I Am a Heroic Spirit

"That's me. Do you have any commission?" Zhang Luo nodded and spoke.

"You?" The young man looked at Zhang Luo suspiciously, his tone full of disbelief. After all, Zhang Luo didn't look much older than him, so it was too unreasonable to say that he was the director of this exorcism agency.

"Don't doubt it, it's me. I guess since you found this place, you must have asked about the situation here. I don't get my reputation for nothing." Zhang Luo said as he stretched out his hand and patted the desk in front of him, pointed to the chair opposite, and motioned the young man to sit down.

The young man hesitated for a moment, seemingly disbelieving in Zhang Luo's ability, and wanted to leave, but he eventually sat down in the seat opposite Zhang Luo. After all, although Zhang Luo hadn't been in this business for long, he still had some reputation in this city.

"Okay, please tell me your request."

Zhang Luo filled a cup of hot water with a disposable cup from the water dispenser nearby and placed it in front of the young man.

"It's like this, I'm Aso Tsuru, a teacher at Qingdeng Academy."

Zhang Luo poured himself a glass of water. Just as he drank it, he heard the junior high school student's words and immediately spat out the water with a "puff".

Zhang Luo thought with a strange expression on his face. As for what the teacher named Aso Tsuru wanted to entrust him with, he thought he had already guessed it. It was about Qingdeng Academy, and it was probably what happened last night.

"What's wrong with you?" Seeing Zhang Luo's performance, Aso Tsuru asked in confusion.

"No, it's nothing, please continue." Zhang Luo waved his hand, put the water cup aside, adjusted his expression, and said as if nothing had happened.

"Around one o'clock last night, our school security found a student unconscious in the school... That's what happened."

After drinking a sip of hot water, Aso Tsuru stated his purpose. He wanted to entrust this well-known law firm in the city, which was said to be able to handle any extraordinary issues, to help him investigate the situation in the abandoned school building, whether the Aoandon really existed, and whether the Aoandon was still in the abandoned school building.

Everything happened just as Zhang Luo had imagined.

After taking a sip of water and lowering his head to hide the expression on his face, Zhang Luo raised his head and said, "No problem, when will we act?"

"If possible, let's do it now." Aso Tsuru said. It was just after school, and doing anything in school would not have much impact.

"Okay." Zhang Luo agreed straightforwardly.

Chapter 145 Death Joins

After the two left the office, they ran into Kogoro Mouri and Conan who were standing outside the Mouri Detective Agency and were about to enter.

"Hey, isn't this Qin Luo? Where are you going so late?" When Maori Kogoro was about to enter the house, he saw Zhang Luo and Aso Tsuru and greeted them casually.

"Hello, Brother Qin Luo." Conan also greeted Zhang Luo like a child.

"Good evening. I just received a commission and was about to go to work." Zhang Luo said casually.

"Commission?"

Kogoro Mouri's eyes suddenly lit up, his originally dull expression disappeared, and his face became energetic.

"I am the famous detective Mouri Kogoro. If you need any help, please feel free to ask." Mouri Kogoro pointed at himself with his thumb and smiled proudly.

"I'm sorry, my commission is about exorcism." Aso Tsuru refused with a dry laugh. Even if it was not a commission about exorcism, he would not entrust it to this middle-aged man who looked unreliable.

"Hey, don't be so sure. There are not so many supernatural events in this world that need people to get rid of them. Maybe someone is playing tricks. You will never be disappointed if you ask me. I, the famous detective Mouri Kogoro, will definitely find out the person who is doing this quickly and efficiently." Mouri Kogoro directly defined the incident as someone doing something wrong. Although it was just nonsense, he was right. Wasn't this matter led by Zhang Luo?

"Uncle, Uncle Maori is right. Although supernatural events do exist, they are very rare. Nine out of ten are just people playing tricks. Why don't we go and help investigate? If it is really a supernatural event, then forget it. If not, we can still help." Conan also echoed.

"That." Aso Tsuru hesitated for a moment and felt that what Mouri Kogoro and Conan said made a lot of sense. After all, although the students last night said it was haunted, no student was injured. The school security also walked around the abandoned school building several times and didn't find anything. It would be better to say that someone was playing tricks rather than being haunted.

Although he was tempted, Aso Tsuru did not agree directly. Instead, he looked at Zhang Luo. After all, he had already invited Zhang Luo, and now inviting other people would be too disrespectful, or even a lack of trust.

"I don't care." Zhang Luo shrugged and said calmly.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Detective Mori." Seeing that Zhang Luo had no objection, Aso Tsuru commissioned Kogoro Mori.

"Don't worry, I, the great detective Mouri Kogoro, will take care of everything. With me here, nothing will be a problem." Mouri Kogoro said loudly, patting his chest.

Conan rolled his eyes and said, "It's because of you that there are problems."

