give it all to miss machima

Machima clicked her tongue – the Blue Castle exploration event…

That case is quite memorable—Conan, as the main character, was knocked unconscious with a stick not long after the start, so Ai had to lead the Junior Detective League to take the lead, exploring the dark and gloomy secret passage of the castle late at night, with a black shadow chasing them in the shadows... The atmosphere was very well done.

It can only be said that the cases Conan encountered in the early episodes were indeed quite exciting, with suspense and a touch of fear. The motives and methods of the murderers were also relatively logical, unlike the later cases which were so outrageous and absurd.

Machima fell silent, while Ryoko Tamiya's tone on the other end of the phone sounded rather strange.

"Sir, regarding Conan Edogawa... based solely on what we know from the Metropolitan Police Department, he's recently been involved in at least a dozen criminal cases, most of which involve murder, and some even have a particularly serious impact on society. There are probably many more other minor cases... he seems to run into them almost every few days, and... but the strangest thing is that he almost always just happens to be there... This... is rather..."

"Ignore him."

"Machima said."

If he doesn't commit murder, is he still a Grim Reaper elementary school student?

"You don't need to interfere with the outrageous cases happening around him. Just let him be. Stop the surveillance. That kid... is very cunning. He might be exposed for no reason."

"Yes, what about Ai Haibara..."

"Just the bare minimum of surveillance is enough; the rest, let things take their course."

"understood."

"Oh, right!" Machima clapped her hands. "The organization has been waiting long enough. Let's tell them to have Xiao Bei come see me."

"Beckham?"

"It's Vermouth!"

In the afternoon, Vermouth came to see Machima and proactively put on the sexy outfit that Machima liked beforehand.

It wasn't that she wanted to please or flatter Machima; she was simply afraid.

Apart from Karasuma Renya, whom she had personally reported to, the others in the organization were still skeptical of her words and the power of Machima.

Regardless, Vermouth was convinced in her heart that in this world, only Machima was someone she could not be an enemy of.

Now, facing Machima, who appeared before her with no attempt to conceal her inhuman physical changes and seemed several years younger, Vermouth's eyes flashed with surprise, but she quickly regained her composure.

Compared to witnessing firsthand how someone could recover from a corpse riddled with bullets like "SpongeBob SquarePants" to a perfectly healthy state, the fact that this person looked a few years younger was not as shocking to Vermouth.

Today, Machima didn't seem to have any intention of bothering her. She simply leaned back on the sofa and lazily gave her orders:

"Don't be nervous. I'm not going to play any of those little games with you today. I have a task for you."

Vermouth asked cautiously, "Excuse me... is it about the organization, or...?"

"It is, and it isn't. I need you... to find Shiho Miyano for me and for the organization."

"...?"

Vermouth was slightly taken aback.

"You mean..."

"Yes, after that, I let her go. In her eyes, I was probably, should, or might be dead, but not necessarily. The important thing is that she knew nothing about me or the organization's situation, but she still found a place to stay for the time being."

Vermouth opened her mouth, paused for a few seconds, and then asked:

"Then... what do you need me to do?"

"I won't tell you where she is; you'll have to find her yourself."

“…And then what?” Vermouth asked.

"..."

Because of Machima's gaze, her hands instinctively gripped the hem of her clothes, and even became slightly damp as a reflex.

"Vermouth, all I can tell you is to think things through before you find it."

"..."

Vermouth's thoughts raced.

Clearly, Machima is still playing out a "script" she has prepared, and the protagonist is undoubtedly still that girl...

She knew exactly where Shiho Miyano was; she was the one who had sent her out. But... she wasn't going to find her, so...

So that's how it is... the abandoned cat effect?

Vermouth raised her head slightly and glanced at Machima.

Cats that have been abandoned before will behave exceptionally well after being rescued, fearing they will be abandoned again, and will even try their best to behave in a way that their owners like...

Undoubtedly, Makima hopes that Shiho Miyano will take the initiative to find her, while she can pretend to be...

"...Please allow me to ask, what is your current state in the story's setting?" Vermouth asked in a low voice.

