reiko's impoverished appearance, she had no other choice.

However, the woman named Xiaotong simply did not believe it. She looked at Meishen Lingzi in disbelief, never expecting that the student worker she had hired would say such things to her lover.

"What are you saying! Reiko! He's Toshio!"

Reiko Mikami stared intently at Toshio Utsumi lying on the ground. She could feel a powerful sense of threat, and cold sweat poured down her back. But she still firmly gripped Hitomi's arm, preventing the other from pouncing on Toshio Utsumi.

"I know, but that's precisely why I can't let you pass! He's been bewitched and possessed by something strange! He was definitely the murderer just now!"

In Reiko Mikami's eyes, Toshio Utsumi's aura and spiritual power had completely turned into something evil; he was now a half-demon, no longer human!
However, even when faced with Reiko Mikami's words, Toshio Utsumi, who was lying on the ground, said nothing. He just looked at Hitomi with affection and pretended to faint.

This scene made the pale-faced, beautiful shop manager even angrier.

"What kind of time is this to be doing this! Reiko! Don't come here again! Toshio is lying on the ground, and he's so badly injured! How can you say it's his fault!"

After saying that, she shook off Mikami Reiko's arm, ran to the phone, and started dialing the hospital's number. Seeing that things were not going well, Mouri Ran and Sonoko nodded to Kudo Shinichi and went directly to the police station across the street to report the incident.

Soon, the police cordoned off the area, and Hitomi returned to Toshio Utsumi's side to take care of him. However, the hospital ambulance was still a while away, so she seemed very distracted.

Meanwhile, Mikami Reiko and Kudo Shinichi were looking at Hitomi with very serious expressions. Kudo Shinichi, who disliked Mikami Reiko very much, looked at her seriously after they arrived at a secluded place.

"You noticed it too, right? The store manager must have seen something."

Reiko Mikami nodded. Although she disliked this arrogant guy, she didn't want the shopkeeper who had taken her in to remain in danger.

"The question is how they managed to escape our pursuit and quickly return to the coffee shop. And what was their motive?"

Shinichi Kudo looked at the coffee shop that had been sealed off by the police. The coffee shop seemed to have only one door and one window, but the distribution of the bloodstains made him feel very puzzled. Then his eyes suddenly lit up.

"I see!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ke followed his gaze and saw some unusual bloodstains. Normally, bloodstains are complete traces, but on the wall that Shinichi Kudo was looking at, there were several drops of blood that looked only half-finished!
Were there bloodstains there originally?

Li Ke inquired about his talent for hard drive manipulation, only to be told that he did possess it, but for some reason, he hadn't noticed it at all before! It was as if something had blinded him, restricting his ability to think!
"Is it Shinichi Kudo's fault again?"

Li Ke looked at the other person and saw that this Mr. Death was pinching his chin and muttering to himself.

"The question now is the motive. Why would Toshio Utsumi kill his other colleagues? What was his reason for it?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ke immediately looked at Jianzi, who was trembling to the side. Because of her constitution, the surrounding souls seemed to be able to sense that she could see them. So at this moment, they surrounded Jianzi in a corner and kept talking to her.

Li Ke's senses allowed him to easily hear what they were saying.

"Junfu wants to keep that gem for himself! And then he'll kill us!"

"Tell them right now! That bastard wanted to catch Cat's Eye all by himself, and when we disagreed, he killed us to pretend that Cat's Eye stole the gem, so he could intensify the hunt for Cat's Eye!"

"I knew there was something wrong with that gem! I was holding that stone safe yesterday, and I kept feeling someone talking to me!"

…………

But seeing how pitiful she was, what could she possibly see? Nothing more than a large group of evil spirits formed from resentment, their bodies entangled in chains and armed with guns and ammunition.

In Li Ke's eyes, those policemen were still human, but to Jian Zi, whose spiritual vision was too high, they were incredibly terrifying—a scene of countless such terrifying evil spirits enveloping her in a corner!
However, before Li Ke could even save Miko, who had already started wetting her pants, Shinichi Kudo spoke up again.

There's definitely a reason for that...

The moment he spoke, something flashed in the grass. He immediately looked into the grass and saw a gem with an eye in the center, as well as a dossier.

They moved closer, and the goddess Reiko immediately frowned, because she could feel the power of the curse on the gem. Li Ke could also clearly see that the power of the gem was stronger than that of many great demons.

No, to be precise, this gem itself is part of a great demon, and a great demon with considerable malice towards humans!

However, the same problem still exists!
Shinichi Kudo had no idea about the gem until he discovered it!