When Aso Tsuru arrived, he drove a car. Just as everyone was about to get in the car, the door of the Mouri Detective Agency was opened and Mouri Ran came out carrying a bag of garbage.

"Eh? Dad, Conan, where are you going?"

Ran Mouri, who was obviously out to throw away the garbage, saw Kogoro Mouri and Conan about to get on the bus, and asked curiously.

"Sister Xiaolan, uncle just received a commission." Conan said.

"Xiaolan, you prepare dinner at home, we will be back soon." Maori Kogoro said with a smile, then got into the car, "Mr. Aso, let's go."

"But, Conan..." When Maori Ran was about to ask Conan to stay at home, Maori Kogoro, who deliberately ignored Conan's question, asked Aso Tsuru to drive the car.

Mr. Aso, you can now tell me your request."

Sitting in the car heading to Qingdeng Academy, Maori Kogoro also began to consult Aso Tsuru about the details of this commission.

"Here's what happened. Last night around 1 a.m., twenty students from our school who were supposed to leave campus were found unconscious inside by security. After being woken up, they said they had gone to the abandoned school building to play a game called Hundred Tales. As they were about to leave, they ran into a ghost near the school wall and fainted from fright," Aso Tsuru explained the details of the request while driving. "We want to know if the abandoned school building is truly haunted. If not, please ask Detective Maori to find the person responsible. If it is, we'll ask Mr. Qin to exorcise it."

"There is a doubt. If there really are ghosts in the abandoned school building, why would those students faint at the wall? And fainting at the wall means that those students were about to leave the academy when they encountered the supernatural incident..." Conan spoke as soon as Aso Tsuru finished speaking.

"Children should not interrupt when adults are talking." Kogoro Mouri slapped Conan on the head, making Conan bend over.

"Mr. Aso, it seems that someone is deliberately playing tricks this time. Otherwise, those students should have fainted in the abandoned school building. And from what you said, those students were not injured or killed, they were just a little frightened, right?" After Kogoro Mouri taught Conan a lesson, he told Aso Tsuru his conclusion.

Conan thought indignantly, isn't it exactly what I said?

"Maybe the ghosts in the abandoned school building are not harmful to humans, but just some goblins who like to play pranks." Zhang Luo interrupted.

Zhang Luoke would not let Maori Kogoro ruin his business. He was planning to make some extra money. You know, schools are the places where money can be made the fastest. He would feel sorry for himself if he didn't make some. It could also be considered as his hard work reward yesterday. If it weren't for those naughty kids playing Hyaku Monogatari, he wouldn't have to get up in the middle of the night.

When Conan heard Zhang Luo's words, his eyes lit up and he suddenly remembered a memory.

One o'clock in the morning. It was the same time last night when Zhang Luo passed by downstairs. He took the same road. Supernatural events are also his main business. Could it be that...

Conan cast a suspicious look at Zhang Luo who was sitting in the front row. He had begun to suspect that this incident was directed and acted out by Zhang Luo himself.

Kogoro Mouri's gaze swept across Conan and Zhang Luo inconspicuously, and his look at Zhang Luo was more meaningful.

……

The car soon arrived at the school. After Aso Tsuru parked the car outside the school, he took Zhang Luo, Maori Kogoro and Conan into the school.

Outside the principal's office, Aso Tsuru knocked on the door twice, and a woman's voice came from inside, saying "Come in."

Pushing open the door, everyone rushed in and saw a middle-aged woman with a dignified appearance sitting in the office.

"Mr. Aso, these people?"

The middle-aged woman was stunned when she looked up. She had clearly asked Aso Tsuru to invite the young exorcist who had become very famous recently, so why were there a middle-aged man, a junior high school student, and an elementary school student following him in?

"Principal Hyuga, this is the exorcist Mr. Qin Luo whom you asked me to invite." Aso Tsuru saw Principal Hyuga's confusion and quickly pointed at Zhang Luo to explain.

"Hello, Mr. Qin." Although Principal Hyuga was a little surprised by Zhang Luo's age, he still stood up calmly and greeted him politely.

"Hello, Principal Hinata." Zhang Luo also nodded in response.

"Who are these two?" Principal Hyuga turned his gaze to Kogoro Mouri and Conan who were looking around the room as soon as they entered.

"Hahahaha! Are you asking me? I'm the famous detective Maori Kogoro."

Just as Aso Tsuru was about to speak, Maori Kogoro stepped forward and introduced himself in a swaggering manner.

"Detective?" Principal Hyuga looked at Aso Tsuru in confusion. Didn't she ask him to call an exorcist?

"Is such that……"

Aso Tsuru was about to explain when he was interrupted by Maori Kogoro again.

