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

Chapter 699 You're the Prisoner! (2 Updates)
Not long after, Air Marshal Bill and the flight attendant entrusted with the important task returned to the forward galley area with solemn expressions.

Their expressions said it all.

Conan immediately stepped forward and asked eagerly, "Officer Bill, how's the surveillance footage coming along? Have you found anything?"

Bill shook his head heavily, his tone filled with frustration: "We carefully reviewed all the relevant surveillance footage from the start of the meeting until now."

"Unfortunately, none of the four passengers were found to have deliberately hidden their phones near their seats, nor were any suspicious persons seen approaching or rummaging through their belongings."

"Their phones seemed to be with them the whole time."

He paused, then added, "To be absolutely sure, we also personally searched the area around their seats, but found nothing there either."

Conan frowned deeply upon hearing the result.

He rested his chin on his hand and quickly made a judgment: "If the surveillance footage didn't capture them moving the phone, and there's no second phone on them or near their seats..."

"The most likely scenario is that after the perpetrator stopped sending messages, they quickly deleted specific applications or even the entire chat history from their phone, making it impossible for us to obtain evidence even if we find the phone."

This possibility gave Conan a headache.

At this stage of the investigation, all the indirect evidence and reasoning seemed to point to these last four people, but there was a lack of crucial physical or direct evidence to definitively prove their case.

Faced with a cunning opponent who may have destroyed the electronic evidence, even he felt somewhat helpless for a moment.

Left with no other choice, Conan could only turn his gaze to Shiraishi E, who remained calm and composed to the side, and said with a hint of reluctance and expectation, "Next... it's up to you, Shinichi-nii!"

He emphasized the words "Shinichi-nii" (older brother Shinichi), his eyes clearly saying: You're carrying my name, so don't mess things up and embarrass me, Shinichi Kudo!

When Shiraishi E received Conan's gaze, she felt no pressure at all; instead, she smiled slightly, appearing confident and composed!

He walked forward casually and addressed the crowd, especially the four final suspects, saying, "Actually, the next step is quite simple. Since all our deductions indicate that the culprit is most likely one of you four, and we can't find any conclusive evidence yet..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the four men's faces, which instantly tensed up, and continued, "So, to ensure the safety of the other hundreds of passengers on the flight, the safest approach is to temporarily 'invite' the four of you to a separate rest area, where an air marshal will supervise you, and you can also monitor each other."

"Make sure that no one can make external communications or take dangerous actions before the plane lands and the police take over."

The suggestion was immediately endorsed by the passengers who had been cleared of suspicion, who nodded in agreement: "That's a good idea!"

"That's right, that way the criminals won't be able to do anything sneaky!"

"For everyone's safety, we'll have to make do with them for now."

However, the four suspects who were named immediately objected, expressing their strong opposition:

"Are you kidding me! What right do you have to detain us?"

"We haven't committed a crime! This is illegal detention!"

"Just because we're on our phones? That's ridiculous!"

Faced with the protest, Shiraishi E simply shrugged indifferently, but her tone was firm and unwavering: "Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, you have no choice."

"Compared to the temporary freedom of the four of you, we care more about the safety of the hundreds of lives on this plane. This is a necessary safety measure."

Among the four, a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who looked quite refined, adjusted his glasses and retorted sharply, "Hmph! That sounds nice! Who knows if this is a play you staged yourself? Based on those few chat records on your phone, whose authenticity is unknown? Who can prove that they weren't fabricated by you to frame us?"

The other three immediately seemed to have found their leader and echoed their sentiments:
"That's right! Where's the evidence?"

"You want to arrest someone without any evidence?"

"I think you're the ones with ulterior motives!"

Seeing the four of them suddenly become united against a common enemy, Shiraishi E was not angry but amused, a meaningful smile playing on her lips: "Oh? Working together so well?"

“I almost forgot there’s another possibility… though the chances are slim, it’s not impossible—that is, the four of you are accomplices! One of you is in charge of communications, while the others are responsible for providing cover and creating chaos!”

These words added fuel to the fire, completely enraging the four men, who then raised their voices in protest.

However, amidst the clamor of protests, Shiraishi E's gaze, like the most precise instrument, carefully swept over the four people's facial expressions, body language, and subtle reactions.

His gaze finally settled firmly on the man with the gold-rimmed glasses who had been the first to object.

Shiraishi's smile vanished, replaced by a sharp, all-knowing gaze. He pointed at the bespectacled man, his voice clearly cutting through the noise: "Stop acting. I already know. The real culprit—is you!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked!

Everyone stared incredulously at the bespectacled man who looked the most refined and least like a bad guy.

The bespectacled man's expression changed drastically, but he quickly regained his composure and shouted, "You...you're slandering me! What makes you say it's me? What evidence do you have?!"

Shiraishi E approached step by step, coldly saying, "You were indeed very good at hiding your true intentions, but your actions have still betrayed you!"

“From his overly calm demeanor when he was first summoned, to his deliberate attempts to steer the investigation towards questioning the authenticity of the evidence, and then to his efforts to muddy the waters and incite others to resist the investigation… all of this seems too ‘active’ and too eager to control the situation!”

"The truly innocent, amidst fear and doubt, are more likely to passively cooperate or observe in silence, rather than rushing out to act as opinion leaders like you!"

"You're talking nonsense! You're framing me!" the bespectacled man retorted excitedly.

Before he could finish speaking, Shiraishi E moved!

His movements were as fast as lightning, and a sharp side kick went straight for the bespectacled man's chest!

The bespectacled man was terrified, but he reacted extremely quickly, almost instinctively crossing his arms to block in front of his chest!

With a muffled thud, although he blocked the kick, he was forced back several steps by the enormous force.

"What are you doing?! Is this violent law enforcement?!" the bespectacled man shouted in shock and anger.

Shiraishi E gave him no chance to breathe, pressing forward and unleashing a barrage of punches like raindrops, her moves ruthless and precise!
Even in the midst of the chaos, the bespectacled man managed to parry and dodge with barely any effort, his movements subtly revealing signs of professional training.

"Pretty impressive... How many years have you been training!" Shiraishi E sneered, and in the gap of the opponent's block, a tricky hook punch suddenly struck his lower abdomen!
"Ugh!" The bespectacled man cried out in pain, his whole body curled up like a boiled shrimp and collapsed to the ground, convulsing in agony, unable to utter a word of explanation.

Shiraishi E then stopped, looked down at him, and said to the shocked crowd, "Now, whether he is a criminal or not, let me search him and I'll know!"

As he spoke, he crouched down and, ignoring the bespectacled man's weak struggles, began to carefully search his body.

His hand stopped when it touched the inside of the other person's suit jacket.

With a practiced tug, he pulled out a compact pistol with a cold, metallic sheen from the inside pocket of his suit!
"Whoosh—!" Upon seeing the handgun, all the passengers present, including Bill and the flight attendant, couldn't help but gasp in horror!

Facts speak louder than words!

How could an ordinary passenger possibly carry a handgun onto an international flight?

The only explanation is that he is the criminal!
All doubts and all reasoning were most powerfully confirmed at this moment!
The kitchen area fell into a deathly silence, with only the bespectacled man's painful groans and the horrified gasps of the others!
Conan looked at Shiraishi E with a complex expression, a mixture of relief at the outcome and helplessness at the guy's simple, brutal, yet extremely effective methods.

(End of this chapter)