"He's dead, does he have any family?"
"Unable to contact them."
"Drip, drop!"
The intermittent sound of dripping water reached Gao Mo's ears.
His body felt pinned down, like sleep paralysis, making even breathing exceptionally difficult.
Cold, dark, a metallic tang, decay...
Seawater continuously flooded his throat; the faintly lit surface grew more and more distant.
It was as if something was pulling him, dragging him down into the world's darkest depths.
What was happening?
Who died?
Gao Mo startled awake, struggling. He wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound, only hearing a television from somewhere.
Intermittent.
"Kudo Shinichi, the Holmes of the Heisei Era, solving great mysteries, the roller coaster decapitation case..."
"The chairman's daughter kidnapping case, Mouri Detective Agency..."
"Ah—!"
Gao Mo, as if grasping a lifeline, shot up from the floor, eyes wide, gasping for air.
He was alive!
Still alive!!
Wiping the sweat from his face, Gao Mo was still shaken, his face pale as he scanned his surroundings, his expression growing increasingly bewildered.
This wasn't his room.
The small bedroom was filled with posters and various news clippings; there were also some medals on the desk.
It seemed to be the room of an idol, but the person in the posters was, indeed, him.
Wispy long hair, a melancholic, intellectual air...
Another version of himself?
Gao Mo touched his cheek, full of confusion, and got up.
The TV in the living room was still on; he could hear exaggerated, smug laughter from an interview.
A live-action version of Detective Conan?
Gao Mo stood in the hallway, dazed, looking at the spacious living room and the wall-mounted TV, feeling as if he were still dreaming.
But his senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch were all so real.
It seemed he had died and been reborn...
One moment he was making waves on online forums, and the next, he'd transmigrated so unceremoniously.
This couldn't be some kind of prank show, could it?
Gao Mo hastily rummaged through magazines and newspapers, then found and unlocked a phone of an unknown brand, finally accepting the fact that he had transmigrated.
It wasn't just the unfamiliar surroundings; even though he originally only knew a few phrases in Japanese, he could now read it as if it were Chinese, with only a slight sense of disconnect.
And it wasn't just an ordinary transmigration or rebirth; he seemed to have entered the world of Detective Conan.
...
A quarter of an hour later.
Gao Mo chugged a bottle of ice-cold cola, ruffling his medium-length, wispy hair, his entire body sinking into the soft sofa.
It really is the world of Conan.
After some vague, fragmented memories gradually surfaced, he more or less understood his current situation.
In this world, he was a has-been idol, Kido Takamori, 25 years old. He had recently terminated his contract with his agency and was now relying on a part-time job as a supermarket cashier, his entire net worth consisting of this luxury apartment.
He didn't have any debts, but just maintaining his daily life was a struggle. On top of that, he still had the burden of his idol image, was used to spending lavishly, and always lived beyond his means.
These past few days, he had also been feeling frustrated at his supermarket job.
The proud idol, it seemed, couldn't accept his current situation, which is why he chose to commit suicide by taking pills...
For him, it wasn't too bad. No trouble was left behind, and he even had a luxurious three-bedroom apartment.
Since things had come to this, he could only accept his new identity and enjoy life...
Clack!
The lights in the room suddenly went out, and the sound from the TV also stopped abruptly.
A power outage.
Gao Mo, guided by the moonlight from the French windows, fumbled for the switch and pressed it a few times, but there was no response.
Couldn't he even afford the electricity bill?
In his previous life, he was just a librarian, didn't even own a house, but he lived a simple, content life...
He didn't know how he had died.
Gao Mo silently returned to the bedroom, trying to find a flashlight.
There should still be power.
"Hm?"
Back in the bedroom, perhaps due to the power outage, a notebook was glowing faintly where the suicide had occurred, the characters on its cover distorted.
It looked like a novel, but...
The near-death sensation of sinking into the sea resurfaced in Gao Mo's mind.
A cold draft blew directly onto his neck, and strange, terrifying whispers faintly echoed in his ears.
The world of Conan should just be an ordinary detective world, without any supernatural powers, right?