"It's the famous detective, the famous detective Maori Kogoro. You can ask Inspector Higurashi about it. I, Maori Kogoro, often help the police solve problems." Maori Kogoro boasted. But in fact, before Conan came to stay at the Maori family, Maori Kogoro had never solved any cases. During Conan's stay at the Maori family, he had only solved three cases, one of which was solved by Zhang Luo. But this did not stop Maori Kogoro from bragging.

Principal Hyuga, who had no idea that Kogoro Mouri was completely bragging, was immediately filled with respect.

"Principal, this Detective Maori thinks that there may not be ghosts in our school's abandoned building, but someone is deliberately making trouble..." Aso Tsuru conveyed to Principal Hinata what Conan and Maori Kogoro meant when they came before.

Principal Hinata listened and nodded in agreement. It might be possible that someone was deliberately making trouble.

"Then I'll leave it to you two. Whether it's a supernatural incident or someone deliberately causing trouble, I'll prepare a reward for your hard work." Principal Hyuga said to Zhang Luo and Maori Kogoro. As for Conan, he had been ignored by Principal Hyuga. Perhaps the detective's child was left unattended, so they brought him here. Principal Hyuga thought so. After all, she would never have thought that the reputation of Maori Detective Agency was entirely supported by Conan.

"Please rest assured, if it is a supernatural event, I will solve it perfectly." Zhang Luo said.

"Leave everything to me, the great detective Mouri Kogoro. With me here, there won't be any accidents." Mouri Kogoro laughed proudly.

Chapter 146 In the Toilet

After a brief discussion, they didn't head directly to the abandoned school building in the back, but instead called in the twenty naughty kids from last night. After all, a retelling of the situation couldn't be clearer than the actual story.

Twenty naughty kids stood side by side by the wall, and one after another told what they saw and heard. Conan stared at these naughty kids, asking questions from time to time, and then was maliciously attacked by Mouri Kogoro.

After the naughty kids told everything they knew, Conan made a conclusion in his heart that someone must be playing tricks, there could be no other possibility. After all, the information the naughty kids said had too many loopholes. But he could tell that these naughty kids were not lying, which meant that there was no ghost at all, but someone was pretending to be a ghost and scared these naughty kids unconscious.

However, although he made a preliminary judgment, Conan did not say it directly. He still needed evidence, or at least he had to go to the scene to check again.

"That's enough," Maori Kogoro said loudly, "This is just someone using props like fluorescent powder to pretend to be a ghost. It's not a real haunting."

Principal Hinata was stunned for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Well, don't we need to go and observe the scene? Is what they said enough?"

Anyone could hear the barely concealed doubt in Principal Hinata's words. No detective would be so reckless as to judge the truth of the incident based on just a few statements.

"That's enough. There are no ghosts. They are just pretending. This kind of prank can be seen on many TV shows. I guess some students knew that they were going to the abandoned school building to play the game of Hyaku Monogatari at night, so they prepared some funny props to scare them." Mouri Kogoro didn't seem to understand what Principal Hyuga meant. He said it in a arrogant manner, as if he believed I was right.

However, in Conan's opinion, Kogoro Mouri was just making random guesses and wanted to get the money quickly to go home and eat.

"It's useless to just listen to what they say. I need to go to the abandoned school building to investigate to confirm whether there are any supernatural events." Zhang Luo ignored Kogoro Mouri and told his judgment to Principal Hyuga.

"Uncle, I also think we should go and see the scene." Conan quickly responded, reaching out and pulling the corner of Kogoro Mouri's clothes.

"What a hassle." Maori Kogoro grumbled, "Well, although it's no longer necessary, it doesn't matter if I go to the scene and take a look."

"Then let's go." Principal Hinata still looked calm, but in her heart, the credibility of Kogoro Mouri had greatly decreased.

Afterwards, everyone came to the wall where the naughty kids encountered the ghost.

"Principal, this is it. We encountered the ghost here." Student A pointed to the place where they climbed over the wall and said.

Conan walked forward first and squatted down to observe carefully.

The ground was covered with dust and a few scattered fallen leaves, but they were not red maple leaves, but ordinary green leaves, and there was no bloodstain.

"There was no blood, no smell of blood, no signs of cleaning, and no blood-stained maple leaves."

Conan reached out and touched the ground, getting his hands covered in dust. Then he sniffed it and expressed his judgment.

"If there really had been blood and flesh dropped here, I should have been able to smell blood and feel traces of it, and the dust wouldn't be so clean. So the pieces of flesh these students were talking about must have been specially crafted for pranks."

"But we clearly touched blood. I still remember that sticky feeling." Student B questioned aloud. When he thought of what happened last night, he got goose bumps all over his body.

"Based on what you said, let me make a hypothesis and see if it's correct." Conan had already figured out Zhang Luo's modus operandi in his mind. After reviewing it again, he spoke.

