Not a detective

Page 84

Chizuko gave an awkward smile. She couldn't just shake her off, because the detective had actually grabbed her real left hand on the very first try.

Asakawa Riku's expression turned serious.

The fact that the Dongyun family hid an underground facility beneath the Jiutian Pavilion was not accidental, but a deliberate scheme. As the saying goes, "hiding a tree in the forest," concealing the true purpose of the pavilion was the best disguise. It appeared to be the location of an annual gathering, but in reality, the underground facility was the real secret operation, and the gathering was just a facade.

This would explain why a building was constructed deep in the mountains and why supplies were occasionally delivered there; everything could be covered up as a "Christmas party."

This ensures that secrets will not be spied on by outside news media or commercial spies. Even the guests who come here for the banquet probably won't notice that there is an underground fortress hidden beneath their feet. The sounds of the machinery have long been drowned out by the noisier crowd, laughter, greetings, and even the chorus of music.

Even the staff and waiters at yesterday's banquet might have been employees of [Dragon Palace Palace].

...Just like that box of [Winter Limited Edition French Chocolate].

For some reason, Asakawa Riku suddenly had this association, but it was actually quite apt. Most people only pay attention to the outer layer of chocolate, but don't know that there is another layer inside.

The fact that the Dongyun family hid this building so well suggests that it must hold a great secret that no one knows about.

"So that's how it is. Mom was told she 'saw something she shouldn't have seen,' which must mean she discovered the secret of this museum."

Shinonome Suetsuki finally released Chizuko's hand, lost in thought: "The Dragon Palace... it really does suit that local tyrant's aesthetic."

Asakawa Rikuya recalled the story she had told him; it seemed that her mother had been silenced in this way.

It seems the Dongyun family won't let anyone who breaks in get away with it, even if they're the patriarch's mistress, or even the mistress who has borne him a child...

Asakawa Riku said to her, "Why don't you stay here?"

"Never."

Mo Yue quickly shook her head: "Although Mom is an idiot, she believes that selling her body can bring success in her career. As long as she succeeds, she can get rid of control. As long as she gives birth to me, she will have a new goal in life. As long as she obeys them, she will not be hurt. Even if she discovers a secret, she will be fine as long as she apologizes... She is an idiot, but she is also my mom."

She took a step forward, her steps continuing:

"Therefore, I will witness what she sees and pass it down to her."

It seems this guy can't be persuaded... It's only right to avenge one's mother, and Asakawa Riku has no right to interfere.

So he turned to the other side:

"Yuki, you stay outside. What's coming next might be a little dangerous."

"Brother..."

Yuki hesitated and reached out her hand. She stood there awkwardly, seemingly unwilling to obey.

Although Asakawa Riku was reluctant, he couldn't just take the child to a dangerous place. Although he didn't have superpowers or the ability to predict the future, he could sense the danger coming from underground. It was the alertness brought about by years of combat instinct. There were probably fully armed guards and watchmen down there, and there might be more than one or two. People with guns are very dangerous.

At least the detective can use her abilities to avoid harm; she's at least an adult.

However, Yukie cannot use her abilities; she is still a child, and Asakawa Riku's heart cannot allow him to take her into danger.

"Asakawa-san, don't leave Yukie behind again."

Chizuko then stood in front of her and said, "Don't forget, Yukie is also capable of fighting."

Asakawa Riku immediately frowned: "You..."

"Yes, elder brother, I still remember everything that happened with you this summer, and I also learned about my background and abilities."

What Yuki said next surprised him greatly.

The girl was standing at the very back, by the door, slowly untying her scarf, earmuffs, and heavy down jacket.

“I know that you and Father did it all for my own good, which is why you arranged that dream therapy. I am grateful for everything you did, and I felt your care and love for me. But I also know that I am a sinner. The split personality is actually a part of me, even if it is the evil in my heart, I cannot completely sever it. I killed my parents with my own hands when I was a child, that is my sin. I also killed the innocent people on the snow mountain, even though it was just a dream. I can't keep running away anymore. Although I think it would be nice to be protected like this forever, that is ultimately just childish whining. I know I can't go on like this anymore…”

She was wearing close-fitting thermal underwear, but it was no match for the cold wind blowing in from the doorway.

