Guns and Coffee in the World of Science

Chapter 33 Moon Shadow Island

The azure sea shimmered in the sunlight, a gentle breeze blew, and the air was filled with the faint scent of sea salt. The ferry glided steadily across the water. At the bow, a tall, straight-set man wearing sunglasses leaned against the railing, leisurely gazing at the distant seascape. He was dressed casually in a light-colored shirt and black jeans, with a pair of headphones draped casually around his neck. He looked relaxed and unrestrained.

This man was Chen Shuo. After the intense work of the past few days, he had a rare opportunity to relax and take advantage of the ferry's voyage to enjoy the sea scenery. He took a deep breath of the ocean air and felt a sense of relief.

"Sure enough... it's nice to get some fresh air every now and then." He curled his lips slightly, his eyes revealing a rare sense of leisure. There weren't many tourists on the ferry. Aside from a few passengers, most people stayed in the cabins, leaving the bow of the ship quiet and peaceful.

However, just as he fell into a brief silence, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him——

"Huh? Isn't this Brother Shuo? Is this really you?"

Chen Shuo turned around and saw a familiar figure waving at him. He was slightly startled, then smiled faintly - it was Mao Lilan.

"Xiao Lan?" Chen Shuo was a little surprised. He took off his sunglasses and squinted slightly to confirm the person. Mao Lilan stood on the deck, wearing a white dress, her long hair gently lifted by the sea breeze, and she showed a bright smile. Behind her, there was a reluctant Mao Li Kogoro and a child wearing glasses.

"Xiao Lan, why are you on this ship?" Chen Shuo couldn't help but feel curious. He originally thought that he just came to Yueying Island to relax and take a vacation, but he didn't expect to meet the Maori family here.

"Brother Shuo!" Mao Lilan ran up to him excitedly with a sweet smile, "I didn't expect to meet you here! Are you here on vacation at Moon Shadow Island?"

"I guess so." Chen Shuo nodded with a smile and looked at the two people standing behind Mao Lilan. "Kogoro, Conan, why are you also on this ship?"

"Hmph! Don't mention it!" Maori Kogoro waved his hand impatiently and sighed heavily, as if he was forced to come here. "I received a strange commission!"

"Oh? A commission?" Chen Shuo raised his eyebrows, his gaze lingering on Maori Kogoro for a moment. "What kind of commission is it?"

"I received a mysterious letter a few days ago." Maori Kogoro pulled a neatly folded piece of letter paper from his pocket with a grimace. "The sender was mysterious. There was only one letter and then he called me to say that he had transferred 500,000 yen to me and asked me to come over."

"Oh? Interesting?" Chen Shuo frowned as he took the letter, a glimmer of inquiry flashing in his eyes.

"On the next full moon night, shadows will begin to disappear from Tsukikage Island again. Please investigate the cause - Aso Keiji."

"Yeah, I don't know what happened, but that guy actually gave me 500,000 yen. It's weird no matter how you think about it!" Kogoro Mouri's expression looked very conflicted, as if he knew something was wrong, but he couldn't resist the considerable reward.

"So...you are here?" Chen Shuo looked at them with interest, his eyes looking back and forth between Mouri Kogoro and Conan.

"That's right!" Maori Kogoro snorted, then curled his lips with a hint of disdain in his eyes: "I won't be bribed by 500,000 yen! However, since it's a commission, the detective always has to go and take a look... ahem, just to find out the truth!"

Conan stood beside Maori Kogoro, his small figure tilted his head back with an ambiguous smile on his face, as if he was watching a joke: "Uncle Maori, you are obviously here for the 500,000 yuan reward, so it's no use being stubborn."

"Shut up, kid!" Maori Kogoro blushed, glared at Conan, then pretended not to hear and changed the subject, "But you, Chen Shuo! Why are you here?"

"Me?" Chen Shuo shrugged and smiled calmly, "I just came here to relax. The cafe's business has been a bit busy lately, and I wanted to come out and relax. Anyway, Amuro Tou is in charge of the store now, so I don't need to worry too much."

"I see." Maori Kogoro nodded, then put on a serious look and patted Chen Shuo on the shoulder. "But since you happen to be here, why don't we act together? You're so capable, you'll definitely be of great help."

Chen Shuo looked at Maori Kogoro's matter-of-fact expression and couldn't help laughing: "Kogoro, are you kidding me? I came here to play."

"Of course!" Maori Kogoro raised his eyebrows proudly and laughed, "Hahaha! You're here to play anyway, so maybe it'll be more fun if you join us? You definitely don't have any goals anyway, right?"

