Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 537 Lock-on Hook

September 8, night.

Tonight, Yukihide Konaka, a technician at Hayami Technology Co., Ltd., encountered a strange incident.

On his way home from get off work, he seemed to suddenly hear something...

First, she looked around nervously, then covered her ears.

After realizing the sound hadn't disappeared, he became visibly nervous and started hopping from side to side on the empty road, as if playing dodgeball with someone he couldn't see...

Then he suddenly became hysterical!
"Who? Who's playing a trick on me?"

"Come out!"

"It's impossible...it's impossible..."

Xiao Zhong was acting hysterically, making large movements and violently shaking his head—it has to be said that if a sniper had a sniper rifle aimed at him, the sniper would be in a very difficult position right now.

Unfortunately, the one aiming at him now isn't a sniper...

Although it was late and the area wasn't exactly bustling, the street wasn't deserted. Some people had stopped and were looking at the "madman" with suspicion, while others hesitated about whether to call the police.

Just then, Xiao Zhong started rushing towards the people around him, especially those holding cell phones and pointing them at him...

"It's you? No...it's you! No...where, where..."

Xiao Zhong was searching for something...

Passersby were frightened by his condition and retreated.

Just then, Xiao Zhong suddenly grabbed onto a hooded man in black in the crowd, as if grasping at a straw, and said he was carrying a small box with a signal transmitter...

"Hahaha... As expected, it's you... This is it... Who are you?" Xiao Zhong failed to snatch the small box, so he twisted his hand away, turning the launch port to the side.

but……

"Wait... how come there are more? You have accomplices... who are you?!" Xiao Zhong panicked.

It seems the voice in his head hasn't stopped.

Just then...

click-

Xiao Zhong was immediately handcuffed!
"At 8:40, Xiao Zhongxingxiu, you are hereby arrested on suspicion of murder and... obstructing official business." Yuan's face was revealed under the hood of the man in black.

"You...it's you? Why? What right do you have to arrest me?" Xiao Zhong's face turned ugly.

Because Yuan and Yamada had visited the company, Xiao Zhong knew that he was the detective in charge of the case.

"Oh, come to the police station first and explain why you reacted to this thing just now," Yuan said, shaking the empty box in his hand.

That's right, the source only has a model, it doesn't have any actual functionality.

That's precisely why...

Why Xiao Zhong would immediately look for such a thing while experiencing auditory hallucinations is also evidence that is "unknowable without firsthand experience"!

Although this can only be considered indirect evidence, Yuan is now full of confidence.

Firstly, circumstantial evidence can also be used to apply for a search warrant, unless Xiao Zhong throws away the prepared "murder weapon" and doesn't even leave behind the tools... Even if he throws them away, it doesn't matter. With a search warrant, one can conduct searches that would normally infringe on privacy. Unless he really didn't come into contact with or purchase any related materials, clues will always be found...

Secondly, judging from Xiao Zhong's reaction, it shouldn't be too troublesome—he's not a hardened criminal or an experienced veteran; taking him back for questioning will likely yield results!

……

After Xiao Zhong was escorted into the police car by Yuan and the other plainclothes officers, Shiraishi, wiping his sweat, breathed a sigh of relief and said to Haiya and Kobe in a QX56 parked by the roadside, "Alright, you can handle things from now on..."

That's right, the criminal investigation team identified the suspect today.

It can be proven that this small Bank of China show "was very likely taking place in the nearby pub at the time," but the problem is there is no other evidence!

Therefore, they came up with the old-fashioned trick of "fishing"...

This doesn't count as entrapment, since they didn't lure Xiao Zhongxingxiu into doing anything illegal. They just wanted to test whether he recognized the microwave transmitter and... whether he would immediately think it was this thing when he experienced "auditory hallucinations"!
Logically speaking, aside from Chief Shiraishi, who has an wildly imaginative mind, only the murderer himself would think this way.

What's more, Yuan and the others went to the company before and asked the staff about the situation. At that time, Xiao Zhong knew nothing about it. How do they know now that the auditory hallucinations come from this thing? They need to explain this properly, right?

only……

When they went to Shiraishi to borrow this thing, Shiraishi naturally asked in return, "Are you sure you want to do this? If I were the murderer, even if I were hallucinating, my first reaction would be to pretend I didn't know anything. I could just move my head a little and avoid the microwaves..."