Machima tilted her head:

"After the attack, due to severe injuries, I had to use some kind of semi-finished secret medicine. Its side effects caused my body to shrink, my memory to be lost, my subordinates' morale to waver, and even the organization to be unable to control them. Although I knew of Shiho Miyano's existence, I never went to find her for the reasons mentioned above. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Vermouth thought for a moment and nodded:

"You've explained it very clearly, I understand."

No, you don't understand.

Machima smiled slightly.

"The explanation I gave you wasn't just for Shiho Miyano, but also for your organization... Now, do you understand?"

"But... if that's the case, some people within the organization might have some concerns..."

Vermouth stopped mid-sentence under Machima's mocking yet icy gaze.

She nodded: "I... understand. I will make sure the organization is aware of this situation as much as possible."

—Only Machima is not to be trifled with.

Chapter 152 The Beginning of the Zero Series

While Vermouth was fretting about how to explain things to the organization and where to find Shiho Miyano, Ryoko Tamiya was also having the same problem in the Special Investigations Division's private office building.

Ever since realizing that spacetime subsidence events are constantly occurring in this world, Makima has been trying to find these plot points... or rather, "anomalies" by investigating anomalous events in various places.

Even if a storyline like "Black Lagoon" isn't discovered, it's not a big deal. After all, it's just a fight between gangs, which won't have much impact on human society.

Even if similar incidents like the Parasite Beasts were to occur again, it would still be within our control.

However, if it's an incident like Tomie or Sadako's, and it's not handled properly in the early stages... the problems could become much bigger.

Therefore, the Special Investigations Division diligently followed Makima's request and investigated as many incidents as possible that involved "paranormal," "ghostly," or "grotesque" events.

But... only Ryoko Tamiya, who was actually in charge, truly knew that if you deliberately looked for such things, everything would seem like an abnormal event.

Tokyo is not small, and Japan is even bigger. Despite several rounds of expansion, the Special Investigations Division still faces a shortage of personnel, especially front-line investigators.

Currently, there are over 500 Special Investigations Division agents dispatched from Tokyo to various parts of Japan, but some remote rural areas still have to rely on reports from local police and government agencies.

"Lady Ryoko, the legend of the Slit-Mouthed Woman in Kamadani City has been proven by the two investigators to be just an ordinary urban legend."

Tamiya Ryoko looked at the report without turning her head:

"A second investigation will be conducted in three weeks. If it is still found to be true, it will be classified as a rumor."

"The killer in the murder case in Kyoto last week has been found. It has been confirmed that he was just an ordinary cult member."

"Take the gun away... no, feed it to the parasites. You've wasted so much of our time..."

"In Okayama, the editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine that published the story of the human-faced dog has been interrogated and it has been proven that it was not a true experience of the readers at all, but a story that the guy made up to boost sales."

“Those who cause trouble will be severely punished as a warning to others.”

"Investigators and research teams have already visited the Inunaki Tunnel in Fukuoka Prefecture and found nothing unusual. The people who claimed to have encountered the terrorist incidents have now confessed, but it was all fabricated for sensationalism."

"Same here, heavier... Never mind, it's all in the past. Just seal the tunnel completely with cement, so that tourists won't go in looking for fun and then make up some strange rumors."

"The three-point old woman in Tottori Prefecture has also been confirmed to be just an urban legend. Investigators have conducted multiple tests and nothing unusual has occurred. However, because the rumor has been around for a long time, it is impossible to trace the original spreader."

"Then forget it. Let them go to Hyogo Kita next door and investigate the rumors about that mysterious smile."

This is how most of the Special Investigations Division's daily routine is—countless strange and unusual rumors await the Special Investigations Division members to investigate one by one.

The only paranormal event that has been truly captured so far is Sadako, and it was Machima who discovered the anomaly beforehand.

While listening to her subordinates' reports, Tamiya Ryoko looked at the various incident records and clues posted and drawn on the board in front of her.

Judging from various clues, there are currently two... or rather, two types of anomalies that may actually exist.

Firstly, several months ago, strange small-scale acts of vandalism began to frequently occur in various parts of Tokyo.

The smallest damage involved only the walls of a few residential buildings being smashed, while the largest damage was a small parking lot that looked like it had been hit by a tornado.

This series of anomalies initially went unnoticed by the Special Investigations Division—if it weren't for the highly periodic nature of these events, and... the presence of surveillance cameras near the location where one of them occurred.

