Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 520: It’s dark, please close your eyes. Werewolves, please open your eyes! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
"What about Mr. Ichiro?"

Hearing what Butler Suzuki said, Conan's eyes became even sharper.

"He seems to have always been bullied in the family. Does he have any particular grudge against him?"

Butler Suzuki thought about it seriously, then shook his head. "Master Ichiro is an introvert. He likes to paint and rarely participates in family disputes. However, as Miss Qiu Jiang just said, his paintings were once criticized by the master as worthless, and he was banned from participating in painting competitions. This was a big blow to him."

At this point, Butler Suzuki paused for a moment, his expression showing a hint of obvious hesitation, "But, do you think he holds a grudge against the master because of this? Considering his usually mild-mannered and timid character, such a thing should be unlikely to happen."

Of course, it cannot be completely ruled out.

After all, for a person who regards painting as the most precious thing in life, having his paintings criticized as worthless and even being banned from participating in painting competitions again is undoubtedly a devastating blow like the collapse of the sky and the earth. One can imagine the trauma and injury he must have suffered.

With anger and despair intertwined, no one can predict what the other party will do.

"Is that so?"

After listening to the detailed narration of Butler Suzuki, Conan thought to himself that the conflicts and entanglements of the Hatamoto family seemed to be far more complicated, profound and intricate than he had initially imagined.

"So, Grandpa Butler, who do you think is most likely to take extreme measures in the fight for the right of succession?"

Butler Suzuki hesitated for a moment, then slowly said: "Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. But if I have to choose one, I think Miss Qiu Jiang and her husband Long Nan are the most likely. They are both famous for their desire for power and money, and their methods are also the most ruthless."

"However, Mr. Longnan is dead now. Obviously, he was not the murderer of the master."

"Besides them, there is Madam Mariko. She is determined to become the mistress of the Hatamoto family. To this end, no matter how extreme she does, it will not surprise anyone."

Conan took note of what Butler Suzuki said. He knew this would be the focus of his investigation. "Thank you, Butler Grandpa. The information you provided is very important to me."

Hatamoto Kitaro was determined to leave the Hatamoto family, but his strong desire to leave was rejected and restricted by Hatamoto Gozo and Hatamoto Mariko, which undoubtedly planted deep seeds of dissatisfaction in their hearts.

Although he cannot be judged as a murderer based on his motive alone, the quarrels, suppression, and increased control may have caused his negative emotions to continue to ferment, causing him to do some irrational things.

Therefore, his whereabouts and behavior at the time of the murder became extremely critical and must be further investigated and verified.

It is true that Hatamoto Akiie and Hatamoto Ryuo are husband and wife, but their relationship is bad. They have frequently quarreled over money and family status, which shows that the family conflicts between them have become extremely acute.

Akiie Hatamoto may have had a potential motive to kill Ryuo Hatamoto due to conflicts of interest or emotional betrayal.

Therefore, the details of her actions in the case, whether there are any abnormal behaviors or suspicious connections, all need to be investigated in detail.

In addition, Mrs. Hatamoto Mariko's resentment towards Hatamoto Gozo because her son's expectations of inheritance were not met cannot be ignored. Her desire for power and control of the family may drive her to take some extreme measures to eliminate other candidates who may compete with her son for the inheritance.

It is also because of this that her activities at the time of the incident and whether she had secret communications or unusual interactions with other family members must be taken into consideration.

As for Ichiro Hatamoto, although he was introverted and seemed unlikely to directly resent Hatamoto Gozo for the criticism of his paintings, this blow may have caused subtle changes in him.

The secret of his sketchbook and his panic when being questioned fully demonstrate that he may know some key information or hide secrets related to the case.

Therefore, the sequence of his actions before and after the incident, whether he had time to act alone, and his recent contact with other family members may all be important clues to solving the mystery.

However, with such complicated, confusing and entangled family relationships, it is no wonder that such a confusing murder case would happen.

