Early the next morning, the students of Didan High School received a notice and were asked to gather in an empty hall of the "Prince Hotel".
Soon, at ten o'clock in the morning, all the students who came to participate in the study trip gathered in the designated hall.
This is a rectangular hall as big as three classrooms, with a height of at least six meters.
At this time, there is no furniture in the hall. There is a large door in the center of the four walls, and there is a small door in the right corner of the hall. There are five doors in total. At this time, inside these five doors, there are
There are police officers guarding the edge.
The students of Teidan High School lined up as required and stood in the center of the hall. Substitute teacher Shingo Kitajima was also standing on the edge of the student queue.
Standing directly in front of the students were three police officers, led by a somewhat bald police officer with a serious and fierce expression. This was the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Officer in charge of the kidnapping case, Officer Tamagawa.
"As everyone knows, we have received a warning that a second crime will be committed at 12 noon today."
As Officer Tamagawa said, he glared fiercely at Kudo Shinichi, who was standing at the front of the student queue.
In this regard, Kudo Shinichi was a little helpless - there was nothing he could do about it. Police Officer Tamagawa was the police officer who refused to participate in the investigation yesterday. He seemed to be very disgusted with the detective.
In order to ensure the safety of today's students, Kudo Shinichi, who agreed to Xiaolan and no longer conceal the challenge, finally went to the police for help, which led to the current scene.
"Our prefectural police negotiated with the school and concluded that instead of returning to Tokyo and moving to another location, it would be safer to stay in this hotel during the crime warning time!"
After hearing this, the students present couldn't help but start whispering.
"At noon!"
Police Officer Tamagawa shouted loudly, shocking the students and making them quiet down.
"At noon, everyone will gather in this hall! The five entrance and exit doors will all be locked from the inside, forming a secret room! So the kidnappers will have no chance to approach you!"
Speaking of this, Officer Tamagawa smiled proudly.
Officer Tamagawa ignored the deputy's praise and continued to explain: "There are guards outside the five gates! And there are police officers stationed at all the entrances and exits of this hotel. In other words, you have triple protection! I hope you can feel at ease.
Welcome noon!”
"There is another level of protection!"
Just as he was talking, there was a commotion outside the hall door. The door on one side was pushed in from the outside. A group of police officers were trying to stop the intruder, but they still allowed him to enter the hall - although
, after entering the hall, he was still held down by the police officer on duty at the door.
"Idiot! Let me go!"
When the visitor saw that he was being held down by the police, he couldn't help shouting.
"dad!"
Seeing the person coming, Xiaolan couldn't help but said in surprise - yes, the person coming in is Mouri Kogoro!
"What are you doing!"
Upon seeing this, the deputy came forward and asked.
Mouri Kogoro broke away from the policeman, stood up, and said with a proud face:
"Long wait! I am the famous detective Mouri Kogoro! I am also Xiaolan's father over there."
"It's a detective again!"
When Officer Tamagawa heard this, he turned away with disgust.
"I will be more than happy to assist you in your search!"
Mouri Kogoro expressed his intention.
"Parents of students, please do not participate in the search!"
Officer Tamagawa said with a disgusted tone.
"But, I am a famous detective!"
"Everyone, please go back to your respective rooms first, and then return to the hall to assemble immediately after you are ready!"
Ignoring Mouri Kogoro, Officer Tamagawa gave instructions, "Now, disband!"
With that said, he walked out of the hall directly without any intention of talking to Mouri Kogoro. When the students heard this, they also left the hall one after another.
"Dad, you are really here!"
Xiaolan walked up to Kogoro and said in surprise, and Kudo Shinichi also followed Xiaolan.
"Of course!"
Kogoro straightened his suit and said seriously, "How can I stand by and watch something like this happen to your friend?"
"That police officer didn't even allow me to assist in the investigation. I guess Detective Maori is no longer able to do it either."
Kudo Shinichi said.
"Humph, what's so arrogant about the police?"
Regarding Officer Tamagawa's attitude, Kogoro couldn't help but say something disgusting.
"At noon, I'm here to protect everyone. Outside the hotel, I'll leave it to Detective Mori! Of course, try not to disturb the guards."
Kudo Shinichi said.
"yes."
Kogoro responded, then realized something was wrong, and immediately retorted: "I want you to give random orders!"
"Dad, I'll leave it to you outside!"
Xiaolan also said at this time, "For the garden."
"knew."
Faced with his daughter's request, Kogoro agreed with a gentle tone.
"Then, detective boy, I'll leave the inside to you!"
"Okay, uncle, don't make mistakes."
Kudo Shinichi replied.
"Okay, I'll go outside for a inspection first."
