The Chosen Partner

"Click..."

With a mechanical sound, Riko drew her gun from the holster on her outside thigh.

That was a semi-automatic pistol, the Walther P99, manufactured by Carl Walther Sport Gun GmbH in Germany.

Even James Bond, the protagonist of the famous spy movie series "007", uses this gun.

Riko took out two Walther from their holsters, not just one.

Gripping the two guns tightly, Riko pointed them at Aria, her eyes gleaming with a cruel light, as if she were eyeing her prey.

That kind of look was something Riko would never have shown before.

At the same time, Riko also began to release a strong killing intent.

That was something that Riko didn't have before.

As A-Class armed detective in the Detective Department, Riko has always been known for her exceptional intelligence-gathering abilities, rather than her combat prowess.

However, judging from the killing Riko was releasing at this moment, it was clear that this girl had been hiding her strength all along, and was only revealing it now.

"Ugh...!"

Spurred by that murderous aura, Aria raised her Colt without hesitation and aimed it at Riko as well.

Only then did Fang Li speak indifferently, "Are you the Armed Detective Killer?"

That incredibly calm voice caused the murderous aura in the air to dissipate, but it also caused the temperature to drop slightly.

Aria then realized another problem.

That is, his partner has an unusual relationship with the descendant of the phantom thief in front of him.

"Fang Li ..." Aria opened her mouth involuntarily, looking at Fang Li with some worry.

Even the arrogance in Riko's eyes subsided slightly, and her gaze finally turned to Fang Li, saying with a smile, "Long time no see, Li Li, have you missed Riko?"

His expression and tone of voice instantly returned to their previous state.

The contrast between before and after was somewhat difficult for Aria, who was usually carefree, to adapt to.

Only Fang Li's expression remained unchanged throughout. Looking at Riko standing on the railing, he said, "Now that things have come to this, I won't say anything like 'Have you been lying to me all along?'"

"I just want to ask you something," Fang Li said quietly, "What is your purpose?"

"Purpose?" Riko smiled, but there was no hint of amusement in her eyes. She said, "Riko's purpose has always been very clear."

With that, Riko pointed the Walther in her hand at Aria.

"That's you, Kanzaki Holmes Aria."

"My goal is to defeat you."

From Riko's words, Fang Li sensed a strong emotion.

That's persistence.

Moreover, it was an obsession that could be described as fanatical.

"Over a hundred years ago, Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin fought to a draw, neither gaining the upper hand." Riko stared intently at Aria and said, "But isn't that strange? Since they were completely different people, one must have been stronger and the other weaker. Why would they have fought to a draw? I simply can't understand it!"

"However, this does give me an opportunity." Riko suddenly smiled, a smile that was extremely dangerous. "Since our great-grandfather fought to a draw, wouldn't it prove that I have surpassed my great-grandfather and the original Robin if I could defeat you, who is a descendant of Holmes?"

"Wh... what?" Aria said in disbelief, "You... you became Armed Detective Killer for something like this?"

"Such a thing?" Riko's smile vanished, and she became like a doll, whispering, "Yes, Aria wouldn't understand. She wouldn't understand why Riko would do this, nor would she understand why Riko would join I-Yu and gain power."

"I-You." Aria reacted immediately to the name.

Even Fang Li narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Riko.

Just then, Riko also looked at Fang Li, and meeting Fang Li gaze, she said, "You know what? Actually, I've never really wanted to give you to Aria, have you?"

This sentence made Fang Li pause slightly.

Riko, as if lamenting something, said, "The Holmes clan needs a partner to unleash their full power. Even the first Holmes became a legend because he had an excellent partner. Riko is going to defeat Holmes who can unleash Holmes full power, not Aria is called a defective product."

"So, in order to achieve this goal, Aria must first find a partner." Riko said to herself, "But there are really not many people in the Armed Detective High School who can become Aria's partner. Aria herself has not been able to find one, and Riko has only picked out two candidates."

"These two candidates are you and Kinji Touyama." Riko looked directly at Fang Li. "You were both Armed Detectives who achieved an S-Class rating in your first-year entrance exams. If it were you, you would surely be able to meet Aria's requirements for a partner."

"After investigation, it turns out that you are superior to Kinji Touyama in both intellect and ability," Riko said with a slight smile.

"In that case, it would be most suitable for you to be Aria's partner. This way, Aria can unleash her full potential. Besides, Aria has been inquiring about you all along, so I took the opportunity to plant a bomb on the bus and make the two of you meet."

Hearing this, Aria was completely stunned.

Fang Li, on the other hand, finally understood something.

"No wonder the bomb was detonated after Aria had dismantled it that day."

During the bus hijacking incident, the Armed Detective Killer's goal was to lure Fang Li onto the bus, then detonate the bomb to kill him.

The reason the bomb wasn't detonated the moment Fang Li got into Fang Li car was simply because the convertible equipped with surveillance cameras was destroyed, preventing the Armed Detective Killer from knowing the situation on the ground and causing him to misjudge the timing of the bomb detonation.

Fang Li has always believed this.

However, it now appears that it was nothing more than a drama orchestrated and acted by Riko herself.

"If you want to deepen the bond between a man and a woman, then of course you have to use the hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress method!"

Riko's tone immediately returned to its usual style. She winked at Fang Li and said with a coquettish smile, "Riko has worked very hard to raise Aria's favorability with Riko, you know?"

"You...!" Aria pointed the gun at Riko again, angrily exclaiming, "So it was you who was behind this all along!"

"Yes." Riko smiled sweetly, but her voice turned icy cold.

"So, you should be content to die now, shouldn't you?"