I just don't know which one of these people was the murderer of Hatamoto Gozo and Hatamoto Ryuo, or whether it was the same person.

Thinking of this, Conan rolled his eyes and then cast his gaze towards Bai Ye beside him.

He decided to compare answers with his friends.

……

Time passed bit by bit, and soon, twenty minutes had passed.

Seeing that such a long time had passed and his son Hatamoto Ichiro had not returned, Hatamoto Kitaro's heart became more and more tense, and finally he could not hold it anymore and stood up. His brows were furrowed, his face was full of anxiety and uneasiness, and his eyes were full of worry for his son, "Mr. Maori, my son has been in the toilet for more than 20 minutes and has not returned yet."

"Disaster……"

When Mariko Hatamoto heard this, the tragic scenes of the murders of Hatamoto Gozo and Hatamoto Ryuo flashed through her mind, as well as the scene of Hatamoto Takeshi who had escaped from the warehouse and whose whereabouts are still unknown. An ominous premonition quickly gathered in her heart like a dark cloud.

She wondered secretly, since her son Ichiro Hatamoto had been in the bathroom for a long time and had not returned, could it be that he was being targeted by the murderer Takeshi Hatamoto?
Once this idea came up, it grew wildly in her heart like a weed, unstoppable.

Her face turned as pale as paper in an instant, and fear surged like a raging tide, instantly drowning her face.

"Could it be that Xiao Wu..."

At this delicate moment, the lights in the restaurant seemed to be suddenly extinguished by an invisible and ruthless hand, and the restaurant fell into darkness without any warning.

In an instant, the darkness was like a raging storm, engulfing everyone mercilessly with overwhelming force.

In an instant, the entire restaurant was shrouded in chaos and panic. Sharp screams and panicked shouts intertwined into a noisy melody, and uneasy emotions spread rapidly among the crowd like a plague.

Hatamoto Shoji noticed the chaotic and out-of-control situation, the creepy screams that kept coming one after another, and the panic-stricken atmosphere in the air. He hurriedly raised his voice and shouted, trying to use his voice to penetrate the darkness and panic and stabilize the situation. "Calm down, don't move, and be quiet."

However, Hatamoto Kitaro's heart and eyes were full of his son's safety, so he could not listen to him. He paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pot, shouting non-stop, his voice full of anxiety and helplessness, and faintly, a hint of hope, as if as long as he kept shouting like this, his son would immediately appear in front of him, "Why hasn't Ichiro come back yet?" The successive deaths, the son's delay in returning, and the sudden darkness, all these situations intertwined together, making his heart completely shrouded in the haze of anxiety.

He was really worried about his son's safety.

"Ichiro..."

Mariko Hatamoto was also extremely anxious, and her worry about her son burned in her heart like a raging fire. Without thinking, she stood up, leaned forward, and stepped towards the toilet, intending to rush to the toilet to find out what was going on.

Maori Kogoro had been paying attention to everyone's movements. Seeing that Hatamoto Mariko was so impulsive, he quickly stepped forward, stretched out his arm, and stopped her, "Madam, please don't run out."

In this dark and dangerous environment, if you run out alone and get left alone, you are very likely to encounter unknown misfortune and danger.

Thinking of this, he shouted, "Xiaolan, Bai Ye, Conan, where are you?"

Hatamoto Kitaro and Hatamoto Mariko were worried about the safety of their son Hatamoto Ichiro. He was also extremely worried about the safety of his daughter and others!

"it's here……"

Mao Lilan's clear and pleasant voice came from the side like the sound of nature, "Dad, I'm here, with Bai Yejun."

Maori Kogoro was relieved to see that his daughter was safe. He quickly took out a lighter from his pocket and lit it with a "click". The faint flame flickered in the darkness. He said decisively, "I'll go check the power supply. You go to the toilet and take a look."

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Mao Lilan and Bai Ye looked at each other and responded crisply, "I know."

As she spoke, she prepared to go to the bathroom with her boyfriend to check the situation.

