Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 287 The Crossroads of the Labyrinth

three days later.

Gao Mo enjoyed a hot spring trip before returning to Tokyo, and before he could even rest, he was invited to attend the ancient art exhibition at the Beika Art Museum.

These past few days, he wasn't just slacking off; he also finished reading all the books projected onto his notes, including the newly acquired "Guide to Freelance Writers."

Although Yamoshita isn't very good, his professional skills are decent, and he could even switch careers to become a detective.

Intelligence gathering is not necessarily worse than detective work.

However, after reviewing it once, Gao Mo found that only photography and press release writing were truly useful to him.

In addition, his experience with ducks broadened his horizons.

Secretly filming, taking things out of context, intimidation and threats... all sorts of despicable tactics are emerging one after another.

In a way, this guy died because of his own lack of experience and greed.

He thought the short-haired waitress would give in like his previous targets, and even tried to use Kinukawa Kazuki to control her, but he didn't expect that the short-haired woman was not Kinukawa Kazuki's mother at all.

No wonder it turned into an evil spirit so quickly.

I will die with my eyes open.

……

Rice Art Museum.

Gao Mo was still thinking about the lesson he learned from Ya Xia, and at the same time, he was planning his career path.

The novelist and the freelance journalist both advanced by one level.

Currently, I am a level 2 novelist and a level 1 freelance journalist.
They were granted the talents of "Mastery of Novels" and "News Photography" respectively.

Perhaps due to the nature of their profession, their talents are much more ordinary compared to those of the past, but they are more suited to upgrading within their respective professions.

"Is this the art museum where the divine punishment incident occurred?"

A gasp of surprise pulled Gao Mo back to his senses.

Unlike before, the art museum is now bustling with visitors, many of whom come specifically to see it, and quite a few have inquired about the inside story of "divine punishment".

Gao Mo's eyes twitched as he watched.

These people have absolutely no inhibitions.

However, this is a good thing for art museums.

After the previous owner of the museum, Manaka, died tragically, no one dared to touch the museum anymore, and with the support of the citizens, it actually thrived.

Many people provided some exhibits.

The famous sword Kikuchiyo that he received from Yuji Suwa has been on display here.

Yuji Suwa, who was serving his sentence, didn't say anything after learning about it.

Gao Mo followed the crowd into the hall and soon saw the Kikuchiyo exhibit, which was in a very prominent position.

Frankly speaking, the best place for these famous knives is in an art gallery or museum; they are more likely to be damaged if kept by private individuals.

Although generally no one would use a famous sword to cut things, it still requires time and effort to maintain, otherwise even the best sword will not withstand the erosion of time.

"Hattori went to Kyoto?"

In the art museum exhibition hall, while Gao Mo was observing Kikuchiyo, Kazuha, who was with Sonoko on the other side, didn't seem very happy.

“Yes, we suddenly received a request from that temple,” Kazuha said, sounding a little down. “But he used to go to Kyoto around this time too, because his first love, whom he’s been looking for, is there.”

"Wasn't you Hattori's first love?"

"No, it seems to be a girl a few years older than him. She even left him a crystal bead. It was even reported in the newspapers because Heiji hasn't been able to find that girl all these years..."

"I didn't realize that guy was so devoted," Sonoko sighed. "But if you ask me, Kazuha, you're better. Hattori is really blind."

Gao Mo glanced at the two women and continued walking toward the other exhibits.

His knowledge of ancient Japan was limited; he simply memorized some details to avoid being completely clueless when encountering such cases.

After all, a qualified detective needs to have a lot of knowledge. He can have a superficial understanding, but he can't be completely ignorant of it. Otherwise, when it comes to relevant information, he won't even know how to investigate.

"Boss Kido!"

Director Ochiai walked around the museum with his hands behind his back, just like before, a happy expression on his face, enjoying the exclamations of wonder from the visitors.

Upon seeing Gao Mo, the old curator immediately opened his narrowed eyes and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Would you like me to show you around?

"No need, I'll just look around by myself."

Gao Mo glanced at Director Ochiai a few more times.

Later, he worried that the old curator was too murderous. After all, there were quite a few people in Detective Conan who killed each other because of conflicting ideas. It wouldn't be surprising if the old curator, who treated art as his life, killed a tourist.

It seems alright now.

The old man wasn't that exaggerated.

"Director, I've brought the things back." Iijima carried the cardboard box past, looking much the same as before, still honest yet shrewd.

“He’s Iijima, one of our employees,” Director Ochiai introduced, “and a good-for-nothing at that.”

Iijima ignored the curator's scolding, but looked at Gao Mo with surprise, vaguely feeling that he was somewhat familiar: "Is he the new employee who came to apply for the job?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Director Ochiai glared, his beard bristling. "This is the owner of the Kido Detective Agency! He not only sent Kikuchiyo to be exhibited here, but he also sponsored our museum. He's our great benefactor!"

"Hello, hello," Iijima greeted nervously.

"Ah."

Gao Mo nodded slightly, without saying anything.

I remember working here before for an event, but coming back now feels completely different.

The world has changed because of him, so his life wasn't in vain.

"That case must be related to you, right?" Ai followed Gao Mo and said dejectedly after Director Ochiai walked away. "You were already dealing with death back then? Sometimes I really suspect you're a death god too."

"Cough cough, how could I possibly be the Grim Reaper?" Gao Mo turned his head to look at the exhibits provided by other citizens, and was about to make a comment when a blurry premonition suddenly flashed through his mind.