"Even after confirming that the sound is coming from this thing, you could have just pretended to be scared and knew nothing else. What are you planning to do next?"

That's right, in order to make Xiao Zhong react in a way that reveals himself, you first have to make sure he "breaks his defenses".

Otherwise, if people know it's a technological product and just pretend they don't know, wouldn't the police be furious?

The reason why Xiao Zhong reacted so strongly, even to the point of hysteria, is because he couldn't escape the "auditory hallucinations." This can't be explained by the "Frey effect"—after all, he had made the same props and used the same methods, so how could he know the flaws of this thing?

Upon hearing Shiraishi's words, Munakata remarked that the plan was nothing more than a lucky guess...

However, Shiraishi felt that if he was going to do it, he had to strike decisively, so he told Munakata that he would personally take charge and make him question his existence.

And that's how the scene just now unfolded...

To be honest, even though it was Chief Shiraishi himself using that prop, the plainclothes officers around him were still on edge when they saw him start "shaking his head" like a president giving a speech, making it impossible to aim at his head.

They had tried before, using that transmitter to keep it pointed at a person's head remotely, which was actually not easy.

As for Hayami Tatsuro...

He didn't know what this thing was and thought it was really a curse from a vengeful spirit, so naturally he wouldn't have thought of using "shaking his head" to "avoid the sound".

More importantly, even if his unintentional large movement caused the sound to temporarily stop, he would not find it strange, much less conclude that this was "the power of science".

But Xiao Zhong, the murderer, is different...

He not only knows how to dodge, but if you make him dodge slightly or make the sound discontinuous, he will immediately know that it is the same method he used.

At first, Xiao Zhong did think so too, and for the first few minutes, he didn't react at all.

However… in the eyes of the other detectives, Xiao Zhong seemed to lack composure. Gradually, he began to get nervous, wanting to verify whether this was the “power of science,” so he started shaking his head and even making large movements to dodge…

Judging from the results, it seems that Chief Shiraishi really has his head locked all along?

It's shaking like this... Is this the legendary "lock"?

In short, Xiao Zhong, who had been unable to dodge, gradually broke down and started searching for the launcher everywhere...

At this point, he had no time to think about whether he would arouse suspicion, because... he was also afraid!
Rationally, he knew that if someone were to use such a device to test him, they would definitely suspect him. But when he couldn't avoid it no matter what, he lost his rationality.

"Chief, how did you do that?" Kobe asked, looking at Shiraishi in shock from the back seat.

"This is basic skill, basic skill!" Ayako explained to Shiraishi with some concern.

Shiraishi was originally going to have dinner with Ayako tonight, but he had to work overtime here, so he brought Ayako along.

and……

Ayako knows what the "lock hanger" is all about!

That wasn't about accurate aiming at all; Shiraishi was transmitting his voice to the suspect, so of course he wouldn't be able to dodge by shaking his head...

However, the problem is that the other party is not a person with supernatural abilities, and Shiraishi will suffer some backlash for doing this.

That's why Shiraishi was "wiping his sweat".

"I'm sorry to bother you two at this time... I'll definitely get the case before you and the chief inspect the house tomorrow!" Haiya said, then gestured for Kobe to leave.

Although it can now be proven that this case, like the previous "resurrection of the dead," has nothing to do with ghosts, the perpetrator has not yet confessed. Haiya thinks that if the suspect can confess as soon as possible, Ms. Suzuki would be happy.

After Haiya left, Ayako quickly sat in the passenger seat and began to ask Shiraishi for help.

"Don't worry, it's a small problem," Shiraishi said, shaking his head.

The backlash was only enough to make you "sweat," after all, it wasn't some kind of magic with a significant impact.

……

The next day, on their way to look at houses, Shiraishi and Ayako received a call from Munakata—since Director Shiraishi had to do it himself yesterday, they should at least do something in return.
The criminal investigators worked overtime to uncover Xiao Zhong's criminal activities.

The motive is quite cliché: he simply has feelings for the president's mistress and naively believes that it was President Hayami, that old man, who deceived the innocent and naive Shirai...