—Even though there was nothing on the surveillance footage, the explosions still appeared inexplicably. Subsequent investigations revealed that small pieces of residual biological tissue always appeared nearby after each explosion—but even biologists couldn't identify what kind of organism they came from.

This is truly unbelievable.

But Tamiya Ryoko couldn't find anything—the occurrence of these kinds of events seemed to be completely random, with no discernible pattern whatsoever.

The second category is... the number of missing persons cases in Japan has increased slightly each month—if the Special Investigations Division hadn't been keeping a close eye on the data, they probably wouldn't have noticed.

Furthermore, subsequent investigations revealed that more and more victims' remains were being discovered—the bones were relatively intact, but the flesh had been scraped clean.

The people who disposed of the remains... or whatever, clearly didn't have any professional skills. Many of the broken bones were even found in the trash. If some bones, such as the skull, hadn't been broken into smaller pieces, they probably wouldn't have been discovered by citizens and reported to the police.

At first, Ryoko Tamiya thought it was just a regular murder and shovel case, but... as time went on and the time of the case was confirmed, she soon discovered that the number of such murder cases was abnormally high—even for Japan, where there are always a lot of missing persons.

This can't be explained by just three or four psychopathic killers—because there must be many more bodies that the police haven't found. So, either some large cult is conducting unscheduled and continuous sacrifices across the country...

Either... or some kind of predator, like a parasite, has emerged and is hiding in human society.

Ryoko Tamiya disliked the latter assumption—even though she already had Makima as her master, she still hated having her own kind crowding out their ecological niche in human society.

"Master Liangzi..."

One of her subordinates hesitated and reported to her:

"The investigator from Aomori Prefecture still hasn't made any contact today..."

"Aomori Prefecture?"

Because she had so many things to do every day, Ryoko Tamiya had to think back before she remembered the situation in Aomori Prefecture.

"I remember he was investigating..."

“A dam surveyor and his girlfriend disappeared in an abandoned village. It was just an ordinary missing persons case, but because the police did not find the bodies, and because there were many terrible legends about the village that were widely circulated, it attracted our attention.”

Ryoko Tamiya rubbed her forehead: "Yes, that seems to be the case..."

There are just too many similar outrageous rumors circulating throughout Japan...

Not long ago, on a certain island in Japan, locals confidently claimed that an old man there had eaten mermaid flesh and achieved immortality, having lived for hundreds of years.

The investigators went to investigate with great enthusiasm, only to find that the so-called immortal elder was just a gimmick created by the local government to develop tourism. After questioning the person involved, they discovered that it also involved a long-standing criminal case...

It's probably just a rumor about the village being abandoned, but it just so happens that a couple went missing there, and the locals connected the dots.

“It’s normal for communications to be lost in the deep mountains and forests. If we still can’t make contact by tomorrow, we’ll send a survey team into the mountains to search.”

"Yes."

"By the way, what was the name of that village again?" Tamiya Yoshiko asked casually.

"It seems to be called... Minakami Village."

Chapter 153 The Village of Warmth and Hospitality (Seeking monthly votes and recommendations!)

This incident, which initially did not attract Ryoko Tamiya's attention, quickly began to develop in an unpredictable direction—three days after the investigators went missing, a fully armed search team was dispatched into the mountains.

Then they lost contact again.

This is a serious matter, because in addition to ordinary human investigators, the team also includes a parasite that has received standard military training.

Ordinary dangers are unlikely to pose a threat to it, and its individual command is to immediately preserve itself and bring out the information from the scene if it finds the situation out of control.

Therefore, Tamiya Yoshiko immediately reported this matter to Machima.

The latter was bored out of his mind and was thinking about whether to invite everyone to a yuri silver party, but after hearing the news, he lost interest in that idea.

"You said... this village is called Jieshen Village?" Machima frowned slightly.

"Yes, although the local official records about this village are extremely vague and clearly deliberately downplayed, the story of Minakami Village has been passed down orally by the local elders, so the Minakami Village incident can be considered an open secret to the local residents..."

"They actually said that one night, the villagers suddenly went mad and started killing each other, and only one girl survived... But because of the long time that has passed, it is difficult to find out exactly what happened back then... The only thing that is certain is that Minakami Village was indeed abandoned overnight."