Survival Manual of the Science Fiction World

Conan instantly realized Chu Ming's plan. He wanted to use the guise of looking at forum posts to check the back office of Moroboshi Dai to see if Shitara Renki had asked him for help. So Conan immediately chimed in, "Yeah, big brother, I want to see too, is that okay?"

Shuichi Akai looked at the boy leaning closer to him, then at Conan staring expectantly on the other side, and knew that the two of them suspected him and were preparing to investigate. However, he usually considered all aspects when doing things, and since he was going to use this identity, he would definitely not overlook details such as the forum.

Seeing Shuichi Akai deftly pull out his phone to show it to them, Chu Ming and Conan exchanged a glance, thanked him, took the phone, and huddled together to look at it.

In her post, Shira Renki stated that she needed a detective to help her find out what was wrong with her family, saying that something bad would happen to her parents and elders every year on their birthdays, so she was seeking help. The post did not go into much detail.

Chu Ming handed the phone back to Shuichi Akai. Just as Conan was about to ask something, Renki Shitara walked over with a violin case and placed it on the table.

Kogoro Mouri looked at the opened violin case and carefully examined the violin inside: "This violin looks quite old."

Shira Renki nodded: "This violin is three hundred years old and was made entirely by hand."

Kogoro Mouri picked up the bow, placed the violin on his shoulder, and began sawing it, producing a series of piercing sounds. He even shook his head and swayed, seemingly quite absorbed in the music, with a smug smile on his face.

"..." Conan and Ran tried to cover their ears, their eyes vacant.

Chu Ming grabbed Kogoro Mouri's hand and said earnestly, "How about Conan and you sing a duet? I think the two of you could create some sparks."

Kogoro Mouri looked at Chu Ming, who was holding him down, with an unfriendly expression: "That Conan song that's so awful it could kill you, you think you can match it with me? Don't ruin my piano playing."

"...???"

Where did you get the courage? Who gave you the confidence that you're better than Conan?

Is it possible that you two are equally matched, and neither of you can find fault with the other?

Chapter 591 Conspiracy

Chu Ming tried to persuade Kogoro Mouri to put down his violin, but Kogoro held onto it, believing himself to be a genius, and refused to stop torturing Chu Ming's ears.

Shiraki Renki looked at Kogoro Mouri and said softly, "This violin was made by the Italian craftsman Antonio Storatibali—"

Kogoro Mouri's hand froze instantly.

"Storatival?" Kogoro Mori suddenly felt the violin in his hands getting hot. "Could it be that legendary violin, the one worth hundreds of millions... the Storatival?"

Kogoro Mouri swallowed hard in surprise, his hand holding the koto trembling slightly. If he used too much force, he wouldn't be able to afford to pay for it even if he sold himself.

Xiao Lan jumped up: "Dad, put it down right now!!!"

Kogoro Mouri tried to hold onto the violin tightly to prevent it from slipping, but he was afraid of damaging it by using too much force. He was so anxious that he even used his face to help him hold on. Finally, with Ran's help, he put the violin down.

Chu Ming, standing to the side, didn't offer any help; he was laughing so hard he almost fell off his chair, prompting Kogoro Mouri to give him a death stare after putting down his zither.

Chu Ming straightened his expression and changed the subject: "Miss Lianxi, is there something wrong with this zither?"

Shira Renki shook her head and looked at the violin on the table: "This is a cursed violin..."

Faced with the puzzled looks from the crowd, she slowly explained why she had sought out the detective.

This violin was a birthday gift from Yosuke Haga's father, Tanjiro, to his older brother, Choichiro, thirty years ago. However, on his birthday, they were attacked by robbers. While the others remained still after being tied up, Tanjiro fought back fiercely and was injured by the robbers, dying a few days later.

She thought the matter would end there, but in the past two years, something bad has happened every year on her birthday. The year before last, her great-uncle Genzaburo's wife fell down the stairs and died. Last year, her father also fell from the railing and died.

Before she died, they had all played this violin at their birthday parties. This year it was her turn to play, so she was very scared and went around looking for detectives to see what was going on.

The group exchanged bewildered glances. They all felt that Shira Renki's description was simply an accident, and for a moment they didn't know how to tell her.

"Then why don't you just not pull?" Chu Ming casually comforted her. "Don't worry, Uncle Mori just pulled too. Even if there's some kind of curse, it's a 50/50 chance between you two. Besides, Uncle Mori has always had bad luck, so you can relax."

???

Kogoro Mouri was completely bewildered, but his eyes were filled with a fierce glint as he looked at Chu Ming.

Conan, suppressing a laugh, also offered a different perspective: "Yeah, Sister Renxi, if the curse only applies to the banquet, you can skip it on your birthday and just do it whenever you have free time."

