Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 256 What crime is impersonating a criminal police officer?
"squeak--!"

A sharp screech of tires came from the tunnel entrance, and the hijacked bus, which had just come into the police's view, suddenly swerved and crashed into the curb.

Sato, who was following behind, almost rammed into them. He then braked and pulled over to the side of the road, quickly approaching with the police officers who were providing backup.

"Set up roadblocks immediately! There might be a bomb on the bus!"

"The road behind is now closed!"

"Strange, I haven't seen any robbers!"

Sato tightened his grip on his pistol, listening to the shouts in his earpiece. Just as he was about to ask Inspector Megure for instructions, he suddenly saw the car door open and passengers rushing out in terror.

"There's a bomb! Run!"

"Everyone stay away from the bus!"

Megure's voice continued to come through the headset.

"Sato, quickly evacuate the nearby vehicles!"

"But officer..."

Sato kept his eyes fixed on the bus passengers and didn't move after Gao Mo and the children got off the bus. He only paused slightly when the last two bruised and battered thugs were taken off the bus by Akai Shuichi and the fake Shinichi.

There is no Officer Matsuda.

"This is?"

"They are all thugs!"

Judy, looking startled, explained the situation to Sato.

Shuichi Akai and the fake Shinichi exchanged a glance, neither of them looking too happy.

What terrible luck! Not only did I run into robbers, but I also had to act hastily in the end.

We can't afford to get blown up while trying to hide.

The fake newcomer subtly beat up the thugs, and only relaxed when he noticed that Shuichi Akai was also hiding himself.

She had already noticed the FBI's actions, but fortunately, these people weren't her targets, and she could still use her identity as a doctor for a while.

"An accident occurred during the mission," Shuichi Akai whispered among the crowd, "We'll investigate another day..."

After ending the call, Shuichi Akai frowned as he watched the police explosive ordnance disposal unit take over the bus.

Upon learning of the bomb's existence, his first instinct was to guard against the woman, as the digital watch she was holding that remained still was likely the detonator. However, strangely, the watch seemed to be malfunctioning, with the display screen going blank.

"Everyone, please don't wander around. We need to take statements later."

Sato handed the robbers over to his colleagues, wiped his sweat from his brow, managed the escaped passengers, and communicated with the explosive ordnance disposal team.

"how is the situation?"

Just now, the square-faced woman attempted to escape arrest amidst the chaos by pressing a button on her digital watch.

"The bomb wasn't detonated," the head of the disposal team said, sweating profusely. "That woman was wearing a controller, but thankfully it didn't work. We were really lucky this time."

"Luck?"

Sato looked back at the still-shaken bus passengers, but still couldn't find "Shinichi Matsuda".

Could there be a mistake?
“Officer Sato,” Gao Mo said, leading the children closer, “can we postpone the statement taking? I’d like to take these children home first.”

Sato withdrew his gaze from the crowd and saw the children tightly holding Gao Mo. He nodded and called to Takagi, "Takagi, you take Mr. Kido and the others back first."

The sirens grew louder and louder, and the entire road was blocked by police cars until the bomb disposal team successfully defused the bomb, at which point the police began to lift the road blockade.

Gao Mo and Xiao Ai successfully got into Takagi's police car and left the scene. Before leaving, they retrieved their phones but did not turn them on.

Judging from the way Sato and the others looked, they seemed to be looking for his disguise.

Sensing a gaze behind him, Gao Mo glanced back at Shuichi Akai through the window.

"I heard that Mr. Kido was the first to discover the bomb?" Takagi, having already gathered some initial information from the passengers at the scene, couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Although it was two other passengers who were used as decoys by the criminals who subdued them, it was Gao Mo who truly saved everyone.

If Gao Mo hadn't discovered the villains' plot, everyone would have been stuck in the car and blown up.

“I’m just guessing,” Gao Mo said, ignoring the gazes behind him. “After all, those guys didn’t seem like they were going to let us go, and they were being way too careful when they were moving the ski bags.”

"It's impressive that you stepped forward," Takagi said with admiration. "If I were you, I might not have been able to do it."

"There's no other way; we can't just get blown up."

Gao Mo glanced at the three little ones beside him.

This incident really scared the kids, but why does Ayumi seem a little excited?

The girl's face flushed red, as if she had recovered, and her eyes were full of stars.

A mixture of lingering fear and admiration.

"At that time, I thought Kido was going to be killed, but the guy didn't dare to fire a shot. That was so cool!"

“Hey, hey,” Gao Mo said, a bead of sweat on his forehead, “you guys can’t follow my example. I had no choice.”

I almost forgot, these mischievous kids were largely corrupted by Conan's attention-seeking.

