Guns and Coffee in the World of Science

Chapter 39 The truth gradually becomes clear

In the community center's warehouse, the light was dim, and the air was filled with an indescribable heaviness. Asai Makoto, or rather Aso Makoto, stood before Nishimoto's swaying body, his expression complex. He couldn't remember how many minutes he had stared blankly at the corpse. Nishimoto's distorted face reflected in his mind, like a distorted mirror, gradually resurfacing those unbearable memories of the past.

Nishimoto had gone mad, completely mad. Aso Makoto knew that this man could no longer control his emotions and mind, and his death seemed predetermined. However, even though he had personally sent this enemy to his death, Aso Makoto felt no pleasure in his heart.

He gently placed a tape on a nearby shelf, next to the sheet music for the third chapter of "Moonlight." He also placed a suicide note written in the sheet music at Xiben's feet. This had once been a little game between him and his father, and it was also his fondest memory. Silently recalling the past brought a look of relief to his face, but that relief was also tinged with a deep sense of confusion.

He hesitated, wondering if this was the path of revenge he should take. These people deserved death, but would killing them truly bring peace of mind?

Suddenly, a deep voice came from behind, interrupting his thoughts: "Are you planning to surrender yourself, or... commit suicide?"

Masashi Aso was startled, his whole body trembling. He immediately turned around and saw a familiar figure standing at the door - Chen Shuo. His face was still calm, as if all this was just an ordinary scene for him.

"When did you get here?" Chengshi suppressed his panic, frowning slightly, but his tone remained calm. Although Chen Shuo had suddenly discovered everything, he didn't show too much fear, but rather seemed a little indifferent. He had already prepared for being discovered, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon.

"I just arrived a while ago and saw an interesting scene." Chen Shuo leaned against the door frame, his eyes sweeping over the corpses in the warehouse, his tone indifferent, as if he was just chatting.

Honest smiled slightly, but that smile was a little bitter: "What I think is none of your business."

"Indeed." Chen Shuo nodded and walked slowly into the warehouse, his eyes still calm. "But I'm curious, was it you who did this with the anesthetic?"

"Anesthetic?" Chengshi snorted coldly, looking up at the hanging Xiben with a hint of disdain. "The people I killed were the real drug addicts. They destroyed my family because of drugs. How could I possibly touch those things?" His voice was low, but every word was filled with strong emotion, as if accusing him of the unfairness of fate.

Chen Shuo nodded gently, seemingly unsurprised by the answer. He walked over to Xiben's body, looked down, and said thoughtfully, "People who hang themselves usually put something under their feet. You didn't notice that detail, did you?" His tone was calm, yet it subtly revealed a kind of composure that seemed to see through everything.

Chengshi was stunned for a moment, frowning at Chen Shuo, and began to feel confused. Chen Shuo had clearly seen through his actions and even witnessed him hanging Xiben. Why was he still so calm? Why didn't he expose him immediately?

"Why didn't you do anything?" Chengshi finally couldn't help but ask, his tone filled with a hint of uncontrollable curiosity and confusion. He thought Chen Shuo would call the police immediately, or even try to stop him, but none of this happened.

Chen Shuo raised his head and glanced at him, his eyes calm. He said softly, "I don't think revenge is wrong, especially when the targets are a few poisonous insects."

Honesty was shocked when he heard this. He had expected to be judged by morality and overwhelmed by justice, but Chen Shuo's answer surprised him, even bringing a hint of inexpressible comfort. He hadn't expected someone to understand his motives and even approve of everything he did.

"What about you?" Honest couldn't help but ask, his tone revealing a bit of mixed emotions. "Why didn't you stop me? You knew I'd killed someone, yet you let me get away?"

Chen Shuo smiled calmly, "I'm just a bystander. There's no need to interfere with your choice. You have good reasons for revenge, and I understand your anger. Besides, I hate venomous insects." After saying this, he turned and walked out the door, leaving behind a casual remark, "Make your own choice. The final path is yours."

The atmosphere in the warehouse remained heavy, but Chen Shuo's departure brought a sense of relief to Masashi Makoto. He gazed at Nishimoto's body, his heart still filled with confusion and pain. But within this confusion, a ray of light seemed to be slowly emerging. He knew his revenge was complete, but where to go next was a decision he had to face alone.

---

The night was as dark as ink, and the entire island seemed exceptionally quiet, yet it concealed a strange aura that could not be ignored.

