Conan quickly accepted Fang Zheng’s explanation, while Beatrice seemed conflicted. Looking at Beatrice opposite him, Fang Zheng chuckled.
In the Conan world, aside from everything else, the upper limit of black technology is indeed high and completely unscientific.
In fact, the set of equipment Dr. Agasa made for Conan from head to toe, none of it is scientific.
The bow tie voice changer — can you tell me how a purely mechanical device that relies on a dial to change pitch can perfectly mimic someone else’s voice?
Power-enhancing soccer shoes — utterly defy Newton’s three laws of motion; enough to anger Newton back to life from his grave.
Solar skateboard — considering it can be used infinitely during the day and for thirty minutes at night, and the speed is comparable to a car, the battery capacity and energy conversion efficiency of this solar skateboard can only be achieved by an alien civilization outside the Solar System.
So when Fang Zheng mentioned using some form of quantum communication to hack into the game program terminal and contact someone for help, Conan expressed complete understanding and acceptance. After all, Fang Zheng had directly hacked the central computer during the "Undead of Baker Street" event and forcibly shut it down to kick everyone offline, which Conan was quite displeased about at the time. However, he did recognize Fang Zheng’s computer skills.
So Conan decisively expressed understanding, while Beatrice looked speechless. But did her thoughts have anything to do with Fang Zheng?
"That’s the situation. Do you understand?"
Fang Zheng also pulled Phoenix Wright over and explained the current situation to him carefully. Phoenix Wright here wasn’t present in body but rather in spirit form. Strictly speaking, his current condition was like having a lucid dream.
"I understand."
Phoenix Wright also nodded. In reality, he would have a lot of questions, but currently, he’s in a dream state, so he accepted everything Fang Zheng said wholly.
"So, Mr. Fang Zheng needs me to argue against the lies of the woman named Beatrice, proving that the murder on Rokugashima is man-made... However, currently, the clues are insufficient."
"No worries, you’ve got a helper."
Fang Zheng put his hand on Conan’s head.
"This child?"
"Don’t underestimate him, okay? He’s a Detective indeed."
Saying this, Fang Zheng turned to look at Conan.
"Now you understand what to do, right? You’re responsible for finding the truth on the board. Although Beatrice tells lies, all artistic processing must be built on the foundation of reality to be completed. What you need to do is peel away the fiction, reveal the truth, find clues through reasoning, and then deliver them to me—only evidence I recognize can become courtroom evidence, and then it will be handed to Lawyer Phoenix Wright for further questioning... Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand."
At this point, Conan nodded, though his expression seemed peculiar.
"But isn’t this the police process...?"
"That’s right."
Hearing Conan’s question, Fang Zheng shrugged. What he described is actually the police process: collecting evidence, finding clues, then handing them over to the prosecution, and finally, the prosecutor raises charges in court and presents evidence...
"I never thought I would stand in the prosecutor’s position one day."
At this moment, Phoenix Wright also had a strange look.
"I’m clearly supposed to be a lawyer..."
"........."
Conan also felt complicated. He had always been a detective, and he didn’t expect to be a police officer this time...
"So..."
After assigning the tasks, Fang Zheng snapped his fingers.
"Let’s restart this game."
Quickly, the world changed once more; everything began anew.
As before, everyone arrived by boat at Rokugashima, but this time Fang Zheng’s identity had changed...
"Are you sure this is fine?"
Standing next to Fang Zheng, Conan was full of black lines.
"Why did you have to be Louza Yodaimiya’s boyfriend and make me your son this time!"
Indeed, unlike the first "game identity," this time Fang Zheng was appearing not as a notary but as Louza Yodaimiya’s current boyfriend, while Conan was set as his son—simply put, this time it’s actually Fang Zheng losing his girlfriend and then getting together with Louza Yodaimiya, both with a child, bringing them closer together...
"Isn’t this good? At least you don’t have to worry about identity issues anymore. Plus, with this identity, we can further participate in the event."
"Haah..."
Conan sighed in exasperation.
"But why her?"
"Because I suspect there’s a clue involving Louza."
"A clue?"
"Exactly."
Facing Conan’s inquiry, Fang Zheng nodded.
"Do you remember? In the last game, Louza was furious with her daughter. I observed that every time Maria mentioned Beatrice, she would experience emotions mixed with anger and unease, even with a touch of fear. That’s why she wanted Maria to shut up and stop mentioning that name—in other words, Louza Yodaimiya has a solid impression of Beatrice; she might even know who Beatrice is."
"You mean, there’s really someone named Beatrice on Rokugashima Island?"
Conan became serious at this point, whereas Fang Zheng nodded and then took out a map.
