I'm in Detective Conan, and I start with the Grand Theft Auto system.

Xiaotong was soaking in the bathtub, her whole body enveloped in warm water, so comfortable that she almost groaned out loud.

She had never taken such a nice bath before.

The bathtub was large and deep, allowing her to fully stretch out her arms and legs while lying in it. A faint scent of essential oils floated on the surface of the water, and a row of bottles and jars with names she couldn't recall were displayed on the shelf next to it.

The bathroom lights cast a warm yellow glow on the white marble walls, giving the entire space an understated yet luxurious feel.

She leaned against the edge of the bathtub, looking up at the small crystal chandelier on the ceiling, feeling as if she were dreaming.

The events of today are more surreal than anything she has experienced in the past twenty years combined.

In the morning, she was still a pitiful woman who had been swindled out of all her savings by her ex-boyfriend.

At noon, she strangled a man with a wire on a roller coaster. In the afternoon, she was arrested by the police, handcuffed, and put into a police car.

In the evening, she was snatched from a police car by a masked stranger. He drove her in a McLaren and took her to a luxurious suite she never dared to dream of. He even handed her a bottle of beer and said, "I needed someone, so I kidnapped you."

Xiaotong shook her head in the water.

It all happened so fast that she didn't have time to process it.

But she also knew that this was not a dream.

The red marks from the handcuffs on her arms were still throbbing, and the small cut on her forehead was still stinging a little when soaked in hot water.

These are all true.

She committed murder, she's wanted, she's a fugitive now.

Xiaotong lowered her head and looked at her face reflected in the water.

From now on, she can no longer live like an ordinary person.

She can't go home, can't take the bus, can't use her ID card to work at a convenience store, and even has to be careful when walking on the street, lest a policeman suddenly grab her shoulder from behind.

From this day forward, there is no place for her in all of Japan.

Unless she's willing to live like a rat in the street, hiding in a dark and damp rented room, not daring to open the windows, and surviving on convenience store rice balls every day... she might as well be dead.

Xiaotong took a deep breath and sat up straight in the water.

She realized—she had no choice.

Although the man seemed a bit abnormal, he was handsome, rich, had a gun, was brave, and didn't force her.

This is the only lifeline she can grasp now.

If she doesn't work for him, where can she go?

Turn yourself in? Or wait to be sentenced to death or life imprisonment and spend the rest of your life in prison?

Xiao Tong didn't want to.

She'd rather follow a madman and do something crazy than wait to die in prison.

Xiaotong stood up from the bathtub, grabbed a neatly folded bathrobe from the side, wrapped it around herself, and dried her wet hair in front of the mirror.

Her complexion looked better in the mirror; she wasn't as pale as before.

She took a deep breath, pushed open the bathroom door, and went out.

In the living room, Lin Shen was leaning back on the sofa watching TV.

A music program was playing on TV, and a female idol with a single ponytail was singing and dancing on stage, smiling brightly.

Lin Shen was quite engrossed in watching, holding a bottle of beer in his hand and taking a sip every now and then.

Xiaotong walked to the sofa, stood there, clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and said, "I've thought it through—I've decided to work with you."

Lin Shen turned to look at her, then turned back to watch TV, simply nodding slightly: "Okay. Take a good rest these next couple of days."

"You can choose any room except the master bedroom. I'll let you know if there's any action."

His tone was very calm, as if he had known she would say that all along.

Xiaotong nodded, and just as she was about to say something, the sound of the door opening came from the doorway.

The door opened, and Akemi walked in carrying a small handbag.

As she changed her shoes, she exclaimed, "Mr. Lin, have you heard? There's big news about Mihua today!"

"Someone rammed a police car in broad daylight and kidnapped the female perpetrator of the roller coaster murder case! The police are now searching the entire city..."

As Akemi was talking, she walked to the middle of the living room and saw Kotomi standing next to the sofa.

She stopped in her tracks, her gaze lingering on Xiaotong for a moment.

Then she looked down at her phone, which displayed a wanted poster recently issued by the Metropolitan Police Department.

The woman in the photo above, wearing a white dress and with long hair, is none other than the woman in front of us, wearing a bathrobe and with wet hair.

Akemi's eyes widened suddenly: "Huh? You...you're that wanted criminal, Hitomi?"

She abruptly turned to look at Lin Shen, her mouth agape: "So—you were the one who hijacked the police car?!"

Lin Shen leaned back on the sofa, smiled, and shrugged: "Yeah, I happen to be short-handed here."

"Xiao Tong dared to kill someone; I can't say for sure about other things, but she definitely has guts. She can be of some help."

Mingmei opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, and finally realized that she couldn't find a single word to refute him.

Looking at Lin Shen's self-righteous face, she had only one thought in her mind—this man has really gone mad.

But strangely, she found herself getting used to his madness.

She sighed, turned to Xiaotong with a smile, and tried to keep her tone relaxed: "Hello, my name is Mingmei. From now on, we're on the same side."

Xiaotong nodded somewhat shyly: "Hello..."

"You two get to know each other first," Lin Shen stood up from the sofa, stretched, and said, "I'm going to take a shower."

After saying that, he swaggered toward the bathroom, casually tossing the empty beer bottle into the trash can.

Only Akemi and Hitomi remained in the living room, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

Mingmei was the first to react.

Her gaze swept over the pistol on the coffee table and the box next to the sofa. She bent down, picked up the gun and the cash box, and quickly walked into the master bedroom to put the things away.

When she came out again, she had put on a warm and hospitable expression.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?" Akemi asked Hitomi with a smile.

Xiaotong shook her head: "Not yet..."

"That's perfect, I'll order some food." Mingmei picked up the phone in the living room, skillfully dialed room service, ordered a table full of dishes, and even specially asked for an extra dessert.

While waiting for their food, the two sat on the sofa and chatted casually.

Akemi poured a glass of water and handed it to Kotomi, her tone casual but probing: "Why...why did you kill that person?"

Xiaotong held the water glass and remained silent for a while.

She lowered her head and spoke softly, as if afraid of being overheard: "He's my ex-boyfriend...he lied to me."

"He kept asking me for money, swindled me out of all my savings, and even tricked me into prostitution, saying that virgins are more valuable... When I refused, he broke up with me. I was furious..."

She paused here, her fingers tightening slightly, "So I killed him."

After hearing this, Mingmei felt a surge of sympathy.

She reached out and gently patted Xiaotong's shoulder: "Thank you for your hard work."

She offered words of comfort, but she didn't entirely believe them.

It wasn't that she thought Xiaotong was lying, but she had grown up in the organization and was used to lies and pretense, so she knew that you couldn't completely trust what people said.

After a while, she stood up with a natural smile on her face: "I'm going to the restroom."

She went into the bathroom, closed the door, took out her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and found a detective she had known for quite some time.

She opened the chat window and typed: "Help me investigate someone. Name: Xiaotong. The murderer in the roller coaster murder case who was just put on the wanted list today. I need all her information from childhood to adulthood."

After sending the message, she put her phone back in her pocket, washed her hands, tidied her hair in front of the mirror, and then pushed open the door and walked out with a smile.

Just then, room service staff pushed a food cart into the living room.

Mingmei smiled and greeted Xiaotong, "The food is here! Let's eat first and chat while we eat."