Glancing at Xiaolan, Kogoro said, and was about to leave, but suddenly remembered something, "By the way, where is that boy? I set out with me yesterday, but got off the car halfway to prepare to come by myself, Xiaolan, you called me
The other person has not arrived yet!"
"What are you talking about, Dad? Mr. Mingzhi arrived last night. Dad, why did you show up now?"
Xiaolan couldn't help but wonder about this.
"Ah? Last night..."
Kogoro couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, so he said: "Then, I will go on patrol first!"
With that said, Kogoro trotted out dejectedly - yesterday, after he drove the car to Yokohama, he learned that the location of Xiaolan's school trip was by Lake Ashinoko in Hakone Town, so he immediately changed direction and drove here.
I came here, but I didn’t expect that I drove the wrong way several times along the way, and took a nap in the car for a while. It wasn’t until this morning that I finally came here.
Thinking of this, Kogoro had nothing to say to Takato who had to act alone last night and ended up arriving that night.
"Let me check this hall first, too."
Seeing Kogoro walking out, Kudo Shinichi also said to Xiaolan, "Xiaolan, go back to your room and rest first. You haven't slept much since last night."
Hearing Kudo Shinichi's concern for herself, Xiaolan nodded and went back to the room to rest.
Returning to the double room where she was temporarily staying, Xiaolan couldn't help but feel sad when she looked at the empty bed on one side and Suzuki Sonoko's luggage placed beside it.
"Garden..."
Muttering to herself, Xiaolan looked at Suzuki Sonoko's luggage and said it as if to comfort herself.
"Shinichi, the criminal will be caught soon! Moreover, my father and Mr. Akechi are here to help. Before that, you have to work hard!"
It was at this time that Xiaolan suddenly saw a letter buried underneath a "Samantha Sausa" brand bag from Suzuki Sonoko.
"What's this……"
Feeling strange, Xiaolan picked up the envelope and opened it——
"jingle."
Just as he took out the letter paper, a small metal object was pulled out along with the letter paper and fell out of the envelope.
Looking at the things dropped on the ground, and then looking at the letter in her hand, Xiaolan was stunned for a moment, but at this time, Xiaolan's cell phone rang - it was an email notification of an incoming call, and the caller displayed was,
Yes: wise and lofty.
At noon, eleven ten, in the hotel lobby.
The students of Tedan High School have returned here one after another, and the substitute teacher Kitajima Shingo is going through the list of students and starting to call their names.
After reading everyone's names, Kitajima Shingo breathed a sigh of relief when he found that no one was absent.
"Okay, everyone is here!"
Upon hearing this, the police officers on duty at the five doors of the hall closed the doors, and then locked the doors from inside. Then each police officer returned to his assigned post and began to guard.
"Now, all the five doors at the entrance and exit are locked from the inside. There are also police guarding outside the door, and the master key is with Officer Tamagawa. The height of the hall is six meters, and the ventilation openings above are so small that people can't even see them.
It may pass. This time, it is an absolutely perfect secret room! Then, where will you come in? "
Looking at all the arrangements, Kudo Shinichi thought this way.
Time passed like this minute by minute. Outside the hotel, police patrols were also carried out in batches. Watching the time go to 11:45, Kogoro who was outside used his mobile phone to inform him of the situation outside.
Kudo Shinichi.
"Detective boy, the security outside is very tight, even a mouse might get in."
"It's the same inside."
After receiving Kogoro's information, Kudo Shinichi felt more at ease.
"Hey, listen carefully, if anything happens, then... Xiaolan, I'll leave it to you."
Kogoro said this very seriously, and then immediately hung up the phone.
"Damn it. I thought I would never say such a thing in my life."
Mumbling to himself, Kogoro said this.
"I understand, uncle."
Hearing Kogoro hang up the phone, Kudo Shinichi said silently in his heart, and then looked at the substitute teacher, Kitajima Shingo.
"There is only one person who needs to be on guard!"
It seemed that the time was approaching twelve o'clock, and everyone present was more or less nervous.
Shingo Kitajima, a middle-aged teacher wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a red plaid shirt, was also very nervous at this time, looking back at the clock on the wall of the hall from time to time——
It's 11:55, only five minutes left before the preview time.
"Everyone... please concentrate a little bit!"
Shingo Kitajima suggested with a nervous tone.
"Teacher! It's so scary!"
Hearing what Kitajima Shingo said, several girls who were already very nervous immediately came to Kitajima Shingo and hugged his arms, as if they could feel a sense of security. And more students gradually
They flocked to Kitajima Shingo.
However, Kudo Shinichi, who was just staring at Kitajima Shingo, didn't notice that at this moment, Xiaolan was standing next to him nervously, in a daze, motionless.
