Detective Conan: Shadow Legion Office

14: Chapter 14 A Request from Moonshadow IslandThe morning meeting at Lins Information Consulting Office had just concluded when Miwako Sato walked into Lin Long’s office, carrying a stack of letters with a look of confusion on her face:

”Mr. Lin Long, there is a letter here for you that is a bit strange.”

”What letter? Bring it over and let me see.”

Lin Long looked up from his documents and gestured for her to place it on the desk.

The envelope was made of the most ordinary kraft paper, with no return address, and only ”To Mr. Lin Long, Personally” written in crooked handwriting on the recipient line.

Most noticeably, the envelope was exceptionally thick and felt heavy in the hand.

”Where is it strange?”

Lin Long picked up the envelope, his fingertips touching the rough edges of the paper, which did not seem to be machine-cut.

”Look at the seal.”

Miwako Sato pointed to the seal of the envelope, ”There is no stamp, no postmark; it’s as if someone delivered it directly to the office door. And...”

Miwako Sato lowered her voice, ”I touched it, and it feels like there are hard objects inside, and more than one.”

Lin Long raised an eyebrow and gently sliced open the envelope with a letter opener.

A stack of banknotes bundled with a rubber band fell out—exactly fifty 10,000-yen bills, totaling five million yen.

Underneath the banknotes was a piece of paper with uneven edges, with the words on it all cut out from newspaper type and pasted together, exuding an eerie atmosphere:

”Mr. Lin Long, please go to Tsukikage Island to investigate the truth about the death of pianist Asou Keiji. The reward has been paid; you must attend.”

There was no signature, no date, only this cold line of pasted text.

Tsukikage Island? Asou Keiji?

Lin Long’s memory was immediately awakened.

This was quite a classic case in the Conan storyline—the ”moonlight sonata Murder Case.”

The pianist Asou Keiji had died by self-immolation on Tsukikage Island years ago, leaving behind an eerie ”moonlight sonata” as a curse.

And the one who sent this request letter was none other than Asou Keiji’s son, Asai Narumi.

This femboy had already disguised himself and returned to Tsukikage Island.

He had not only sent a letter to him but presumably to the Mouri Detective Agency as well.

On one hand, he wanted them to investigate the truth of his father’s death; on the other, he hoped they could stop his murderous criminal behavior.

”Asai Narumi...”

”How cowardly!”

Lin Long whispered the name, a sneer curling the corner of his mouth.

Lin Long looked down on this ”having his cake and eating it too” behavior; on one hand, he wanted to avenge his father, and on the other, he didn’t want to commit a crime.

For Lin Long, there was no need to overthink it; just do it.

After all, in Lin Long’s worldview, the principle was that the vengeance for a father’s murder is irreconcilable.

The character Asai Narumi left a deep impression on him.

Disguising himself as a woman without a single flaw showed how strong his camouflage ability was; as a doctor, his medical skills were superb, and he was well-respected on the island, which showed his professional competence.

More importantly, he was meticulous, and the revenge plan he plotted was interlinked; if not for Conan Edogawa’s intervention, it would have been difficult to uncover.

Camouflage, medicine, planning... whichever one of these skills it was, they were of great value to Lin Long.

If he could recruit him, it would undoubtedly be a great asset.

Even if he couldn’t, taking a trip to Tsukikage Island to watch this big revenge play, and incidentally collecting some malice black qi, wouldn’t be a loss.

”Interesting.”

Lin Long put the letter and banknotes back into the envelope and called out to the door, ”Miyano.”

Miyano Akemi quickly walked in, wearing a decent professional suit.

The secretarial work over this period had helped her shed much of her fear and gain a bit of competence:

”Mr. Lin Long, are you looking for me?”

”Pack your things; we’re going on a long trip with me.” Lin Long stood up, ”To Tsukikage Island.”

”Tsukikage Island?” Miyano Akemi was stunned for a moment, then nodded, ”Okay, what do I need to prepare?”

”Just simple changes of clothes will do; don’t worry about anything else.”

Lin Long looked at Miwako Sato, ”Where is Butler Ochiai? Tell him to book two tickets to Tsukikage Island as soon as possible.”

”Butler Ochiai went out early this morning; I’ll call him right away.” Miwako Sato immediately picked up the phone.

Miyano Akemi returned to her desk and began to pack.

She secretly glanced at the envelope in Lin Long’s hand; although she didn’t know the specific contents, a request that could make Lin Long go out himself was obviously not simple.

However, she didn’t ask any more questions.

