Ms. Moriarty wants to save Beika Town today too.

"I want a Coke."

Conan originally wanted to refuse, but he noticed that Winnet's hand was still wrapped in gauze. He thought that the injury she suffered in the building last time had not healed yet and she couldn't go into the water. At the same time, he saw that Winnet didn't really want to stay on the beach, so he agreed.

"Didn't the uncle come with you?"

"Oh, Uncle Kogoro's words--"

Conan raised a finger, and Ai looked over and saw Maori Kogoro holding a beer glass and chatting up a beautiful woman at a seaside stall. He casually explained, "Uncle is a famous detective now."

"But aren't you the one standing behind the scenes? Don't you want to be admired by those girls like him?" Seeing Conan's dead eyes, Ai changed the subject and said, "Okay, no more jokes. This is my special seat."

Ai lay down on the beach bed under the umbrella. Conan, who was thought to be in the way, did not make trouble for himself and lay down on his own beach bed without saying a word. After basking in the sun for a while, he felt his cheeks getting cold, and then saw Winnet bending over and holding a large glass of Coke. As soon as he took it, Winnet immediately ran to Ai's side.

The glass was placed on the beach, and Xiao Ai turned over. She turned her head to look at Winnet and said, "How is the injury?"

"It's nothing serious," Winnett replied, and then continued, "It's just that it's still recovering, so it's not easy for me to touch the sea water. Aren't you going to swim with Xiaolan and the others?"

"I'm not as energetic as a high school student. Besides, I want to be with you." Xiao Ai said bluntly. Winnet's previous performance seemed like a different person, lacking confidence and hiding things. Xiao Ai didn't know this, but she was a little worried. "What's wrong with you today? This is not like your usual self. Shouldn't you be proud of yourself in front of me? It's rare for you to dress so beautifully. It's okay for me to admit it for a long time."

Winette pulled out the sunscreen from her bag, "Really?"

"Didn't you say your eyesight had improved? Can't you see clearly that you have a goblin-like face?"

Winnett spread the sunscreen evenly on her hands and placed them on the exposed parts of Ai's body. She half-squatted and was just within the reach of Ai. "I can see clearly, but I still don't have much confidence. I'm lucky to have found a girlfriend who doesn't despise me." She said as she applied sunscreen to Ai, "It's normal to be a little competitive when you're with so many girls with great bodies."

"It doesn't matter. I just like your type." Xiao Ai said, she was not happy that Winnet always cared about such boring things. She liked her as a person, of course, she also liked her face, and her figure was also pretty good. If she really looked like a charming woman, she might not be able to accept it.

A few minutes later, the two exchanged positions. Ai covered her hands with sunscreen, but the coverage was still not wide. She also lacked similar experience, and did not have as strong control over her body as Winnett, so she felt a little smeared. There were many muscle veins on the surface of the skin, but the feedback was very soft. Every time she reapplied the sunscreen on her hands, the cold stimulation would make the muscles appear for a moment, corresponding to the stimulation of the warm patch. She looked at Winnett with appreciation. Now she was both peaceful and beautiful, and the light golden sunlight made her skin shine like a white shell.

Winette put the umbrella aside and murmured, "Will I get tanned like a bronze man?"

"If it's someone with thick skin, it might be possible," Xiao Ai said, "but if it's you, you'll probably turn into a pink roasted swan."

"It feels very insecure to just lie down like this."

……

After swimming for a while, Mingmei returned to the shore to prevent the water from exposing her true face. Xiaolan wore goggles and went into the water twice more, emerging from the shore like a mermaid, and stunned Conan who was lying on the beach bed.

It was already noon, the bright sunshine had become somewhat scorching, and the sand was also scorching. They discussed it, changed their clothes, called up the sleeping Kogoro, came to the hotel, and walked to the front desk.

Mingmei had already completed the formalities for the three of them, ignoring Dr. Agasa's notice that "find the organizer and the fee will be waived." And since they had booked at the same time, the room numbers should not be much different. Winette sat down and waited, and suddenly heard Kogoro exclaim, "What, you said the fee was only paid half!?"

"Yes, Mr. Agasa has reserved three places, so there will definitely be no problem," said the front desk staff.

Winnet looked at Ai, "Three places?"

"Yes, I asked him to book the other three in your name. The doctor was originally going to come with his friend, but his friend's daughter was sick, so he gave his spot to Edogawa and the others. The organizer said that anyone who finds out his true identity will be exempted from accommodation fees. I guess this is the confidence that allowed Edogawa to accept the offer." Ai replied.

