Guns and Coffee in the World of Science

The man's sudden scream instantly froze the chaotic scene. The air seemed to be suppressed by an invisible force, and the previously noisy crowd fell silent, their eyes fixed on the ancient piano.

"The cursed piano..." someone murmured, his voice trembling. An atmosphere of panic quickly spread in the house, as if the piano had really become an ominous object in the hearts of the islanders.

"Ha! Curse? What curse?" Maori Kogoro snorted coldly, curling his lips in disdain. He walked over to the piano, bent down, and pulled out a tape recorder from inside. He waved it in his hand, "See? This is what they call 'ghost playing the piano'! It's not supernatural at all, it's purely man-made!"

Hearing this, the surrounding villagers whispered to each other, and their expressions changed from fear to suspicion, but it was obvious that some people still had doubts.

"This is just a murder case, there's no curse!"

A tall, thin man wearing sunglasses in the crowd looked him over and frowned. "Who the hell are you? What gives you the right to mess around like that?"

Maori Kogoro proudly straightened his collar, raised his head, and introduced himself confidently, "I'm the famous detective from Tokyo—Maori Kogoro! I've seen through this case!"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, someone in the crowd suddenly realized: "Oh! You are the space pilot!"

Kogoro Mouri's smile froze on his face in an instant.

"No, that person is called Mao Liwei! He is the one who often appears in mystery novels!"

"That person is Kogoro Akechi!"

Looking at the chaotic discussions at the door, but without a correct answer, Kogoro Mouri became a little exasperated: "Kogoro Akechi is a famous detective in novels, okay? Is the information on this small island so isolated?" He stomped his feet in anger, his face full of frustration, and he felt very unhappy.

Chen Shuo stood aside, watching with interest how Maori Kogoro was getting so upset in front of a group of villagers who didn't know the truth. A smile appeared on his face involuntarily: "It seems that Kogoro's popularity is really not that good..."

But he quickly put away his smile, his eyes casually scanning the room. As the crowd around the piano gradually dispersed, Chen Shuo noticed something strange on the ground. He squatted down and found some white powder under the piano.

"What is this?" He frowned and gently pinched some powder onto his fingertips. At first glance, the powder looked like sea salt, but when he sniffed it, he detected a faint sour smell.

"Sour? How could it be..." Chen Shuo's frown deepened. A few thoughts flashed through his mind, as if he had vaguely thought of something, but he couldn't put it into words.

His face changed slightly, and a sense of vigilance rose in his heart, but he quickly regained his composure. In order not to attract other people's attention, he stood up and casually patted the powder off his hands.

"Well, as expected... I'm not interested in this kind of thing." Chen Shuo stood up straight and said casually, as if he didn't care about the investigation at the crime scene. He turned and waved to Maori Kogoro: "Kogoro, if you find anything, remember to tell me. Xiaolan and I will go out for some fresh air first."

Maori Kogoro was busy explaining to the villagers that he was neither an astronaut nor a fictional character. Upon hearing Chen Shuo's words, he waved his hand without turning back: "Okay, okay, I'll definitely tell you! Remember to take good care of Xiaolan and don't let her get lost!"

Chen Shuo chuckled and waved his hand to signal that he would not disturb her any further. He put his arm around the somewhat uneasy Mao Lilan's shoulders and whispered soothingly, "Let's go, don't worry. Anyway, with your father here, there will be no problem with this case."

Mao Lilan forced a smile, still holding Chen Shuo's arm tightly: "But... can we really just leave it like this?"

"Don't think too much." Chen Shuo patted her shoulder and said in a relaxed tone: "Anyway, we are not detectives, let Kogoro and Conan, two professionals, solve it."

After saying that, he hugged Mao Lilan and forcibly took her away from the scene.

Conan glanced at Chen Shuo's hand on Mao Li Ran's shoulder, and suddenly felt a sour feeling in his heart, and was secretly unhappy: "Hmph, why is this guy always so clingy to Xiaolan!" He clenched his hands tightly, and although his heart was full of jealousy, he looked at the murder scene in front of him and still endured it.

"Don't worry, as long as I turn back into Shinichi, Xiaolan will naturally come back to me." Conan secretly comforted himself, shook his head, suppressed the unhappiness in his heart, and continued to concentrate on investigating the crime scene. He believed that solving the mystery was the most important thing at the moment.

Elsewhere, Chen Shuo and Mao Lilan left the community center and walked along the quiet, deserted streets of the island. The cool night breeze rustled the corners of their clothes, but it couldn't dispel the silence between them.

Mao Lilan glanced sideways at Chen Shuo, seeming to want to speak, but swallowed the words back. She knew Chen Shuo was never one for words, especially after the murder. But for some reason, he seemed particularly heavy tonight.

Just as she was about to remain silent again, Chen Shuo suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at her seriously. Mao Lilan was stunned for a moment. She had never seen Chen Shuo look so serious.

"Lan," Chen Shuo's deep voice broke the silence, "This matter is not simple. You must remember, no matter what happens, you must never leave my side."

Mao Lilan was a little surprised, blinked, and asked doubtfully: "Brother Shuo, did you discover something?"

Her intuition told her that Chen Shuo must have noticed something wrong. But to her surprise, Chen Shuo just shook his head slightly, his expression a little serious: "I can't tell you now, but please believe me, this island is very dangerous now."

