Conan: Ran, I really am Shinichi, you have to believe me!

Page 159

The other man, the bandaged weirdo here, is now treating Jiang Chengbei in exactly the same way he treated Xiao Lan in the original series. While living in fear, he is considering whether to kill him to silence him.

In order to provide him with an opportunity to kill and silence him, while Ran, Sonoko, Conan, and Ayako Suzuki's college classmate, Masaru Ota, were entangled, Jiang Chengbei left the villa alone and went for a stroll in the forest outside.

While Jiang Chengbei was out, Takahashi Ryoichi, who was under the guise of repairing the roof and was constantly monitoring the situation inside and outside the villa, was the bandaged weirdo whose naked body Jiang Chengbei had seen. After seeing Jiang Chengbei go out alone, he immediately put on his gear, took an axe, and secretly slipped down from the roof and followed Jiang Chengbei into the dense forest.

Chapter 219 The murderer who hasn't made a move can't be arrested.

Jiang Chengbei provided Takahashi Ryoichi with an excellent opportunity. Takahashi Ryoichi, who had wrapped himself up like a bandaged monster, seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He secretly came behind Jiang Chengbei, who was alone in the forest, and raised his axe to chop at the back of Jiang Chengbei's head.

As Takahashi Ryoichi raised his axe to strike, Jiang Chengbei received two kill coins and activated the item repair skill. He then took a step forward, and even when facing the threat of death, he didn't forget to show off, gracefully dodging the blow that would split his head open from the axe blade that Takahashi Ryoichi was about to strike.

Before luring Takahashi Ryoichi into making a move, Jiang Chengbei had already thought it through. Takahashi Ryoichi was not a murderer yet, so arresting him would be useless, and killing him would only be a waste. So even if he wanted to arrest him and take him to the station to exchange for transformation times and make use of him, he would have to wait.

So, as if he hadn't noticed the bandaged monster behind him who wanted to kill him, Jiang Chengbei got the two kill coins and naturally walked back, not even bothering to look back.

Jiang Chengbei remained silent, acting as if nothing had happened, but Takahashi Ryoichi didn't think so.

Jiang Chengbei dodged that axe blow, and he thought it was just a coincidence, that he was unlucky while Jiang Chengbei was more fortunate.

Undeterred, Ryoichi Takahashi, wielding his axe, took small, quick steps and tiptoed after them.

Catching up with Jiang Chengbei, who was slowly walking back, he swung his axe at the back of Jiang Chengbei's head and back again.

Just like last time, Jiang Chengbei, who was slowly walking back, suddenly accelerated and took two quick steps forward just as Takahashi Ryoichi's axe was about to fall, causing Takahashi Ryoichi, who was chopping with all his might, to miss and almost strain his back.

Although he failed twice in a row, Jiang Chengbei, who was being attacked, never turned around. Apart from slightly accelerating when he was about to be attacked to dodge the attack, he remained normal the rest of the time, walking back at a leisurely pace, as if he had not noticed the danger behind him.

Seeing that Jiang Chengbei seemed perfectly normal, Takahashi Ryoichi, who had failed twice, was encouraged. He composed himself, gave himself a pep talk, and mustered his courage again. He quietly chased after Jiang Chengbei and launched a series of attacks on his back.

So what followed was a scene where a master walked quietly ahead, while a guy with his face wrapped in bandages and wearing a cloak clumsily performed downward chopping motions behind him.

Although he used all his strength each time and aimed at the target every time, he always ended up empty-handed after each strike, as the expert in front of him would always manage to dodge by a hair's breadth.

Soon, Jiang Chengbei slowly walked to the vicinity of the villa. At this distance, the situation could be seen from inside the villa. Therefore, Takahashi Ryoichi had no choice but to give up on killing him to silence him. After Jiang Chengbei returned to the villa, he sat behind a big tree, hands on his hips, panting heavily.

He was exhausted from constantly slashing at the air; his back ached, and he was more tired than if he had been with a woman.

Ryoichi Takahashi hadn't been resting behind the big tree for long when he heard a woman scream in fright not far away. Then he saw Ran, who was screaming in fear and backing away, fall down, along with Masaru Ota, who was also backing away in fear and too scared to even shout.

Ran, Sonoko, Conan, and Ota Masaru, who were caught in a love quadrangle, came out one after another. Ran, who was walking in front, happened to see Takahashi Ryoichi, who was hiding behind a big tree and panting.

Upon seeing the bandaged monster wielding an axe again, Xiaolan let out a terrifying scream. Xiaolan and Ota Masaru were so frightened that they stumbled and fell to the ground. At the same time, Takahashi Ryoichi was equally frightened and quickly grabbed his axe, got up, and ran away.

