Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 725 Using a criminal investigator as a police officer?! (Seeking monthly votes!)
"Xiaolan, don't panic. Although there is indeed a possibility that the children have been kidnapped, we must not scare ourselves before we have solid evidence."

Kogoro Mouri gazed at Ran Mouri's worried face, a pang of heartache rising in his heart. He sighed softly, then gently comforted her, "Think about it carefully. Neither Mrs. Yoshida nor we have received a ransom demand yet. I think Conan and the others might not have been kidnapped at all. Most likely, the kids were just playing around and didn't keep track of the distance, accidentally wandering off to a place that's why they haven't returned yet. Maybe if we just wait a little longer, they'll appear before us, lively and energetic, just like always..."

Ran Mouri bit her lip tightly, as if trying her best to suppress her inner unease. She nodded slightly and said in a trembling voice, "But, Dad, we still haven't heard from the children. I'm really worried about them. I'm really concerned about them."

The high school detective whose body has shrunk is Conan, whose situation is relatively better.

After all, even though the body has shrunk, the other party's extraordinary intelligence has not diminished at all, and the mind is still exceptionally sharp.

If he were to encounter a malicious and treacherous criminal, with his extraordinary and astonishing intelligence, coupled with the strange yet highly practical auxiliary tools invented by Professor Agasa that always prove effective at crucial moments, he would not only have the opportunity to turn danger into safety and escape from the vortex of peril, but he might even be able to counterattack the criminal, cleverly subdue him, and then hand him over to the police station so that the criminal receives the punishment he deserves. This is not entirely impossible.

But Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko are different; they are all genuine children. Their physical abilities and mental maturity are vastly different from those of adults.

The thought of these little ones encountering bad people made Ran Mouri's heart clench as if gripped by an invisible hand, filled with uncontrollable worry, fearing that they might suffer any harm.

Seeing this, Kogoro Mouri knew that his daughter's worries were not unfounded. He took a deep breath and tried to appear more calm, saying, "How about this, let's call Genta's family again and ask. Maybe Genta has arrived home safely. If we can get some information from him, we might be able to find out where the other children are."

"Okay..." Ran Mouri quickly replied, then swiftly reached for the phone and flipped through the somewhat worn phone book again. Her eyes eagerly scanned the densely packed numbers, searching for Genta's number.

With each page she turned, her heart beat a little faster.

The call connected quickly, and the ever-warm voice of Genta's mother, Mrs. Kojima, came from the other end: "Hello?"

Ran Mouri quickly said, "Hello, Aunt Kojima, this is Ran Mouri. Has Genta gone home yet?"

Genta's mother was stunned for a moment, and then worry spread through her voice: "Not yet, Ran. I was just thinking of calling you to ask if you've seen Genta. He told me he was going out to play with Conan and the others, but it's so late and he still hasn't come back. I'm so anxious, I can't have a moment's peace."

Ran Mouri's heart sank as if a heavy stone had been dropped on it. She tried her best to suppress the surging worry in her heart and made her tone as calm as possible as she said, "Is that so, Aunt Kojima? I haven't seen him either."

Yuan Tai's mother couldn't help but exclaim in surprise on the other end of the phone, "Oh? How could this happen! Where could he have gone? This child is usually mischievous, but he wouldn't stay out this late. Could something have happened to him...?"

Ran quickly explained the situation briefly, "I'm not quite sure either. I just called Ayumi and Mitsuhiko's mothers, and they said that Mitsuhiko and Ayumi haven't come home yet either. I'm really worried that they might be in some kind of danger."

Upon hearing this, Genta's mother panicked, her voice filled with obvious anxiety and fear: "What? Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and the others haven't gone back either? How could this happen? What are we going to do! Ran, should we call the police right away? If we wait any longer, what will happen to the children...?"

Seeing this, Kogoro Mori quickly took the phone and said in a calm and reassuring tone, "Mrs. Kojima, please don't panic. We don't know the children's situation yet. If we call the police rashly, we might alert the perpetrators, and it would be terrible if they harmed the children. Let's wait a while and see if the children come back on their own. If we still haven't heard from them after some time, then we can call the police."

In fact, different countries have different regulations regarding the reporting time for missing persons.

In some countries (such as the United States), it may be recommended to wait 24 hours.

But in Japan, the situation is different. Here, regardless of the length of time someone has been missing, as long as the family believes there is danger or something unusual, they can report it to the police. Especially when the missing person is a child, elderly person, disabled person, or a vulnerable group with a special illness (such as dementia), the police will accept the case immediately without any waiting.

Because the Japanese National Police Agency has explicitly required that such situations be dealt with immediately, as these vulnerable groups are more susceptible to harm, and every minute and every second is crucial.

Even if the missing person is a healthy adult, from a legal perspective, there is no mandatory requirement to wait 24 or 48 hours before reporting the disappearance. If family members or friends feel that the disappearance is highly unusual (such as suddenly losing contact, not appearing as planned, etc.), they can report it to the police immediately.

Police will determine the priority of the investigation based on specific circumstances (such as the person's words and actions before disappearing, whether there were suicidal tendencies, whether a crime might be involved, etc.) to ensure that the missing person is found as soon as possible and their safety is guaranteed.

However, if it could be avoided, Kogoro Mouri would rather not bother the police unnecessarily.

On one hand, this wasn't the first time Conan, that brat, had wandered around late at night instead of going home. On the other hand, if it turned out to be a false alarm and not a kidnapping, but just a group of kids who had wandered off while playing, he would feel bad if it disturbed Inspector Megure and the others' rest and wasted police resources.

