Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 554: Shameless people are invincible! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
"Hmph, Detective Maori, do you suspect that I have a secret?"

However, although Kogoro Mori did not argue with President Takei's arrogant attitude because of the commission fee, President Takei did not give up because of Kogoro Mori's surrender. Instead, he straightened his back, raised his chin slightly, snorted through his nose, with a condescending attitude, as if he wanted to emphasize his innocence with this posture.

"I'm telling you, I do things in an upright manner and never do anything shameful!"

Maori Kogoro's face was immediately filled with an awkward yet flattering smile. He waved his hands hurriedly, nodded and bowed, and explained, "No, no, President Takei, you misunderstood. I didn't mean to doubt you. I just thought that you are so good in the business world and your achievements are remarkable. It is inevitable that some people will be jealous of you, so some people will do whatever it takes to attack you."

Although he said this, Maori Kogoro couldn't help but complain in his heart: You do things in an upright manner? You never do anything shameful? Oh, this kind of talk is only for fooling children.

Everyone knows that although you are wealthy, you have a terrible reputation. Although malicious mergers and acquisitions and commercial suppression have not crossed the legal red line, they are enough to make your peers and those who have been calculated by you hate you.

I don't know how many once glorious companies have collapsed like buildings because of your malicious competition, and how many innocent people have been reduced to despair, left with nowhere to go, and even forced to end their precious lives because of bankruptcy.

Do you still have the nerve to say that you do things in an upright manner?

It really proves the saying, if a tree has no bark, it will surely die, but if a person has no shame, he will be invincible!

"Huh, jealous of me?"

President Takei snorted again, the disdain on his face became more and more obvious, his chin slightly raised, his eyes full of arrogance and contempt, as if in his eyes, those opponents he defeated were nothing more than ants under his feet, not worth mentioning at all.

"What's the point of them being jealous of me? They will still be beaten to a pulp by me."

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a smug sneer, as if he was savoring the pleasure of "victory".

Kogoro Mori frowned slightly as he looked at President Takei's arrogant appearance, and thought to himself: It seems that President Takei is indeed a tricky character, with a strong personality and conceited and arrogant.

However, the more he did this, the more people suspected that he had something to hide.

Kogoro Mori secretly sounded the alarm in his heart and decided that he must be cautious in handling this case. He must not let President Takei's arrogance and toughness lead him astray and interfere with his judgment!
Taking a deep breath, Maori Kogoro tried to calm his emotions and keep his tone as steady and gentle as possible, trying to defuse the tense atmosphere on the scene: "President Takei, you are right, the business world is like a battlefield, and the competition is indeed cruel."

As he spoke, he looked straight at President Takei, trying to get some useful information from his reaction. "However, this incident is indeed a little strange. We still need more clues to solve this mystery."

After hearing what Maori Kogoro said, President Takei frowned slightly, and his expression became a little serious, as if he was thinking about it seriously. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded slowly and said, "Okay, I will fully cooperate with your investigation."

When he said this, a subtle anxiety flashed in his eyes, as if he was a father who was deeply worried about his daughter's safety. "However, this incident really gave me a headache. I don't know who attacked Naoko. I hope you can find clues as soon as possible and bring Naoko back safely."

Maori Kogoro looked stern and his expression became particularly solemn. He nodded solemnly and said in a resounding voice: "Don't worry, we will do our best."

Even if we put aside the generous commission from President Takei, just thinking about the friendship between his daughter and Takei Naoko, he would do his best to bring Takei Naoko back safely.

Because he knew very well that with his daughter's kindness and sentimentality, if he could not bring Naoko back safely, she would be heartbroken and even disappointed in him.

As a father, he really didn't want to make his daughter sad, nor did he want her to be disappointed in him.

At this point, he paused, still a little unwilling, and continued to ask, "By the way, President Takei, please think carefully again. Is there really no special clue that you can provide us? Even extremely subtle and easily overlooked clues may become the key to solving this mystery and finding Miss Naoko."

Although he was extremely anxious and his mind was occupied with the thought of rescuing Takei Naoko, the situation before him was like an impenetrable iron wall, leaving him with no idea where to start - there was an extreme lack of useful clues.

A good cook cannot cook without rice. Without enough clues, even he, a famous and respected detective, would not know where to start!

President Takei's shoulders drooped slightly, he spread his hands, and sighed helplessly. He looked a little depressed, with deep confusion and helplessness written on his face: "I'm sorry, I really can't think of it. I haven't offended anyone recently, and Naoko rarely goes out. Her social circle is simple and pure. I really can't think of who would have such evil thoughts about her."

Maori Kogoro frowned slightly, fell into a brief but deep contemplation, and then slowly said: "How about this, we might as well start with Miss Naoko's daily life and check it carefully to see if we can find any abnormalities. President Takei, as Miss Naoko's closest father, you must know her daily life and daily habits best. Could you please tell me in detail?"

President Takei took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and began to reminisce: "Naoko usually lives a very regular life. She gets up on time every morning and goes to school. After school, she will participate in some club activities, such as the choir, volunteer association, etc. When she returns home at night, she will finish her homework first, then read a book, listen to music, and usually go to bed around ten o'clock."

Maori Kogoro pondered for a moment and asked, "Oh, then does Miss Naoko have any particularly good friends?"

