The unscrupulous detective in Conan

Chapter 1357 I only need to make a slight move to push you to your limit.
While our Grey Cat was thinking, Fujino had already begun to act as a ruthless capitalist as always.

They ruthlessly exploited two high school detectives to make them work.

He turned to the two of them and asked, "What are your ideas for this case?"

"As for the ideas, it wouldn't really be called an idea," Hattori Heiji thought for a moment and said, "It's roughly..."

Shinichi Kudo, who was standing next to him, coughed lightly and said, "We haven't decided on this idea yet. Let's talk about it when we do."

“If I were to say it out loud, it could easily mislead you.”

As he spoke, he nudged Hattori Heiji's waist with his elbow: "Isn't that right, Hattori?"

Upon hearing this, Hattori Heiji immediately understood what his best friend meant.

Yes, they're probably afraid that Fujino will solve the case first.

But when it comes to solving cases, does it really matter who solves them?

Well, it is indeed quite important for the two of them.

After all, the two of them had always wanted to give Fujino, who was criticizing them, a good elbow strike.

He then stammered, "Um... um, yes, if I say it and it's wrong, it would be a bit embarrassing, and it could also mislead you."

Upon hearing this, Shinichi Kudo crossed his arms and nodded, giving a hearty laugh: "I think it would be better if we split up and investigated separately. Having two different investigative approaches will definitely make the case easier!"

"..." Fujino looked at the two brothers and was speechless.

Good grief, he said he knew one minute and then said he wasn't sure the next.

You don’t even act anymore, right?
You don't want me to give you gold coins?

This is no ordinary high school detective!

We must strike hard!

Fujino thought to himself, glancing at the task that his system had just issued:

[System Task: A Neck Squeezing on the Road]

[Mission Summary: A corpse speeding down the highway, the empty car becomes a murder scene. How exactly did the killer strangle the victim?]

[Mission Objective: Investigate the case and find the murderer]

[Mission Rewards: 1 Detective Coin, 100 Yen, 100 Detective Reputation]

[Note: Due to the tasks being too easy, the system automatically reduces the rewards for each task.]

"..."

Fujino paused for a moment, unsure whether the system's overly simplistic explanation was a good thing or a bad thing.

Without rewards, it's hard to get motivated...

However, I glanced at the two workers next to me who refused to work.

Fujino decided that he still had to use his brain and think things through.

Otherwise, those two clowns would probably be jumping around even more excitedly.

He turned his head and began to examine the body.

…………

Seeing that Fujino had failed to get a free ride from two working-class people, Ai Haibara followed him.

She asked Fujino, "Did you figure it out?"

"Hmm, I've figured something out."

Fujino glanced down at his own Ai and immediately understood her intention.

They definitely want to come and help...

However, this little gray cat gang is not needed for such a small case.

Oh well, it was just a kind gesture.

Fujino thought to himself and explained, "The corpse's neck had bloody marks from being strangled, and there were blood vessels in its eyes. Although it was as they both said, that it was strangled to death, strictly speaking, it was strangled by a thin thread."

Ai Haibara pondered, "Piano wire?"

Fujino nodded: "More or less, it's either piano wire or fishing line, not hemp rope."

Hearing this, she asked doubtfully, "But if it was piano wire, then normally it shouldn't have been someone who approached him and strangled him..."

“Yes.” Fujino understood what he meant: “If it’s a thin string like a piano wire, if the speed changes when you’re strangling him, it might cut the person’s hand as well, or even sever it in a more serious case.”

"The risk is just too great."

Ai Haibara pondered for a moment upon hearing this, glancing at the lowered car window: "Besides, if someone wanted to strangle him, he should have sensed something."

“So, external intrusion can be ruled out,” Fujino echoed.

The deceased's car window was open, and he was driving a left-hand drive imported Mercedes, which could easily give the impression that someone came in from the outside and strangled him.

In addition, Japanese cars are all right-hand drive. Although there are exceptions where a left-hand drive car might cause a passenger to strangle someone, in most cases with right-hand drive cars, the two cars need to be very close together for such a situation to occur.

