Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 552: Save Takei Naoko! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Hearing Kogoro Mori's almost roaring roar and glimpsing his clenched fist, Conan's heart skipped a beat and his thoughts, which were originally focused on the research of the hammer, were instantly interrupted.

At this moment, he had no time to collect any clues. He jumped out of the van without hesitation, and hid behind Inspector Megure in panic, not daring to breathe.

Because he knew very well that Kogoro Mori's hot temper was no joke. If he really got angry, he would really beat him up.

If I don't find a safe haven to hide quickly, I will definitely be doomed to be beaten up today.

"You stinky boy! You really piss me off!"

Kogoro Mouri did not choose to forgive Conan because of his apology. Instead, he clenched his fists even tighter, veins bulged on his arms, and his face turned purple because of anger, just like a ripe tomato.

His eyes were wide open, staring at Conan, who was hiding behind Inspector Megure, with only half of his head showing and trembling. His eyes seemed to be spitting fire, and he wished he could rush over immediately to drag Conan out and beat him up.

He should have thought that this kid would be restless once he arrived at the crime scene and would run around all day long. Now it seems to be true.

If I had known this would happen, I should not have been so soft-hearted and agreed to bring this little troublemaker to solve the case. Now look what happened, he has only caused trouble for myself!

If I don’t teach that little rascal a lesson today, he might not even know how many eyes the Horse King has!
Conan hid behind the kind face of Inspector Megure, his body trembling slightly. He poked his head out and carefully looked at the ferocious appearance of Maori Kogoro, and felt scared. He rolled his eyes and eagerly winked at Bai Ye beside him, his eyes full of fear and help.

Noticing his pleading look, Bai Ye raised his eyebrows slightly, then stepped out decisively to smooth things over, and gently advised: "Uncle Maori, calm down first. There's no need to get angry with a child. Conan is just trying to help you solve the case, and his enthusiasm is a bit too much. Children are very curious and want to play with and study everything they see. You should be more generous and don't argue with him."

Although he didn't mind seeing the wonderful scene of Kogoro Mouri beating up some little kid, after all, he was now an ally of a certain high school detective, and he couldn't just stand by and watch him die. Otherwise, if the other party got angry and didn't want to be his tool in the future, that would be bad.

Maori Kogoro snorted heavily through his nose and said unhappily, "Hmph, what can he find? We should be thankful that he doesn't cause us any more trouble."

Yes, he admitted that in previous cases, the little brat Conan had provided him with a lot of help, but at the same time, he also caused him a lot of trouble.

In other words, the number of times the other party caused him trouble was far greater than the number of times he provided help. Otherwise, if some little rascal could provide him with help and help him solve the case quickly every time they went to the crime scene together, he would have regarded the other party as the God of Wealth. How could he be like now, punching him at every turn?

"Besides, he's not helping us at all, he's clearly here to cause trouble! He keeps running around everywhere, if he destroys important clues, how can we solve this case!"

Bai Ye smiled and waved his hand slowly, and continued to persuade: "Uncle, don't worry. Although Conan is young, he is very smart. Maybe he can find the key clues. You might as well listen to what he says patiently. If what he says doesn't make sense, it won't be too late to teach him a lesson then."

Maori Kogoro's expression softened a little after hearing this, but he still glared at Conan angrily and said through gritted teeth: "Well, kid, you'd better have some important discovery, otherwise I'll show you how I deal with you!"

Conan felt relieved when he saw that the crisis was temporarily resolved, but he was still a little scared. He carefully leaned out from behind Inspector Megure and looked timidly at Maori Kogoro before clearing his throat and courageously saying, "Uncle, I just found a hammer in the carriage with some strange scratches and wear spots on it. I think this hammer must be closely related to the case. Maybe this is the key to solving the mystery!"

Maori Kogoro frowned, his face full of suspicion, and curled his lips and said: "That's all? What does this prove?"

Isn't it just a hammer? Isn't it normal to put a hammer on a car?

This little brat is really making a fuss out of nothing!
Conan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and continued calmly: "Moreover, this van was driven by the kidnapper and crashed directly. But only the sunroof on the driver's seat was broken. Don't you think it's strange? Normally, it shouldn't be like this!"

Maori Kogoro stroked his chin and fell into deep thought. His eyes flashed with a thoughtful gleam. After a moment, he slowly raised his head and said, "Only the sunroof on the driver's seat was broken? There's even a hammer next to the driver's seat? This is indeed a bit strange!"

Bai Ye touched his chin and took over the topic. "It is indeed a bit strange. If the kidnappers were determined to die and rushed directly into the river, why would they prepare a hammer in the car! Moreover, why was only the sunroof on the driver's side broken after the car accident? Obviously, in a car accident, the most damaged part should be the front of the car!"

At this point, Bai Ye paused, as if giving everyone time to think, and then stated his own conclusion, "I think this car accident was a carefully planned situation from the beginning! The kidnappers may have been prepared in advance and deliberately created this illusion of mutual destruction."

Maori Kogoro also perked up after hearing this: "Bai Ye, what you mean is that the kidnappers did something before they fell into the water, such as using this hammer to break the skylight to create a special way to escape? Or was it to cover up some important clues?"

As he spoke, he imagined various possible scenarios in his mind, trying to restore the actual situation when the case occurred.

Bai Ye nodded slightly and added, "Well, I think the kidnappers broke the skylight not just to escape. When a car falls into the water, water will flow in quickly. If the skylight is broken in advance, the direction and speed of the water flow can be controlled."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands, trying to make everyone understand more intuitively, "In this way, he can create the illusion that he is sinking with the car, and use this time difference to escape through the skylight." Hearing this, before Maori Kogoro could speak, Officer Megure beside him stroked his chin and interrupted the conversation thoughtfully, saying: "According to what you said, brother Bai Ye, the kidnapper is very likely still alive now?"