After all, the police are busy with their work every day, shouldering the heavy responsibility of maintaining social order, and handling various cases is already very hard work.

Genta's mother said anxiously, "Mr. Kogoro, I know you are a very experienced detective, and your judgment is always very accurate, but I'm really worried about the children since we haven't heard from them yet!"

Kogoro Mouri exchanged a glance with Ran Mouri, who was standing beside him, looking equally worried and with a furrowed brow. He quickly comforted her, "I understand how you feel, Mrs. Kojima. Here's what we'll do: keep an eye on your phone at home. Maybe the children will call back soon. Ran and I will continue to try to contact them, and we promise to let you know as soon as we have any news."

Genta's mother quickly said, "Okay, Mr. Kogoro. If you have any news, please be sure to tell me as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Kojima!"

After ending the call with Genta's mother, Kogoro Mouri turned to Ran Mouri and said, "Ran, try contacting Professor Agasa again and ask him if he knows if Conan might have gone somewhere else. I'll think about it carefully and see if there are any other clues."

Ran Mouri nodded and dialed Professor Agasa's number again, but received the same reply: Professor Agasa didn't know Conan's whereabouts. On the other end of the line, Professor Agasa sounded quite anxious, repeatedly saying that he would immediately inform Ran Mouri if he had any news about Conan.

After hanging up the phone, Ran Mouri turned to her father, Kogoro Mouri, her eyes filled with worry and helplessness: "Dad, it seems the situation isn't good. The children might really be in trouble." Kogoro Mouri nodded gravely and said, "Ran, it seems we can't wait any longer. We'll call the police now. No matter what, we must ensure the children's safety."

As he spoke, he immediately took out his phone and dialed Inspector Megure's number.

"I'm sorry to bother you so late, Inspector Megure. Here's the situation..."

After the call connected, Kogoro Mouri quickly and thoroughly explained the whole story to Inspector Megure, including the fact that Conan, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta had not yet returned home, and their speculation that the children might have been kidnapped.

Inspector Megure listened intently on the other end of the phone, then said seriously, "At this point, we can't say for sure what kind of incident the children are involved in. However, it's quite strange that they haven't come home yet!"

Kogoro Mouri blurted out, "Inspector Megure, you find it strange too, don't you? They really are in trouble!"

Inspector Megure quickly reassured him, "Brother Mori, don't worry. Anyway, I'll immediately arrange for a search within the jurisdiction. Don't worry, we'll find them as soon as possible!"

Kogoro Mori quickly said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Inspector Megure. Please find the children as soon as possible."

Although the little rascal is always disobedient, barging into crime scenes, causing all sorts of trouble, and never learning his lesson, the two sides have spent so much time together that feelings naturally develop between them.

If possible, he still doesn't want anything to happen to the other person.

Not to mention, this time, the other party didn't go out alone, but brought a group of children with them.

The thought of Conan and the other kids getting into trouble made him feel like a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Inspector Megure hesitated for a moment, then said, "No need to be so polite, it's what we should do."

At this point, as if remembering something, he said, "Um... I'm sorry, Brother Mori, I have some things to take care of here, so I'll hang up now. But don't worry, I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."

"Okay, Inspector Megure, you can go ahead with your work!"

After hanging up the phone, Kogoro Mouri relayed Inspector Megure's words to Ran Mouri.

Ran Mouri frowned and said worriedly, "Dad, but where are the children now? Could they already be...?"

She dared not think any further, tears welling in her eyes, her voice choked with emotion.

Kogoro Mouri stroked his chin and quickly reassured her, "Ran, don't think the worst. Conan is very clever; he'll definitely protect you with his friends. Besides, the police are involved now, and with them there, they'll definitely bring those kids back safely."

At this point, Kogoro Mouri paused, trying to change the subject so that he and his daughter could temporarily escape their worries about Conan and the others, even if only for a brief moment of peace. "Alright, Ran, we've already called the police, and we've done everything we could. Now all we have to do is wait for news."

"Let's go eat now! I've been busy all day, and with this happening, my stomach has been growling for ages."

Ran Mouri had already gotten home late this time, and with Conan's 'disappearance' causing such a long delay, he was now starving and desperately hoped that Ran Mouri would hurry up and make dinner to fill his already protesting stomach.

However, to his great disappointment, after hearing his words, Ran Mouri not only did not show any intention of getting up to cook, but instead reached for the phone next to her again, seemingly preparing to make another call to inquire about Ayumi and the others.

"Hey, I'm telling you, don't go too far, okay? Go cook me some food! Are you trying to starve your old man to death?!"

Seeing this, Kogoro Mouri's lips twitched slightly, his face instantly turned red, and anger flared in his eyes.

He called Professor Agasa and others to inquire about the situation, and he also called Inspector Megure to report the incident. He had done everything he could and should do, but his daughter was still only thinking about finding those children, completely disregarding the fact that her father was starving.

This made him feel that all his previous comforting and persuasion had been in vain, and a nameless anger welled up in his heart.

Ran Mouri paid no attention to his anger, because at that moment her mind was entirely focused on the safety of Ayumi and the other little ones.

With her mind filled with images of the children potentially being in danger, she had no time to consider her father's feelings.

Taking a deep breath and trying to calm herself down, Ran Mouri then pressed the call button.

"Hey...Baiye..."

(End of this chapter)