Her petite body trembled in the winter heat. Having enjoyed the "greenhouse dream," the girl finally decided to grit her teeth and wake up.

"Asakawa Riku, I want to stand firmly by your side, not be the little sister you protect... I want to atone for my sins with my own strength."

Her hair was gradually dyed white.

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Twenty-Nine - Infiltration

and many more……

Asakawa Riku originally wanted to step forward to stop her, but the words she said made him stop in his tracks.

The determination and resolve in those eyes were not a joke... but a realization born from careful consideration.

Despite her petite frame, she stood tall in the cold wind, and Yuki's smile was exceptionally beautiful, instantly reminding one of the songstress who once danced in the snow.

The "monster-like" power returned to her once again.

Her hair had been dyed pure white, the fine strands shimmering like flowing silver, displaying an exquisite luster that complemented her skin, making her look like a princess draped in snow.

At this moment, the girl's ice sculpture-like figure is more beautiful and moving than anything else.

Xuehui gently raised her hand, her fingertips touching the ground, and the outside world was dyed pure white. The wind and snow fell down unnoticed, even though it was a sunny day just a second ago.

The wind and snow swept through the wine shop, quickly accumulating a layer on the roof and covering the surrounding trees with silver crowns, creating a scene that seemed to change in an instant, which was quite amazing.

The temperature plummeted, and the snow fell to the ground with a series of thuds. If we weren't inside this building, we would probably be shivering.

The superpower known as "Yuki-onna" may not have the same intense freezing effect as Kuroyuki, but the power itself is by no means weak.

She can alter celestial phenomena and create natural disasters; such massive artificial snowfall is a miracle that only a god could create.

Fortunately, it was winter, so there wouldn't be any strange occurrences like snow falling in summer; otherwise, something unusual might have been discovered.

"In that case, we won't have to worry about reinforcements coming from outside, and we can cause a huge disturbance."

The white-haired girl turned around and smiled.

Riku Asakawa then realized that Yukie might not be as weak and clumsy as he had imagined; she was also a very smart child who could think and reason on her own.

No one needs protection forever. He once pursued power madly, but Xuehui tried to stop him in every way. It seemed like he didn't want her to get hurt, but it was actually his own self-righteous arbitrariness.

So Asakawa Riku also resolved his inner conflict and said earnestly:

"As long as it's your own decision, that's fine."

"Of course." Xuehui smiled sweetly, "Brother."

However, his eyes did not become empty or lifeless, nor did they take on any strange or abnormal form; he remained essentially the same kind and lovely child.

After creating this heavy snow, Yuki's hair color didn't last long and quickly turned back to black.

Although the snowfall hadn't stopped anytime soon, Chizuko helped her put her clothes back on, perhaps because she was just starting to try out her superpowers and wasn't yet proficient in using them.

"You're so silly. Don't push yourself too hard all at once. Just take it slow, okay?"

"Hehe, I also want to show myself off."

It must be said that Chizuko occasionally does have the demeanor of an older sister.

However, the real troublemaker beside her was not so mature. Shinonome Suetsuki exclaimed, "Wow, it's snow... How did you do that?" and tried to run off.

Asakawa Riku immediately grabbed her and dragged her to the spot.

Despite being the oldest person here, why doesn't he have any mature thinking commensurate with his height...?

He sighed helplessly, looking at the wind and snow outside the door, and couldn't help but think of what happened half a year ago.

Yuki's abilities are indeed impressive. Such a blizzard could probably completely block the mountain road within half an hour. The narrow mountain road is impassable for vehicles, so neither the police nor reinforcements from the Dongyun family can arrive, and helicopters cannot be deployed. This creates an excellent "secret room" environment, enough for them to do many things here.

But now that this Pandora's box has been triggered again, we must do everything we can to prevent the appearance of "Black Snow," otherwise, we may very well repeat the same mistake.

