Ke Xue: Shinichi and I are childhood friends.

Chapter 1301 The Nine People Besieged

Back at the church, Yuuya contacted the Nagano Prefectural Police for help, but Yamato Kansuke delivered some bad news.

The road to the church passes through a tunnel, which is now completely blocked by an avalanche.

"Whether I can come pick you up or not depends on tomorrow's weather," Yamato Kansuke said with a hint of helplessness.

"Tomorrow?" Yuya's expression changed slightly. "Can't we send a snowplow to clear the snow?"

Yamato Kansuke said impatiently, "Even if we start working right away, it won't help with the heavy snowfall. Besides, the bulldozers are too noisy, and it would be troublesome if they caused a secondary avalanche."

And I said, the weather forecast predicted heavy snow today, didn't you know that?

Yuya paused for a few seconds: "I live in Tokyo, why would I care about the weather in Nagano Prefecture..."

Tokyo was sunny and bright; who knew it would snow so heavily here in Nagano Prefecture?

In this cold weather, with no food or heating in the church, tonight will probably be tough.

Just then, Uehara Yui's voice came through the phone: "How many people are there on your end?"

"Nine."

"Seriously, what are so many people doing gathered in this abandoned church! Anyway, stay in the church and don't wander around. We'll find a way to get there as soon as possible."

The phone hangs up.

Yamato Kansuke suddenly noticed that Morofushi Takami's expression was a little strange and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhu Fu Gaoming's expression turned serious as he said in a deep voice, "I think I just smelled a bit of gunpowder..."

Yamato Kansuke sniffed, but perhaps because it was too cold, he couldn't smell anything.

However, since Morofushi Takaaki said those words, it's highly likely that he really did smell it.

Thinking of this, Yamato Kansuke's expression immediately turned grim: "Gunpowder... bombs, that..."

Morofushi Takaaki nodded slightly: "Yes, if this avalanche was indeed man-made... then those nine people are probably in danger."

The three looked worriedly toward the church, their faces grave.

···

After hanging up the phone, Yu sighed and said to the others, "They said the rescue team won't be here until tomorrow, so we'll have to make do here for the night."

"Alright, isn't it time to admit it?" the curly-haired man, Nishino Sumi, said angrily. "Who exactly lured us here under someone else's name?"

Gu Puyu Hui immediately retorted, "It wasn't me! It has nothing to do with me!"

Others also denied it.

Rather, in the current situation, who would admit it?

At this moment, Kenjiro Wakita spoke up: "We are here to investigate the truth behind Mr. Nichihara's suicide. Do you know which room he committed suicide in?"

However, all five people stated that they only learned of Yasuo Nihara's suicide after receiving the message, so they had no idea which room it was.

The only people who probably know about this are the masterminds who lured everyone here.

Conan tilted his head back and said, "It looks like we need to decipher that code first."

Yuya nodded in agreement, then took out the coded paper that came with the letter of commission from his pocket.

"A code?" Fujita Yorito was taken aback. "I also received a code on my phone."

"Is it a form filled with densely packed kana, which looks a bit creepy?" Curly looked at his phone and said with a somewhat unpleasant expression.

The other three also said they received the same coded form.

The group put the six coded messages together.

Yuya pinched his chin, scanned the six cipher sheets, and then said, "All six cipher sheets are 6x6 grids, and all the characters filled in are kana. However, the directions are slightly different, but the kana in each row or column are the same."

"However, the part in the middle is deliberately enclosed by a thick 3x3 line. Perhaps this is the key to deciphering the code?"

Gu Puyu Hui shrank back, her teeth chattering slightly as she said, "I say, shouldn't we think of a way to warm up first? It's too cold here."

The church had been abandoned for too long and was in disrepair; the doors and windows could not be closed properly, and cold wind kept blowing in through the gaps.

Conan suggested, "I just saw a big barrel by the door. Let's put some flammable stuff in it and we can keep warm."

Although the church is abandoned, it is still spacious, and because of the gaps, there is no need to worry about lack of oxygen over time.

As for food and water...

Nishino Sumi also brought a lot of snacks, which, although not enough for a proper meal, were just enough to keep her going through the night.

Fujita Yorito brought a lot of water; if they were careful with it, it would be enough for everyone to drink all night.

Gu Puyuhui shook the candy box in her hand: "Anyone who wants a refreshing treat can ask me for mints!"

Wada Kohei smiled nostalgically, "Yu Hui, you still like to eat this, just like before."

Gu Puyu Hui casually tossed a few mints into her mouth, puffed out her cheeks, and said, "No way."

Wada Kohei smiled.

Kawasaki Yosuke, who works at a bank, still has that unapproachable demeanor. He took a sip of water and said, "Don't worry about me. I brought my own water. I won't have any problems even if I don't eat anything all night."

Unlike his usual self, Wada Kohei was quite talkative. He smiled and said to Kawasaki Yosuke, "You're still as fastidious as ever."

Yosuke Kawasaki seemed too lazy to answer and closed his eyes to rest.

After everyone had divided the items, Nishino Sumire and Fujita Yorito decided to go and find something that could be used for burning.

Gu Puyu Hui said, "Then I'll go and bring the bucket over, and get everything ready in advance."

Yu thought for a moment and then said, "Miss Gu Pu, why don't I go? You can help clean up this area so everyone can rest?"

Gu Puyu Hui paused for a moment, then nodded: "No problem."

Seeing this, Amuro Tooru said, "I'll join you too."

Kawasaki Yosuke stood up and said, "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom." He had been taking sips of water every now and then since he appeared at the church, and he had been holding it in for quite a while and needed to relieve himself.

Conan immediately shouted, "Uncle, I'll go with you."

Yosuke Kawasaki nodded slightly.

Wada Kohei said, "There's no electricity or water here, and the toilet..."

“No,” Yosuke Kawasaki said calmly. “Although the church is abandoned, there is still a cemetery. So, to make it convenient for people to visit the graves, at least the water supply should still be normal.”

He paused, then added, "I just don't know if the water pipes have frozen in this cold weather."

After saying that, he turned and left, and Conan quickly followed.

Over here, Yuya and Amuro Tooru arrived at the door and immediately spotted the bucket that Conan had mentioned.

Yu walked over and was about to lift the bucket when suddenly a cold wind blew in, blowing straight into her collar.

He couldn't help but shudder. Looking up, he noticed that the church door wasn't closed properly, and there was a piece of white paper pasted on it.

"What is this?" Yu was stunned for a moment, then walked over and peeled off the paper.

Amuro Tooru, seeing this, also came over.

The paper had a few lines written on it: "If you wish to pay your respects to me, go to these places and each person can collect a eulogy." — Yasuo Nichihara

Below the text was a simple map of the church, with labels for each room: entrance hall, chapel, reception room, storeroom, etc.

Yuya and Amuro Tooru exchanged a glance.

"This is···"