Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 241 New Identity: "Detective"

Police sirens wailed as night fell over Tokyo.

Kido Detective Agency.

Gao Mo sipped his hot tea while flipping through the projected book, with a news article next to him.

"Nagato Hideyoshi's Guide to Novel Writing" enabled him to reach level 2 in writing, but his main focus was on novels, and he had to learn how to write news articles on his own.

He shouldn't have any problem submitting his report on the series of attacks, but he wasn't sure how long it would take to be registered as a journalist, or even if he would be registered as a journalist at all.

"Ok?"

A new note projection suddenly flashed in Gao Mo's eyes.

It is an identity file.

Besides being a professional detective, names, ages, genders, and even specific appearances are all available for selection.

The highest-ranking police inspector...tsk, a hurdle that even Chief Inspector Takagi can't overcome.

Level 3 notes offer greater flexibility.

There's not much to choose from, so of course I'll start as a police inspector. I can't exactly choose a patrol officer, can I?

Name……

Gao Mo pondered for a few seconds.

Choosing a name for my alternate account is really troublesome. I'll just go with "Shinichi Matsuda". Using "Shichiro" would easily attract Kid's attention.

The rest should follow the Takagi template: 26 years old, male, not overshadowing Takagi in appearance, just average-looking, curly hair, dark skin...

Before he knew it, he had gotten addicted to pinching her face. By the time Gao Mo came to his senses, more than an hour had passed.

I wasn't satisfied with any of them, and after trying several versions, I still settled on the first one.

The identity has been decided, and the next step is to determine the specific details of this mission.

Gao Mo did not forget the wish that Sato had for him to fulfill the role.

Sato could never let go of two people in his heart: his father, who died in the line of duty when he was a child, and Matsuda Jinpei, who was killed in a bomb disposal operation.

His mission this time was the former: to investigate the death of Sato's father, uncover the truth behind the long-buried case, and find the culprit who killed Sato's father.

Kudo Yusaku's case file contains relevant information; it's a case called the "Shushiro Incident"—named because Sato Masayoshi, who was hit by a truck, kept shouting "Shushiro" at the escaped criminal.

It seems to have caused a huge sensation back then, and the police also put a lot of effort into investigating it, but in the end, nothing came of it. According to the normal timeline, the statute of limitations of 3 years has now expired.

The criminal's exact identity was known only to the deceased Masayoshi Sato.

Gao Mo got up and took out the case file again.

Without detailed information, it would be difficult for him to make a judgment.

Fortunately, it seems that Yusaku Kudo was also paying attention to this case back then, and he even collected news clippings.

However, there isn't much information available.

The perpetrators were very well-prepared for the bank robbery, and the only clue was a less than 10-second clip captured by the bank's surveillance cameras.

No one even knows how the police officer who died in the line of duty identified the suspect and arrested the criminal; the criminal's identity remains a mystery to this day.

Gao Mo's eyes flickered slightly.

The fact that Sato Masayoshi was able to identify the suspect with only a short clip of surveillance footage suggests that he was very familiar with the perpetrator and knew his identity immediately.

They are either criminals he has encountered before, or acquaintances... most likely, they are within Sato Masayoshi's network of relationships.

The chances of it happening by sheer luck are slim.

Further details require access to police files and other leads unknown to outsiders.

"Recently, Tokyo has seen a series of arson attacks. The first was near Ikebukuro Station, and the second was near Asakusabashi Station..."

Ai was still watching TV in the living room, yawning while hugging the black cat.

Another series of crimes.

She seemed to have some recollection of it, but couldn't quite remember.

After all, it was something from a past life, and so much time had passed—it felt like decades had gone by. There weren't many cases that left a deep impression on her.

"It seems there are a total of 6 arson sites?"

Ai frowned uncertainly.

Besides the arson case, there also seems to have been some twists and turns at the Metropolitan Police Department.

Pushing open the study door, Xiao Ai found Gao Mo asleep, slumped over his desk. A hint of helplessness flashed across her face. Forgetting about the case, she quickly turned around and grabbed a blanket.

