Guns and Coffee in the World of Science

While everyone was talking, Takahashi, who had finished repairing the roof and was about to go downstairs to eat, suddenly shouted, "Who are you? What are you doing?"

Everyone hurriedly turned to look out the window, only to see the creepy bandaged figure holding Chikako flash past their sight. Everyone was stunned, and the air was instantly filled with tension.

"How is that possible!" Suzuki Sonoko covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock. "That's Chikako, right? How could she be kidnapped by that weirdo?"

Chen Shuo narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking something was amiss. He observed that the bandaged figure's movements were incredibly swift, their footsteps completely silent, as if they were running. Furthermore, his speed defied common sense. If he was truly carrying Chikako, how could he do it so effortlessly? With years of "work experience," Chen Shuo knew that carrying someone while running would never be so smooth.

"What's going on?" Chen Shuo was puzzled, but before he could think about it, Conan stood up and jumped out of the window and chased him out. Chen Shuo couldn't help but hold his forehead. Doesn't this kid know what fear is?

The other boys followed suit, and the atmosphere instantly became heated and tense. Only Chen Shuo remained in the villa, his eyes scanning the girls around him.

Chen Shuo spoke, his tone calm and firm, "Don't run around randomly, this place is too dangerous."

Mao Lilan felt a little uneasy after hearing this: "But Chikako is still there, we can't just ignore her like this!"

"I know," Chen Shuo's voice was soft but firm, "but I have to ensure your safety. Conan and the boys will handle it. We can't distract too many people at this time."

"Don't worry, they have a lot of people over there, so nothing will go wrong." Chen Shuo said softly, "You girls just stay here, I will protect you."

---

After a while, several boys returned to the villa with pale faces. Everyone noticed something was amiss when they saw their faces. Yuanzi's eyes widened as she asked, "Did you...see anything?"

Ota Katsu replied in a trembling voice: "We...we didn't catch up with that bandaged weirdo...but...we found Chikako's body...in the woods..." His voice gradually lowered, as if he didn't dare to continue.

"What?" Mao Lilan exclaimed, covering her mouth. Sonoko also widened her eyes in disbelief.

Hiroki Kadoya bit his lip and continued, "Yes, Chikako... she was... dismembered. What we found were... her various body parts."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall fell into a suffocating silence. Everyone seemed trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake up. Even Chen Shuo, who had experienced countless killings, couldn't help but frown slightly when he heard this description of the scene.

Ayako finally couldn't help it and covered her face with her hands and started crying: "This is all my fault! If I hadn't proposed this class reunion, Chikako wouldn't have gotten into trouble... She wouldn't have died..." Tears flowed uncontrollably from between her fingers.

"Ayako, this isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself!" Everyone rushed to comfort her. "No one could have predicted this would happen."

Mao Lilan gently took Ayako's hand, her eyes full of heartache: "Sister Ayako, don't be too sad. We will definitely find out the truth."

Although fear was in her eyes, Yuanzi still tried to comfort her sister: "Who could have thought that this would happen? No one wants this to happen..."

Chen Shuo stood quietly by, his brow furrowed. His gaze swept over the crowd, but his mind was occupied with other questions. Why had Chi Jiazi been in such a terrible state? And in such a cruel way?

Several people searched for clues in the villa and finally found Chikako's slippers and a muddy entrance at the back door. From their search results, they knew that Chikako had quietly left the villa through the back door.

"Why did Chikako go out the back door?" Conan whispered to himself. He didn't believe that Chikako went out casually, there must be some hidden reason.

He stood aside, frowning in thought, his detective instinct telling him that this was definitely not simple. Especially Chikako's behavior seemed to be related to the "Atsuko" mentioned earlier.

However, with so few clues, everyone had to put their suspicions aside for now. As the sky darkened, Ayako tearfully advised, "Everyone... let's go back to our rooms and rest. We'll figure it out tomorrow."

Everyone could only nod helplessly and return to their rooms. Although everyone was filled with anxiety and doubt, their exhaustion forced them to calm down for a while and rest for a night before making any plans.

Several people returned to their rooms, but Chen Shuo suddenly called out to Mao Lilan, who was about to go back to her room: "Xiaolan, you and I will be in the same room tonight."

As soon as these words came out, Mao Lilan's cheeks immediately turned red, and she looked at Chen Shuo in surprise: "Ah? With you... in the same room?"

Conan's eyes widened in disbelief, and he shouted in his heart: "What on earth does this Chen Shuo want to do! How can he let Xiaolan live with him!"

