Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The middle-aged man didn't even see how he moved; he only saw a flash of silver light.

The next second, Mr. Takahashi didn't even have time to react; he just stared wide-eyed, his face still showing a mixture of surprise and anger.

His hands instinctively rose to grab the thread around his neck, but the spider had already pulled hard.

"Uh……"

Mr. Takahashi let out a short, guttural sound, the sound of his trachea being compressed.

The middle-aged man watched as Mr. Takahashi's face quickly turned from red to purple, his eyes bulged, and his hands futilely clawed at the air.

He tried to shout for help, but only gurgling sounds came out of his throat.

The entire process lasted less than ten seconds.

As blood gushed from Mr. Takahashi's mouth, it was because the thread had cut too deep into his flesh and severed a blood vessel.

His struggles grew weaker and weaker until he finally stopped moving altogether.

The spider released its thread, letting Mr. Takahashi's body slide to the ground with a dull thud on the carpet.

His movements were clean and efficient, and his expression remained unchanged, as if he had not just killed a person, but completed a routine task.

The middle-aged man was completely terrified by what he saw.

He staggered backward, his legs went weak, and he could barely stand.

The middle-aged man looked at Mr. Takahashi's corpse on the ground, at his unseeing eyes, and then at Spider's still smiling face.

Fear, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed him.

"you you……"

The middle-aged man's voice was broken and intermittent; he couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

The spider took a step forward and entered the reception room.

He ignored the corpse on the ground and walked straight to the middle-aged man, the thin thread in his hand swirling around his fingertips, gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

"Help! Help!" the middle-aged man shouted in despair.

“Stop shouting, it’s no use,” Spider smiled slightly. “It’s a bit rude to say, but before I knocked on the door, I had already walked around the villa. I counted very clearly, and there were twenty-three people in the villa, including the two of you.”

"you……"

The middle-aged man swallowed hard; without even asking, he understood the fate of the servants in the villa.

"I'm canceling the mission, okay? I'll just cancel it!"

The middle-aged man practically screamed those words, his body already backed against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat.

"I don't want the money, the mission is canceled, you can leave now, I promise I won't pursue the matter, I won't call the police, I won't do anything!"

His voice was filled with fear and despair, and tears and snot streamed down his face, completely erasing his previous arrogance.

The spider stopped, tilted its head, and seemed to be considering the suggestion.

A few seconds later, he smiled slightly: "A wise decision. The task is canceled, we won't refund the commission, but we also won't charge you any extra fees. Fair enough, right?"

The middle-aged man nodded frantically; he would agree to anything as long as he could live.

“However,” Spider changed the subject, his tone still light, but the content sent a chill down the middle-aged man’s spine, “as compensation for your cancellation of the mission, we need to take some things with us.”

"What is it?" the middle-aged man asked in a trembling voice. "Take whatever you have!"

Spider's gaze swept across the living room. Priceless paintings hung on the walls, antiques were displayed in cabinets, and rare bookshelves were filled with ancient texts. This villa of the middle-aged man could practically be considered a small museum.

“All your gems and jewelry collection,” the spider said slowly, “especially that ‘Heart of the Ocean’ sapphire. My boss is very interested in them.”

The middle-aged man's face turned even paler.

Those gems and jewels represent decades of his collecting efforts and are worth well over a billion yen.

Especially the "Heart of the Ocean," which he acquired three years ago through shady means from a French collector. It is said to be a court jewel from the reign of Louis XVI and its value is immeasurable.

But looking at the thin thread still dripping blood in the spider's hand, and at Mr. Takahashi's corpse on the ground, the middle-aged man knew he had no choice.

"Okay...okay...take it all, take it all..." he said almost in tears.

The spider nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. Please take me to your vault. Don't try anything funny, you know the consequences."

The middle-aged man walked tremblingly toward the study. On the inner wall of the room hung an oil painting, a copy of Renoir's "Luncheon on the Boat".

He moved the painting aside, revealing a hidden electronic lock panel behind it.

The middle-aged man entered his password and then verified his identity using his fingerprint and iris.

The wall slid open silently, revealing a small room—his private vault.

The spider whistled and went inside.

The vault contained dozens of velvet trays, each displaying dazzling gems and jewels.

Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds... sparkling with breathtaking brilliance under the lights.

In the very center, on a single velvet cushion, lies a huge, deep blue gem, the Heart of the Ocean.

The gem was the size of a pigeon's egg, its color as deep as the ocean's deepest depths, and it seemed as if light was flowing within it.

……

The morning sunlight shone through the sheer curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on the floor of the guest room bedroom in the Ikebab family home.

Exhausted from the night, Lin Xiuyi slept soundly until a faint, almost imperceptible breath disturbed her senses, breaking the tranquility of her sleep.

He vaguely sensed that something was amiss. In his room, there seemed to be other people's soft breathing, the rustling of clothes, and quiet whispers.

Lin Xiuyi's nerves tensed instantly, and his sleepiness vanished. He suppressed the urge to get up immediately, his eyelids trembled slightly, and he pretended to still be fast asleep. He glanced at the bedside out of the corner of his eye, and his heart skipped a beat.

The bedside was already surrounded by people, densely packed together, completely blocking the bed.

Lin Xiuyi quickly opened her eyes, and as her vision cleared, she saw a series of familiar faces:
On the far left is Eri Kisaki, dressed in a neat dark blue loungewear set, her hair neatly tied back, arms crossed, and brows furrowed.

Standing next to her was Yukiko, wearing pink bunny pajamas, her long hair loose, pouting and glaring angrily at Hayashi Shuichi.

In the middle is Lingzi, wearing pajamas with cartoon patterns, her little face full of reluctance.

If Eri hadn't been holding my arm so tightly, I probably would have climbed into bed and snuggled into my brother's arms long ago.

Next to the little girl was Tomizawa Chikage, dressed in a simple white T-shirt and shorts, her hair casually tied in a ponytail. At this moment, she was standing with her hands on her hips, grinding her teeth as if she might pounce on someone and bite at any moment.

On the far right are Midori Orikasa and Shizuka Ikenami.

Midori Orikasa was wearing a light green dress, her small nose slightly wrinkled, as if she were sniffing something in the air.

Shizuka Ikemura was wearing a beige knit sweater and jeans, her expression serious. (End of Chapter)