"what……"

But before they could reach the toilet, a sharp and shrill scream pierced the sky, suddenly tearing apart the darkness as thick as ink.
And, the source of the scream was exactly where the toilet was.

"Is that...Is that Ichiro's voice?!"

Hearing this vaguely familiar scream and the location where the sound came from, Conan's heart tightened and his face changed suddenly.

The image of Hatamoto Ichiro flashed through his mind like lightning, and a strong and ominous premonition surged into his heart like a surging tide. He completely ignored the unknown dangers lurking in the darkness, and without thinking, he rushed forward in the pitch-black darkness, relying on his memory and feeling.

Bai Ye saw Conan rushing forward recklessly, raised his eyebrows slightly, and warned him: "Hey, be careful, there is a wall ahead!"

But at this moment Conan was extremely anxious, his mind and eyes were filled with dangerous scenes that might be happening in the toilet. Not only did his pace not slow down at all, but it became even more rapid. He had no time to pay attention to Bai Ye's kind warning.

The next moment, there was a dull and loud "bang" sound, and his body crashed into the hard and cold wall like a wild horse. The huge impact made him lose his balance instantly, and he fell heavily to the ground like a kite with a broken string. He subconsciously hugged his head tightly with both hands, and a painful groan escaped from his mouth: "It hurts!"

Bai Ye looked at the reckless Conan and shook his head helplessly.

A certain high school detective is so reckless!

At this moment, the lights suddenly came on without warning, and the bright light instantly dispelled the darkness.

The crowd that came rushing over following the noise were stunned by the scene before them: they saw Ichiro Hatamoto collapsed on the cold ground, his hands tightly grasping his bleeding thigh like iron clamps, blood continuously seeping out from between his fingers, his face full of pain, and he kept wailing.

Not far from him, a blood-stained dagger lay there quietly. The cold blade seemed to be telling the thrilling, dangerous and terrifying scene that had just happened.

Mariko Hatamoto witnessed this horrific scene. She was so shocked and terrified that she couldn't help but scream out in shock, her voice filled with endless fear and deep worry, "Ichiro..."

Hatamoto Ichiro's forehead was bulging with blue veins from the pain, like earthworms crawling, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead like raindrops. "It hurts so much!"

"Ichiro, cheer up, you have to hold on!"

Mariko Hatamoto was extremely anxious and ran towards Ichiro Hatamoto without thinking. Then she rushed to his side and hugged him tightly in her arms, as if she wanted to use her warm embrace to protect her son from all the pain and harm.

Maori Kogoro saw this and hurried forward, squatting down to carefully examine the wound. After a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief, raised his head and said calmly, "Fortunately, the injury is not extremely serious, and only needs to be bandaged."

"I'll go get the medicine box."

Hatamoto Natsue pursed her pink lips slightly, with a hint of worry and anxiety in her eyes. Then she turned around resolutely and ran towards the direction of the medicine box like an arrow.

After Mao Lilan and Bai Ye looked at each other, they followed behind Hatamoto Natsue without hesitation.

Although she had some suspicions that there was something wrong between her boyfriend and Hatamoto Natsue, she still had a good impression of this gentle, kind, strong and brave girl, so if possible, she did not want her to encounter any danger.

- Not to mention that in this darkness as thick as ink, danger may come quietly like a ghost at any time. Just considering the fact that Ichiro Hatamoto has just been attacked, the murderer is currently at large and no one can determine his whereabouts.

If Hatamoto Natsue was unfortunately left alone, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She didn't want anything to happen to this kind and gentle girl.

Mariko Hatamoto stared at Ichiro closely, the doubt and anger in her eyes were as hot as a burning flame. She couldn't wait to ask, "Who did it? Tell me, Ichiro..."

Damn it! Who on earth could be so cruel and heartless to hurt her precious son?

No matter who the mastermind is, she will never let him go easily and will make him pay a heavy price!
(End of this chapter)