15: Chapter 15: Changing the Fate of Makoto Asai

The pier on Tsukikage Island was filled with the salty, humid sea breeze. The shouts of fishing boats returning to port, the laughter of children chasing each other, and the chime of the church bell in the distance intertwined to outline a peaceful and serene island scene.

Lin Long stood on the pier, gazing at the small island surrounded by the blue sea, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the letter of commission in his pocket—beneath the seemingly calm exterior lay a hatred deep enough to overturn everything.

"Mr. Lin Long, where are we going now?"

Miyano Akemi carried a small suitcase, her gaze curiously sweeping over the buildings on the island.

Most of the houses on the island had white walls and red roofs, scattered along the winding coastline. Occasionally, one could see a few elderly people in traditional clothing sitting at their doorways weaving fishing nets; time seemed to have slowed down here.

"Let's go visit an 'old friend' first."

Lin Long smiled and turned to walk towards the street in the center of the island. "Mr. Mouri Kogoro and the others will probably need to find an inn to settle down first; we can take this opportunity to act on our own."

Miyano Akemi nodded and followed silently behind him.

She could feel that the purpose of Lin Long's trip was not simple. Especially when she heard the words "old friend," the deep meaning that flashed in his eyes made her vaguely guess that this commission was likely related to some hidden secret.

The shops on both sides of the street hung colorful signs. The freezers in the seafood shops displayed the freshly caught haul, and the doorways of the grocery stores were stacked with boxes of drinks and snacks. The air was filled with a mixture of fishy smells, seawater, and the sweet aroma wafting from the bakery.

A few students in school uniforms ran past, laughing. One of them accidentally bumped into Lin Long and quickly bowed to apologize: "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay."

Lin Long stepped aside, but his gaze was drawn to a poster on the street corner—it was written in brush calligraphy, "Village Head Election Announcement." There were three candidates: Masato Shimizu, Tatsuji Kuroiwa, and Ken Nishimoto. The bottom right corner of the poster indicated that the voting date was in three days.

"It seems like things haven't been very peaceful on the island lately."

Lin Long whispered. In the original plot, these village head candidates were the murderers who participated in killing Asou Keiji back then, and they were also the targets of Asai Narumi's revenge plan.

Miyano Akemi followed his gaze to the poster and said softly: "Did the village head pass away?"

"Yes, it is said to be a sudden illness."

Lin Long retracted his gaze and continued walking forward. "But sometimes, the words 'sudden illness' hide quite a lot of trickery."

Miyano Akemi did not respond, only subconsciously quickening her pace.

She vaguely understood that this seemingly peaceful little island was about to be swept into a bloody storm.

Passing through two streets, a small white building appeared before their eyes. A wooden sign reading "Asai Clinic" hung at the entrance, and a few vibrant green plants were placed on the windows, exuding a warm atmosphere.

This was Asai Narumi's hideout, and also his disguise for blending into Tsukikage Island as a female doctor.

Lin Long pushed open the door of the clinic, and the wind chime made a crisp sound.

The clinic was filled with a faint smell of disinfectant and the scent of herbs. Rows of labeled medicine bottles were neatly arranged on the medicine cabinet against the wall. Asai Narumi was standing in front of the cabinet, wearing a white doctor's coat and thin-rimmed glasses, with his long hair loosely tied behind his head; the lines of his profile were as soft as an ink painting.

Hearing the movement, he turned around, a gentle smile on his face, his voice as soft as the sea breeze: "Hello, how can I help you? Is something bothering you?"

When his gaze fell on Lin Long, his smile froze for a moment, but quickly returned to natural, though there was a hint of imperceptible vigilance in the depths of his eyes—this strange man who had appeared suddenly had eyes that were too sharp, as if they could pierce through all his disguises.

Lin Long crossed his arms, sizing up the female doctor in front of him, and couldn't help but click his tongue in his heart.

It had to be said that Asai Narumi's disguise was flawless: fair skin, delicate features, and a gentleness in his speech that was just right. If one didn't know his true identity, anyone would think this was a gentle and lovely female doctor.

Especially the clean aura about him, which was completely incompatible with the word "revenge."

