Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 221 The Missing Reporter

"rustle!"

In the snowy forest, two hunters carrying long guns met near the manor. One was a fat-faced man with a full beard, and the other was a tall, horse-faced man with glasses.

"Brother Jiujian, what brings you here?" The man with the long face and glasses asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "Didn't we agree that I'd meet that guy first? Judging by how happy he is, he might have already found a clue..."

"At a time like this, you still have the mood to look for Japanese wolves?"

The fat man looked grim.

“He already knows that what happened four years ago is related to us, and he even filmed what happened. That guy deliberately lured us here to blackmail us. If that videotape is released…”

"Extortion?" The cigarette butt fell from the mouth of the horse-faced man with glasses.

“That’s right, I’ve already talked to him, but that brat is asking for an exorbitant amount of money,” the fat man said angrily. “He said he needs a lot of money to propose to his girlfriend…”

“Then let’s just get rid of him,” the horse-faced man with glasses said fiercely, “and create another avalanche, just like four years ago…”

“No way,” the fat man hesitated. “We still don’t know where he put that videotape… and I just saw the detective at the villa, the one who’s famous for Sleeping Kogoro. It might be his backup plan.”

"Kogoro Mouri?" The horse-faced man raised his hunting rifle, glancing at the sky. "So what if he's a famous detective? If he gets too angry, we'll deal with him together. Quite a few people have died here anyway. We can lure them out..."

"Shh!"

The fat man cautiously looked around.

"Don't do anything rash, it hasn't come to that point yet."

……

"call--!"

"Wang Wang!"

Snow began to fall in the mountains, and the wind grew stronger, giving the impression that a blizzard was imminent.

The villa owner, Chiyoko Yuasa, hurriedly returned with Saburo, only to see two female guests change their clothes and leave as soon as they reached the door.

"Where are you going?" the old man asked in surprise. "The world has changed!"

"We're going to find Eryuan, we'll be right back!"

Ai peeked out from behind the noise: "Those two went out... Could something have happened? That reporter..."

Gao Mo did not respond.

He felt that what he saw in the projected text had little to do with the reporter, but rather that Ai had brought up past events.

He also overheard what the group was saying in the kitchen.

Something must have happened at this resort four years ago.

"Kido-kun, come quick!"

An excited shout came from the kitchen.

Due to time constraints, the chocolate was only a semi-finished product, which looked like a child's handicraft, crooked and uneven. However, Sonoko still tried to decorate it with cream.

"These are chocolates we made especially for you, Kido-kun!"

"Uh, thank you..."

Gao Mo stared at the pig-head chocolate on the table with a stiff smile.

Although it's supposed to be a trial project, is it intentionally made to mess of things by making it look like this?
"Conan, I made you some chocolate too." Ran's hands were much more skillful than Sonoko's; she made a chocolate shaped like a puppy.

Conan's smile also froze.

With his mischievous appearance, he probably only gets this kind of chocolate.

However, seeing the half-finished product in Sonoko's hand immediately cheered her up.

"I originally wanted to make a heart," Sonoko realized, shrinking back in embarrassment, "I'll make another one later..."

"It's nice to be young."

Chiyoko Yuasa led Saburo into the kitchen.

"Next, I'll teach you how to use the mold."

"Mother-in-law..."

Gao Mo noticed Sanlang behind the old man.

After going out and coming back, this dog...

No, it doesn't seem to be the same dog.

They look very similar, but there are many differences, even their walking styles are noticeably different.

"Where is that dog named Sanlang?"

"What are you talking about? Saburo is right here." Yuasa Chiyoko glanced at Gao Mo strangely, and began to teach Ran and Sonoko step by step.

"What's wrong, Kido-nii?" Conan checked on Saburo, who was wagging his tail, but didn't find anything wrong.

"fine."

A glint of light flickered in Gao Mo's eyes.

His eyes don't lie; they are definitely two different dogs.

It's just a trip; there couldn't possibly be so many differences.

Is the owner of this resort genuinely unaware or pretending not to know?
“Sir,” Chiyoko Yuasa called out, “could you feed Saburo for me? The dog food is in the cabinet over there.”

"it is good."

Gao Mo looked at the old man.

The projected text is quite ordinary: "[Hope Manor regains its popularity]".

In addition, there are Conan and a few others.

Conan's goal is to [return to Ran's side as his original self].

Ran – [A Valentine's Day date with Shinichi].

Sonoko – [gained the courage to confess to Kido-san].

As for the mustache, it's probably because he was watching Yoko Okino's show in the living room and his mind was full of Yoko Okino, so let's not mention it.

"Zizi!"

The sky is getting darker.

The man with the mustache was sitting in front of the old rotary-knob television when suddenly the picture distorted, the image tore apart, and the signal was completely lost in the blink of an eye.

