I, Zhongli, Wander the World

The incident on Beebo Street eventually turned into a small section in the Yokohama newspaper.

"The explosion of dud bombs left behind during the war caused the second damage to the **** area of ​​Leibo Street. Please take care of your own safety when traveling..."

Edogawa hurriedly leaned to the side, chewing some coarse snacks in his mouth, and vaguely read the headline in the newspaper, "Are the people who compile the news an idiot? Duds?"

Zhong Li turned a page of the newspaper in his hand and calmly replied: "They just know that no one in Yokohama will believe the news published in the local newspaper."

And no one will go to the Beading Street for nothing, so just write a reason.

"Hey—is that the reason again?" Edogawa frowned in disgust, he was the most impatient of these twists and turns, so he quickly skipped the topic, "Ah! Mr. Zhongli, I want to see that A four-panel comic in a newspaper!"

Zhongli took out the newspaper page with the cartoons and handed it to Edogawa Ranpo, and took the rough snacks that the little detective generously shared.

It was an ordinary afternoon at the Armed Detective Agency.

The newly established Armed Detective Agency is very new. Unlike Wanxiangtang, which is a temporary stronghold, this office on the fourth floor of the red brick building has been carefully renovated, and even the walls are freshly painted. The employees are not the same as when they were first established, with only Fukuzawa Yukichi as the president and Edogawa Ranpo as the detective. In addition to the underage Nakahara Nakaya who recently joined, there are also ordinary people joining the job one after another. Working as a clerk or a janitor, it's fair to say that everything is going in the right direction.

Since he is not a member of the Armed Detective Agency, Zhong Li usually doesn't come here. The reason why he was sitting in the detective agency this afternoon was because the president, Yukichi Fukuzawa, who was out temporarily, asked him to take care of the children.

After all, if the president was not there, there would be only two minors left in the detective agency, and those adults who were clerical workers couldn't control them at all.

In the past two days, there were no cases that were so urgent that they needed to go out to investigate, and the rest were just things that Edogawa took a look at. Therefore, the two small investigators stayed in the office, Edogawa Luanbu was eating rough snacks and read the newspaper with Zhongli, while Zhongyuan Zhong was also reading the textbook and exercise set of the junior high school.

—Even if there is no official graduation ceremony, he still has to work hard to become an excellent middle school student!

Central Plains Naka, who was learning to be dizzy, didn't even hear the knock on the door.

The clerical staff are all working indoors, and there are no extra staff outside. Edogawa Ranpo, who didn't want to move, can only reluctantly put down the newspaper in his hand, and walk to the door while clapping the crumbs of snacks on his hand.

Time to recruit more junior investigators.

Edogawa Ranpo thought so, and opened the door of the detective agency.

"Hey, come on—"

He slammed the door shut again with a backhand.

Zhongyuan Zhong, who was shaken out of the ocean of knowledge, also shook a little, raised his head and blinked in confusion.

The knock on the door rang out with perseverance again. Edogawa Ranbu didn't even open the door this time. He turned his back to the door and covered his ears and said loudly, "Stop knocking! We won't accept your request!"

"Wandering, what's wrong?" Zhongyuan Zhong also came over strangely.

Edogawa hurriedly said angrily: "Nothing! Orange-kun is not allowed to open the door!"

Unexpectedly, Edogawa Ranbu suddenly became self-willed at this time, and Zhongyuan Zhong reluctantly raised his hand and said, "But Ranbu, you have to tell me what's wrong with that person outside, right?"

enemy? Potential hazards? Or just plain disgusting? - Don't doubt, with his understanding of Edogawa Ranpo, there are definitely cases where he refuses to accept orders simply because he doesn't like it.

At this moment, a voice that was filtered by the door made it a little dull came over: "This voice...is that the boy from that time?"

"Ok?"

Zhongyuan Zhong was also stunned, his memory was not bad, and the voice sounded familiar to him, "You are..."

The door was pushed open from the outside.

A long-haired man wrapped in thick clothes was standing outside the door. His facial features were typical of European and American features, and his face was still unhealthy pale. At this time, he was looking at Zhongyuan Zhongya in surprise.

"Are you that person that day?" Zhongyuan Zhong was also a little surprised.

That day, this person left after asking about the curse spirit, claiming that he had a task at hand, and he could not persuade others to leave together. I didn't expect to meet again in the detective agency now.

"You obviously found out the identity of Orange-kun first." Edogawa Ranbu bluntly exposed it directly.

The man did not change his face, and sincerely praised: "You can see the truth at a glance, as expected of the famous Mr. Edogawa."

As if his pretend surprise just now was just a small test.

"...Even if you praise me, I won't be happy!" Edogawa said loudly, turning around and running back to the office, sitting down angrily beside Zhongli, who was calmly reading the newspaper.

He lowered his voice: "You don't stop him either."

"I'll see you in the end, it's pointless to do it in vain." Zhong Li reassured, "It's better to think carefully about how to take the initiative in your own hands."

