Conan Rick's Investigator

But Luc himself didn't care at all. He smiled with his eyes narrowed and spoke in a calm tone.

"Vince Qin, a former senior FBI agent, resigned four years ago and went to Japan to open a detective agency. He joined the Nine Angels organization that same year and is currently a C-rank agent."

"Don't be surprised, let alone panic. I didn't conduct any advance reconnaissance on you."

"It's just that I have a photographic memory and I remember the information of all the members of the organization very clearly."

Luc's casual words completely shocked the other three people.

Never forget?

Is there really such ability in the world?

Qin Zhibo knew that Conan and Kuroba Kaito both had good memories, and he himself was also able to remember some very critical but difficult-to-remember content when needed.

But this is all because the three of them have very high intelligence. An intelligence of 80 is already very high compared to the average human intelligence of 50.

When Qin Zhibo used [Investigation] just now, he did not find out how special Luc Villiers' intelligence was. An intelligence of 70 was only slightly better than that of ordinary people.

But the Nine Angels Organization is a huge organization that spans continents, and its membership must be quite large.

He can remember everyone's identity information. If this statement is not bluffing, it is indeed incredible.

On the sofa, the energetic young Kuroba Kaito didn't believe Luc's words at all and asked doubtfully, "Can you really remember everything you see?"

"I do not believe."

Luc smiled slightly but did not answer.

Qin Zhibo looked at the squinting man and continued, "Whether he has a photographic memory isn't the point. The point is that he has memorized the information of all the Nine Angels."

"If you're just an ordinary agent, it's impossible for you to know all the members' information."

The Nine Angels Organization implements an agent system. Each country has an A-level agent who is responsible for distributing tasks issued by the headquarters and dispatching the agents below.

Yasuharu Haneda is Japan's A-level agent, also known as the "Japan General Agent".

A country’s A-level agent can only know the agents within the country at most.

And this Luc Villiers claimed to know the identities of all the members. He must be from the Nine Angels Headquarters, and his status was not low.

Seeing that Lu Ke was still smiling and didn't want to explain anything, Qin Zhibo continued to ask.

"So what's your relationship to Amanda Hughes?"

"Oh?" Luc became interested and asked, "Do you still know Amanda?"

"I know a little bit. The Hughes family should be one of the high-ranking officials behind the Nine Angels Organization, right?"

Luc Villiers' eyes moved slightly, but he did not answer.

Seeing this, Qin Zhibo continued, "It is said that the Nine Angels Organization was originally created by nine powerful figures, hence the name 'Nine-Man Choir'."

"American capitalist Amanda Hughes should be one of your senior executives."

"And your true identity is probably not much different from Amanda Hughes, right?"

Qin Zhibo speculated that in addition to the fact that the other party knew the information of all the members of the Nine Angels, he was also able to come alone to take away the "Shining Trapezohedron".

This shows that whether it is strength or loyalty, he must be deeply trusted by the organization.

So instead of sending an agent, it is better to do it yourself to handle the matter properly.

Seeing that Qin Zhibo was constantly testing him, Luc Villiers didn't plan to beat around the bush.

"I do have some say within the Nine Angels, but I can't tell you what my specific position is."

"I'm here this time to eliminate the threat as quickly as possible and bring you the intelligence you want."

"Don't you want the information about 'Pickman'? I've brought it with me."

Hearing that Pickman's information was right before his eyes, Kuroba Kaito became a little excited and quickly asked, "Where's the information? Where is it?"

"Here." Luc Villiers nodded his head.

"Before I tell you, I want to see if you have the stone. That would be fair..."

Hearing this, Kuroba Kaito looked at Qin Zhibo.

After getting Qin Zhibo's confirmation, Kuroba Kaito gave a look and signaled Terai Huangzhisuke to go and get it.

Terai Huangzhisuke entered the bedroom and after a few seconds, he took out a stone and gently placed it on the coffee table.