"Click--" The door of the warehouse made a slight sound in the hands of the old policeman and was slowly pushed open. Conan stood beside the old policeman, holding his breath and staring at the dark warehouse.

"What's that smell...?" The old policeman frowned, a hint of uneasiness appearing on his face.

Before Conan could react, he suddenly heard a slight noise coming from the piano room not far away, as if something was bumped.

"There's movement over there!" Conan's heart tightened and he immediately rushed towards the piano room.

The night wind howled, and Conan's figure nimbly moved through the darkness. Entering the piano room, he vaguely saw a dark figure break through the window and rush out, moving swiftly and disappearing into the night. Conan was startled, his eyes fixed on the swiftly fleeing figure, almost instinctively wanting to speed up and chase after it.

"Damn it!" Conan felt anxious. Seeing the black shadow disappear from his sight, he was about to rush over when he was suddenly tripped by something and his body suddenly fell forward.

"Ahhh!" Conan lost his balance instantly and almost fell to the ground. He steadied himself and looked down, only to find that the person who tripped him was actually a person.

"Sawamura?" Conan's eyes widened as he saw that it was Sawamura lying on the ground. He was pale, his eyes were closed, and he had obviously lost consciousness.

"What happened? He was knocked unconscious?" Countless questions flashed through Conan's mind, and the clues in his mind began to piece together quickly. Could that black shadow just now be the one who knocked Murasawa unconscious?

He was about to squat down to check Murasawa's injuries when he suddenly heard a scream from a distance.

"Ah! Here... someone is hanged here!" The old policeman's voice, trembling and panicked, broke the silence of the night.

Conan's heart trembled, and he immediately raised his head, with an ominous premonition in his heart. He didn't care about Murasawa and quickly turned and ran towards the warehouse.

When he rushed to the warehouse, the scene before him made his heart shrink - Xiben's body was hanging on the beam of the warehouse, his feet dangling in the air, his expression distorted, and he died in a very tragic way.

"Nishimoto..." Conan frowned, his eyes sweeping over everything at the scene. He knew from Nishimoto's frantic state that he was not normal, but now, the hanging corpse was undoubtedly a shock to everyone.

The old policeman fell to the ground, his whole body seemed to be stunned, his face turned blue, and he was obviously frightened by the sudden death scene.

Conan took a few steps closer, carefully observing Nishimoto's death. Although it was a hanging, Conan's intuition told him that there was more to it than that. The shadow in the piano room, Murasawa's fainting, and Nishimoto's death... these events seemed to be connected by an invisible thread, and there must be a greater secret hidden behind them.

"This place is so deliberately arranged..." Conan analyzed the situation in his mind. "It's impossible for Xiben to hang himself. Besides, his previous state didn't seem like someone who would choose suicide."

Thinking of this, Conan's gaze involuntarily turned to the window again, and the black shadow that disappeared in the darkness appeared in his mind again.

"Who is it? What is he trying to hide?" Conan's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, his mind filled with doubts. He knew the truth was within reach, but he still lacked a crucial clue - the true identity of the shadowy figure.

At this moment, Inspector Megure and Maori Kogoro appeared at the door of the warehouse, and everyone rushed in. Seeing Nishimoto's body, everyone was stunned, and the air was filled with an unignorable tension.

Conan did not join in the discussion. Instead, he kept replaying the scene in his mind, trying to find the truth hidden in the darkness.

---

Hirata woke to a bone-chilling chill. The cold water splashed on his face hadn't yet dried, and the scene before him was blurry. He subconsciously raised his hand to wipe his face, squinting his eyes and looking around, his head feeling dizzy.

"Where... where am I?" he muttered to himself as his consciousness gradually returned.

He remembered knocking Murasawa unconscious in the piano room of the community center and escaping through the window, but everything after that was a blank. Now, he was lying on a cliff, with a turbulent sea below. The sea breeze roared in from the edge of the cliff, making him shiver.

"Shit, what the hell is going on?" Panicked, Hirata scrambled to his feet, ignoring the pain in his limbs as he scrambled away from the edge of the cliff. The sound of the waves below sent a chill down his spine, as if he'd fall into the icy abyss if he wasn't careful.

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, thinking about figuring out how he got there, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and was kicked to the ground. He fell unexpectedly, face up, and before he could struggle, a hard boot stepped on his chest.

"Ah--" Hirata groaned in pain and tried to break free but was powerless, his body felt as if it were held in an iron clamp.

"Stop struggling, Hirata." A cold voice came from above, carrying an unquestionable sense of oppression.

