Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 246 Busy Police Life

"How about it?"

Gao Mo looked down at Conan.

"Have you made a decision yet? The longer you delay, the harder it may be to bring it up."

"what?"

Conan was startled and opened his mouth to speak.

"I...I know. Next time...next time when she suspects me, I'll just confess. I don't know how to say it now."

"whatever."

Gao Mo ignored the guy.

As long as this guy doesn't openly solve cases under Shinichi Kudo's name, that's fine—that's also why Ai didn't give him the temporary antidote.

This reasoning fanatic can't control himself when faced with a case; it's as if all his intelligence is allocated to reasoning.

As for Xiaolan...

With Vermouth, the "mole," around, it's unlikely the brewery will target Ran.

"Let's make this clear first, don't even think about asking us for help later," Gao Mo added.

"Of course." Conan wiped his sweat nervously.

"What the hell do you mean, little brat?"

A sudden commotion erupted in front of the stage.

As the event ended, the bespectacled male doctor gritted his teeth and approached the female high school student at the beverage stand.

She was a bespectacled girl with a blank expression, seemingly indifferent to the bespectacled man's shouts and curses.

"You brat! Do you think I'd want to marry you?"

"Hey, Kohei!"

The chubby colleague hurriedly grabbed the man with glasses.

"Let's go back first..."

"Humph!"

The bespectacled man stared at the girl fiercely for a moment, then turned away coldly.

The short-haired woman next to him seemed distracted, trying to find Gao Mo in the venue.

She then realized that the person who stopped him was most likely Gao Mo, whom she had met at the beverage stand.

"Boom!"

Outside the stadium, which served as the performance venue, the rain intensified, with thunder rumbling amidst the dark clouds.

A piece of sheet metal, its origin unknown, was blown up by a strong wind and nearly hit the bespectacled man heading to the parking lot.

The sharp cuts in the sheet metal gave the bespectacled man a fright, and after realizing what had happened, he ran away cursing.

"What bad luck! I came to my alma mater to see a performance and ran into that brat, and then it started raining. This damn world!"

"Wow!"

Gao Mo walked to the window and found the bespectacled man's figure through the rain. The image of the bespectacled man's death flashed before his eyes again.

After all this time, the rules of death still follow the same logic.

If we weren't adversaries, we might get along quite well.

"Kido-nii, what are you looking at?" Conan stood on tiptoe next to Gao Mo, but could only see the crowd of people dispersing outside with umbrellas.

"nothing."

Gao Mo withdrew his gaze.

You can't exactly say you stopped a case and then attracted the Grim Reaper's rule.

“This year’s school festival is a disaster,” Sonoko sighed. “But thankfully it was an indoor performance, so it wasn’t affected much. Apart from one unlucky guy falling off the stage, everything else went relatively smoothly.”

As she spoke, Yuan quietly moved closer to Gao Mo.

"Kido-san, are you coming again tomorrow? Actually, our drama club is short of an instructor right now, and I think Kido-san would be a good fit for a part-time job, since he wouldn't take up too much of your time..."

"Teacher?"

Gao Mo considered the remaining professions to include, but ultimately shook his head.

"No, I made a special effort to set aside time for today. I'm unlikely to have any free time for at least the next month."

To be honest, he didn't quite understand Sonoko.

His idea was obvious, but Sonoko still refused to give up.

It seems like this has happened more than ten times already.

"Okay." Sonoko looked disappointed, but quickly cheered up.

It's even more remarkable that they made a special effort to attend the school festival, even though they didn't have much time themselves.

"Kido-kun, I'll always keep your mentor position for you!"

"..."

Gao Mo scratched his head.

Forget it, let nature take its course.

You can't exactly say you're an immortal being plus half of Death and have never thought about getting married.

In a few years, Sonoko might move on to someone else. Young girls, especially those with Sonoko's personality, can't stay together for long.

"ah--!"

"Dead!"

Suddenly, screams of fright came from outside the stadium.

"Someone has been struck by lightning!"

"Call an ambulance!"

Is there a doctor?

In the chaos, Conan dashed out of the stadium and, upon discovering the unexpected death of the bespectacled man from before, couldn't help but turn back and frown.

Too many coincidences are no longer coincidences.

He always felt that there was a deeper mystery surrounding Gao Mo, and this unknown made him feel like he was being scratched by a cat.

I thought I knew enough, but in the end it was like peeling an onion, layer by layer, and I couldn't see anything clearly.

"Death! It's Death!"

The short-haired woman stood there in fear, letting the rain soak her face.