Fortunately, Conan followed at a distance, not near Ran. Otherwise, if he had seen the bandaged monster, he might have used a chakra soccer ball to ruin Takahashi Ryoichi's murder plan ahead of time, and Jiang Chengbei's plan to increase his transformation count would have failed.

After Ran yelled and Ryoichi Takahashi ran away, Conan and Sonoko, who were following behind Ran, immediately ran over to help, shouting, "What happened to Ran?"

When they arrived, Takahashi Ryoichi had already disappeared.

After hearing Ran and Ota Masaru recount their encounter with the bandaged man, Conan, the jealous Asian, immediately forgot about the relationship between Ota Masaru and Ran, and took off running in the direction Ran had pointed to where the bandaged man had disappeared.

Conan has a fine tradition of forgetting about Ran when there's a case, but unfortunately his legs are too short, and in the end he still couldn't catch up with Takahashi Ryoichi, who had already disappeared.

Jiang Chengbei pretended not to see the bandaged monster who wanted to kill him to silence him the whole way, but Xiao Lan and Ota Masaru actually saw it with their own eyes. They were so frightened that they fell to the ground, their pants covered in mud.

Meanwhile, Conan's trip was in vain; he failed to catch the bandaged man that Ran and Ota had mentioned. In the end, the four of them, with their complicated feelings but also because it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, eventually obediently returned to the villa.

They said they encountered a bandaged monster with an axe in the forest outside. After Xiaolan and Ota Masaru changed their clothes, everyone gathered again in the villa's living room.

Four of Sonoko's older sister Suzuki Ayako's classmates from the university film club came this time. Besides Takahashi Ryoichi, who pretends to be a bandaged weirdo and looks like a fat guy, and Ota Masaru, a handsome scumbag who chases after every girl he sees, there is also Ikeda Chikako, a young novelist and screenwriter who plagiarized her classmate's novel, and Kakutani Hiroki, a photography enthusiast who likes Ikeda Chikako.

After Xiaolan and Ota Masaru recounted their encounter with a bandaged man wielding an axe in the forest, Jiang Chengbei, relying on his Level 1 acting skills purchased from the system, mimicked the expressions and demeanor of everyone else upon hearing the story, while also subtly revealing a hint of relief and lingering fear.

After hearing Jiang Chengbei say that he was lucky today and didn't encounter the terrifying bandaged monster in the forest, and that his expression and demeanor were those of someone who was relieved and apprehensive after not encountering anything terrible, Takahashi Ryoichi, who had been paying attention to Jiang Chengbei, was relieved. Since Jiang Chengbei hadn't discovered anything or thought of anything, his plan could continue.

Aside from Jiang Chengbei's normal reaction, not giving much thought to his physique or mentioning it, after Xiaolan and Ota Masaru finished talking about the bandaged monster in the forest outside, it didn't attract anyone's attention. No one thought of calling the police, leaving in advance, or taking precautions. This made Takahashi Ryoichi secretly pleased.

Since everyone had gathered together and talked about the bandaged man but then stopped paying attention, it was easy for Takahashi Ryoichi to carry out his plan. He found an opportunity to lure Ikeda Chikako to the woods and dismember her.

Finally, when it was time for dinner, everyone was in the lobby on the first floor preparing to eat. Everyone was there except for Chikako Ikeda, who had a bad temper.

So, Ryoichi Takahashi volunteered to go upstairs to call her, and then, to Ryoichi's surprise, everyone saw a bandaged monster sliding past the window of the first-floor lobby, holding Chikako Ikeda's head.

"Who is it? Stop!"

Seeing such a horrific scene, Conan, unlike those girls who only scream in terror, is a capable person. He shouted loudly, then conjured a chakra soccer ball in his palm, kicked it out, shattered the glass, and then drew an arc, turning around from a distance and crashing directly into the wall outside the villa.

Conan: I don't think I kicked anyone. Has my skill level declined? I can't sleep tonight. I have to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to the moon to replenish my depleted chakra.

After the thought flashed through his mind, Conan didn't have time to think too much. He quickly opened the window he had kicked and jumped up without hesitation, climbed over the window, and ran into the darkness, heading towards the forest ahead.

Led by Conan, Ota Masaru, Kakutani Hiroki, Ran, and Sonoko followed Conan's lead, forming a long line, and ran towards the forest outside.

A large group of people ran off in a panic, leaving only Jiang Chengbei and Suzuki Ayako in the lobby on the first floor. The two stared at each other, seemingly exchanging words, when Takahashi Ryoichi, having finished his work, hurriedly ran downstairs, looking as if he wanted to go out and find the group of people who had run away earlier.

Seeing Takahashi Ryoichi secretly moving human heads, Jiang Chengbei immediately blocked his way, saying, "Takahashi, stop! What are you doing?"

