"Strange, is it an earthquake?" Mori Kogoro on the side also whispered, touching his neck and looking left and right.

“…… Have it? Shimabukuro Kimie looked left and right blankly, then at the crowd, and saw the same surprise and trepidation on the faces of some tourists, thought about it, shook his head, and said, "Maybe." This is sometimes the case on this island. ”

The shaking lasted for two or three minutes before it finally disappeared, and Mori Kogoro moved his neck twice, a little relieved.

For those who have long been accustomed to frequent earthquakes, a mild earthquake is not a problem, and several people have refocused their attention on the scene.

"Anyway, we have to go upstream and have a look." Kogoro Mori emphasized, "No matter what you do, you will inevitably leave a trace." ”

As he spoke, he trampled on the soft dirt floor with his feet and said firmly, "If you are in the forest, it must be even more muddy, right?" ”

"It rained for several days on the island, and it was like the beginning of the flood season, and the water was flowing very fast. Maybe the two of them were washed into the water and had some kind of accident. Fukuyama Rokuro, who didn't agree with the murder conclusion, explained, "You also said that the man was missing for two days, maybe Shoumi bumped into him in the mountains and wanted to rescue him, but he was washed down, maybe it's okay." ”

"Then she also needs to explain why she went into the mountains at this time." Mori Kogoro glanced at him, not believing this statement very much, "Tang Ze's disappearance is likely to be caused by man, and the person who will meet him is a little more likely than the rescue." ”

"What else could it be? I want to find a mermaid tomb. Rokuro Fukuyama pursed his lips, "They've been looking for that place for a long time, and they're going crazy about it." ”

"Mermaid Grave?" The topic returned to the mermaid, and Maoliran focused, "What is it, is it an attraction on the island?" ”

"You have to say that." Rokuro Fukuyama stared at Ebihara's father, who was belated, struggled through the crowd, stood up from the ground, gave him his place, and lowered his voice a little, "Actually, it was a corpse found in the fire three years ago. Because there were several large pillars in the warehouse, even the bones of the charred corpses were smashed below the waist...... It looks like it has no feet. ”

In his explanation, Ebihara's father, who rushed to the front, trembled and picked up the clammy and cold human body on the ground, crying Shoumei, and hugged his dead daughter to his chest, and the cry continued to echo in the surrounding clearing.

Rokuro Fukuyama looked at the mourning middle-aged man and sighed.

“…… In fact, it was not the island that was first famous, and it was not that there was a long-lived goddess on the island. Kimie Shimabukuro, who closed her eyes and hung her head silently, said, "The first thing they hyped up was that there was a mermaid corpse on the island. It was after that that the grandmother became famous, and everyone rumored that it was ...... She is, she eats mermaid meat, and she will ......"

Her voice became softer and softer, and the more she spoke, the deeper she spoke, and a sorrow that was irrepressible and accumulated for a long time filled her entire heart.

Her mother, as if she had been sacrificed to the island, disappeared silently into the midst of the festivities.

She had given up everything she had before she died, and day after day she played the image of an old dragon clock, dedicating all her energy to the island.

Now, even after her death, she cannot have her own name, so she can only erect a nameless mound in the mountains, and use her death to achieve the fame of the dugong sacrifice......

"The police believe that the tourists who did not get the arrows may have slipped into the warehouse and accidentally knocked over the candles and caused the fire." Rokuro Fukuyama continued, "The police couldn't give any other answer than that the deceased was a middle-aged woman, and since we couldn't find out who the deceased was, we had to bury her a year later. However, due to the legend of mermaid flesh and the story of mermaid corpses, some people began to rob tombs......"

Under the miserable cry and the cold sea breeze, Mao Lilan, who was already hugging herself, shuddered: "They, do they, do they ...... those bones?"

"The elixir of immortality, right?" When Rokuro Fukuyama said this, he looked at Ebihara Sumi, who had fallen to the ground, and Naoko Kuroe, who was standing on the side, still eating and laughing inexplicably, and shook his head

This frenzied celebration has never stopped since three years ago.

The few tourists present who listened to the whole reason turned blue and white for a while, obviously disgusted by the following speculation.

It's very likely, a bone fragment from a human corpse, someone can ......

"After that, my grandmother and I moved the tomb deeper into the forest to prevent a similar situation from happening again." Kimime Shimabukuro closed her eyes and finished her final conclusion, "Shoumi, maybe she wants to go into the mountains and find this place." ”

Mao Lilan looked at the distressed and somewhat sad look on her face, and was about to say something, when she suddenly felt a chill on her cheeks.

She raised her hand and felt a drop of crystal water, as if tears had fallen on her face at the right time.

"Eh, it's raining......" she looked up for a moment, and whispered, "Should we ...... in another place?"

"The police said that there is a lot of wind and waves outside, and they can't sail for the time being, and they can't come now." Hattori, who was wrapped in a blanket, put down his phone and walked over.

"And how long will it take them to arrive?" Realizing the possible antagonism of the islanders, Kogoro Mori frowned deeply.