A faint red glint of light could be seen.

Where did the warning come from?
……

Maori Detective Agency.

The man with the mustache, who was temporarily unemployed, looked like he was living a life of debauchery. Ran was doing her usual accounting next to him, while Conan was watching TV out of boredom.

The Kido Detective Agency next door is getting a steady stream of clients, while this place is just sitting around doing nothing.

Why did he stay here in the first place?
Although part of the reason was for Xiaolan, the case was also very important.

After becoming a child, there are far too few opportunities to be involved in cases, making it extremely inconvenient to solve them.

But that old geezer...

Conan sighed inwardly and glanced at the scruffy mustache.

He immediately revealed his true colors after returning from Atami.

"You brat, what kind of look is that?" The man with the mustache lowered his eyelids. "You've made so much money, what's wrong with taking a break once in a while? Don't forget that your parents' 1000 million has long been spent, and now you're just eating and living for free."

Conan's cheek twitched.

How much money can one child like him use?

"Dad! Didn't you say Conan is our lucky charm? We started making money from the time Conan started staying with us, so why are you being so petty?"

After carefully checking the accounts, Xiaolan put the bills from her email aside and took out the prize money Xiaohuzi won from the competitive eating contest.

"And the reason our family is struggling financially is because you like to spend money recklessly, isn't it?"

"Really?" the mustachioed man snorted. "How can you call an adult's expenses frivolous spending? They're all necessary expenses for work!"

"Yes, yes, horse racing is also a job?" Xiaolan began to list the items. "Let me see, the debts you incurred at the izakaya and snack shops, car rental fees, dry cleaning fees, the advance payment for drinks last month, and living expenses for this month and next month, plus my allowance..."

If you keep betting on horse races, the 500 million prize money won won't be enough. This money has to be kept by me!

"Here you go," the mustachioed man said confidently, waving his hand dismissively. "Anyway, the child star's commission fee should be sent by now. At most, 1000 million shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Dad, aren't you overthinking this?" Xiaolan said speechlessly. "Besides, it was Brother Kido who found He Hui's mother."

"I also contributed, so it's just a matter of splitting the work 50/50 with Kido..."

"Uncle, you'd better not expect too much."

Conan's expression was subtle as he turned and moved a pink pig piggy bank in front of the mustachioed man.

“I have already opened the things that Kinukawa Kazuki sent; this is all his savings.”

"What?" The man with the mustache stared at the piggy bank, a bad feeling rising in his heart. "No way?"

“That’s it.” Conan Bear shrugged.

"impossible?"

"Bang!"

The man with the mustache stubbornly smashed open the piggy bank, looked at the pile of coins in front of him, counted them over and over, and looked completely incredulous.

"Five thousand...only five thousand yen?! Isn't that kid a popular child star?"

"You know he's a child star too." Conan smirked with schadenfreude.

He finally understood why Gao Mo had pushed the commission onto his uncle.

“Um, Xiaolan,” the man with the mustache swallowed hard and turned to his daughter, “that 500 million yuan prize money…”

"Don't even think about it!" Xiaolan hurriedly hid the prize money and moved away from her father with a wary look on her face. "Don't even think about taking this money, and don't go to Brother Kido to borrow money!"

"Do I look like the kind of person who would borrow money?" The man with the mustache couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

Hmph, he'll get a ten million order soon.

"Recently, members of the infamous Genji Firefly Bandit Gang have been murdered one after another. Five people have been killed in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. The specific reasons are still unknown. The Metropolitan Police Department, the Osaka Prefectural Police, and the Kyoto Prefectural Police are investigating..."

"what?"

Conan was suddenly drawn to the television news report.

“From the third year of the Heisei era, Genji Akira, centered around Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, mainly stole famous Buddhist statues and works of art. All members addressed each other by the names of Yoshitsune’s retainers, and each had a copy of the ‘Records of Yoshitsune’…”

"The five people killed this time were codenamed Suruga Jiro, Bizen Heishiro, Kamei Rokuro, Washio Shichiro, and Kataoka Hachiro. There is currently no news about the leader Yoshitsune, Benkei, and Ise Saburo..."

"Police revealed at a press conference that they only know the perpetrator is a master of kendo and archery, and there are no other clues at the moment."

"A bandit gang?"

The man with the mustache watched the news, and the television screen showed Inspector Megure's serious, chubby face, along with a list of the code names of all the gang members.

"No one named Goro, they must be afraid of me, Kogoro Mori, right? Wahahaha!"

Conan almost lost his balance.

Even narcissism has its limits.

The bandit gang had been active for over a decade, and there was never a member named Goro among Yoshitsune's retainers.

However, for the police to be on such high alert, it must be an extraordinary case.

Is it revenge or internal strife?

The fact that members of a gang that the police had been unable to catch for so many years were assassinated so easily suggests that the killer was no ordinary person.

"Oh dear," Conan couldn't help but make a strange sound as he pondered, "Why wasn't Uncle invited for this joint operation? If Detective Kogoro Mouri were involved, he would surely have caught the culprit immediately, right?"

The man with the mustache had a dark expression, and his forehead throbbed.

That brat.

That's really annoying.

"Hmph, why would I need to get involved in something like this? Besides, I haven't been in Tokyo these past few days, and Kido wasn't invited either, was he?"

(End of this chapter)