Don't lose your fear of criminals in the future.

He could do that because he could cover for himself.

These children...

“Kido-nii,” Mitsuhiko said expectantly, “can we join your detective agency? Like Sherlock Holmes and the Junior Detective League.”

They used to call him uncle, they changed their tune so quickly.

"It's fine for you guys to come and play, but joining the detective agency is a no-go. People who don't know the situation will think I'm employing child laborers."

"Then why can Ai?"

"Ai is different from you."

Gao Mo was having a headache, wondering how to deal with these little guys, when Ai suddenly spoke up: "Sure, you can join the detective club, but you have to be obedient."

Huh?
Gao Mo looked surprised.

Previously, Ai didn't really want to interact with the three little ones.

It seems like he has other ideas lately.

Xiao Ai did not avoid Gao Mo's gaze.

When she learned that the fake Shinichi was undergoing a physical examination at Teitan Elementary School, she realized that these children had no way out ever since they became friends with Conan.

Rather than accidentally getting caught in a deeper vortex later, it's better to guide it in advance.

She also noticed that these children seemed particularly obedient in front of Gao Mo.

“Okay,” Gao Mo felt that Ai was much more cheerful when she was with the three little ones, and nodded in agreement. “From now on, you will be members of the Kido Detective Agency, responsible for intelligence gathering. Remember to ask me for permission before doing anything.”

"Great!"

Loud cheers erupted from inside the police car, making Takagi, who was driving, chuckle repeatedly.

It does not make sense?

Is it appropriate to let a few kids play a juvenile detective club game? Sherlock Holmes is just a novel.

They're probably just teasing the kids, right?

“By the way, Mr. Kido,” Takagi interjected, “have you seen Inspector Matsuda?”

Suddenly realizing that Gao Mo had never met "Shinichi Matsuda," Takagi turned to the children and asked, "Is he the dark-skinned, curly-haired policeman in the arson case?"

“No,” Mitsuhiko replied. “Why are you asking us? Did that uncle come too?”

"nothing."

Takagi touched his nose.

Where did Officer Matsuda go?
Even though you've taken leave, hanging up and turning off your phone in an emergency could still result in punishment.

……

The next day.

Metropolitan Police Department.

Search the office of the First Division.

Megure and the others sat around Gao Mo with serious expressions, remaining silent for a long time.

"So, you were sleeping the whole time, and your phone just happened to be out of battery?"

"Haha," Gao Mo chuckled dryly, "That's how it is, why is everyone making that face?" "So you just took the day off to sleep at home?"

"No... is that not okay?"

Gao Mo sensed that the atmosphere was getting increasingly strange.

"There shouldn't be a rule that says you can't take time off to sleep, right? You need to get enough sleep to be more productive at work."

"of course can."

Megure gritted his teeth and uttered a sentence, then patted Gao Mo on the shoulder in silence.

This guy made everyone worry to death, but it turns out he was just sleeping soundly at home.

"Don't turn off your phone so easily in the future. I thought something had happened to you."

“Yeah,” Sato and the others complained, “Everyone thought you were on that bomb bus, which is why you couldn’t answer the phone.”

“What’s there to worry about?” Gao Mo breathed a sigh of relief. “If I were really up there, I should be worried about those robbers.”

He thought he had been exposed when he received a flurry of phone calls afterward yesterday.

What crime is it to impersonate a police officer?
"Idiot," Megure said sternly, "a bomb is no small matter. We were just lucky this time. Otherwise, it would have been a big question whether those passengers would have survived. They might have died together with the criminals!"

"Speaking of which, has that released bandit leader been caught yet?"

"We've caught them... Don't change the subject. You're on patrol today. I heard there are more 'Beef Flower Wolves' around lately."

Megure left the office with his hands behind his back. Sato and the others glanced at Gao Mo with complicated looks before going about their own work.

We finally managed to fool them.

Gao Mo took the file that Qianye handed to him.

The Wolf of Rice Flower... A long-awaited stalker case.

Last time, it even caused Takagi to be punished.

He'd much rather have a serious case than this minor one.

It's such a pity. If he had participated in this bus case as "Shinichi Matsuda," he would definitely have been able to advance his career.

The mission did not require it to be a murder case.

A robbery case with such a large impact is far more serious than a regular murder case; it would probably be a level 4 mission.

……

"The Wolf of Rice Flower?"

Mihua Commercial Street.

evening.

During his patrol, Gao Mo encountered Sonoko, Ran, and Conan, who were out shopping. Also walking with them was their English teacher, Jodie.

After the last murder, the English teacher didn't seem to go to the arcade anymore, but her relationship with Sonoko became extremely good.

