Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 281 The Princess of the Isolated Island and the Dragon Palace

The Witch's House.

Koizumi Akako yawned lazily and raised her hand to switch TV programs.

She was the one who saved Shibuya, but she couldn't let anyone know.

Being a witch is really boring.

Counting the few remaining evil spirits on his fingers, his mood worsened.

Evil spirits have become increasingly difficult to find lately; they're no longer as ubiquitous as they used to be. I wonder where they've all gone. It's truly awful.

Is he deliberately avoiding her?
“Miss,” the butler respectfully brought the meal, “there’s news. I heard there’s a dead island in Ryukyu. Not long ago, a strange, unidentified corpse was found on it, causing quite a stir.”

"strangeness?"

Koizumi Akako's eyes lit up.

The stranger the better, ideally forming a ghost story or legend. She once encountered a super evil spirit that could take on a hundred opponents single-handedly.

"The island's owner will be hosting a mystery-solving event in a few days, and has even hired a local TV director to host it."

"Deductive reasoning..."

Koizumi Akako frowned.

These detectives are the worst; they are very likely the source of the evil spirits' disappearance.

"No, I need to get there quickly... Butler, book me a ticket!"

……

Ryukyu Islands.

Gao Mo put on a hat and got off the plane. He took a boat and then transferred to another boat. He arrived at his destination, the island where Mayor Kinjo Heigo, the event organizer, was located, near dusk.

It's about the same size as Mermaid Island, which he had visited before, but the tropical scenery is much more appealing. The azure sky seems within reach, the white beaches, and the glass-like seawater... The seascape is also much better than that of Izu.

The island's income mainly comes from tourism, but due to past kidnapping and robbery incidents, the number of tourists has decreased significantly. In particular, after a dead body was found on a nearby island, there were almost no tourists during the peak tourist season.

The town specially invited many beautiful women to the beach in an attempt to boost its popularity, but in the end, it only attracted some curious people or treasure hunters.

Because the island is privately owned by the mayor, even treasure hunters have been leaving the scene these days.

Out of desperation, the mayor decided to hold a mystery-solving event, hoping to solve the mystery of the corpse with the help of a famous detective, while also improving the island's image.

"That's just the way it is."

Dragon Palace Tavern.

The town mayor specially arranged for two beautiful women to accompany Gao Mo in receiving him.

"I wonder if your company's Kindaichi detective will be coming over?"

Kindaichi has been very popular lately, and since he rarely appears in public, his value is much higher than that of Kogoro Mouri.

"No, he's not interested in those kinds of activities."

Gao Mo ignored the beautiful women serving drinks on either side of him.

Corruption, too corrupt.

Are you testing him with this?
"Do you have an iced Coke? I don't drink alcohol."

"Huh?" Mayor Jin was taken aback. "This is the famous Ryugu Shochu from our island. It's okay to drink a little."

"Tonight I want to go to the island where the body was found. Drinking will only make things worse." Gao Mo remained unmoved.

For him, alcohol had no effect other than numbing his nerves; it was the worst drink.

He might try a sweet wine.

"Alright," the mayor said helplessly, waving to the shop assistant.

Although it's a bit strange to drink iced cola in a pub, there's nothing we can do about it since the customers like it.

"The event is the day after tomorrow. To be honest, if we let Mr. Kido come to the island earlier..."

“I’m not the one participating in the deduction activity,” Gao Mo observed the mayor’s expression. “I’m here today just to do some preliminary research, representing two detective agencies… Although I’m the owner of Kido Detective Agency, I’m also a collaborator with Detective Mori.”

He certainly wouldn't participate in any television events.

The person who will be having a reasoning duel with the mustache the day after tomorrow is Osaka Black Chicken.

Doesn't he know what kind of person that mustache is?
“If you go to the island at night, you have to stay overnight. The house on the island has been uninhabited for many years since it was damaged by the typhoon.” The mayor hesitated.

"Staying for one or two nights is fine, just please help me prepare some supplies, Mayor."

Gao Momei took a sip of iced cola.

"Could you tell me about the kidnapping and robbery cases that have occurred here?"

The mayor was silent for a while before responding: "It happened five years ago. The one who was kidnapped was actually my daughter, Xiaodu. The maid who worked in my house was also killed in that incident. A year later, the bandits reappeared and stole our family heirloom, the 'Golden Screen'."

Seemingly unwilling to say more, the mayor began drinking his liquor.

"To be honest, my daughter might... Anyway, I hope to find out the whole story through this event. The body found on the island is very likely related to those bandits. Whatever the truth is, I am prepared."

Gao Mo sensed that the mayor's words had a hidden meaning.

Generally, these cases are related to past events, such as the Mermaid Island incident, so understanding the background story is important.