Hirata raised his head with difficulty, and in the moonlight, he saw the person stepping on his chest clearly - it was Chen Shuo, the young man who was with Maori Kogoro. His face was calm, but his eyes were cold, as if he had no mercy at all.

"Chen... Chen Shuo? What... what do you want to do?" Hirata's voice was trembling and his heart was beating wildly. He had no idea why he had offended this guy.

Chen Shuo leaned forward slightly, staring coldly at Hirata, and asked word by word, "Who else is the anesthetic supplier on the island?"

Hirata was stunned for a moment, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He didn't understand how Chen Shuo knew all this, but the current situation forced him to be careful.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Hirata tried to play dumb and get away with it.

"Stop talking nonsense." Chen Shuo's voice was emotionless, and the force of his feet increased a little. Hirata felt that his chest was almost crushed, and breathing became more difficult.

"What the hell are you trying to do?" Hirata finally couldn't help but yell, sweat pouring down his forehead. He tried to struggle, but Chen Shuo stepped even harder, and the pain in his chest made it almost impossible to breathe.

"I don't have time for word games with you," Chen Shuo said coldly, his eyes clear. "You'd better be honest. Where do you get your goods from? Who's backing you?"

Hirata's eyes widened, his face pale. He knew he had no way out. This Chen Shuo was clearly no ordinary person. He cared nothing for the law, let alone his own life. That icy gaze chilled him from head to toe, as if the man before him wasn't questioning him, but judging him.

"I... I don't know the details... I'm just running errands!" Hirata gasped, his mind in turmoil. He knew the seriousness of the situation, but right now, his only way out was to save his life.

"You'd better tell the truth." Chen Shuo's tone was flat, but the strength of his feet did not decrease.

"Okay, okay!" Hirata panicked, cold sweat trickling down his cheeks. "The anesthetic shipment was a joint effort by several people on the island. I was just responsible for relaying information and transporting it! I have no idea who the real big boss is!"

Chen Shuo stared at him in silence for a few seconds, as if trying to determine whether what he said was true or not. Then, he slowly withdrew his foot, and Hirata finally got a chance to catch his breath, coughing violently and taking long gulps of air.

"What else?" Chen Shuo's voice was still cold, as if all this was just a casual thing.

Hirata knew he had no choice but to continue, "Their goods were shipped in by sea, and several people on the island were responsible for the reception... Kuroiwa and Kawashima were the leaders. But recently, several leaders have died one after another, and their trading plans have been completely messed up..."

Chen Shuo stood before Hirata, listening to his fragmented narration without a ripple on his face. He lowered his head slightly, his eyes sharp as a knife, and calmly looked at the panicked Hirata.

Hirata gasped for air. Although he had temporarily escaped death, he felt a more deadly pressure. That invisible chill seemed to come from every glance from Chen Shuo, as if he would be completely destroyed in the next second.

Hirata was sweating profusely as he pleaded with a tone of fear and despair. He hadn't seen it wrong. Chen Shuo's eyes held no trace of pity, only icy determination. "I... I've already told you what I know. Please let me go..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Shuo's eyes turned cold, and he raised his knife in a clean and sharp movement without a trace of hesitation. The sharp blade sliced ​​through the air, and Hirata's neck was instantly cut open, and blood gushed out.

Hirata's eyes widened, his mouth slightly open, as if he were about to say something, but only muffled gurgles escaped his throat. He clutched his hands at his neck, trying to stem the unstoppable flow of blood, but it was all in vain. Chen Shuo didn't even glance at him again, coldly sheathing his knife.

Hirata stumbled a few steps, blood quickly staining his collar, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably. He stared at Chen Shuo desperately, his eyes filled with fear and confusion. But Chen Shuo just stood there, calm as ice, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

"Poisonous insects don't deserve pity, they all deserve to die." Chen Shuo said in a low voice without any emotional fluctuation.

He then raised his foot and kicked Hirata in the chest. Hirata's body flew backwards like a puppet with its strings cut, instantly crossing the edge of the cliff and falling towards the raging sea below.

"Ah--!" Hirata let out a tragic scream, and the sound quickly disappeared in the sea breeze. With the heavy sound of falling into the water, everything returned to calm.

Chen Shuo stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the direction where Pingtian fell. The only sound in his ears was the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. He stood there silently for a moment, put away his Eagle Claw knife, and then turned and walked towards the distant darkness with an expressionless face, as if nothing had happened.