"We are not here for a medical consultation."

Lin Long spoke, his voice breaking the silence of the clinic. "I'm here to find someone."

Asai Narumi pushed up his glasses, his smile remaining gentle: "Find someone? May I ask who you are looking for?"

Lin Long took a step forward, looking straight into his eyes, and said word by word: "Should I call you Asai Narumi... or should I call you, Asou Seijitsu?"

The moment the words "Asou Seijitsu" were spoken, the smile on Asai Narumi's face completely froze.

His fingers resting on the medicine cabinet tightened abruptly, his knuckles turning white. The pupils behind his glasses contracted sharply, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, all the fur on its body standing on end.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze. Miyano Akemi subconsciously held her breath; she could feel the chill that instantly erupted from Asai Narumi—that was the instinctive reaction when one's deepest secret was touched.

"Who are you?"

Asai Narumi's voice was no longer gentle, carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling, yet he forced himself to remain calm: "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Who I am is not important."

Lin Long walked to the consultation desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down on his own, not forgetting to gesture for Miyano Akemi to "sit anywhere." "What's important is that I know who you are, and I know what you want to do."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the practicing physician's license hanging on the wall, where the Asai Narumi in the photo smiled gently and charmingly: "A top student from Tohto Medical University, giving up a bright future in Tokyo to return to this remote little island to be a doctor—you aren't doing this just for the sake of practicing medicine, are you?"

Asai Narumi's face turned paler and paler. He clenched the hand hidden behind his back—there was a scalpel used for self-defense there, which was now trembling slightly because of its owner's nervousness.

What exactly was Lin Long's background? Why did he know his secrets? Could he be an informant for those people?

Asai Narumi naturally knew that Lin Long's arrival was because of the letter he had sent. Because of his conflicting thoughts, he had sent letters to all the detective agencies, wanting them to come and stop him from committing a crime.

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Asai Narumi's voice turned cold, with a hint of wariness: "If you are here to cause trouble, I will call the police."

"Call the police?"

Lin Long sneered, leaning forward slightly, his eyes as sharp as knives: "Call the police to say that you, this female doctor, are actually a man? Or, call the police to tell those 'respected' islanders that you are the son of Asou Keiji, who was murdered by them years ago, and have come back for revenge?"

Every sentence was like a heavy hammer striking Asai Narumi's heart.

He staggered back a step, bumping into the medicine cabinet with a "clatter." Several bottles of medicine slid off the shelf, fell to the floor, and shattered, the brown liquid splashing onto his white coat.

"You..."

Asai Narumi pointed at Lin Long, his lips trembling, but he couldn't say a complete sentence.

He had hidden for so many years, carefully playing the role of Asai Narumi, and no one had ever suspected him. Yet, the man in front of him had peeled away his disguise layer by layer like an onion, leaving him naked and exposed under the sun.

"Don't be nervous."

Lin Long leaned back in his chair, his tone softening a bit: "I'm not here to expose you, and certainly not here to stop you."

"Not here to stop me?"

Asai Narumi was stunned, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Could it be that you..."

"I know about your father."

Lin Long interrupted him, his voice low and clear: "Asou Keiji, the famous pianist, was forced by several 'big shots' on the island to participate in drug trafficking. Because he refused, they burned him alive in the piano room and faked a suicide by fire, and even your family members were not spared."

He took out his phone and opened a photo—it was the family portrait of Asou Keiji found by the Shadow Guards. In the photo, the man was holding a young Asai Narumi, sitting in front of the piano smiling gently, with the woman beside him leaning against him, her eyes and brows full of happiness.

The moment Asai Narumi saw the photo, he could no longer hold back his tears, which slid down his cheeks.

He turned his head away, not wanting others to see his vulnerability, his voice choked with sobs: "You investigated me?"

"When I take on a commission, I make it a habit to investigate things thoroughly."

Lin Long put away his phone: "To be honest, I admire your father. Under such coercion and temptation, to be able to hold onto his bottom line, preferring to die rather than participate in drug trafficking—such a person is worthy of respect."

