Model worker and his little darling

"You chose red so you could blend in with the maple leaves and not attract attention. Because before, no one would come here except during the autumn foliage season. But the stage for the TV series that became popular because of the handkerchief is here, and a lot of fans imitated the last scene of the show by tying handkerchiefs to the maple trees one after another, which makes it hard for you to figure out which tree you are buried under."

"Fearing that your murder would eventually be exposed, you paid Mr. Hodumi to find the original tree. Mr. Hodumi found the tree as you wished, and you agreed to meet there to pay him. However, before meeting you, Mr. Hodumi discovered your secret, demanded more money, and was ruthlessly murdered by you."

Tatsuzo Mian Guan laughed heartily, looked up at Conan, and said, "Little kid, I think you're really smart. If I hadn't come here, what would you have planned to do?"

“I’ll just go to the police, because Mr. Hodomi’s notebook already has it written that you are the murderer.”

"How is that possible? The only place in the notebook with bloodstains is where April 1st is written."

Seeing this, Conan kindly explained, "April 1st, in the past, people would take the cotton out of their clothes at that time, which is why there are Chinese characters that say 'April 1st' but are pronounced the same as 'WATANUKI'. Writing 'April 4st' makes you think of 'watanuki'. Simply put, he wanted to express your surname. You didn't understand the meaning of April 4st, which is why you casually threw the notebook in the forest."

"Who are you?"

"Edogawa Conan is a detective."

Mian Guanchen smiled. "Now it's my turn to ask you, detective brat. Do you know why I left his body at the scene?"

"Because you calculated that no one would come after dark, bury him after all the details are taken care of." As he spoke, he aimed the wristwatch-shaped anesthetic needle at Tatsuzo Mian Guan.

“Yes, that’s right, and with them.” As soon as he finished speaking, a group of armed men appeared behind Tatsumi Miyakuya. “They are the troops I called here to find this tree from the beginning.”

At a glance, there were probably fifty people.

at this time--

"Conan!"

Upon hearing Ran's voice, Conan panicked instantly, not expecting Ran to come looking for him at this moment.

After surrounding the three, Mian Guanchen smiled and said, "Looks like I'll have to dig three more graves to bury the corpses." With a wave of his hand, his men rushed forward.

In the crowd, Ran shielded Sonoko and Conan behind her, blocking those who wanted to harm them.

There were just too many people, and Xiaolan gradually lost her strength. Just as the iron rod was about to hit the back of Xiaolan's head, Pingqing jumped down from the tree and kicked the vicious man away.

Upon seeing Pingqing, Xiaolan was still a little confused. "Brother Pingqing?"

"Okay, you should rest for a bit." With that, Pingqing picked up the iron rod and began to wreak havoc.

Soon, Makoto Kyogoku, who had disappeared from the arena, also joined the battle.

Seeing that things were not going well, Mian Guanchen pulled out his pistol. "Damn it, you little brats dare to cause trouble here..." Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Lan kicked him to the ground.

The three of them worked together, and screams of agony rose and fell.

Seeing the densely packed bodies lying on the ground, Conan swallowed hard. How terrifying! He quickly ran to Hirai's side. "What are you doing here?"

Two days ago, Taira no Kiyoshi delivered Ai Haibara to Professor Agasa's house, but he ran away without saying a word. Now, they've run into each other deep in the mountains of Gunma Prefecture.

Ping Qing pointed to the people groaning on the ground, "These people are gang members of the Mud Ginseng Association. Mian Guan Chen San is an executive of the Mud Ginseng Association. Recently, the Mud Ginseng Association has had some friction with the organization, so they asked me to come and handle it. It's perfect, we can let the police deal with these people."

Conan's eyes widened. He hadn't expected these people to be gangsters. Luckily, Hirai and Makoto were there, or things would have been dangerous. Thinking of the familiar figure from that afternoon, Conan tugged at Hirai's clothes. "Were you in the forest this afternoon too?"

Ping Qing shook his head. "No, what's wrong? I came here with Mian Guan Chen San. You were squatting in the tree showing off at that time."

Conan was speechless. He wasn't showing off at all; he was clearly exposing the criminal's crimes.

"Conan, I've noticed you're getting bolder and bolder. You dared to come here alone to stake out the murderer without even figuring things out. If I hadn't arrived in time, you guys would be in big trouble. Don't try to show off if you don't have the skills."

After being scolded by Hira, Conan opened his mouth to say something, but Hira pressed down on his head, knowing that now was not the time to speak, so he had no choice but to shut up.

Arriving late, Yamamura Misao patted Heikiyo on the shoulder vigorously, "Heikiyo, it's been a long time."

Ping Qing's lips twitched. He had to admit that Shan Cun Cao was really lucky, his promotion path was smooth sailing.

"He sensed danger in the garden and rushed over immediately, just like a hero."

Kyogoku Makoto scratched his head sheepishly, "I'm just going to the meeting place Sonoko specified in the message."

"So you already knew where the winter maple leaves were photographed?"

“My sister asked me to watch it with her, but I ended up getting engrossed in it myself. I wanted to ask what EVE meant in the message, but I felt too embarrassed, so I just set up a tent and waited there. It’s always good to spend a little more time.”

Upon hearing this, Sonoko blushed instantly, a sweet feeling filling her heart. "Makoto!"

Xiao Lan smiled as she watched the young couple enveloped in pink bubbles, and she was truly happy for them.

Other people's happiness was too dazzling. Pingqing patted the dumbfounded Conan and sighed.

"How are things between you and Xiaolan?"

This question left Conan somewhat confused.

"I don't know. Xiaolan has been very busy lately, with karate training and sometimes visiting Aunt Fei. Ever since I confessed, the atmosphere between us has become strange and awkward, and I don't know what to say."

Hearing this, Pingqing raised an eyebrow. It seemed Ran had taken his words to heart, keeping him busy so he wouldn't have time to think about such things. Poor Conan, caught in the middle of everything, didn't seem to have noticed anything amiss. However, so much had happened recently; it was understandable that he hadn't noticed.

"What should I do?"

Pingqing shrugged. "I can't help you with that, because I've never experienced anything like it."

This chaotic situation was basically caused by him. Letting him solve it is just asking for trouble.

Just then, Makoto Kyogoku walked up to Hirakiyo and said, "You're very strong."