Mission 46

Kogoro Mouri narrated his deduction process step by step, and everyone present suddenly saw the light.

"Brother Mouri, so who on earth is the murderer?" Inspector Megure urged him not to keep them in suspense any longer.

However, Kogoro Mouri just smiled without a word.

Why did he smile without a word? Because Liu Lang’s dagger was currently pressed right against Conan’s neck.

As soon as Liu Lang entered this world, a mechanical voice had sounded in his head.

[Novice Task Guide: Please expose the mystery of the "Sleeping Kogoro Mouri." Countdown: 10 seconds.]

"What is this? Did I cross over into the world of Conan? No, it should be just like those missing people who were pulled into a video."

The countdown had already begun. Not knowing what would happen if he failed to complete the task as required, Liu Lang did not dare to take the gamble.

Just as he was about to rip off Conan's voice-changing device, the brat twisted the switch on his sneaker and increased his output power.

To everyone's surprise, Conan actually possessed some martial arts skills; he deflected the dagger and unleashed a flying kick!

Liu Lang casually blocked it, but was still startled by the sheer force.

[Countdown: 5 seconds]

"Mister, why are you attacking Conan?"

Conan hid behind the others and used his bowtie voice-changer to speak in Kogoro Mouri's voice.

Only then did everyone's attention turn to the stranger, Liu Lang.

"Conan, you're saying this person attacked you?" Ran asked in confusion.

Only then did Conan realize that his bowtie voice-changer was gone; he had just spoken with his own voice. Triumphantly, Liu Lang held up the bowtie voice-changer in front of everyone. "Kogoro Mouri was truly fast asleep. The one solving the cases is actually you, Conan—or should I call you Shinichi Kudo."

[Countdown: 0 seconds]

[Novice Task Guide completed, awaiting settlement.]

Ran looked incredulously back and forth between Liu Lang and Conan. Even the cunning Conan failed to react for a moment.

"Brother Mouri? What on earth is going on here?" Inspector Megure walked up to Kogoro Mouri and shouted. Seeing no response, he shook him vigorously.

Naturally, Kogoro Mouri was deep in slumber and completely unresponsive, even emitting loud snores.

Ran saw the bloody scratch on Conan's neck, and then spotted the dagger in Liu Lang's hand.

"Hey! Did you hurt Conan?!"

Before Liu Lang could reply, Ran had already rushed forward and punched him straight in the abdomen.

"Such formidable strength; she has at least E-rank power." Liu Lang grabbed Ran’s wrist. Although her strength exceeded his expectations, no matter how hard she struggled, Liu Lang’s hand held her wrist as firmly as an iron claw.

[Settlement complete. Reward obtained: D-rank plot point acquired.]

As the notification for the completed settlement echoed, Liu Lang’s figure gradually faded until he vanished entirely, leaving behind a group of bewildered people at the scene.

Liu Lang reappeared on a platform, which was completely empty.

[Novice task completed, novice gift pack obtained. You may freely choose one of the following worlds to enter and set your own mission difficulty.]

Numerous video screens appeared in the sky above the platform, among which was "See You Again Lover 9."

"Let's go save Yang Zi first." He chose "See You Again Lover 9."

Wulan Lake, Inner Mongolia.

In a panic, Yang Zi said to Zhang Da, "Brother, we have no grudges or enmity between us. Whatever difficulties you're facing, tell me, and I'll help you!"

"From 2005 to 2015, I was the CEO of Giant Eagle Group. I am a collector......"

Yang Zi began to babble incoherently.

Zhang Da said nothing; he merely tilted his head, wielding an iron rod as he steadily approached him.

"Don't hurt him!" Lan Shengyi suddenly rushed out from the crowd of onlookers and hugged Zhang Da's leg. "Run!"

Yang Zi's legs seemed to turn to jelly; he sat on the ground and could not stand up no matter what.

Yang Zi and Lan Shengyi publicly claimed to be a married couple who had come on the show due to marital discord, hoping to uncover problems in their marriage.

