Chapter 382: Illusions and Holographic Projections
Gunter von Goldberg II allowed the corners of his lips to curve upward, forming a faint, entertained smile. He looked exactly like a man settling into a comfortable theater seat to watch a particularly amusing play unfold.
The reality of the situation was quite simple. The fools targeting the Jade Chamber were nothing more than sore losers—bitter competitors who had been thoroughly outmaneuvered in the market. They wanted to hire street thugs to smear the new terminal and disrupt its highly anticipated release.
He had merely stepped in, offered a few misleading whispers, and exploited their desperation. He made those pathetic executives believe the sabotage was being carried out exactly to their specifications by his own hired hands. No matter how deeply anyone dug into this mess, the trail would ultimately hit a dead end at the wallets of those corporate masterminds.
Let the renowned Detective Kogoro Mouri try his best. Gunter wanted to see just how much weight that famous name actually carried. How far could the sleeping detective really investigate before hitting the wall Gunter had built?
Sonoko harbored a completely different opinion regarding Kogoro's supposed deductions. She certainly had not forgotten Miss Ningguang's earlier warning. The elegant leader of the Jade Chamber had explicitly stated that this golden-haired playboy harbored ill intentions.
She opened her mouth, fully prepared to voice her mounting doubts, but Conan beat her to the punch. The boy's face lit up with an exaggerated mask of innocent curiosity.
"Oh?" Conan piped up, his voice pitching higher. "I saw on TV the other day that some types of hypnosis use special visual effects! It sounds an awful lot like what those employees were just talking about."
'I have absolutely no idea how real hypnosis works,'Conan thought to himself,'but this should be enough to bait him.'
"Is there really such a thing?" Toru Amuro responded without missing a single beat. He smoothly shifted the spotlight directly onto Gunter. "Mr. Gunt, as a renowned master of hypnosis, you must know if Conan's television trivia holds any water, correct? Could you perhaps explain the mechanics to us?"
"Master of hypnosis?" The Spider let out a low, dismissive chuckle. "Mr. Amuro, you must be gravely mistaken. I am no master of hypnosis."
Despite his calm exterior, the Spider's chest tightened. A cold spike of alarm shot through his veins. He had severely underestimated this eclectic group. To think they would immediately guess that his grand illusions were achieved through hypnotic suggestion.
However, the spike of panic was fleeting. He forced his muscles to relax, smoothing out his breathing. These were nothing more than baseless guesses. Without hard evidence, how could they possibly prove he possessed hypnotic abilities? And even if they somehow proved he could hypnotize people, it was a massive leap to prove he was the one orchestrating the sabotage.
"Eh?" Conan tilted his head, amplifying his childlike persona as he trotted right up to the Spider's legs. "If Mr. Gunt can't hypnotize people, then were all those stage performances real? Does Mr. Gunt really know actual illusion techniques?"
The Spider glanced down. Seeing it was just a pesky child, he didn't bother masking his annoyance and casually brushed the boy off. "That is my little secret, kid. Children shouldn't ask too many questions, or my illusions might just stop working altogether."
A vein throbbed faintly beneath Conan's bangs. 'This arrogant jerk,'the miniature detective thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.'He thinks he can just dismiss me with a couple of patronizing sentences just because I look like a first-grader. Heh. Impossible.'
Refusing to back down, Conan practically glued himself to the Spider's side, firing off a relentless barrage of questions. "So, illusions are related to Mr. Gunt's secret? If the secret gets out, will the illusions really break? Are illusions actual magic? Can they make my wishes come true? And, and..."
The Spider's brow twitched. He could feel his carefully maintained temper fraying at the edges thanks to this utterly tactless brat. But it was the boy's next question that nearly shattered his polite facade entirely.
"...Mr. Gunt, did you happen to see the idol performance over in Osaka?" Conan asked, his eyes wide and shining. "How does that show compare to your illusions? Honestly, I think that show was the most fantastical performance in the entire world! Can your illusions even compete with it, Mr. Gunt?"
Taking the cue, Sonoko immediately chimed in, her eyes sparkling with genuine admiration. "That's exactly right! Especially Miss Nilou's dance. It was absolutely stunning!"
Ran nodded enthusiastically, joining the fray. "Miss Barbara's singing performance was also incredibly moving."
Before the Spider could even formulate a response, Sonoko and Ran launched into an animated discussion, eagerly listing off the stunning visual effects and stunning choreography from the Osaka competition that had left such a lasting impression on them.
Seeing the Spider's jaw lock as he teetered on the very edge of losing his composure, Keqing stepped forward with a polite, measured smile.
"Thank you all for your love and support regarding the technology the Jade Chamber invested into that competition," Keqing said, her voice clear and authoritative. "However, there is really no need for comparison. Not to boast, but I am entirely confident that the Jade Chamber's technology is second to none."
Amuro blinked, shooting Keqing a speechless side-glance. He had initially assumed the lilac-haired executive was stepping in to offer Gunter a graceful way out and de-escalate the rising tension. He certainly hadn't expected her to casually pour a bucket of gasoline onto the fire. Looking closely, he could see the muscles in Gunter's neck straining. The man looked even angrier now.
It was a fascinating observation. Amuro hadn't expected Keqing to possess such a fiercely assertive personality, especially when compared to the elegant, calculating demeanor of Miss Ningguang.
The Spider ruthlessly swallowed the bile of insult. Having his life's work and unique abilities openly belittled by a group of teenagers and corporate executives was infuriating, but he forced a stiff, practiced smile onto his face.
"Since all the employees have been thoroughly questioned," the Spider said, his tone dripping with forced politeness, "perhaps Miss Keqing could now show me your company's highly praised holographic projection technology? I am quite curious to see exactly what this 'second to none' technology looks like."
Keqing raised a delicate eyebrow, completely unfazed by his underlying hostility. "Of course. Don't worry, it won't disappoint anyone."
With a sharp pivot on her heel, she led the way down the corridor, her footsteps brisk and purposeful. Ganyu followed closely behind, offering a gentle gesture to usher the rest of the group along.
They soon arrived at a specialized testing room. The interior was cleanly divided into two distinct sections by a thick wall of transparent glass.
Kogoro Mouri and the others peered through the partition. The section closest to the door was crammed with high-end computers, server racks, and complex instruments whose specific purposes completely eluded the detectives. The other side of the glass, however, was a vast, empty space, devoid of furniture save for a series of sleek, camera-like devices mounted securely to the ceiling above.
"Wow! What is this place?" Sonoko asked, pressing her hands against the glass, her curiosity entirely piqued.
Ganyu stepped forward, her voice soft but professional as she addressed the group. "This is the dedicated testing chamber for our holographic projection technology. We believe it will be much more convenient and clear to demonstrate the system's capabilities in a controlled environment like this."
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