Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 282 The Princess of the Isolated Island and the Dragon Palace of the Sea 2
The following day, the day before the reasoning activity.

The Ryukyu Islands welcomed a group of special guests.

Ai Haibara changed into her swimsuit and followed behind Ran and Kazuha. The second group consisted of Heiji Hattori, who was looking around, and Conan, who seemed bored. Finally, there was Kogoro Mouri, who was being fawned over by the accompanying reporters.

"Honestly, why do I have to take care of this brat?"

Hattori Heiji's nostrils were flaring out, making him look particularly pathetic.

He originally thought he could persuade Kindaichi's master to come over, but things turned out completely differently than he planned. As for the president of the company, Gao Mo, he didn't even know where he had gone.

They said they came to scout the location beforehand, but we couldn't see a soul in sight.

Conan glanced at Osaka Kuroki: I don't want you taking care of me.

Xiao Lan used to always hold him while swimming in the sea, not caring about his admiring gaze, but now she pushes him far away.

Damn it.

Conan, feeling utterly exhausted, found a rubber dinghy and hopped on it.

He began to ponder what this reasoning activity was all about.

It sounds like a case has occurred, and if Kido is also involved, it could very well develop into a series of murders.

Wait a minute, could Kido have come to investigate ahead of time?

"Mr. Mori," two reporters followed behind the mustachioed man, "tomorrow is the duel of deduction, do you have confidence?"

"What is confidence?" The man with the mustache put on his sunglasses and laughed smugly. "I, Kogoro Mouri, don't need any confidence at all. Kindaichi is alright, but a kid who's at the bottom of the list of high school detectives is challenging me... I feel no pressure at all, hahaha!"

"That stinky old man..."

Hattori Heiji nearly spewed out black smoke, his eyebrows twitching. He barely managed to control his expression, which was a mixture of anger and humiliation in his half-smile.

They actually said his fame was at the bottom.

"I'm Hattori from Kansai, a high school detective who's on par with Shinichi Kudo!"

"Yes Yes Yes."

Conan casually chimed in.

Actually, he had never heard of Hattori Heiji before; the claim of being on par with him was all just something this Osaka black chicken made up.

Of course, as a detective, Heiji Hattori is definitely at the level of a famous detective, far superior to his uncle.

If he doesn't step in, his uncle will definitely embarrass himself.

Conan was thinking about how his peripheral vision caught the mustache-wielding man being attracted by the beautiful women on the beach.

But it's hard to say.

Given his uncle's skill in deceiving people, he can't be too bad; it's not the first time he's embarrassed himself.

"Didn't Sonoko come this time?" Kazuha asked from the other side.

“Yuanzi has recently signed up for several cooking classes and can’t find the time to come over.”

"Really? I thought she arrived early with Kido-san... Speaking of which, where's Kido-san?"

"The mayor just said that Kido went to the island where he was filming the show last night, and a boat should be coming to pick him up today..."

"Are we going to scout locations today?" Hattori Heiji's excited voice suddenly rang out from the shore. "Can we come along?"

The director turned around in surprise: "Isn't this a bit inappropriate, Mr. Mori..."

“He won’t mind,” Hattori whispered. “After all, I’m just a lowly high school detective with the lowest reputation. Shouldn’t I get some preferential treatment when challenging a great detective?”

When talking about the great detective, Hattori emphasized each word.

“That makes sense,” the director nodded in agreement. “But we’re not going there for fun; you’ll need to help us out.”

"no problem."

"Mr. Taketomi," an old man with a weathered face, looking like a mercenary, approached with a cigarette dangling from his lips, "I heard that someone came to the island yesterday, is that true?"

"Yes, we'll bring him back on our way back today."

"That guy is really bold, daring to spend the night there."

"Alright, staff, gather over here!"

Dressed in all black, Hattori Heiji blended in naturally among the staff. Suddenly, he sensed something was wrong, turned around, and saw Kazuha and the others standing behind him. His cheek twitched violently.

"What are you guys doing? I told you we're not going out to play!"

"What does it matter?" Kazuha said matter-of-factly. "Anyway, we don't have anything to do here. I forgot to tell you, this time I'm on Ran's father's side, so of course I have to keep an eye on you."

"Are you kidding me? You came with me, didn't you?"

"Hmph, it's my freedom to choose which side to support."

……

Ghost Turtle Island.

Gao Mo circled the entire island again and saw the ship docked at the pier in the distance.

Just like yesterday, the captain did not return to port after disembarking the passengers, but instead lingered around the coast.

He didn't understand yesterday, but now he's finally realized it.

The other party seems to be probing something.

"So you specifically warned me not to go swimming?"