Even if they find out the identity of their detectives, it may still be difficult to convince the islanders to cooperate with the investigation.

"I don't know yet." Hattori said in a deep voice, "They also have to depend on the weather conditions for these two days." ”

"Can't you call a helicopter?" Mori Kogoro's eyebrows tightened, "I don't think there are many people who can accept the conclusion of murder. ”

The terrain in the mountains and forests is complex, and Ebihara Shomi herself behaves very strangely, and this bizarre arrangement is more likely to be a strange coincidence caused by an accident than murder.

Just looking at the current appearance of the islanders, as well as the current state of Ebihara Shomi's father, I am afraid that when the police come to the island and conduct an autopsy, it is estimated that everyone will be buried.

When the time comes, if you want to open the coffin, the difficulty factor will rise sharply.

"There's nothing ...... be done about that," Hattori Heiji turned his head and glanced at Tang Ze who was lying on the ground, "First, it's storming on the sea now, and it's a thunderstorm, even if it's a police helicopter, they don't dare to call it casually, and second, we can't give a definite guarantee now, can we?" ”

The guy who is most likely to understand the situation is unlikely to give a clear answer now, and it is not so simple to convince the police to increase their investment with a "homicide may occur".

"I mean, you might have a case with him...... But that's not the case. At the end, Hattori patted his head and said with palpitations.

————

As the most likely eyewitness and the most likely murder weapon, Tang Ze was carried back to the hotel and did not wake up until noon the next day.

"There are many scratches and bruises on his body, and there are even more ...... on his feet" Hattori Heiji closed the door, walked outside, and exhaled, "This guy really looks like he has been walking in the mountains and forests for two days." ”

On the way to find people, he was particularly suspicious of the aborigines of the island, and he had been paying attention to the activities of those islanders, except for Saori Menrib, who had disappeared in the first place, and did not find a second person who had been out of sight for a long time.

This is the time of the year, when the income skyrockets, just like the harvest season on the island, no one is willing to give up the opportunity to generate income at this time, so that he once thought that Tang Ze might have been tied up at home by someone for two days.

After confirming Tang Ze's state, he couldn't leave anything to chance.

“…… There is also a possibility that the kidnappers are always active in the field of vision. Conan, who was sitting at the table, said in a deep voice with a solemn face, "TA thinks that it is impossible for Tang Ze to come back alive." ”

If their speculation is true, a resident used some tricks to lure away Tang Ze, who was staying in the hotel, but did not show any similar status as a kidnapper for the next two days......

Tang Ze's survival may have been an accident.

"So, it's very likely that Tang Ze was aimless in the mountains and survived in the wilderness for two days?" Imagining this picture, Hattori's mouth pursed even tighter.

was really kidnapped, and if the kidnappers had any appeals, they had to at least ensure the survival of the hostages.

It's another thing to want to murder directly.

"It's a mess." Conan, who had been writing and drawing on the paper for a while, let out a breath and simply stood up, "Let's go to the shrine and inquire about the old woman." ”

"By the way, the police's movements are too slow......"

"The rain is getting heavier on the island, and the conditions at sea are even worse. It's a good situation to be able to keep the communication open. ”

"Ebihara's family, ready for a funeral?"

"Well, it's held at the shrine......

"Tsk, if the body had been collected, a lot of evidence would have been irreversibly destroyed."

"A few of our foreign tourists, people are soft-spoken, and the family of the deceased insists, what can be done to ......?"

The movement of the two detectives farther and farther away, under the dark clouds, there was not the slightest light in the room, and slowly and completely silent.

Tang Ze, who was lying on the bed with a flat spread, finally opened his eyes.

"It's time to come out." He coughed twice in a hoarse voice, sat up from the bed, and leaned against the wall behind him, "Aren't you boring, stay in the cupboard for a morning?" ”

The closet on the side slowly opened, and the three heads popped out one after another, and after checking the situation, they stood in the room again.

After being carried back last night, in order not to disturb his rest, Hattori Heiji went to squeeze a room with Maori Kogoro with the quilt, and Tang Ze enjoyed this bedroom exclusively, and a few people from the strange thief group didn't have to sleep in the cabinet aggrieved.

But after the morning, there have been people who have come to check Tang Ze's status, if it weren't for the need to continue investigating the case, I'm afraid that there would still be people in the room who refused to leave.

"There's no way, it's the tourist season, and now it's windy and waves, and I can't leave the island at all." Asai Narumi moved his sore back and stood up straight, "You can't just make a few tourists occupy someone's room just to find a place to stay, right?" ”

Although they are now Kidd's gangs of bandits, they can't really do things like gangsters.