Zhang Da grabbed Lan Shengyi by her long hair and jerked her up. "She's even prettier than she looks on TV. Don't worry, big brother will teach him a lesson for you. The thing I hate most in this world is pretentious snobs!"

He tossed her aside and raised the iron rod, ready to strike, but Lan Shengyi hugged his leg once more.

"Bitch!" Zhang Da grew extremely impatient, raised his foot, and kicked her down. "Shut your trap, you stinky wench! The only reason I'm not hitting you is because I'm afraid of ruining that pretty face of yours. Once I finish off Yang Zi, I'll let you experience how great big brother is."

Zhang Da swung the iron rod toward Yang Zi's head. Yang Zi closed his eyes and awaited his death.

After waiting for a long time, Yang Zi opened his eyes. A person was standing before him.

Liu Lang grabbed the iron rod and let out a sigh of relief. He had great luck; the Dragon Directorate would surely thank him.

Outside the video, Yang Zi and Lan Shengyi in their luxurious mansion also breathed sighs of relief, their palms slick with sweat.

In the video, Lan Shengyi had fought to the death to protect Yang Zi, and Yang Zi's eyes were already moist. He wanted to say something to Lan Shengyi, but she had already turned her head away.

After finishing this show and returning to daily life, lacking the focus and magnification of the program, their relationship seemed to remain unchanged.

Yang Zi was a businessman; the idea that he had married a celebrity like Lan Shengyi purely for love was out of the question.

Yet seeing Lan Shengyi willing to protect him with her life at that moment, Yang Zi was filled with a myriad of emotions. Amidst past calculations of profit and future plans, his profit-first values clashed somewhat with simple, genuine affection.

In the video, Zhang Da, who had previously roamed the streets and was fierce and bellicose, still possessed some situational awareness. Unable to retrieve the iron rod after losing it in a struggle, he turned around and fled without looking back.

The shadow clone Liu Lang had deployed in secret quietly followed after him.

Mission Background: The antique vase purchased at a heavy price by Yang Zisheng of Zhili City was identified as a fake by a renowned antique appraiser during a live broadcast, and Yang Zisheng died of a sudden stroke from the shock. Main Quest: Find the genuine antique vase. Side Quest: Win the affection of any female guest.

Upon hearing the main quest, Liu Lang was completely baffled. How was the mission unrelated to the show?

What antique vase?

[Countdown: 10 days. Failure Penalty: Obliteration.]

Obliteration?

"How are they going to obliterate me? What kind of divine entity is this?" Liu Lang felt a chill of fear. "Better not take risks; I'd better just find that vase thing. I wonder what that Zhang Da's mission is?"

Isn't Yang Zi some kind of collector? He must know something about antiques; asking him might yield some results.

As for that side quest, these three female guests... he, Liu Lang, had just graduated from high school; by what virtue could he win the affection of three aunties?

"Hey, Yang Zi, let me ask you something." Liu Lang walked over to him, helped him up, and even brushed the dirt off his clothes.

Still shaken, Yang Zi stammered, "Little brother, thank you. I am Yang Zi, the CEO of Giant Eagle Group from 2005 to 2015..."

Liu Lang cut short Yang Zi's self-introduction. "Do you know Yang Zisheng? From Zhili City."

Yang Zi didn't catch it clearly and asked again.

"Zhili's Yang Zisheng... Oh, I don't know him, little brother, but my hometown is in Zhili. When I go back, I'll arrange to ask around." Regaining his composure, Yang Zi recovered his businessman's shrewdness, his eyes and mouth exuding an oily veneer forged by years of experience.

However, a look of surprise flashed across Lan Shengyi's face. Although fleeting, it was still caught by Liu Lang.

Liu Lang had no intention of staying here for ten days. "Since you aren't going to cooperate, I'll just have to brute-force my way through."

With a light, effortless palm strike landing on Yang Zi's abdomen, Yang Zi was sent flying backward as if he had been hit by a speeding truck.