"Edogawa? Relying on that kid Conan?" Akemi shook her head, pretending to be confused. In fact, she already knew that Conan was very smart.

Ai quickly changed the subject: "I mean the famous detective Maori Kogoro gave him confidence."

The protagonist mentioned by Ai is still haggling over the accommodation fee, so Xiaolan and Conan went up to ask.

"You should be the Duke of Darkness, right?"

Suddenly, a chilling voice appeared behind her, and Xiao Ai shivered. She subconsciously associated this voice with the organization, but in just one or two seconds, she realized that she was too nervous.

It seems that the terror of the organization still remains in her heart.

"What do you mean?"

"1.47 seconds." The man in a suit behind the bench was slightly surprised. "Aren't you part of the tour group?"

Xiao Ai knew what the man said, but she didn't bring Winnett to decrypt the code, so she didn't mention it. She said to Winnett, "The organizer this time said he wanted to pretend to be the Duke of Darkness and blend in. He probably wants to find the other party."

"I see."

……

310 The Duke of Darkness

"I came here to play with the little girl."

The speaker was a man in a suit wearing glasses, with a somewhat gloomy temperament.

The man said this and sneaked to the front desk again. He held a heavy laptop in his hand and placed it flat on the table. He asked Maori Kogoro again: "You should be the Duke of Dark Night, right?"

The Duke of Darkness?

Conan, who was standing next to Xiaolan, widened his eyes. He remembered that the doctor told him that the host would play the role of the Duke of Darkness.

However, the Duke of Darkness is not a vampire like the one mentioned in fantasy novels, but a strange thief who appears and disappears mysteriously and sometimes kills people.

Of course, he is just a fictional character in the book.

The person who created him was his father, Yusaku Kudo.

Since he is an important character written into the book by his father, maybe he has a real-life prototype...

Conan couldn't help but think too much. Although his father was not a detective, he had assisted the police in solving cases many times. He was even better than him in reasoning and is still active as a best-selling mystery novelist.

Could it be that the true identity of this Duke of Darkness is related to this gathering?

While Conan was thinking, Kogoro, who was spoken to by a strange man and had no impression of the "Duke of Dark Night" at all, hesitantly pointed his finger at himself, still confused.

The man tapped the keyboard lightly and said, "3.04 seconds."

"Huh?" Kogoro didn't understand what he was saying and leaned forward.

"It takes you so long just to answer my questions. I'll take a good look at you." The man said with a smile, and introduced himself: "I'm Shiro Konno, who lives in room 2002. We'll get to know each other better in the future."

Watching the interaction between the two, Xiao Ai understood what was going on.

It seems that they have been excluded, and Kogoro Mouri has become one of the suspects.

Ai had no interest in puzzle games in the first place. This was the job of that arrogant detective, otherwise the poor three of them would not be able to pay for their accommodation.

So, does this mean that she is hooking up with a rich woman?

Suddenly, a man sitting at the table next to them said disdainfully: "If this is how we can find out the Duke's identity, there's no need to bother."

He has long hair and a beard, a horse face, wears a brown-red floral shirt, and a gold necklace. He is a man about 35 years old. At this moment, he is sitting with his legs crossed, holding a can of beer, and looks drunk.

Konno Shiro glanced at him and said, "Are you Mr. Ehara Tokio from Room 2.86 who answered my question in just 2101 seconds?"

"Are you annoying?" Jiang Yuan roared, very impatient.

Immediately, an old man with a crutch and sunglasses came into view with a smile: "It is normal for ordinary people to reveal their true identity unexpectedly, Jingjiang."

He was accompanied by a female servant in butler's attire.

"Yes, sir."

Konno Shiro could not wait to start typing: "Mr. Kaneshiro from Room 2001 took only 6.29 seconds to answer my question."

The old man said calmly, "You can see that my eyesight is not very good. It was totally unexpected for you to ask me that question all of a sudden."

"Forget it. I understand it after comparing it with your information."

He made a judgment.

But it was immediately dismantled——

"But that information is not complete at all, because the information about a certain person is not enough...Isn't that right, Duke of Darkness?"

The mature woman who walked out of the elevator smiled.

Konno Shiro was a little flustered: "What are you talking about, Miss Kamijou Hideko from Room 2102?"

