Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 604 Conan's mouth is a lie! (Please give me a monthly ticket!)
"Humph, you little brat, you talk so much like a little adult."

Maori Kogoro stared at Conan, his eyes so sharp that they seemed to be able to penetrate any disguise. After a moment, his expression eased a little, but the suspicion in his eyes was still as thick as ink, with no sign of dissipating. He snorted coldly, crossed his arms, and his thick chest rose and fell slightly. With a bit of disdain and doubt, he said in a muffled voice: "But when he asks you for help, aren't you afraid that something might happen to your small body?"

What a joke, asking him and the police for help might easily alert the enemy and bring danger prematurely, but wouldn't there be the same risk if we let a kid like Conan get involved in the case?
It's impossible that a little kid who is still in elementary school and not even ten years old can be more reliable and more useful than these experienced adults who have been in the detective business for many years?
Kogoro Mouri seriously suspected that the little brat in front of him was trying to fool him with sweet words, and that there must be some unknown secret behind Kudo Shinichi's disappearance.

Hearing Maori Kogoro's questioning, Conan scratched his head, showing a helpless and innocent expression, and said: "Brother Shinichi didn't want me to get involved at first. I accidentally found some key clues and was unlucky enough to be targeted by the bad guys. He really had no choice but to tell the truth to protect me. This can also prevent me from accidentally falling into the hands of those vicious and dangerous people."

"Besides, I'm young and look harmless. Even if I'm secretly collecting clues right under their noses, they won't take me seriously and won't be alert. Letting me cooperate with the investigation will not only make it less likely to attract the attention of the bad guys, but I might even be able to become an unexpected surprise weapon."

Conan became more and more excited as he spoke, his eyes gleaming with confidence, as if he had really become the key figure in saving the situation. At this point, he paused for a moment, and then quickly added: "As for safety issues, you don't have to worry about it, uncle, because Shinichi will protect me in secret, and I promise that when I act, I will be extremely careful and will never put myself in a dangerous situation. If there is really danger, I will run away and find a hidden and safe place to hide. I will definitely not act rashly and put myself in danger."

As Conan spoke, he raised his hand and swore solemnly, trying to make Kogoro Mouri put his doubts to rest.

Maori Kogoro snorted coldly, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his expression was unreadable. "Heh, little brat, you are quite good at making up stories. So tell me, how is his progress now? When can this so-called big trouble be solved?"

Conan faced Kogoro's questioning gaze, feeling a little uneasy, but still continued, "Uncle Maori, I know it's hard for you to believe, but this is all true. Brother Shinichi has been secretly investigating for some time and has mastered many key clues. Now it has reached the critical stage of closing. It just takes some time to connect these clues and completely disintegrate the forces behind them. He asked me to tell you and Sister Xiaolan to give him a little more time. Once he has completely resolved this final danger, he will come back immediately and explain it to you in person."

"Oh, is it so?"

Maori Kogoro frowned, looking back and forth at Conan's face, as if trying to dig out more truth from that childish face. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward, staring down at Conan, and asked loudly: "How much of what you said was told to you by that guy Kudo Shinichi, and how much of it was made up by you to fool me?"

Conan's heart suddenly tightened, but he still pretended to be calm on the surface. He blinked his innocent big eyes and looked like he was about to cry: "Uncle Maori, how could I lie to you? These are all what Shinichi brother told me."

As Conan spoke, he secretly groaned in his heart and racked his brains to think about how to completely dispel Kogoro Mori's suspicion.

However, before he could think of a way to completely dispel Maori Kogoro's suspicion, Maori Kogoro sneered and spoke again, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone: "Oh? Then tell me, who are those 'bad guys'? What case is that Kudo Shinichi investigating that makes him so secretive?"

Conan's heart skipped a beat, thinking something was wrong. He knew that Maori Kogoro was not as careless as he seemed, and it would be difficult to fool him. But he knew the Black Organization was terrifying and dangerous, and he could not reveal their existence to Maori Kogoro or anyone around him. Otherwise, once the news leaked, it would undoubtedly bring disaster to everyone and put everyone in an abyss of no return.

Thinking of this, in order to avoid exposing more flaws by continuing, he quickly put on an innocent expression, scratched his head, and said helplessly: "Actually... Shinichi brother didn't tell me too many details. He repeatedly emphasized that the bad guys were very cunning. They would immediately be alert and run away at the slightest sign of trouble. So he told me not to ask too many questions, just follow his instructions obediently."

While speaking, Conan blinked his big watery eyes, looking like an ignorant child, trying to get Kogoro Mouri to stop asking questions.

Maori Kogoro was obviously not satisfied with this answer. He snorted coldly, with a bit of disdain and dissatisfaction in his tone: "Humph, it's fine that he doesn't want to ask for help from us adults, but now he's even hiding you, the so-called little helper. It seems that Kudo Shinichi is getting more and more self-righteous and doesn't take others seriously. Could it be that after being praised by others, he really thinks of himself as the pipe-holding, wise Sherlock Holmes?"

It would be fine if they just ignored him, a senior who had been working in the detective world for many years, had extensive connections and was experienced, as well as Inspector Megure and other experienced police officers, and did not ask them for help.

After all, a certain high school detective has always been arrogant and conceited. Relying on several highlights of solving cases, he has been praised by everyone. It is nothing new that he is arrogant and self-righteous. Although Kogoro Mouri is dissatisfied with this, he is not surprised.

But the current situation was really intolerable for him!

Because, Kudo Shinichi actually asked Conan, a little kid, to be his helper. Isn't this obviously treating Conan as free labor and using him at will?
What’s even more outrageous is that the other party kept the key information strictly secret and refused to reveal even a single word.

