Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 348, "Kono Aso's Guide to Stargazing," for the Stargazer

The back mountain of Tian Tu Hotel.

Gao Mo and Xiao Ai's group, led by the boss, found the so-called hill.

It's called a hill, but it's more like a cliff.

There were many white bones scattered on the grass below, which frightened Ayumi and the others so much that they all hid behind Gao Mo.

“This is it,” said the owner of the Tento restaurant, his face tinged with sadness. “It was because I discovered these remains that I sent out invitations and contacted the people who stayed at the hotel on the day Kono disappeared.”

"That's not all, is it?" Ai looked around with her hands behind her back. "If it's just remains, we probably can't confirm that it's Mr. Kono."

“Yes, I also found the death message left by Kono.”

Boss Tian Tu glanced at Xiao Ai with surprise, then stepped forward and lifted a stone next to the skeleton, revealing a cigarette box that had been pressed down underneath, as well as a ring placed to the side.

"This ring is a matching ring between Kono and his fiancée, and their names are engraved on it."

"I see." Ai turned around with her hands behind her back.

Gao Mo felt a jolt in his heart, and raised an eyebrow to meet Ai's seemingly enlightened gaze. Ai used to have the same expression when she recalled something.

He seems a bit redundant?
However, Ai remembers that the case is a good thing.

Rather than satisfying his own desire to solve cases, he felt that grasping the truth was more important, and Ai had indeed helped him a lot before.

After all, he wasn't looking for cases out of boredom.

“This code actually means ‘Sankami’,” Ai whispered, “because Kono didn’t know how to write Mikami Heihachi and mistakenly thought it was Sankami Heihachi, which has the same pronunciation.”

"Ah."

Gao Mo remained expressionless.

The Japanese word "三上" does indeed sound similar to "御上".

If Conan were here, he'd probably go crazy, right?

It's like someone spoiled the plot.

Fortunately, he wasn't a reasoning fanatic.

After glancing at the four long and two short cigarettes poured out of the cigarette box, Gao Mo suddenly noticed a corner of clothing peeking out from the woods on the other side.

"It's Mr. Futakawa, who was with Mr. Yushang!" Boss Tian Tu squinted at the woods. "How could this be?"

A young man with spiky hair leaned against a tree trunk, staring wide-eyed, with a large pool of blood flowing from the back of his head.

Gao Mo went forward to check and found that he had been beaten to death by some kind of steel pipe-like object.

He was holding an old-fashioned cell phone, but it seemed he had taken it out and then put it back.

"He was probably silenced," Gao Mo simply judged. "Given the force and manner of the beating, the murderer is most likely the editor-in-chief."

“This,” Boss Tian Tu said, his face covered in sweat, “I should have just notified the police. I was thinking that if the criminal knew the remains and the message of death had been discovered, he would confess on his own…”

Gao Mo glanced at Boss Tian Tu out of the corner of his eye.

A normal person would call the police immediately, unless they wanted to kill someone.

This boss is really dishonest.

"Go back first, and leave the rest to the police."

Gao Mo frowned slightly, suddenly sensing a hint of malice. He turned around and saw the bespectacled, bearded man carrying a hunting rifle walking out of the woods.

The gaunt face in the shadows seemed possessed by a demon, bearing a cruel sneer and a hint of anger.

"Why would you want to die? Wouldn't it have been fine if you hadn't come?"

Mikami Heihachi pulled back the bolt, his eyes fixed on his prey.

"That guy Erchuan is stupid too. I finally got him to become the head of the editorial department, and he actually used Kono's matter to threaten me, demanding 5 million yen from me. I had no choice but to send him to see Kono. What an ungrateful bastard!"

"Mr. Yu Shang!" Boss Tian Tu anxiously protected the children. "Don't do anything rash! Even if you kill us now, the police will still come after you..."

“Don’t worry,” Miyuki Heihachi sneered menacingly, “I brought enough lime, enough to turn you all into skeletons. The police will just think you’ve gone missing.”

"Ai." Ayumi pulled Ai behind her with tears in her eyes, pretending to be brave despite her fear, which left Ai speechless.

She didn't feel much because Gao Mo had already walked ahead.

"Don't be afraid, little sister," Heihachi's smile grew increasingly sinister, "Uncle will turn you into stars in the sky right away..."

"Do you think the police are idiots? If so many people really went missing at the same time, including the hotel owner, the police would definitely send people to search the mountain."

Gao Mo blocked Mikami Heihachi's view.

"boom--!"

A gunshot rang out in the woods, startling a few birds into flight. The three little ones cried out in fright.

However, it was Mikami Heihachi who finally collapsed, his smile frozen in place.

At the last moment, the shotgun barrel inexplicably veered to the side, and Gao Mo easily snatched the shotgun and kicked the bald old man away.