"What's going on?" Seeing the excited little mustache frantically patting the TV, he accidentally caused the TV to go black with a beep.

A bead of sweat trickled down his mustache's forehead. His neck stiffened as he turned to look at Gao Mo, who was passing through the living room, and silently unplugged the TV.

"Hehe, the snow outside is really heavy."

"Miss Funakawa and the others haven't returned yet," Ran said worriedly. "Could something have happened to them?"

"call--!"

Outdoor visibility is getting lower and lower.

Just as the man with the mustache was about to go out to check the situation, two beautiful women returned to the villa, shivering in the wind and snow.

The sky had completely darkened.

"What? I can't find it anywhere?"

“Yes,” said Mika Funaka, her face full of worry, “we’ve already searched all the places Nigaki might have gone, but…”

"The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and we thought Jia Gui had already returned."

The short-haired beauty, Gan Liya, looked flustered.

"Didn't you see Jia Gui either?"

"No, we were thinking about how long it had been since you came back, and we were planning to go look for you."

The man with the mustache gazed out at the mountains and forests amidst the wind and snow.

"In this weather, that guy shouldn't have gone too far, right? We'd better find him before we can still see him..."

"No!" Chiyoko Yuasa reacted strongly. "If you run out now, not only will that reporter be in trouble, but you will all be! Just call the police!"

"Hoohoo!"

As soon as the old man finished speaking, the wind and snow outside intensified, and a large amount of snow poured in through the open door.

At this moment, two figures appeared in the snowy forest. Everyone was delighted to see them, but when they got closer, they realized that they were two hunters.

"The weather suddenly changed, it's really tough," the fat man took out a small wine flask from his pocket, took a sip, and looked at the group at the door with surprise. "What are you all doing? You're not thinking of going out, are you?"

"Have you seen that reporter?" the man with the mustache asked seriously. "He hasn't come back yet, and we can't find him in the snow forest."

"That reporter is missing?" The fat man turned and exchanged a glance with the horse-faced man, suppressing his glee as he replied, "This is troublesome. This area is especially dangerous when it snows. Since we can't find him, I'm afraid..."

"Jiagui!" The short-haired woman covered her face and cried, struggling to run into the snowstorm, but her companion held her back tightly. "Let go of me, Jiagui..."

"Calm down, Aya!" the long-haired woman urged, unable to bear it any longer. "Maybe Futagaki is just trapped somewhere. Let's go out and look for him when the snow gets a little lighter..."

"father!"

Xiao Lan, who was about to call the police, hesitated and glanced at the short-haired woman wiping away tears. "The police said there was an avalanche at the tunnel leading to the resort, and the weather isn't suitable for searching in the mountains... We might have to wait until tomorrow, and whether they can even come depends on the situation."

"This is troublesome."

The group returned to the living room.

The outside world had completely transformed into a snowy wonderland.

Despite the long-haired woman trying to comfort her companions, saying the blizzard wouldn't last long and wondering if the long-faced reporter would survive... the group remained hopeless.

The biggest problem is not being able to find it, let alone encountering such a blizzard.

In the past, most of the victims lost their way in the mountains due to sudden changes in weather.

Ai tugged at Gao Mo's sleeve: "Kido..."

Gao Mo leaned back in the sofa chair, quietly observing everyone present.

The long-faced reporter, Yoshitaka Nigaki, has most likely run into trouble.

Because the short-haired woman, Gan Liya, seemed heartbroken, but her reaction to seeing the two hunters was completely different from the others.

The others assumed one of them was the long-faced reporter, but Gan Liyako showed no reaction—most likely she already knew her boyfriend was in trouble and knew immediately it couldn't be him.

As for projected text...

Gao Mo gently crossed his fingers.

The reporter's girlfriend, short-haired Gan Liya—[I'm sorry, Jia Gui].

Long-haired beauty, Pink River Mika – [Find Natsuya], Natsuya is the one who was caught in an avalanche with the former owner of the mountain resort 4 years ago.

Both the man with the horse-faced glasses and the man with the fat face and beard [destroyed the videotape].

Finally, there's the black cat's meow...

Ok?
Gao Mo lifted the neck of the black cat that was watching the show.

He had felt something was off last time; this guy was the only animal with a mission.

Do animal bodies actually harbor human souls?

After gazing into the black cat's clear eyes for a moment, Gao Mo tossed the black cat back to Ai.

He didn't have a good way to deal with this guy; he couldn't just kill him directly, so he could only let Ai continue her research.

Or we can wait until he advances to level 3 and then see.

Gao Mo turned his attention back to the two hunters.

