Chapter One Hundred and Eight

"It's all ossified."

Shaking aside the smell of corpse corrosion lingering on the tip of his nose, Mori Kogoro approached to check.

The clothes were so rotten that they couldn't be seen, and the bones were not leaning against the wall, but in a half-lying position, with the upper body smashing on the floor and the hands reaching forward.

"The cruise ship has been abandoned at the dock before, and I am afraid that this skeleton was here when the ship was attacked twenty-one years ago." Officer Twilight frowned, "It seems that someone took advantage of the chaos to kill the other party and then dump the body here." ”

"The cause of death should be a bullet."

After losing the flesh, the bullets that had been embedded in the center of the eyebrows and heart were scattered on the ground, and a thick layer of stains adhered to the surface, leaving only two cracks in the bones.

After looking around, Okiya frowned, and turned his head to find that the person next to him had been staring at the face of the corpse.

He subconsciously took a look, no matter what he looked like before his death, after so many years, it was just a skull that was not much different, except for the crack on his forehead, probably only a police officer who did facial restoration, or a scholar who studied the skull every day could see the difference from others.

Ikekawa Na looked at it very seriously, as if there were words hidden in her bones.

Retracting his gaze, he redirected his gaze to the place he had noticed just now, but someone had taken the lead.

"Hand bones are weird." Amuro whispered, "If no one touched this bone just now, it should have been dislocated before the white ossification." ”

Contrary to the normal arrangement of bones, the bones of the hands on both sides of the skeleton are abnormally intertwined.

"It's not just the hand bones, but the posture is also strange."

Conan Edogawa pointed to his head, "If it's just a shot, it shouldn't lead to this posture, right?" ”

"You kid, don't talk too much."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was picked up by Maori Kogoro.

"That's what it was! It's a strange posture in the first place......" The little detective fluttered twice in the air, his eyes widening when he looked down.

He was short, and he couldn't see anything in the dimly lit room just now, but when he was picked up, he could see the whole picture by light at this height.

The upper body of the corpse was lying on the ground, but its hands were stretched forward, and its wrists were dislocated.

"It's really strange, this pose doesn't look like it was made before I was born." After all, it is impossible for a person's waist to reach such a downward zigzag angle while he is alive.

Everyone was silent for a moment, and Mori Kogoro was about to check what was around him, when he was so frightened by the sudden ringing of the bell that he almost slipped.

The mobile phone in his pocket vibrate, and Conan Edogawa hurriedly rushed out of the small secret room with his pocket in his pocket, hiding behind the corridor to answer the phone.

"Did you go to Rice Flower University?" As soon as he connected, he asked in a low voice to the other side.

"Please, I'm out now." Interrupting the boy's unspoken chatter, Gray Yuan glanced at the man wearing sunglasses not far away before continuing, "A police officer helped me get my things out. ”

"That's good." Edogawa Conan breathed a sigh of relief, "Where are you now?" ”

1, 1, Rice Flower Town, 13 banji. Or to put it another way, I'm in a makeshift base for a joint police mission. ”

The boy was stunned, "You promised them?" ”

"When I ran into the dormitory building of Rice Flower University, there were a lot of reporters around. Although it may not be photographed, it is still risky. It's the best option not to go back to Dr. Asasa, don't worry, Detective, I've already called Dr. Asasa. ”

"Hmm." After a pause, Edogawa Conan still opened his mouth to ask for a few words, but there was no response there, as if he was preoccupied.

"Gray Plains? Is something wrong? ”

"Nothing." The girl's voice was still cold, "Just thinking about the scars, some of the scars I've seen." ”

“…… Scar? Not hearing anything from the indistinct language in Gray Plains, the boy frowned and asked rhetorically.

"I've seen a lot of animals like those animals in the lab, but he actually has one on him, it's weird......" Putting down the instant coffee in her hand, the girl seemed to be just talking to herself, "Now I understand why." Without saying anything about it, I have to go. ”

The police officer waiting for her in the distance had already looked down at his watch.

After hanging up, she handed the phone in her hand to the other party and followed the plainclothes officer towards the base.

As soon as she reached the door, the girl remembered something, looked up and asked, "What about the police officer just now?" ”

"Captain Matsuda? He still has a mission and is already gone. ”

“…… It's gone. I want to see him, is it too late? ”

Pulled by the police officer to trot all the way, Ash Hara finally stopped Matsuda Jinpei, who was about to get into the car and go to the helipad.

"Please ...... this," the girl pulled out the cloth with words in her pocket anyway, "to the president of the Ikekawa chaebol, who should be on the ship now." ”

"That little ...... with different eyes" When the other party met for the first time, the other party was still an adult, and Matsuda raised his eyebrows and swallowed the subconscious use of the title of "child".

"It's him."

"Got it." Taking the thin piece of cloth, the officer in the sunglasses put it in his chest pocket, "I won't look at it." ”

"Nope." Gray Yuan exhaled a low breath and raised the head that had been lowered just now, "Although I am not qualified to say that, but ...... Please show the police officer who knows. ”

Knowing police officers.

Seeing the young but mature girl leave, Matsuda Jinhei sat in the back seat of the car and unfolded the soft fabric in his hand.

Concerned with the organization of the current investigation, he can only think of one candidate.

