Conan: About the fact that I have a black brother

The shrine is at the top of the mountain.

There was still no sign of anyone having been inside or outside the shrine.

As the number of tourists gradually decreases, the lack of incense and offerings here has already reflected an atmosphere of decline.

The wood was rotten, and the red and blue knotted rope was about to break.

Muwu tugged at the rope, and the fibers made a slight snapping sound. “It is said that every shrine in this area has a legend… Do you want to worship?”

His voice was calm and gentle. He said he was asking the three people, but in fact his eyes were always on Baichuan.

Baichuan felt uncomfortable being stared at by him and agreed.

He stood in front of the altar and threw a hundred-yuan coin into it. The coin made a crisp sound when it hit the empty merit box. He clapped his hands, lowered his head and made a silent wish, then rang the bell connected to the rope.

After that, he stepped aside and said, "Muwu, do you want to make a wish?"

"Me?" Muwu smiled and walked over. After a few seconds of silence, he left. "I've made the promise."

"What about you guys? Do you want to come and worship too? After all, you're here." Mu Wu looked at Lin Xiaochen and the other two.

Shirakawa took out two coins from his pocket. For some reason, Yamato Gansuke had an idea and took the coins and bowed like Shirakawa did.

“What about you?” Seeing that Lin Xiaochen didn’t move for a long time, Muwu personally picked up the coin and walked towards Lin Xiaochen, “Officer Lin, don’t you want to try it?”

"No." Lin Xiaochen refused bluntly, "I never believe in these things."

"I see." Makiya was not upset by the disappointment and threw the coin back into Shirakawa's palm. "Next, do the two officers have any other plans?"

"You should know a lot of small paths, so take us back to the foot of the mountain along the small paths." Yamato Gansuke asked, "Do you have a map of the small paths?"

"Of course there is." Baichuan put the coin away, "Then let's go down the mountain first."

They returned to the foot of the mountain without any trouble. They took the hand-drawn mountain road map from the shepherd's house and returned to the hotel to rest.

The two of them lit a brazier, hung the clothes that were contaminated by the cold on the hangers, and sat cross-legged at the low table.

"That forest cabin was definitely not abandoned a few years ago. It has been abandoned for at least ten years." Yamato Gansuke recalled the details of the cabin, "The thickness of the dust is not right."

"The degree of decay of the wood and wool fabrics is also wrong." Lin Xiaochen spread the map flat on the table. "It's very strange. It's clearly a scenic spot on the mountain trail, why was it blocked ten years ago?"

"The house is so clean, unusually clean." Yamato Gansuke took out his phone, which contained the details he had taken along the way. "If it were a tourist attraction, the interior layout would be too detailed, and the items in the cabinets would be daily necessities. But if it were for living, those daily necessities would have never been used."

"It's like—"

"It was specially arranged!" they said in unison.

"Then why? To pretend that no one lives there."

"I don't know. Maybe it's related to an old case, or maybe it's just a collection of information." Lin Xiaochen held his chin with one hand, "But, Hokkaido will definitely not tell us. Let's go up alone tomorrow. Take the small road."

Originally, the two had no intention of involving others. The murderer was cruel and the two forestry workers were powerless. Not only could they not help, they might even lose their lives.

The Hokkaido police claimed that they would provide police support, but it would take time for them to arrive in the deep mountains and forests. If they really encountered a murderer, they would probably be dead.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiaochen stood up and took out his service pistol from his pocket, disassembled it for inspection, and then reinstalled it. There were five bullets in total, not one missing. There was no problem with the locator either, and the aim was correct.

Lin Xiaochen felt slightly relieved.

Seeing this, Yamato Gansuke also took out his own pistol to check it.

After confirming that everything was correct, the two turned their attention back to the hand-drawn map.

"Since we are going up the mountain, let's plan it carefully." Lin Xiaochen muttered to himself as he took out a red and blue pencil from somewhere and drew circles at several locations on the map: "This area is almost entirely out of reach of the main road. These three places are close to water sources, so we can focus on them."

"But," Yamato Gansuke suddenly said, "it's snowing now."

His tone was very calm, and he seemed to be thinking about something important.

"Yeah, it's snowing."

"There's no shortage of water in the entire forest." Yamato Gansuke continued, "Although we have almost ruled out the possibility that the murderer has other companions, there is always a possibility that something unexpected will happen. Therefore, we can't just consider whether it is close to a water source."

Yamato Gansuke's words made Lin Xiaochen fall into deep thought: "Then, let's build a shelter according to the difficulty. The most suitable house for snowy days is to use local materials. This area is a cliff, which is not convenient for construction, and it is not convenient for escape."

"Guests." Their discussion was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Our hotel provides special snacks. I've put them at the door for you two. The snacks are better when they're hot."

"Thank you." Lin Xiaochen walked over and opened the door. The one who brought the snacks was the receptionist whom he had met during the day. "Please deliver it."

"It's not a big deal. It's my duty." The front desk lady blushed slightly. "Our hotel provides breakfast. You can ask me to deliver it between 6 and 9 every day."

"Okay." Lin Xiaochen smiled and took the lunch box into the room. "It's cold outside. Miss, would you like to come in and sit down? I have something I want to confirm with you."

"That's inconvenient, sir." The receptionist refused bluntly, "Just ask me now."

The receptionist didn't dare to take the risk of a single man and a single woman being in the same room.

Lin Xiaochen slapped his head and said, "I didn't think about it. Miss works here. Do you have any recommended places to visit?"

"Are there any tourist attractions? The closest one is the Forest Park. The hiking trail there is well maintained and easy to climb. There is also a shrine on the top of the mountain, and the incense is very popular."

Lin Xiaochen's eyelids jumped: "Is there only one hiking trail?"

"No, but most tourists will choose that one."

"What about the shrine? Do we have to go to the mountain to see it?"

"Yes."

……

Forest interior.

Pomer took the bag of supplies thrown to him and smiled nastily at the man in front of him: "Does this count as betrayal?"

The man was silent for a moment, and his voice revealed relief: "Not really... I just felt bored. I wish I could cause some trouble for them."

Bomore's eyes sparkled, and he stared at the man quietly: "Sure enough, it's your style - but I like it. I haven't watched fun for a long time."

"Then take your time to look at it. I'm leaving, don't forget the agreement between us." The man turned around and waved his hand. The sky-blue scarf was the only bright color in the deep forest.

"Don't worry." Bomer smiled bloodthirstily and licked his sharp fangs. "As long as you keep your promise."

The man walked away and his figure disappeared completely.

"I won't listen to you either..."

Pommer smiled maliciously.