Survival Manual of the Science Fiction World

Ran nodded and pointed upstairs: "Dad is packing his things. He just received a request and was about to leave, but Conan hasn't come back from Dr. Agasa's house. Chu Ming, why don't you come with us? Dad said this time it's a request from the Shetaku family, a musical family. It's sure to be very interesting."

"Of course, the reason I came with Conan this time is to talk to Uncle Mori about this." Chu Ming patted Conan's head beside him. "Ran, go take out the trash first, we'll go upstairs."

When Chu Ming and Conan went upstairs, they saw Kogoro Mouri sitting by the window with a furrowed brow, staring intently at what was in front of him, deep in thought.

"Is this request particularly difficult?" Conan wondered, and prepared to go over and see what Kogoro Mouri was struggling with, and see if he could help.

When he reached the window and saw the horse racing footage playing on the screen in front of Kogoro Mouri, his face fell, and he looked at Kogoro Mouri with a speechless expression.

"Ah—oh dear!" Kogoro Mori stared intently at the horse racing on the screen, but in the end, the number he wanted was still half a body length behind. Frustrated, he slammed his fist on the table: "How could this be! It was clearly in the lead at the beginning! Is there some kind of cheating involved?!"

"Uncle, watching horse racing again?" Chu Ming greeted him casually, placing the gift he had brought on the table and sitting down on the sofa. "I brought you some good wine. Did you finish the last one? Keep it safe and drink a little every day."

He's become quite familiar with the place; he can find a seat on his own without needing to be invited.

"Sigh, you're the one who still cares about me." Kogoro Mouri sighed. "As for horse racing, I just wanted to make a little money. Yoko is having a concert in a few months, and Ran is holding all my living expenses. I need to make some money to buy concert tickets. The ticket prices have gone up this time, and I can't afford them without making some money. Otherwise, why would I be working so hard to take on commissions lately?"

"Yoko's concert? Oh, right, it seems like the ticket price has gone up quite a bit." Chu Ming seemed to recall Vodka mentioning it at the base, and Vodka, that brainless fan, had even been engaged in a heated online argument with someone.

Chu Ming recalled how Vodka had been typing passionately and indignantly at the base, even slamming his fist on the table as he typed. He couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

He glanced at it as he passed by and happened to see Vodka's comment, which was the epitome of flattery. What did he say again—

"What do you mean expensive?! Don't talk nonsense. How is 79 expensive? Ms. Yoko has had a tough journey. She finally became famous. What's wrong with her concert tickets being a little expensive? Sometimes, those who complain about the high ticket prices should look at their own behavior. Have their salaries increased over the years? Have they been working hard?"

The above is roughly what was said; Chu Ming simply couldn't bear to look at it.

"Given your relationship with Ms. Yoko, why would you need to buy your own tickets? Ms. Yoko admires you so much, she might just send them to you directly." Chu Ming was a little puzzled. In his opinion, there was no need for Kogoro Mouri to buy tickets.

"No way! I want to keep the tickets that Yoko-san sent me herself!" Kogoro Mouri exclaimed, his face beaming. "And the tickets I worked so hard to buy are also a token of my love for Yoko-san~"

Chu Ming silently shut up. Fine, he couldn't connect with these fans' thought processes. But since he was going to take on more commissions, that was good too; it meant he could get more exposure to Kogoro Mouri's energy lately.

When we arrived at the Shitara family ancestral home in Kogoro Mouri's car, it was already dusk, and the sunset had changed from crimson to a pale red. In the distance, the setting sun met the winding mountain range, and the afterglow fell on the tall, ancient courtyard wall. The mottled shadows of the trees swayed slightly on the wall with the mountain breeze, and we could faintly hear the soothing and beautiful sound of a violin.

Kogoro Mouri stepped forward and knocked on the door. As the door opened, a woman with her hair up came out. Time had etched wrinkles on her face, but she still looked intelligent and capable. She looked at Chu Ming and his group with a hint of doubt in her eyes: "Who are you looking for?"