Typing the phone number on his phone that couldn't be stored in his phone, he lowered his head and quickly scanned the letter crowded with dense words, and was silent for a while before taking a picture of it, putting it in the email and sending it.

====

In the cramped cabin, Amuro stood up and reached for his pocket.

Unlike the phone call just now, when the little boy almost scared Mori Kogoro into wrestling, his incoming calls and email prompts only vibrated slightly, and no one but him could notice them.

Taking advantage of the attention of several people, he retreated to the room near the door and turned on his phone.

The lowest brightness screen blends in with the light projected by the doorway, and it is not noticeable.

[A little girl asked me to give it to you.]

After all, with the adjective 'someone who knows', I can only think of you as a guy. ]

It was actually Matsuda Jinhei.

Although there is no beginning and no payment, the blonde man, who has long memorized his friend's phone number, can still see the source of the email at a glance.

The email is only a few short lines of words, and the bottom is full of attachments.

He clicked in, and the photo quickly loaded, and the already narrow screen was squeezed together with words written on a thin cloth, making people dizzy to see.

As soon as he saw the beginning of the letter, the man's purple-gray eyes flashed with consternation.

[Dear Elena,

Long time no see. ]

This is a letter to Elena Miyano.

Skipping the content of the middle paragraph, Amuro quickly pulled down the letter and read the payment at the end first.

[Nanami Shiraishi]

The hand holding the phone tightened quickly, and even the heart skipped a beat at a certain moment. As if in a strange detective game, suddenly getting the most important evidence, Amuro raised his head and looked at the man not far away.

Ikekawa Na half-squatted on the ground, not caring at all that her expensive kimono was swept down on the ground that had not been visited by anyone for twenty-one years.

Unlike the other police officers and part-time detectives who investigated the bones, he didn't seem to have any other thoughts, just looking at the bones in the nearest place, twilight in his eyes.

Neither Amuro nor Bourbon had ever really gotten to know the strangest guy in the organization. But now, with the identity of Zero Valley, he got the key to open the earliest door.

He couldn't tell whether it was nervousness or the excitement of finally getting a possible answer as a detective, he just felt his heart beat like thunder at the moment.

Closing his eyes, Amuro pulled back to the beginning, looking at the letter from a long time ago.

[We've not been in touch for more than two years.] The last time I wrote to you was Akemi's birthday.

When we met a few years ago, you said that Mr. Miyano had found a home here, and that your research project was finally no longer ostracized, and that it would no longer bear the name of a mad scientist.

I was just like you back then.

When that person came to me, I had all the ideals and goals in mind, hoping to achieve our life's goal here with Archer – true artificial intelligence.

But...... As the experiment progressed, I became more and more apprehensive as we delved into the AI development project left behind by the previous generation of researchers, which was said to have been temporarily terminated due to technical problems.

In that instrument, there is a person's consciousness remaining.

I'm afraid this can't be called consciousness anymore, it's a combination of all extreme emotions, like someone who once tried to channel their consciousness into the instrument, but because of the sudden interruption of the experiment, the experiment failed, and after the consciousness split, the most extreme half remained in it.

I call it a virus.

Gradually, I discovered Koou's true purpose.

Eternal life.

He wanted to channel his consciousness into that tight instrument, and merge with the instruments and data that would only damage and not die, and become an immortal and immortal data body.

I don't know what kind of monster this human-conscious instrument will turn into when the experiment is complete.

From that day on, Archer and I started to stop experimenting, but within a few days, we received a message.

It was from Koou.

He said that my child was cute and cute, and he also helped the nanny feed him the soaked powder.

Here's a ...... Photograph of my child lying in the cradle. 】

Nanami Shiraishi.

The wife of Toru Shiraishihara, a leading figure in brain science research in Japan. Her husband's whereabouts are unknown after he was killed in an explosion 21 years ago.

Reaching out and pressing his temple, Amuro connected this message with the organization's consistent emphasis on software programs.

If the immortality linked by science is really completed, I am afraid that it will only become an immortal monster. But judging from the results, the boss has not been able to do so.

“…… It's a strange pose. ”

Ahead, several people were still struggling with posture.

"Lying on the ground like this, it's like someone deliberately dragged you down."

The white ossified body made it more difficult to identify, and Officer Twilight looked at the other party's hand and suddenly thought of something: "The victim may have been holding something in his hand at that time!" ”

"Things ......" thought of the other party's words, Mori Kogoro patted the wall, his eyes lit up, "That's right! The victim's belongings were dragged away, which is why he bent forward in this way. ”

Okiya pushed his glasses, and his dark green eyes flashed in the darkness: "...... And it should have been taken after death. If they had been taken away with fierce resistance, the bones would not have been like this. ”

"I was hit by bullets in the forehead and back of the chest before I was taken from my arms." Mori Kogoro frowned, "What ...... it will be"

"Either way, it should be something important."

The boy's voice was really out of place on such an occasion, and Mori Kogoro was just about to speak, but when he saw the other person's expression, he swallowed an unspoken reprimand.

Conan Edogawa stood in the doorway with a backlight, the shadow casting a layer of condensed ash on his already heavy complexion.

He paused and said something unfinished: "It's so important...... Even if you have lost your breath, you have to break your wrist to snatch something from the other person's hand. ”

Amuro closed his eyes heavily.

(End of chapter)