After introducing himself, he learned that the horse-faced man's name was Itakura Hajime, and that he was a friend of the fat-faced man, Sakami Yuzo. The two had agreed to come here to find the Japanese wolf.

“I say,” the man with the mustache asked suspiciously, “do you guys think Saburo is a Japanese wolf?”

"Probably not?" The two hunters exchanged glances again. "I heard that the reporter saw the Japanese wolf around 10 p.m., and this dog is kept in a cage at night."

Have you seen it too?

"No, no, that's not true."

His chubby face, thick beard, and unnatural expression were striking.

"I was just trying my luck anyway."

"Try your luck?" the mustachioed man sneered. "You're quite patient, aren't you? I heard you came here four years ago, and now you're back again... Could you be up to something bad?"

"Haha, you're joking. What bad things could we do? We're just unwilling to accept it. Besides, it's not just that reporter; some locals have also said they saw Japanese wolves."

……

The wind and snow did not subside overnight.

The group with the mustache stayed up all night. In the middle of the night, Chiyoko Yuasa noticed that the TV in the living room wasn't working. She sighed and didn't say anything.

Sonoko yawned a few times, wanting to sleep, but still held hands with Ran in the living room.

The weather outside finally cleared up in the morning.

"what--!"

A scream woke the man with the mustache from his sleep—he finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep on the sofa wrapped in a blanket.

"What's wrong? What happened?!"

"Those two guys ran into Nigaki's room and ransacked his luggage!"

"I'm furious," said Mika Funaka.

"We were wondering if Nigaki would secretly hide, but then we saw them..."

"Don't get me wrong!" the bearded man explained, sweating profusely. "We were thinking that we might have found some clues about Japanese wolves... Maybe that reporter didn't come back because he found a clue."

"Yes, yes, we didn't take anything!"

"Hmph, since that's the case, you shouldn't mind letting me search you, right?" The man with the mustache looked suspicious.

He felt something was off about the two of them starting yesterday.

Based on his years of experience, it seemed that these two people were feeling guilty about something.

It might have something to do with the reporter's disappearance.

"Dad!" Xiaolan called out from the hallway, "The snow has stopped outside!"

"What did the police say?"

"The tunnel is blocked by snow, so we can't get through yet."

“There’s no other way,” the man with the mustache frowned, “we’ll all go out and look for them together…everyone stay together, and whatever you do, don’t get separated!”

Gao Mo's gaze swept over the two chubby-faced, bearded men whispering to each other.

Looking for the videotape...

He seemed to know what had happened four years ago.

Four years later, although the missing reporter has not yet been found, he has some guesses.

However, the case itself is not the biggest problem; the biggest issue now is undoubtedly these two dangerous hunters.

Gao Mo's gaze lingered on the two men's hunting rifles. As he walked past them, he offered, "Shall I search them? You two take Sanlang outside and look for him. Maybe that dog will find something."

“I think we don’t need to do that?” The fat-faced, bearded man’s expression stiffened. “We really didn’t take anything… and at a time like this, we should find that reporter first.”

"It's better to search it up to avoid any misunderstandings."

Ignoring their gloomy gazes, Gao Mo pushed them into the adjacent guest room for inspection.

It didn't take long, and of course, they didn't find anything in the end. But as he left the room, Gao Mo secretly hid all the shotgun bullets behind his back.

He was quite familiar with handguns, but while improving his shooting skills, he also learned about various types of firearms.

The magician's hand was swift and stealthy; the two didn't notice anything amiss, though their expressions were quite displeased.

"That kid went too far, I really want to shoot him!"

"Don't be impulsive, you haven't lost anything anyway."

"But we haven't found that videotape, what if..."

The two fat men whispered something to each other, then, ignoring Gao Mo, hurriedly followed the mustachioed man and left the villa.

"Hurry! We'd better find that guy before they do! The videotape might be on him!"

"Kido..."

Ai Haibara carried the black cat out of the room, wary of the two suspicious hunters.

“We can go out now.” Gao Mo smiled.

These two guys weren't like Scrooge, who was obsessed with shooting in the right eye; the danger was actually greater for him.

He wasn't confident he could dodge bullets from two shotguns, and the others could easily be taken hostage.

There is also the risk of avalanches...

It's okay now.

No matter what happens next, he will be able to control the situation.

[Task Draw]

After eliminating the hidden danger, Gao Mo did not hesitate any longer and first confirmed the projection task.

[Find Xia Ye].

Huh?
It was the long-haired beauty's mission.

The chances of finding him after four years of being missing due to an avalanche are extremely slim.

However, he seemed to have a special feeling.

Gao Mo closed his eyes briefly.

As you flip through the projected pages of the notes, it's as if you can see a snowy valley.

Is this... the ghost that Natsuya became was "eaten" by the notebook?

(End of this chapter)