"You old bastard!" Chen Shuo cursed with a laugh, a flicker of deep thought in his eyes. Although the letter was illegible, anyone with a discerning eye could tell it was most likely a murder notice. Directly transferring 500,000 to Maori Kogoro's account didn't seem like a prank...

"Brother Shuo, let's go together!" Mao Lilan also came over, her eyes full of anticipation, "With you here, we can let Dad and Conan investigate the case by themselves, and we can just play on the island."

Conan curled his lips, feeling a little uncomfortable watching Ran Maori's enthusiastic attitude towards Chen Shuo. Although he would definitely choose the former over the other two choices, he still felt a little jealous deep down. However, he said nothing on the surface, just silently observing Chen Shuo's reaction.

Chen Shuo took in their expressions, his lips curling up slightly. He looked at Ran Maoli's expectant eyes, then at Conan, who remained silent, and shook his head inwardly. "Do you have the guts to give up your investigation and play with Ran?"

"Okay, after we get to the island, we'll leave these two detectives behind and go have fun on our own." Chen Shuo finally nodded in agreement and gave Maori Kogoro a provocative look: "Just take this brat and investigate on your own, hahahaha, lame detective!"

"You bastard!" Maori Kogoro pretended to be angry: "Humph! Just go and have fun! This level of decryption is a piece of cake for me, the famous detective Maori Kogoro!"

Conan couldn't help but hit him: "Uncle Maori, you'd better not be too proud too soon, or you might get into trouble."

"Hmph, what do you know, little brat!" Maori Kogoro snorted, then turned to Chen Shuo and said meaningfully: "Then, Xiaolan will be handed over to you when the time comes. Remember to protect her well!"

Chen Shuo simply smiled faintly and said nothing. He raised his head and cast his gaze towards the distant sea. The outline of Moon Shadow Island loomed on the horizon. The island appeared tranquil and peaceful in the sunlight, but for some reason, Chen Shuo felt a vague sense of unease.

"I have a feeling this will be very interesting." Chen Shuo murmured softly, with a faint smile on his lips.

However, he also decided that since he decided to come here to relax, he would definitely not participate in this incident. He just needed to relax and enjoy the island trip with Xiaolan. As for Kogoro Mouri... he could go and play with Conan alone.

In this way, several people chatted happily on the ferry and headed towards the mysterious Moon Shadow Island. As for what would happen in the future, none of them could predict.

---

As the ferry docked, the group stepped off and Moon Shadow Island came into view. The island's architecture was simple and somewhat desolate, and the village was eerily quiet, surrounded by dense woods, as if hiding a secret.

"This is Moon Shadow Island." Chen Shuo looked around, his lips curled up slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Sure enough... It feels like a leisurely island."

Mao Lilan followed closely behind, looking at the surrounding scenery excitedly: "Wow, this place looks like an ancient painting! It feels very historical. Brother Shuo, look at the path over there, it seems to lead to a forest!"

A few of them chatted as they came to the village office on the island. There were many villagers gathered here in twos and threes. Most of them seemed to be leisurely and contented. It seemed that this village was completely free from the hustle and bustle of the city.

"It's indeed a good place for a vacation." Chen Shuo smiled and looked at the map with Mao Lilan, thinking about how to arrange the next tour. They didn't have a clear goal for this trip, they just wanted to walk around and relax.

However, before they could decide on their itinerary, Kogoro Mouri in front of them suddenly let out a deafening roar.

"How is this possible! How can we not find this person?!" Kogoro Mouri stood up suddenly and stared at the staff of the village office, his face full of shock and dissatisfaction.

"What is Kogoro doing crazy again..." Chen Shuo scratched his ears, with a look of disgust on his face.

"What happened?" Maori Ran leaned over curiously and saw Maori Kogoro standing angrily at the front desk of the village office, his face full of confusion and anger.

"Humph, what's wrong with these people!" Maori Kogoro slammed the table and pointed at the staff angrily: "I asked them to look for someone named 'Aso Keiji', and they actually told me there is no such person!"

"No Aso Keiji?" Chen Shuo raised his eyebrows.

"Aso Keiji...you mean Aso Keiji?!"

The speaker was an older village office worker, gaunt and serious. When he heard the name, his expression suddenly changed, as if he had heard some taboo word. The other villagers and staff, who were busy around him, were also drawn to his reaction and cast glances of astonishment and unease.

"You want to investigate Keiji Aso?" The old man's voice trembled, as if questioning whether Maori Kogoro was mentally normal. "Are you crazy?! Why did you mention that person's name?!"