However, if we disregard all of that, when people approach you and put the rope over your head, you probably won't even notice them anymore.

Therefore, there's no need to follow any rules regarding left-hand drive or right-hand drive.

This is fundamentally unrealistic.

So, how do we strangle this guy?

Fujino thought to himself, looking at the wound on the deceased's neck: "I guess the only method left is a trap."

"organ?"

Ai Haibara looked up, her large eyes staring at Fujino with a hint of confusion in them.

"Hmm, he must have been killed by using a mechanism to tighten some kind of thread," Fujino explained thoughtfully.

Anyone who has ever killed someone knows that in the world of Detective Conan, besides wielding knives and killing people with their bare hands, setting fires to houses and causing mass damage, and poisoning from a distance, there is also a type of master of physical techniques and tools.

It can be said that the props and physical laws were used to the extreme.

Holding a core-equipped piano wire, just like the nanowires in The Three-Body Problem, he used the inertia of physics to decapitate people.

For example, if a steel wire is laid across the middle of a highway, a car speeding by will have its A-pillar severed, resulting in the driver being decapitated.

However, the A-pillar here is not broken, so it was obviously not done that way.

Fujino examined the marks closely and found that the main marks were on the right side of the neck, while the left side was somewhat incomplete.

This is interesting.

Wearing gloves, he pointed to something and said to Ai Haibara, "Look, these wounds aren't connected, are they?"

Ai Haibara glanced at it and immediately understood: "The wound is not continuous, which means that the thin thread was not completely wrapped around his neck at the time?"

“I’m afraid that’s how it is.” Fujino responded, a thoughtful look in his eyes. “If a normal person wants to strangle someone, they would cross the rope in the opposite direction, and then use the intersection of the ropes to apply force and strangle them.”

"The fact that it's not here means that the intersection is not the point of force."

"The wound on the right side is deeper, which means that this is the direction that bore more force."

Upon hearing this, Ai Haibara's eyes suddenly flashed with a sharp light. "So, it's the car window?"

"Well, this is the only tool we can use."

Fujino reached out and opened the car window.

The car window slowly rolled up.

Immediately afterwards, two holes appeared in front of the two people.

Ai Haibara immediately understood the method: "Drill two holes in the glass, then thread fishing line or piano wire through them, roll up the car window, put it around the victim's neck, and then somehow make him roll down the window before strangling him?"

"That's about it." Fujino pondered, "As for the murderer, I have a pretty good idea of ​​what happened."

"As expected of you."

Ai Haibara smiled faintly, glancing at the two people beside her who seemed to be plotting something and hadn't yet figured it out. She felt a little smug.

So, it seems these two haven't figured out such a simple technique yet?
Sure enough, ours is just a tiny bit stronger...

…………

A short while later, Sato Miwako finished her business.

Incidentally, they also secured support from the Metropolitan Police Department.

After Sato Miwako returned, the two of them began to make the following arrangements:

First, check the highway toll cards of everyone present to identify those who entered from the same highway entrance. Then, examine the vehicle. Finally, conduct an autopsy on the body.

It looks quite professional.

However, Sato Miwako was somewhat resentful of these two high school students.

I think Fujino's opinion is correct.

After all, Fujino is my best partner, and we've been through thick and thin together countless times.

What are you two greenhorns doing here, acting like you're holding a grudge with a chicken feather?

So she complained, "So, you're a high school student from the West, and a high school detective who suddenly reappeared after disappearing for so long. There should be ETC systems on highways now. If the murderer's car had ETC installed, there wouldn't be any cards at the highway entrance."

"At that time, the ETC system on the highway was broken, and Fujino also got the card."

The two high school detectives had their own reasons for this: "Although the victim's car had an ETC device installed, we still found the highway card, which means that the ETC device was broken at the time."

"The act of attacking the deceased must have been premeditated, so the murderer must be among these people. Furthermore, the deceased arrived an hour ago and must have spent some time in the rest area. Considering this, the possibility of coming from other entrances can be ruled out."