“Boss Tian Tu,” Gao Mo called out as he turned around, “could you please go back and call the police? There’s no cell phone signal here.”

"Oh, oh." The owner of the Tento shop swallowed hard as he looked at the unconscious Mikami Heihachi. He quickly ran back to the inn after regaining his senses.

"It seems this is the murder weapon. Because he didn't want to attract attention by firing a gun, he used it as a steel pipe to hit people."

Xiao Ai walked over to Gao Mo's side and glanced at him while checking the hunting rifle.

Just now, Mikami Heihachi moved the gun barrel away as if possessed, most likely due to hallucinations caused by hypnosis.

He even claimed that he had nothing to do with the deaths of those assassins?
"What are you looking at me doing?"

Gao Mo coughed lightly.

Dodging shotgun bullets was no challenge for him; he only used hypnosis slightly because he was worried about accidentally injuring the children behind him. Most people would just assume that Miyuki Heihachi's marksmanship was bad, and no one would overthink things like Ai.

"Wow, Kido-nii!" Ayumi and the others were stunned to see the situation reversed, and their faces showed excitement.

Did you dodge the bullet just now?

"Is Kido-nii-san a superhero?"

"Kido-nii must be Kamen Rider! Can he transform?"

"..."

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Gao Mo interrupted the three excited kids. “I just got lucky. Don’t follow my example.”

It's great to be admired, but it gets a little strange when a child admires you.

Even masked superheroes have appeared. If Ultraman existed in this world, would you think he could transform and fight monsters?
"So, Mr. Superman," Ai Haibara teased, "are you going to head home now?"

Based on her understanding of Gao Mo, he almost always came out for the murder case; looking at the stars was just an excuse. Otherwise, she couldn't think of why Gao Mo would agree to the doctor's request.

"We still need to see the stars, how can we go back so soon?"

After looking at the crime scene, Gao Mo looked up at the cliff top.

It must be strange for him to come here to stargaze at night, right? Although he doesn't really care about it, it seems very odd to others.

Tonight I'll try stargazing at the hotel, and I can also ask the owner of Tian Tu for advice.

……

hostel.

Gao Mo told the curly-haired beauty everything truthfully.

The woman, who was completely drunk, seemed unwilling to accept the reality and kept repeating her fiancé's name.

"It must be a joke. How could Ma Xiong be dead?"

"It was actually Mr. Kono who discovered the new comet a year ago, but he probably didn't tell you because he wanted to give you a surprise."

Gao Mo glanced at the dejected Mikami Heihachi.

"Because Mr. Mikami is the editor-in-chief of an astronomy magazine, Mr. Kono asked him to help confirm whether it was a comet that had never been discovered before. It is said that Mr. Kono has decided to name it Amado Nonomiya Kono..." "That bastard," Mikami Heihachi couldn't help but curse, "I just asked him to add my name as well, it's been my dream since I was a child, but that guy just wouldn't agree! Damn it, I didn't want to kill him... Why don't I have such good luck? I've been looking at stars for half my life..."

"Shut up!"

Gao Mo's gaze swept over, causing Mikami Heihachi to lower his head in fear once again.

"That's how it happened. Mr. Kono wasn't angry with you. He was killed by the Emperor just because of the name of the comet. The next day, when the Emperor was disposing of the body with lime, Mr. Futakawa, who was following behind, saw it. So this time, Mr. Futakawa was killed here."

"At that time, he said he had finally met the right person, and he introduced me to him that very night..."

A curly-haired beauty covered her mouth and cried bitterly.

"I always thought he had fallen for someone else, so I had a huge fight with him, Ma Xiong, sob sob..."

"The name of that comet will probably be changed to Mr. Kono's later. In a sense, Mr. Kono is not really dead."

Gao Mo looked up at the sky.

He couldn't see the stars during the day, but he seemed to be able to see their twinkling light.

[Kono Masao's Stargazing Guide - 5 stars]

It's actually a 5-star profession book.

Mr. Kono seems to have relied on more than just luck.

[New Talent: Voice of the Stars, making it easier to see stars when in love]

What a strange talent.

……

evening.

Since the hotel owner and the curly-haired beauty went to the Gunma Prefectural Police Station with the police, Gao Mo had no choice but to cook for Ai and the three little ones, showcasing his culinary skills as a master chef.

Of all his skills, cooking has remained unchanged since reaching level 3, but it has already surpassed that of Furuya Rei and Wakita Kanenori. The three little ones are drooling, especially Genta, who has completely forgotten about his favorite eel rice.

"Ai is so lucky, she gets to eat such delicious food every day." Ayumi was incredibly envious.

She now desperately hopes that her future husband will be like Gao Mo.

"Are you happy?"