"Uncle, what's wrong with you?" Mao Lilan was startled by the old man's sudden expression and asked quickly, "Is there something wrong with the name Aso Keiji?"

Chen Shuo narrowed his eyes and keenly noticed the reactions of the villagers around him - everyone had an expression similar to "seeing a ghost", and some even quietly stepped back, as if they were afraid of being contaminated by some bad luck if they stood too close.

"Hey, stop being so superstitious," Maori Kogoro said impatiently, "I just wanted to check what kind of person he is. Is it necessary to have such a big reaction?"

Hearing Maori Kogoro's question, the old man showed a complicated expression on his face. It seemed as if something was stuck in his throat. After a long time, he spoke with difficulty: "Aso Keiji... He died more than ten years ago."

"He died more than ten years ago?" Kogoro Mouri widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

The old man took a deep breath, as if he was recalling some horrible memories. His eyes wandered, as if he didn't dare look directly at Maori Kogoro. "Aso Keiji is a pianist. More than ten years ago, he held a piano recital at the community center on the island."

"Pianist?" Maori Kogoro and Chen Shuo looked at each other, obviously not expecting such an identity.

"Yes, the pianist," the old man murmured in a low and eerie voice. "But after the concert, he turned into a demon! That very night... he killed his wife and daughter, set fire to his own home, and then, like a possessed man, played Beethoven's 'Moonlight' amid the blazing flames!"

"Destroy your entire family?!" Mao Lilan covered her mouth, a trace of shock and disbelief flashing in her eyes, "Why? Why would you do this?!"

"No one knows." The old man shook his head, his voice becoming increasingly quiet. "Some say he was stimulated by something, while others say he was possessed by a demon... But no matter what the truth is, he died in that fire."

"Die while playing Beethoven's "Moonlight"..." Conan muttered this sentence, with a hint of confusion and puzzlement in his eyes.

"Is he really dead? Did someone see it wrong?" Maori Kogoro still refused to give up. "If he died more than ten years ago, why would someone named Aso Keiji ask me to investigate?"

"Everything I said is true!" the old man said sternly, a hint of panic in his voice. "Aso Keiji... was burned to death in that fire a long time ago! His body was found in the rubble after the fire. Everyone witnessed the horrific scene with their own eyes! He... he is indeed dead!"

The entire village hall fell silent. The air seemed frozen, and everyone breathed cautiously. Mao Lilan was trembling with fear at the scene the old man described. Only Chen Shuo remained calm, his expression unmoved.

"So..." Chen Shuo narrowed his eyes slightly and asked calmly, "Aso Keiji... might return to this island in another form?"

When the old man heard this, his expression suddenly became stiff, his eyes filled with fear. He didn't dare to say another word, his lips trembling, as if Chen Shuo had touched a hidden sore spot.

"Okay, Brother Shuo, stop scaring everyone." Mao Lilan quickly tried to smooth things over, trying to ease the atmosphere. "Since he's dead, then someone must have wanted to ask Dad to investigate the truth of this, right?"

Maori Kogoro stroked his chin and nodded: "Hmm... This should be the possibility. Anyway, I'll go investigate it first. Chen Shuo, do you want to come with us?"

"I don't want to. I'm not a detective." Chen Shuo smiled lightly and turned to Mao Lilan and said, "Since we are here to relax, let's enjoy the scenery of this island."

"Yeah! That's right, Dad, Conan, come on! Brother Shuo, I just saw a road leading to the lighthouse. The scenery must be beautiful!" Mao Lilan nodded excitedly and pulled Chen Shuo's sleeve, "Let's go over there and take a look, okay?"

"Of course." Chen Shuo agreed readily, turned his head and looked at Maori Kogoro and Conan: "Kogoro, do your best, then we will act separately." Chen Shuo shrugged with a faint smile on his face, "I hope you can find out the truth as soon as possible."

"Okay! I'll tell you when I find out the truth!" Maori Kogoro laughed and patted Chen Shuo's shoulder. "Just go and have fun. With me, Maori Kogoro, here, things like this can be handled quickly!"

"Then I wish you good luck, Kogoro." Chen Shuo nodded, then took Mao Li Ran out of the village office and walked towards the lighthouse on the island.

Conan watched them leave, frowning and muttering: "Chen Shuo... Xiaolan..."

He had a feeling that his childhood sweetheart was drifting further and further away from him, but he couldn't just ignore this obvious sign of murder. Anyway, he should solve this mystery first. Once he had thoroughly investigated the organization and grown bigger, Xiaolan would be the same as before... probably.