He looked at Asai Narumi, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible approval: "The hatred of killing one's father is irreconcilable. If it were me, I would do the same. You want to take revenge; there is nothing wrong with that."

"Nothing wrong with that..."

Asai Narumi muttered to himself, as if clutching at a straw, or as if cheering himself on: "Yes, I'm not wrong! They killed my father, they killed my whole family, they should pay with their lives! Why should they be able to calmly be village heads and council members, enjoying the wealth exchanged with my family's blood?!"

The resentment that had been pent up for over a decade finally breached the dam at this moment.

He no longer masked the hatred in his eyes, and the gentleness on his face was replaced by a kind of near-maniacal resolve:

"moonlight sonata is my father's favorite piece. I will use this very piece to send them to hell!"

Miyano Akemi sat to the side, listening with a pounding heart.

She never expected that this seemingly gentle doctor carried such heavy hatred, and even less did she expect that Lin Long would not only fail to stop him, but actually... seem to approve of his revenge?

Lin Long looked at the emotionally agitated Asai Narumi and remained silent. Only after he calmed down a little did he speak slowly:

"Your plan is meticulous. First, you use an anonymous request to lure the detective here, then you use the curse of the moonlight sonata to commit murder, intending to disguise everything as an accident or a curse. However, you overlooked one thing."

He pointed toward the window:

"I'm not the only one who came this time. There's also Mouri Kogoro—that detective who is quite famous in Tokyo. Although he seems unreliable, how many famous detectives are actually incompetent?"

"And that brat beside him has terrifyingly sharp observation skills. Do you think your methods can really fool them?"

Asai Narumi's body stiffened abruptly.

This was exactly what he was most worried about.

He knew of Mouri Kogoro's reputation and understood that the arrival of a detective meant risk, but he had no way out—those people were getting older, and if he didn't take revenge now, he might never have the chance again.

"So what if I can't fool them?"

Asai Narumi raised his head, a trace of tragic determination flashing in his eyes.

"At worst, we'll perish together! I never intended to leave this island alive in the first place!"

"Is it worth sacrificing your own life for a few pieces of scum?"

Lin Long suddenly stood up, resting his hands on the consultation desk, looking down at him with eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

"The bottom line your father protected with his life was not meant for you to use death to exact revenge! If you die, who will remember his grievances? Who will tell the world the truth?"

"I..." Asai Narumi was stumped by the question.

He had never thought about this issue. The flames of revenge had long since burned away his reason; he only knew he wanted those people to pay with their lives, but he had never considered what would happen after the revenge.

"I can help you." Lin Long's voice carried a strange magic, as if it could pierce through the fog of hatred.

"I can help you make those people pay the price, bring their crimes to light, and make them repent in despair. I can even help you deceive Mouri Kogoro and the police investigation, allowing you to escape unscathed."

Asai Narumi looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion: "Why would you help me? What do you want?"

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Asai Narumi knew that for Lin Long to go to such lengths, it was impossible for him to have no ulterior motive.

"It's simple." A faint smile curled at the corners of Lin Long's mouth. "I want you to live. After you take your revenge, come with me and work at my agency."

"Go to your agency?" Asai Narumi was stunned. "What can I do?"

"Your medical skills, your ability to disguise yourself, and your meticulous mind are all things I need," Lin Long said candidly.

"My agency often handles 'special' requests and needs talent like you. Of course, you can refuse, but in that case..."

Lin Long didn't continue, but the meaning in his eyes was self-evident—without his help, Asai Narumi's revenge plan would likely fail, and he might even expose himself during the process, ending up with the same fate as his father.

Asai Narumi looked at Lin Long. In the eyes of this mysterious man, there was no pity, no disdain, only a pure sense of transaction.

He knew this was a trap, yet he couldn't help but be attracted by the promise of "escaping unscathed." To live... it wasn't that he hadn't thought about it.

It's just that for all these years, the only motivation supporting him to live was revenge; he had never thought about what to do after the revenge.

"Can you really let me escape unscathed?" Asai Narumi's voice carried a hint of trembling; that was the desire to live.

"I never do things I'm not sure about." Lin Long reached out his hand. "Well? Do we have a deal?"