President Takei thought for a long time, frowned slightly, and said slowly: "Well, Naoko is gentle and kind, with a mild temper. She never likes to cause trouble and gets along well with her classmates. But I can't say who is particularly good to her. I really can't understand who would be so cruel to attack such a well-behaved and sensible child."

"Well, this case is indeed a bit tricky." Maori Kogoro frowned and fell into deeper thought. After a moment, he asked again, "Has Miss Naoko shown any abnormal behavior recently? For example, has she suddenly become anxious or nervous, or has her behavior and emotional state been different from usual?"

President Takei shook his head without hesitation, and said firmly: "No, Naoko has been doing fine recently. Whether it's her studies, life, or emotions, there is nothing unusual about her."

As soon as these words were spoken, Kogoro Mori's brows furrowed even more tightly, almost forming a "川" character.

Judging from all the information currently available, the kidnapping of Takei Naoko does not seem to have much to do with her daily life.

It seems that this kidnapping incident was most likely caused by someone deliberately targeting President Takei and holding Naoko hostage to achieve some ulterior motive. I just don't know who is behind this?
Are they the competitors who competed with President Takei in the business world and coveted his business territory? Or are they the victims who were ruined by his despicable means and had nowhere else to go, and finally chose to retaliate in extreme ways?
Thinking of this, Maori Kogoro looked at President Takei with a serious face and said, "President Takei, please think carefully again. Has your company encountered any troubles recently? For example, a large project that is being promoted has encountered difficult problems, or have you had any conflicts with other companies?"

If a clear suspect can be identified, the scope of the investigation can be greatly narrowed, allowing them to avoid many detours and greatly reducing the pressure and workload of subsequent investigations.

President Takei shook his head without hesitation, his tone a little too calm, as if it were a pool of stagnant water without any ripples: "No, everything in the company has been running normally recently, and the project is progressing smoothly. We haven't encountered any problems, and we haven't had any disputes with other companies."

In fact, even if there was any dispute in the company, he would never reveal any of it to private detective Kogoro Mori.

After all, one's own family knows one's own business. He is the only one who knows how many shady means he used to develop the company to its current size.

Once those malicious mergers and acquisitions, commercial fraud, and unfair competition activities are exposed, it will be like opening Pandora's box, and the consequences will be disastrous.

By then, even if he is lucky enough to rescue his daughter safely, what awaits him will be severe punishment by the law. He will probably spend the rest of his life in a cold prison, losing his freedom and everything.

"..."

Kogoro Maori frowned slightly, and the doubts in his heart grew stronger.

There isn't one? How is this possible!

It seems that this case is far more complicated than imagined, and more clues are needed to solve the mystery.

Of course, Kogoro Mori had not ignored the possibility that President Takei was lying.

After all, some things involve commercial secrets, and coupled with President Takei's despicable methods, the other party certainly wouldn't dare to let anyone know.

Because, once those despicable and shameless acts are exposed, they are enough to ruin the other party's reputation.

If it were him, he would definitely not dare to let others know, even if this matter involved the safety of his daughter.

As for the truth of the matter, perhaps it will come out after he conducts an in-depth investigation.

At this moment, Bai Ye quietly approached Maori Kogoro. He nudged Maori Kogoro with his elbow, then lowered his voice and said mysteriously: "Uncle, I think President Takei must be hiding something from us. When he answered the question just now, his eyes flickered and his expression was unnatural. It was obvious that he was hiding something. We can't just listen to his one-sided story. We have to find clues from other places."

"We can start with his company's employees and secretly investigate to see if we can find some clues that he deliberately ignored or concealed. Or, we can investigate his company's recent financial statements and perhaps find some abnormal fund flows. Maybe there is some secret hidden behind this."

After hearing Bai Ye's words, Kogoro Maori's eyes lit up slightly, and he secretly marveled in his heart that the other party's observation and analytical abilities were indeed outstanding and should not be underestimated.

No wonder he has made a great name for himself in the detective world at such a young age, and is as famous as this senior detective.

Thinking of this, he also lowered his voice and responded in a low voice: "Well, you have a point. However, we must act carefully and not let President Takei realize our intentions. After all, if he really has a problem, he will definitely try his best to stop our investigation."

As he spoke, he glanced at President Takei warily, as if he was afraid that the other party might overhear their conversation.

Bai Ye nodded slightly and replied softly: "Yeah!"

After receiving Bai Ye's affirmative response, Maori Kogoro sorted out his thoughts, quickly put on a polite smile, looked at President Takei, and said sincerely and politely, "President Takei, in order to find Miss Naoko as soon as possible, we may need to get more details from Secretary Hanai and some employees of your company. Is this convenient for you?"

President Takei's expression changed slightly, and a hint of barely perceptible panic flashed in his eyes. However, he reacted very quickly and regained his composure in an instant. He nodded calmly and said, "Okay, but I hope you will pay attention to the method and not disturb their normal work and rest."

His tone seemed calm, but there was a subtle hint of vigilance in the depths of his eyes.

"Well, don't worry, we will pay attention!"

Kogoro Mori nodded repeatedly with a smile on his face, but he was secretly muttering to himself.

The fleeting change in President Takei's expression just now was strange no matter how you looked at it.

It seems that Bai Ye's intuition is really accurate. There must be something wrong with that old guy!

Well, it’s decided. Next, I will investigate the employees of the other company carefully. Maybe I can find some surprising secrets!

Thinking of this, he and Bai Ye looked at each other, and then, without hesitation, he decisively led Conan to the second floor...

(End of this chapter)