"So, to find out who entered through the same entrance as the deceased, we just need to find them."

Sato Miwako narrowed her eyes, feeling a bit annoyed at being bossed around by these two.

They're clearly two little devils...

Miwako Sato did not work with Shinichi Kudo many times.

Shinichi Kudo's main collaborator is Inspector Megure.

Therefore, she had no feelings for Kudo.

At most, he's just a high school detective who's become somewhat famous and often helps others?
Seeing Sato sulking, Fujino slowly walked over, patted her shoulder and comforted her, "Sato-neechan, you can't argue with them. They must have planned this beforehand to say those things."

"I see..."

"Let's investigate according to what they said. I've just come up with an idea, so it'll be good to find the suspect."

Sato Miwako glanced at the two high school detectives, and after hearing that Fujino already had a clue, she couldn't help but ask, "Have you figured out who the murderer is?"

"more or less."

Fujino looked thoughtful: "Although the culprit has been identified, it's still better to gather all the suspects together. If my idea is wrong, we can still make amends."

"it is good!"

Hearing this, Sato Miwako felt much more at ease.

She would definitely be a little worried if these two high school detectives were handling the case.

However, if Fujino says he noticed something fishy, ​​and then modestly leaves some room for humility, then he has probably discovered the murderer.

The case is usually accurate; there's no mistake.

Turning around, she asked the officers who had been dispatched for a walkie-talkie and got to work.

Shinichi Kudo and Heiji Hattori, on the other hand, squinted and began to scrutinize Fujino with suspicion.

Why does Officer Sato listen to him so much...?

Is there an affair?
But that's not the point. The point is: do we already have an idea?
This guy figured it out after only looking at it for a short while?

This expression makes it seem like they've already identified the murderer...

Why can't we see anything?

They were both puzzled, then exchanged a glance and began communicating privately, both saying: I don't understand.

'Has Fujino already figured out who the murderer is?'

'You've figured out the modus operandi too?'

What the heck...?

'How could he have figured it out so quickly, given how short time has it been since this case started?'

'I can't come!'

The two exchanged puzzled glances, and after a private chat, their competitive spirit and curiosity as high school detectives were ignited.

Immediately, he leaned forward and asked Fujino:

"Hey, Fujino, what exactly did you figure out?"

What do you mean by "line of thought"?

"...?"

Upon hearing this, Fujino cast a strange look at the two high school detectives, one black and one white, who looked exactly alike except for their skin color, almost like half-siblings, and silently typed a question mark.

No, you two are asking me this now, aren't you?

What were you doing when I asked you this question?
So Fujino simply said, "It's nothing, just a little idea. I'd better not say it, or I'm afraid it might mislead you two."

"Don't make me lose face later."

Fujino smiled faintly, then tilted his head, looking like an innocent, approachable older brother: "So we think it's better if we investigate separately. After all, I'm not even sure if my approach is right. Solving the case separately can provide more ideas and also solve the case faster..."

"Don't you two agree?"

"..."

One was black, one was white, a Hound and a German Shepherd, and both of them fell silent.

After realizing that the sentence was directed at them, the two dogs were completely dumbfounded.

Why does this sentence sound so familiar?

Damn it, isn't that the word we just used?!
The two men were silent for a moment, their faces stinging from the boomerang.

Of course, I was too embarrassed to ask any further.

What else is there to say?

The two of them were speechless with helplessness.

They just said those words themselves, so we can't just go up and ask them again, can we?

What if Fujino, that unethical old man, recorded what he said?

After all, they both knew how cunning Fujino was.

You could say they're the kind of people who will definitely seek revenge for even the smallest grudge!
Ultimately, the two stopped considering asking this option and began to ponder where they had overlooked something.

Why didn't those two realize it, even though they were both high school detectives?
As for the two Corgis and German Shepherds scratching their heads, Fujino simply stated calmly:

Giving you the opportunity to work is so you can demonstrate your presence...

If you don't accept this kind offer, then I can only apologize.

With just a slight movement from me, you'll reach your limit!

(End of this chapter)