0p0 Chapter 399 "Queen Bee" (Part 1)
Chapter 399 "Queen Bee" (Part 1)
As they approached the mine, Judy suddenly noticed a figure at the entrance: "Wait, what is that?"
Conan immediately used the magnifying function of his glasses to look over, and found that the person was the entomologist. She paused for a while at the entrance of the mine and then walked directly to the largest mine.
"That's Ms. Meli, how come she is here?" Conan was incredulous.
"Let's follow her, put on night vision goggles, and be careful not to attract her attention." Akai Shuichi said as he put on the night vision goggles and mask he had prepared earlier, and put away lighting tools such as flashlights.
After changing into their equipment, everyone quietly followed the entomologist into the mine.
[Entomologist: They're following.]
[Fool's Gold: I'm ready. By the way, thank you Aesop for the coffin.]
[Embarkantist: Remember to return it to me after use.]
[Composer: Bringing the stuff back shouldn't be a problem, unless someone wants to blow up the mine again.]
[Fool's Gold: Not really, not really.]
[Entomologist: I think it's a little risky. Conan and the others might be thinking of taking our "corpses" back with them.]
[Embarker: ...Orpheus, remember to reimburse me.]
[Novelist: Huh? What? I'm making an ice cream cake for little Alice. I can't hear you.]
[Reporter: I now understand why Mr. Campbell keeps saying you're in arrears with your wages...]
Conan walked through the mine wearing night vision goggles and felt that something was wrong. So he whispered to Shuichi Akai in front of him, "Mr. Akai, Aunt Merry is clearly not wearing any protective gear or night vision goggles. How can she walk in this dark mine?"
"Shh, listen carefully." Shuichi Akai turned around and reminded Conan.
Conan immediately listened carefully and indeed heard the sound of insect wings flapping.
"Are those bees that Ms. Meili raised? They can actually explore the mines."
"Maybe they got this ability from genetic experiments on those bees. Normal bees don't live in mines." Judy said from behind.
When they reached a fork in the road, the entomologist stopped and released two bees from her palms, letting them fly in two different directions. After a while, the two bees came back, one empty-handed, and the other seemed to have some mineral powder on its body.
The entomologist gently rubbed the fluff on the two bees, took them back, and continued along the mine tunnel where the bees with powder on their bodies flew.
Conan, relying on his night vision goggles, saw the glittering mineral fragments: "Is that... fluorite or calcite powder? There's actually a way to point the way..."
"It must be Fool's Gold's trick. He really hid here." Akai Shuichi frowned.
"His arm was broken by Miss Galatea, so he should go to a place rich in ore to repair it, but the Glittering Gold Cave is obviously no longer worth mining?" Conan didn't quite understand why Fool's Gold hid here.
"Wait a minute, we have to catch up quickly. There are many forks in the road ahead, but Mrs. Pliny doesn't seem to be exploring the way in the same way as before." Cameron reminded several people.
After quickly catching up, the few of them discovered that there were too many forks in the road. There were also echoes left by the entomologist's walking in the mine tunnel, which made it impossible for them to tell which road the entomologist had taken.
Conan squatted down and observed the ground carefully to see if he could find the entomologist's footprints, but he accidentally discovered ants at the bottom of the Flashing Gold Grotto: "Mr. Akai, here, here are those ants."
Dark blue ants were forming a long line to carry the mushroom fragments cut off by their mandibles deep into the mine.
"This mine tunnel should lead to the big mine I visited before. There are poisonous ants there. We'd better apply some ointment to prevent mosquito bites before going through."
Cameron immediately took out the ointment and began to apply it to his arms and ankles. He had seen the agents' thighs bitten and covered in bruises. There was also an unlucky guy who was bitten on his finger, and that finger was swollen like a lollipop.
Not long after they entered the mine, they saw a door supported by a wooden frame. It was quite empty inside, and the smell of dust and slag filled the air. Conan saw a little light in the distance.
"Is there anyone there?" Conan took off his night vision goggles and tried to use the magnifying function of the glasses to see clearly, but the visibility here was not high and the light was dim, so he could only wait until he got closer to find out.
"Be careful, it might be a trap." Akai Shuichi gave a warning and put his hand on the holster at his waist.
[Fool's Gold: Oh, they've come to where I arranged it.]
[Entomologist: Me and your coffin?]
[Novelist: Okay, although Lady Pliny's supervisor personality has not yet been formed, we can use some special means.]
[Reporter: Isn't this a bad idea? Miss Nightingale hasn't revealed her specific abilities or appearance.]
Composer: There are only a few of us in Memory Embers, so I don't think my Supervisor personality will emerge, since I haven't even entered the venue.
[Crazy Eyes: Hmmmm, that depends on the mechanical structure I've specially crafted based on insect limbs.]
[Professor: Mechanical ones don’t seem very good.]
[Meteorologist: Mr. Balk, why don't we just focus on researching the "Endless Vehicle"? Naib suggests adding a kitchen to it.]
[Hermit: Let me be clear, "Endless Carrier" is not some mobile food truck.]
[Mercenary: But we need a place to eat anyway. You've already built a two-story building, so it should be possible to shove some cooking facilities in there. I don't have high requirements, just enough to bake bread.]
[Savage: You will definitely push your limits. Last time I saw you and William roasting potatoes in the Forest of No Return.]
[Forward: The bonfire in the Forest of No Return is wasted. After all, it takes up too much space in the Destination.]
[Lutou: You can eat, but be sure to pay attention to fire safety.]
[Ms. Farrow: Name and shame a certain blond-haired, bandaged-faced, smiling man.]
[Fire Investigator: This must be referring to Mike.]
[acrobat:???]
[Noise: Say it again.]
[Fire Investigator: I was wrong, I will never... again]
[Puppeteer: You'll never set fires again?]
[Fire Investigator: Never tell Richard I'm planning to set a fire again.]
[Air Force: Great, you two are accomplices!]
[Knight: I'm innocent. I was just listening to Florian finish his plan of arson.]
[Ms. Farrow: Richard, you're going to sleep on the stairs tonight! If Florian gets the urge to burn down your precious stairs, I'll see where you'll end up as your stair warrior.]
[Knight: It's time to ask Mr. Balk for advice on architecture.]
Conan walked forward and found that the place where the light was coming from was getting closer and closer to them. In his anxiety, he stepped on some hard metal without noticing, making a "clang" sound.
Judy immediately drew her gun and stood guard, but nothing happened. Cameron looked down and found that what Conan had stepped on were several gold coins stacked together.