Few people know about what happened 5 years ago. Everyone else on the island keeps quiet, and the police records are very brief, so the matter was left unresolved and there are still no clues.

He suspected that the mayor had tampered with the records, and he also wanted to go to the island of death to check on things, which is why he came to meet with the mayor.

It appears that there is indeed something more to the robbery than the town mayor can say.

"Could it be that Mr. Kido is the same Kido Takami from before?" The cute girl next to her asked in a sweet voice as she continued to open an iced cola for Takami. "I used to be a fan of yours too."

"Still as handsome as before."

"Here, have a drink."

fan……

Gao Mo stiffened slightly.

"That's all in the past."

"Try this stir-fried sea urchin, it's delicious."

What kind of food is this?

Gao Mo had little appetite.

He had absolutely no interest in seafood; thankfully, he didn't live by the sea.

evening.

After Gao Mo had eaten and drunk his fill, he boarded the boat that the town mayor had arranged. The captain looked somewhat gloomy and didn't say a word. After listening to the town mayor say a few words, he buried his head and prepared to leave the port.

In the world of Detective Conan, it's actually very dangerous to go out alone. You can only know a person's face, not their heart. Any random stranger could kill you. That's why he dares to do this now, because anyone who harbors ill will towards him can't be kept in the dark.

Before setting off, Gao Mo sent another message to the firm.

The others won't arrive until tomorrow, and the program will be filmed the day after tomorrow, so he has plenty of time.

Why come to inspect the site in advance?

On the one hand, he was very curious about what kind of case it was, and on the other hand, he was preparing to write a press release first.

My novel has been successfully published, and my press release has finally passed review. It's a double celebration! Not only has it earned me a job as a novelist, but it also makes me a freelance journalist.

The next two upgrade options have been secured.

However, novelists start at level 1 and immediately gain a minor talent called "Data Organization".

Freelance journalists are still at level 0 and need to publish more news articles to gain popularity in order to level up.

Simple case-solving is no longer enough for Gao Mo. Whether he is a novelist or a freelance journalist, he is now more interested in the secrets behind the cases.

"call!"

The sea under the cover of night seems capable of swallowing everything, especially when it is far from land, giving people a strange sense of megalophobia.

Gao Mo stood at the bow of the boat, enjoying the breeze, and it took him a while to see the outline of a small island appear in front of him.

Under the moonlight, it looked like a giant sea turtle lying on the sea, with its head and shell clearly distinguishable.

"That's Funapura Island, which you're going to. We call it Oni-Turtle Island here, but now it's also known as Death Island."

The captain went up to the deck.

"The mayor's vacation villa built up there was damaged by the typhoon and has never been repaired. Who knows what kind of evil spirits might be lingering there over the years? You'd better be careful if you're going to stay overnight."

The captain then handed Gao Mo a small knife: "If you encounter that thing, bite this knife with your teeth. It might save your life."

"That thing?"

"They are the ancient messengers who harvest souls; in your words, they are messengers of hell, the Grim Reaper." The captain revealed a sinister smile.

"Also, never go swimming in the water. There are many strong and fast currents around this island, and people can really die from them."

Before Gao Mo could ask any more questions, the captain lit a cigarette and went back to his cabin.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but the island in front of me looks much more eerie and terrifying.

Gao Mo looked thoughtful.

Scare him?
Others might have been scared, but he didn't feel anything.

What's so scary about ghosts? What's scary is the human heart.

The captain didn't say a word to the mayor, but he came here specifically to remind him.

He doesn't seem like a kind-hearted person at all.

This island definitely holds some secret.

"what?"

As the ship arrived at the dock pier, Gao Mo's brow suddenly twitched.

He thought he saw a light.

"Is anyone still living on the island?" Gao Mo asked the captain before disembarking.

“How could anyone live here?” The captain unloaded the supplies the mayor had prepared onto the boat. “This place has been an uninhabited island for a long time, especially after the body was found. Nobody wants to come here.”

"is it?"

Gao Mo's eyes flickered as he scanned the dock.

He was quite certain that there were other people there, and judging from their footprints, they must have arrived on the island not long ago.

"The mayor's holiday villa is just ahead," the captain pointed to the cabin by the forest. "I don't know if it's still habitable. Be careful. I'll come pick you up again tomorrow at noon."

"Ah."

Gao Mo carried the supplies down the pier and turned around to find that the captain had restarted the boat and left the dock, but instead of returning, he slowly sailed to the other side of the island.

It's all so mysterious; something feels off.

"rustle!"

I walked along the soft sand to the front of the villa.

It is indeed severely dilapidated.

The wind blew, the trees rustled, and the whole holiday cabin looked even more terrifying.