"This is the map of Rokugashima that I obtained earlier. It shows that besides the villa where we’re staying, there’s another hidden mansion in the forest. Either Kinzou Yodaimiya is doing this out of boredom, or he has a lover in hiding... Think about it, having a lover on a secret island sounds pretty thrilling, doesn’t it?"
"Indeed..."
Hearing this, Conan started to ponder.
"In the previous scene, all the servants seemed aware of Beatrice’s existence. If Beatrice really is the lover that Kinzou Yodaimiya is supporting, then it wouldn’t be surprising for servants to know of her presence. Perhaps they invented the story of Beatrice being a witch to scare the kids away from the forest and thus keep the truth hidden."
"After all, Kinzou Yodaimiya can’t be a homebody, and Beatrice needs clothes, food, and accommodation, which undoubtedly requires someone to help take care of her..."
"If that’s the case, Mr. Genji probably knows something about Beatrice."
Conan came up with an idea at this moment.
"He’s Kinzou’s most trusted servant, surely he knows about Beatrice."
"But even if he knows, he wouldn’t tell a kid like you."
Fang Zheng shook his head.
"Given that Mr. Genji is Kinzou’s most trusted servant and even has the privilege of accessing the study freely, it shows Mr. Genji is Kinzou Yodaimiya’s confidante. Supporting a lover can be considered both a secret and scandal. If he truly is loyal, he would keep this secret buried forever and take it to his grave."
"There’s no problem with that."
Gazing at the map, Conan appeared confident.
"If I remember correctly, on the first afternoon, everyone is supposed to go play at the beach. I’ll come up with an excuse and say I want to explore the forest. If we can bring them along and find the mansion, then at least we’ll have evidence!"
"Leave it to you then."
Hearing this, Fang Zheng nodded.
"Remember, our ultimate goal is to uncover the truth behind the murder mystery on Rokugashima Island; that’s the only way we guarantee our ’victory’."
"I understand. I will find the evidence."
Amid their conversation, the boat finally arrived at Rokugashima.
And Fang Zheng, wearing a smile, approached Louza Yodaimiya and led her off the boat. Conan, witnessing this scene, felt conflicted. He had to admit Fang Zheng was quite an actor; his attitude towards Louza didn’t show overt enthusiasm nor coldness, with even a bit of subtle care for her. If Conan didn’t know Fang Zheng’s set identity, he might really think Fang Zheng and Louza were a deeply loving couple.
However... is this really okay?
Conan felt he would definitely be incapable of doing this since he liked Ran. Even pretending, he couldn’t show that kind of intimate interaction with another girl... Fang Zheng, that guy, is he trying to take advantage?
In fact, that’s exactly what Fang Zheng was planning.
Before setting off, Fang Zheng had reviewed all the materials of the Yodaimiya Clan members, including Louza Yodaimiya’s document.
Truth be told, Louza Yodaimiya’s background was quite tragic.
Being the youngest daughter, Louza initially had a fiancé arranged by her family. If everything went smoothly, Louza would have married her designated fiancé after graduating high school, given birth, and lived a mundane life.
However, Louza was deceived by a scoundrel who tricked her physically, financially, and even conned her into being a guarantor, ultimately leaving her with a huge debt and a newborn, Maria.
Frankly, it’s a tragic story of a spoiled young lady being conned out of wealth and love by a scoundrel.
After this, Louza raised Maria alone. Her relationship with the family became strained due to this, and she had debts to pay back. Given this, Fang Zheng could clearly understand Louza’s affection for Maria. According to the documents, she gave birth to Maria after graduating high school and raised her alone... This context shows a remarkable struggle; given her ordeal, dumping the child was a possibility.
Of course, had she been the heroine of a romance drama, it would have been about her raising her daughter despite hardships, enduring bitter struggles, and facing various obstacles... Yes, that’s one of those early morning soap operas.
For Fang Zheng, this wasn’t exactly a tough gig. Though Louza Yodaimiya had given birth, Maria Yodaimiya was only 9 years old and considering this, Louza was still under thirty and maintained a good physique—this scenario is a win-win situation!
Subsequent events followed the same pattern as in the first loop of the game. After lunch, the adults continued discussing the inheritance while the kids went out on a picnic. Fang Zheng accompanied Louza in her room but didn’t engage in the discussions.
Currently, what’s most important is waiting for news from Conan.
Eventually, as before, everyone returned to the villa for dinner, and Conan promptly sought out Fang Zheng.
Seeing Conan’s solemn expression, Fang Zheng felt uneasy.
"What’s the matter? Did something happen?"
"We followed your map and found a mansion in the forest."
Conan looked around before lowering his voice.
"But...?"
Fang Zheng knew a ’but’ was coming.
"But it has been abandoned for many years, likely over a decade without anyone living there!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng frowned.
Seems like I’ll need to approach Louza for this.

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