She was right next to the bespectacled man, but the lightning struck him instead, just as he took out his keys to open the car door.

The meticulously planned crime failed, but the person intended to be killed still died.

The short-haired woman was deathly pale, and her fingers were trembling uncontrollably.

When you actually see the Grim Reaper, all you feel is terror, the helplessness and despair of having your life and death controlled.

"grim Reaper?"

Conan glanced at the short-haired woman who was reacting so strongly, puzzled.

I don't know why this person reacted this way.

Would an average person suddenly associate this with the Grim Reaper?

……

night.

Metropolitan Police Department, search lesson one.

Megure was enjoying his coffee.

Matsuda was practically his lucky star; he solved several cases as soon as he joined his team, even resolving long-standing cold cases just before the statute of limitations expired.

During the weekend operation, Sato and Takagi successfully apprehended the suspect.

On his end, he successfully solved an apartment murder case.

The best thing is that I finally didn't run into that Mori guy again. He used to be like a ghost, and I could run into him no matter where I went.

Moreover, even without profit, solving the case doesn't seem difficult.

"What Grim Reaper?"

The detectives, who were taking a break in the office, suddenly started talking about the doctor who died unexpectedly at Teitan High School.

Megure was involuntarily drawn to the scene.

"It must just be a coincidence, right? It just happened to be a thunderstorm."

“It’s not just this case. Doesn’t Inspector Megure think there are too many accidental deaths these days? We’re doing alright here, but it’s really scary in America. It’s unbearable to watch.”

"Really?" Inspector Megure looked slightly bewildered. He hadn't really noticed.

He was usually too busy with all sorts of murder cases in Tokyo, especially in Beika and Beika areas, where there was never any peace.

"Brother Matsuda!"

Gao Mo's return from outside made Megure's eyes light up.

"Weren't you on vacation? Why are you back now?"

"Yes, the matter has been taken care of. I also had an appointment with Officer Sato to investigate the case... Hasn't Officer Sato returned yet?"

Gao Mo took out his phone and contacted Sato.

Regarding the Ye Caisan incident from twenty years ago—the 400 million yen bank robbery—Sato helped find a retired detective who was in charge of the case back then.

It is said that the statute of limitations for civil prosecution is about to expire, after which the stolen money hidden by the criminals will never be recovered.

"Is it that case from twenty years ago? Why are you suddenly interested in that?" Inspector Megure asked in surprise. "The statute of limitations for criminal prosecution has long passed, and it's too late to investigate now. Those guys can't possibly show up at the last minute; they must be hiding very well, maybe even abroad."

"I'm just interested in these old cases."

All the information about the Ye Caisan incident flashed through Gao Mo's mind.

Ye Caisan, also known as the "Shadow Planner," was a notorious criminal 20 years ago. He would make meticulous plans before each crime, leaving no room for error. His methods were also quite ingenious, clean, and efficient, often leaving the police completely bewildered.

It is said that they recruit and change their companions for each mission, and no one knows their true identities.

Similar to Phantom Thief Kid, he never harms anyone when committing crimes... However, in a bank robbery 20 years ago, a bank employee was murdered, and then this shadow planner disappeared without a trace.

Police later found Ye Caisan's shirt with bullet holes and bloodstains on the beach, but they were unsure of his condition and only noted him as missing in the file.

There has been no news of those recruited accomplices.

This case didn't quite fit Gao Mo's idea of ​​slacking off, but it still piqued his interest.

There are no statutes of limitations for professional missions involving notes; the longer the case is unsolved, the higher the level of the mission.

Solving one case is equivalent to solving several ordinary murder cases.

"Matsuda!"

After receiving a phone call, Inspector Megure suddenly stood up with a serious expression.

"There's been a murder at the Beika Central Building! You need to come with me!"

"Now?"

Gao Mo, who had just contacted Sato, looked bewildered.

He didn't make a special trip back just to work overtime, although police officers can be recalled even during their leave...

no way.

“Let’s talk about it next time,” Gao Mo replied to Sato. “I can just go find that retired detective.”

"Don't get your hopes up too high," Sato said apologetically. "I only just learned about the specifics myself, and I'm afraid it'll be difficult to gain anything."

"Miwako!"

Sato's mother swept the floor while nagging.

"Who are you talking to on the phone? Now that your dad's case is solved, shouldn't you seriously consider it? You should also take a look at those blind date photos I prepared for you, right? You're not young anymore, yet you still act like a tomboy..."

"Beep!"

The call was interrupted, preventing Gao Mo from eavesdropping any longer.