"It's okay! It's okay! Relax!"
Kitajima Shingo looked at the students' reactions and tried to comfort him.
At the same time, the atmosphere outside the hotel was no more relaxed than in the lobby, and everyone's nerves were tense.
"The prisoner is not necessarily a male, he could also be a female! It could also be an old man! Even a child could be a child! Do you understand!"
Officer Tamagawa held the walkie-talkie and said emphatically.
Kogoro, who was patrolling outside, walked to the position outside the hotel door. He was looking around when he suddenly saw a lady standing outside and stopped——
At this time, a beautiful lady with short hair in her twenties was wearing a pink shirt, a brown plaid suit vest, a pink silk scarf around her neck, a professional skirt underneath, and a leather bag on her back.
She is the tour guide Nishida Mai.
After seeing Mai Nishida, Kogoro couldn't help being attracted by her beautiful appearance, and walked up with a smile on his face.
"I'm sorry, are you also a relevant person in the case?"
Pretending to be serious, Kogoro struck up a conversation and said, "I am a detective, Moori Kogoro!"
"I am Nishida Mai."
Bowing slightly, Nishida Mai introduced herself, "I am the tour guide for the school trip. I was also at the scene when the kidnapping of Sonoko Suzuki happened. So I was very worried."
Just as he was talking, the captain Tokunio, who was wearing a professional suit and holding a captain's hat, and the crew member Minamida Kyousuke, who was wearing a blue and white striped crew uniform and a red scarf tied around his neck, also walked over.
"Mr. Dong, Mr. Nantian."
Mai Nishida greeted the two of them and introduced to Kogoro, "These two were also at the scene when the crime occurred, Mr. Azuma, the captain, and Mr. Minamida, the crew member."
Then he also introduced Kogoro's identity to the two of them, and the three of them nodded to each other.
"I'm really restless."
As Tokunio said, Minamida Kyousuke also spoke.
"When I think about it, what if something else happens..."
"It's fine."
Kogoro interrupted, "There is a famous detective who thinks he is right inside!"
But such words did not ease the tense atmosphere.
At this time, as the time got closer and closer to the predicted time, the students in the hall began to slowly become chaotic. Some people had begun to hug each other, each putting their hands on the shoulders of others, forming a circle.
lock up.
Many girls, on the other hand, gathered around Kitajima Shingo, pulling him in search of a sense of security.
Kudo Shinichi's eyes were always on Kitajima Shingo, and listening to the ticking of the clock in the hall, Kudo Shinichi's heart began to beat nervously, and he couldn't help but pull the tie around his neck.
Xiaolan, on the other hand, always stood beside Kudo Shinichi without saying a word.
The time is getting closer and closer, but still nothing happens.
Looking at Xiaolan beside him, who clenched her fists nervously and hugged her hands in front of her, Kudo Shinichi said with relief:
"Don't worry, it'll be okay. I won't let anything happen!"
"kindness."
Nodding, Xiaolan responded, "But when I think about Yuanzi's current situation, I feel very uneasy."
Hearing this, Kudo Shinichi was afraid and patted Xiaolan on the shoulder.
"What you should be thinking about now is how to prevent the second crime notice. That's the right way to think about it."
"makes sense."
Looking at Kudo Shinichi, Xiaolan replied softly.
Time passed by, and there was only one minute left before twelve o'clock.
"Everyone should stick to their posts and never leave their posts without permission!"
Officer Tamagawa issued the final order.
Looking at the time on his watch, Kogoro was extremely nervous.
"There are still forty-five seconds left. Look at this bastard kidnapper, come over now!"
Kogoro encouraged himself and said, "I, Kogoro Mouri, will definitely make you catch him without any effort!"
"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom."
As if he was a little uncomfortable being oppressed by the atmosphere at the scene, Tokunio said this and left first.
"I... also want to make an emergency call."
With that said, Nantian Kyousuke also made excuses to leave.
Seeing the two people leaving at this time, Kogoro felt a little strange: "Why did you choose this critical moment?"
Then he glanced at Mai Nishida, who was the only one left beside him, and saw that she hadn't left yet, and she didn't take a closer look at the two people who left. She just stood outside the hotel, waiting.
Finally, there were only the last few seconds left.
As if very nervous, Xiaolan held Kudo Shinichi's hand——
Time is up!
Darkness swallowed everyone's sight - all the lights in the originally bright hall were extinguished at this moment!
"ah!"
Screams resounded through the hall, and in this closed space, panic spread with the screams!
"It's okay! Everyone, calm down!"
In the sudden situation, Kudo Shinichi shouted, trying to stabilize the situation, but it was just his voice, and in the darkness where screams were coming one after another, it had no effect at all.
