Equipment That Cannot Be Taken Away

"Missing him? Ten years ago, perhaps I would have, but now I'm afraid that's no longer the case. Besides, I no longer have any feelings for him myself. Ran, just like you feel about that Kudo Shinichi of yours, I have no feelings left for him. You know as well as I do that these things cannot be forced. Even if we were to force ourselves to stay together, your mother would not be happy." Looking at her daughter, who was weeping in sorrow, Kisaki Eri began to explain.

"But... but can't you give Dad another chance, Mom? Is divorce really the only way?" Although she could understand the feeling, Ran Mouri still did not want her parents to separate.

"Have I not given him enough chances? Take these ten years I've been away, for instance. Has he ever come to find me, to apologize, or to ask me to come home? No! Not once. I'm afraid every day he's either drinking or ogling beautiful women; how could he ever notice someone like me? Am I wrong, Ran?" Kisaki Eri said angrily. At the beginning, she had still held a sliver of hope for that man. But as time passed and he never sought her out—let alone offered an apology—her hope turned to disappointment, and finally, to despair. By now, she no longer held any expectations for him, and her feelings had gradually faded away.

Ran wanted to say something several times, but thinking of her father's behavior, the words caught in her throat. It was true, just as her mother said; she couldn't force her mother to stay with her father. As her mother said, there would be no happiness in a forced union.

"Ran, even after I divorce him, I will still see you often. You can come visit me at my place. Everything will be just as it was before; nothing will change." Seeing that her daughter had fallen silent, Kisaki Eri hurried to comfort her.

"Mom, will you be with that Mr. Lin in the future?" Ran thought for a moment. As a daughter, there were some things she could only advise on to the best of her ability. If they were both determined to divorce, there was nothing she could do, so she turned to ask about her mother's future plans.

"I don't know. Lin has to return to China, and I don't know if he'll ever have the chance to come to Japan again. Although he promised he would, I can't help but worry." At the mention of this, Kisaki Eri's mood darkened. She didn't know if she would ever see that man again, or if this relationship of hers would be severed before it could ever truly deepen.

"Mom, why don't you ask him to stay? Doesn't he like you very much?" Ran asked, puzzled.

Looking at her daughter's confused expression, Kisaki Eri explained, "Lin's situation is a bit special; he must go back. Whether he can return to Japan in the future isn't something he can decide for himself, which is why I'm so worried."

"Then... Mom, why don't you just go to China with him?" Ran said, steadying herself. Although she didn't want to be separated from her mother, she said it anyway. She hoped her mother could find a good place to settle down, with someone who loved and cherished her. She had already endured one unhappy marriage; she didn't want her mother to miss out on another chance at happiness.

The determined look on her daughter's face deeply moved Kisaki Eri. "Ran, thank you for understanding me and for thinking of me. But let it be. If it is meant to be, we will meet again. When we meet next time, no matter the difficulties, I will stay with him and never leave his side. If we cannot meet, then it simply wasn't meant to be, and I will bury him in the depths of my heart. Everything depends on fate."

"Mom, you don't have to be like this. You could just go with him; there's no need to torture yourself." Although she felt there was some logic to it, Ran still felt a bit resistant, hoping her mother wouldn't do this and could instead go off to live a happy life.

Kisaki Eri smiled at her daughter's words but said nothing more. She had made up her mind, and the rest was up to fate. She hoped heaven would grant her a surprise, that Lin would return to find her, and that he would not forget her existence.

While the mother and daughter were talking, Lin Maoxian had also arrived at the crime scene.

He happened to see Kudo Shinichi, Officer Megure, and several others deducing the case.

Watching Kudo Shinichi in the midst of his deduction, Lin Maoxian couldn't help but admire him. For someone so young, he knew an incredible amount, and his range of knowledge was vast. Moreover, his understanding wasn't just superficial; he possessed deep insights that made it impossible not to be impressed. However, why hadn't he received a side quest this time? Was there a condition he hadn't triggered? Or was it because he hadn't participated?

Just as Lin Maoxian was about to take action, a remark from Kudo Shinichi's deduction made his heart skip a beat, and he headed downstairs. It turned out Kudo Shinichi had just said that the culprit had thrown the handgun into the trash chute, making it impossible to find at the scene. Regarding the potential side quest, Lin Maoxian felt this was an opportunity. If he could get his hands on that gun, the things he wanted to do later would be much safer, and the chances of success would skyrocket.