But... it was hard to say.
Even something like rebirth had happened to him.
Whoosh!
The notebook flipped open without any wind, the glowing text on the title page almost leaping out.
"Congratulations on your resurrection. You have been marked by the Death God. Will you accept death or become one who defies fate?"
"Death God? Marked?"
Gao Mo murmured, suddenly feeling a deep malice around him.
The curtains rustled in the wind, a pen rolled off the desk and fell to the floor...
It was as if something was there.
Gao Mo shivered and snapped back to his senses. He quickly closed the window, only to find the notebook lying quietly, nothing unusual about it. Everything seemed to have been his illusion.
Calm down!
Perhaps the effects of his near-death experience hadn't worn off yet.
This wasn't the world of the Final Destination movies; there was nothing to worry about.
Even the logic of Conan's world had to adhere to some basic worldview, right?
Taking a deep breath, Gao Mo comforted himself and cautiously approached to pick up the notebook.
Phew!
As expected, nothing happened. It was just an ordinary career guidance book.
Gao Mo wiped his forehead and carefully examined the book in his hand.
The edges were worn, as if it had been flipped through many times.
The him of this world, a has-been idol crushed by life, had perhaps also tried to struggle.
It's just that...
Gao Mo was momentarily lost in thought, then gave a self-deprecating smile and put down the career guidance book.
The other him was also him.
Perhaps it was because he had experienced true death that he finally understood how precious life was.
Even if the strange phenomenon just now wasn't an illusion, he would live well, cherish this new life, and never repeat the same mistakes.
Next...
Ding-dong!
The sound of the doorbell from outside pulled Gao Mo back to his thoughts.
Now what?
"Hello, is anyone home?"
A soft, somewhat cloyingly sweet female voice sounded from outside the door.
Gao Mo cautiously approached and, through the peephole, saw a girl in an off-white knit sweater, holding a small pot that looked like oden.
After observing for a moment, he couldn't find any related memories of the girl, but Gao Mo still opened the door.
"You are?"
"I'm your new next-door neighbor. Nice to meet you."
The girl had her hair in a bun; her skin was soft, white, and delicate. Her smile was very sweet, and her eyes crinkled as if they could speak.
"I made some late-night snacks. If you don't mind..."
Bang!
Without a word, Gao Mo slammed the door shut.
He didn't know why, but the words from the notebook flashed in his mind. Leaning against the door in the entryway, his heart pounded as if he were facing death once more.
What was going on?
Peeking through the peephole again, he only saw the girl's smile vanish as she muttered curses and returned to her apartment next door.
He was being treated like a weirdo.
Greeting new neighbors when they move in, there seemed to be nothing wrong with that. Was he overreacting a bit?
But something felt really off.
Ever since he woke up, things had felt off.
Death God marked?
Gao Mo swallowed dryly and turned, rushing back to the bedroom.
The Career Guidance book on the desk had, at some point, changed back into the notebook.
A new string of glowing text appeared.
"Congratulations on becoming a Defier of Fate. Please live well, enjoy eternal life, reverse the fate of death, and also... be careful to hide yourself."
"Hide?"
Gao Mo felt his vision blur for a moment, and when he came to, the notebook had vanished into thin air, and even the Career Guidance book was completely gone.
So there was nothing there from the start? Neither the notebook nor the career guidance...
Staring at the empty desktop for a while, Gao Mo's expression turned grave.
The window, which he had closed, was open again, a cold wind blowing in gently.
Does this world have a Death God?
He didn't know if the problem was with this world or with him.
He couldn't have developed mental problems after nearly dying...
More than anything supernatural, he was afraid he might be mentally ill.
Gao Mo took a deep breath and once again surveyed the apartment.
Perhaps because the notebook had disappeared, that strange feeling had lessened considerably.
Don't overthink it.
First, get some proper rest. It seemed he still had to go to his supermarket job tomorrow.
"Right, still have to work."
Grrrrumble!
A protest rumbled from his stomach.
That pot of oden from earlier actually smelled quite good.
Gao Mo pulled himself together, suppressed his wild thoughts, and found the kitchen refrigerator.
