Isn't it very scientific to use the Death Note to kill people?

Chapter 88: Final Destination

When the Pacific buoy incident ended, all the turmoil was hidden beneath a calm surface.

Just like any other day—

"I am back."

He pushed open the door of the Mouri Detective Agency with his schoolbag on his back, and then closed the door behind him.

At this moment, Conan was somewhat nonchalant.

Since returning from Hachijojima Island, he has been sorting through the fragmented information from this incident.

Naomi Algent was taken away by the organization.

According to Haibara's information, she was indeed exposed because of the cross-age tracking system developed by the other party. However, it is unknown what tricks Hayashi Yoshiki played to make Gin believe that the cross-age tracking system was useless, so he let her go for his sake.

They actually managed to fool Gin...

When Conan first heard this, he couldn't help but feel scared, but at the same time, he was also a little admiring... If Haibara were exposed, it wouldn't just affect the two of them.

Yoshiki probably anticipated that something bad would happen, which is why he left alone to deal with it as soon as he arrived at Hachijojima.

But Naomi Algent seems to have disappeared from the scene.

Recent reports about the Pacific buoy, which no longer has a developer, seem to have been deliberately suppressed, as if it's being given the cold shoulder.

As he was deep in thought, Xiaolan's voice, tinged with a hint of playfulness, came from beside him: "Daddy, it's only broad daylight! When did you get the wine?"

"Oh dear, look, I've already opened them all, and there's only one can left, just one can!"

Kogoro Mouri's grinning voice came through the air, followed by a crisp "click" as the pull tab was pulled open.

"Then you're not allowed to drink it at dinner later..."

Xiao Lan muttered to herself.

She was surprisingly easy to talk to today; otherwise, she would usually just snatch the beer from him and leave it until it went flat before letting him drink it.

Conan looked up and saw Kogoro Mouri comfortably nestled on the sofa, with a can of chilled beer on the coffee table in front of him, and the TV screen lit up.

"Here she comes! Miss Yoko!" Kogoro Mouri sat up straight instantly, his eyes shining.

Xiaolan wiped her hands and came out of the kitchen, sitting on the sofa next to her with an expectant look on her face.

Conan then noticed that the television screen was showing an interview program hosted by Yoko Okino.

The guest sitting opposite her was Lin Jiashu, who was wearing a casual suit and had a gentle smile.

"Miss Yoko! Tsk... Couldn't that kid Asuka sit a little to the side? Quickly, give the camera all to Miss Yoko!"

"Dad, don't talk nonsense!"

"..."

How did that guy suddenly end up on a talk show?

Conan was a little curious.

["Good afternoon, everyone! Welcome to our brand new interview program, 'An Afternoon with Yoko'! I'm your host, Yoko Okino."]

"Since this is our first episode, we've specially invited our heavyweight guest, Mr. Lin Jiashulin."

The two sat on separate single sofas.

Wearing a light-colored dress and with exquisite makeup, Yoko Okino smiled sweetly and raised her hand to show off, while Yoshiki Hayashi smiled with his legs crossed in a relaxed posture.

"Yes, I am deeply honored to be invited to participate in Ms. Yoko's very important first episode."

"What a strange feeling, seeing someone I know on TV."

Xiao Lan sighed.

"What are you talking about? Haven't I been on TV too?" Kogoro Mouri said with a hint of sourness. "I even had the honor of eating a meal cooked by Ms. Yoko herself."

"Ah, I remember now, it was the time the show had Ms. Yoko cook it for an instant noodle commercial, right?"

Conan laughed.

Kogoro Mouri gave him a disgruntled look.

During the program, Yoko Okino and Yoshiki Hayashi seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. After asking a few questions about Hayashi's hobbies, she suddenly changed the subject and started urging him to continue the series:

"Mr. Lin, many viewers and readers are curious about your upcoming creative plans. Do you have any previews of new works you can share?"

Lin Jiashu smiled slightly at the camera, a smile as deceptive as ever: "A new work...? As for the novel, it's still in the stage of polishing the idea, but I just finished writing a movie script recently, tentatively titled 'Final Destination'."

"Final Destination?" Yoko Okino's expression of curiosity was perfectly timed. "Does the title suggest it's a horror movie?"

"It should be considered a thriller."

Lin Jiashu adjusted his posture and began to describe in his magnetic voice, “It tells the story of an invisible ‘rule of death,’ where the protagonists die one after another due to various seemingly accidental coincidences and accidents. For example, it might just be a leaky drop of water, a loose screw, or a gust of wind that shouldn’t be there… These insignificant factors create a chain reaction that ultimately leads to an inevitable death.”

Yoko Okino exclaimed enthusiastically, "Wow, just hearing the description sends chills down my spine! So, in Mr. Hayashi's imagination, what would it be like to control this kind of 'accidental' death god?"

Everyone assumed he would depict a traditional black-robed skull figure.

However, Lin Jiashu shook his head.

Just thinking about what he was going to say next made him want to laugh.

"I think it might be a boy wearing black-rimmed glasses, a red bow tie, and a suit."

He paused, and amidst Yoko Okino's bewildered surprise, slowly added:

"As everyone knows, Kogoro Mouri... Detective Mouri is my uncle. He has solved countless cases to date, sometimes encountering more than a dozen murder cases in just one week... At first, I wondered if it was some kind of mysterious thing that the murder cases were attracting the detective, until I suddenly discovered that there was always that boy's figure next to the murder case... even if Uncle Mouri was not at the scene sometimes."

(This guy... he's not talking about me, is he?!)

Conan, sitting on the sofa in the office, instantly turned into a beady-eyed man. He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and subconsciously glanced down at his signature red bow tie and suit...

