Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 260 Chiba: Is there really a ghost?

Second floor of an old apartment building.

A dark eye peeked out from the window crack, staring intently at Gao Mo and his group as they entered the room downstairs.

The police actually came running over.

Damn!

If I had known that old man would bring so many people back, I would have just burned this dilapidated apartment down.

"Shh!"

Upon noticing Gao Mo looking up, the dark eyes quickly looked away from the window.

“Officer Matsuda,” Chiba glanced at the sky outside, which had darkened somewhat, “this place has already been investigated. I think it would be better to ask the detective from back then…”

"If you're scared, you can go back first, and I'll check the situation again." Gao Mo savored the fleeting malice that had just crossed his mind.

These kinds of cases are indeed very troublesome, and it's normal for them to go for years without any results.

However, he wasn't a normal policeman either.

What are we investigating? We can just rely on our intuition.

Even if the murderer from four years ago isn't in this apartment, there are definitely important clues.

"Scared?" Chiba's chubby face flushed red, and he quickly explained, "Why would I be scared? Officer Matsuda, there's absolutely no way there are ghosts in this world!"

"Hmph, that's hard to say," a fat otaku twice the size of Chiba opened the door, his eyes sunken and a strange smile on his face. "I heard that thing also likes liveliness. Since everyone moved away, it's been quiet for a while... With people like you around, it might reappear today, hehe."

As he spoke, the fat otaku smirked and closed the door, leaving everyone in the entryway looking at each other in bewilderment. Ran then immediately hugged Conan tightly in her arms.

"Who is this guy?" The man with the mustache looked at Conan, whose face was flushed, and felt inexplicably annoyed.

“It’s Mr. Yotsuya who lives in room number 2,” the old man introduced. “He’s a photography fanatic, and his room is full of horror movie tapes. He even filmed a ghost movie here with his college classmates before.”

What's going on with these people?

A young man wearing old-fashioned glasses walked down the stairs from upstairs. He looked like a taciturn bookworm, without a trace of vitality.

"I can't control how you spread the news about this place being haunted, but could you please stop making such a fuss? I have a paper to finish tomorrow."

"Don't you live in room number 1?" the old man asked in surprise.

"The public toilet on the first floor was clogged, so I went to the second floor to use the toilet."

After entering the apartment, Gao Mo intentionally observed the tenants. Putting aside the fat otaku from before, this bespectacled young man was also quite strange.

His face was serious and rigid, and all the buttons on his collar were fastened. His pants were obviously not the right size, with the cuffs rolled up and visible signs of stitching.

"He is Mr. Peony, a graduate student. He is the only one living here who has never seen a ghost."

The old man watched the bespectacled young man return to his room.

"Now there are only 4 people in the apartment, including him. There is also Mr. Bancho who lives in room 4 on the first floor. I am the only one living in room 5 on the second floor... because it seems that it is easier to see ghosts on the second floor."

"When did the ghosting start?" Gao Mo asked as he inspected the old apartment.

“I don’t remember the exact time,” the old man said, leading everyone upstairs with his hands behind his back. “One night, I saw will-o’-the-wisps floating in the building next door. At first, no one believed me, but then a lot of strange things started to happen.”

"Something strange?" Xiao Lan became a little sensitive and subconsciously hid behind Gao Mo and Qian Ye.

"Sometimes the water in the toilet would suddenly turn red with blood, and sometimes a terrifying figure would stare at us from outside the window, the one in the corridor."

The old man glanced behind Xiaolan.

"At first, TV stations and magazines came to interview us, but it was the first time the police and detectives had come... Oh right, ever since then, I've been having nightmares about scary things that are telling us to get out."

"Haha."

Xiao Lan tugged at Xiao Hu Zi's sleeve.

"Dad, let's go back. I still need to go to Kido's place to prepare dinner today."

The man with the mustache drooped his eyelids: "Honestly, why do you always go over there to cook?"

"There's nothing we can do, Ai is too pitiful all alone." Ran took a few steps away from the window.

“It’s still early,” the mustachioed man snorted, glancing at his watch. “Besides, it sounds interesting. I’d like to see if it’s really haunted.”

What's interesting about it?

Chiba remained silent after entering the house, following closely behind Gao Mo, listening to the discussion between the Mori father and daughter, her neck trembling involuntarily once again.

Because of some things that happened when he was a child, he is most afraid of hearing ghost stories.

But we can't let Officer Matsuda underestimate us.

“Sir,” Gao Mo suddenly asked, “what’s the deal with that unfinished building over there?”

"They originally planned to build an apartment building over there, but because of the economic bubble, the builder committed suicide, and the project was abandoned because no one took over," the old man explained.

"What exactly did you see? How can you be so sure it was a will-o'-the-wisp?"

“That used to be a cemetery, and the fire I saw was still flickering, and there was a long-haired ghostly figure.”

"Uncle," a grotesque-looking young man with a slanted nose walked out of the second-floor restroom, his voice shrill, "aren't you afraid these people will be killed by ghosts? You even brought the police with you. Don't arrest us if something happens."

