At a certain point, the projection shut off automatically. The light slowly retreated into the eggshell, and darkness returned to the surroundings.
The art dealer recalled the photos they had just seen, somewhat puzzled. "There wasn't even a single photo of the imperial family with Rasputin. I heard they were as close as family, yet Rasputin seemed to have been excluded."
"Maybe the creator didn't approve of that 'Demon Monk' deep down." Suzuki Sonoko remembered the art dealer's explanation of Rasputin and could not help thinking of those unscrupulous salespeople who sold her charms for romantic luck and claimed she would suffer misfortune if she did not buy them. "There's still a difference between mystical tricks and genuine skill. Craftsmen look down on charlatans, which is perfectly..."
Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly froze, feeling as though she had seen something red.
At almost the same time, Conan saw a red dot silently sweep across her body before wavering toward her right eye.
...Scorpion?!
That woman actually chose this moment to strike!
He shouted anxiously, "Get down!"
At the same time, he hurled the flashlight he had just taken out, hoping Suzuki Sonoko would dodge it and accidentally avoid the bullet as well.
A muffled gunshot rang out. Almost simultaneously, Jiang Xia grabbed Suzuki Sonoko's arm and yanked her aside. The bullet grazed past the flashlight and struck the wall far away.
The flashlight clattered to the floor. The only steady light source rolled wildly around, and Suzuki Sonoko stared at its beam in confusion, instinctively reaching for it. "What's happening? What's happening?!"
Jiang Xia picked up the flashlight before she could, tilting his head aside to avoid a bullet that followed the beam. At the same time, he pressed down on Suzuki Sonoko's and Natsumi Kousaka's heads as though