Chapter 13 Chapter One

The period is the alternation of hot days and tropical nights, like the middle of hell in August.The location is Yukinagi, a residential area about ten minutes by car from the center of Kuzuigawa.A blue Renault drove up the ramp with a gasping engine sound.A dull voice resounded in the quiet car. "Next intersection, turn right. Next intersection, turn right." Sitting in the driver's seat was a man in an ordinary suit.He glanced at the latest navigation system next to the dashboard, said softly, "Turn right at the intersection..." and turned the steering wheel.The car turned into a five-meter-wide asphalt road. On the right side of the road was Xingchuan, one of the tributaries of the Cuidi River, and on the left side were old houses.

Not long after driving, a large notice board "Welcome to Mengtai" suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.Appears to welcome visitors, but the sign itself is dilapidated, rusted and tilted, making one want to turn back now. This is the entrance of a residential area that can be called a lucky nail - Yumedai.Mengtai used to be a new residential area, just as its name suggests, it is the urban area that the citizens of Kuizuichuan dream of and yearn for.However, 40 years after its completion, the old streets have no shadow of the past.Dream Terrace, which has lost its brilliance, is left with only aging buildings, aging residents, and narrow and dangerous roads.Nowadays, in the entire city of Cuidichuan, those who yearn for Mengtai must be a minority.

Once entering the dream stage, the rigid voice once again informed the follow-up route. "Next intersection, turn left. Next intersection, turn left... Look, there!" The rigid voice suddenly turned into a very human voice. "Look, the corner of that vending machine just now! Mr. Ukai, what are you doing! It's overdrive, reverse the car!" "Hey! Liuping, what did you say? Is it the small road just now? Tsk, that's not an intersection. Generally speaking, that kind of road is called a dark alley." He slammed on the brakes and said "Really, you are not good enough to be a navigator", and cast a reproachful look at the young man in the passenger seat - Tomura Ryuhei.Liuping is the first and only detective assistant of Ukaidofu Detective Agency.The outdoor attire of T-shirt, field jacket, jeans and hiking shoes is in sharp contrast with the pelican in a suit.

"I'm so sorry that I'm not a good navigator, besides, I'm not a navigator, I'm a human being..." Liuping whispered someone's famous quote secretly, pointing to the side of the dashboard. "By the way, this thing is not generally called a navigation system." There is a piece of paper fixed with tape, which is the fax received by Ukai's detective agency last night, with a rough map of the Dream Station drawn on it.For poor detectives without navigation, only this map and leveling guide are the latest navigation systems.The biggest advantage of this system is that there is no need to pay for installation or maintenance. The disadvantage is that it can only reach one place.

The destination of this time is marked with ※ on the map.There lived a strange old man who lived alone, and instead of looking for anyone else, he asked Ukai to entrust him with work.Therefore, the private detective and his assistant happily drove out on a hot day that was not a holiday. "It's just around the corner of the Fang Zhong shop." Ukai reversed the car quickly, returned to the corner where he had just overturned, squinted at the signboard of "Fujiwara Fudosan" and turned the steering wheel.After entering the alley where vehicles can barely enter, there is no way to walk less than 20 meters.In front of you is a Japanese-style gate that exudes a serious atmosphere.Simply put, this alley is a dead end.

"Well, it's the same as the map... Wow, although the door is old, it is very grand. It must be rich." Yukai parked in front of the door and got off with a faxed map.The reason why this can be done is also one of the advantages of paper navigation.Liuping then left the passenger seat, and then looked at the house number. "'Tanosho Seitaro'...does this person live here alone?" After confirming the name of this strange old man, Liuping walked towards the doorpost's intercom.Liuping put his finger on the call button and asked Ukai "Do you want to press it?" He had already pressed it once.But no response.Then press the second and third times as well.There was no response from the intercom, and no one opened the door and poked their heads out.The unresponsive situation made Liuping start to question as if belatedly.

"This old man surnamed Tiansuo really wants to entrust Mr. Ukai with a task? Is it true? It's not Mr. Ukai's own wish, nor is it a unilateral determination or auditory hallucination?" "Of course, it was indeed work that came to my door. He said: 'I want to entrust you with something, can you come to my house tomorrow afternoon?' If it was an auditory hallucination, it would break my own longest record." Indeed, auditory hallucinations cannot be so long, and it seems that it is not a personal wish or a unilateral determination. "Then why didn't he answer the door?"

"God knows, did you forget to have an appointment? Wait for me, I'll call and check." Yukai took out his mobile phone and called the phone number written on the fax paper in his hand, but still no one answered.Yukai shook his head several times, and silently closed the phone. "Really, I've come here all the time, it's nerve-wracking." Detectives are like puppies ordered to wait, helpless at the door. "That old gentleman surnamed Tiansuo, what kind of work do you want to entrust Mr. Ukai?" "Looking for a pet, he asked me to help find the missing cat. He said that he would explain the details when we met directly, so I didn't ask what kind of cat it was. But the cat is called 'Little Black', so it should be a black cat."

"Could it be that although he said that yesterday, the cat he was looking for suddenly appeared today? Mr. Tiansuo didn't need to entrust a detective, but it was embarrassing to meet directly, so he pretended not to be at home." "It turns out that it is not impossible. But is there a way for us to confirm that he pretended not to be at home? Like arson..." "That's right, that's right." If he set fire in front of the door, Tian Suo would rush out of the door in a panic, pretending not to be at home.The same way Sherlock Holmes drives out villains... No! "How can we do such a stupid thing! Please think of a more practical way!"

"Well, it's really not practical to set fire on such a hot day." "You can't do this even if it's cold, do you understand?" "I understand. In this case, we will adopt plan number two." Ukai quickly took out a pen and a business card case from his suit pocket, pulled out a business card, and wrote a message on the back. "Well...let's write it like this. 'A detective is here now and will contact you later'...that's fine." "...?" Mr. Tian Suo, who saw this message, must have questioned what time it is "now". "Is it okay to write this?"

But before Ryuhei had time to ask questions, Ukai threw the business card with the message in the mailbox. "That's all right." The detective clapped his hands, announcing the end of today's business. "So, although it's a bit early, let's go have a beer." "..." Liuping was finally speechless. Not just "a little early" to an extent.The hands of the clock have just passed two o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun is shining brightly, and the serious workers will sweat even more during the day. Only the two of them toast with beer. This kind of behavior deserves to be condemned by God... "Mr. Ugai, that's great! Get some beer now!"