“Impossible. Grandpa guards it very closely and usually doesn’t let us touch it. I only let him lend it to me for a little while because I said I wanted to practice beforehand.” Shirara Renki placed her hands on the edge of the table and looked at Kogoro Mouri and Shuichi Akai with a serious expression. “So, gentlemen, could you help me break the curse on this instrument before the banquet?”

Even Shuichi Akai was baffled by this nonsensical request.

Just as the group was wondering how to dissuade her from this idea, Conan noticed that the annex behind them was now engulfed in flames and hurriedly jumped off his stool: "Fire!"

"Something's wrong! Uncle Genzaburo is resting in the other room!!" Shiratsuya Renki rushed outside and told the butler to call the fire department.

As Chu Ming watched everyone rush out anxiously, he deliberately slowed down and stayed behind. After everyone had rushed towards the villa, Yuhe Xiangfu suddenly ran over from the side and discreetly switched the violin in his hand with the one on the table.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw Chu Ming standing by the door, staring at him for who knows how long, and he took a step back in fright: "You, why are you still here?"

Chu Ming chuckled and waved his hand: "Let's not beat around the bush, Mr. Yuhe. I know you want to avenge your father. You killed Genzaburo, and you're planning to kill Tsuneichiro and his wife next, right?"

Yuga Kyosuke paused for a moment, then said, "I don't understand what you're saying. I needed to tune Renshira's violin before. She took the wrong violin earlier, so I brought it to her. I have to go help put out a fire. Sir, could you please move aside?"

Watching him walk past him, Chu Ming continued, "Your father was killed by his eldest and third brothers, so you want revenge. You plan to kill them in musical order, starting with your mother, Chiba; your father, Tanjiro; your third aunt, Eimi; Miss Renki's father, Jiangren... all the way to yourself. But because Tsuneichiro is ill and won't live much longer, and you don't want the musical scale to be disrupted, you want to end everything tonight and then commit suicide, right?"

Chu Ming revealed his entire plan, and Yuhe Xiangfu, who was about to leave, paused and stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Chu Ming: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

“Kogoro Mouri is a famous detective. Your plan is impossible to complete. If you want to succeed, you can only do it next year when Kogoro Mouri is not around. But Ichiro's body can't hold out for that long, right? If you force your way in today, once you are exposed, you will not be able to get revenge. However, I can help you.” Chu Ming didn’t keep you in suspense. “Of course, in the end, I will take your life.”

"So what's your purpose?" Haga Kyosuke's expression was somewhat sarcastic. "It can't be just about doing a good deed every day, can it?"

"Because your perfect pitch will be the key to unlocking some Pandora's box." Chu Ming put his index finger to his lips, laughing smugly. "So, regarding what that child asked you before, I hope you won't answer him, and even more importantly, don't reveal it to anyone. But I've always believed that the dead are the best at keeping secrets, and you probably don't want to live anymore after you've taken your revenge, right?"

Yuhe Xiangfu stared intently at Chu Ming. Over the years, his motivation for living had been to avenge his parents. Now, he was practically a man on the verge of death. This matter had not been a loss for him. As for whether Chu Ming had any other motives, he had no interest in understanding other people's grudges and entanglements. His own hatred had not yet been resolved, so how could he have the mood to care about others?

"So what do you want me to do now?" Yuhe Xiangfu's question was tantamount to admitting the conditions that Chu Ming had discussed with him.

"You can do nothing; I've already arranged everything." Chu Ming raised his chin. "If you want to feel involved, then continue with your plan. However, I hope you remember that we've never met alone, right?"

Yuga Kyosuke gave Chu Ming a deep look: "Of course, I've been putting out fires the whole time, how could I have time to talk to anyone?"

After saying that, he strode out.

Chu Ming watched his departing figure, sent a few messages, and then followed him to the villa.

Chapter 592 I really love customers like this uncle.

Chu Ming and Yuhe Xiangfu's conversation didn't last long, so by the time they arrived at the scene one after the other, Mouri Kogoro and the others had only just climbed the stairs.

Originally, Yuga Kyosuke was in a hurry. His murder method relied on a locked room. If someone knocked on Genzaburo's door before him, they would immediately discover that the door was not locked. However, now that Chu Ming had agreed to help him, there was no need to be in such a hurry.

The short time Chu Ming spent talking to him was enough for him to fall behind Kogoro Mouri. So when he and Chu Ming arrived, Kogoro Mouri and Shuichi Akai were already standing in front of the open door, looking at the raging fire inside, frowning and shaking their heads, while stopping Renki Shitara who wanted to rush into the fire: "No, you can't go in, the fire is too big, it's too late."

Shirara Choichiro stumbled down the stairs at the back, and when he came up, he was choked by the thick smoke and lost his balance. He fell to the ground, crying out, "Ayane, Ayane is still upstairs!"

The crimson flames roared and scorched. Kogoro Mori looked at the stairs that were already engulfed in flames and said anxiously, "No, the fire is too big. We can't get up there without fire suits."

