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Hua Bumíng was invited into the villa. Ms. Tanaka, unable to contain her curiosity, asked, "What were you doing up in the snowy mountains?"
"I just wanted to go hiking. I didn't expect the snow to be so heavy, the paths were hard to walk, and I ended up getting stuck. Luckily, I saw this villa," Hua Bumíng replied calmly. "Otherwise, I'd probably be frozen to death by now."Despite what he said, his eyes were as calm as a still lake.
Araki laughed warmly. "Well, since fate brought us together, just stay and rest here. If you're tired and want to sleep, there are rooms upstairs—I can show you."
Hua Bumíng politely turned down the offer and sat alone, sipping hot water. Sonoko walked up and introduced herself. "I'm Sonoko Suzuki. What's your name?" She smiled sweetly. Sonoko might not be a beauty queen, but she was far from unattractive.
"A Fei," Hua Bumíng replied mildly.He glanced at Sonoko and the girl next to her. So if the girl with the headband was Sonoko, then the other one had to be Ran.
Sonoko blinked. "A Fei? That's a weird name. What about your last name?"
"I don't have one. I'm just A Fei."
"Huh?" Sonoko froze for a second. "Doesn't everyone in R Country have a surname? What kind of backwater place doesn't?"
Wait a minute—there are people without surnames… Could he be… royalty?! Her gaze toward Hua Bumíng suddenly changed.
But Hua Bumíng didn't seem interested in the party. His eyes occasionally landed on the servant, Suganuma Kiyohiru, with a gaze that could only be described as that of someone looking at a dead man.This man… was the first person he'd truly wanted to kill since arriving in this world.
Everyone eventually went about their own business. Even Sonoko went upstairs to check on the unconscious Conan.
Only Hua Bumíng remained in the living room, watching people pass by with bowls and utensils. Everything seemed normal—the dinner preparations were going smoothly.
Conan finally woke up and, still weak, made his way downstairs to tell everyone what had happened outside. The whole room was shocked. The "Escape King" had been killed by the "Shadow Mage"? And he even left a message saying this was just the beginning?
Realizing there had been bad blood between Mr. Binnya and the "Shadow Mage," the group rushed upstairs to inform him—only to find his room empty. When they looked out from the balcony, Binnya's body was lying alone in the snow dozens of meters away. There wasn't a single footprint around him.
Conan was completely stumped. How could the killer move the body that far without leaving any footprints in the snow?
Hua Bumíng looked thoughtful. He had sensed a murderous aura earlier but hadn't paid much attention to it. Turns out, the victim was this man named Binnya. Still, it was strange—how had the killer moved the body that far without a trace?Could it be… someone else like him who could walk through snow without leaving tracks?
The wind howled outside, and everyone huddled around a table in the villa's main hall. Every face was grim except Hua Bumíng's. The atmosphere was thick with tension.
"Are we just gonna sit here and wait? Is someone really going to come save us?"
Conan said, "Don't worry. Uncle Kogoro should've called the police already."
There was nothing they could do but wait. With snow this heavy, even a helicopter probably couldn't make it up the mountain.
Then came another twist—Ms. Tanaka staged a whole scene where she claimed the killer attacked her with a bow and arrow. Everyone believed the murderer was hiding in the forest, so they rushed out to search, only to find a single crossbow.
Conan seemed to have seen through the trick and, despite his weakness, started investigating. Hua Bumíng followed him quietly the whole time, watching with a faint smile on his face.
Right now, Conan was rummaging through a room for props, planning to use them to recreate the crime scene.
"....."