That's when the idea of ​​revenge came to mind!

"Director, what do you think... should this be prosecuted under what charges?" Zong Fang asked hesitantly.

The consequence was indeed the victim's death, but the question is, can this really be considered murder?
This is different from the one at the Bitter Love Meeting...

In the Bitter Love Society incident, the thing the cult leader's wife used could actually cook a person if left on for too long.

Therefore, even if the victim ultimately commits suicide, it can be seen as an act of desperation after suffering severe physical harm—this is intentional homicide!
The problem is, this little thing can't actually kill anyone; it can only scare people...

"Hmm, I'll call Inspector Mitsurugi and ask him to intervene and provide guidance in advance." Shiraishi didn't make the decision himself, but chose the safest approach.

After all, everyone has their own area of ​​expertise, and...

Regardless of how the police submit the case for prosecution, it is ultimately the prosecutors who decide on the charges.

In that case, why not just get the prosecutors involved?
When Zongfang heard that Baishi was willing to use some "connections," he was naturally happy to relax.

After hanging up the phone at the office, Shiraishi dialed Miken's private number.

"This is Yu Jian. Don't bother me if it's not about the case!" Yu Jian's attitude was very bad as soon as he answered the phone.

"Hmm? Inspector Mikami, have you lost your composure?" Shiraishi asked rhetorically.

Sword Control: ...

"I'm sorry, I confused you with the other officers," Yujian said apologetically.

Shiraishi:……

Is this how you usually treat other police officers?

And the only nickname given to me is "police officer", right?
"It's about a case, of course. There's a murder case at the station that we need your guidance on," Shiraishi said, briefly explaining the case to Miken.

"Okay, I understand," Yu Jian said after a moment of silence.

Shiraishi didn't let him off the hook, but pressed on, "What case were you talking about earlier?"

"It's nothing, it has nothing to do with the Beika Police Station... I'll contact the Beika Police Station's Criminal Investigation Division later, goodbye!" Miken hung up the phone without saying anything more.

Although he had agreed to help Shiraishi, Yujian clearly didn't want Shiraishi to get involved in his own affairs.

"This guy..." Bai Shi shook his head as he listened to the busy tone on the phone—anyway, he had already agreed to help, and as for his own affairs, he didn't want to talk about them, and Bai Shi didn't want to know either!
"Could it be... that case in Shizuoka Prefecture?" Ayako guessed.

"Shizuoka Prefecture?" Shiraishi was taken aback upon hearing this—what did the Shizuoka Prefecture case have to do with the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office?
"You haven't been watching the news lately, have you... Didn't an old house in Beika Town catch fire a few days ago? They even found the body of a high school girl who went missing in Shizuoka Prefecture three years ago in the fire."

"It is said that the homeowner's grandson was the main suspect in the case at the time, so the police arrested him quickly. However... the news also said that 18 years ago, the suspect was arrested for a similar case of missing women, but he won a not guilty verdict by using the tactic of 'keeping silent' and even received compensation for the excessive detention. This time, the prosecution and the police should also feel that the matter is very tricky."

Ayako actually knew about the cases that the Tokyo District Prosecutors Office might be having a headache with lately!
A fire means that evidence from the scene of the death is basically unreliable, and a three-year time span means that evidence from the scene of the disappearance in Shizuoka is basically unreliable.

At this point, no matter how suspicious the suspect is, it will be difficult to convict him if you can't get him to talk!
"Keep quiet? Or is he a repeat offender... or a member of a violent organization?" Shiraishi had seen this kind of scoundrel before.

Remaining silent is not something that can be done easily; the suspect must be very familiar with police interrogation procedures.

“No, the news said… the suspect’s father was a detective. Although he has passed away, that’s probably why he knows so much about police methods…” Ayako said.

Shiraishi:……

It seems to be this case!

No wonder Mitsurugi reacted so strongly to the "police".

However, since this wasn't a case in Beika Town, and the location of the crime might not even be in Toku, Shiraishi couldn't be of much help, so he had to put it aside for now...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Dongdong: Today is September 15th, Dihua was completed. Please vote for me! Please vote for me! Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)