It's a blind date.

Even a policewoman like Sato couldn't escape the pressure to get married.

Fortunately, he was all alone. Professor Agasa was a senior, but he was also a bachelor and had no face to say anything to him.

"Matsuda?"

"Ready to depart?" Inspector Megure called out in bewilderment.

"What are you still doing? Hurry up!"

"it is good."

……

Mihana Central Building, 38 floors.

Megure arrived at the floor where the incident occurred with a grim face. Outside the cordon, a crowd of people were gathered, talking animatedly, as if something serious had happened. It took the officers a lot of effort to stop the crowd.

They all appear to be employees of the same company.

"I heard someone died in the elevator."

"The company president was shot and killed; his head was blown apart. It's terrifying..."

"How could this be?"

"Everyone, calm down and don't disturb the police investigation!"

"Step back! Please step back!"

Megure entered the scene as officers saluted, then stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for forensic personnel to complete the evidence collection.

"The deceased was the president of the video game company, Taiji Tatsumi, 58 years old. Floors 24 to 36 of this building belong to the video game company, and the elevator involved in the incident was for internal use only."

Gao Mo followed closely beside Megure, quickly observing the scene.

"The body was discovered by three employees of the video game company. They said they were going to take the elevator back to get something they had forgotten in the office, but they found the president's body in the elevator."

"What have you forgotten?"

"This company is having its 20th anniversary party today, and they forgot to bring the bouquets they were supposed to give out at the end of the party."

A police officer explained the situation.

"It is said that President Tatsumi was feeling unwell and said he had to go back to the company downstairs before the party started, and then went straight home... Perhaps that's when he encountered the thugs hiding in the building. All the employees were upstairs at the time, and the thugs could have taken the opportunity to kill him."

"But how could the murderer be sure the victim would go down alone?" Inspector Megure asked suspiciously.

"Perhaps the perpetrators didn't have a specific target? Like a robber or something."

The officer sounded uncertain, so Inspector Megure turned to Takamori and asked, "Matsuda, what do you think?"

“If it were a robbery, they wouldn’t choose an elevator as a place to commit the crime. Besides, the victim didn’t look like he had been robbed; he still had his gold watch on his wrist.”

Gao Mo instantly gathered all the information from the scene, focusing on observing the condition of the corpse.

The deceased was an obese man wearing a suit. The fatal bullet hole was located between his eyebrows. His entire body slid against the elevator wall, leaving a shocking trail of blood behind him.

"The perpetrator was very decisive, firing the gun the moment the elevator doors opened, leaving the victim little time to react... This was a murder."

"Murder?" Inspector Megure exclaimed in surprise. "The perpetrator knew the victim would take the elevator down alone... Could it be..."

"Hmm, it must have been an inside job."

Gao Mo barely thought about it.

While it's true that detective work shouldn't follow a fixed pattern of thinking, Conan cases rarely have exceptions; they're basically all based on the same formula.

In cases like this, the perpetrator is usually present at the scene.

"Dad! How could this happen?" A cry rang out from behind; it was the police officers who brought in the deceased's daughter.

At the same time, Gao Mo vaguely sensed being watched, but when he turned around, he only saw a group of employees with surprised expressions.

“Officer,” the officer said as he led the three employees, along with the distressed woman, into the scene, “these three said they were the last to see the president come downstairs.”

“And the young lady,” the long-faced young man among the staff explained, “Afterwards, the young lady and I discussed the congratulatory speech here briefly, and then we went to the venue soon…”

"Did you see any other people go down the elevator?" Megure pressed.

“No, right? No one left the venue after that,” the long-faced youth said, pointing to the three employees who discovered the body. “At least that was the case before those three came out.”

Gao Mo squatted at the elevator entrance for a while, his gaze lingering on the long-faced young man for a moment.

The peeping gaze I just felt came from this person.

The real culprit?

It was indeed different from others, and very eye-catching.

"Let's question them separately first. Is there a suitable place?" Inspector Megure asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, there is a lounge over there in the conference hall."

"Let's disperse the crowd outside first. The people from the video game company should stay inside the party venue and not wander around."

Gao Mo calmly observed and comforted the long-faced young man who was the president's daughter.

The two were behaving intimately, clearly not in an ordinary relationship; the woman was practically crying in the young man's arms.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he thought he saw the young man's lips curl up in a smug smile.

Very confident?
Gao Mo sensed the young man's disdainful gaze.

It seems they don't think the police will be able to find anything.

Isn't this person celebrating too soon?

(End of this chapter)