I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 692 Serving as a Partner of Justice for Three Days (1st Update)
Inside Eri Kisaki's law firm, the atmosphere was as professional and austere as ever. Outside the large floor-to-ceiling windows lay the bustling cityscape of Tokyo, while inside, the only sounds were the soft rustling of documents and the tapping of keyboards. Eri Kisaki was focused on a case file when there was a gentle knock on the office door.

"Please come in." She didn't even look up.

Inspector Megure led Officer Takagi through the door. Inspector Megure wore his usual serious expression, tinged with a barely perceptible embarrassment, while Takagi, as always, appeared somewhat nervous, clutching his police handbook tightly.

"Attorney Fei, excuse me for disturbing you," Inspector Megure said first, his tone polite.

Eri Kisaki finally looked up, adjusted her black-rimmed glasses, and sharply scanned the two uninvited guests: "Inspector Megure, Inspector Takagi. What's the matter?"

Her tone was flat, with a hint of businesslike detachment.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Inspector Megure got down to business, his expression turning serious: "Attorney Kisaki, we've come to ask you about some things."

"According to our recent investigation, a series of vicious attacks targeting company presidents and prominent figures have recently occurred in Tokyo."

"The attackers were extremely brutal, specifically targeting the victims' kneecaps with guns, and without exception, they demanded that the other party immediately withdraw any ongoing civil lawsuits and provide compensation in accordance with regulations."

Before he could finish speaking, Eri Kisaki frowned.

She put down her pen, leaned back slightly, crossed her arms, and looked at him with a hint of displeasure: "Inspector Megure, what do you mean by this? Does your police suspect that I'm involved in these lawless attacks?"

Her voice rose a few decibels, tinged with displeasure, as she said, "Do I need to resort to such underhanded tactics to win a case? Are you questioning my professional competence, or are you insulting my character?"

"No, no! Absolutely not!" Inspector Megure was intimidated by her imposing manner and quickly waved his hands, cold sweat almost breaking out on his forehead: "Attorney Kisaki, your abilities and character are well known throughout the Metropolitan Police Department!"

“Of course you don’t need to, and would never, use such methods! It’s just… it’s just that our investigation found that the lawsuits involving these victims… uh… more or less, are all… connected to your law firm.”

He spoke somewhat haltingly, clearly aware that this angle was very sensitive.

Eri Kisaki's gaze sharpened, scraping across Inspector Megure and Wataru Takagi like a knife: "Inspector Megure, you need to be clearer. Is it all related to me? Or part of it? Or most of it? As law enforcement officers, please use precise language!"

Her rebuttal was well-reasoned and carried a strong sense of pressure.

Caught off guard by the questions, Inspector Megure quickly nudged Takagi Wataru with his elbow: "Takagi! What's the specific data? Look it up quickly!"

Takagi Wataru frantically flipped open the police handbook he had been clutching, his fingers trembling as he scanned the records. After a careful examination, he hurriedly reported, "Report, Inspector! According to the current statistics, more than half of the civil lawsuits involving the victims of these attacks... are indeed... are indeed being handled by the Kisaki Law Firm representing the other party..."

After listening, Eri Kisaki glanced at the two of them speechlessly, her eyes seeming to look at two clueless students.

She gave a soft snort, her tone carrying undisguised criticism: "You police officers are far too unprofessional in handling cases."

Megure could only nod and bow, awkwardly admitting, "Yes, yes, we are indeed not very professional. Our investigation direction may indeed be somewhat... limited."

"Attorney Fei, do you have any other ideas or clues to offer? If not, we won't bother you any further."

He wanted to end this awkward questioning as soon as possible.

Eri Kisaki didn't answer directly. Instead, she turned her gaze back to the laptop on the table, her fingers sliding across the touchpad as she spoke in a helpless tone, "I really doubt whether you guys even pay attention to what's happening online. Is solving cases just about interviews and watching surveillance footage?"

Inspector Megure and Wataru Takagi looked at each other, puzzled.

Megure had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "The internet? Attorney Kiyoshi, do you mean... is there any relevant information online?"

“See for yourselves,” Eri Kisaki said, turning her laptop screen toward the two officers. The screen displayed the interface of a video platform, with an account profile picture of a notorious gangster named Azu. The title of the account’s latest video was: “Justice Execution - Three-Day Limited Time.”

Eri explained calmly, "Recently, a guy who calls himself 'Bandit Azu' opened an account on this platform, claiming that he wants to 'eliminate harm for the people' and even 'welcomes' netizens to send him private messages to name those 'scum' that your police can't or are too lazy to deal with."

Megure Juichi was taken aback and quickly moved closer to the screen: "Is that so?!" He moved the mouse and clicked the play button on the video.

In the video, a person wearing a plain white mask with no distinguishing features appears in front of the camera. His voice has been clearly altered, sounding deep and distorted: "Hey guys, it's me, the notorious bandit Azu. Long time no see. I forgot my previous account password and was too lazy to appeal, so I just registered a new one."

His tone was lazy yet carried an unsettling sense of oppression: "I've noticed everyone's been quite resentful lately. Alright, I've been bored lately, so I'll be a champion of justice this time, acting on behalf of heaven to help you all resolve your troubles... Remember, this event only lasts three days, so don't miss out."

The video is very short and ends abruptly here.

However, the comment section below the video completely exploded, with the number of comments reaching an astonishing millions!

Anonymous revelations, complaints, and even direct requests to "punish" someone on this account flooded the screen.

Inspector Megure and Wataru Takagi were dumbfounded and speechless with shock!

This is nothing short of a blatant provocation and mockery of the police!
Takagi Wataru couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "This...this guy! He's so arrogant! So outrageous! He's utterly lawless!"

Eri Kisaki stood to the side with her arms crossed, and said calmly, "Which of the cases I've taken on wasn't a difficult case where evidence collection was challenging, the other party was being unreasonable and using procedures to delay indefinitely, leaving my clients with nowhere to turn for help and feeling exhausted both physically and mentally?"

"What do you think ordinary people who have nowhere to turn for help in reality and have accumulated countless grievances will do when they see such a 'simple and direct' 'solution'?"

Instantly, both Inspector Megure and Wataru Takagi understood.

There was absolutely no need for Eri Kisaki to instruct him. The so-called "ruthless bandit Azu" only needed to send out such a signal online, and countless desperate or resentful people would voluntarily hand over the information to him!

The cases handled by Eri Kisaki happen to be typical examples of cases with extremely prominent conflicts and great resentment from the victims, so the probability of them being "submitted" and "selected" is naturally very high.

With a grim expression, Inspector Megure gently pushed the laptop back to Eri Kisaki and said respectfully, "We...we understand. Thank you very much, Attorney Kisaki, for the clue. I'm so sorry to have bothered you. Goodbye."

With that, he tugged at Takagi Wataru, who was still in a daze, and the two of them practically fled from Eri Kisaki's office.

Walking back to the Metropolitan Police Department, Wataru Takagi was still in shock. He asked blankly, "Inspector... what... what should we do next?"

With a look of annoyance and helplessness, Inspector Megure replied irritably, "What can we do? Just let it be!"

"This matter has completely exceeded our scope of handling! The impact is too great, the methods are too egregious, and the imitation is too strong!"

"Go back immediately and write a report, detailing the entire situation! Let those big shots above have a headache!"

Takagi Wataru also felt that this was the only way, and he asked curiously, "But, is that guy really the notorious bandit Azu?"

Megure shook his head and said, "I don't know... Whether it's the real person or a copycat, he has broken the law! Whether it's the real person or not is not important."

Takagi Wataru thought it made a lot of sense.

(End of this chapter)