"Seriously, who's taking care of whom here?"

a few days later.

Metropolitan Police Department First Investigation Division.

A dark-skinned, curly-haired young man appeared before Sato and his group.

Inspector Megure introduced, "This is Inspector Shinichi Matsuda, who was temporarily transferred to our team. This is his first time at headquarters, and Sato will be training him for the next few days."

"Me?" Sato, who had been lost in thought, was stunned for a moment before noticing Gao Mo appearing in disguise.

At first glance, it's as if I'm seeing Matsuda Jinpei again, who was transferred to the First Investigation Division back then, and she was the one in charge back then.

"Is there a problem?" Megure also thought of Sato's past. "Only you are suitable."

Indeed, only Inspector Sato is suitable to lead a team; we can't let Takagi come, since he's one rank lower.

“How about I do it?” Shiratori Renzaburo scrutinized Gao Mo with the air of a noble young master. “I happen to be quite free lately…”

“I’ve heard a lot about Officer Sato before,” Gao Mo interrupted Shiratori. “It would be perfect if Officer Sato were to take me.”

It would be more appropriate to stay by Sato's side to investigate the Shushiro incident.

"Really?" Sato smiled, snapping out of his reverie. "I'm fine."

hateful!

Shiratori and Takagi both stared intently at Gao Mo, the outsider, their eyes filled with deep vigilance.

At this point, a new competitor suddenly appeared.

Sato had promised that if anyone could solve the mystery and arrest Shushiro, he would do anything to fulfill all of Shushiro's wishes.

Sweat beaded on the white bird's forehead.

There was already competition from Takagi, and now if another competitor emerges, there will be plenty of opportunities for him to stay by Sato's side...

The visitor is not good.

I just hope the newcomer is an incompetent fool.

“By the way,” Megure said seriously, “regarding the recent arson case, it has now been transferred to our side. There are witnesses to the fourth arson, and someone was killed at the scene. You will go to the scene to conduct an investigation later.”

"Someone died?" Sato exclaimed in surprise.

The arson had a greater impact than the security guard's repeated attacks on young women, but there hadn't been any murders before, only a lot of houses had been burned down—because the arsonist chose places near the station where there weren't many people.

"Regarding the arsonist, the witness said he had long hair, wore a hat, and was dressed in a long gray coat. Although the chances of finding him directly are slim, it's safer to search around the arson sites."

"Imperial Megure said, turning to Gao Mo.

"Matsuda, you can go with them to investigate."

"no problem."

Gao Mo adapted to his new identity quickly, thanks in large part to Megure's police guide.

It's hard to say about other places, but here in the First Investigative Division, he's considered a "veteran" detective.

Ai Haibara also revealed some information about the arson case.

“Officer, I’ve also seen the news about the arson case,” Gao Mo said, pulling a map from his pocket. “I think the perpetrator will likely choose the area near Shinagawa Station next time he sets a fire.”

"What do you mean?" Inspector Megure paused for a moment. He didn't have high expectations for the newcomer; he just wanted the newcomer to gain experience.

"So far, there have been a total of five arson attacks. It's clear that the perpetrators planned and selected the arson sites systematically, with varying distances and seemingly no pattern. However..."

Gao Mo took out a marker and marked it.

"Isn't that strange? If it's to disrupt the police investigation, why do they always choose locations near the station?"

“It’s strange,” Megure nodded. “At first it was in the Ikebukuro and Asakusa Bridge area, then suddenly it went all the way to Shimokitazawa, and then it came back… What’s your basis for saying the next location is Shinagawa Station?”

"fire."

Gao Mo picked up his pen and drew a line, writing the character "fire" on the map.

"Although we don't know what the perpetrator is up to, judging from the ritualistic way they set the fire, they probably wanted to write the character for 'fire,' and the next arson point is most likely Shinagawa Station."

"So that's how it is?!"

Megure and the others simultaneously looked up at Gao Mo, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Shiratori could no longer laugh; beads of sweat streamed down his face.

Oh no, that's a master.

(End of this chapter)