Conan: I can hear the murderer's voice

That night.

A large number of accounts appeared on various online forums in Liben, posting messages to expose the despicable tactics that Wu Jue had used in business over the years.

The whistleblower even uploaded a recording of Takei personally admitting his crime. Of course, his competitors would not miss this great opportunity.

The media rushed to report on the matter and public opinion quickly fermented. Before long, news came out that the group was going to go bankrupt and undergo restructuring.

……

On the afternoon of the second day after the kidnapping case was solved, Sonoko, Xiaolan, and Conan were lost in a dark forest.

Although she usually looks careless, Yuanzi is not stupid. She knows that Lin Xuan has many suitors, and if she doesn't win the senior quickly, he will definitely be snatched away by others.

Compared to Xiaolan and Sato, Sonoko's only advantage is that her house is slightly bigger.

But even though she is the daughter of a chaebol, the Suzuki family has very strict education. If the Suzuki couple knew that their daughter used pocket money to pursue men, they would definitely intervene.

So Sonoko decided to win over her elder sister Ayako first and let her know that her taste in choosing men was fine.

It just so happened that Ayako's friends from the photography club when she was in college were coming to the villa for a party.

Two years ago today, another member committed suicide. Since then, other members of the photography club have been trying to find out if there is any hidden reason behind their friend's death.

So Sonoko persuaded Ayako to spend money to hire Lin Xuan for help.

[With the senior's reasoning ability, it won't take long to find out the truth]

[My sister will also understand that the man I like is good enough, and maybe she will speak up for me in front of my parents]

[Hehehe, when the time comes, even if I mobilize the financial resources of the Suzuki family, will I still be afraid that I won't be able to catch up with my senior? 】

Unfortunately, although Yuanzi's plan was perfect, she was tricked by the Liben police at the first step.

Lin Xuan had agreed to visit the villa with them and make a deduction about the suicide incident two years ago.

However, another murder occurred in Beika Town without leaving any clues. Megure personally drove the patrol car to pick up Lin Xuan respectfully.

[Without a detective, the Liben Police can't even solve a case? 】

What made Yuanzi even more upset was that they got lost in the forest.

Everyone agreed to meet at the Suzuki family villa, but there were too many villas at home and Sonoko had never been to this one before.

The sky was getting darker and darker, and strange calls of insects could be heard from the forest from time to time, which made Xiaolan feel a little nervous.

Conan, however, was secretly delighted all the way.

[Finally I can get rid of Lin Xuan and have a chance to be alone with Xiaolan]

[Actually, he is nothing special. I also found clues in those previous cases.]

[It's just that Lin Xuan got there first. This time I will definitely figure out the truth about the suicide before he gets here! ]

Just then the three of them came to a steep cliff. Below the cliff was a rushing river, with only a wooden suspension bridge connecting the other side.

There happened to be a figure moving slowly on the suspension bridge, and Sonoko shouted to the other person:

"Hey, wait a minute! Is our Suzuki family's villa on the river..."

She was forced to stop asking for directions before she could finish. Fear prevented her from saying the second half of the sentence.

The thin black figure slowly turned around, and his entire face was covered with dense bandages!

Even Conan was frightened, not to mention Xiaolan who was most afraid of ghosts.

"Ahhhh!!!"

The scream even frightened the wild birds. Several small gray birds flapped their wings violently and flew away from the branches where they were resting.

The strange figure with a bandaged face turned around and quickly ran to the other side of the river along the suspension bridge.

It was Xiaolan's scream that made Suzuki Ayako rush over to check the situation.

Ayako first comforted them with a few words, and then led everyone to the villa.

The party villa is located behind the hillside on the other side of the suspension bridge. The wooden suspension bridge is also the only access to the outside world for the entire villa.

Ayako squinted her eyes curiously and asked her sister:

"The high school detective who saved you didn't come along?"

There was resentment in Yuanzi's voice:

"It was borrowed by an incompetent police officer. The senior said he would head here after solving the case at the station."

Conan, who had been secretly rejoicing along the way, suddenly felt a little sad.

[Even though he was smaller before, Inspector Megure would still call me for advice when he encountered a difficult case]

[But now when people mention the famous high school detective, they only think of Lin Xuan! ]

[No, if this continues, who will remember Kudo Shinichi? We must ask Huihara to develop an antidote]

The room that Xiaolan was assigned to was on the second floor, but Ayako forgot to tell her which one it was.

This made Xiaolan, who was busy putting away her luggage, embarrassed three times in a row. She opened three doors in a row and happened to run into different muscular men changing clothes.

"P-Private Marseille."

Xiaolan blushed, apologized for the third time and left.

[Since you are going to change clothes, why don’t you lock the door? 】

[Luckily, the senior didn’t come along, otherwise it would have been awkward]

After putting down her luggage, Xiaolan returned to the living room on the first floor.

Through the window I could see that the sky outside was covered with dark clouds and there were gusts of cold wind.

The five members of the photography club who came to the party also sat on the sofa in the living room.

Including Suzuki Ayako, who invited friends to the party, and the little-known female screenwriter Ikeda Chikako.

There are also the long-haired handsome man Masaru Ota, who was broken into by Xiaolan while he was changing clothes, the thin movie magazine editor Hiroki Kadoya, and the slightly fat food company employee Ryoichi Takahashi.

Sonoko was telling everyone about the horrific bandaged monster she had just witnessed on the suspension bridge, and Ayako frowned when she heard it.

[Except for the possibility of a leaking roof, the housekeeper did not remind me of anything else when I took the key. Could it be someone living nearby? ]

Ota Katsunori pretended to be obliged:

"Don't be afraid. Even if there really is a monster, I will protect you two ladies at the risk of my life."

However, his thoughts were not so righteous.

[Ayako is sweet and gentle, but her sister looks like an ordinary person, especially this headband is too funny]

[Auntie, and this hairstyle, are you living in the last century? Can you have some aesthetic sense? ]

[But she is the daughter of the Suzuki family after all. If I can hook up with her, I can live off her for the rest of my life.]

[The small cake that came with the garden is really good, I really want to eat it in one bite]

Ikeda knew Ota's character, and she snorted disdainfully to express her sarcasm.

Suzuki Ayako bowed her head and apologized to the other members of the photography club:

"We originally invited a detective to deduce Atsuko's suicide two years ago, but the detective will arrive later."

Even Xiaolan and Sonoko could notice that the faces of the other photography club members changed when they heard the names of their dead companions.

The one who reacted most strongly was the screenwriter Chikako Ikeda. She said with a pale face and gritted teeth:

"We all come to a party to have fun, why do we need to bring up something that makes everyone unhappy?"

Ikeda was obviously recalling sad memories, she stood up and left the villa.

The skinny Kakutani reminded everyone:

"The roof of the villa has not been repaired yet. It's going to rain soon. You need to prepare in advance."

But he just reminded his companions to work, but was unwilling to repair the roof himself.

After saying this, Kakutani, who was worried about Ikeda, chased after him.