Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"How could this series of events have been accomplished without the cooperation and intelligence support of local forces?"

Lin Xiu paused for a moment, then continued her analysis.

“Those thieves were clearly not locals of Osaka, at least not the main members.”

“They have an all-knowing understanding of the museum’s security system, police operating patterns, transportation routes and times.”

"And who can provide such information? Only someone with in-depth knowledge of the Osaka police and the museum's operations."

Ikeba Shizuka's face grew paler and paler.

She wasn't a fool; Lin Xiuyi's analysis clearly pointed to a terrifying conclusion.

"You mean..." the girl's voice trembled, "Shimazu Katsu hired these thieves to rob the Terracotta Army? Because the mission to rob the Terracotta Army failed last night, then they had a falling out, and the thieves killed Shimazu Katsu?"

When she stated this hypothesis in its entirety, even she felt a chill run down her spine.

If this is true, then this family annihilation case is no longer a simple robbery and murder, but a bloody cleanup after a failed conspiracy.

Lin Xiuyi shrugged, his tone becoming somewhat more relaxed: "This is just my guess, there is no evidence whatsoever."

"Perhaps it really was just thieves who wanted to rob the Shimazu family's treasure."

"After all, didn't you say before that all the antiques and jewelry in his house had been looted?"

“…Osaka’s security isn’t that bad,” Shizuka Ikenami retorted.

She had already accepted Lin Xiuyi's guess in her heart, but she was unwilling to accept this cruel reality.

A wealthy family in Osaka was involved in a plot to steal national treasures, which ultimately led to the extermination of the entire family.

The carriage fell silent again.

……

Katsuie Shimazu's villa was located near Shinzo Mito's house.

The environment here is quiet, and each villa is spaced far enough apart to ensure privacy.

The buildings are partially hidden by lush trees and meticulously manicured gardens.

Normally, this place is a symbol of wealth and status; but today, it has become a crime scene and a living hell.

When Lin Xiuyi and Chi Bojinghua arrived by car, they could see from afar that the area around the villa had already been cordoned off.

More than a dozen police cars were parked outside, their red and blue lights flashing silently, appearing somewhat dazzling in the morning sunlight.

Media reporters were kept outside the police cordon, their cameras and microphones pointed at the villa.

However, the police clearly exercised strict control over the scene, and reporters could only take some peripheral shots from the outside.

Ikeba Shizuka parked the car outside the cordon, and the two got out and walked towards the entrance.

A young police officer stopped them, but after hearing their purpose, he immediately let them go, clearly indicating that Ikenami Takeshi had given them instructions beforehand.

As she crossed the cordon, the scene before her made Ikenami Shizuka gasp in shock.

In the open space in front of the villa, more than twenty corpses were neatly arranged, each covered with a white sheet.

The human-shaped outline under the white cloth was clearly visible, and some areas were soaked in blood, showing dark red patches.

Forensic and identification personnel are busy working, taking photos, measuring, and collecting physical evidence.

The stench of blood in the air grew stronger, mingling with the smells of disinfectant and rubber gloves, creating a nauseating combination.

Although the body was covered with a white sheet, the scene still made Ikeba Shizuka feel very uncomfortable. "Wait here for me," Lin Xiuyi noticed the girl's unease, "I'll go find Minister Ikeba to find out what's going on."

Chibo Jinghua nodded, not trying to be brave.

She took a few steps back and stood under a tree, trying to stay as far away from the corpses as possible, but her eyes couldn't help but dart over there.

Lin Xiuyi took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, and then walked towards Ikenami Tsuyoshi, who was standing at the entrance of the villa.

Takeshi Ikenami looks terrible.

His eyes were bloodshot and swollen, his hair was disheveled, his suit was wrinkled, and his tie hung loosely around his neck; he had clearly not slept all night.

When Lin Xiuyi arrived, he was berating his officers, his voice hoarse and irritable:
"...Seal off the scene! I mean completely seal it off! Don't let any unauthorized personnel approach!"

"Who leaked this information to the media? Didn't I say it should be kept confidential until the preliminary investigation is complete?!"

“Minister, the media came here on their own…” a police officer tried to explain.

"I don't care how they found us! I want results!"

“There are at least twenty media outlets outside right now. What will tomorrow’s front page headline be? ‘Police protecting foreign cultural relics leads to the massacre of a local tycoon’s family’?”

"How do you think the Metropolitan Police Department will view the Osaka Police Department after this kind of report comes out?!"

Takeshi Ikenami's voice was almost a roar; he waved his arms and his expression was ferocious.

His subordinates all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

As the person in charge of last night's operation, although the Terracotta Warriors were safely transported away, the tunnel explosion caused casualties among police officers, and now such a heinous family annihilation case has occurred. One can imagine the pressure on Takeshi Ikenami.

Seeing Lin Xiuyi approach, Ikenami Tsuyoshi waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to leave.

The officers, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, quickly dispersed.

"Lin, you've finally arrived."

Takeshi Ikenami rubbed his temples, his face etched with exhaustion and anxiety.
"Go check quickly. Is the person who attacked the Shimazu family the thief you encountered in the tunnel last night?"

Lin Xiu nodded without saying anything more, and went straight to the corpses covered with white sheets to examine them one by one.

This process was not easy. Even someone like him, who had experienced danger and life-or-death situations, still felt an instinctive resistance and unease when faced with such a large-scale massacre.

Lin Xiuyi squatted down and gently lifted the first piece of white cloth.

Below is a man in his fifties, wearing pajamas; he is likely Katsumi Shimazu himself.

His death was gruesome; there was a deep ligature mark on his neck, with the skin and flesh turned outwards, almost exposing his cervical vertebrae.

His face was bluish-purple from suffocation, his eyes bulged out, and he died with his eyes wide open.

Judging from the width and depth of the marks, they were indeed caused by a thin-wire weapon, and the person who applied the force was extremely strong, resulting in a fatal blow.

Lin Xiuyi carefully examined the marks, which were almost identical to the thin thread the spider had used the night before.

He continued to examine the other bodies, some old, some young, some men, some women, the youngest of whom looked only seven or eight years old.

Most of them were strangled with thin thread, while a few showed obvious signs of struggle, such as head injuries from impacts and stab wounds to the chest and abdomen from being stabbed with a kitchen knife.

When Lin Xiuyi lifted the twelfth white cloth, his movements stopped.

Below is a man in his forties, dressed in a well-fitting suit. Even in his death state, his usual refined demeanor is still evident.

Lin Xiuyi recognized the face; it was Mr. Takahashi, a volunteer at the Terracotta Warriors exhibition! (End of Chapter)