Conan rushed to the bathroom to get water to wet his clothes, but found that two people were faster than him. The unknown detective Moroboshi and Kyosuke Haga had already each carried a bucket of water, poured it on themselves, and rushed upstairs without looking back.

Seeing the two rushing up, Chu Ming suddenly remembered something, grabbed Conan and Kogoro Mouri, and headed downstairs.

"Brother Chu Ming, what are you guys doing?" Xiao Lan was supporting Tiao Yilang and preparing to help him downstairs when she saw Chu Ming turn around and leave, pulling Conan and Kogoro Mouri along with him. She couldn't help but feel a little confused.

"They can't go back the way they came, they'll probably have to jump out of the window. I'll go and prepare a buffer for them," Chu Ming said hurriedly, then turned and left.

Kogoro Mouri was dragged downstairs, stumbling all the way. Chu Ming urged him, "Hurry up, uncle, drive your rented car under the window."

"Shorten the distance they need to land using a car—I understand." Without thinking about anything else, Kogoro Mori rushed over to get the car and parked it directly opposite the third-floor window.

Chu Ming picked up Conan and lifted him onto the hood of the car: "Didn't the professor make that enlarged ball for you? Keep an eye on things here. When they're about to jump, release the ball to cushion their fall. Otherwise, they'll be in big trouble even if they jump from the third floor, with the car in their way."

Then, to the astonishment of Conan and Kogoro Mouri, Chu Ming looked around, picked up a small stone from the bushes, took a few steps back, and threw it directly at the third-floor window frame. The frame, already teetering on the brink of collapse from the fire, was smashed off the upper floor.

With this hint, even if Kyosuke Haga couldn't figure it out, Shuichi Akai should be able to guess that someone was waiting for him below the window.

Sure enough, a moment later, two figures jumped out of the window one after the other.

Conan seized the opportunity, inflated the ball, and released it, creating a huge cushion on the roof of the car. The three of them successfully landed on the car, and apart from some dents in the car, none of them were injured.

After the three of them took over, Kogoro Mouri looked at the dented roof of the car and was on the verge of tears: "This is the car I rented—the rental company said they would blacklist me if I damaged the car again!! I'll have to pay for the repairs!"

Chu Ming was leaning against a big tree when he heard this and suddenly came over: "Why did you block me after losing money? If I ran a car rental company, I would love renters like you. You can use the money you lost to buy a new car instead of an old one."

Kogoro Mouri slammed his fist on the car: "So they didn't lose money? They actually made a profit? I'm the only one who lost money? I've already thrown away another commission fee?"

Shira Renki quickly reassured him, "Mr. Mori's car broke down while saving Grandma, so my commission fee will naturally include that. Don't worry."

When Kogoro Mouri heard that he didn't have to pay for it himself, he was immediately relieved.

Kyosuke Haga wiped the soot off his clothes from the fire, glanced at Ayane who was unusually resistant to the arrival of the ambulance, and leaned against a nearby tree as if all his strength had been drained.

Chu Ming glanced at the person beside him, then at Akai Shuichi, who was seemingly looking at something near the villa. He lowered his brow slightly and said in a barely audible voice, "They've probably already figured out the flaws. I need to finish this before they discover the truth and call the police. Shitara Ayane will die after the doctor takes her upstairs to rest. Next, it'll be your turn. If you want to leave a will explaining your father's cause of death, you can start writing now. Are you ready?"

Kyosuke Haga looked up at the starry sky again and smiled with a sense of relief.

"certainly--

"I'm really looking forward to it."

Chu Ming got up and left, watching as the doctor took Shira Ayane upstairs to rest. The firefighters also confirmed that Genzaburo's death was caused by him not extinguishing his cigarette butt while smoking, which accidentally started a fire. They reminded him to be careful with fire when they evacuated.

Everyone gathered back in the same hall. Shuichi Akai's gaze darkened as he stared at the ashtray on the table, seemingly realizing that this was not an accidental fire.

However, even if they discovered it, it's already too late.

Before they could say anything, they heard a dull thud and a scream from upstairs.

"It's Aunt Ayane!" Kyosuke Haga was the first to stand up, looking towards the rooftop where the sound had just come from. "What happened?"

Before everyone could even settle in, they stood up again and rushed upstairs.

Chu Ming gave Yuhe Xiangfu a barely perceptible smile and then ran up after him.

Upstairs in the room, Ayane lay on her back on the floor, her hands tightly gripping her neck, her mouth agape, her face ashen, and there were water stains on her collar. On the table beside her was a glass of unfinished water.

"Grandma—" Two relatives died in front of her in one day. Shira Renki turned pale and instinctively wanted to rush over, but was stopped by Mouri Kogoro.

"Do not go over there. Before you are sure whether it was a suicide, please do not disturb the scene."