Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 560: Who will repair the water escape dam? (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
"Ok?"

As soon as he ran to the speedboat and took a quick look, Conan's brows immediately frowned.

He didn't notice it when he was far away, but when he got really close, he suddenly discovered that the hull of the speedboat was covered with several shocking scratches. The scratches were deeply embedded in the metal and the edges were twisted, as if it had experienced a thrilling and violent collision.

This discovery adds a touch of suspense to the already mysterious speedboat.

In an instant, Conan's curiosity was completely ignited. At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind, which was to uncover the mystery behind this speedboat.

Thinking of this, he didn't care whether this speedboat involved his privacy or belonged to someone else's private territory. Like an agile little monkey, he used his hands and feet to skillfully follow the rope on the side of the boat and climbed onto the speedboat in the blink of an eye...

"Conan! What are you doing? How can you just climb onto someone else's ship?"

Seeing this scene, Mao Lilan was shocked and anxious, and her voice unconsciously rose. The tone was very much like that of a parent who was worried about her child.

However, Conan's heart and eyes were filled with the desire to find out the truth at this moment. He didn't take Mouri Ran's cry to heart at all. He went straight into the cockpit and began to look around.

Mao Lilan sighed helplessly, but that little kid had already climbed onto the speedboat, and even if she wanted to stop him, it was too late.

In order to prevent the other party from accidentally destroying any important clues, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow closely, climbing onto the speedboat with her boyfriend.

As soon as she stepped onto the deck, Mao Lilan noticed some miscellaneous items placed in the corner, and one of them was particularly eye-catching.

"Is this... a diving device?"

Mao Lilan walked closer and looked at the diving equipment placed on the deck of the speedboat. Her brows frowned slightly, her heart full of doubts and confusion.

Why is there such a thing as diving equipment on this speedboat?

Could it be that the owner of the speedboat had dived before? Or was it just a backup?
But if it was just for backup, why would it be placed on the deck so openly?

Moreover, if she was not mistaken, the diving equipment had obviously been used during this period.

So, the question is, who is the user and why do they want to dive in this river?
Does she have any unknown connection with the kidnapping of Takei Naoko?
The more Mao Lilan thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Her heart was pounding. She subconsciously turned her head to look at Conan beside her, only to see that he was staring intently at the diving equipment for women on the deck. His little face was full of concentration and seriousness, and he seemed to be keenly aware of the unusualness of this diving equipment.

……

At dusk, the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the river bank golden. Conan sat quietly on the river bank, his hands tightly wrapped around his knees, like a quiet statue frozen in time. Only his eyes flickered from time to time, showing his vitality.

"Sister Xiaolan, it seems that, just as Brother Bai Ye said, the criminals and classmate Takei Naoko are very likely still alive!"

Conan quietly looked at the river flowing quietly in the night, the sparkling light flickered in his eyes. Recalling the diving equipment that was obviously used by women that he found on the speedboat before, his eyes flickered with excitement and nervousness, and the thoughts in his mind were like surging tides, surging and surging, and he couldn't stop at all.

"Moreover, that car accident was not an accident. It was a way for the criminals to escape by using water escape!"

As he spoke, Conan's eyes became sharper, as if he could penetrate time and space and see the scene at that time.

Mao Lilan looked puzzled and repeated subconsciously: "Water escape?"

Conan took a deep breath and began to explain very quickly but clearly: "At that time, the car was like a ferocious beast that had gone mad. It rushed recklessly and broke through the isolation fence. It plunged into the water with a thunderous force. At this critical moment, when life and death were at stake, the criminal was quick to reach out and grab the diving equipment on the passenger seat. He put it on neatly and skillfully."

Conan described the incident vividly while waving his arms, vividly simulating the gangster's action of smashing the glass. He looked as if he was the gangster in danger. "Then, he bent down and picked up the hammer hidden at his feet, and with all his strength, he smashed it hard at the glass of the driver's seat."

"At that moment, the freezing cold river water rushed into the car like a raging torrent, but because the criminal had planned it in advance, he showed no fear. Instead, he dived into the water and swam towards the other side at lightning speed with his superb and amazing diving skills."

Conan's narration is so gripping that it seems as if he is taking Ran Maori into the thrilling escape.

"Once they reached the other side, the criminals boarded a speedboat that had already been parked there. At that time, the police's attention was attracted by the van that sank to the bottom of the river. All the police forces were focused on that car and they didn't notice the movement on the other side at all."

Conan paused for a moment and emphasized his tone, "The criminals took the opportunity to start the speedboat, the engine roared, and took advantage of the chaos to flee the scene like a ghost..."

After hearing this, Mao Lilan's face was full of shock and worry. She said solemnly, "What should we do now? Will Takei Naoko be in danger?"

"Also, why did the criminal do this?"

In fact, this is not only Ran Mouri's doubt, but also Conan's confusion.

These questions were like a tangled mess, tangled in his mind, making his brows twist into a knot. "Yeah, why did he do that?"

After Conan finished speaking, he crossed his arms, frowned, and fell into deep thought. His brain was working rapidly, trying to find some clues from the known clues.

Bai Ye touched his chin and interrupted the topic at the right time, "Maybe they discovered the police, so they deliberately created the illusion that the criminals and hostages were dead to disrupt the police's search? Of course, other possibilities cannot be ruled out."

Conan raised his head and looked at Bai Ye with burning eyes: "Brother Bai Ye, what you said makes sense. But if it is just to disrupt the search, isn't this method too risky?"

Using a car accident to make it look like both the kidnappers and the hostages were dead in order to divert the police's attention, although this plan was effective, but if there was any mistake, everything would be lost, and even one's own life might be lost.