"First, the perpetrator played a recording of a woman's voice, and the volume of the recording was very low, so only Student A heard it. Then when Student A asked other students about it, they all said they didn't hear it. This was the first stage."

"Then, the perpetrator heard your conversation and used props like a hair dryer to create a strong wind. They also added a special red maple leaf prop. This prop has appeared in foreign spoof shows, but the shape is different. The same thing is that it not only smells of blood, but also has a special dye that easily falls off, making it feel sticky. Student A will easily mistake it for blood. This is the second stage R."

Conan analyzed word by word, holding his chin with his hand.

"Then comes the third stage. The little sister carries a doll on her back. This is a classic horror nursery rhyme from the island nation. After Student A is terrified, the perpetrator plays this terrifying nursery rhyme to create an atmosphere. Adding a gust of cold wind and blood-red maple leaves, they subconsciously make you believe that your Hundred Monogatari has truly summoned a ghost, and that it's chasing you."

"Then comes the fourth stage. Once you're frightened, you'll naturally want to leave the school. Your chosen escape route won't be anywhere else but the wall you've already chosen. The perpetrators are already lying in wait on the other side of the wall. If anyone tries to climb over, they'll use frozen objects to scare them, just like what happened to Student C. If someone is about to climb over the wall, they'll be dragged over, knocked unconscious, and then blood-stained objects will be thrown inside to discourage you from escaping."

"Finally, the fifth stage is to deal with you, whose psychological defenses have reached critical point. They'll use a tape recorder to play funeral music and props like a projector to create ghostly figures within your sight. They'll keep approaching you and scare you into unconsciousness. Finally, the perpetrator will pack up their things and leave the school before security arrives."

"So, there weren't any casualties after you encountered the ghosts, because the ghosts were actually humans in disguise. There was no blood or smell of blood on the ground, because the things you encountered were just props. The red maple leaves were also nowhere to be found, and the dust wasn't swept away, because maple leaves are specially made props and can be cleaned up quickly."

Conan still held his chin with his hand, looking like a thinker. He divided the experiences of the naughty children into five stages and analyzed them on his own, completely forgetting that he was now an elementary school student.

You must be too proud. It's a miracle that no one was found to be wrong in hundreds of episodes of the original novel.

Zhang Luo already knew Conan's identity, so he didn't show anything wrong, but just complained silently in his heart.

Kogoro Mouri always pretends to be ignorant when he knows the truth. At this moment, he is leaning against the wall and looking at the sky, looking as if he is daydreaming, as if he has not heard anything.

"So amazing..." As Conan's analysis became more and more thorough, the naughty kids opened their mouths wider and wider, with expressions of extreme surprise.

"Little Conan is really amazing. He can analyze so many things." Principal Hinata and Aso Tsuru also exclaimed in amazement.

"Ah? Ah? Ah! Hahahaha..." Conan only reacted at this time, and found that Principal Hyuga, Aso Tsuru, and the other naughty children were looking at him like monsters. He knew that he had fallen into the deduction mode again, and quickly waved his hands to explain, "No, no, I'm not that good, I'm just imitating Uncle Maori. I'm learning how Uncle Maori usually reasons. I also formed the Junior Detective Team with several classmates in school."

In order to clear himself of suspicion, Conan revealed his own shortcomings and told the story of the Junior Detective Team, thus diverting everyone's attention.

"Detective Maori, you are indeed a great detective." Principal Hyuga complimented Maori Kogoro who was leaning against the wall. She originally thought that this man was unreliable and not a famous detective at all. She did not expect that a child could come up with such a detailed crime process just by watching his reasoning process a few times. It seems that this famous Detective Maori is indeed a very powerful detective.

Principal Hinata did not think of the possibility that Conan made his own inference and it had nothing to do with Maori Kogoro. After all, it was too unreasonable for a primary school student to make such an inference.

If this were the real world, a domestic primary school student who had watched more than 700 episodes of Detective Conan, four or five years of the Xinwen Lianbo, 3000 episodes of Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, more than 800 episodes of Qvod, more than 300 zombie movies, eaten no less than 10,000 kinds of Chinese food, and was proficient in more than 500 methods of killing, escaping from secret rooms, creating alibis, praising, cheating, poisoning food, raping, and cleverly using conventional props to kill people, might have this ability.

"Ah?! Hahahahahaha... It's nothing, it's nothing. To me, it's all a piece of cake, hahahaha..."

Kogoro Mouri looked like he had just been awakened. He was stunned for a moment and then began to laugh triumphantly.

Conan rolled his eyes secretly, and his worry about being discovered by Mouri Kogoro was gone.

However, when Conan turned his head and saw Zhang Luo looking at him with a faint smile, his heart suddenly jumped. Just because Kogoro Mouri was not able to find his problem, it did not mean that Zhang Luo, who was suspected to be a member of the Black Organization, could not find it.