"There's a power outage! It's pitch black and you can't see anything!"
Outside the hall, the police officer on duty held a walkie-talkie and reported the situation. At this time, the corridor outside the hall was also dark. All the police officers on duty could not see anything and could only fumble in the darkness.
"What? Power outage?"
Outside the hotel gate, Officer Tamagawa heard the report and said in surprise.
"What's wrong!"
Seeing the change in Officer Tamagawa's expression, Kogoro nervously ran up to ask about the situation.
"Restore power! Restore power immediately!"
Picking up the walkie-talkie, Officer Tamagawa immediately shouted and walked to the hotel alone, "Others stay at their posts!"
"is that OK."
A little worried, Nishida Mai said.
Soon, the power was restored and the lights in the hall came on again——
At this time, most of the students were huddled together and looking around, Kudo Shinichi breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is everyone okay!"
Then, Kudo Shinichi discovered that Xiaolan, who was supposed to be standing next to him, was missing!
"Xiaolan!"
With an unbelievable tone, Kudo Shinichi kept looking for Xiaolan in the crowd around him, but what he saw was the classmates celebrating and encouraging each other after the disaster, but he did not see where Xiaolan was at all.
After being stunned for a moment, Kudo Shinichi rushed towards Kitajima Shingo with angry eyes.
He grabbed Kitajima Shingo by the collar and shouted: "Where is Xiaolan!"
"Are you...doubting me?"
Faced with Kudo Shinichi's behavior, Kitajima Shingo did not resist, but looked at him with some surprise, "I have been with them all the time."
"We were very scared, so we kept holding the teacher's hand."
Several girls around Kitajima Shingo said this.
Faced with this result, Kudo Shinichi said no more, ran to the door on the wall, and began to check the condition of each door - all the doors were locked from the inside and had not been opened!
"What's going on! What's going on!"
After slamming the door with his fist, Kudo Shinichi said angrily.
After thinking about it, Kudo Shinichi opened the door and ran out——
"Xiaolan!"
He yelled, but Xiaolan was never seen.
Outside the hotel, Police Officer Tamagawa's deputy shouted into the intercom, "What's going on! Report the situation! What, a student is missing!"
"What! What's going on!"
Hearing this, Kogoro immediately ran up to ask, and at this moment, Minamida Kyousuke came back here. Like Nishida Mai, they looked at the situation with surprised expressions.
"The scene was very chaotic, that's all I know."
The deputy said and hurriedly ran towards the hotel. At this time, Kudo Shinichi was running out in a hurry.
"I heard that someone is missing, but isn't that room a secret room?"
Nantian Kyousuke asked.
"Then, how did the prisoner take that student out?"
Mai Nishida also wondered.
"What are the police doing?"
Minami Tian Kyōzhong asked.
"So, the one who was kidnapped is..."
As if he had some expectations, Kogoro asked anyway.
"Detective Mori..."
Lowering his head, Kudo Shinichi was disappointed.
"The missing one is Xiaolan."
Helplessly, Kudo Shinichi still told the truth.
With eyes wide open, Kogoro listened to this answer in disbelief, and stared blankly at the detective boy in front of him.
"What?"
Unbelievable words with a sad tone slowly came out of Kogoro's mouth.
"Shinichi! You bastard!"
Furious, Kogoro couldn't bear it anymore, grabbed Kudo Shinichi by the collar, and then punched Kudo Shinichi to the ground. During the whole process, Kudo Shinichi just stood there without any resistance.
"Didn't I say, Xiaolan, please come to you!"
Roaring, Kogoro said to Kudo Shinichi, "Didn't I say so!"
As he spoke, he tried to pull up Kudo Shinichi who had fallen to the ground, but was stopped by the police present.
"Let me go! Let me go!"
Kogoro, who lost his mind and was forcibly taken away by several policemen, was still shouting angrily.
Kudo Shinichi just fell to the ground and did not choose to stand up for a long time.
However, at this moment, due to the commotion in the hotel, no one noticed that outside the hotel, in the woods not far away, there was a man in a blue windbreaker, hiding behind a tree, quietly watching.
At this time, there was a commotion outside the hotel.
This person is naturally Gao Yuan.
With a serious look on his face, Gao Yuan watched all this happening.
From before the preview time, to the power outage in the hotel, to now, when Kogoro beats Kudo Shinichi, Gao Yuan just watched the unfolding of this scene in the woods.
Then, turned around and left——
I'm sorry, Kudo Shinichi, don't blame me for not stopping this. Because, you were wrong from the beginning - from the beginning, this was not a one-on-one, fair duel!