Suzuki Sonoko's gossip sparkled instantly, and she held her face with her hands, her eyes sparkling: "Wow! Brother Shuo, are you finally going to make a move on Xiaolan? This development is too much like an idol drama!"

Chen Shuo looked at the three people's different expressions, feeling a little amused and helpless for a moment. He could only shake his head helplessly: "Don't think wrongly. It's too dangerous here. The bandaged monster attacked us two before. I am worried about Xiaolan living alone." He explained calmly.

Hearing this, Mao Lilan finally breathed a sigh of relief. The blush on her face slowly faded, but a warm feeling rose in her heart. She nodded: "So that's how it is...Okay then."

Conan was unwilling to compromise easily and immediately jumped out to refute: "No! I want to come together! I am also Xiaolan's friend, I have an obligation to protect her!"

However, just as he finished speaking, Suzuki Sonoko beside him grabbed him and lifted him up by the collar like a kitten: "Little friend, don't join in the fun! You should stay with me tonight and don't disturb other people's good time~"

"Hey! Let me go!" Conan struggled and kicked his legs unwillingly, but he was helpless as he was only an elementary school student and had no room for resistance.

Sonoko smiled proudly: "It's settled! Conan-chan, keep me company tonight and don't disturb the adults!"

Seeing this scene, Chen Shuo sighed softly, feeling somewhat helpless, but also thinking that this was a good arrangement. He looked at Mao Lilan tenderly and said, "Let's go, Xiaolan. I will protect you."

Mao Lilan smiled and nodded. Although she was a little nervous, she felt more secure. Conan watched them leave with an angry look on his face, his heart full of jealousy, and he muttered: "What are adults' affairs... It's just..."

Finally, everyone returned to their rooms. The villa, shrouded in darkness, was filled with unknown dangers and secrets.

---

Inside the room, Xiaolan was still a little frightened. Only after she locked the door did she feel a little more at ease. Lying on the bed, she couldn't help but glance at Chen Shuo, who sat in a chair. He looked calm, as if completely oblivious to the danger outside. Seeing him so composed, Xiaolan felt a little more at ease.

"Brother Shuo..." Xiaolan called softly, her voice a little uneasy.

"Yes, I'm here." Chen Shuo looked back at her, his tone still calm, but reassuring.

Xiaolan suddenly felt a warmth spreading in her heart. She remembered that when she was on Yueying Island, Chen Shuo also quietly stayed by her bed like this, without saying a word, but he was able to give her a full sense of security.

"Aren't you...aren't you sleepy?" Xiaolan couldn't help but ask, pinching the corner of the quilt. Although Chen Shuo hadn't done anything inappropriate, she still blushed. After all, this was their second time spending the night in the same room.

"I'm not sleepy. You go to sleep." Chen Shuo's voice was still light, and his eyes swept back from the night outside the window to her face. "I will always be here, don't worry."

"Oh..." Xiaolan felt her face getting hotter and her heartbeat quickened. She secretly blamed herself for thinking so much! Chen Shuo was clearly just trying to protect her, but she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander. Thinking of this, she simply closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep quickly.

After a while, the atmosphere in the room became quiet, with only the sound of breathing echoing softly in the darkness. Xiaolan wanted to say something else, but fatigue eventually overcame her nervousness, and she fell asleep soon after.

Chen Shuo remained seated in his chair, motionless, his gaze fixed on a corner of the room, as if he were pondering something important. His eyes flickered faintly in the dim room, as if they could see through the darkness.

He listened to Xiaolan's gradually steady breathing, and a slight smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. "She fell asleep so quickly," he thought silently in his heart, but said nothing. In any case, as long as she could fall asleep peacefully, that was good enough.

The night was silent, and Chen Shuo was guarding the room quietly, like an invisible barrier, isolating the room from the danger outside.

---

It was late at night, and Chen Shuo was resting his eyes, silently thinking about all the accidents that might happen next. Suddenly, his eyes flew open, and the sharp sound of glass breaking came to his ears! His heart tightened, and he immediately tensed all his muscles, ready to attack at any time.

The balcony window was pushed open, and a tall figure slowly walked in, carrying a gleaming axe. It was none other than the Bandage Man. Sure enough! He'd finally shown up. The man didn't notice Chen Shuo in the corner of the room, his gaze fixed on the sleeping Mao Lilan, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

As the bandaged man raised his axe, Chen Shuo finally moved. He quickly stood up and kicked the axe out of the man's hand with a high kick. Then he twisted his hands and broke his legs with a side kick. Then, Chen Shuo stepped on the man's chest with a ferocious momentum that made people shudder.