At this moment, Li Ke could finally be 100% certain that this was not a simple perception shield, but a much more advanced technique!
"It's more like they predetermined the outcome that I 'couldn't sense any clues,' and then put the evidence here. Rather than distorting reality... it's more like anchoring cause and effect, anchoring the outcome that only Shinichi Kudo could be the first to solve the case, and then the cause appeared!"

However, this raises a question: in his memory, Shinichi Kudo's absurdity only stemmed from his shrinking size. But now, Shinichi Kudo's absurdity is even without shrinking. So what is the point of him shrinking and hiding his identity? While Li Ke was pondering this question, Shinichi Kudo picked up the gem. Li Ke then saw the eyes within the gem begin to move, and a powerful demonic force seemed to reach out and try to control Shinichi Kudo's body.

But... it failed!

Even the fox's eyes began to freeze, eventually becoming completely still, leaving only a confused expression to prove that what Li Ke had just seen was not an illusion. Even the fluctuations of demonic energy became negligible, as if it were truly dead.

Shinichi Kudo also read out the origin of the gem from the file.

"This is a gemstone that a wealthy man gave to the police as bait in order to catch a cat's eye. It is said to be the eye of Tamamo-no-Mae, and all who possess it will suffer misfortune. Only Toshio Utsumi volunteered to keep this gemstone safe three days ago..."

As he read this, his glasses flashed with a white light. He then went to the lawn and stepped on the spot where the blood had disappeared. However, to Li Ke's dismay, he only realized that something was wrong with the lawn after Shinichi Kudo had stepped on it.

Then, he heard a hollow sound from beneath the lawn, confirming the existence of a tunnel underneath. Shinichi Kudo then adjusted his glasses.

"I understand!"

After saying that, he looked at Li Ke triumphantly, shook the gem in his hand, and smiled at the goddess Lingzi.

"So, science is still a bit more powerful, isn't it?"

Li Ke: "…………"

Where's the scientific basis in your crime-solving process?! All I sensed was a distorted causal law!
However, Shinichi Kudo had already rushed into the house, holding the jewel, and pointed it at Toshio Utsumi, who was lying on a stretcher and was about to be taken to the hospital.

"There's only one truth! You're the murderer! Inspector Toshio Utsumi!"

The moment he finished speaking, a policeman stood up indignantly to refute him, but as soon as he stood up, the leading officer immediately grabbed his subordinate.

"He is the famous Shinichi Kudo. He wouldn't say something like that if he wasn't absolutely certain."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Shinichi Kudo in surprise, while Li Ke, who had come along, noticed that although Shinichi Kudo still had a smug expression on his face, there was now a hint of...

Disappointed?

Li Ke noted this down, but at the same time, Shinichi Kudo took a deep breath and was about to state his reasoning. However, before Shinichi could utter a single word, Toshio Utsumi, who was originally thought to be seriously injured, sighed and sat up.

"No need. Since it's the famous Shinichi Kudo, my disguise and setup were useless. You really did find the tunnel leading to this house. Hitomi, thank you for your trust, but I did make a mistake. I planned to do this three days ago. After all, I swore that I could only propose to you if I caught the cat's eye with my own hands, but unfortunately, I can't do it now..."

He looked at Shinichi Kudo with a helpless expression as he said these words. He really wanted to argue, really wanted to remain innocent, but the famous Shinichi Kudo had never wronged anyone, and since the other party had already obtained the gem, he would naturally have discovered the tunnel hidden in the grass.

He discovered it by chance after obtaining the gem. Although he didn't know what it was used for, he kept it a secret from Xiaotong and the others, all for this day.

He first killed all his colleagues, then lured others to see him, and fled after attacking Kotomi, making sure no one had time to check the body on the ground. He then returned through the tunnel to clear himself of suspicion, and was able to use the stolen gem to lure Cat's Eye and make the authorities investigate Cat's Eye more thoroughly.

It can be described as a classic Conan-style case, with the motive, the result, and the process all making people want to complain.

Faced with Toshio Utsumi's honesty, Shinichi Kudo wanted to say something, because he still had many things to say about the suspicious aspects of Utsumi, such as where the murder weapon was hidden, how he disguised himself, and why he disguised himself.

But he didn't even need to say anything, because Toshio Utsumi confessed everything himself. This made him feel like he was the one playing tag in a game of tag, but when it was his turn to run away, everyone else stopped playing. He felt intensely angry.

Li Ke, who had been observing him, noticed his disappointed and unwilling expression and had a vague guess in her mind.

