I was the fourth disaster in Yokohama and was loved by everyone.

After the competition yesterday, he returned to his room and became engrossed in writing a new detective novel, staying indoors all day. His dinner was delivered to his door by a maid, so he didn't run into the new guests.

Unexpectedly, something so unforgettable happened between him and one of the guests...

Po tightened his grip on Karl, shuddered, and hurried away. He no longer had the desire to observe Edogawa Ranpo's brilliant performance in the match any longer.

Zhu Yu, who was now completely empty-handed: ...I didn't realize you ran so fast?

Chapter 171 Main Storyline Refresh

There is a one-week break between each match in the "Detective Competition" finals to allow the contestants to adjust their condition.

Ranpo had no opinion on the organizer's arrangements. For him, the competition was just a matter of being a little serious, and whether there was a rest period or not was not important.

The competition was reasonably interesting, and he didn't feel like he'd come for nothing.

This just means the journey back to Yokohama will take longer.

Although he was far away in the United States, Fukuzawa Yukichi would mention the situation in Yokohama when communicating with Ranpo, and naturally he did not overlook a recent event that had attracted attention from all sides: the death of a wealthy superhuman, leaving behind a 500 billion yen estate with no heir.

Ranpo's usually clear voice suddenly turned serious as he spoke earnestly to Fukuzawa Yukichi on the other end of the phone.

"President, Yokohama is about to descend into chaos."

*

When the call came from Yokohama, Zhu Yu was happily running around the streets of America.

When she jumps and leaps around on the streets here, you can often hear passersby cheering.

They were quite enthusiastic.

Just as I was thinking this, Mori Ōgai called and said a long, cryptic message.

The man with the black heart and red scarf always speaks in roundabout ways, requiring some reading comprehension to understand.

In short, someone left behind unclaimed wealth, and many organizations, large and small, in the underworld are eager to seize it. The Port Mafia plans to wait until these forces are exhausted from fighting each other before taking over the wealth, unifying the underworld, and becoming the boss of Yokohama's underworld.

Because the Port Mafia wants to patiently maintain its position, there's no rush to recall her now; she can stay in the US for a while. Of course, if the organization needs her, she must return immediately to fight for the Port Mafia.

As soon as these words were spoken, a system notification sounded—

Congratulations on triggering the main quest – Dragon Head War!

The smoke of battle is rising, conflict is imminent, and the skies over Yokohama will be shrouded in gloom. Who will be the loser, and who will be the winner? Ensure your side emerges victorious.

"Yes, Chief Mori."

As she responded to Mori Ougai's words, the mission was accepted, and the mission panel displayed the current victory progress of her faction.

Currently, the map integration progress is at 30%, and "Yokohama Story" is still an independent map.

In this map, the character in the vest belongs to the Port Mafia faction. The winning condition is to seize the inheritance and unify the Yokohama underworld. The current progress is 1%.

The main body has no specific affiliation and is categorized as an "ordinary citizen". The winning condition is to ensure the survival rate of the members of the affiliated faction. The current progress is 1%.

As soon as the main quest was released, Zhu Yu had the urge to teleport back to Yokohama immediately.

But the thought that the task at hand was not yet completed suppressed all impulses.

Forget it, I'd better finish this task first.

Even the player's ruthless boss isn't in such a hurry to bring the player back, which means the mission hasn't reached a critical point yet.

Zhu Yu saved the game to avoid any mishaps, and then continued playing with peace of mind.

*

Edgar Allan Poe was very distressed.

Ever since his son Carl ran away last time, he seems to be increasingly fond of going outside.

Carl especially liked to stick to that horrible girl.

He had to repeatedly ask Karl to come back, despite the other person's intense gaze.

According to his observation, the two seemingly dominant figures in this group were completely guided by the girl's opinions and might even be aiding and abetting the evildoers.

Thankfully, she was successfully persuaded.

Thanks to Edogawa-kun, if it weren't for him, his Karl would never have come back.

Even if I thank Edogawa-kun again, he won't hold back; he will definitely be the champion.

Poe, who was undefeated in the field of detective work to this day, thought so.

Unfortunately, his confidence seemed to waver quickly – in the second match, he finished the match later than Edogawa Ranpo.

This is the first time someone has been able to solve a case faster than him.

No, no, no, this was just an accident. He won't lose.

Po returned to his room absentmindedly, only to find that Carl was gone again.

Having suffered a double blow to his spirit, Po skillfully walked straight to a certain room, hesitated for a moment, and then knocked on the door.

The door opened—

A slender vine deftly wrapped around the raccoon's waist, gently lifting it up. The vine swayed like a swing, then suddenly tossed it upwards—

"squeak!"

The raccoon drew an arc in the air, its four paws outstretched and its tail held high.

Just as the raccoon was plummeting straight down, about to make intimate contact with the ground—

Poe's eyes widened suddenly: "Carl!" Watch out!

He rushed forward and stretched out his arms.

We've come to save you!

The vine caught the raccoon again, spun it around, and then gently tossed it up.

The raccoon's black eyes sparkled as it excitedly tried to twist its body in the air, wanting to do it a few more times.

Zhu Yu manipulated the vines, tossing them higher and higher, catching the raccoon steadily each time it fell.