After the last incident with the Black Organization’s raid, she already had absolute trust in Lin Long—this man could always control everything.

...

3:00 PM, Tokyo Port.

A white passenger ship slowly docked at the berth, with faint white smoke rising from its huge chimney.

Butler Ochiai had already completed the boarding procedures and handed the tickets to Lin Long:

”Sir, the tickets are for first-class, departing at 4:00 PM, and we expect to arrive at Tsukikage Island tomorrow morning.”

”Good work.” Lin Long took the tickets and glanced at Miyano Akemi beside him, ”Let’s go.”

Miyano Akemi nodded, picked up her small suitcase, and followed Lin Long onto the passenger ship.

The first-class lounge was very spacious, with the sparkling sea outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the sea breeze blowing in with a salty, damp scent that was refreshing.

”I didn’t expect it to take such a long boat ride to get to Tsukikage Island.” Miyano Akemi walked to the window, watching the crowd on the pier gradually fading away, and said softly.

She had lived under the control of the Black Organization since she was a child and rarely had the chance to travel like this, so she couldn’t help but show a hint of curiosity on her face.

”Tsukikage Island is a small island with no airport, so we can only take a boat.” Lin Long leaned on the sofa, flipping through a travel brochure in his hand, which introduced the customs of Tsukikage Island, ”It is said that it is famous for its pianos, and there is a very famous piano museum on the island.”

Miyano Akemi’s eyes brightened: ”Pianos? I learned a little when I was a child, but later...” She stopped mid-sentence and swallowed her words, clearly remembering her days in the Black Organization.

Lin Long didn’t press, just smiled: ”When we get to the island, we can go and listen.”

Just then, the door to the lounge was pushed open, and several familiar figures walked in.

”Huh? Mr. Lin Long?” Mouri Ran looked at Lin Long on the sofa in surprise, ”Are you on this ship too?”

Mouri Kogoro and Conan Edogawa, who were following behind her, were also stunned.

Mouri Kogoro was still holding a wine bottle in his hand, clearly having drunk quite a bit before boarding; Conan Edogawa was carrying a small schoolbag, and when he saw Miyano Akemi beside Lin Long, a flash of doubt crossed his eyes—this woman looked a bit familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before.

”What a coincidence, Mr. Mouri, Miss Ran.” Lin Long stood up to greet them, his gaze pausing on Conan Edogawa for a second, ”Are you going on a trip?”

”Not a trip, it’s work!” Mouri Kogoro immediately straightened his back and proudly waved an envelope in his hand, ”I received a request to go to Tsukikage Island to investigate a case; it’s a big one!”

Lin Long looked at the envelope in his hand, which was almost identical to the one he had received, and couldn’t help but laugh: ”It seems our destinations are the same.”

He waved the ticket in his hand, ”I also received a request to go to Tsukikage Island.”

”What?!” Mouri Kogoro widened his eyes, snatched Lin Long’s ticket, and took a look, ”You also received that strange letter? And five million yen in reward?”

”It seems so.” Lin Long nodded.

”What is going on?” Mouri Ran frowned, ”Why would someone request both Dad and Mr. Lin Long at the same time?”

Conan Edogawa pushed up his glasses, his little face full of thought.

He remembered this envelope—it was the same as the one Mouri Kogoro received, both pasted with newspaper type, and even the wording was very similar.

This Lin Long always appeared in various cases; could he have some connection to this case on Tsukikage Island?

”Who cares!” Mouri Kogoro waved his hand dismissively, ”It’s a good thing that someone is willing to pay us to investigate a case! But Kid Lin Long, I, Mouri Kogoro, will definitely solve this case first; just wait and admire me!”

”Then I will wait and see, Mr. Mouri.” Lin Long smiled noncommittally.

They found a seat by the window and sat down; Mouri Kogoro continued to brag about his ”glorious achievements,” while Mouri Ran started chatting with Miyano Akemi.

”Miss Miyano, are you Mr. Lin Long’s secretary?” Mouri Ran asked curiously.

”Yes, Miss Ran.” Miyano Akemi smiled gently, ”It’s my first time coming to such a small island, and I’m a bit looking forward to it.”

”Me too!” Mouri Ran immediately became interested, ”I heard the seawater at Tsukikage Island is exceptionally blue, and there are many delicious seafood dishes! We can go and taste them together then!”

”Sure.” Miyano Akemi nodded, a long-lost relaxed smile appearing on her face.

Chatting with Mouri Ran reminded her of those simple, happy days before she was controlled by the Black Organization.

