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Hua Bumíng eventually strolled his way onto the suspension bridge. But halfway across, he suddenly stopped.
"Huh? Why does it smell like gasoline?" He sniffed the air, then noticed it—someone had poured gasoline all over the wooden bridge. His brows immediately furrowed.
A wooden bridge soaked in gasoline... the message was crystal clear. He didn't know who did it, but it was obvious: this bridge would be up in flames soon.
"Oh well. Even if the bridge is gone, I can still turn back into a kid and throw knives to get across…"
Not long after, Hua Bumíng caught sight of a mountain villa. Although the person he wanted to kill was inside, he didn't approach it. Instead, he wandered around the mountains.
It was snowing hard, and normal folks wouldn't dare wander through the forest in this weather, but Hua Bumíng looked totally carefree. This kind of weather wasn't a threat to him at all.
After spending half the day admiring the snowy scenery, Hua Bumíng suddenly had a realization. "Ah, so that's why they call this place Aoba Mountain—because the trees here stay green all year round."
The area was beautiful, definitely a nice place to live—too bad it was so remote that modern people wouldn't be able to stand it. Plus, ever since he entered the mountains, Hua Bumíng noticed his phone lost all signal. Meaning that if something bad happened out here, no one from the outside world would ever find out.
"What a terrifying place… I love it!"
He didn't know how far he'd walked, but eventually, in a super remote spot surrounded by dense forest, a small cabin suddenly came into view. When he saw it, Hua Bumíng froze—he almost thought he was seeing things.
A cabin? All the way out here in the middle of nowhere? Someone actually lives here?
Back on Earth, sure, there were some reclusive hermits who liked living off-grid in the mountains. But Hua Bumíng was sure that in this world, people like that didn't exist. So why would anyone build a house here?
Full of questions, he used a throwing needle to pick the lock and quietly pushed the door open.
What he saw inside made him suck in a sharp breath—life-sized puppets, made from the corpses of young girls, were scattered throughout the room.
Sudou Kiyohiru! So it wasn't just one innocent girl who died by your hands…
Meanwhile, Mouri Kogorou was driving and listening to the radio. Conan, still weak from a cold, looked drowsy and drained.
"Hey, Uncle… Are you sure it's okay to leave Ran behind like that?" Conan asked, lifting his head with effort.
Kogorou grinned confidently. "Relax, kid! I gave those guys a good warning—they won't dare mess with Ran. Besides, even if something does happen, Ran's got karate!"
Just as Conan was about to complain, the radio suddenly switched to breaking news.
"The victim, 41-year-old Tsutomu Nishiyama, was found dead. A message was left on his computer screen reading, 'This is the first… —Signed, Shadow Magician.' Police are currently investigating the case. Nishiyama was a devoted internet user and had planned to attend a gathering today for the 'Magic Enthusiasts Club.' No one expected it to end in tragedy…"
Both Conan and Kogorou's expressions changed at the same time.
"Wait… could that be the gathering Ran went to?!"
"Turn around! Uncle, hurry, TURN AROUND!" Conan shouted with a hoarse voice, completely panicked.
Back at the villa, Ran and Sonoko were leaning on the second-floor railing, looking out at the snow-covered forest.
"Wow, the snow's so pretty~" Ran couldn't help but admire the view.
Sonoko, on the other hand, looked sulky. "Sure, the scenery's great… but that Doitakuki guy turned out to be a big fatty. I was so looking forward to this too…"
Suddenly, a hand reached out and landed on Ran's shoulder. She instantly tensed up, her hair standing on end. She spun around in shock—only to find it was the big, goofy guy working at the villa: Sudou Kiyohiru.
"Dinner's ready," Kiyohiru said in his deep, booming voice—it sounded like a giant drum echoing through the air.
"Oh… okay…" Ran nodded blankly, still startled.
Kiyohiru turned and left. No one noticed the flicker of greed that flashed in his eyes as he walked away.
"....."