Startled by Jiang Chengbei's call, Gao Qiaoliang froze for a moment, his heart leaping into his throat. He stammered, "I...I'll go help them..."

“With Conan here, he’s very strong, so we don’t need your help. But here, there’s only a weak woman and me, a helpless boy, left in the villa. It’s very dangerous. We need you to stay and protect us.”

Hearing Jiang Chengbei say this, Takahashi Ryoichi was stunned. Normally, if someone asked him to stay and protect the weak, he would be willing, but now he was burdened with a heavy responsibility, and it was a matter of life and death. How could he stay and protect them?

"No...no...the villa is still very safe. I don't think anyone will come to harm you. I'd better go help them..."

Seeing that Takahashi Ryoichi, who had been stopped, was covered in sweat, with cold sweat pouring from his head, Jiang Chengbei continued to insist:

"How do you know the villa is safe? Did you know the bandaged monster who just flew by carrying a severed head, and you told him he wouldn't come into the villa?"

"No...no...I don't know him...I was just guessing...I was just talking nonsense...He just ran away, I don't think he'll come back..."

"What do you mean 'just ran away'? Are you sure it wasn't a diversionary tactic?"

The one chasing after them is Conan, the superhuman kid. He's caught countless murderers before, appeared on TV, and outwitted the police. You can completely trust his abilities.

Besides the extraordinary Conan, there's also Ran, the Kanto karate champion, who can take on ten bandaged monsters by herself.

Even considering only the combat strength of those two out of the five, they could easily overwhelm dozens or even hundreds of bandaged monsters.

"You shouldn't go. We need your help here. Stay and protect us, especially your college classmate, Miss Ayako."

Hearing Jiang Chengbei's words, Takahashi Ryoichi was on the verge of tears. He agreed with what Jiang Chengbei said, especially when he pulled back the dummy head of the bandaged monster with the fishing line and saw that the dummy head had been kicked and shattered by Conan's soccer ball, leaving only bandages and fragments. He felt that Jiang Chengbei was right, and Conan's strength was definitely the best in the world.

But no matter how reasonable Jiang Chengbei's words were, he still had to go out; he had to move the corpses and transport the heads!

Ryoichi Takahashi desperately wanted to go out; he had to go out. So he looked at Ayako Suzuki, whose eyes were squinted and almost invisible, with a wronged, tearful, and pleading expression.

"Takahashi, what's with that expression? I asked you to stay and protect your classmates and the young lady of the Suzuki family, and you still feel wronged?"

If you had even a little bit of sense, like I am now, and showed your value in a critical moment, would you still need to work as a waiter or a beast of burden in a small food company after graduation?

"If you're going to give up such a great opportunity, to protect Miss Suzuki in this critical moment, and even let her rise to prominence slip away, I suspect you have ulterior motives."

Upon hearing Jiang Chengbei's words, Takahashi Ryoichi had a sudden inspiration and subconsciously said, "Ayako is safe inside the villa with you protecting her, I'll go outside to protect Sonoko..."

In order to get rid of Jiang Chengbei's entanglement as soon as possible, Takahashi Ryoichi did not hesitate this time. As he spoke, he started running and rushed out as if his life depended on it.

So what if I act strangely? So what if they suspect me? It's better than being trapped here, unable to send anyone away.

As Takahashi Ryoichi pushed open Jiang Chengbei's door and rushed out of the villa, a large movement caused a silk scarf to fall into his stomach.

Then, Ayako Suzuki and Kita Enoki, who came to close the door, found the silk scarf in the entryway not far from the door.

"This looks like Chikako's scarf. How did it end up here? It wasn't here before." Holding the scarf, Ayako Suzuki seemed to be implying something.

"Maybe he just walked by," Jiang Chengbei replied casually.

Afterwards, Jiang Chengbei and Suzuki Ayako chatted aimlessly while waiting for the others to return at the villa.

After some time, Conan and his friends, who were in low spirits and in a bad mood, returned together, bringing with them the news that Ikeda Chikako had been murdered and her body had been dismembered in the forest.

After asking Conan several questions, Jiang Chengbei discovered that Conan had not yet focused on Ryoichi Takahashi and had not yet found out who the culprit was. Therefore, Jiang Chengbei was not in a hurry to point out that Ryoichi Takahashi was the culprit and the one who was the bandaged man.

Next, the group discussed the matter and then repaired the window that Conan had kicked. Finally, they closed the windows and doors, which were only meant to keep out honest people but not thieves. Then, they went their separate ways and went back to their rooms to sleep.

They're not exactly brave; they're afraid of even a cloak wrapped in bandages.

You could say they're cowardly, but someone's dead and the killer hasn't been found yet, and they dare to separate and go back to their rooms to sleep. That's incredibly bold.

