Anime, but the Phantom Thieves of Heart

Melissa Mao, who was ‘fatal with one blow’, was originally quite happy, but looking at the other party’s shy appearance, she suddenly felt stuffy in her heart for some reason.

She didn't feel anything before, but recently... especially since they just remarried not long ago, she suddenly wanted a child.

However, the work of both parties is special, so don't even think about it until you retire.

There is no doubt that although Melissa Mao's boomerang solved the problem of Chidori, it also hit her own vital point.

But even if I can't have a child, this rare vacation...

Thinking of this, Melissa's eyes gradually became a little 'dangerous' as she looked into the distance.

Cruz, who was completely unaware of the crisis, nodded in satisfaction as he watched Lan Ke's bolt-pulling movements become more and more standard, although still a little slow.

It seems that even though I haven't trained new recruits for a long time, my skills haven't fallen behind.

But he did not forget his original purpose.

"How about it? Want to buy it? What I just said still stands. If you buy it now, you can get a discount."

Chapter 35: For a peaceful life, eliminate all dangers in the bud!

Faced with Cruz's unreserved recommendation, Lan Ke shook his head.

Although he likes AK, he needs "actual combat". A weapon like AK, which is powerful but has a volatile trajectory, is not suitable for a novice like him.

Of course, the original words cannot be said like this. After all, it is impossible to tell others about the "cognitive world".

"I like it very much, but it doesn't seem to suit me. Is there a weapon that is more suitable for a newcomer?"

Hearing this, the store manager's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Sir, are you planning to join Teitan High School's 'Survival Game Club'? Then I suggest you buy this 'Uzi'. While it's not as well-known among submachine guns as the MP5, its smaller size makes it lighter, making it practically unremarkable for newcomers to run around with. It also has an extended magazine, so you can even dual-wield it during competitions, helping you suppress enemy fire in a short period of time."

As he spoke, the other party took down two Uzi submachine guns from the wall and handed them to Lan Ke.

Lan Ke took the gun and nodded. The other party was right.

Although "model guns" cannot be as heavy as real guns, this store sells "fine products". For example, the handguard and grip of the AK mentioned above are all made of pure wood, and the gun body is made of special hard plastic with a special spraying process, which also makes them much heavier than ordinary "toy guns".

All I can say is that there is no harm without comparison. Lan Ke thought the "toy gun" he bought in the toy store before was quite realistic, but when compared with the one he just had and the one in his hand, there was really a world of difference.

Even just looking at the shape, even a layman like Lan Ke can feel its exquisiteness.

At the same time, the 'Uzi submachine gun' is indeed a good choice for Lan Ke. After all, his 'exclusive personality mask' is biased towards support and assistance. Coupled with the 'Phantom Thief Suit' and his own enhancement, Lan Ke is more inclined to fight with his main body and use the 'personality mask' to assist in the fight.

The long gun is indeed good, but it is not suitable for him. Instead, this short gun that can shoot the enemy in the face with just one pull of the trigger is more suitable for him.

As if he saw the intention on Lan Ke's face, Cruz spoke again to add weight to the store manager's situation.

①○一２２⑧３０９８

"Don't worry about the quality of the guns in this store. You can go back to your Teitan's 'Survival Game Club' and ask around. Almost all of them are bought here. And since you're a junior, you can get discounts on accessories when you come back to this store in the future~"

"Junior?"

"Huh? Don't you know? Looking at your uniform, I thought you were recommended by a senior at school. This store manager is also a graduate of 'Teitan'~ Sagara Sosuke, have you heard of him?"

Cruz smiled, but Lan Ke felt as if a bomb had exploded in his head.

Sosuke Sagara? !

No wonder he looked familiar!!

It was just because the other person was much older, and because of the difference between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds, he didn't recognize the other person at first sight.

What surprised him even more was that the other party was also a graduate of Teitan?!

Isn't that the 'store manager's wife' from earlier...

Looking at Lan Ke with a surprised face, Cruz smiled and put his arm around Sosuke Sagara's shoulders.

"It seems that even after all these years, your 'legend' is still circulating in the school~"

"Ahem~ I was young and ignorant back then..."

It is obvious that compared to more than ten years ago, Sosuke Sagara, who has now retired and even opened his own "small shop" in Neon with his wife, at least has a little more common sense than before, and he also knows how outrageous his actions were.

In the end, Lan Ke bought an Uzi submachine gun in the store.

Although he really wanted to buy two guns and a pistol at the same time, considering his limited funds, he decided to test them in the 'cognitive space' later and continue to buy if they were effective.