"I am Kogoro Mouri. I came here on a request from your esteemed household." Seeing the woman's puzzled expression, he quickly added, flipping through the appointment book in his hand, "It's Miss Renki."

“I see.” She adjusted her glasses. “I am Tsukumo Kousei, the butler of the Shitara family. Miss Renki is practicing the violin at the annex. If you go, please do not disturb her practice. She has a very important performance tonight.”

Conan asked curiously, "Is there something going on tonight?"

Seeing that Conan was a child, Jinqu Hongsheng explained to him, "Tonight is our master's 72nd birthday."

Chu Ming walked at the very back, and his gaze towards Conan instantly changed. This was too much! What kind of Grim Reaper would visit an old man on his birthday?

It's absolutely outrageous and insanely beautiful!

However, although Chu Ming was inwardly complaining, he did not say it to Conan.

After all, saying this kind of thing once or twice is a joke, but saying it too often is going too far. There should always be a limit to how much you can use memes.

Although this isn't a joke, it's a fact, but we can't let this incident create a rift between Conan and him at a time like this. He still relies on Conan to help him find the FBI's trail.

Tsuku Kosei led the group to the annex, gently opened the door, and Shiraku Renki was still engrossed in her performance with her eyes closed, completely unaware that someone had arrived.

“Miss, this Mr. Mori says he has an appointment with you,” Tsukumo Kurenai interrupted Shitara Renki’s performance and spoke up.

? ?

Didn't we say not to disturb your young lady's performance?

Why did you just blurt it out?

Chapter 589 Moroboshi Dai?

Conan ran over to Shitara Renki, who was exchanging pleasantries with Kogoro Mouri, and looked up at her, asking, "Sister, are you the one with perfect pitch?"

Shira Renki looked down at the short man beside her and smiled: "Of course not, the person with perfect pitch is my uncle."

When her uncle was mentioned, Shirakawa Renki's eyes sparkled, as if she greatly admired him. Seeing that Conan also looked on with longing, she put down her violin and gestured for Conan to follow her: "Your uncle is home today too, I'll take you to find him!"

Shirakawa Renki excitedly led Conan to another piano hall in the annex. As soon as they entered the hall, they saw a man with gentle features and a hint of melancholy in his eyes sitting on a stool by the window. The setting sun shone through the windowpane into the hall and fell on the man's profile and body, giving him a warm orange-yellow hue. At this moment, he was speaking gently to someone on the other end of the phone.

Hearing the professional music terminology he used, Conan's eyes lit up. As soon as he hung up, Conan immediately grabbed his phone and rushed forward, pressing a few keys—0858.

He had previously heard the first four syllables of the email address Vermouth sent to the boss: si la so la. The corresponding keypad number on a mobile phone should be 0858, which is the area code for Tottori Prefecture. If you follow that line, it should be able to continue with a song, and it might just be the boss's email address!

Conan stared intently at Kyosuke Haga, hoping he could offer some guidance.

Yuga Kyosuke blinked as he looked at the child who rushed up to him and pressed a few keys on his phone: "Are you talking about me?"

Conan didn't understand what Kyosuke Haga meant and continued to ask, "Uncle, could you tell me what note I just pressed?"

Before he could answer, Shiraki Renki looked at Haga Kyosuke with longing and asked, "Uncle, how was my performance?"

Haga Kyosuke snapped out of his daze and looked at Shitara Renki with a smile: "Not bad, you played very well. There was a part where you lowered the key by a quarter, but I think the change was good."

Seeing that her idolized uncle had affirmed her, Shira Renki was overjoyed, her eyes filled with tiny stars.

Conan tried to stand on tiptoe to attract Kyosuke Haga's attention, but as soon as he started to call out "Uncle," Kyosuke Haga's phone rang again.

After all, famous musicians are still very busy.

Conan held up his phone for a long time, then his arm trembled and he silently put his hand down.

Chu Ming watched Conan tapping on his phone, a shadow of malice flickering in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant before anyone noticed.

