Conan: The Romantic Daily Life of a Ghost Detective

Kazuha Toyama blinked, looking at him in confusion: "What's wrong with you? I know Aikido. You can't even beat me in close combat, have you forgotten?"

Hattori Heiji's dark face instantly turned bright red.

Yukiko Kudo covered her mouth and chuckled to herself.

Chapter 287 The Monster in the Fog, Warm Water's Concern Leaves Mrs. Kudo at a Loss

Wen Shui sat in the back seat of the driver's seat, looking at the fog outside the car window. It seemed that the fog was thinner than before, but she still couldn't see very far.

Before the car broke down, Kogoro Mouri had the foresight to pull over to the side of the road. In addition, he and Ran had placed a warning triangle about 50 meters away from where they parked. If any cars were passing by, they would definitely see it and slow down, so there was no need to worry about being hit suddenly.

However, it's so quiet here, and the car radio is broken, so you can't listen to any music.

In the silent carriage, Wen Shui suddenly spoke up: "Don't you think this area looks like a monster's lair?"

"W-what monster's lair? Don't joke like that." Xiaolan, who was sitting next to the warm water, suddenly became nervous and moved her body slightly closer to the water.

Conan: "Yeah, Wen Shui-nii, if you say that, Ran-neechan won't be able to sleep at night."

"I'm not that fragile, okay? It's just..." Xiaolan looked out the window at the quiet road shrouded in mist and the deep valley beside it. "It's just that people tend to overthink things in this kind of environment. I feel like we've been swallowed up by this empty road."

Wen Shui smiled and said, "I was just joking. Everyone's been quiet, it's getting a bit boring."

"Forget it, I don't have the same mindset and energy as you guys." Kogoro Mouri leaned back in his seat. "I was dragged around by that group this afternoon, doing interviews and filming, and then I had to concentrate on driving in the thick fog tonight. My energy is completely depleted."

"I thought I could go home and have some ice-cold beer, but I didn't expect the car to break down here, and there's not even water to drink."

Uncle Mori stretched and then took out a cigarette and a lighter from his shirt pocket.

Ran: "Dad, don't smoke in the car! Conan's still inside."

Kogoro Mouri, holding a cigarette, glanced at Conan sitting next to him and said, "What's the big deal? Just open the window."

As he spoke, he reached out to press the switch on the car window.

"Ah, wait a minute!" Ran exclaimed, then looked at Kogoro Mouri with an embarrassed expression.

Kogoro Mouri frowned: "What's wrong with you? Why are you so easily startled?"

"It's nothing, really." Xiaolan lowered her head and remained silent.

Conan: "Ran-neechan, aren't you afraid that the monster hiding in the fog will climb in through the window and eat us all up?"

"Ahhh, stop talking!" Xiaolan covered her head with her hands, her face pale.

Warm water gently patted her back, then she looked at Conan reproachfully: "Don't scare girls, or she'll come back and settle the score with you in karate."

Conan thought to himself, "You were the one who said this area looked like a monster's lair first, so how come I'm the bad guy now?"

However, this time Ran didn't rush into Wen Shui's arms, which made Conan's heart, which had just been a little upset by his mother's prank, feel a little better.

However, seeing the large hand gently patting Ran's back with warm water, Conan was still somewhat annoyed.

He looked down at his small hands, which were no different from those of a child, and his face was full of disappointment. This body was completely incapable of protecting Xiaolan. Damn it!

At that moment, two pale yellow halos suddenly appeared at the end of the road in the distance.

Because of the fog, at first glance, it looked like the pupils of some kind of huge snake, swimming rapidly toward them.

"A monster?!" Uncle Mori was so frightened that he dropped his cigarette and grabbed the car door, trying to run away.

Wen Shui: "No, it's the car lights that look like this after being refracted by the fog."

Uncle Mori, still gripping the car door with both hands, looked embarrassed: "Of course I know, I was just teasing you guys, it's too boring to stay in the car."

Conan rolled his eyes.