"He is Mr. Bancho from room number 4, who always likes to play with some creepy dolls."

The old man didn't seem to like the young man with the upturned nose very much.

"Why don't you come to my room and have a cup of tea first? I'm not sure if it will be haunted today, but the more people there are, the higher the chance of it appearing."

Gao Mo looked out of the old man's room window at the unfinished building next door.

Both the upturned-nosed youth and the bespectacled youth could be the source of the malice he just sensed.

However, he was more concerned about the unfinished buildings than these people.

Spreading rumors of ghosts doesn't seem to have brought any benefit to this place. Either the old man is just bored and looking for attention, or someone behind the scenes is trying to hide something.

For example, the will-o'-the-wisp that the old man saw at the beginning.

The tenants initially didn't believe it was a will-o'-the-wisp, and then the ghost story started—someone wanted to convince everyone that it was an old man.

The will-o'-the-wisp might not actually be a will-o'-the-wisp; someone might be trying to hide this information and divert everyone's attention.

“Mr. Mori,” Gao Mo turned his gaze away from the unfinished building, “we still have a mission, so we won’t wait here any longer. We’ll ask you for advice another day.”

"Easy to say."

The man with the mustache was satisfied with Gao Mo's attitude and asked out of curiosity.

"Why are you suddenly here investigating a case from four years ago?"

Upon hearing this, the fake Shinichi next to him also showed a slight change in expression.

It is indeed a bit strange. It's a four-year-old cold case. The only problem is that the culprit can't be caught. Why would it be taken over by an elite detective with outstanding recent achievements?

"It's nothing, I just happened to see it," Gao Mo rubbed his nose. "If that girl really has a ghost, she'd probably be disappointed in the police, right? I didn't have anything else to do, so I thought I'd help solve this case."

Chiba exclaimed admiringly, "Inspector Matsuda really enjoys solving unsolved cases. The cases of Shushiro and Ye Caisan were both thanks to Inspector Matsuda!"

"Ahem, that's it."

Gao Mo hurriedly left amidst the watchful eyes of everyone.

He couldn't very well say that he crashed into three of the most expensive police cars and was then sent out by Inspector Megure to investigate the case—he was probably thinking of giving him an impossible task first to test his patience before calling him back.

However, Inspector Megure may be disappointed.

This case, which looks like it will take a long time, should have a result today.

Trying to stump him with a case?

Even God wouldn't allow it.

"Officer Matsuda, shall we go to the police station over here next?" Chiba, who followed Gao Mo out of the apartment, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He wasn't afraid of ghosts, he just hated the oppressive atmosphere.

Although it's unclear why Inspector Matsuda suddenly changed his mind, as long as it doesn't involve ghost stories, Chiba Kazunobu will definitely do his best to help solve the case.

"I'm not going to the police station."

Gao Mo turned his gaze to the unfinished building next door.

"It's still a bit early. Let's drive the car away first, and we'll come back to arrest the murderer after dark."

"Huh?" Chiba didn't understand for a moment. "What do you mean by 'catching the murderer'?"

How did we end up going straight to the final step?

We don't even know where the murderer is...

"Could it be that unfinished building?" Chiba's eyes widened. "But how could the murderer be there?"

"This is called 'the darkest place is under the lamp.' The murderer deliberately came back and hid there, which is why the police couldn't find him."

Gao Mo walked back to the police car lane.

“The will-o’-the-wisp that the old man saw was actually someone smoking in the unfinished building. The long-haired ghost is also understandable; after all, it’s only natural for hair to grow long if it hasn’t been cut in four years.” “But why?” Chiba still didn’t quite understand. “Didn’t anyone else see it? And how do people live in an unfinished building?”

“That’s why there are rumors of ghosts,” Gao Mo said, trying to get into the driver’s seat but Chiba beat him to it. “Someone doesn’t want him to be seen, so they’re deliberately creating ghost stories.”

"Who?"

"Another prisoner, specifically to look after the murderer's accomplice who moved into this apartment, probably because he was worried that the murderer would implicate him if he was caught."

Gao Mo glanced at the dilapidated apartment and the unfinished building out of the corner of his eye.

"Just wait, someone should be delivering food tonight, then we'll catch them all in one fell swoop."

"That's amazing." Chiba's eyes were filled with shock.

The cold case that had plagued the police for four years was solved by Officer Matsuda in less than a day... or rather, it was solved as soon as the case arrived.

"If the accomplice is one of those people from earlier... could it be the guy who filmed a ghost movie here?"

Gao Mo shook his head: "I guess it should be that guy named Ban Ting. If he was fat, the witnesses back then would definitely remember his size... Of course, it's also possible that he disguised himself later, but normally there's no need for that, and it would be easier to expose him."

He doesn't believe that an ordinary person can fake being fat for years.

"Isn't that graduate student a suspect?" Chiba asked curiously. "It's so strange that he's the only one who hasn't seen a ghost."

"If he were a prisoner, he would definitely have to see ghosts with the others. The purpose of being a prisoner is to make everyone believe in ghosts, so there's no need to contradict him."