"It's time to go." After deciding that everyone should set off, Asakawa Riku reminded everyone that they shouldn't waste any precious time.

The time that Yuki had bought for them must be used wisely. They must start now and find the entrance to the Dragon Palace.

However, in practice, it is not so easy to implement.

where?

Asakawa Riku frowned, at a loss. The entire Jiutianguan was huge, and although it had been completely cleared out, there was no obvious entrance to the basement or steps.

It should be hidden, but how the hidden compartments and mechanisms are triggered is puzzling. This is not a school building, where it is easy to see where the hidden door is. It is indeed a meticulously constructed hidden building. The entire underground fortress is buried underneath, concealed by a precise structure and complex mechanisms, making it impossible to see through easily.

"Every building has secret passages. Could this also be a building designed by Nakamura Seiji?"

He couldn't help but complain.

Although it looks unremarkable from the outside, this place truly lives up to its name as the "Dragon Palace Palace".

Even if we find the entrance, we might still need a key, authentication, or password... The security here is so good, it'll probably be very complicated.

They might have to piece together keys from various places, obtain authentication privileges from others, or guess passwords from some notebook—a classic scenario.

Thinking about this kind of thing gives Asakawa Riku a headache. He has hated the puzzle-solving parts of games since he was a child. When he was a kid, he thought it would be better if it was all just fighting.

Although it seems a bit extreme now, he admits that he is not a particularly sharp-minded person, nor is he good at decryption.

I'm not a detective anyway... so it's okay to do this, right?

Let's just skip part of the plot.

So he took a deep breath and instantly sensed the entire structure of the Wine Palace. The blood vessels and bones seemed to reappear in his eyes. At this moment, it was no longer a building, but a "human body". Since it is a human body, it will have vital points and weaknesses. Everything is like this, and nothing can escape it.

At this moment, Asakawa Riku seemed like a god looking down from above, pressing the entire building down on him. Okay, this is a ground grappling technique, and he has it under control.

Next, all it takes is a light tap to destroy it.

Then raise both hands high—

"and many more."

Dongyun Sueyue suddenly called out to him, her beautiful eyes seeming to foresee something: "Are you going to bury us together?"

"Just move aside a little," Asakawa Riku said calmly. "I'll control my strength and won't hurt anyone."

"In that case, the Dragon Palace will also be buried together, and we won't be able to see anything."

"……you're right."

Although he was reluctant to admit it, these words convinced Asakawa Riku. He was also curious about what was underground, and he couldn't simply leave.

"You're always so rough. Can't you be a little more elegant?"

Chizuko sighed and complained helplessly. Her body had already sunk halfway into the floor, taking Yukie and Suetsuki with her.

She waved her hand: "Come here, come here, let me show you what real infiltration is all about."

Winter of the Demons: Chapter Thirty - Ambush

The infiltration attempt failed right from the start.

To be precise, they used the power of the ghost "Akiku" (it was the first time Riku Asakawa had known that her body could hold so many people) to travel directly from the upper level to the lower level. Ghosts can travel through physical bodies, making them an excellent tool for infiltration. They didn't need to crack any mechanisms or codes and could reach their destination in no time.

Just like an elevator.

But the moment they landed, Asakawa Riku sensed great danger, because they were surrounded.

It was a narrow corridor, with four people huddled back to back, surrounded by pure white walls and bright, somewhat glaring lights.

Even more striking were the bright flashlights and tactical equipment, and the fully armed soldiers (who could no longer be called security personnel) holding rifles, their hands raised in alert.

Asakawa Riku noticed that they had already loaded their guns, the dark muzzles pointed at them, ready to fire at any moment.

It's an ambush... What's going on?

The soldiers in the Dragon Palace wore heavy tactical helmets that completely covered their faces, so their appearances and expressions were not visible, but they did not lower the rifles they held in their hands.

No one spoke; the scene was enveloped in silence, as if no one wanted to break the balance, and the density of the gunfire might easily turn the area into a sieve.

They walked carefully on the thin ice, not daring to make a mistake.

There's only one person who never reads the room:

"Ah, it must be surveillance footage."