Conan Edogawa sat on the side, seemingly listening to Mouri Kogoro bragging, but in reality, he had been observing Lin Long and Miyano Akemi.

Lin Long’s expression was always calm, as if he were just going on a normal trip; and while Miyano Akemi looked gentle and harmless, Conan Edogawa always felt she looked very familiar.

”Sister Miyano, what kind of work did you do before?” Conan Edogawa suddenly spoke up, asking in a childish voice.

Miyano Akemi’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly, then she smiled and said, ”I used to... work as a clerk at a small company, but later the company went bankrupt, so I came to work for Mr. Lin Long.”

”Is that so?” Conan Edogawa blinked, ”Then do you know someone named Hirota Masami? I seem to have seen you somewhere; you look a bit like her.”

Hirota Masami!

Miyano Akemi’s face turned pale instantly, and the hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.

She didn’t expect Conan Edogawa to bring up this name!

A cold light flashed in Lin Long’s eyes, and he calmly took over the conversation: ”Little Conan, you must have mistaken her for someone else, right? Miyano worked in the countryside before and rarely came to Tokyo, so how would she know any Hirota Masami?”

His tone was flat, but it carried an unquestionable power.

Conan Edogawa looked into Lin Long’s eyes; there was no anger, only a bottomless calm, as if warning him to stop while he was ahead.

Conan Edogawa felt a chill in his heart, knowing he had touched something he shouldn’t have, so he immediately lowered his head and smiled naively: ”Maybe I remembered wrong, hehe.”

Mouri Ran didn’t notice the undercurrents between the two, just patted Conan Edogawa’s head: ”You child, you always mistake people for others.”

The atmosphere became relaxed again, but Miyano Akemi could no longer fully relax.

She looked at Lin Long gratefully, and he gave her a reassuring look, which made her feel a little more at ease.

The passenger ship slowly sailed away from the port, and the high-rise buildings of Tokyo gradually became silhouettes in the distance.

The golden glow of the setting sun shone on the sea, sparkling like it was covered in crushed gold.

Lin Long leaned on the railing, looking at the distant horizon.

The Shadow Guards sent back information: Asai Narumi was currently working in a clinic on Tsukikage Island, with the identity of ”female doctor Asai Narumi”; the people on the island spoke highly of him, describing him as having a gentle personality and superb medical skills.

”Disguising as a woman for so long and still managing to do it without a flaw is indeed not simple.” Lin Long whispered to himself.

It would be very difficult to recruit Asai Narumi.

Helping him take revenge was simple; the hard part was that Asai Narumi had already lost the desire for life, feeling that after killing, he should also go down to atone for his sins.

Moreover, this person was sensitive at heart, and burdened with a deep blood feud, he was full of guardedness toward strangers.

”I’ll just have to play it by ear.” Lin Long smiled.

Even if he couldn’t recruit him, being able to witness this classic revenge play with his own eyes and see how Conan Edogawa solved the truth was also a kind of pleasure.

Footsteps came from behind, and Miyano Akemi walked over, holding two glasses of juice: ”Mr. Lin Long, have something to drink.”

”Thank you.” Lin Long took the juice, ”Still thinking about what Conan Edogawa said just now?”

Miyano Akemi nodded, her eyes a bit complex: ”I didn’t expect... Conan Edogawa would also be here; Conan Edogawa saw me when I robbed the bank.”

”And I think Conan Edogawa is too smart; he doesn’t seem like a primary school student should be.”

”That kid Conan Edogawa is not simple; stay away from him in the future.” Lin Long reminded, ”But don’t worry, with me here, no one can force you to do things you don’t want to do, and no one can expose your identity.”

Miyano Akemi looked at Lin Long’s firm profile, and a warm current surged in her heart.

During this time, Lin Long not only gave her protection but also the courage to live again.

She took a deep breath and nodded: ”I know, thank you, Mr. Lin Long..”

The two stood side by side at the railing, the sea breeze blowing past with a faint scent of seawater.

In the distance, seagulls followed the passenger ship, letting out crisp cries.

Lin Long knew that beneath the calm of Tsukikage Island lay decades of hatred and impending bloodshed.

And his arrival might lead this already tragic revenge play to a completely different ending.

”Asai Narumi... I hope you don’t disappoint me.”

”Let me help you reverse this big picture!”

Lin Long looked toward Tsukikage Island, his eyes shining with anticipation.

The passenger ship left a long wake on the sea, slowly sailing toward the island shrouded in mystery.

A tragedy centered on ”moonlight sonata” was about to unfold, and Lin Long would become the most unexpected variable in this tragedy.