Chapter 694

"That guy definitely knows Xiao Fei has an alarm system, so he simply decided to smash it with violence. But he's also afraid Ka Xidi could repair Xiao Fei and then use the tracking function to find Da Ben… so he dumped the damaged drone somewhere and took Da Ben and ran."

"Lu Ka stood with his hands on his hips, seeming quite satisfied with his deduction, completely failing to notice the speechless expressions on the two people opposite him."

"\"Eh, why are you guys frozen? Go ahead and share your thoughts. \""

"——"

"\"Detective Conan. \""

"\"Uhh… that's quite an imaginative line of reasoning. \""

"Conan could tell that Mr. Lu Ka really isn't good at this. Although he hadn't gone into the skydome to investigate in person, he could vaguely sense that Lu Ka was overcomplicating the whole case."

"\"Ah? \" Bu Mei tilted her head, \"That doesn't make sense… since that thief could smash Xiao Fei with violence, he must have already 'approached' it, so the alarm should have gone off. Lu Ka is skilled at boxing, but in reasoning he's completely no match for our Junior Detective League. \""

"\"I bet it's Ke La La Gan! She can remotely control robots, right? Maybe she hacked into Xiao Fei from afar and disabled the alarm! \" Guang Yan offered his guess."

"\"Sigh… so why would she do that? \" Hui Yuan Ai let out a soft sigh and calmly retorted."

"\"Well, of course it's because Ke La La Gan took a liking to the parts inside the robot! Ke La La Gan loves picking up mechanical parts from the roadside, doesn't she? \""

"\"…Picking up parts off the street and actively dismantling a robot to get parts are completely different things… Anyway, there's not much to guess about this kind of case. If Lu Ka really wanted to solve it quickly, he should have told Ke La La Gan the situation right away. As for the mechanical side, professional matters should be left to professionals. \""

"——"

"\"How does Xi Er feel? \""

"\"Xi Er thought for a moment and said, 'I feel… Lu Ka's deduction is actually pretty reasonable, assuming the thief really is just one person. I didn't expect you to be more than just well‑limbed.'\""

"\"Hahaha, 'three‑limbed' would be more accurate. Since you all agree with my reasoning, let's just run with this line of thought and start looking. \""

"\"Before setting out, Xi Er suddenly asked, 'Lu Ka—do you often help people find things?'\""

"\"I guess so? Kids always come to me when they lose something. \""

"\"Hmm… no wonder. \""

"Lu Ka looked around; the place was filled with tents stretching as far as the eye could see, with mechanical debris and the trash of Wanderers scattered all over the snow."

"\"It's really run‑down… I sure don't want to live here. \""

"\"Xi Er shook her head. 'The people here don't want to either, but they have no choice.'\""

"\"We can change this, right? \""

"\"Yeah. \""

"——"

"War of the Twin Cities."

"\"I can understand why Xi Er and Lu Ka want to change the status quo, but… it's probably hard for their generation to see any real change. \""

"Mei Er set down her teacup, her gaze withdrawing from the endless white snow of the skydome, and sighed softly: \"Just the debt that Bei Luobo Ge has incurred would likely take them several generations to repay. \""

"\"The debt and interest are a mountain pressing on the heads of Bei Luobo Ge's people, keeping law‑abiding citizens from ever getting back on their feet. Changing a nation's poverty‑stricken situation has, since ancient times, only two paths. \""

"\"She raised a finger: 'First, make a trade agreement with a strong nation, exchanging living creatures for a chance to catch one's breath——' Her voice carried a hint of mockery, 'But you must understand, Mei Er… those strong nations will never let you truly grow strong. They'll cling to you like leeches, keeping you just barely alive while never allowing you to rise.'\""

"\"And the second? \""

"\"The second is much simpler. \" She raised a second finger, \"It's also the fastest and most effective method—plunder. Use war to seize another nation's resources, use force to open markets—just like Nuoxikasisi is doing right now. \""

"\"Mei Er frowned slightly. 'But how many lives would this cost?'\""

"\"'Cost?' An Bei Sa chuckled lightly. 'My dear, in this world any progress comes at a price. The only difference is whether you pay it yourself or make someone else pay for you.'\""

"\"I believe in Bei Luobo Ge's military might—they have such powerful war machines, yet they only use them to build walls and houses… what a waste. \""

"\"She turned her gaze back to the endless white snow below, 'If we could get a dozen interstellar ships from the Interstellar Peace Company, and if that great guardian lady were willing to make up her mind——the war machines of Bei Luobo Ge could certainly seize the nearby star systems and claim their mines……Only then would Bei Luobo Ge truly rise.'\""

"——"

"\"The three split up to search nearby, and before long they actually found an old drone in the snow—though they couldn't immediately tell whether it was the one Ka Xidi had discarded. \""

"\"'Look… it looks like someone deliberately scraped off the paint on the hull, and they didn't clean it all off.' Xi Er pointed to the blurred coating on the drone's surface. \""

"\"'Oh, indeed! Good eye, Xi Er. Whoever did it must have been in a real hurry.'\""

"\"Only Xing Yi among them had any repair experience; after a bit of work, the little guy was able to fly again. \""

"\"'Beep—boop! Xiao Fei—reboot complete!'\""

"\"'Searching for Da Ben's signal……search failed, Da Ben is too far away, tracking activated.'\""

"\"After the system announcement, Xiao Fei flew off in that direction. \""

"\"After who knows how far, Xiao Fei stopped at a traffic light in front of a Wanderer, and Lu Ka and Xi Er immediately understood, confirming the thief's identity. \""

"\"Hey, friend! \""

"\"'Who… who's over there?!' the Wanderer turned nervously, seeing the three approaching aggressively, his momentum immediately dropping a third. 'Red laces… ground fire?! What are you guys doing here? I… uh, I'm doing fine, I don't need your help! You, you guys hurry off and mind your own business!'\""

"\"Xi Er snorted coldly. 'All you ever think about is getting something for nothing, doing little petty thefts when you're bored—how could you possibly be doing well?'\""

"\"'Hey, I've got to disagree with you on that, Xi Er!' Lu Ka laughed, pointing at the traffic light beside him. 'Take a look at that Da Ben—this level of skill is definitely beyond petty theft.'\""

"\"'Wait, how do you guys know this robot's name? Are you——'\""

"\"'—You guessed right, it's Ka Xidi who sent us! Hand over what you stole, or prepare to feel the champion's fist.'\"