Chapter 21: Beika People, Beika Spirit

Beika Town.

A high-rise apartment, Room 1604, a three-bedroom unit with a balcony.

Gao Mo slept until the next morning. As he pulled back the floor-to-ceiling curtains, he caught the sunrise.

Another beautiful day.

It feels good to be alive.

Bathed in the warm morning light, Gao Mo looked down at the flowing traffic below, feeling the city's vibrant vitality.

"Boom—!"

A sudden, thunderous roar erupted in the distance. It sounded like an explosion somewhere, and the balcony glass rattled violently.

Gao Mo stared blankly toward the horizon at the plumes of smoke and the glow of the blast.

In that direction...

Damn it, who blew up a supermarket?

The more he looked, the more it seemed to be the location of the supermarket where he had recently stockpiled supplies. Gao Mo instantly lost his mood for admiring the city.

This world is great in every way, except for the fact that it’s just a little bit broken.

He withdrew his gaze, lay back on his favorite sofa, and picked up the remote to turn on the television.

Breaking news of the explosion soon appeared at the top of the screen in a scrolling banner, warning residents not to go out unnecessarily.

At least they were prompt.

It’s a good thing he isn't a police officer; otherwise, he would be exhausted to death.

"Robbery, kidnapping, murder... crime is on the rise."

Gao Mo watched the news for a while; it was as if the world were cursed, filled with nothing but reports of incidents.

Involuntarily, his thoughts drifted to this recent string of murders.

In the original story, it seemed only Ichiro Hatamoto was arrested; not so many people from the Hatamoto family were supposed to die.

This whole family really hit a streak of bad luck.

"Speaking of which..."

Gao Mo picked up the familiar tool-man magazine from the coffee table.

As the light in his field of vision dimmed and the sound of rustling pages echoed, the words "Death Note" appeared as a distorted projection on the magazine cover.

It was still just as eerie, as if it were wrapped in the aura of death.

The glowing text automatically rearranged to reveal system information:

[Book Badge, Bronze Tier 1.]
[Supernatural Ability: Eagle Eye]
[Career Talent: Quick Immersion]
[Storage Pool: 7 Stars]
[Careers: Actor Lv1, Detective Lv1, Butler Lv0, Supermarket Cashier Lv0]
[Books: "Former Metropolitan Police Department Pistol Shooting Guide", 4 Stars]
...

In addition to the butler career, the detective career had unexpectedly been recorded by the system as well.

An extra perk of the case?

It seemed that due to the "Eagle Eye" supernatural ability, his detective career started at Lv1. As for whether the mustache-man's "Detective Notes" played a role... it was hard to say.

Beyond the career entry, the most significant gain was the "Shooting Guide," presumably from the mustache-man—he was the only former police officer on the ship at the time.

Gao Mo rubbed his eyes.

He had been too exhausted after returning yesterday to look through the information.

Moreover, the consecutive accidental deaths of Yoko Okino's ex-boyfriend and Tatsuo Hatamoto had taken quite a toll on him.

Everyone, including Conan, believed they were just accidents. Sometimes, he couldn't help but doubt himself, wondering if his own mind was failing.

But everything else told him—

The Grim Reaper truly exists, and there might be more than one.

He didn't know if his survival was a stroke of luck or if he had been pulled into a vortex of death.

"Beep, beep, beep!"

Just as Gao Mo was about to read the "Shooting Guide," his phone, resting to the side, vibrated.

It was another call from the mustache-man.

"Morning, kid Kido," the man yawned loudly. "I just got back from the police station. The Hatamoto family case is settled, and there's something you won't believe."

"What is it?" Gao Mo set aside the magazine.

"You were curious about how Akie Hatamoto was killed, right?" the man said smugly. "At first, Shoji Hatamoto refused to say a word, but then I, the Great Detective Kogoro Mouri, stepped in and successfully found the flaw!"

"This guy was actually having an affair with Akie, and he deliberately lured her to the deck to have her killed! Haha, didn't see that coming, did you?"

Gao Mo's mind was a mess.

He knew the Hatamoto family was bizarre.

Ichiro had fallen in love with his cousin Natsue, and Mariko and her husband were also cousins.

And now, the burly Shoji was involved with his brother's daughter, Akie...

That was incredibly explosive, even for a wealthy clan.

He had completely missed it.

"Let's not talk about that," Gao Mo shook his head. "It's better not to tell Miss Natsue about such things."

"Of course I won't go around blabbing."

The mustache-man coughed and suddenly began to stutter on the other end of the line.

"Uh, Kido, we're on pretty good terms, right?"

"What's wrong?" Gao Mo subconsciously glanced at the projection of the "Shooting Guide."

They were on good terms, indeed; he had already "pulled" two books from him, one 3-star and one 4-star. And the latter was somewhat useful.

"It's nothing major," the mustache-man chuckled. "Yoko is filming on location nearby next week. Could you take me along to see the world? Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble; I just want to see Miss Yoko act."

Gao Mo finally remembered he still had one acting opportunity left.

After discovering that the system's role-playing had nothing to do with acting, he had almost forgotten about it.

"I'll ask for you when the time comes," Gao Mo replied.

"You're a real pal, kid Kido!" the mustache-man cheered. "Want to grab a drink tonight?"

"No thanks, I don't like drinking. If you really want to thank me, teach me some judo."

"It's not that I don't want to teach you, but I'm only half-skilled myself. Besides, your physical foundation isn't good enough yet. What's the point of just learning the techniques? You..."

"Beep!"

Gao Mo hung up the phone, speechless.

When he needs something, it's Kido; when he doesn't, it's "kid Kido."

And he hadn't even gotten the favor done yet.

He lost the urge to read the projected book. Even with 4 stars, it still wasn't enough to upgrade his career.

Gao Mo got up, turned off the TV, and habitually opened the fridge, only to find the cola gone, leaving nothing but a pile of beer.

He had no choice but to go to the convenience store downstairs.

He might as well go out and look for a decent gym nearby.

He was too weak.

For the next while, he needed to get his body in shape and shake off his sub-health state.

His body was his greatest asset.

Once he met the basic requirements, he would ask the mustache-man for advice and see if he could acquire a combat-oriented career outside of a case.

For now, he wouldn't ask for too much; being able to protect himself was enough.

"If only there were a way to directly strengthen my body," Gao Mo sighed, looking at the text projection on the coffee table.

He felt that the star levels in his storage pool had more uses than just upgrading careers.

Unfortunately, there had been no prompts.

He wondered if it was because the quantity was too low.

...

At the convenience store downstairs, Gao Mo bought a bottle of iced cola and took the opportunity to ask the clerk about nearby gyms.

The other "him" only knew about the company gym—which was obviously off-limits now.

And his former company focused too much on extreme dieting, which didn't suit his current needs.

He wanted to build a bit more muscle.

"Muscle?" The clerk glanced at Gao Mo with surprise. "Sure. There's a decent gym in Block 5. It should meet your requirements. The sign says 'Beika People, Beika Soul.' You'll know it when you see it."

"Thanks."