She was multitasking, playing with Carl while simultaneously turning to greet the frozen Poe: "Hello, Mr. Poe."

Po was terrified, but he still subconsciously replied, "Hello, Miss Meichuan."

He observed Carl closely; it was waving its paws wildly and barking loudly, clearly having a great time.

His heart eased a little. He glanced resentfully at Karl, who seemed to be having too much fun to leave, and then turned to Zhu Yu and said, "I came to find Karl, but... he seems to be having a lot of fun right now, so I'll come back to pick him up later."

Having just run a few steps, the once neat bangs on his forehead had become a bit disheveled, inadvertently revealing his left eye, which was usually hidden by his bangs.

His pupils were a grayish black, like a layer of mist that couldn't be dispersed, or like something submerged in deep water, always conveying a cold, weary, and distant look. A bluish-black ring rose under his eyes, spreading down the skin below his eyelids, but unexpectedly made his eyelashes appear even longer.

Zhu Yu's gaze froze instantly as she carefully examined his exposed face.

Wow, another beautiful NPC has arrived.

Before Po could react, Zhu Yu had already taken two steps forward, gently brushing aside his overly long bangs with her fingertips, her fingertips carrying a slight warmth as she brushed against his cool brow bone.

"Wait, what are you doing—"

He instinctively tried to back away, but she grabbed his shoulder with her other hand, preventing him from moving.

His eyelashes trembled frantically, and the tips of his ears gradually blushed pink.

Karl, Karl! Come and save us!

Po screamed inwardly in a panic.

Fortunately, this "torture" only lasted a few seconds before the other party let go and stepped back.

Zhu Yu nodded in satisfaction and praised without reservation, "Po Jun, it looks great."

slope:!!!

A blush successfully crept onto his cheeks, and his mind went blank. He didn't even care about Karl anymore, and staggered towards the door.

He ran away without looking back.

He ran back to his room in one breath, leaned against the cold door and slowly sat down, panting heavily, his heart feeling like it was about to jump out of his chest.

The heat on her face hadn't subsided yet, and the stray hairs on her forehead clung to her sweaty skin. The warmth of that person's approach seemed to linger on her forehead, impossible to shake off.

He stared blankly at the floor, his mind replaying the scene from earlier, a wave of shame and anger washing over him like thorns.

Are you mocking us for being good-looking?

After a while, his breathing gradually became steady. He frowned, and a trace of resentment flashed in his dark eyes.

He recalled the loss in the competition, Karl's cold shoulder during this period, and how he had been so embarrassed by a small gesture while the other party remained completely oblivious...

"We..." he muttered under his breath, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white, "will not lose."

Finally, he took a deep breath, made a plan in his mind, and left the room, walking back step by step.

Chapter 172 Let's duel!

"Please, fight me, Miss Meichuan!"

Zhu Yu looked at the NPC in front of her, whose black hair was slightly disheveled and whose breathing was a little rapid, and a trace of confusion appeared in her eyes.

Is it a bit sudden for an NPC to suddenly run away and then run back to challenge a player to a duel?

but......

This is a "duel"!

Seeing the tasks refreshed on the task panel, Zhu Yu immediately accepted them.

"Come on, Mr. Po." Zhu Yu circled the slope a few times, silently urging him to start a good fight.

Po didn't expect that the other party would agree before he could even finish explaining the duel. The remaining half of the sentence was stuck in a rut, and his attention was completely diverted to Zhu Yu. His eyes unconsciously followed her figure, and before long he felt dizzy.

“Wait… Miss Meichuan, the duel we’re talking about is…” Po tried to clarify his purpose.

"Po-kun doesn't want to fight you."

One hand descended like a divine intervention, pressing down on Zhu Yu's shoulder, while the other hand precisely grabbed her wrist, stopping her spinning motion.

Zhu Yu turned around and found it was Ranpo.

"Hello, Ranpo."

"That's right, the famous detective is here."

She calmed down and recalled the words Ranpo had said when he came.

"No fighting?" Zhu Yu asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice, then turned to Po and asked, "Then what do we need to compete in?"

Po pursed his lips.

He wanted to turn the tide, to prove that he wasn't just someone who could only falter and dodge, and to put all that inexplicable panic into the simple container of "victory or defeat."

Anyway, as long as I win once, that's fine.

We are definitely not fools who can be easily tricked!

“We will have two rounds, each of us choosing one competition topic.” Poe said what he had already thought of: “We have already decided on the topic we want to compete in, and that is a competition of reasoning.”

Yes, we did not bully anyone. Everyone chose a field they were good at, which was very fair!

Zhu Yu blinked, looking somewhat troubled. Should she let the players decide what to compete in?

A player who considered himself omnipotent fell into decision paralysis.

Just then, the system conveniently popped up an option—

Edgar Allan Poe has extended a duel challenge to you. You must choose the subject of the duel. What is your choice?

[A. Strikes the JOJO pose and shouts, "I am the real King of Breakdance! Now let's have a showdown with our cool dance moves!" and starts a "dance" competition.]

B. Spin, jump, you close your eyes~ flip all the way from America to Paris with backflips, let's see who can win the title of "Stop flipping, stop flipping, you'll make the child catch a cold if you keep flipping."

C. Call for off-site assistance for advice.