Gao Mo's gaze fell on the front of the wooden house. In addition to the brand-new footprints, the words carved on the wooden pillars also caught his attention.

The place where the princess sleeps is A, not B.

Just like the islanders said.

It is said that when the unidentified body was found, it was leaning against these words. It was the body of a man who had starved to death after several days without food or water.

Because of a strong typhoon that occurred a year ago, locals believe that the man was a crew member who was shipwrecked and stranded on the island, and then, for some unknown reason, left these words before he died.

Some suspect that he was a treasure hunter caught in a typhoon, whose boat was blown away by the typhoon while he was searching for treasure on the island, leaving him stranded and dying there.

"Squeak!"

Gao Mo didn't spend too much time on the words and went straight into the dilapidated villa with the supplies.

No matter how skilled one is at analyzing death messages, there's no way to solve the mystery out of thin air. This message clearly contains a "codebook," and without the corresponding information, it's impossible to know what it's saying.

"Boom!"

After walking through the corridor, Gao Mo randomly found a room to put his luggage in.

Compared to the outside, the interior of the villa is relatively intact and barely habitable, but it looks a bit like a haunted house.

"Ugh——!"

As soon as Gao Mo lit a candle, a cold wind suddenly blew into the room, and the candlelight turned a ghastly green.

A familiar aura entered my senses.

Unfolding the mental net, the image of Koizumi Akako appearing before her eyes, casting a spell while clutching the bone chain and muttering something.

Why is this guy in Ryukyu too?
Gao Mo was quite surprised.

He thought it was some kind of villain who had infiltrated the island, but he never expected it to be this witch.

……

"why?"

On the second floor of the villa, Koizumi Akako, who had been busy at work, suddenly stopped, her eyes filled with confusion.

The carefully prepared illusion magic turned out to be nothing more than a gust of wind?

She also said she wanted to play with the detective downstairs and scare him away.

Are all detectives immune to magic?
"It's really annoying. I was about to catch that evil spirit." Koizumi Akako gritted her teeth and tried to contact the butler, but found there was no signal.

No way?
Am I supposed to spend the night on the island with a man?
Koizumi Akako was completely at a loss. Ignoring her witch identity, she was just an ordinary high school girl.

Now that the magic has failed, my sense of security has instantly sunk to the bottom of the sea.

"I hope he doesn't find out about me."

"Crench!"

Just then, footsteps sounded downstairs. Koizumi Akako shuddered, quickly blew out the candle, and shrank back to hide.

"I can't find me, I can't find me..."

"Crack!"

Gao Mo ignored Koizumi Akako and searched through all the rooms on the first floor, eventually finding the kitchen and dining room.

Although it's a villa, apart from having more rooms, most of the space is cramped, the kitchen and dining area are pitifully small, and there's a musty smell.

Opening the cupboard, Gao Mo pondered and rested his chin on his hand.

Sure enough, someone had been here recently.

It wasn't Koizumi Akako, but someone who came to scout the location.

If nothing unexpected happens, he should be the murderer in the case that will happen the day after tomorrow.

If the production team were to scout the location, there would be more traces, and from what he understands, the production team won't be coming to investigate until tomorrow.

If only the town mayor had come too, maybe we could have gotten all the information out of him.

After walking around, Gao Mo returned to the room that resembled the master bedroom.

The bedside table was decorated with photos of the mayor and his wife, and the room was much larger than the other rooms.

There were some children's crayon drawings inside the house. They were a bit blurry but still recognizable, and seemed to be the work of the mayor's only daughter when she was a child.

The doorposts of the master bedroom bear marks indicating the child's height, as if recording the child's growth.

The height markings for the two adults above are labeled "Chiyo-nii" and "Mama" respectively, using crayon.

However, the "mother" in question doesn't seem to be referring to the mayor's wife, because the room next door has "Mother's Room" and "Chiyo's Brother's Room" written in crayons, and each room has a bird and something that looks like an eel drawn on it, which are quite abstract.

Next, let's check the second floor again, and then go and see the other places on the island.

Collect as many clues as possible, regardless of whether they are useful or not.

Even if he can't write a press release, he can make up a story. It seems that the current material is enough for him to write a short story for publication.

"Ok?"

Suddenly another gust of cold wind blew by, and Gao Mo felt as if the notebook had captured something.

The storage pool jumped, instantly increasing by 100 stars.

Storage pool: 600

What's going on lately?

The stars I painstakingly collected before seemed worthless, but before I knew it, I had accumulated 600 stars.

A special kind of evil spirit?

Gao Mo looked surprised.

He originally thought that he could only lure out these evil spirits by waiting for Ai to come over.

(End of this chapter)