Arriving downstairs at the hotel, Lin Maoxian took advantage of the lack of attention and hurried into the waste disposal area.

Once inside, he scanned his surroundings; there was no one else there. Not knowing when the police might arrive, he quickly began searching through the various collection bins. Before long, he found his target in one of them: an ordinary handgun, complete with a silencer, tucked inside a bag. He tucked the gun away, knowing this wasn't the place to examine it, and left in a hurry to avoid running into the police, which would be difficult to explain.

He found a random restroom, stepped inside, locked the door tightly, and after confirming there was no way to be observed, he took out the gun to check its stats.

Shoddy Handgun

[Quality]: Ordinary

[Level]: Level 1

[Category]: Weapon

[Description]: Twenty years ago, the victim forced the culprit's father to commit suicide. For the past twenty years, the culprit has thought of nothing but revenge. He first disguised himself, gained the victim's trust, and then orchestrated this murder. He obtained this gun through illicit means from a criminal. After killing the victim, the culprit discarded the weapon.

[Attributes]: 1—Causes the target to take a fixed 25 points of damage. (Vital spots take 2x damage; lethal spots take 3x damage.)

2—[Shoddy Craftsmanship]: Because this gun was shoddily made, it can only fire 6 rounds. Current remaining rounds: 5/6. (This equipment cannot be taken out of this world.)

"Hmm? Why is there such a huge gap between this ordinary piece of equipment and that ring? The ring's attribute was only Strength +2, and it even had a negative attribute. While this gun also has a powerful negative attribute, at least 25 points of damage completely blows that ring out of the water. Why is that? Right, comparisons are natural; just like iron and steel, there will always be a difference. 'Cannot be taken out of this world'—does that mean if I safely complete all tasks and return to that space, I can't take it with me? The ring didn't have this note, so it seems it can be taken. Sigh! There is still so much about this space I don't know. I hope I can gain some information after returning this time." Lin Maoxian looked at the gun, his mind racing.

However, he was filled with longing and curiosity about the unknown space, hoping that one day he would be able to uncover its secrets.

Lin Maoxian then took another careful look at the gun's attributes. 25 points of damage—even with standard damage, three shots would be enough to kill someone. However, "vital spots" likely referred to the body's vulnerable areas, while "lethal spots" probably meant the brain, throat, or heart. If he were to fight someone, would he get a damage bonus for hitting those areas? It seemed he would have to test that when he had the chance. But those were thoughts for another time; for now, he needed to deal with this gun.

Lin Maoxian carefully tore open the bag wrapping the gun, making sure not to leave any fingerprints. He reached out, took the gun, and ejected the magazine. He counted the rounds; there were exactly five left. If he fired all the bullets, the gun would likely shatter.

He carefully tucked the gun away against his body, confirmed everything was in order, and returned to the scene of the deduction.

When he arrived, he saw Kudo Shinichi exposing the culprit.

The culprit was the current boyfriend of the victim's daughter. His father had been driven to his death twenty years ago, and he had been seeking revenge ever since, finally finding his chance today. Not only could he kill the victim and avenge his father, but he wouldn't even expose his own identity. However, he hadn't expected to run into a young man who would solve the case.

"Oh! Kudo, my boy, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have solved this case so quickly." Seeing that the case was closed, Officer Megure hurried to thank Kudo Shinichi. He hadn't seen him much lately and had thought he might have run into some trouble.

"Shh, Officer Megure, don't be so loud. Didn't I tell you? Don't call my name, and don't tell anyone. I haven't been here tonight, okay?" Hearing Officer Megure call his name, Kudo Shinichi immediately spoke up. He couldn't afford to have his identity exposed; if that organization found out he was still alive, it would be a disaster.

Officer Megure was puzzled by Kudo Shinichi's expression. "Kudo, my boy, are you in some kind of trouble? You can tell me directly; let me see if there's anything I can do to help. Don't be a stranger; you've helped me out quite a bit."

Although Officer Megure's words were tempting, Kudo Shinichi thought of the organization's power and could only brush him off. "It's nothing. I am indeed having a little trouble, but I can handle it myself, so there's no need to trouble you, Officer Megure."