This way, even if it is ineffective, the loss is not too great. Even if such a beautifully crafted weapon cannot be used, it is still a good thing to collect it.

However, when paying, Lan Ke suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Sagara-senpai, did you see the owner of an orange sports car approaching around here during business hours? Regarding his appearance..."

That’s right, Lan Ke finally remembered that he still had the task of helping with the investigation.

However, after hearing Lan Ke's words, Sosuke Sagara frowned slightly.

Age-appropriate bar

He did not answer directly, but asked a question in return.

"What's matter?"

Lan Ke did not hide anything and directly told Kudo Shinichi's reasoning.

The information he knew was so bizarre that he couldn't figure out the source of the information at all. In contrast, the information Kudo Shinichi had and his reasoning were much more reasonable.

As expected, after hearing this, Sosuke Sagara frowned slightly, and it was obvious that he also hated this kind of case.

After all, as a true warrior, even when facing the enemy, he would not hesitate at all because of the other party's gender, but it was only limited to the enemy. In his eyes, this behavior of destroying other people's families was extremely despicable!

Only then did he finally nodded.

"I probably haven't seen him recently, but I can help you investigate. If he really passed by here, I should be able to find some clues."

Lan Ke was overjoyed by Sosuke Sagara's words.

After all, even if Kudo Shinichi taught him some skills of "visiting and investigating", it would not be as good as asking the locals to help with the investigation. After all, when his neighbors came to ask questions, they would not ignore some details or even refuse to answer because of vigilance.

Not to mention that although Lan Ke thinks that there should be no large mechas in the real world, Sagara Sosuke is definitely not an ordinary person. With his help, it can be said that the result with half the effort is twice the result! !

In fact, Lan Ke’s premonition was correct. Sosuke Sagara had already planned to check the surveillance cameras on the nearby streets later.

That's right. As a former young soldier who later joined the elite mercenaries of Mithril, even though he has retired now, he still attaches great importance to his own safety. Not only his own store, but even the nearby streets have secretly installed a lot of surveillance cameras.

This behavior is undoubtedly illegal. After all, because of the so-called "privacy and security", the Japanese officials in this world have few surveillance cameras in public places, let alone the dense surveillance network of Sosuke Sagara.

It can be said that Lan Ke has found the 'strongest reinforcements today'!

When Lan Ke happily left with the "new equipment", Sosuke Sagara on the other side also looked directly at his friend beside him.

"Cruz..."

"OK~ I'll help too~"

There was no need for Sosuke Sagara to say anything more. Cruz, who had already heard everything Lan Ke said, just made an 'OK' gesture.

As for Chidori and the other two on the other side, they had no intention of disturbing her. If possible, they both hoped that the other party could live a peaceful life.

Chapter 36: Ryōtei and the Strange Sect

On the other side, Lan Ke didn't know that Sosuke Sagara had set up a "surveillance network" nearby. He just went around according to the previous agreement with Shinichi Kudo, and even appeared in Sosuke Sagara's surveillance several times.

But it was precisely because of this that Sosuke Sagara's trust in Lan Ke increased.

But then Sosuke Sagara couldn't help but frown. After all, if Lan Ke didn't lie to him, wouldn't that mean that there was a criminal in Mika who specifically targeted female victims?

Then wouldn't his wife also be a target?

If there is anything in this world that can make him return to the social world after retiring, it is probably only his family.

Thinking of this, he instinctively touched his waist...

On the other side, Lan Ke, who had no idea how thick the thigh he had pulled up was, was still conducting the visit diligently.

Last night, Ito Makoto had dinner with the so-called 'father' at a 'ryotei in Taito District, Tokyo'. Later, in order to prove his special abilities, he somehow managed to have sex with a woman who passed by after dinner. This woman was the 'fourth victim' besides the 'three victims'.

Relying on this additional information, Lan Ke locked onto the area near the "ryotei", that is, the "Senzuka 3-chome/4-chome" area in Taito District for search. If he could happen to meet the "suspect" who had just finished his meal, that would naturally be the easiest. If he couldn't meet him, he could also try to ask around.

As for why not go to that restaurant and ask directly?

It’s not that Lan Ke didn’t want to go, but before he could get close, he was driven away by a group of people who looked difficult to deal with.

It was not until then that Lan Ke truly realized how special a place "Ryotei" was.

This is not just a high-end restaurant, but the most important political and social venue in Neon, without a doubt.