Xiao Lan, who was sitting in the back seat, was too timid. When she saw this scene, her mind went blank and she lost control of her body. Instead, she did nothing embarrassing.

"Hmph, Dad, you're such a coward! I'm so afraid of ghosts, you must have given it to me," Xiaolan retorted calmly.

Wen Shui found Xiao Lan's adorable reaction amusing. If there were no one else in the car, he would definitely have hugged Xiao Lan and teased her a bit.

Kogoro Mouri: "Stop talking nonsense, look, that car is turning."

"It seems so, which means there might be residents living next to this highway?" Conan speculated.

The section of road where they broke down happened to be a mountain road with a ravine next to it, so Wen Shui and the others subconsciously assumed that no one lived nearby and did not have the idea of ​​getting out of the car to seek help.

Kogoro Mouri: "Let's go and see. If it's a side road, it shouldn't be too far. If we can get some repair tools, we can try fixing the car ourselves."

Xiaolan glanced at the thick fog outside, feeling somewhat uneasy.

However, thinking that Yuanshan and Ye were still waiting for her at home, Xiaolan gritted her teeth and got out of the car with Wenshui and the others.

Unexpectedly, Xiaolan regretted it just 5 minutes after she left.

It was so quiet around here that not a single car had passed by in all this time. Because of the fog, their rented car had long since disappeared from sight.

At this moment, Xiaolan felt as if she were walking in a monster's domain that seemed to have no end in sight.

A cold wind howled on the pitch-black highway, and the calls of some unknown animal echoed from the surrounding forest.

"Should we go back to the car? Isn't it impolite to bother others so late?" Xiaolan couldn't help but back out.

Kogoro Mouri: "It's okay, it's only this early. Nobody goes to bed this early."

Xiao Lan opened her mouth as if to say something, when she suddenly felt a pair of warm, large hands grasp her small hands. She turned around and saw Wen Shui secretly winking at her.

Xiao Lan felt a warmth in her heart, and her original unease and fear dissipated considerably.

Yes, with Wen Shui Jun by my side, I wouldn't be afraid even if there were monsters around.

Kogoro Mouri was walking in front, and the fog did affect his vision, so he didn't notice that Wen Shui and Ran were secretly holding hands. Conan, who was walking behind, noticed the scene.

However, unlike before when he always wanted to cause trouble, Conan didn't say anything this time. He looked down at his small hand, which was more than a size smaller than the warm water, and sighed.

What can this body do when Xiaolan needs help the most?

The group walked along the road for about ten minutes and saw a building with lights on in the distance. It didn't look like a private residence, but rather more like a company or restaurant.

Conan didn't want to see Wen Shui and Xiao Ran holding hands anymore, so he turned on his watch-shaped flashlight and ran over first: "I see it, there really is someone living here."

Ran: "Conan, no, you'll be captured by a monster!"

However, in the blink of an eye, Conan had disappeared.

Wen Shui and the others quickened their pace and walked to the building. They found that the sign on the building read "Cool Dragon Health Equipment Co., Ltd. R&D Center".

That car was parked in the parking lot in front of the company, and there were several other cars parked next to it.

Although it was late, the rooms inside the company were brightly lit, but the glass door at the entrance was locked, and Conan couldn't open it no matter how hard he tried.

Kogoro Mouri: "Great! There are so many cars here, there must be repair equipment. We're saved."

After the group reached the door and rang the doorbell, a somewhat aloof-looking man came out and opened the door a crack. Upon learning that Wen Shui and her group's car had broken down and that they had come to ask for help, the man coldly said that he had important matters to attend to later and did not have time to help them, and then closed the door.

Uncle Mori pressed his face against the glass: "Damn it, I'll haunt you even as a ghost."

Xiaolan grabbed her father's arm: "Don't do this, Dad, it's embarrassing."

As the two were arguing, footsteps came from inside again, and this time a middle-aged man in a brown suit appeared at the door: "Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Uncle Mori's eyes lit up, and he repeated what he had just said.