This couldn't be stopped. Vermouth's carelessness had led Conan to investigate this place. Even without Kyosuke Haga's help, he could find someone else to help him crack the email.

It's okay if Conan finds out. Even if he does confirm the BOSS's email address, he can't hand it over. If this gets out, he'll be the first one the organization targets.

“Miss Lianxi, this gentleman said he is also a detective who has an appointment with you, so I brought him over.” Butler Jin Qu Hongsheng suddenly walked over, followed by a handsome young man with a somewhat aloof demeanor.

"Huh?" Shiraki Renki looked up at the newcomer with a puzzled expression. "I remember inviting Mr. Mori, not any other detectives..."

The newcomer remained calm and composed, saying, "Ms. Shitara, please allow me to introduce myself. I am private detective Dai Moroboshi. You once posted a request for help on the forum, and I replied to you before. You even sent me your address privately. Do you remember?"

Shira Renki was stunned for a moment: "But this post of mine... was posted half a year ago. Someone did reply to me, but then it disappeared without a trace. That's why I decided to ask a professional. I found Mr. Mori. Why are you only coming today—this—"

Moroboshi Dai looked confident: "You didn't go into too much detail in your post, only saying that something would happen on the birthday of an elder every year. I happened to have a case that I hadn't finished yet, so I thought I'd finish it first and then come to see you. It just so happens that it's your elder's birthday this year, which is more conducive to my investigation."

Shiraku Renki never expected that the detective she had casually replied to in a forum post would actually run into Kogoro Mouri. She glanced at Kogoro Mouri somewhat awkwardly and said, "Mr. Mouri, I'm so sorry. Don't worry, even though Mr. Moroboshi came unexpectedly, you are still my first choice. Can I just say I've hired two of you at the same time?"

Kogoro Mouri had no objections. He glanced at Dai Moroboshi and waved his hand, "Of course, no problem, Ms. Shitara. Don't worry, leave this to me, Kogoro Mouri!"

Upon hearing Kogoro Mouri's words, Dai Moroboshi was shocked: "You are the famous detective Kogoro Mouri? I have admired you for a long time! I can forgo the commission fee, Mr. Mouri. Can I accompany you this time and witness your case-solving process?"

Kogoro Mouri, flattered by the praise, grinned from ear to ear: "Hahaha, of course! Kid, you've hit the jackpot to witness the famous detective Kogoro Mouri solving a case on the spot!"

Shuichi Akai maintained his adoring gaze, but his attention was actually focused on Conan.

Upon hearing from the bug that Conan had heard about the BOSS's email address, Shuichi Akai immediately perked up and decided to make contact with Conan first.

However, his own face was already that of a wanted criminal. This time, he specially brought a colleague who was particularly good at makeup to help him modify his face shape. Although it couldn't completely transform him into another person like a disguise, it should be enough to make him look presentable when going out.

To get in touch with Conan and obtain information, you need to go to the same place as him.

He specifically asked someone to quickly check the information about the Shitara family, and they happened to find a help request that Shitara Renki had posted on a detective forum half a year ago. The information in the post was vague, and only a few people replied.

Shuichi Akai decided to impersonate one of the detectives and go directly to their door. Since everyone on the forum used nicknames, there was no way to verify their identities, which suited his current situation perfectly.

Conan looked at the suddenly appearing Moroboshi Dai with some doubt. Could someone really have received a request half a year ago and only appeared after half a year?

Conan was clearly skeptical, even looking at the somewhat familiar silhouette with a sense of doubt, as if he had seen this person somewhere before.

Chu Ming stood at the back of the crowd, glancing at Shuichi Akai, who didn't even want to rethink his name, and subtly rolled his eyes.

Sure enough, upon hearing the news about the BOSS's email address, the FBI agents swarmed in like hyenas smelling meat.

Chapter 590 Nobody Should Dislike Anyone

Just as the group was chatting, Lianxi's grandmother suddenly came downstairs. Her eyes were sunken and her face was pale. As she walked, she was calling out something in a mournful voice, which startled Xiaolan.

