Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Several police officers in suits or plainclothes were gathered around the exhibition booth, pointing at the Terracotta Warriors and the surrounding security facilities.

Several temporary warning lines were set up in the exhibition hall, and traces of exploration powder and markings could be seen on the ground.

Seeing Lin Xiuyi and the other two approach, one of the officers, who looked to be in his forties, with a neatly combed back and a serious expression, glanced at them.

His gaze lingered on Lin Xiuyi for a moment, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Clearly, the officer was quite unhappy that his superiors had assigned an "outsider," especially one who looked so young, to their case.

"Are you the people that Minister Chibo spoke to?"

The officer spoke in a low, authoritative voice, carrying a sense of detachment.
"Now that you're here, behave yourself. Don't wander around, don't touch anything, and don't interfere with our work."

A younger-looking, bespectacled, and more amiable police officer quickly stepped forward and introduced them to Lin Xiuyi and the others.
"The three of you, this is Inspector Takeuchi from the Third Investigation Division of the Osaka Police Headquarters, who is in charge of the investigation into the Phantom Thief Lady case."

Lin Xiuyi nodded slightly: "Inspector Takeuchi, please rest assured, we just hope to assist the police in finding out the truth about the notice as soon as possible."

Inspector Takeuchi snorted, his tone clearly dismissive.
"Minister Chibo only asked us to look after you and allow you to participate in the investigation. As for whether we can be of any help... humph."

He didn't say what came next, but his disdain was already very clear.

He clearly didn't believe that the young man who looked like a high school student, and the two girls he brought with him, could offer any valuable help to the cases handled by their department.

You have to give Ikenami Tsuyoshi face, but it's impossible for him to really value these few "connections".

Lin Xiuyi didn't care. He had experienced too much similar disdain and was already used to letting the facts speak for themselves.

"Inspector Takeuchi, could you let us see the original notice from the Phantom Thief Lady?"

Although Inspector Takeuchi was impatient, he couldn't refuse out of respect for Takeshi Ikenami.

He winked at the young police officer next to him who was wearing glasses.

The bespectacled officer understood and carefully took a white card from his evidence bag, which was inside a transparent plastic bag.
"This is the notice letter we found near the booth. We took photos as evidence and then sealed it up immediately."

Before Lin Xiuyi could reach out to take it, Fuzawa Chikage, who was standing next to him, couldn't hold back any longer and grabbed the plastic bag in her hand almost as if she were snatching it!
The girl eagerly held the sealed bag up to her eyes, her gaze quickly scanning the contents of the card.

With just one glance, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously twitched, revealing an undisguised expression of extreme disdain.

"Tch... This guy's imitation is so fake... He can't even get the most basic format and paper right..."

After saying it, Tomizawa Chikage realized something was wrong!

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly shut her mouth, shoving the plastic bag in her hand into Lin Xiuyi's hand next to her. Then she lowered her eyes, trying to hide her embarrassment.

But Inspector Takeuchi clearly caught her words and expression just now!
The inspector from the Third Investigation Division immediately frowned deeply, his sharp gaze fixed on Tomizawa Chikage.

"'Too fake'?"

He repeated those three words, his tone full of doubt.

"You're saying this notice is fake? Miss, what makes you so sure? What evidence do you have?" "This... I..." Tomizawa Chikage was speechless for a moment, unsure how to explain.

She couldn't very well answer, "Because I am the Phantom Thief Lady," could she?
At this awkward moment, Lin Xiuyi stepped forward half a step, subtly shielding Tomizawa Chikage behind him.

He held the sealed plastic bag, his gaze calmly meeting Inspector Takeuchi's probing eyes.

“Inspector, we’ve seen the notices sent by the Phantom Thief Lady a few times by chance, and we’ve also heard about some of her habits from people in the industry.”

As he spoke, he held up the plastic bag in his hand, carefully examining the cards inside, and explained at a moderate pace,

"As far as I know, the real Lady Thief has several distinctive features in her advance notices."

"First, use paper."

Lin Xiuyi's finger touched the edge of the card through the plastic bag.

"The Phantom Thief Lady habitually uses a special type of parchment or high-grade imitation parchment with a subtle watermark, possessing a unique feel and revealing fine textures under certain lighting. And yours..."

He tilted the plastic bag slightly to allow the light to shine through it better.
"It's just a regular, slightly thicker piece of cardstock with a smooth surface and no special textures or watermarks."

Upon hearing this, Inspector Takeuchi's gaze involuntarily followed Hayashi Hideichi's movements, looking at the card.

Although he had noticed paper before, he had not delved into its special characteristics.

Hearing Lin Xiuyi say this now, it seems... things are indeed a little different?
To professionals, the difference between ordinary cardstock and specialty paper is obvious.

"Second, handwriting."

Lin Xiuyi continued, his tone becoming increasingly certain.
"As far as we know, without exception, all of the Phantom Thief Lady's announcement letters are handwritten by her, with a distinctive personal style of handwriting, and the words on this announcement letter..."

He pointed to the neat but somewhat stiff printed text inside the plastic bag.

"It was printed out."

Inspector Takeuchi's expression changed slightly.

He had previously treated the notice as just another challenge from the Phantom Thief Lady, without carefully verifying its authenticity.

Hearing Lin Xiuyi methodically point out these two obviously unconventional details, his initial contempt lessened somewhat.

But his pride as a police inspector and his initial disdain made him unwilling to easily admit that he had been negligent.

"How can you prove that all these characteristics you mentioned are true? Hearsay isn't always accurate!"

Faced with the doubts, Lin Xiu remained completely calm. Instead, she smiled slightly and offered a suggestion that Inspector Takeuchi couldn't refute.
"It's actually very simple to verify this. You can call the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Second Investigation Division right now."

"They have collected almost all the original or high-resolution photos of the Phantom Thief Lady's announcements in Japan. You can find out by just asking them."

Seeing Inspector Takeuchi's face turn pale and then red after Hayashi Hideichi's reasoned analysis and suggestions, the bespectacled officer next to him quickly smiled and tried to smooth things over.
"There's no need to call Tokyo specifically to verify. After discovering this notice, we proactively contacted the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the Phantom Thief Lady's modus operandi and habits." (End of Chapter)