Bai Ye nodded slightly: "Well, since the mutual destruction is an illusion, the kidnapper is probably not dead at all, but hiding somewhere, waiting for the right time to act."

Mao Lilan's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had suddenly caught a key inspiration, and she said anxiously: "If the kidnapper is still alive, then where is Naoko? Is she also likely to be alive?"

When Maori Kogoro heard this, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he slapped his thigh and said loudly: "Yes, it is very likely!"

Bai Ye looked at him and took over the conversation, "Since the car accident was a setup from the beginning, then it is very likely that Takei Naoko is not dead, but is hidden somewhere by the kidnappers."

"I speculate that the kidnappers may have fabricated the illusion that Takei Naoko was in the car. In fact, she was not in the car at all. Perhaps the kidnappers hid her somewhere else from the beginning. If we dig deeper in this direction, we will definitely find more key clues and maybe we can solve the case."

If Takei Naoko was also in the car, even if the kidnappers broke the skylight in advance and could control the speed of the water flowing in, it would be difficult for them to escape smoothly with one person in the car. They might even be dragged down by Takei Naoko and die in the water. So it is reasonable to infer that the kidnappers would not take this risk.

Maori Kogoro tutted his tongue lightly, looking unhappy. "Tsk, it seems that this kidnapper is more cunning than we thought. He left the car behind, probably intentionally trying to mislead us and make us think that they have been buried under the water. And the fast-flowing water can also destroy the clues he left in the car, making it impossible for us to find his trace through these clues."

Officer Megure frowned and fell into deeper thought. It seemed as if countless clues were intertwined in his mind. Subconsciously, he cast his gaze towards the diver on standby, trying to get more clues from him: "Do you have any other findings?"

The diver shook his head helplessly and said truthfully: "Nothing for now, but the light underwater is very dim and we can't see very clearly. Maybe some details have been overlooked."

Officer Megure nodded and said to them, "Thank you for your hard work. You can take a rest first. If necessary, I may have to trouble you to go down again."

As he spoke, Officer Megure pondered for a moment, then looked at Bai Ye and said seriously: "If the kidnapper and Takei Naoko are really still alive, then we must race against time to launch a rescue operation. Brother Bai Ye, do you have any clues that can help us find the whereabouts of the kidnapper or Miss Naoko?"

Bai Ye pondered for a moment, raised his head and said, "I think we can start with the kidnapper's motive. Why did he create such a car accident that seemed to kill both parties? To cover up something? Or to divert our attention? If we can find this motive, perhaps we can find his hiding place and rescue Miss Takei Naoko."

Conan nodded in agreement. He pushed up his glasses, his eyes flashing with wisdom. He calmly analyzed, "Yes, from the kidnapper's perspective, he certainly wouldn't create a car accident that would kill both parties for no reason. He must have his own purpose for doing so."

He paused, then analyzed calmly and methodically, "I think he did that most likely to create confusion, so that we would think that he and Miss Naoko were dead, and thus let down our guard."

Maori Kogoro touched his chin, thought seriously and said, "But if Miss Naoko is really still alive, then the kidnappers' ultimate goal may not be to kill her, but to use her to achieve some purpose."

He paused and continued, "For example, the kidnapper may need Miss Naoko to continue to be a bargaining chip for some kind of exchange, or to complete a larger conspiracy. If this is the case, the kidnapper will definitely choose a place he is familiar with and can control to hide Miss Naoko."

When Mao Lilan heard this, a trace of worry flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination: "Then what should we do? How can we find Naoko-san?"

Mao Lilan's heart was filled with worry and anxiety. She clenched her hands unconsciously. "She must be very scared. We must find her quickly, otherwise she will be in danger."

Maori Kogoro hurried to comfort his daughter: "Don't worry, Ran. Since the kidnapper is still alive, it means he is still in this city. As long as the kidnapper is still alive, he will definitely reveal his flaws. And we will definitely seize this opportunity to find his hiding place and rescue Miss Naoko."

Bai Ye patted Mao Lilan's shoulder and comforted her softly: "That's right, don't worry too much, Xiaolan, no matter what, we now have new clues, which brings us one step closer to finding Miss Naoko. This is good news."

At this point, Bai Ye smiled slightly, with a hint of confidence in his tone: "Although the kidnapper is cunning, he is still a human being after all. He needs food, water, and a hiding place, all of which will leave traces. Most importantly, he must not have expected that we would see through his plan so quickly."

Officer Megure nodded solemnly and added: "Although the current situation is not optimistic, as long as we don't give up, we will definitely find Takei Naoko's whereabouts."

Maori Kogoro also nodded in agreement: "That's right, we can't be so easily stumped by the kidnappers."

Mao Lilan clenched her fists tightly, with a determined light flashing in her eyes: "I know! I will work hard with everyone. I believe we will be able to find Naoko and bring her back safely!"

Officer Megure and Kogoro Maori and the others looked at each other, picked up the intercom, and began to assign tasks: "Immediately send someone to re-investigate the scene of the car accident to see if there are any clues that have been overlooked. At the same time, notify the surrounding patrol teams to increase the search of the surrounding areas, focusing on nearby abandoned buildings, warehouses, and all possible hiding places."

"Yes!"

The police officers followed the order and left, and the scene suddenly became busy...

(End of this chapter)