Conan muttered to himself as he carefully sorted out the entire incident in his mind, not letting go of any possible loopholes: "Also, there is another suspicious point, that is, Takei Naoko's body is still missing, but only a set of diving equipment was found at the scene. How did the criminals successfully take Takei Naoko away from the sinking car with only a set of diving equipment?"

Although he had received professional diving training in Hawaii, he considered his diving skills to be outstanding among ordinary people.

But even so, he was not completely sure that he could successfully rescue Takei Naoko at the critical moment when the car was sinking rapidly with just a set of diving equipment. What's more, he had to cleverly avoid the eyes and ears of the nearby police and not let them detect any movement. This was almost an impossible task.

At this moment, not far away, a steam train was spewing billowing steam and making a deafening roar, speeding towards the distance. The sound was like surging waves, reaching the river bank where Conan was.

Conan subconsciously raised his head and looked in that direction. His eyes followed the train track for a moment, and then he fell into deep thought. "Or is it really as you deduced before, Brother Bai Ye, that Miss Takei Naoko is not on the train, but somewhere else?"

"But, this is impossible!"

Conan became more and more confused. He frowned and stood up. He paced slowly on the river bank, trying to sort out the mess. "You know, according to the testimony of the ambushing police and President Takei, they did see Miss Takei Naoko at that time!"

"Unless..." Conan was walking and suddenly stopped as if frozen, with a gleam of light in his eyes, "Someone disguised himself as Takei Naoko! But this is easier said than done. Not only does it require extremely advanced disguise skills, but one must also be extremely familiar with Takei Naoko's words, deeds, demeanor, and temperament in order to successfully deceive her father and the experienced police."

Several people who were good at disguise suddenly appeared in Conan's mind, such as his mother Kudo Yukiko, Kaito Kid, etc., but he quickly ruled them out.

After all, his mother, Kudo Yukiko's disguise skills were indeed unique, and she had used disguises to cleverly surprise him or 'solve' problems many times. But that person, although she loved to joke and have fun, would never get involved in such a dangerous and illegal thing.

As for Kaito Kidd, his disguise skills are equally extraordinary. He can often cleverly disguise himself as someone else in public and complete thefts without anyone noticing. Every time he appears on stage, it can be regarded as a gorgeous magic show.

But Kidd has always had a special liking for priceless gems. This case seems to have nothing to do with gems, and Kidd is definitely not someone who would do anything to hurt others.

Therefore, the person who disguised himself as Takei Naoko was obviously not one of them.

Bai Ye walked forward, put his hands in his pockets, and said thoughtfully: "Why don't we change our thinking and start with Takei Naoko's interpersonal relationships. Is there anyone around her who is very familiar with her, has the ability to get diving equipment, and has certain anti-reconnaissance capabilities? Maybe this person is the key to solving the mystery!"

Conan's eyes instantly lit up like stars, his excitement was beyond words, and even his voice unconsciously rose several degrees: "Bai Ye big brother, you are right! Miss Takei Naoko is a student, her classmates, teachers, or club members may meet these conditions. We can first investigate her situation in school and see if we can find anything unusual."

At this point, Conan paused for a moment, then added after a moment of thought: "And the speedboat is a clue that cannot be ignored. We must thoroughly investigate its origins, starting with the ship's registration information and rental records, and piece together its whereabouts before and after the incident. Maybe if we dig deeper along this clue, we can find the person who has a close relationship with Takei Naoko and has the conditions to commit the crime."

Mao Lilan frowned slightly, her eyes full of doubts, and raised a question in a soft voice: "But, Conan, I specifically asked the administrator before, and he said that the owner of this speedboat has not come to drive it away for a long time after leaving the boat here. Could it be that the old man is old and his memory is biased, and he accidentally remembered it wrong?"

Conan narrowed his eyes slightly, holding his chin habitually, and fell into deep thought. After a moment, he analyzed in an orderly manner: "This possibility does exist, but we must not give up this clue so easily. Maybe the owner of the speedboat deliberately created the illusion that he has not appeared for a long time, in an attempt to interfere with the direction of our investigation. We can check the surveillance video of the dock to confirm whether the speedboat has been in or out recently. In addition, ask around in the surrounding area to see if anyone has seen suspicious people wandering around the speedboat. There may be unexpected and significant gains."

Bai Ye crossed his arms and nodded in agreement: "Conan has thought it through very carefully. Any detail could be the key to solving the case. We can also check the maintenance records of the speedboat to see if anyone has maintained or repaired it recently. We might be able to dig out important information about the suspect."

"but……"

Looking up at the sky that was gradually shrouded in dusk and dark as ink, Bai Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze was deep, and he continued, "It's getting late now, and it's not efficient to continue investigating. Besides, the light is dim at night, and it's easy to miss important clues. Let's go back first, sort out the information we collected today, and sort out our thoughts. Tomorrow morning, we will be full of energy and re-engage in the investigation, and maybe we can get twice the result with half the effort."

Mao Lilan listened and nodded repeatedly, her expression full of approval, and said in a gentle voice: "That's right, Conan, let's go quickly! We can think about this when we get back!"

Although she was full of anxiety and wanted desperately to find her classmate as soon as possible, she was also very clear that in the dark night, she might encounter danger at any time. If she continued to investigate, she might get nothing and even put herself in danger.

"All right……"

Although there was still a gleam of unsatisfied light in Conan's eyes, his reason told him that Bai Ye's suggestion was reasonable and pertinent, and it was really difficult to refute.

So he had to take one last reluctant look at the crime scene, then turned around and followed everyone on their journey home.

The afterglow of the setting sun poured down, stretching the figures of the three people long, casting three silhouettes of varying depths on the ground...

(End of this chapter)