Mao Lilan wanted to ask more questions and opened her mouth, but seeing the seriousness and a hint of worry in Chen Shuo's eyes, she nodded obediently and said nothing more. She knew that Chen Shuo would not say this for no reason. It's just...

"What exactly happened on this island?" Mao Lilan speculated in her heart, but she knew that the answer might only be revealed when the truth comes out.

The two continued walking forward. The street was still quiet and the night breeze was cool, but the vague uneasiness in Chen Shuo's heart became stronger with each step.

---

Kogoro Maori returned to the hotel from the murder scene, still reflecting on his investigation, when he knocked on Chen Shuo's door. He had known Chen Shuo for a long time and knew that he would never be interested in the murder case. However, Chen Shuo had just asked him to tell him if he found anything, which was clearly a hint that he would come to him alone, leaving Conan at the crime scene to continue the investigation while he returned to see what Chen Shuo was up to. When the door opened, the alert look on Chen Shuo's face made Maori's heart tighten slightly - he keenly sensed that this was not a simple matter.

"Kogoro, you're here?" After opening the door, Chen Shuo did not let Maori Kogoro in immediately. He looked around and seemed a little defensive.

"Don't worry, I also paid attention. No one is following us." While explaining, Kogoro Mouri took a look into the house. He immediately saw Ran Mouri in the room and couldn't help feeling a little strange.

"Xiaolan, why are you here?" he couldn't help but ask, with some surprise in his tone.

Mao Lilan sat on the sofa, looking a little nervous, while Chen Shuo returned to the room and sat down, his expression serious. This made Mao Li Kogoro even more uneasy and confused. Although he trusted Chen Shuo, this scene had a strange feeling no matter how he looked at it.

Chen Shuo didn't let Maori Kogoro's doubts last too long. He frowned and said seriously, "Kogoro, I have to tell you that the situation is much more complicated than we imagined. There may be something more dangerous hidden on this island."

"What's going on?" Kogoro Mouri was stunned, and the expression on his face quickly changed from relaxed to serious.

"When I was at the community center, I accidentally found some white powder under the piano," Chen Shuo said in a low voice, with a hint of caution in his eyes. "At first I thought it was sea salt, but when I smelled it, it had a sour smell. Then I thought it might be an anesthetic."

"Anesthetic?!" Mao Lilan exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes gleaming with disbelief. She had never imagined that a seemingly ordinary murder case would involve drugs, and she felt a sudden sense of unease.

Maori Kogoro's face darkened when he heard this. He originally thought it was just a local homicide, but after listening to Chen Shuoyi's explanation, it was clear that the matter was not as simple as it seemed.

"Are you sure?" Maori Kogoro took a deep breath, his eyes becoming sharper. "We can't jump to conclusions on this matter."

"Although I can't be 100% certain, the probability is very high." Chen Shuo nodded, his tone very firm. "The composition and properties of this powder are definitely not like ordinary substances. Considering the situation at the crime scene, it is very likely involved in the drug trade on the island, or even a larger criminal network."

Kogoro Maori frowned and rubbed his chin, his mind suddenly filled with speculation and questions. The sudden escalation of the case to this point had caught him off guard. But as a detective, he knew that now that he had reached this point, there was no turning back.

Seeing that Maori Kogoro was still thinking, Chen Shuo continued, "Kogoro, I know you. Once you're caught up in a case, you won't let it go easily. But this island is very dangerous right now. I hope you can have some means of protecting yourself."

After saying that, Chen Shuo took out a pistol from the drawer beside the bed and handed it to Maori Kogoro. Maori Kogoro looked at the pistol in front of him, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

"This is for you," Chen Shuo said solemnly. "Although I don't want you to continue investigating further, after all, this matter is much more dangerous than we expected. But I know that with your temper, you will definitely not give up easily. So, at least make sure you are able to protect yourself."

Maori Kogoro looked at the pistol and hesitated for a moment. He knew Chen Shuo's words made sense, and he really couldn't just let it go, especially now that it was involved in a serious crime like drug trafficking. But what concerned him more was Maori Ran's safety. With this in mind, he took the pistol, his eyes becoming more determined.

"Okay, since you said so, then I won't refuse. However, you must protect Xiaolan." Maori Kogoro solemnly warned, "Xiaolan, you must stay with Chen Shuo during this time. Don't leave his sight, understand?"

Mao Lilan nodded, still with a worried look on her face, but she did not refute her father's arrangement. She could see that Chen Shuo and Mao Li Kogoro were very serious, and things were really getting dangerous.

"Dad, you have to be careful too." Mao Lilan walked forward and said softly.

Kogoro Mouri touched Ran Mouri's head and gave a wry smile: "Don't worry, I will protect myself." Then he turned and walked towards the door, his back looking a little heavy.

Chen Shuo watched Maori Kogoro's back as he left, took a deep breath, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes. After Maori Kogoro walked away, he turned around and whispered to Maori Ran, "This matter is definitely not simple. For the next period of time, you must follow me closely and not make any mistakes."

Mao Lilan nodded gently. Although she was still a little uneasy, she knew that she had to trust Chen Shuo at this moment. The tacit understanding between the two made her understand that now was the point where no mistakes could be made.

The night outside the window gradually deepened, and the air in the hotel seemed to become more oppressive. The shadow of the island gradually enveloped everyone's heart, and a bigger storm seemed to be quietly approaching.