"It's just a day or two. But don't you really need to eat? Akemi Miyano looked at Tang Ze, who was leaning against the wall and didn't want to speak, "You haven't eaten for two days." ”

"Acting in full sets." Touching the scratches on his face to make sure that it was still there and not being healed smoothly by himself, Tang Ze shook his head, "Some simple tricks can't fool these detectives who are in full state." ”

Friends who travel together have encountered accidents and torments, and this situation can fully ignite every detective, and even the frequency of Maori Kogoro's nonsense has been significantly reduced, and he is very serious about advancing the steps of the investigation, and Tang Ze, who fully understands their character, of course cannot make a stupid plan to act a fake show.

In order to be able to make his next words stronger, Tang Ze was genuine, wearing thin clothes, running around in the mountains, wandering for two days.

The wounds on his body, and the pale state of hunger, were all real, without any fraud, and even in order to prevent the mask from messing with his overly good physical fitness, he carefully selected a very low-level waste from the whole book of personality and took it out.

The dedication of this wave of acting, who doesn't praise the old drama bones and the spirit of craftsmanship after watching it.

"You're like this, we're almost out of food." Unpacking a sandwich, Hoshikawa Hui looked at Tang Ze, who was completely weak, sighed, and took a quick bite.

"I see you're having a lot of fun." Because of the long-term lack of water, Tang Ze, whose voice was always a little hoarse, rolled his eyelids angrily.

"Who let you make such a plan yourself, I advise you not to listen." Hoshikawa Teru glared at him, "I just want to design the death of Ebihara Shoumi, as for going into battle so personally?" ”

"It's insignificant whether she dies or not, if we don't come, Shimabukuro Junhui has to kill her." Tang Ze shrugged his shoulders, "The main thing is that the position is too suitable, if you don't hang yourself, you're a little sorry for this festival." ”

"To show those shadows the 'death of the monster'?" Akemi Miyano, who doesn't know much about the principle, tilted her head.

"No, it's to tell them ......" Tang Ze let out a chuckle in a hoarse voice, "the cage has been broken, and they are locked in the water tank to enjoy the mermaids...... It doesn't exist anymore. ”

Mermaid Falls, where mermaids are involved, for very complicated reasons.

First of all, the topography, the American Island has a large difference in height and elevation, and there, the highest to the lowest position, so this exquisite waterfall is formed.

Then there is the appearance, the warm water curtain, coupled with the oval pool below, is indeed like a silver-white fish tail, like a mermaid, sitting in the mountains and shaking its tail, very vivid.

Finally, it is the relationship between its location and the shrine, which directly leads to its connection with the legend of the mermaid. Shimabukuro-kune was able to reach the waterfall site directly from the shrine faster than the tourists, and it was certainly impossible for her to teleport.

Before, she helped Conan and them go directly to the forest, and when she rescued the seemingly lost Moriran and Toyama Kazuha, she took the shortcut opened up by the shrine, because she arrived at this location faster.

For Tang Ze, who is anxious to change the deadlock, such a good opportunity to show a hanged corpse is too wasteful, so it is better to hang me.

He glanced at the interlaced wounds on the back of his hand and clenched his fist confidently.

"Don't you think...... What does that place look like......" Tang Ze drew a box with his fingertips to indicate the shape of the water tank, "It's like, a corner is broken, and then the contents are flowing outward?" ”

"Hmm......" Narumi Asai, whose mouth was stuffed with rice balls, nodded slowly as he chewed and recalled, "Indeed, there is a downward slope, so it collects rainwater from the mountains and forms such a waterfall." ”

"So I said this is an opportunity to move things forward further." Tang Ze snorted, not wanting to see his teammates continue to gobble up in front of a person who had been hungry for two days, so he slid down a little into the quilt, looked at the doll that poked out half of his head from the edge of the quilt, and stroked his furry head, "Noah, what's going on that side?" ”

"The glass is cracking, leader." Because Tang Ze's mobile phone was resting in the middle of the quilt, the little rag doll that finally crawled out of the quilt after a few minutes fell to Tang Ze's pillow, gasped, and replied, "I can't detect the change in the water level, but those cracks are starting to seep outward." ”

"Good work." Soothingly patting the only teammates who could still come and go on both sides at the moment, Tang Ze turned his head sideways and looked at the window that was constantly being knocked by the rain, "Is the water seeping fast?" ”

"It wasn't very fast last night, but today, it's been accelerating." Noah, who felt that he couldn't convey the situation clearly, simply sent a photo directly on the APP, "That's probably what it looks like." ”

Taking out his phone, Tang Ze clicked on the photo.

The cobweb-like glass with dense cracks has completely begun to crumble, and outside the glass, the shadows that were originally staring at the inside have obviously felt the water flowing up slowly, and they are all panicking and running in all directions.

"It seems that Kimie Shimabukuro is once again enraged. Today, Naoko Kuroe said some nonsense that made Kimie Shimabukuro even more angry...... That's not bad, then there's only one last step left. ”

Determining that the reason for the change was likely to be Shimabukuro Kimie's murderous intentions, Tang Ze raised his weak hand, opened the gap in the wooden window, looked at the rain curtain that had been woven under the house, and smiled.

"I'm afraid this rain will only get heavier and heavier. Come a little more violently, she's going to show up. ”

(End of chapter)