Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"I originally just wanted to ask a question, but I didn't expect them to take it so seriously and insist on sending an officer from the Second Investigation Division, who is in charge of tracking down the Phantom Thief Lady, to assist us."

The bespectacled officer scratched his head.

"I remember... it was a police officer named Nakamori Ginzo, right? I heard he was really obsessed with 'Phantom Thief Lady'."

Nakamori Ginzo?

He started hunting down the phantom thief so early?
Lin Xiuyi felt a slight chill run down her spine.

When Inspector Takeuchi heard Furukawa mention this, his expression darkened even further.

He was already somewhat displeased that Tokyo was insisting on interfering in cases within his own jurisdiction.

Now that Lin Xiuyi has pointed out that the notice letter may have problems, it makes it seem that their investigation of Section 3 is not thorough enough.

He waved his hand, somewhat annoyed and embarrassed.

"Alright! Furukawa, why bother telling him so many details!"

Inspector Takeuchi turned to Hideaki Hayashi, his tone becoming firm and impatient once more.

"Since, according to you, this notice is very likely fake, then this whole thing is probably just a pointless prank or a farce to grab attention!"

"Furukawa, please make arrangements and inform the exhibition hall that in a little while, after we make a final confirmation of the security measures, if there are no other abnormalities, we can prepare to reopen the exhibition hall!"

"There's no need to go through such a large-scale lockdown anymore; it's not going to have a good impact."

He actually drew such a hasty conclusion and was preparing to lift the alert!

"Wait! Takeuchi Police Department!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiuyi's expression changed, and she hurriedly spoke up to stop him.

"Although the notice was forged, it doesn't mean that the issuer's purpose was false, or that it was just a prank!"

"On the contrary, forging notices is often a way to cover up the real intention! Perhaps the issuer really wants to steal the Terracotta Warriors, but just wants to frame the Lady Thief to divert the police's attention and make it easier for them to do it themselves!"

"Think about it, if it were just a simple prank, why go to all this trouble, imitating the Phantom Thief Lady? Wouldn't it be simpler to just send an anonymous threatening letter?"

"Choosing the Phantom Thief Lady as a target is likely to leverage her past deeds and fame to make this incident seem more plausible and easier to cause chaos!"

"Humph!"

Inspector Takeuchi, however, wouldn't listen. He sneered and looked at Lin Xiuyi with an expression that suggested it was all a fantasy.

"There is now tight security inside and outside the exhibition hall. This terracotta warrior is not a small thing that can be easily moved!"

Do you know how heavy it is? How big of a vehicle would it require to transport it?

"What kind of foolish criminal would choose such a clearly defined, heavily guarded, large, and extremely difficult-to-handle item as their target? This doesn't make sense!"

Inspector Takeuchi paused, his tone laced with sarcasm.

"Besides, if they really wanted to steal it, wouldn't sending a notice in advance be a reminder to the police to take strict protection of the Terracotta Warriors?"

"This is equivalent to increasing the difficulty dozens of times over! Who would be that stupid?"

"I think it's because you're a kid who watches too many movies; you always tend to overthink things!" "Inspector!"

Lin Xiuyi was still making a final effort to try and arouse the other party's vigilance.

"Don't forget, just a few days ago, right at the start of the celebration, someone tried to damage this terracotta warrior, didn't they?"

"Although it was stopped in time, it shows that someone did indeed have malicious intent towards this exhibit!"

"This whole incident might be the same group of people! They..."

"enough!"

Inspector Takeuchi finally lost his patience. He suddenly raised his voice, interrupting Hayashi Hideichi, and snatched the plastic bag containing the notice from Hayashi Hideichi's hand.

"Lin Xiuyi!"

Inspector Takeuchi gripped the sealed plastic bag tightly in his hand, issuing a cold warning.

"Minister Chibo, we only allowed you to participate in the investigation of this case! We didn't give you permission to interfere with the police's actions or try to 'direct' us on what to do!"

"The judgment and follow-up actions of this case are handled professionally by our Third Investigation Division! It's not your place, an outsider, to interfere!"

Having said that, he gave Lin Xiuyi no further chance to speak, and glared fiercely at Gu Chuan.
"What are you waiting for? Do as I just said!"

Inspector Takeuchi turned around, ignoring the grim-faced Hideaki Hayashi, and strode towards the exit of the exhibition hall, clearly to arrange the lifting of the lockdown and reopening.

In the empty exhibition hall, only Lin Xiuyi and her two companions remained, along with the enormous, silent terracotta warrior.

"How to do?"

Chikage Tomizawa frowned, her voice filled with worry.
"Inspector Takeuchi doesn't believe us at all and still wants the exhibition hall to reopen."

“Once tourists come in, the scene will become more chaotic, and if the person impersonating the Lady Thief really wants to steal the Terracotta Warriors, it will be even more difficult to prevent.”

Shizuka Ikenami nodded with a serious expression: "Should I call Uncle Tsuyoshi again and have him communicate with Inspector Takeuchi again?"

“No need,” Lin Xiuyi shook his head. “Even if we call Officer Ikeba again, it probably won’t do any good. Inspector Takeuchi won’t listen to any opinions right now, and will only think that we are deliberately causing trouble.”

He paused, his gaze falling on the terracotta warriors in the display case.
"Since Inspector Takeuchi is unwilling to believe us, then we will have to find a way to protect the Terracotta Warriors ourselves."

"Inspector Takeuchi was right about one thing: this terracotta warrior is so big and heavy that it's really unlikely to be stolen in full view of everyone."

"Once the exhibition hall opens, there will definitely be a lot of visitors. We will blend in with the visitors and keep a close eye on the surroundings. If we spot any suspicious persons, we will immediately notify the police."

Tomizawa Chikage and Ikenami Shizuka exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Okay, we'll do as you say!"

After assigning the investigation tasks to Tomizawa Chikage and Ikenami Shizuka, Lin Xiuyi walked alone to the Terracotta Warriors display stand, his hands in his pockets and his brows furrowed.

Sunlight streamed through the glass dome of the exhibition hall, casting a shadow on him and making his expression appear even more solemn.

So far, the only clue left by the other party is the forged notice from the Phantom Thief Lady.

Lin Xiuyi raised a hand to rub her throbbing temples, the details of checking the notice letter earlier replaying in her mind:
It was just an ordinary printed card, with a rough texture and slightly rough edges. The text on it was in the common Song typeface, without any special markings, and it didn't even have the slightest smell that was different from ordinary paper.

This type of paper can be bought at any stationery store, and anyone with a printer can easily counterfeit it, making it impossible to trace the originator. (End of Chapter)