Ai raised an eyebrow and silently looked at Gao Mo, who was busy wearing an apron.

She is indeed very happy, but not because of the cooking, but because of the companionship of her family.

After all, she's the one who usually does the cooking.

"Hurry up and finish eating," Gao Mo glanced at the sky outside the window, "We're going upstairs to look at the stars later."

Ai's eyes were full of curiosity.

It seems that Gao Mo is more interested in stargazing than in simply playing with the children.

Surely they don't actually want to name a new star after it, do they?

"If Mr. Kono had just added Mr. Miyuki's name, would he not have died?" Ayumi thought of the stars, her expression turning sorrowful. "He wanted to surprise his fiancée, but..."

“Actually, Mr. Kono killed himself,” Ai said, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. “The only names that can be used for a comet are those of the discoverer, and specifically the three names of the first three people who applied. He shouldn’t have asked others to confirm his name before applying. As an astronomy enthusiast himself, he should have been able to foresee this.”

"Can only 3 names be used?"

Mitsuhiko steals a glance at Ai and Ayumi beside him.

"If I discover a new comet, I'll definitely apply for its name right away, and I'll name it Yoshida Tsuburaya Haibara..."

Yoshida is Ayumi Yoshida, and Tsuburaya is Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya.

The man, who had been engrossed in his meal, suddenly had a change of heart, his face darkening as he stared at Mitsuhiko: "Why isn't my name on this list?"

“Yes,” Ayumi agreed, “we should also add Conan and Kido’s names!”

"But there can only be 3 names..."

Mitsuhiko chuckled awkwardly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Ai was not moving.

Although he also likes Ayumi, it seems that Ai is indeed a more suitable marriage partner.

Ai is indeed rather aloof, but she is not only knowledgeable and well-mannered, but also very suitable to be the daughter-in-law of the Tsuburaya family.

Without continuing the discussion about naming the stars, Mitsuhiko, after finishing his meal, seemed to have made some important decision and ran towards Komo under Ai's strange gaze.

"Brother Kido, let me help you. Would you like something to drink?"

"Ok?"

Gao Mo scooped up a bowl of soup and looked at Guang Yan, who had a very serious expression, feeling completely bewildered.

Is this kid sick?
Genta sensed a threat and looked suspiciously at Mitsuhiko, who was suddenly being overly attentive: "What's he up to now?"

Ayumi shook her head blankly: "It's very subtle."

"That's too cunning. He definitely wants Kido-nii to help him find the comet."

"..."

Gao Mo felt mentally exhausted.

It's good that the child leader is talented and you don't have to worry about the naughty kids causing trouble, but why is it so difficult to even take care of ordinary children?

I really admire the professor; he managed to get along so well with these kids with their unique and imaginative ideas.

Should he also learn some of the PhD's lame jokes?
into the night.

After tidying up the kitchen, Gao Mo led the children to set up the telescope on the hotel balcony.

It must be said that this mountainous area is indeed very suitable for stargazing.

The sky was clear, and you could see the countless stars clearly; the universe seemed to be right in front of you.

It's a sight rarely seen in modern cities.

Gao Mo quickly skimmed through the stargazing guide, grasped the key points, and soon pointed his camera at the starry sky where the purple comet "Kaguya" was located.

Because the data is publicly available, it is not difficult to find.

A long, purple tail of light was deeply imprinted in Gao Mo's vision.

"Crash!"

The familiar sound of turning pages of a notebook echoed in my mind.

[Occupation: Stargazer lv1]

Upon seeing "Kaguya," Gao Mo automatically activated his new profession.

The upgrade quest only requires stargazing, and it seems to be greatly influenced by "Kaguya".

What exactly is going on with this comet?

Amidst the noise of the three children, Gao Mo gave up the telescope and stared at the starry sky with his naked eyes, puzzled.

Could a comet just land directly on Earth?
This comet, "Kaguya," is over 50 meters in diameter and is classified as a medium-sized comet. It is far more dangerous than asteroids of similar size, and the consequences of a direct impact on the Earth's surface would be terrifying.

The Tunguska event of 1908 is believed to have been caused by a comet fragment, possibly 50-70 meters in diameter, exploding in the air and destroying more than 2000 square kilometers of Siberian forest.

Gao Mo's gaze sharpened slightly as he turned to look at the three little ones excitedly stargazing, and Xiao Ai, who was chuckling to herself with her hands behind her back.

He was no longer targeted by Death, but an even greater crisis was looming over this planet.

He needs to acquire more authority over the notes and then find a way to reclaim the rules of death outside.

Otherwise, if the rampant rules about death get out of control...

and many more.

Could this be related to his cooperation with Gao Yuanyao to eliminate the will of death?
Gao Mo looked up at the starry sky again.

(End of this chapter)