He didn't expect the other him to know how to cook. The refrigerator was empty, except for a few bottles of ice-cold cola, one of which he had already finished.
The rest was beer.
Opening the upper and lower cabinets revealed no food ingredients at all.
Fortunately, he finally found a cup of instant noodles in a corner. It was pathetically small, only enough to temporarily fill his stomach.
"Damn it, the water's out too? Can't even pay the water bill?"
Gao Mo looked at the faucet that only dripped, clutching his head in frustration. He found a crumpled utility bill reminder in the nearby trash can.
No electricity, no water, and apparently no gas either.
He could only eat the instant noodles dry, washing them down with ice-cold cola.
The only consolation was that the view from the French windows was quite nice.
The city under the neon lights had a dreamlike beauty.
At least he was still alive. At least he still had a high-rise apartment.
Starting out in Tokyo, Japan, was already quite fortunate.
...
On his first day of rebirth, Gao Mo unknowingly fell asleep on the sofa, watching the night view from the French windows.
Until the next morning, he was awakened by a commotion outside and the ringing of his cell phone.
Shivering, he subconsciously answered the phone, his ears nearly deafened by a sharp shout.
"Kido Takamori! Do you even want this job anymore?"
It was the supermarket manager.
Gao Mo moved the phone away from his ear and noticed a bunch of missed calls.
Work started at nine in the morning, and he had actually slept until nine-thirty.
"Sorry, I'll be right there!"
Gao Mo scrambled to his feet. Before he could explain much, he realized his phone battery was dead; it beeped and went black.
When it rains, it pours.
Never mind other things for now, hurry to work.
He didn't know what would happen if he was any later; a good scolding was probably unavoidable.
He glanced at the spot in the bedroom where the notebook had appeared last night.
Gao Mo's movements paused slightly, then he changed clothes and put on his shoes like the wind.
He remembered his workplace was an international supermarket catering specifically to foreigners in the area. It wasn't very far; running there shouldn't take too long.
Whether for food or daily expenses, he couldn't afford to lose this job for now.
Endure it for now, and figure things out later.
"Excuse me for bothering you suddenly. You're Mr. Kido, who lives here, right?"
Two police officers, one stout and one thin, stopped Gao Mo at his door.
"I'm Megure from the Metropolitan Police Department, and this is Sergeant Takagi. We have a few questions regarding Ms. Yamada from room 1603 next door."
"Huh?"
Only then did Gao Mo notice police officers going in and out of the apartment next door.
Had a murder occurred?
He couldn't see inside the room, but snippets of conversation from the onlookers mentioned the girl from yesterday.
The middle-aged woman who found the body was pale, apparently deeply traumatized, speaking in broken sentences and trembling uncontrollably.
Investigators carrying the body happened to pass by. A gust of wind lifted a corner of the sheet, revealing the girl's ashen face, streaked with water, her wide-open eyes, drenched hair, and slightly swollen skin...
For someone seeing a dead body for the first time, it was truly shocking.
It really was the girl from yesterday.
How did she die?
Gao Mo's Adam's apple bobbed; he was a bit scared, but his face remained surprisingly calm.
"So tragic. I heard she slit her wrists in the bathtub and committed suicide." The neighbors quickly made way.
"No way, it seems like it was murder."
"Everyone, please keep quiet."
Megure instructed helplessly, then turned to Gao Mo and continued, "Did you see Ms. Yamada last night? Ms. Yamada was murdered around 11 PM. At that time..."
"I only exchanged a few words with her. Sorry, I'm in a hurry to get to work. Can we talk about this later? I promise to cooperate!"
Gao Mo looked above Megure and Takagi's heads, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the curious onlookers.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but it seemed like everyone present had a faint glow above their heads. Especially Megure and Takagi; when he focused, he could actually see the same kind of glowing text he'd seen last night.
They displayed [Catch the culprit] and [Let me date Officer Sato] respectively...
It shouldn't be that he had mental problems. Definitely not!
A special ability?
Last night wasn't an illusion... There really is a Death God?!