Oritis in the world of Detective Conan

The next day, Conan woke up feeling exhausted and dizzy, and the storm hadn't stopped yet. He left the cabin and went to the banquet hall, where he saw everyone else looking equally haggard.

The mercenary, uncharacteristically, didn't eat much, but sat aside, lost in thought. The novelist paced back and forth at the banquet hall's entrance, frequently glancing toward the hallway, likely checking when the composer, who wasn't in the hall, would arrive. Okiya Subaru sipped a cup of coffee nearby.

Conan looked around the hall and did not see Kaito Kid.

Many passengers were frightened and depressed by the storm and rumors of a "curse," but the cartographer was unusually excited, reading her theory aloud to everyone.

"Now you should believe that something is bound to happen to this ship. Look at everything: the storm, the rumors, the curse, every one of them has come true!"

"You all know it, but you refuse to admit it. You don't have the courage to face your fears!"

There was a low rumble of thunder outside the window, and huge waves hit the hull with a loud rumbling sound.

What surprised Conan was that the taxidermist, who always stood up and criticized the cartographer when she made a statement, was now sitting quietly in her seat without any reaction.

Even meteorologists had hallucinations, thinking this voyage was the same as the one 25 years ago: "Yes, so we should all listen to Professor Brownlee, the storm should pass..."

The cartographer was even happier, as someone finally recognized her point of view. No one stopped the cartographer's one-man show, but soon, a bigger storm interrupted her "preaching."

The huge waves tilted the ship to an unprecedented angle, and some of the furnishings on the ship were thrown to the ground like toys.

Conan almost fell because of the tilted floor. Subaru Okiya rushed over and grabbed him, while the mercenary helped to knock away several tableware flying towards Conan.

The ship slowly recovered from its tilt, and all three fell to the ground. The novelist was climbing up from the overturned table.

"I'm afraid Frederick is still in his cabin. If I had known, I wouldn't have come out. It's such a torture to come out." The novelist rubbed his elbow which had been hit by the corner of the table.

The steward appeared before everyone, holding onto the door frame of the banquet hall. "All passengers, please return to your cabins. Until the storm subsides, everyone should stay inside their cabins and not go out!"

"All food and water will be delivered to your rooms later. During this period, no passengers are allowed to go out without permission."

Many passengers protested, saying that staying alone in their cabin in such an atmosphere of fear and anxiety really made them feel insecure.

"Please be quiet!" The taxidermist, who had been silent just now, stood up. "We should trust the crew's judgment. For our own safety, please return to your cabins in an orderly manner!"

The taxidermist's words were like a magic needle that stabilized the passengers. The uneasy remarks gradually faded away, and the passengers followed the crew's guidance and returned to their cabins.

Before they parted, Conan gave the detective team badge given to him by Professor Agasa to the novelist, the mercenary and Subaru Okiya. After all, the mobile phone could no longer be used normally due to interference from the magnetic field.

After returning to his room, Conan felt quite bored. There was nothing for entertainment and recreation in the cabin. Through the window, Conan could only see the terrifying waves and the lightning flashing in the clouds.

Under the influence of the storm, the entire hull was creaking, and the strange whispering sound rang in his ears again. Conan silently said in his heart that all this had nothing to do with the "curse", everything was the effect of the magnetic field.

The waiter brought the child dinner, which included mashed potato salad, a sandwich and a pudding.

After dinner, Conan felt that the dizziness in his head had not gone away, so he lay down to rest for a while. Then he was awakened by the novelist's voice coming from the detective badge.

"Conan, something happened. Miss Cartographer fainted in her room!"

Conan, upon receiving the message, immediately opened the door and ran to the end of the corridor. It seemed that many people had gathered at the cartographer's door.

"You're here." Subaru Okiya noticed that Conan had also arrived.

"The murderer was at the scene, we all saw it..." The taxidermist's voice trembled a little.

Conan looked into the room. Books and notes were scattered on the floor, tables and chairs were tilted from their original positions, and the cartographer was lying on the ground with a frown on her face.

After carefully observing the cartographer's condition, Conan confirmed that she had been injected with some kind of toxin, as evidenced by the needle marks on the back of her hand. Although her vital signs were relatively stable, she had lost her ability to perceive the outside world.

On the other hand, the engineer was identified as the murderer by the taxidermist.

"I saw it. You were the one who wanted to attack Miss Cartographer! Mr. Kreberg can vouch for me."

The composer came forward to explain, "I've been feeling unwell since yesterday, so I went to the taxidermist for a checkup. She suggested I walk around and get some fresh air, so we walked around the corridor. On our way back, I saw the engineer coming out of the cartographer's room."

"Everyone, please help keep an eye on this engineer. I need to check on the cartographer first."

What is puzzling is that although the taxidermist and the composer did not restrain the engineer, he did not make any attempt to escape and did not speak to defend himself.

Several people took the engineer to the banquet hall. The other passengers were still in their respective cabins, so it was quiet here.

"Mr. Engineer, is it really you who murdered the cartographer?" Subaru Okiya was the first to ask the engineer.

The engineer's originally reserved face revealed a panicked expression: "No, I didn't!"

"I was just on patrol when I saw the cartographer's door open. I walked in and saw her lying on the ground. I turned around and wanted to go out to find the ship's doctor, but..."

Conan further inquired: "Since you say you are not the murderer, please provide some evidence."

"I... I didn't touch the cartographer at all. The taxidermist and Mr. Kreborg must have seen it..."

Such testimony left Conan speechless, but when he saw the coal dust on the engineer's body, he remembered his previous discovery.

"You were the one wandering around in front of the cartographer's door earlier, weren't you? Your shoes were covered in quite a bit of soot, so those footprints must have been left by you."

"No, I..." The engineer seemed to want to explain something when he was interrupted by another voice.

"Enough, you murderer, look what we found in your room?" The taxidermist walked into the banquet hall with several sailors.

The specimen collector took out a syringe without a needle tip, along with a document that looked quite old.

Most of the information was about the cartographer and her father, Professor Brownlee. There was also a letter that seemed to be an accusation against Professor Brownlee by someone who had experienced the shipwreck 25 years earlier.

After seeing these evidences, the engineer stopped making excuses, lowered his head deeply, and let the sailors take him away.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't expect there was such a dangerous person hiding among the crew." The taxidermist bowed to the composer to express his apology.

Conan picked up the syringe as evidence and looked at it carefully. He noticed that the syringe was very similar to the medical equipment on the taxidermist's body.