Guns and Coffee in the World of Science

Chapter 38 2 Deaths in a Row

The next morning, Mao Lilan awoke drowsily from a light sleep, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. The tension of the previous night had left her with little sleep, and the precarious situation on the island had left her tossing and turning all night. To his distress, Chen Shuo hadn't slept the entire night. He seemed constantly on guard, clinging to his room, not even giving her a chance to close her eyes and rest.

"Knock, knock, knock!" A series of rapid knocks on the door interrupted the two people's brief peace.

"Who is it?" Chen Shuo narrowed his eyes and walked towards the door cautiously. He was still on high alert, the tension from the whole night still not subsiding.

Standing outside the door was a tall, heroic policewoman, her chestnut hair neatly framing her cheeks. Her eyes were determined and full of energy. She wore a uniform, a holster at her waist, and she looked the part. A capable smile graced her delicate face, exuding a friendly yet commanding presence. She was Miwako Sato of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

"Officer Sato?" Ran Mouri recognized her at a glance and seemed a little surprised.

Sato Miwako smiled slightly and nodded: "Good morning, Xiaolan, and this... Mr. Chen Shuo, right?"

"Yes." Chen Shuo nodded politely. Although he was still a little wary in his heart, he looked like a policeman, so the police should have taken full control of the case by now.

Miwako Sato said bluntly: "I'm here today to ask you two to go to the community center to assist in the investigation. Because you had a barbecue nearby last night and were also at the crime scene, the police need more information." Her tone was light, but with a hint of seriousness.

Mao Lilan's expression changed slightly when she heard this, but she quickly adjusted herself: "Well, okay, we will cooperate with the investigation."

On the way to the community center with Sato Miwako, Mao Lilan chatted with her casually: "Officer Sato, did you also come to the island to investigate? Why didn't you see Officer Megure?"

"Oh, Officer Megure is questioning other people at the community center. I just came to call you." Sato Miwako responded easily, with a hint of teasing in her tone, "But your family really does appear at murder scenes frequently."

Mao Lilan heard her mention this and smiled bitterly: "We don't want to encounter this kind of thing either. We just want to relax..."

Arriving at the community center, the atmosphere was even more serious than the previous night. Chen Shuo and Mao Lilan were taken to a waiting area, as the formal questioning would take some time. They sat in chairs. Mao Lilan was visibly exhausted, almost dozing off, while Chen Shuo closed his eyes, seemingly recovering his strength.

"Hey, Ms. Mori, you look tired too." A gentle voice interrupted Ran's sleep. She looked up and saw it was Asai Makoto, who had appeared with them last night. He smiled, but his eyes gleamed with fatigue, and he also looked like he hadn't slept well the night before.

"Yes, Dr. Asai, how about you? You must be tired too?" Ran Mouri responded politely, and the two chatted casually.

Asai Makoto rubbed his eyes and couldn't help but yawning loudly. "I'm so tired... By the way, how long will it take for Mr. Maori Kogoro to get to us?"

Maori Kogoro shrugged and said, "It seems we have to wait for a while. After all, there were too many people at the scene last night."

Asai nodded honestly and stood up: "Then I'll go wash my face and wake up, and we'll continue the conversation later."

He said goodbye with a smile and walked towards the restroom. Just as Asai Makoto turned around, Chen Shuo suddenly opened his eyes and stared sharply at his back, a hint of alarm flashing in his eyes. He frowned slightly, vaguely sensing a strange aura emanating from Asai Makoto—murderous intent.

"Murderous intent? What's going on...?" Countless possibilities flashed through Chen Shuo's mind. His heartbeat quickened slightly as he stared intently at Asai Makoto's back as he disappeared around the corner, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

"Brother Shuo, what's wrong?" Mao Lilan noticed something strange about Chen Shuo and asked in a low voice.

Chen Shuo pursed his lips and shook his head: "Nothing, I just feel that...that Asai Makoto is a little bit off."

"Hmm?" Mao Lilan frowned, obviously a little uneasy. "Are you saying there's something wrong with her?"

"It's hard to say for now." Chen Shuo lowered his voice, "But the aura she just exuded is very dangerous. You'd better be careful and don't get too close to her."

Mao Lilan's heart tightened, and she couldn't help but glance toward the restroom, a faint sense of unease rising in her heart. She knew Chen Shuo wasn't one to easily doubt others, but his intuition was always accurate. If even Chen Shuo felt something was amiss, then Asai Makoto was definitely hiding something.

The air suddenly became heavy. Chen Shuo's eyes were still fixed on the direction where Asai Makoto disappeared, while Mao Li Ran subconsciously moved closer to Chen Shuo, her heart beating faster and feeling a little uneasy.

In another corner, Kuroiwa, the candidate for village chief, was angrily scolding his secretary, Hirata, who lowered his head, looking uneasy.

"What the hell is going on!" Heiyan raged, his face flushed red. "I've had enough of the incidents and impact caused by this piano. Who are you trying to scare to death? If this keeps going on, my election as village chief will be ruined!"

Hirata replied in a panic, "I'm sorry, Mr. Kuroiwa, I..."

"That's enough!" Heiyan waved his hand irritably, interrupting Hirata's explanation and saying coldly, "Once this is over, you have to get rid of that broken piano! I've had enough of it!"

After saying that, Heiyan strode out of the room angrily, leaving Hirata standing there in a daze. His lips moved, but he didn't dare to say anything else.