Gao Mo noticed a woman who started snorkeling near the shore after getting off the boat. She looked like a black mermaid, but although she was quite dark-skinned, she had a very good base, and the sparkling water droplets seemed to have their own halo when they splashed out.

Hot and sexy type of beauty.

"Captain, don't let the waves keep rising!" the woman shouted to the captain after emerging from the water.

At this moment, Hattori and the others who had disembarked also spotted Gao Mo and hurriedly waved and called out, "Kido-nii!"

Ai's expression also shifted, but she remained silent, only glancing at the dilapidated wooden villa with a puzzled look.

I think I just saw a woman's figure flash past the second-floor window.

?

Thinking of the beautiful female staff members in town, Xiao Ai's gaze towards Gao Mo changed slightly.

"This must be Mr. Kido," the director said, seeing Gao Mo for the first time. "Was there anything special discovered on the island?"

“No,” Gao Mo shook his head. “If we’re talking about the most special thing, it’s just this wooden villa… Do you know the mayor’s daughter, Miss Xiao Du?”

The staff around him showed slight changes in expression, but quickly resumed their normal activities.

"You all should know each other, right?" the director said uncertainly. "After all, they're all from around here. I heard that Miss Xiaodu was kidnapped five years ago and hasn't been heard from since."

“I never expected this villa to turn out like this. It’s completely different from what I saw before,” the weathered man exclaimed. “It feels like I’ve become Urashima Taro. The last time I passed by this area was only two years ago.”

"The seaside is prone to aging, not to mention it has been damaged by typhoons."

The director led everyone to the front of the villa.

"This is it, Osaka guy. The unidentified body was found with these strange characters against its back. Tomorrow's reasoning duel with Detective Mori will also revolve around this place. Come and see if you can find any clues."

The director then sighed again.

"I only agreed to this show because the mayor strongly insisted, but to be honest, this is the first time we've had a show where the detectives solve the mystery themselves. Even we don't know what it means..."

"So you mean it was all scripted before?" Hattori Heiji teased.

"There's nothing we can do about it, but at least it's not a live broadcast, so we can see how it goes first."

The director didn't seem to have any expectations of Hattori Heiji either, and immediately assigned tasks after everyone had read the text.

"Everyone, go around the island and look for any clues. Let's lay the groundwork for tomorrow's recording."

Conan stood in front of the wooden pillar, stroking his chin, lost in thought.

This kind of cryptic code, without any beginning or end, seems completely incomprehensible.

The production team definitely made a mistake. They might as well have created a mystery for the detective to solve. Either way, it's a mystery to solve, and it's better than not knowing what's going on at all.

Wouldn't it be terrible if it turned out to be a false alarm?

but……

Conan glanced at Gao Mo's figure as he entered the wooden villa.

If anyone might know the meaning of the code, Gao Mo, who arrived a day early, is undoubtedly one of them.

Let's sound him out first...

"Stop right there!" Heiji Hattori grabbed Conan with a grim expression. "Trying to run around again, huh? Kid, just stay here and behave yourself. Honestly, I have to take care of you at a time like this."

Conan tried to break free but was lifted up from behind.

hateful.

If he hadn't known this guy was a blabbermouth, he would have revealed his identity directly.

"what?"

Conan was startled, sensing a malicious gaze, but when he turned around, he found nothing.

The staff all scattered, leaving only the director and the outsiders in front of the villa, along with the captain who was still on the ship.

"What is that captain doing?"

"Oh, they're probably fishing here?" the director said casually. "There are a lot of bamboo leaf fish in this area because the currents are very fast."

……

Inside the wooden villa.

Gao Mo looked at the remaining traces of life for a while longer, as if he could see a lively little girl laughing and playing hide-and-seek.

Not only the wooden pillars and doors, but also many tables and chairs had crayon marks underneath.

The little girl was clearly very happy, like a carefree princess.

If his deduction is correct, the person referred to as "Mom" is the maid who was murdered in the mayor's house five years ago, while "Chiyo-nii" is likely the mayor's housekeeper who resigned.

The incident five years ago was like a dividing line, completely changing the mayor's house and this vacation villa that holds many memories.

The mayor never returned, and he didn't even take away many things, including a portrait of Miss Xiaodu stored on the second floor.

Gao Mo recalled his brief encounter with the mayor.

The other party gave him a strange feeling, as if they were hiding something. Rather than hoping the detective would solve the mystery, it seemed more like they wanted to confirm something through the detective.

"Gah!"

Gao Mo pushed open the back door of the villa.

Many clues were a jumbled mess for him as an outsider, but after sorting them out through the Hall of Thought, traces could still be found.

The core of the incident is undoubtedly the missing Miss Xiaodu.