The Kamijou Hideko he mentioned raised her left hand and pressed her thumb with red nail polish on the watch strap.

She smiled and said, "Mr. Konno, you should note that you are 1.48 seconds slower than my 0.97 seconds! Remember that."

After this commotion, Winnet, who was a bystander, understood what was going on.

This man named Shiro Konno tried to use the primitive method of reaction speed to determine whether the person being questioned was the Duke of Dark Night.

For most people, when their secrets are revealed, there will be a certain delay in answering because they will think subconsciously. If they are unaware of the secret, their reaction will be much faster.

As for Kogoro Mori's performance, it can simply be classified as slow, after all, he cannot be the organizer.

Having said that, these people are really chuunibyou and positive...

Kogoro Mori was confused and found that Shiro Konno was a mysterious person who was difficult to communicate with, so he focused his attention on Miss Kamijou who had just arrived.

He stopped in front of them and asked, "Who is this duke you just mentioned?"

"Why, you don't know?"

Kamijou Hideko was very surprised. Not to mention the purpose of everyone joining the tour group, the novel in which the Duke of Darkness appeared alone was widely known.

Jiang Yuan Shi Nan, who was drinking, glanced at Mao Li and said, "You are pretending to be very convincing."

Xiaolan grabbed Kogoro's arm.

"That's it. Doesn't it appear frequently in Shinichi's father's novels?"

Conan looked around at the people present.

Judging from their actions just now, he thought that the person who claimed to be the Duke of Darkness should be among them.

"I still don't understand," Kogoro scratched his head and turned away, "Forget it, I'm going back to my room."

"Dad, what should we do with the hotel money? Dad!"

Xiaolan’s call failed to make Kogoro turn back.

Winnet looked at Ai, wondering whether she should go over and pay for it. To her now, money was just a number on the account. The money she earned from the organization's missions alone was already an astronomical figure.

Xiao Ai shook her head: "Anyway, you can pay when you check out. As long as you find the Duke of Darkness, the accommodation fee will be waived."

Winette suddenly realized that Conan was asked to pay the full amount for his girlfriend!

Well, she overstepped her authority.

She did a quick count. According to the doctor, there were eleven participants in total. Excluding Ai and the Mori family, as well as the already-appeared Konno Shiro, Ehara Tokio, Mr. Kaneshiro, the female butler named Shizue, and Miss Kamijou, there should be two more participants...

"ah!"

Xiaolan screamed.

Conan, who was considering the situation, came back to his senses instantly, and Winnet also frowned.

Jiang Yuan, the drunk who had just been sitting at the next table, sneaked up to Xiaolan and touched her butt.

This kind of perverted behavior in broad daylight is simply outrageous.

Xiaolan stared at Jiang Yuan Shinan warily in case he was going to do something again.

"What's wrong with touching your butt?" Jiang Yuan laughed, "You seem a little too thin!" He didn't realize the seriousness of the matter yet, and suddenly grabbed Xiaolan's hand and said, "Come over here and help your uncle pour some wine, okay?"

Seeing Xiaolan's left leg retreat half a step, Winnett had already foreseen that he would be subdued by Xiaolan in no time.

This guy is much more excessive than the lazy guy on the beach just now. He is completely dancing in a minefield.

Ai also noticed Conan suddenly squatting behind Xiaolan and couldn't help but find it funny.

She could see that he was trying to be a protector, but he was wearing slippers and his football-making belt was gone.

Where should I put my hand to turn on the switch in the air?

"Damn it! Stop it!"

A strong male voice sounded.

Jiang Yuan Shinan, who was harassed by a lewd man, had his arm grabbed and cried out in pain: "It hurts! It hurts! What are you doing?"

"I still want to ask you this question!"

The man who subdued Jiang Yuan said with disgust.

Xiaolan saw the man standing behind Jiang Yuan with sharp eyebrows and a resolute face. She immediately felt familiar with him, but she was still a little unsure of his identity. She asked happily, "Are you... Mr. Maeda Satoshi?"

"Yeah." Maeda Satoshi responded a little confused.

Conan immediately smelled something different.

He looked up and asked Xiaolan: "Sister Xiaolan, do you know him?"

"Of course I know him! He was the Japanese karate champion six years ago! I started learning karate because I admired him!" Xiaolan explained to Conan excitedly.

Before he could say anything, he saw Xiaolan quickly approach Maeda Satoshi.

"I won the city competition a while ago!" she said to Maeda Satoshi.