Lianxi quickly stepped forward to help the old woman up, and then, feeling embarrassed, explained to everyone that her grandmother had been in a daze ever since her father passed away, and had been searching for him everywhere.

Just as the group was talking, the protagonist of today's birthday banquet, Shitara Choichiro, appeared at the door. Looking at his deranged wife, he shouted angrily, "How long are you still thinking about that dead man? My son, Shiroto, has been dead for a long time!"

Shitara Choichiro's complexion was clearly not good either, and he looked like he had been sick for a long time. Shitara Renki supported her grandfather with one hand and her grandmother with the other, so she had to turn around and ask Mouri Kogoro and Akai Shuichi to wait for her in the hall for a while while she settled her grandparents in.

Chu Ming and his group entered the hall. Conan wandered around the hall for a while before stopping next to Shuichi Akai: "Moroboshi-nii, I've never heard of you before. Where is your agency?"

Shuichi Akai looked at the boy pretending to be innocent beside him and gave him a gentle, slightly bittersweet smile: "I'm just a third-rate detective. I'm far inferior to Mr. Mori. As for my agency, it's in the suburbs of Tokyo. I rent a small house there. After all, I haven't received any big cases in recent years. It's mostly just some small, fragmented investigations. I'm barely making ends meet. It's normal that you haven't heard of me."

They seemed to say a lot, but they didn't reveal any information.

This meticulous caution clearly aroused Conan's suspicion, and his eyes were secretly fixed on Shuichi Akai.

Conan sat down next to Chu Ming while deep in thought, and at the same time quietly poked Chu Ming with a finger, signaling him to ask as well.

Chu Ming could sense that Shuichi Akai was also glancing in their direction out of the corner of his eye, and his observation was much more discreet than Conan's. He probably saw Conan's little actions, so Chu Ming followed Conan's lead and looked up at Shuichi Akai as well. Just then, Shuichi Akai, in order to better observe Chu Ming and Conan out of the corner of his eye, was looking directly at Ran.

"Mr. Moroboshi, you said you've admired Uncle Mori for a long time, but we've been sitting in the living room for so long. Logically, since you rarely get to see your idol, shouldn't you be asking him about the details of his investigation? Why are your eyes fixed on Ran instead?"

Chu Ming's words were no less than a stab to the heart. Shuichi Akai's expression changed slightly. He was indeed about to speak to Ran, which would also be a good opportunity for him to observe Conan and Chu Ming's movements. So, as soon as Chu Ming finished speaking, when everyone's eyes fell on him, what they saw was him staring intently at Ran.

Conan, always jealous, was immediately overcome with resentment. Forgetting all suspicion, he jumped off the chair and ran to Ran's side, using his small body to block her view and try to shield her from Akai Shuichi's gaze.

Kogoro Mouri's gaze was also somewhat unfriendly. Chu Ming's words caused Shuichi Akai to be hit with two bombs at once. First, it showed that Shuichi Akai's previous words of admiration were actually flattery. Second, it made the doting father see someone trying to talk to Ran, and in his eyes, this person was a hypocrite. Shuichi Akai's impression of Kogoro Mouri plummeted instantly.

Seeing this, Shuichi Akai looked flustered and quickly explained, "It's not like that, it's just that it's the first time I've met someone I admire, and I don't know how to start the conversation..."

Chu Ming looked at him, but didn't dwell on that point. Instead, he asked, "Which website did Miss Lianxi post on? May I take a look?"

Shuichi Akai was somewhat surprised to see him turn the page so easily, but since he could change the subject, he immediately followed suit: "It's a detective forum. I usually take on cases there. I just happened to come across Ms. Shitara's help request."

When faced with the website address that Shuichi Akai gave him, Chu Ming didn't take out his phone. Instead, he leaned closer to Shuichi Akai and asked with a smile, "I won't search for it. Mr. Moroboshi, could you just show it to me?"