The intense pain caused the bandaged man to scream distortedly, and the sound echoed in the empty villa. Xiaolan was awakened by the scream. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the bandaged man with a distorted body. She was so scared that she screamed: "Ah!"

"Don't be afraid, Xiaolan!" Chen Shuo comforted her, "It's okay now!"

Xiaolan slowly recovered from her shock. Seeing that Chen Shuo had taken control of the situation, she felt a surge of warmth in her heart: "Thank you, Brother Shuo! You're amazing!"

Xiaolan's screams awakened the people in the other rooms of the villa and they all rushed over. Everyone was stunned when they saw Chen Shuo stepping on the bandaged man. The scene before them was like a scene from a movie. The man's body was twisted, and the bones in his hands and feet must have been broken. Screams rang out one after another, but Chen Shuo remained calm and composed, as if everything was under control.

---

As the crowd arrived, Chen Shuo glanced around and noticed one person missing—Takahashi Ryoichi. He nodded inwardly, finally understanding the situation. He spoke slowly, "From the moment I first met Takahashi Ryoichi, I've felt he's a bit strange. Logically, given the proportions of his face and body, he shouldn't be so fat." As he spoke, Chen Shuo reached out and ripped the bandages off the strange man's face.

Sure enough, it was Takahashi Ryoichi's face that was revealed.

"It's Takahashi!" someone exclaimed, and everyone looked at each other in shock. No one had expected that Takahashi, who usually looked honest and kind, would actually be the cruel bandaged freak.

Seeing his identity exposed, Takahashi stopped struggling. He gave a wry smile, a look of resignation in his eyes. "You already know. There's nothing to hide. I'm the one who killed Ikeda Chikako."

When everyone heard this, they were all shocked: "Why? Why do you want to kill her?" someone asked in confusion.

Takahashi was silent for a moment, as if recalling something, and finally spoke slowly: "Two years ago, Atsuko happily shared her own script with me. But one day, she suddenly called me and told me that she could no longer trust anyone." His voice became low and cold. "Not long after, we found her body..."

"At that time, I didn't know why Atsuko committed suicide. It wasn't until Chikako's movie "Blue Kingdom" was released that I found out..." A trace of anger flashed in Takahashi's eyes, "That script is exactly the same as the one Atsuko shared with me! Atsuko committed suicide in despair because her script was plagiarized by Chikako!" At this point, Takahashi gritted his teeth, his eyes full of hatred for Chikako Ikeda.

"So, you killed Chikako in order to avenge Atsuko?" Ayako covered her mouth and asked in disbelief.

Takahashi nodded, a mad glint in his eyes: "Yes! I did all this to seek justice for Atsuko! She shouldn't have to endure such pain!"

Chen Shuo looked at him coldly. Although Gao Qiao's motives seemed to have a hint of "righteousness," he knew that this was just an excuse for Gao Qiao's murder. He turned his eyes, thinking of the thrilling scene just now, and asked coldly, "Then why did you attack Xiao Lan?"

Hearing this question, Gao Qiao's face suddenly became a little embarrassed: "She...she was an accident. When she came to the villa, she pushed open my door and happened to see me changing clothes. Seeing my figure...I was afraid that she would discover my identity, so I thought of killing her to silence her."

"I see." Chen Shuo sneered, his tone turning disdainful. "I thought you were some kind of messenger of justice, but it turns out you're just a coward afraid of being exposed."

Takahashi's face turned pale at these words, his lips trembling, but he couldn't speak. Chen Shuo didn't bother to say anything more. He stepped slightly harder and stomped hard on Takahashi's face, saying coldly, "Don't take yourself so seriously. If you had killed Ikeda Chikako and faced everything calmly, I would still respect you as a man! But if you touched Xiaolan, you would be a complete scumbag."

Takahashi screamed in severe pain and then fainted in a daze.

After daybreak, everyone finally managed to contact the outside world, and the police soon arrived. Takahashi Ryoichi was taken away by the police, and the matter finally came to an end.

---

Sitting in Chen Shuo's car, Mao Lilan took a deep breath and felt a lot more relaxed, but her dependence on Chen Shuo became stronger. She secretly glanced at Chen Shuo, and a warm smile appeared on her face: "Brother Shuo, thank you. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what would have happened..."

Chen Shuo waved his hand casually and smiled faintly.