Chapter 220 Conan: I still have no clue about this case, how did the culprit get caught?

After discovering that Chikako Ikeda had been murdered and dismembered, everyone thought of calling the police, only to find that the phone line had been cut.

Then, wanting to leave the villa and descend the mountain overnight, they discovered that the suspension bridge in front of the villa had been cut down, making it impossible to cross the large canyon blocking the villa's path.

Unable to call the police or leave, this place has now become a "locked room in a snowstorm" scenario.

Although everyone was very scared, after comforting each other and discussing it, they finally let Ryoichi Takahashi fix the doors and windows. After closing the doors and windows, everyone went back to their rooms and slept separately.

Aside from Ran and Sonoko, who are too timid to sleep alone and share a room with each other, and Conan, who simply doesn't have a room to sleep in and has to sleep on the floor in Jiangcheng North's room, everyone else has their own room.

The people here have very strong hearts. They looked scared and worried just a moment ago, but they fell asleep quickly after lying down on the bed and entered a sweet dream.

In the middle of the night, after everyone had fallen asleep, Takahashi Ryoichi, dressed in his bandaged monster suit, took an axe and successfully entered Jiang Chengbei's room through the window Jiang Chengbei had left for him.

After Takahashi Ryoichi raised his axe, Jiang Chengbei, who already knew everything without Conan's reminder, opened his eyes and kicked the bandaged monster who had barged in. With the sound of breaking ribs, he flew up and crashed into the wall, where he could only lie on the ground, unable to move due to the pain.

With one move, Jiang Chengbei subdued the bandaged man, turned on the lights, and then had Conan knock on every door to gather everyone and tell them that the bandaged man had been caught.

The rest was simple. In front of everyone, the bandages on the bandage monster's face were removed, and everyone immediately realized that the bandage monster was Takahashi Ryoichi.

Then, amidst everyone's incredulous questioning and interrogation, after the pain in his chest subsided, Takahashi Ryoichi, who had been caught red-handed, finally confessed to his crimes of murder and dismemberment under Jiang Chengbei's interrogation, as well as his motives for killing Jiang Chengbei and the reason for killing Ikeda Chikako.

Hearing that he had come to kill Jiang Chengbei, simply because Jiang Chengbei hadn't knocked before opening the door and had rashly seen Takahashi Ryoichi changing clothes, and had even remarked on how slim Takahashi was, Xiao Lan, his good friend, immediately complained that Jiang Chengbei was reckless and unlucky, saying that no one else could do that.

Now that the culprit has been caught and the case is solved, Conan and Jiang Chengbei belatedly take out their Chakra Detective Badge and Chakra Earring Phone.

The Chakra Detective Badge can only be linked to the Teitan Three Idiots, and Professor Agasa used the Teitan Three Idiots' detective badges to create a handmade version of Professor Agasa's detective badge for Ai Haibara.

Jiang Chengbei then snatched the chakra earring phone from Conan and dialed the number of the Megure family, waking up the sleeping Megure and telling him that a murder had occurred here, and that the crime scene was the Suzuki Group's villa in Gunma, with the Suzuki Group's eldest and second daughters also present.

Upon hearing that such an important person was present, Inspector Megure disregarded the fact that Gunma Prefecture was not under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police Department and immediately boarded a helicopter, rushing over at breakneck speed.

After waiting for several hours until dawn, Megure and the others finally arrived. Jiang Chengbei and the others took a helicopter back to Tokyo, while the Suzuki family helped drive his car, which was parked across the canyon, back.

Back in Tokyo, Miyano Akemi was fine, but her sister-in-law Haibara Ai was extremely hostile towards Jiang Chengbei and Xiaolan Sonoko for their gathering at a villa in the middle of nowhere, and she didn't give Jiang Chengbei a friendly look in the days that followed.

Remembering that Ai Haibara had an idol besides bags, who seemed to be a soccer player named Higo, Jiang Chengbei found out that Higo was currently playing for the Tokyo team. So Jiang Chengbei made a phone call to Akagi Hideo, who was also a key player for the Tokyo team and owed him a favor, and asked for a few front-row tickets and a signed jersey of Higo Ryusuke.

When Jiang Chengbei gave Ai Haibara a signed jersey by Ryusuke Higo, she looked at him with disgust, appearing both bewildered and contemptuous.

Looking at this arrogant little guy, Jiang Chengbei was also puzzled. He remembered that when Higo Ryusuke's phone charm was lost or stepped on, Haibara Ai made a classic meme. Why does she look down on her idol Higo Ryusuke so much now?

Anyway, the autographed jerseys were given out, and the weekend's tickets were coming soon, so Jiang Chengbei decided not to waste them. In the end, he took the Miyano sisters, Conan, and the Teitan trio to watch the Tokyo team play against the Osaka team.