A sense of powerlessness welled up inside me.

What's even more alarming is that both Ran and Kogoro Mouri are staring intently at Conan's face.

What's wrong?

Conan got annoyed immediately, and this wasn't the first time Yoshiki Hayashi had brought up this topic.

"Um……"

"Does seeing it on TV somehow make it more convincing?"

"But then again, business really did pick up really fast after you started staying at our house."

Conan's vision went black.

He was so angry that he ignored the two of them, but the sound from the TV kept coming:

"That's true, but actually, my assistants at the agency also frequently encounter cases, usually in the double digits every month... Sometimes I wonder why everyone is so good at detective work. Could it be that some murders are actually committed by them secretly?"

"This...you can't just say things like that on the show, Mr. Lin, can you?"

"Ah. Sorry, I'll take it back then."

Conan, speechless, became serious again.

The movie "Final Destination" that Lin Jiashu just described refers to the accidental murder cases that have been occurring frequently recently, doesn't it?

The serial killer who used precise calculations to create accidents is still at large. Instead of actively solving the case, Yoshiki, as a police consultant, is using the killer's methods to create a movie script.

Is this just his unique sense of humor or is there something else going on?

As Conan watched Lin Jiashu chatting and laughing on the TV screen, he always felt that there seemed to be too many mysteries hidden beneath that handsome and harmless face.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Nichiri TV

The studio lights went out, and the noise subsided. Amidst the staff's expressions of gratitude, Lin Jiashu walked towards the backstage dressing room.

"Thank you for your hard work, Yoshiki-kun."

Yoko Okino skipped happily to Yoshiki Hayashi's side, her overly charming and adorable appearance contrasting sharply with her professional demeanor in the photography studio.

"You've worked hard too, Yoko." Yoshiki Hayashi returned the greeting with a gentle smile. "Did I do a good job just now? Did I cause you any trouble?"

"No, Yoshiki-kun did a fantastic job!"

She was showing off with a bright smile when Lin Jiashu's phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, smiled, made an apologetic gesture to Yoko Okino, and then walked to the window to answer the phone.

"Hey, Manager Odagiri."

Lin Jiashu's voice remained steady.

On the other end of the phone was Toshiro Odagiri, who cut straight to the point: "Advisor, about that script you mentioned on the show earlier..."

"Yes, it's the one I mentioned to you last time."

What kind of impact do you think this will have?

Looking out the window at the Tokyo night view, with its flashing neon lights, Lin Jiashu chuckled and replied, "Probably not, it's just a script idea."

He paused, then continued, his tone somewhat enigmatic: "If we can't catch the criminal, we're powerless... just like in a movie script. But on the bright side, at least our opponent isn't really 'Death,' so there's still hope."

Cointo's identity and ability to kill have already been exposed to Amuro Tooru.

Fortunately, the Japanese police and the public security forces are not in cahoots, and Hayashi Yoshiki is able to keep the public security forces under control.

Once Junto's identity loses its value, the entire Black Organization will essentially fall into his hands, and there will be plenty of ways for him to extricate himself and clear his name.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Now that his superiors have indicated that the investigation doesn't need to continue, he probably felt there was nothing more to say, so he changed the subject: "Regarding the body found in the abandoned factory area a few days ago... the autopsy report is out."

"Please speak."

"The body had multiple severe impact and puncture wounds, along with signs of electric shock, and the scene did indeed present numerous safety hazards. On the surface, it looked like a complex accident. However, the deceased had a clear gunshot wound to the shoulder, and all his personal belongings had been taken from him... Unfortunately, there were no surveillance cameras at that construction site, so we cannot reconstruct what exactly happened before his death."

"We can only hope for the other cameras around that construction site... If he really died in a chain of accidents, then the people who searched for his personal belongings later are likely connected to the murderer."

"I think the same thing. Come to the Metropolitan Police Department when you have time."

"Ok."

After exchanging a few more brief words, Lin Jiashu hung up the phone.

Yoko Okino sat quietly to his side the whole time, not disturbing him. Only after he ended the call did she ask with concern, "Was it about work?"

Lin Jiashu turned around, his face once again displaying that warm and welcoming smile.

"It's nothing, just a small matter." He walked over to Yoko Okino. "Let's go, you must be tired from filming the show. Would you like to get something to eat first?"

"I have to wait until I finish taking care of other things... and it would be too easy for people to notice if I walk with Yoshiki-kun right now."

"That makes sense, alright then."

"Good boy, Yoshiki-kun..."

She actually patted Lin Jiashu's head, and then laughed happily to herself.

Lin Jiashu was speechless.

After agreeing to meet again later, Yoshiki Hayashi left the backstage dressing room and walked towards the parking lot of Nichiri TV amidst the enthusiastic greetings of the staff.

Binga has been dead for four days.

After that, neither Gin nor anyone else contacted him directly; he needed information now.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the dark apartment, the computer screens and televisions shone brightly.

The air was filled with a strong smell of blood.

The body of a middle-aged man in pajamas lay slumped in the corner of the living room, a clear bullet hole in his forehead announcing his end.

Gin's tall figure stood beside the corpse, while the television in front of him was replaying Yoko Okino's interview program. On the screen, Yoshiki Hayashi was smiling as he described his new script, "Final Destination."

"[Died in an inevitable accident...]" Lin Jiashu's gentle voice came from the television.

"Death has arrived?"

Gin repeated the title in a low, husky voice, a mocking smile playing on his lips, his dark green pupils gleaming coldly in the darkness. "Hmph, does this guy think he's the Grim Reaper?"