In addition, there was the gold screen that was stolen from the mayor's house.

He didn't know what was going on at first, but after meeting those staff members, things gradually became clear.

It was as if the light of truth had shone before him as he pushed open the door.

"call!"

A sinister wind swept through the forest on Ghost Turtle Island, swirling up piles of leaves that seemed to be making way for Gao Mo.

At the same time, a malevolent dark figure hid behind the trees, his eyes gleaming with malice as he stared at the sexy woman in black who was quietly entering the woods, his hands gripping the rope tightly.

Finally, after the hot girl unearthed the wooden boat and sealed wooden box from among the branches, the dark figure slowly walked up behind her.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Mr. Daito?"

Gao Mo emerged from the swirling leaves and called out to the startled, weathered-faced man.

"Once you make a choice, there's no going back."

"You are... the owner of that detective agency?" The weathered-faced man swallowed hard and turned around. "What are you talking about? I..."

The hot girl searching through the wooden box also looked surprised. When she saw the rope in the uncle's hand, she seemed to realize something and lowered her head with a blank look in her eyes.

“I specifically asked the mayor about the robbery case from 5 years ago, including you, the mayor’s former butler, Mikihiko Daito.”

Gao Mo's gaze fell on the hot girl who was slumped on the ground.

"And you, you must be Miss Xiaodu who disappeared 5 years ago, right? You specially changed your hairstyle and skin color, but you can still see the shadow of the old photos."

"Xiao Du?" The weathered man's body trembled again. "How is this possible? She should be..."

“That’s right, she was a member of the gang of robbers five years ago, or rather, she was the mastermind.”

Gao Mo stopped a few meters away.

"The kidnapping case five years ago was actually orchestrated by her. The mayor probably had some suspicions about this, but he didn't reveal it because of the maid's murder. He also didn't react strongly when the gold screen was stolen later."

"How is this possible?" The weathered man stared at the hot girl in disbelief, his mind in turmoil.

“I’m sorry, Chiyo-nii,” the girl said painfully. “I never expected something like that to happen. Because my mother passed away, and I’m not my father’s biological daughter, I was just trying to test whether he still considered me his daughter…”

"Sorry? Testing you?"

The weathered man aged several years in an instant, and two lines of clear tears streamed down his face as he smiled.

"Matsumoto died a violent death for such a ridiculous reason? Wasn't the young lady her favorite when she was a child? How could she do such a thing?"

The hot girl also sobbed, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

"What's the use of being sorry?"

The weathered old man gripped the rope tightly and then loosened it, turning blankly to Gao Mo.

"How did you know we were here?"

"The place where the princess sleeps is A, not B. A refers to the tortoise shell, while B represents Princess Otohime of the Sea Dragon Palace, a character from Urashima Taro..."

Gao Mo sensed that Hattori Heiji was approaching the forest.

"I had a general idea, but when you mentioned Urashima Taro, I was completely certain that there were signs of activity in the villa that had been uninhabited. You were the one who came to the island to scout it out beforehand, right?"
It seems you've been investigating ever since the body was discovered, leading you to find the treasure chest hidden in the woods, and discovering that the victim was a member of the bandit gang from back then, leaving a coded message to alert his comrades—

The treasure is no longer at the bottom of the sea, but has been hidden in this forest.

I suspect the typhoon blew the shipwreck containing the treasure chest ashore, and the lone bandit member who came to investigate discovered it, only to be trapped and die on the island due to the typhoon.

“You’re right,” the weathered man’s expression shifted. “I knew the other bandits wouldn’t miss this opportunity to come to the island, so I wanted to find them all. I didn’t expect Miss Xiao Du to be among them…”

It's a pity, I was so close. If it weren't for you, I could have avenged Matsumoto. I should have known better than to resort to any deduction activities..."

"Is killing the only way to get revenge?"

Gao Mo sensed the melancholy of the weathered old man.

"This is the best outcome. We can find out about all the members of the robbery group through Miss Xiaodu and hand them over to the law for punishment."

There are far too many criminals in this world who escape legal punishment, but these robbers are definitely not among them.

As he spoke, Gao Mo turned to the hot girl who had completely dropped her disguise and was crying incessantly.

"If you truly repent, you should identify all your accomplices. Judging from your childhood, the death of that maid must not be something you can easily let go of..."

Hurry up, you don't have much time.

He could clearly see the hot girl's fate of death.

A person destined to die will not be spared by his intervention.

He wouldn't pay the price to save a stranger, even though he had already earned 100 stars on this island.

“When you get back, it’s best to say goodbye to your father. I can tell he treats you like a daughter, otherwise he wouldn’t have kept it from the police after discovering your involvement in the case.”

(End of this chapter)