Chapter 395: Pinokangni (74)

Upon hearing that, Huohuo seemed to have heard some lame joke, and suddenly burst out a clear, bell-like laugh: "Great! It's time for my favorite dead-duck stubborn-beak segment—you still don't know anything, huh?"

Shajin lightly shook his head: "No, no, I've already proven its existence through various signs; that's enough. As for the answers to these two questions, seventeen… no, sixteen system hours are enough for me to settle everything."

"Sixteen system hours—really enough? Then let me add some fire to that."

Huohuo suddenly pulled out a petal-shaped button from behind her and handed it to Shajin: "Here, take it. This is my cherished Mutual Destruction Guarantee button; I have an identical one myself. As long as one of us presses it, the other will instantly blow up along with all of Pinokangni."

"If you really want the company to take over Pinokangni, and you want it so badly you can't stand it… then blowing up the gaming table isn't a bad option. Worst case, we start over—that's what the company excels at, right?" Huohuo giggled, "When you're out of options, just press it. Of course you can also contact me; consider it my Terminal Care."

——

Chainsaw Man

"Hey hey! This thing can't be real, can it?"

"So Denji, the girl you like is a terrorist… anyone who likes terrorists gets locked up in prison, you know!"

"Prison…? Would breakfast still have buttered toast? If so, that wouldn't be so bad……"

"... You idiot, I, the great one, really can't save you."

Denji pried open his eyelids, earnestly admiring the cute girl with twin tails on the sky curtain. Although her words were harsh and begging for a beating, it didn't matter… as long as she was cute enough.

If he could make a wish, he'd hope such a cute girl would like him; he simply couldn't refuse a girl who likes him.

Speaking of which, the last girl who said she liked him also liked explosives, just like Huohuo.

"By the way, Pawa… could it be that there's no one you like in the sky curtain?" Denji lay bored on the sofa; he recalled many handsome men and beautiful women having appeared in the sky curtain—just the girls he liked were enough to surround the public security bureau—could it be that Pawa really has none?

"Huh? What kind of idiotic question is that?"

Although she kept calling him an idiot, Pawa still put on a thoughtful expression, and after four or five minutes of thinking she finally answered: "Whoever's blood I drink, that's who I like."

"You don't look at faces at all?"

"That kind of thing is useless, right? But if I have to say I like someone… I quite like Shajin. He looks smart; if I drink his blood, I should become smarter too—maybe I could join the genius club? Then… hehe, Denji, I'll have the Learned Sovereign appoint you as an envoy, ding-dong~"

Upon hearing that, Akayu Hayakawa, who was drinking water nearby, nearly choked and started coughing violently: "Pawa, do you know how powerful an envoy is?"

"Probably stronger than the Japanese Prime Minister… about on par with the US President, I guess?"

——

"That's so dangerous… I guess the family didn't really take your words seriously, right? Or how did you smuggle it in?"

Huohuo laughed lightly: "Heh heh~ you just need to know I have this ability."

"I'm afraid I have to refuse your suggestion—who knows if this little gadget even works? Besides, I don't plan to look for your so-called 'other mute friend,' but I'd be glad to hear that person is still in Pinokangni."

Before leaving, Shajin finally glanced back at Huohuo: "I'll handle the rest myself: I'll prepare a grand opening performance for the family's downfall. When the climax arrives, the high walls will collapse, people will awaken, and even those who cannot speak will regain their voices—"

"'—when that time comes, please press the button and set off a big firework to cheer me on. Farewell, fool.'"

Having said that, Shajin turned and left.

"'Even at this point you still have the mind to spout grand words… but, a promise is a promise.' Huohuo watched Shajin's retreating back, a pleased curve forming on her lips: 'You'd better not disappoint me, okay?'"

——

Detective Conan

"Here, your coffee."

Shiho Miyano placed the mug on the table beside Conan, sat on a nearby stool, holding her coffee, and asked lightly: "Do you still think Shajin has hidden cards he hasn't played? Give it up… his cards are all spent."

"I don't believe it."

Conan rested his chin on his clasped hands, Shajin's words just spoken replaying in his mind: "He must still have some unplayed chips; otherwise… where does his confidence come from?"

"Maybe he's just bluffing," Shiho Miyano sipped her coffee. "He's a gambler and a businessman. Out in the world, how many cards he has doesn't matter, nor does whether he has any at all—what matters is making the opponent think he has cards. Otherwise, his gambling game couldn't continue."

"Think about it—if he showed any hint of panic or helplessness in front of Huohuo, what would happen?"

Shiho Miyano set down her cup, the ceramic and glass clinking with a clear sound: "Huohuo would instantly lose interest in him… her amusement at teasing him comes precisely because he's the company's P45, an elite above ten thousand; but once he shows a hint of weakness, he'd instantly fall from elite to ordinary."

"Besides, everything demands evidence… Kudo, you're the one who understands this best. If you think Shajin has hidden cards, where would they be? That empty gift bag?"

"……"

Conan fell silent at once—indeed, he currently has no evidence to produce, and he's merely making a simple guess about Shajin's attitude.

The "other mute friend" he mentioned undoubtedly refers to Liuying, and the Pioneers are now also investigating Liuying's whereabouts; if he really found Liuying, he might even obtain decisive evidence to topple the family… but he just doesn't want to look for him. Frankly, he can no longer comprehend Shajin's behavior logic at all.

——

In the gloomy prison, the blond-haired boy stood in the shadow behind the iron bars; the scarlet code on his neck—flickering with an eye‑catching scarlet in the dim light, like a curse etched into his flesh.

"'Welcome back, Number 35, do you like your amulet?' the cold man's voice."

"... Can a product code also serve as an amulet?"