Gao Mo opened his phone to check the time.

We'll know the results tonight.

While there was still some time, Gao Mo projected the professional books onto his phone to look them up.

This is a new method he recently discovered, which is much more convenient than flipping through a book, but the phone screen is a bit small—he wonders when portable tablets will appear in the world.

……

into the night.

The Mori family, who were drinking tea and waiting in apartment number 5, unknowingly fell asleep, except for Shinichi, who remained awake.

Having trouble with tea?
The fake newcomer slightly opened his eyes.

Because of the identity fraud, she always remained vigilant wherever she went—in fact, she never let her guard down, and even within the organization, she dared not trust anyone.

Huh?
The newly arrived man turned and looked out the window.

She also saw the will-o'-the-wisps in the unfinished building.

No, it's not a will-o'-the-wisp, it's a cigarette butt!

"do not move!"

Suddenly, a commotion came from the unfinished building across the street. As the lights shone, the figure of a disheveled man with messy hair came into view.

Following them were the two detectives from the evening.

Shinichi Matsuda!

The fake Shinichi's pupils dilated slightly, and his gaze met Gao Mo's.

I don't know if it was just an optical illusion caused by the light, but it seemed like I saw a ghostly skeleton wearing a black cloak.

"Is it you?"

The young man with the upturned nose was blocked from retreat by several other police officers, and looked in horror at Gao Mo and the other two who were detaining their accomplice.

"Didn't you already leave?"

"Just because you left doesn't mean you can't come back."

Gao Mo covered his nose and looked at the messy, unfinished building rooms.

No one knew how long he had been hiding in this place, but the scent emanating from the long-haired man was incredibly subtle, so Chiba had no choice but to keep him under control for the time being.

Fortunately, these two guys didn't even have a decent weapon, so they weren't much of a threat.

"Go to the police station and say what you have to say."

Gao Mo ignored the upturned-nosed youth's explanation, glanced at the old man's room across the street, and left the unfinished building first.

Honestly, if he really became a policeman, he would definitely treat the Mori family like royalty.

In the anime, there seems to be a rookie police officer who eventually rose to the rank of inspector.

"Woo!"

With sirens flashing in front of the park, the two prisoners were quickly put into a police car and taken away, looking dejected.

Since he was already a wanted criminal, Gao Mo didn't need to find any further evidence.

"Chiba, you can write the report later," Gao Mo said casually.

He told Chiba so much just to avoid trouble.

"Oh."

Chiba remained as honest and simple as ever, his face showing only excitement and a touch of wistfulness.

If only all cases could be solved this easily.

"Officer Matsuda, are you going to investigate any other cold cases next?"

"We'll see how things go," Gao Mo said with a light cough.

Not all cases go so smoothly.

He still prefers murder cases where all suspects are present at the scene; finding a winner is much easier than investigating unsolved cases.

You can't waste time when it comes to career advancement.

"What is this?" Chiba turned his head and noticed the moths flying around him, some of which even landed on him.

"They're moths that live in this park. They've been increasing in number for the past four years, and they often fly into our apartment building." The old man yawned as he walked out of the apartment building, followed by a group of people with sullen mustaches.

“It’s so late,” the man with the mustache muttered, “and there was no ghost story at all. It was a complete waste of time. I didn’t even have dinner.”

Gao Mo chuckled inwardly.

With the culprit caught, of course there were no more ghost stories.

"Okay, Dad," Xiaolan said happily, "Let's go back quickly. Mom said she's prepared dinner at the office and is waiting for us when we get back."

"Eri, what's wrong... Let's go to Kido's side."

"And you, Dr. Shinichi?"

"I……"

“Let’s not bother Kido-nii,” Conan exclaimed. “Let’s just eat out. Uncle made a lot of money from a commission the other day.”

Brat.

Despite his dark forehead, the man with the mustache forced a smile and nodded, "I'm treating everyone to dinner... Officer Matsuda, would you like to join us?"

"No need, we still need to write a report."

Gao Mo watched the group leave.

If Vermouth were to meet Ai Haibara face-to-face, I wonder if she would recognize her.

How did they give up on attacking Ai in the anime?

"call!"

A cold wind blew by, and the moths under the streetlights became even more active.

In a daze, a faint voice came on the wind: "Thank you..."

"Hiss!" Chiba shuddered, turning to Gao Mo in alarm. "Officer Matsuda, did you hear something? It sounded like someone was talking just now, could it be..."

Are you hallucinating?

Gao Mo looked around but found nothing.

That's true; most ghosts and monsters wouldn't dare appear in front of him, especially those that have been around for a long time.

The ghosts in this world are actually quite pitiful. They can't do anything, not even take revenge, and they might even become waste materials if they're not careful.

"But just now..."

Chiba was both confused and afraid.

Was it really an auditory hallucination?
"Let's go." Gao Mo didn't care much and returned to the police car with his hands in his pockets.

Whether it's a ghost or not is irrelevant to him, and it doesn't matter if it's a star or not.

"Wait for me, Officer Matsuda!" Chiba quickly caught up with Gao Mo.

(End of this chapter)