[Comprehensive] Phantom Thief · Phantom Thief

Kaito and Loki sat quietly in a corner of the hotel lobby, silently watching the sword wielding police department with a serious face, and the Kindaichi boy who was driven out of the temporary interrogation room after receiving the news gathered together to discuss the next countermeasures.

Outside the window, the cold wind howls and heavy snow falls, and the moonlight seems to be blocked from the clouds by the dense snow under the dark night, which makes this snow-capped mountain, which was very lively and comfortable in the sunny day not long ago, finally see through. There is a bit of cruelty and horror that belongs to nature.

The hotel's adequate heating and thick walls firmly block the cold and snow. According to the owner, because at this time of the year, many guests gather in the hotel for the special activity of the snowy night test of courage, so At this time, the supplies are quite sufficient. Even if the mountains are blocked by heavy snow, it can meet the living needs of hundreds of people in the store for at least four to five days in the future.

"As long as food and drinking water are not a major problem, everything else is fine." The young detective with thick eyebrows and half-long black hair tied into a small braid at the back of his head pondered, turning his head to look at Jian, who still had a serious expression on his face. Holding the police department: "It's just uncle, if the local police can't be contacted, and the heavy snow continues one after another..."

Hundreds of people are besieged in such a mountain inn, and there is still a murderer whose identity has not yet been revealed, hiding in the shadows of the unknown, ready to execute the plan he has constructed at any time. killing plan...

Just imagining it is enough to send shivers down the spine.

"Is there any progress on the interrogation side?" The Jianchi Police Department also knew what kind of danger was hidden under the seemingly calm appearance, but at this time, even though he didn't want to bet all the pressure on a person like Jin Tianyi On the shoulders of high school teenagers, but the situation forced him to pin his hopes on the black-haired young man who solved countless cases, big and small, with him.

"It's...difficult." Jin Tianyi's behavior in handling the case was very different from his usual behavior. His carefree, sunny smile and habitual sexist attributes all disappeared, replaced by the same calmness as his famous detective grandfather. calm.

"The participants in the test of courage were all in groups of two. The murderer didn't know what method was used. In short, the two people who came out after Liu Lizi and You Jia in each group had very sufficient and perfect alibi." Thinking of the dead girl from the same school, the expression on Jin Tianyi's face also became solemn: "The clues we can grasp... are too few."

Although he and the Jianchi Police Department sealed off the murder scene immediately after Liu Lizi was killed, and conducted a preliminary on-site investigation there, they are not professional crime scene investigators after all, and they don't have the corresponding tools in their hands. What is available on site is very limited.

Now that they are unable to go out because of the snowstorm, perhaps by the time they try their best to contact the local police station and dispatch their on-site investigators, many traces have already been covered up by the heavy snow damage...

Sighing with a headache, Kindaichi silently turned his gaze to the heavy snow falling outside the window——

I just hope this blizzard... won't last too long.

However, the young detective is doomed to disappointment.

"This blizzard will probably last for at least two or three days." Although he is not a god in charge of wind and snow, Loki has his own set of skills for forecasting the weather.

Not to mention, back then he had a lover who was the King of Giants.

Giants live in the icy and snowy Northland, so Loki, who has fused another half of his body, is no stranger to such windy and snowy weather.

He easily got the information he wanted from the wind and snow. Loki glanced at the trio of CLAMP Academy detectives who were discussing something not far away, and turned back to look seriously at The black-haired boy beside him: "Kaito, I thought you didn't want to meddle in your own business."

--indeed.

Kaito's job is not a detective, reasoning, solving crimes, arresting criminals and finding the murderer are not within his scope of duties.

It's just that this time it's about Xiaoling, even if the child is not the type who likes to cause trouble, but he can't help but have a president who is afraid that the world will not be chaotic, has an outrageously high IQ but has a weird personality!

Kaito just looked at the young president's expression from a distance, and knew that the other party was interested and decided to intervene in this bizarre murder case.

And in this way, it seems inevitable that Xiao Ling will be implicated in the case...

"Loki, I really don't want to be nosy, it's just Xiaoling's place..." It can be seen that Luoji is not very interested in this incident that is not caused by supernatural factors, and there are people like Kindaichi present, so he doesn't want to. Recklessly intervening, Kaito didn't intend to embarrass the other party: "Is there any suitable familiar or something that can be placed by his side temporarily as a guard? I'm not at ease..."

——Is that all?

Loki raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, but didn't ask any more questions.

"It's easy to handle. I'll summon two A-level familiars to protect Xiao Ling while I'm in the hotel." Anyway, he doesn't need to worry about excessive power consumption now that he has plenty of power, and Xiao Ling's child is indeed very cute. "By the way, take the other two children beside him, too? I think...Xiao Ling would not like to see them get hurt."

Kaito nodded, "You're right, I was almost negligent."

Because I have too much trust in the force value of the blue-haired young Mrs. Yingcun, and subconsciously, I always feel that the boy from Meizhishan has the domineering mother-in-law cheats given by the Hammer aunts, so he will not be in danger so easily. So apart from Xiaoling who cares about chaos, Kaidou really has never worried about the safety of the other two little Zhengtai.

"If Xiaoling's safety can be guaranteed, there is nothing else we need to worry about. However, it may be a bit difficult for us to meet so freely after tonight. After all, such a thing happened, the school should ask Our group of students will try to remain as a group for the next few days."

Otherwise, if something really happened, how would they explain it to the parents?