It is said that every Japanese Prime Minister would entertain guests who were not convenient to receive publicly at a restaurant he trusted.

The only difference is that there is more than one ryokan, but the same thing is that the owner behind every real ryokan is not an ordinary person.

It was because Lan Ke looked like a young and naive person, otherwise he would not have been just driven away.

These were all pieces of information that Lan Ke, the "outsider", didn't know at first. He only found out after searching online after being driven away.

So Lan Ke's plan is very simple. If he can find the "suspect" directly, that would be the best. If he can't find him, then he will try to find out the name of the "restaurant owner", and then use the "other world navigation" to directly "inquire" with the owner.

If I can't find out anything else... then I can only reveal some information to Kudo Shinichi and let him find out.

As the son of a world-famous mystery writer, the other party has many more connections and channels than he does.

But just when Lan Ke returned empty-handed again, he saw a group of strange people wearing Buddhist beads walking past him.

The reason why it feels strange is that these people are different from the "monks" or even "pilgrims" in Lan Ke's impression.

Most of them, both men and women, were dressed in casual clothes, and did not have the solemnity of monks at all.

Lan Ke even saw one of the young women deliberately moving her body closer to a passerby while handing out flyers, which made Lan Ke frown even deeper.

What the hell is this?

Lan Ke instinctively took two steps back and blended into the crowd to continue his "visit".

It's a pity that apart from the unexpected help from Sosuke Sagara, after nearly an hour of visits, it can't be said that I gained nothing, but it can only be said that the results were minimal.

Because ordinary passersby are more mobile, Lan Ke chose to ask around in shops on the street or office workers who were off work at nearby companies. Unfortunately, although some people had indeed seen the "orange sports car", they only had a fleeting glimpse of it. No one knew where it was going, let alone its owner.

As for the harvest of "ryotei", it was even less. Many people, like him, had no idea what "ryotei" was. The very few who knew about it kept their mouths shut, fearing that continuing to ask might cause unnecessary vigilance. Lan Ke finally had no choice but to give up.

"Naraka!!"

When Lan Ke walked out of the station, Kudo Shinichi, who had been waiting in front of the "Hachiko Statue" for a long time, came over impatiently. Then, without waiting for Lan Ke to speak, he waved at him and signaled him to follow him.

Kudo Shinichi spoke again only after the two of them arrived at an empty corner outside the station.

"How is it? Did you find any clues?"

"A little……"

Before Lan Ke finished speaking, Kudo Shinichi's eyes lit up. After all, compared with Lan Ke's, his progress was not optimistic.

If Lan Ke's behavior was like "looking for a sword on a boat", then Kudo Shinichi was completely "looking for a needle in a haystack", especially since he only deduced that the "suspect was driving a vehicle" and didn't even know what the specific vehicle was. He did hear a lot of gossip, but because there was so much of it, he couldn't tell which ones were useful in a short period of time.

The job of a detective is to decrypt, but the prerequisite for decryption is to grasp the "thread".

What he is doing now is to find the thread in the tangled mess.

And Lan Ke undoubtedly brought the "thread".

"I've found a possible 'fourth victim.'"

"?!"

Looking at Kudo Shinichi with his eyes wide open in front of him, Lan Ke also spoke out the lines he had prepared in advance.

﹄0①⑵⒉ノ╲③檪９⑻

"The witness was a young man. He said that the day after the three 'victims' were killed, a middle-aged man driving an orange sports car and wearing a patterned shirt approached a woman in work clothes in Chizuka 3-chome, Taito Ward. Initially, the woman seemed reluctant to be approached, but after a few minutes, the man actually put his arm around her and walked into a small alley. The 'intense fight' lasted for nearly half an hour."

The so-called 'witness' of Lan Ke was none other than Ito Makoto, and these words were indeed said by Ito Makoto, who repeated them almost word for word. After hearing what Lan Ke said, Kudo Shinichi did not say much, but thought for a while before speaking again.

"There are quite a few orange sports cars. Are there any special features about that one?"

"Yes! According to the eyewitness, the exhaust vents on that sports car were very unique. There were three of them in the middle of the parking space, arranged one up and two down. So he was very impressed."

Lan Ke didn't know much about cars, but Kudo Shinichi was different. His family already had a sports car, and he had learned driving in Hawaii, so he had done a lot of research on this subject and thought of the answer almost immediately.

“Lexus LFA!!!”

When Kudo Shinichi thought of the answer, his voice became even higher, and then he couldn't wait to take out his mobile phone.