The group took a break at a nearby coffee shop.

“So Officer Matsuda was investigating perverts,” Judy said, feigning surprise. “I’ve heard that female students at Teitan High School have been frequently harassed by perverts on trains and buses lately. I was planning to investigate yesterday, but I ended up encountering a jewelry robber.”

"Is it the bomb bus incident that was mentioned in the news?" Xiaolan asked in surprise. "So the teacher was on it too."

"Yes, thankfully nothing serious happened."

Judy quickly skipped over the topic of the bus.

"It's generally difficult to encounter those kinds of thugs... What you two need to watch out for are perverts. Have you seen any suspicious guys lately? You know, the kind who sneak around near your house and wait until no one's around before striking—a stalker. I heard that the 'Beihua Wolf' was like that before,"

"I don't seem to see anyone like that," Ran said, sitting with Conan. "Right, Conan?"

"Me too."

Sonoko shook her head in agreement.

"If someone like that were really loitering near my house, they would definitely be arrested by the security guards."

As she spoke, Sonoko looked at Gao Mo, who had ordered an iced cola, with a puzzled expression on her face.

Weird.

I feel like this policeman looks a bit like Kido-san.

"Uncle Matsuda," Conan asked, leaning over the dining table, "why would a detective like you be handling a pervert case? Aren't these things usually handled by the life skills department? Did a murder occur?"

"It's a long story."

Gao Mo regretted talking to Sonoko and the others, even though it was actually Judy who had pulled him over.

This woman seemed to have ulterior motives in getting along well with Sonoko and the others; her expression subtly changed when she heard him investigating Beika no Wolves.

"Beep!"

Suddenly, a familiar cell phone ring interrupted Gao Mo's thoughts.

I forgot to mute my main phone.

Gao Mo reached into his pocket and suddenly felt a jolt. He saw Sonoko across from him frowning and deep in thought. He quickly stood up and said, "I have to continue patrolling. If you find any suspicious people, you can call me."

After leaving his "Shinichi Matsuda" business card, Gao Mo quickly walked out of the coffee shop and left the building via the escalator.

It was indeed Sonoko calling.

Did he reveal anything? Why did Sonoko react that way?

Gao Mo quickly recalled the scenes of his encounter with Sonoko.

His disguise skills are now at level 5; even Conan couldn't detect it, so there's no reason he couldn't fool an ordinary girl.

You can't just think of him because you're drinking iced cola.

Suppressing his doubts, Gao Mo did not answer the phone, but instead took out his spare phone and pretended to make a call.

The mind network detected nothing unusual about the garden, so it must just be a coincidence.

It's better to avoid trouble...

Ok?
Suddenly, a strong sense of malice flashed through Gao Mo's senses.

Looking back, the building where the coffee shop was located briefly lost power and the lights went out, before coming back on after a while.

"Hoohoo!"

I thought I heard someone breathing heavily nearby, but it disappeared from my senses in an instant.

"Someone's dead—!"

"Call the police!"

Loud shouts came from inside the building, and the previously deserted entrance was now surrounded by people.

Sure enough, he was wondering why Conan was following him again.

Sure enough, wherever they go, they die.

"Make way, I'm a detective from the First Investigation Division!"

Gao Mo took out his police handbook and pushed through the crowd. Before he even got close to the scene, he saw Conan's small figure squatting in front of the escalator upstairs.

Right outside the coffee shop, a middle-aged man covered in blood leaned against the escalator, clutching a file folder tightly in his arms.

Sonoko, with tears in her eyes, clung tightly to Ran's arm: "I...I saw it! Someone suddenly ran over and stabbed him!"

Although I've seen many corpses, this is the first time I've actually witnessed a murder.

Originally intending to secretly follow Gao Mo, he ended up witnessing the entire murder process.

"Where is the murderer?" Conan asked urgently. "Did you see Sonoko-neechan?"

Sonoko said fearfully, "Because the power went out, I didn't see clearly. The person was wearing a coat and a thick hat, so it seemed to be a man. He ran away from me..."

Gao Mo noticed that the initial bloodstains were at the bottom of the escalator, and the body was carried up the escalator while lying on it.

Was it impulsive murder or premeditated murder?
It feels like the former.

Sonoko is now an important eyewitness; it's unclear whether she'll be targeted by the murderer.

Gao Mo's gaze swept across the scene.

“Officer Matsuda,” Conan prompted, “could you seal off the exits of this building?”

“No need,” Gao Mo came to his senses. “The murderer didn’t run outside but escaped upwards. If there are no surprises, he must be an employee of this building who couldn’t get away directly.”

(End of this chapter)