Loki also understood that what Kaito was worried about might become a reality in the near future, so he frowned slightly, he spoke carefully, and said a certain suggestion that he wanted to find an opportunity to mention to Kaito before: "Well, after a while, Mr. Police Department over there will announce that irrelevant personnel can be dismissed. Let's go to the person in charge of this extracurricular teaching at Jianggutian High School and explain that because your mother has been away from home all year round, I will be your temporary guardian now. Then ask you to act with me until the end of this event... What do you think?"

Kaito thought about it, and felt that being with Loki was definitely more comfortable and free-wheeling than being restricted in group actions, so he nodded happily: "Okay."

The blond and beautiful young man who received a positive reply smiled brightly, and the two turned to discuss what kind of familiar protection should be prepared for Xiao Ling and the others.

Unlike the leisurely and peaceful atmosphere on their side, the atmosphere around Jin Tianichi and the police department of Jianchi, who were also discussing some plans in the center of the hall, was much heavier and stagnant.

They had just found the hotel owner, and learned from the owner that the heavy snowfall outside would not end within the time they hoped, and the mood of the two of them couldn't help but become a little gloomy for a while.

The telephone line that was artificially cut short, the blizzard that was forecasted in advance but never expected to reach this level, the perfect alibi, the "this will never be the last" serial killing notice left at the crime scene ...

All this indicates that the murderer's actions are far from over, and the people trapped in the hotel, although not saying that everyone is in danger, have repeatedly persuaded them at the Jianchi Police Department that "irrelevant personnel can After returning to the room to rest", no one really left...

Never before had he tried to catch the murderer as soon as possible while ensuring the safety of so many people. This was the first time he felt tremendous pressure.

And at this moment, a clear child's voice suddenly resounded in the relatively quiet hotel lobby——

"Mr. Police Department, and...Senior Jintianyi, as long as there is a way to contact the local police and persuade them to send out the special operations team, the incident...can make a breakthrough?"

Everyone's gazes turned to the source of the sound, and they saw a handsome young man with blond hair and blue eyes, who was as beautiful as the character in the story, standing in the middle of the hall with a smile on his face, even under the gaze of hundreds of people, There was no trace of timidity on his face...

"What? Little brother, do you have a way to contact the outside world?" Jin Tianyi, who was so worried that his braids drooped, his eyes lit up, and he was not at all fascinated by the beauty of Meizhishan boy. The boy's shoulder: "If there is a way, we should go to the scene to investigate before the real heavy snow blocks the mountain. We should be able to find more clues..."

"That would be great." Smiling, the handsome young man with blue hair and amber eyes and a cold face, Su Fangzheng of Takamura "lifted" Kindaichi's hands and took them off his shoulders , the smile in the eyes of the blond beautiful boy grew wider: "I have a satellite communication mobile phone, but it is still charging in the room, and it should be able to be used normally in an hour, and it will not be disturbed by wind, snow or other signals, so ..."

"That would be great!" Before Mrs. Xiaozheng finished speaking, a confident smile gradually appeared on Jin Tianyi's face: "At that time, please lend the phone to the sword-wielding police department next to me. How to persuade and mobilize people? , this uncle will arrange it!"

The uncle of the police department who was in charge had a twitching vein on his forehead, but since it was difficult to "educate" Kindaichi in front of so many people, he simply chose to ignore it.

Kneeling down and showing a kind smile to the still smiling blond boy, the uncle of the police department tried his best to lower his voice: "Although this kid is talking to himself, if you really can lend us the phone, thank you boy Your cooperation."

——How can the boy who can get a satellite phone be a simple character?Although he is upright in nature, the police department of Jianchi is not ignorant of flexibility.

So the two sides reached a consensus in this way, and when the satellite phone is fully charged, they can contact the outside world!

The other passengers who had been guarding the lobby for most of the night also relaxed their tense nerves, and finally went back to their rooms in twos and threes to rest—everyone thought that as long as they could contact the outside world and the local police, they would be safe. Mostly.

Kaito and Loki explained the situation to the class teacher as agreed, and then got permission to act alone.

After the two returned to Loki's room with Kaito's travel bag, they staggered to take a hot shower, and then sat together in the living room attached to the suite, and continued their discussion while eating a warm supper. certain problems.

"Just now, I felt an unusual evil spirit in the crowd. Is it the lady witch who wanted your life back then?"

Loki's tone and demeanor were very relaxed when he said this, but Kaito keenly grasped a trace of extremely inconspicuous killing intent from it.

Feeling warm in his heart, Kaito also had a little smile on his face: "That's right. But...not someone worth paying attention to."

——So, there is no need for Luo Ji's "big driver" to take the initiative.

Although he didn't like that witch lady, Kaito, who cared more about Loki than this one, didn't want to stain Loki's hands with unnecessary blood because of his relationship——after all, he finally got rid of the past, Loki's life should be a little more peaceful and comfortable.

Loki naturally understood Kaito's intentions, so he pursed his lips and smiled lightly, and he obeyed Kaito's wishes not to continue this topic.

The two chatted endlessly for a while, and when they felt that the supper was almost digested, they said good night to each other and went back to their room to sleep.

By tomorrow, the incident will probably become clearer...

Kaito thought in a daze, and closed his eyes in peace in the room filled with Loki's atmosphere.

He didn't know that this time, he really... made a promise.

※※※

Early the next morning, when Kaito and Loki came to the hall together to eat breakfast and wait for Xiaoling to bring the latest news, they were surprised to find that Kanedaichi and the Kenji Police Department were standing in the middle of the hall with happy faces and What was the boy from Meizhishan talking about.

Beside them, a girl with short chestnut hair was tied tightly from head to toe with a thick nylon rope, looking at them with eyes full of anger and fear...

Kaito and Loki looked at each other, both surprised by this unexpected development——

Last night...what happened?