"The initiative..." Edogawa Ranbu frowned and fell into contemplation.

In front of the door, Zhongyuan Zhong also scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, he occasionally makes a little awkwardness when he walks around. Come in first." After speaking, he stepped aside.

The man did come here with an entrustment, so the two came to the reception room, and a civilian staff brought tea and then quietly retired.

Zhongyuan Zhong also took out his own small notebook specially used for recording.

"My name is Lantang."

The man named Lantang wrapped his clothes and first introduced himself, "You should have guessed it, I'm from the inner world."

After all, other than the people in the inner world, they no longer have the iron to look for the curse spirit knowing the danger. Zhongyuan Zhong also nodded and motioned for the man to continue.

"I have a friend who has disappeared." Lan Tang said slowly with a look of recollection on his face, "I once lost a memory due to an accident, so I don't remember his name, just a general impression. He is similar to me. Old age, with blond hair..."

Zhongyuan Zhong was also earnestly taking notes. For a while, only the man's slow elaboration and the rustling sound of the pen tip passing over the paper were left in the reception room.

"...With that little memory, I found an organization whose main business is smuggling. But that's the end of it. They noticed something about my investigation, in order to prevent me from provoking my place because of my personal reasons. Disputes between the organization and that organization, I had to suspend all investigations..."

Zhongyuan Zhong also thought about it and raised his head.

"So you want to entrust the detective agency to help you investigate?"

"So you want the detective agency to help you attract firepower?"

The different words that appeared at the same time were intertwined, and Edogawa walked in aggressively, and sat solemnly on the sofa next to Nakahara Nakaya and opposite Lantang.

Lan Tang's lips moved slightly, "No, I didn't..."

"You have." Edogawa Ranbu was as aggressive as a cat with fried fur, "You didn't even think about trusting the detective agency, you just wanted to make a fake commission to get the detective agency to attract the attention of that organization, and then take the opportunity to yourself investigation!"

Zhongyuan Zhong also looked at his small notebook in shock and distress, "So all his words are false?"

Then the transcripts he carefully recorded were not for nothing!

"No, most of what he said was the truth, and the only thing that was fake was the commission itself." Edogawa Ranbu snorted from his nose, obviously very upset.

It would be boring to play stupid again at such a time. Lan Tang shrank and wrapped his clothes a little tighter, and said casually, "Then, what are you going to do? Young man."

Throw yourself out? Secretly imply that the organization locks itself in? Lan Tang thought nonchalantly, rubbed his fingertips subconsciously, ready to respond depending on the level of trouble.

"Change your entrustment." Edogawa raised his chin frantically, "We will help you get that clue, there is no need for unnecessary firepower, just change it to this."

"what?"

"that's all?"

Zhongyuan Zhongya and Lantang's questions were almost in unison.

"That's it." Edogawa Ranbu assured, "But there are additional conditions on my side. We will keep a copy of the information, no problem?"

Lan Tang smiled softly, "If you can really get it, this kind of thing doesn't matter."

After negotiating the entrustment, several people walked out of the reception room.

When they were leaving to see the guests, they passed by the sofa in the office area again, and Lan Tang naturally saw the man sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper again.

After hesitating again and again, he stepped forward.

"Excuse me... Have we met before?" He asked hesitantly, only that Zhongli felt a little too familiar to him.

Zhong Li shifted his gaze from the newspaper to Lan Tang, meeting his gaze briefly in mid-air, and then quickly staggered.

"Never."

One side is in a coma and the other is awake, and it really doesn't count as "seen".

After Lan Tang left, the two teenagers discussed the entrustment for a while, and finally decided that Zhongyuan Zhongyao would find the organization alone.

"Don't worry, you don't need to investigate too much, as long as Mr. Orange is gone, the information will come naturally." Edogawa Ranpo confidently gestured "ok", but did not explain too much to Nakahara.

"Why even sell this?"

"Because it's fun!"

The teenagers had a heated discussion. Zhongli just watched the newspaper and did not participate in the internal topics of the Armed Detective Agency.

And after the adult, the president of the detective agency, returned, he quickly left.

Originally, there were still two old scholars who planned to drink tea and enjoy poetry together, but seeing the tense expression on Fukuzawa Yukichi's face when he came back...

It must be that he is not in the mood to sit and discuss with him.

After leaving the gate of the detective agency, seeing that it was still early, Zhong Li decided to go for a stroll around China Street, and by the way, to see if the newly established Quyi Museum opened today.

China Street is a certain distance from the location of the Armed Detective Agency. Zhong Li walked forward at a walking speed. As soon as he turned the corner, he bumped into a boy full of arms.

To be precise, it was Zhong Li who reached out and supported the latter's arm before the other side bumped into his arms.

It's easy to start.

There were faint shouts and footsteps from the street corner, and the anxious young man grabbed Zhongli's sleeve like the last straw, raised his head and said, "I'm sorry, but can you please help me! "

Zhongli lowered his head and looked at him.

In the close-up vision, the kite-colored eyes were full of false fear and real desolation.