Chen Shuo watched coldly from the side, without saying a word.

after awhile.

Suddenly, the whole room was filled with the melodious sound of the second movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata." The melody came from the radio, ethereal and eerie. Then, a frantic cry pierced the silence—it was Xiben's voice, filled with panic and madness.

"What's going on?" Mao Lilan frowned, and a sense of uneasiness suddenly arose in her heart.

Chen Shuo's expression also turned serious. Just as he was thinking, everyone heard the commotion and rushed to the studio upstairs. Mao Lilan was obviously a little anxious and wanted to go up to take a look.

"Wait a minute!" Chen Shuo grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

Mao Lilan turned around and looked at him puzzledly: "What's wrong? What happened over there? Shouldn't we go and take a look?"

"Now isn't the time." Chen Shuo's voice was low, yet calm. "There are so many people over there, it's impossible to see clearly. It's safer here and wait and see what happens."

Although Mao Lilan was reluctant, she still stood there obediently, her eyes occasionally glancing towards the stairs. The noise upstairs was getting louder and louder, and she could vaguely hear someone talking about something.

Soon, several people came down from the building, talking hurriedly. Mao Lilan pricked up her ears, trying to hear what they were saying. After a moment, she finally grasped some key information.

"Hei Yan was killed!"

"He was stabbed to death in the studio!"

"What? Mr. Kuroiwa... is dead?" Mao Lilan covered her mouth in disbelief, her eyes filled with shock. She couldn't help but turn to Chen Shuo: "How could this happen? Who would kill him?"

Chen Shuo didn't immediately respond to her question. He just stood there quietly, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes calm and profound. Although he remained calm on the surface, deep down, he was already slowly piecing together the clues.

"Murderous intent...that chilling feeling when Asai Makoto left just now..." Chen Shuo's mind flashed with the image of Asai's back as he walked towards the bathroom. Although he didn't say it out loud, he had already vaguely confirmed something in his heart.

He exhaled slowly and whispered to Mao Lilan: "Let's not act rashly and see what happens."

Mao Lilan nodded. Although she still had many doubts in her heart, she chose to trust Chen Shuo's judgment. At this moment, the atmosphere around them became more tense. Everyone began to be filled with doubts and fears, suspicions and quarrels with each other.

Chen Shuo, standing nearby, remained calm, but was already speculating in his heart – the murderer must have been Asai Makoto. The murderous intent was too obvious.

---

As time passed, the atmosphere in the community center became increasingly oppressive. After careful deduction, Conan finally cracked the logic of the code left at the scene. Just as he uncovered the mystery, Nishimoto, who was already dazed and frantic, suddenly erupted in emotion, screaming, "Aso Keiji is still alive! He's still alive!"

The scream stunned everyone, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment. Mao Lilan covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes quickly turning to Chen Shuo, her face full of confusion.

"Keiji Aso is still alive?" Ran Mouri's heart tightened and she murmured softly.

Chen Shuo frowned, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes. It seemed that Xi Ben was no outsider.

However, just as Nishimoto began to scream even more frantically, the old policeman on the island interrupted him, "Nonsense! Aso Keiji's family has long been confirmed dead! All the bodies from that year have been identified. There's no way anyone is still alive."

The old policeman's words gave everyone a slight sigh of relief, but his next unintentional remark stirred up another wave of controversy. He added thoughtfully, "But... there was indeed a piece of sheet music left behind. Perhaps that sheet music also holds some clues."

"Music score?" Kogoro Mouri and Inspector Megure looked at each other at the same time, their expressions becoming extremely serious.

"Could it be... that the music score itself is a secret code?" Kogoro Mouri touched his chin, his eyes revealing some thought.

Inspector Megure reacted suddenly and shouted, "Quick! Go get that sheet music! Now!"

The old policeman nodded hurriedly upon hearing this, and turned to run out. Conan's eyes lit up when he saw this, and he also ran out with the old policeman. Everyone waited nervously, but time passed by minute by minute. Half an hour later, Conan and the old policeman still hadn't returned.

The people in the room began to grow impatient, muttering among themselves. Some even stood up, seeming unwilling to wait any longer.

"What the hell is going on? We're just waiting here. When will this end?" someone complained.

Maori Kogoro looked at these people. Although he was also anxious, he could not stop them from leaving. He sighed helplessly: "Well, those who can't wait can go back first."

Although Inspector Megure was reluctant, he had no reason to stop them at the moment, so he could only nod in agreement: "If you want to go back first, that's fine, but please remain vigilant."

Chen Shuo had been observing the situation silently from the side. He looked at Mao Lilan, patted her shoulder gently, and said seriously, "Lan, stay with your father and don't run around. Understand?"

Mao Lilan nodded. Although her eyes were full of worry, she still followed Chen Shuo's arrangements: "Okay...where are you going?"

Chen Shuo looked down at the doorway in the distance, as if weighing something. He took a deep breath, turned back to Mao Lilan and said, "I need to confirm something very important. I'll be back soon. Don't worry."

As she watched Chen Shuo's back recede, Mao Lilan felt a sense of unease. But she knew these were critical times, and she couldn't burden him any further. She silently prayed, hoping everything would resolve peacefully.

Watching Chen Shuo leave, Mao Lilan clenched her fists, her emotions mixed. What secrets were hidden on the island? When would this turmoil end?