The man in the suit smiled and said, "Then come in and rest for a bit. But I don't have any repair tools in my car, so I'll have to ask my colleagues."

Xiaolan said with a face full of gratitude, "That's wonderful, thank you so much."

The man in the suit led everyone into the company's interior. In the lobby, besides the aloof man with glasses from before, there was another man with thick eyebrows sitting on the sofa reading documents.

Upon seeing Wen Shui and the others, the bespectacled man immediately rushed over: "Nakano, why did you let these people in?"

“Their car broke down. By the way, Hiramatsu, do you have any repair tools in your car?” Nakano said.

Masaki Hiramatsu looked displeased: "But is this really a good idea? What if these people are corporate spies from those companies? All our research will be wasted."

Nakano: "How could that be? Aren't all our documents locked up securely in the office?"

Masaki Hiramatsu: "There's also the risk of leaks, isn't there? I've staked everything on this development project."

The man sitting on the sofa also sneered, "There's nothing we can do about it, Hiramatsu. Nakano is in the first development department, so it's good that he doesn't have to worry about being laid off. He even has the mood to care about these trivial things."

Kogoro Mouri and his companions stood awkwardly in place, unsure whether they should stay.

At that moment, a burly man with a mustache walked out of the office: "What are you all arguing about? How did these people get in here?"

"President..." The three people, including Masaki Hiramatsu, all showed fear on their faces when they saw the president.

Not wanting to put Mr. Nakano in a difficult position, Uncle Mori took the initiative to go over and explain: "We are definitely not corporate spies. I am Kogoro Mori, and I currently run a private detective agency. I occasionally appear on television programs or something."

"What?!" President Umeya exclaimed in surprise, "You're that famous detective, Kogoro Mouri?"

Kogoro Mouri nodded: "That's right, it is I."

President Umeya paused noticeably, then immediately pulled out his business card: "I've heard so much about you. I've occasionally heard friends mention you at banquets. I never imagined I'd actually meet the sleeping Kogoro Mouri. Next time I'm drinking with those guys, I can brag about it properly."

"Not at all, you're too kind," Uncle Mori said, scratching his head and grinning sheepishly.

Afterwards, Wenshui and the others introduced themselves to President Meitani one by one. When President Meitani learned that Wenshui was also a detective and had participated in the investigation of the Kuchisake-onna case and had been featured in the newspaper, a hint of unnaturalness flashed across his face.

However, only Conan and Nukumi noticed this detail.

Although President Umeya warmly welcomed them, unfortunately none of them had any repair tools in their car, so Uncle Mori's plan to borrow tools to fix the car was thwarted.

However, being able to stay here and wait for the rescue team to arrive is better than staying in the car.

President Umeya: "By the way, Mr. Mori, would you like to try out our newly developed massage chair?"

Kogoro Mouri: "Is this a good idea?"

"Of course, no problem." President Umeya laughed heartily. "Let Mr. Mori be our first user and give us some feedback."

The group arrived at a more spacious research and development room, where there were several devices that looked like massage chairs, and several others covered with thick cloths, the contents of which were unknown.

Kogoro Mouri sat in a massage chair, while Mr. Nakano helped him set the parameters.

President Umeya stood at the door, looking at Kogoro Mouri lying on the massage chair, then glanced at Masaki Hiramatsu next to him, his gaze sharpening involuntarily.

He had planned to take the opportunity to kill Masaki Hiramatsu today, but he never expected that this famous detective would come knocking on his door late at night.

The moment Meigu learned of Mori Kogoro's identity, he instinctively wanted to drive him away, but then he suddenly remembered that his plan was to tamper with Hiramatsu Masaki's brakes and adjust the angle of the reflector on the downhill curve to the appropriate angle.

In this way, under the cover of fog, Masaki Hiramatsu would be able to drive smoothly down the mountain and fall off the cliff.

However, if Kogoro Mouri and his crew's car breaks down, they will definitely wave to any passing car. In such thick fog, Hiramatsu will instinctively slow down as well.