Asai Narumi looked at the hand he extended, then looked out the window—there were a few children chasing and playing there, sunlight spilling over them, laughing without a care in the world.

That was the happiness he had once possessed, but it had been completely destroyed by hatred.

If... if he could survive, could he commemorate his father in another way? Could he do something more meaningful?

Anyway, he was already a person living in the darkness; what would a little more darkness matter? Asai Narumi gave a self-deprecating smile.

He took a deep breath, and the hesitation in his eyes was gradually replaced by firmness. He grasped Lin Long's hand; his palm was cold, but it carried a resolute strength:

"Deal. But I have one condition—don't let those people die too quickly. They must pay the most painful price for what they have done."

"No problem." Lin Long nodded with a smile. "As it happens, I don't like letting scum off easily either."

Miyano Akemi, standing to the side, watched this scene with mixed feelings.

She didn't expect Lin Long to "recruit" an avenger in this way, and even less did she expect that this person carrying such deep blood feuds would actually agree.

But for some reason, looking at the light that had reignited in Asai Narumi's eyes, mixed with hope, she suddenly felt that perhaps this wasn't bad.

At least he didn't have to end everything with death, as she had once thought.

Asai Narumi let go of his hand, wiped the tear stains from his face, and pushed his glasses up again, but at this moment, his gaze was completely different—underneath the gentle disguise, there was a hint of coldness and firmness.

"What should we do next?"

"Proceed with your plan." Lin Long sat back in the chair, his tone relaxed. "Kill who you need to kill, play the music you need to play. But remember, send me a signal before the third target dies."

"What are you going to do?" Asai Narumi asked warily.

"Help you 'clean up'." Lin Long smiled mysteriously. "I'll ensure everyone believes the murderer has committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and you, the 'innocent' female doctor, will safely remain on the island and continue your life—at least until the heat dies down."

Asai Narumi looked at his confident appearance, and the doubts in his heart gradually dissipated. He didn't know what cards this man really held, but he could feel that he had bet correctly.

"Oh, right." Lin Long seemed to suddenly remember something. "Mouri Kogoro and the others should be near the clinic soon. You'd better adjust your state so they don't spot any flaws. Especially that brat named Conan; his eyes are terrifyingly sharp."

Asai Narumi nodded and began to clean up the broken glass on the floor, his movements already recovering a bit of the "female doctor" gentleness.

Lin Long stood up and signaled to Miyano Akemi that it was "time to go." When he reached the door, he stopped, looked back at Asai Narumi, who was organizing the medicine cabinet, and said calmly:

"Don't think about going back on your word. My people will be watching you constantly. Of course, they will also protect you."

After saying this, he pushed open the door and walked into the afternoon sunlight with Miyano Akemi.

The wind chimes rang again, but the crisp sound seemed like the overture for an upcoming bloody feast.

In the clinic, Asai Narumi leaned against the medicine cabinet and let out a long sigh. He watched Lin Long's receding figure outside the window and clenched his fists. The script of revenge would still unfold. But this time, the ending might be different.

Meanwhile, as Lin Long walked back to the inn with Miyano Akemi, Miyano Akemi finally couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Lin Long, are you really going to help him kill people?"

"I'm not helping him kill; I'm just helping him survive," Lin Long said, looking at the distant coastline. "As for those people... their deaths are self-inflicted."

He paused, turned his head to look at Miyano Akemi, his eyes softening a little: "In this world, not all evils can be sanctioned by law. Sometimes, fighting evil with evil is the fastest way."

Miyano Akemi fell silent. She thought of her parents and the innocent people harmed by the Organization, and suddenly she felt some understanding of Asai Narumi's obsession.

The melody of moonlight sonata drifted from the distant church, melodious and sorrowful, as if recounting the sealed secrets of this island.

Lin Long knew that this revenge drama composed by moonlight was about to head toward a brand new, unexpected ending with his participation.

And he would not only gain a capable assistant, but could also take this opportunity to collect the most intense malice black qi that erupted from those sinful people before their deaths. This trip to Tsukikage Island was definitely worth it.