Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Although Fang Zheng really wanted to complain, the fact was that summer vacation had truly arrived.

Just after the spring camping trip.

Hmm, that’s the normal routine, let’s not overthink it.

So when Fang Zheng drove to the plateau, he completely let himself relax.

”Is this really okay? The two of us traveling together?”

Sitting in the passenger seat, Haibara Ai looked at the scenery outside and asked, while Fang Zheng shrugged his shoulders.

”What’s wrong with that? If Akemi wasn’t on a business trip, I would’ve brought her along.”

”But why come to the plateau?”

”Saw it on a forum before.”

In response to Little Ai’s inquiry, Fang Zheng chuckled.

”I heard the chef here is a beautiful woman and the food is delicious, so I came to check it out since I have nothing else to do?”

”......If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have brought me along.”

”I’m just here for a trip, not to pick up girls, looking at beautiful ladies and eating their food doesn’t mean I’m going to date and marry them.”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s answer, Little Ai rolled her eyes.

”You better worry about not getting into trouble.”

”Hahaha, that’s impossible. I’m not Conan. As long as I don’t run into that Shinigami Elementary Student, nothing will happen.”

Fang Zheng was at ease about this. This place is known only to avid fans on travel forums, Kogoro Mouri doesn’t like to travel, Ran isn’t keen on it, and Conan is a deduction freak. They wouldn’t come to such a remote highland lodge.

Very safe, no problem.

However......

”What the hell!”

When Fang Zheng pushed open the lodge door and saw the three familiar figures registering at the counter, he couldn’t help but curse.

What the heck is this situation? Why are they here? Such lingering spirits!

”Ah, Mr. Fang Zheng, Little Ai.”

Seeing the two appear, Ran was also taken aback and hurriedly greeted them with a smile.

”Really didn’t expect to meet you here!”

”Hmm... I didn’t expect it either, really.”

Looking at the grinning Ran and Conan in front of him, Fang Zheng was a bit upset, while Little Ai beside him showed a knowing smile.

”You really didn’t find out something and follow along?”

”Kidding me, why would I willingly approach the Grim Reaper? Isn’t the trouble enough already? It’s really just a coincidence... hmm, I really hope it’s just a coincidence.”

Fang Zheng lowered his voice and replied, then looked ahead again.

”But why are you here?”

In response to Fang Zheng’s question, Conan quickly gave an answer.

”Because Kogoro said the beer here is really good. Just a few days ago, he completed a client’s commission and got a big reward, so he came here to drink.”

”.........”

Fang Zheng totally forgot that Kogoro Mouri isn’t interested in traveling, but he is a drunkard... and because Fang Zheng hardly drinks, he didn’t pay attention to these kinds of things at all.

But just at this moment, suddenly two familiar voices sounded.

”Welcome.”

Hearing this, Fang Zheng and Kogoro Mouri turned their heads towards the source of the voices to see, not far off, two nearly identical girls standing there... weren’t they the pair of twins from the previous mansion murder incident?

So that’s how it is.

Seeing this, Fang Zheng finally understood. The previous mansion murder incident was a ”pre-mission,” Conan completed the pre-mission, thus unlocking this follow-up.

Meeting this pair of twin maids apparently also surprised Kogoro Mouri and Ran quite a bit, and then they learned these two were introduced by friends to work here after that...

Those two girls are pitiful, running into two Conan scenes in a row.

Hearing this, Fang Zheng shook his head internally, he could only say their luck was bad.

And at this moment, Fang Zheng saw Haibara Ai tugging on his sleeve.

”Hmm? What is it?”

”You don’t think someone’s going to die here, do you?”

”Absolutely, I don’t even have to guess to know it’ll be so.”

Saying this, Fang Zheng glanced out the window. Blue sky, white clouds, plateau, lodge, plus Conan.

All the death flags are up!

”Really?”

”Of course, I’m telling you, this is all a pattern.”

Regarding Haibara Ai, Fang Zheng wasn’t afraid of spoilers, instead, he wanted to see what this world would become if a main character like Haibara Ai noticed something was off.

”Look, just think of this as the beginning of a TV drama, and now the main characters are making their entrance.”

Fang Zheng pointed at Kogoro and Conan’s group, then pointed at the pair of twins, himself, and Haibara.

”Next comes the supporting characters, and finally we have the victim, the murderer, and the suspects. Just wait patiently and watch.”

As soon as Fang Zheng finished speaking, he saw a middle-aged man with a backpack and a suitcase walk into the hotel.

