Oritis in the world of Detective Conan

Chapter 473 The True Abyss (Part 1)

"Conan, it's me!" Sera Masumi pushed aside the bushes and stuck his head out.

Conan looked at Sera Masumi in surprise and said, "Sera, you are here too!"

"Hey, your companion is that little kid? What? You actually dared to bring a child with you after coming out of the shelter. You have a really big heart." The man on the top of the tower retracted the wooden sickle, crossed his arms across his chest, and looked at Sera Masumi with some dissatisfaction.

Conan could only scratch his head helplessly. After all, they were all teleported here directly by Darren, and it was hard to say what would happen in the middle. It was good enough that they could be reunited, but he didn't know what was happening to the other people in the dream?

For the low-level members of the Black Organization who died from parasitism in the mycelium underground, were toyed to death by Nyaruko, lived a life of drunkenness and dreams in the metropolis, and died repeatedly in car rallies: this place is simply hell.

"So you are leaving?" The collector retracted her fishing rod with some disappointment. She came back empty-handed and her fishing skills needed to be improved.

The cyborg didn't react much. "Now that you've been reunited, you'll probably return to the shelter."

"Actually, our shelter... uh..." Sera Masumi was thinking of how to get away with it when he heard the person on the top of the tower behind him speak.

"I guess your shelter has already fallen. The creatures outside are not easy to deal with. Some shelters will be directly conquered by out-of-control wooden guards."

"I guess you two are fleeing from that kind of place. There are many shelters built in the past beneath the wind-eroded ruins, so the first thing many people do when they emerge is head towards my tower."

"Unfortunately, there's no food in my tower to offer them." The man on top of the tower's head turned sinister. "Anyone who wishes to occupy my tower will be sent away from this unpleasant world."

"Oh, except for him." The man at the top of the tower then pointed at the stone man. "This one seems to have been a resident of the shelter. After leaving, he became infected, and it's quite serious. His body is as hard as stone, and he blocks the entrance of my tower all day long."

The stone man pointed at himself, then at the man on the top of the tower, and then made a gesture as if he was knocking his head.

The man at the top of the tower hid his sickle behind his back guiltily: "It was you who blocked my door first and refused to leave, so I had no choice but to hit you."

Conan and the others now understood the relationship between the Stone Man and the Man at the Top of the Tower. The Stone Man was a person who escaped from the shelter, but was seriously infected with a virus. His intelligence was greatly reduced, but his physical strength was extremely high. The Man at the Top of the Tower could not drive him away like he did other refugees, so he was forced to become his neighbor. But later on, the two got along quite well and could even be called companions.

"We are going to the center of the wasteland. Do you know a safe path through the wind-eroded ruins? There are often strong sandstorms there, and you can get hurt if you are not careful." The cyborg stepped forward first to ask.

"You want to go to the center of the wasteland? I only know that there is a big pit that leads directly to the center of the earth. No one who has been close to there has ever come back. I don't want to take risks with you." The man on the top of the tower was obviously not very willing to cooperate.

The situation suddenly reached a stalemate. Initially, both groups had come here to obtain food and water, but now, a conflict seemed imminent. However, this did not prevent the stone figure from engaging in some kind of silent communication with the large creature soaking in the water. The stone figure shook his head slightly, and the large creature's eyelights flickered.

The mechanical structure of the big guy made a heavy humming sound. The sentry looked at the stone man below nervously. The collector took out the colored balls to be on guard, and the archivist kept the guide firmly behind him.

However, the guide took the initiative and stepped forward: "We... need to move forward... for the truth and... to return home."

"I don't have a home anymore, and there's probably no intact shelter left among the wind-eroded ruins."

Conan realized what he should say to bring the two groups together: "Then we should go together. We want to know the truth, and you want to find a new home. Perhaps when we go deep into the center and uncover the truth, everyone's problems can be solved."

Sera Masumi also nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Xiaota, don't you want to live in a new house? Maybe after the truth is revealed, the infection crisis will be resolved and you can live in a new house."

After hesitating for a moment, the man on the top of the tower finally agreed: "I agree. I know a way to avoid the sandstorms. But... don't call me Little Tower!"

Sera Masumi scratched his head helplessly and smiled: "Haha, sorry, because just looking at your body movements and physical condition, I feel that you are not as old as me."

[Fool's Gold: Next we're heading into the cave in Abyss Seven, right?]

[Night Watchman: According to the setting, the abyss here has begun to erode the Endless Vehicle.]

[Novelist: I feel that the abyss this time is more susceptible to the weaker the will.]

[Composer: The Abyss Seven is completely the opposite. The stronger the obsession, the more easily it is infected.]

[Entomologist: It's hard to say whether these two waves of abyss were intentional, first clearing out a group of people with ideals and ambitions, and then clearing out the remaining people who wanted to lie low.]

[Puppeteer: You'll need to replace your prosthetic limbs later, don't forget.]

[Cheerleader: Even though I did it once before when filming a promotional video, I still feel phantom pain when I remove my hand...]

[Psychologist: This is a psychological effect. You weren't actually hurt, but after seeing this scene, you felt you should be feeling pain, so you felt pain.]

After the two groups successfully teamed up, they grilled the giant salamander and ate it together. In addition to the grilled salamander, the sentinel also made pudding and other desserts with fresh fruit. Unfortunately, until the sun set, the expedition team did not catch a single frogfish.

"Ahhh, I'm so angry. Are these frogfish stupid? Why don't they take the bait? Is it because the bait I prepared is not good enough?" The collector waved his hands in dissatisfaction.

Others: Only a fool would take the bait...

Night fell again. Since they were spending the night in the bushes, two people were arranged to keep watch this time. The sentry stayed on the lookout tower as usual, and the man on the tower climbed to the top of the tallest tree.

Under the tree, Masumi Sera and Conan slept together. In a daze, Conan saw the stone man quietly approaching the big guy, and the two "people" put their heads together, as if whispering. The guide beside him seemed to leave the archiver's arms and gently stroked the big guy's head.

Conan didn't take it seriously. He just thought that the stone man was curious about the big guy, so he was observing it in a unique way, and the guide lady just came over to check the situation.

That night, Darren did not show up, and Conan did not have a dream within a dream. In the morning, everyone got up, shared some broth, and prepared to set off.

Everyone walked with heavy steps, and seemed to be moving much slower than yesterday. Today's guide was particularly silent and did not give any crisis warnings. It was not until the group reached a giant cave that something strange happened.

One of the collector's hands suddenly lost control, and ropes like poisonous snakes emerged from the joints. They controlled the hand and strangled the collector's throat, causing the collector to scream and fall to the ground. She tried to use her other hand to pry open the out-of-control hand, but the ropes were not affected at all, and even tried to spread to the normal hand.