Conan is just a child. What if he gets involved in danger or encounters an accident? What should he do?
Kogoro Mori clenched his fists tighter and tighter, and the anger on his face was clearly visible.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Kudo Shinichi, that kid, relied on the fact that he had solved a few cases and looked down on everyone, even his senior. What made him even more unbearable was that Kudo Shinichi actually let Conan, a little kid, get involved in a dangerous case and concealed key information from him.

What if something happens to Conan, can Kudo Shinichi handle it?

Conan felt the anger of Maori Kogoro and became more anxious. He knew that if he didn't give a reasonable explanation, Maori Kogoro's suspicion would only deepen. He took a deep breath and decided to try again.

"Uncle Maori, actually... Shinichi is also worried about everyone's safety." Conan whispered, with a hint of pleading in his tone, "Those bad guys are really dangerous, and Shinichi doesn't want to implicate anyone. He asked me to help because I'm not easily suspected. Moreover, he has been protecting me in secret and will never let anything happen to me."

Maori Kogoro frowned, and seemed to be a little shaken by Conan's explanation, but he still didn't completely let down his guard. He stared at Conan and said in a serious tone: "Then tell me, where is Kudo Shinichi now? What case is he investigating?"

Conan swallowed his saliva, knowing that this question was unavoidable. If he gave a bad answer, all his previous efforts would be in vain. He gritted his teeth and decided to take a risk. Even if there was only a slight chance of winning, he must not reveal the truth at this moment: "Brother Shinichi... he is in a very safe place now, but he can't show up because the bad guys have been searching for him everywhere. As for the case... it's actually a transnational criminal organization. They are involved in many illegal activities. Brother Shinichi is doing his best to collect evidence and is ready to catch them all in one fell swoop."

Maori Kogoro's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he immediately threw out a series of questions: "Oh, a transnational criminal organization? What illegal activities does it do specifically? Who are its members?"

Investigating a transnational criminal organization? How dare that guy Kudo Shinichi let a little guy like Conan get involved in such a dangerous matter?

Is this because he is overestimating himself and is blindly confident that he can protect Conan while investigating, or is there some unknown secret hidden in this kid Conan?

Faced with this series of sharp questions, Conan's brain was like a high-speed machine, thinking frantically about countermeasures. He knew in his heart that he had to give some seemingly reasonable but ambiguous and unclear answers in order to temporarily stabilize Maori Kogoro and prevent the situation from getting completely out of control. "They... they are mainly engaged in illegal activities such as smuggling rare items and money laundering, laundering the black money obtained illegally and disrupting the normal economic order. As for the members, Shinichi brother has not fully grasped them. We only know that they are powerful and widely distributed. Their tentacles extend to almost every corner of the world, and their whereabouts are extremely secretive, like ghosts, and difficult to track."

Conan carefully considered every word, secretly praying that this answer would be able to get away with it.

However, the experienced Maori Kogoro obviously would not be fooled so easily. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and a suspicious look appeared on his face, as if his eyes could see through Conan's disguise and directly hit the secret in his heart. Then, he continued to press step by step: "Since you are collecting evidence, there must be some clues, even if it's just a little bit, haven't you heard that guy Kudo Shinichi mention it?"

Conan's heart was in suspense again after hearing these words. He racked his brains and frantically dug deep in his memory for those details about the Black Organization incident that could be appropriately exposed. After a short silence, Conan pretended to be calm and said, "Brother Shinichi said that they are colluding with some forces in the port. Recently, they are investigating several suspicious cargo ships that frequently come in and out. They suspect that those cargo ships are the key tools for their smuggling activities. But he is still verifying the specific situation. Many details are still uncertain and may change at any time, so he didn't tell me more."

At this point, Conan paused for a moment, keenly aware that Maori Kogoro was about to ask another question. He was extremely anxious, knowing that if he continued to ask questions like this, he would be exposed sooner or later, causing Maori Kogoro's suspicion to snowball. So, he quickly changed the subject before Maori Kogoro asked the next question: "Uncle Maori, I know you are worried about Shinichi brother, and I completely understand your feelings."

"But the most important thing now is to ensure everyone's safety. Brother Shinichi has repeatedly warned me to tell you not to act rashly, so as not to alert the enemy. When he successfully solves this matter, he will come back in person and explain all the ins and outs to you in detail. At that time, all your doubts will be answered."

Maori Kogoro frowned even more after hearing what Conan said. He stared at Conan with a sharp gaze, as if he was weighing whether to continue asking or to believe the child's words for the time being. Finally, he sighed and softened his tone a little: "Okay, since you said so, I will believe you for the time being. However, Conan, you must remember that if you encounter danger, you must tell me the first time. I don't want to see you get into trouble. You are Xiaolan's most beloved brother."

Conan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded quickly, forcing a pure smile on his face: "I see, Uncle Maori, thank you! You and Sister Xiaolan are as important to me as family."

However, just when Conan thought that the matter had finally come to an end and the tense atmosphere was about to ease, Maori Kogoro suddenly narrowed his eyes, a sly look flashed in his eyes, and his tone was meaningful: "But, Conan, those words you just said... don't sound like something a child can say."

The answer just given by a certain little kid was very professional in word choice and sentence structure, his logic was impeccable, and his description of the details of the crime was even more meticulous.

No matter how you look at it, this doesn't sound like something a naive six or seven-year-old child would say.

He seriously suspected that the little kid in front of him might be hiding some unknown secret!

(End of this chapter)