The light in the living room was white, but when it shone on the artificially polished octahedron it emitted an inexplicable black light.

Luc Villiers gently picked up the gem with his gloved hands, and his eyes, which had been slightly narrowed, finally opened a little and stared at the gem closely.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qin Zhibo and Kuroba Kaito finally saw Luc Villiers' eyes clearly.

Luc's two eyes are different colors. His right eye is the blue common among Europeans, while his left eye is golden yellow with a black wavy vertical pupil, a bit like an animal's eye.

When Luke was examining the gem, Qin Zhibo discovered that he seemed to be examining the gem with both eyes, but in fact he was mainly examining it with his left eye.

Is there anything special about this left eye?

After examining the gem for a few seconds, Luc narrowed his eyes again.

"It certainly looks like a 'Shining Trapezohedron'. You did a great job... or Ms. Kuroba. Anyway, congratulations."

As he spoke, Luc took out the briefcase he carried with him and wanted to put the gems into the box.

"Wait a minute, that's not okay..."

Just as Kuroba Kaito was about to remind people that this thing cannot be put into a dark place, Qin Zhibo stopped him with his hand.

"Look carefully at the inner edge of the box. There are small LED lights."

"If you close this box, the inside will light up on its own, right?"

Luc Villiers closed the box and smiled, "As expected of a former FBI agent and renowned detective, your observation skills are truly remarkable."

"Well, it's time for me to fulfill my promise and tell you about Pickman."

Finally, the highlight arrived. Kuroba Kaito and Terai Kōnosuke straightened their expressions and looked serious and solemn.

"Pickman, whose full name is Richard Upman Pickman, came from an old family in the Salem area. He later drifted to Boston's Old North End and became a down-and-out painter."

"The date of his birth and death is unknown. His paintings are mainly of bizarre themes, such as demons, witches, and nightmares."

Kuroba Kaito and Terai Konosuke had already taken their stools, ready to listen to a magnificent story about a man, but Luc Villiers' words came to an abrupt halt.

"That's all?" asked Kuroba Kaito.

"No more... Or what specifically do you want to know?"

Kuroba Kaito was a little anxious and asked quickly, "Where is this person now?"

Luc Villiers replied calmly, "Perhaps I haven't been detailed enough. Although Pickman's birth and death dates are unknown, he was active mainly at the end of the last century and the beginning of this one."

"It has been exactly 70 years since he was last seen before his disappearance."

Kuroba Kaito: "..."

Terai Konosuke: "..."

Hearing this, the two looked surprised and fell into silence for a long time.

Someone who existed 70 years ago?

Terai Huangzhisuke clearly remembered that when he first met Master Toichi, Kuroba Toichi was only in his early 20s and was a talented magician who had just won the highest prize in the International Magic League Competition.

It was later that Kuroba Toichi transformed into Kaito Kidd, and it was probably after this that Pickman was able to draw the painting "The Phantom Thief Under the Moon" for him.

In other words, the sturdy Pickman of Hei Yu Daoyi should have been around for about ten years.

But he disappeared 70 years ago. Not to mention Kuroba Toichi, even a 61-year-old man like himself had no chance to meet Pickman.

Moreover, according to the normal human lifespan, could a person who has been active since the last century still live to more than ten years ago?

Compared to the older Terai Kōnosuke, Kuroba Kaito had even less idea about this long time.

But common sense told them that the Pickman introduced by Luke and Hei Yu Daoyi were people from two completely different eras.

How do characters from two different eras intersect through a painting?

At this time, Qin Zhibo suddenly said, "Is it possible that this person has transformed into a ghoul, which is why he has become so long-lived?"

When this guess came out, Kuroba Kaito and Terai Kōnosuke were stunned, with an expression of "What are you talking about?" on their faces.

Qin Zhibo then remembered that the person who knew the secret of the zombies was Koizumi Hongzi, and these two people only had some superficial knowledge about zombies.