"Could it be... that because his identity as 'Shinichi Kudo' no longer allows him to demonstrate his reasoning abilities, he has allowed himself to become a child, and thus, in the body of a child, he can perform all sorts of illogical actions?"

Li Ke was unaware of the truth, but at this moment, the disappointment in Shinichi Kudo's eyes, like a child who had lost his chance to show off, was real and evident in front of him!
"Tch... I still have a lot to say..."

After seeing Utsumi Toshio finish his explanation, Kudo Shinichi covered his head with a disgruntled expression, showing little concern for the tragedy unfolding before him. However, the beautiful shop owner, Hitomi, covered her face in sorrow and knelt on the ground, crying.

Because she witnessed how Toshio Utsumi returned through the tunnel, and because she chose to keep it a secret for the sake of her love, but she also knew that this was wrong, she did not resent Shinichi Kudo, but instead cried silently.

Utsumi Toshio sighed, then was handcuffed by his former colleagues and taken away. Surprisingly, no one came to take their statements, so Kudo Shinichi, seeing that things were more or less settled, waved to Li Ke.

"Alright, it looks like we won't be able to witness anything supernatural today. Let's go."

After saying that, he led the Grim Reaper, laden with his spoils, and the Detective Guardian Spirit, who looked constipated, outside, though his expression was still extremely grim. Sonoko Suzuki wanted to say something, but seeing Ran Mouri's pale face from fear, she could only follow, giving Li Ke a contact number before leaving.

Li Ke did not leave, after all, there was still the matter of seeing his son to resolve. However, when he looked at the corpses, he couldn't help but frown.

Because these bodies didn't die just now, but more than two hours ago!
This also applies to those who come out to order food, meaning that Toshio Utsumi committed the crime before they arrived!

"So... was it my mistake to bring Conan here, or was Toshio Utsumi always destined to cause trouble?"

Li Ke looked at the fox-eye gem. During the time that Shinichi Kudo was away, the eye in the gem moved once again, revealing an emotion of surviving a catastrophe. However, when it saw Li Ke looking at it, it immediately pretended to be dead again.

He hadn't expected this to happen, nor had he imagined that Shinichi Kudo's power was so domineering. But if these people had indeed died two hours earlier, then Shinichi Kudo's power to distort cause and effect shouldn't be as strong as he had guessed.

He should just be twisting what has already happened into a detective game, not creating a case.

But... after thinking about her family's situation, Li Ke became somewhat insecure again.

So, seeing the weeping woman named Xiaotong, Li Ke decided to investigate the matter thoroughly. He silently walked over and covered her with his coat, but just as he was leaving, the woman suddenly tilted her head and collapsed from overwhelming grief.

Li Ke quickly hugged her and looked helplessly at the goddess Lingzi.

Reiko Mikami silently opened the back door, revealing the small building behind the coffee shop. She had Li Ke place Xiao Tong on the sofa before looking at Li Ke and sighing helplessly.

“That’s a cursed gem that can tempt people and turn them into demons… Now it seems that this thing is indeed the manifestation of Tamamo-no-Mae’s eye. I warned them not to open the bag, but it seems that they didn’t listen to me.”

Thinking of how Xiaotong and the others had taken care of her, Meishen Reiko clenched her fists tighter and tighter, but in the end she could only sigh helplessly.

"I'm worried... there will be more trouble later. That eye isn't that simple; it's probably got its eye on Sister Xiaotong!"

Li Ke nodded, then saw Meishen Lingzi extend her hand in front of him, making a gesture as if asking for money. This made him puzzled, and he subconsciously pointed to himself.

"Is this considered a service fee? You didn't even put in any effort!"

But Meishen Lingzi rolled her eyes at Li Ke.

"I'm worried that once Junfu becomes completely demonized, he might come after Xiaotong, or even the true form of that demon might come. So I need money to buy equipment and items to protect her! Just give me a few million; consider it advance payment!"

Although she may not have much of a conscience, she couldn't bear to stand by and watch someone die.

Li Ke subconsciously reached for his bank card, but looking into Meishen Lingzi's eyes, he suddenly realized something.

"So you really are a self-taught individual?! Don't tell me you don't actually have much ability to solve the problem of seeing children, or even have any friends who can come to your aid or lend you money! And... I didn't say I wanted you to exorcise the spirit, did I?"

Upon hearing such remarks, Reiko Mikami's expression froze. She not only subconsciously turned her face away, but even her voice became distorted.

"I do have a friend... but borrowing money or asking for lodging... *sigh*"

Faced with the truth, Reiko Amishin felt guilty.

But her hand remained outstretched in front of Li Ke, firmly begging for a way out!

(End of this chapter)