”Hello, I made a reservation, Shiromoto...”

”Ah, please wait a moment...”

The manager quickly took out a small notebook and flipped through it.

”You must be Mr. Hidehiko Shiromoto. You mentioned in your reservation that two people would be arriving...”

”That’s right, it’s me and my wife. I think she should be here shortly.”

Sure enough, just as the man named Shiromoto finished speaking, a fashionably dressed woman walked in, loudly complaining on the phone.

”I don’t care about the producer’s schedule whatsoever. He shouldn’t have just left me suddenly! What? You’re coming here to pick me up? Well, you don’t need to come!”

Complaining loudly, the woman hung up the phone angrily, then scanned the hotel with a displeased expression, finally looking at Shiromoto.

”Honey, what kind of joke is this? You praised this place so highly, but it turns out to be such a remote, miserable place...”

Hearing the woman’s complaints, Shiromoto seemed quite helpless.

”I think it’s nice and quiet here.”

”Just the thought of spending five days face-to-face with you makes me terribly annoyed. Hey, manager, find me another room!”

”But... this...”

The manager was clearly also troubled by the woman’s demand, and at this time, Fang Zheng lowered his head and whispered to Little Ai.

”Watch closely, Little Ai, this woman is doomed.”

”Oh? Are you sure?”

”Of course. When you go out with Conan in the future, you must remember, the more ostentatious someone’s entrance is, the quicker they might meet their end. Whoever acts arrogant and insolent in front of Conan or beside him, they’re likely not going to make it past the next episode.”

”The next episode...”

Upon hearing this, Little Ai’s face turned dark.

”How many episodes are there, anyway?”

”... This question, only heaven knows.”

Fang Zheng expressed that he too had no answer to this question.

After this, everyone stayed at the hotel due to the travel fatigue, deciding to rest there today and visit the plateau tomorrow. By dinner time, the woman named Chizuru Bizen stirred things up again. First, she complained about the chef’s soup being unpleasant, then she found out from the entertainment company boss that the producer wanted a younger actress to replace her as the lead.

This caused her to have a fit, eventually leaving the restaurant in front of everyone, throwing down a ”You all wish I’d disappear, don’t you? I get it, I’ll go die then!”

”So pitiful, definitely finished.”

Fang Zheng ate his dinner quietly, now sure that she would be the first victim.

”Aren’t you going to help?”

Little Ai curiously watched Chizuru Bizen leave, then asked.

”What do you want me to say? ’Ma’am, you’ve been set up, you might end up dead?’ Do you think she’d believe me?”

”...”

Little Ai shook her head, thinking that even she would see Fang Zheng as crazy if he said something like that. Fang Zheng’s guess seemed baseless and akin to judging actors and scripts on a show: Madam, because of the plot, you need to die, so be careful?

If someone said such a thing to me, Little Ai thought she would consider them insane too.

In fact, Fang Zheng was already mentally prepared to be woken up by screams at midnight or early the next morning, then to find a body and start solving the case.

Because based on his experience watching Conan, generally that’s how it goes: When traveling with Conan, trying to have a nice time or enjoy a meal without disturbance is impossible. It’s either someone dying here or there, there’s no time for any rest...

But the reality was, when next morning came and Chizuru Bizen appeared in the restaurant sleepily, Fang Zheng was taken aback.

Well damn, you’re actually alive, ma’am?

That’s not right.

Shouldn’t there have been a scream in the morning, followed by the discovery of the body, then choosing the murderer between her disagreeable husband or the president who replaced her?

”Seems your plot twist isn’t as effective as you thought.”

Seeing Chizuru Bizen, Little Ai burst into laughter too. She had been scared by Fang Zheng, thinking all night about whether someone might die. Now seeing the person Fang Zheng had been so sure was doomed show up alive in the restaurant, she was rather pleased.

However, Chizuru Bizen clearly didn’t like being watched by others, and upon realizing everyone was staring at her, she let out a cold snort and returned to her room.

”Even the best slip up sometimes.”

Watching Chizuru Bizen leave again, Fang Zheng looked away.

”My experience isn’t wrong. Anyway, until we separate from Conan and the others, we need to stay vigilant. Otherwise, who knows what might happen.”

”I would much prefer if nothing happened.”

”That’s what I hope too, but unfortunately, the script doesn’t follow my wishes.”

Fang Zheng stood up and sighed.

”No matter what, since we’re here, let’s enjoy the trip first. No dead bodies is good, at least we won’t waste time on trivial matters.”