So, Qin Zhibo told the two that if humans have long-term contact with zombies, there is a probability that they will gradually transform into zombies.

"Is there such a thing?"

Terai Huang Zhisuke was obviously a little bit unconvinced. How could a normal human being turn into a dog-headed monster out of thin air?

"Of course it's possible." Qin Zhibo gave an example. "Remember the director of the Medieval Art Museum? He turned into a ghoul..."

"what?!"

Kuroba Kaito widened his eyes in disbelief. Previously, in order to confirm in advance whether the gem to be exhibited was Pandora's Stone, he had met with Matsumoto Ryohei with the help of Qin Zhibo.

Later, it was Matsumoto Ryohei who authenticated "The Phantom Thief" and discovered the picture-within-a-picture hidden inside.

At this time, Luc Villiers, who had been watching the discussion in silence, clapped his hands.

Snap, snap, snap...

"I didn't expect Mr. Qin to have such a thorough understanding of ghouls. I really admire him."

"You all want to find Pickman, right? From what I understand, when Pickman was young, his family was quite powerful. Determined to become a painter, Pickman traveled around Europe to learn art."

"In 1989, Pickman went to the Netherlands and met a top painter who was a poor painter at the time but became famous all over the world after his death."

Qin Zhibo frowned and guessed, "Could it be Van Gogh?"

Luc Villiers nodded. "Yes, Van Gogh was still feeling frustrated at the time. Pickman believed that Van Gogh's name would be passed down through the ages, so he bought two of his paintings at the market."

"These two paintings are of sunflowers in a vase, and are simply called 'Sunflowers'."

"After Pickman disappeared in 1926, a close friend of Pickman's found a note in Pickman's residence."

"The note said: If you want to know where I've been, look for me among the sunflowers."

Luc Villiers' words brought a new turn to the situation.

The "sunflower fields" mentioned on the note are obviously referring to Van Gogh's famous painting "Sunflowers".

According to Pickman's habit of creating pictures within pictures, perhaps there is some secret hidden in "Sunflowers".

But the problem is...

Qin Zhibo looked at Luc Villiers calmly and asked, "How do you know so much about the life of a little-known and down-and-out painter like Pickman?"

Luc Villiers smiled. "It's simple. After Pickman's disappearance, his best friend chose to seek help from the Nine Angels."

"It was at that time that our organization learned about the existence of creatures like ghouls..."

Qin Zhibo secretly thought about the logic behind it.

The Nine Angels were founded in New England, and Ackerman Hughes funded the University of Michigan's Antarctic expedition in 1930.

Boston is the largest city in New England, so it is logical that Pickman's friends sought help from the Nine Angels in 1926.

Seeing that Qin Zhibo didn't raise any questions, Kuroba Kaito, who was standing nearby, quickly asked, "Where are the two 'Sunflowers'? Where are they now?"

Luc Villiers went on to introduce that "Van Gogh created 11 paintings with sunflowers as the theme during his lifetime, seven of which showed sunflowers in vases. These are also the most widely circulated 'Sunflowers' paintings in the world."

"The second and fifth paintings were purchased by Pickman from Van Gogh during his lifetime."

"After Pickman's disappearance, the two paintings passed through many hands and were lost to history."

"But according to my inside information, the second 'Sunflowers' painting will be auctioned at the New York Art Auction the day after tomorrow."

"As for the fifth painting, 'Sunflowers,' it is currently in the collection of the Koa Museum of Art in Tokyo, Japan."

"If you want to properly view these two famous paintings, I'm afraid it will be very difficult..."

There was something else in Luc Villiers's words, which, though not stated explicitly, could only be gleaned.

When Kuroba Kaito heard that it was related to his old profession, he immediately became excited.

"Great! I must get these two paintings!"

……

All the intelligence and gems were handed over, and it was time for Luc Villiers to leave.