Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 273 Kazami: Mr. Furuya Believes in You
The Shibuya Hikarie Building, which is the commercial building where Halloween weddings are held.

After being taken out by the police, Gao Mo did not return to the hospital, but went directly to the bottom of the building.

It was getting late.

As a landmark large-scale high-rise complex in Shibuya, the surrounding streets are always bustling with people, even on non-holiday days.

Gao Mo stood on the overpass at the intersection, observing the surroundings of the building.

I then discovered that the drainage system here is quite unique, and the terrain is high around the edges and low in the center.

"I see. So, rainwater is usually treated by underground reservoirs?"

GaoMo quickly collects and analyzes data.

The mental palace is broken down into a complete map.

Tomorrow night will be the real night here. The square and intersections will probably be packed with people. According to records, traffic control is implemented every year on Halloween.

In fact, restrictions are already in place today.

Gao Mo spotted a patrol car in the distance, where Yumi from the traffic department was arguing with a driver who had parked illegally.

Although the weather wasn't great, the shops in the square were still doing brisk business, and the air was filled with the sweet smell of food.

"Kindaichi!" the mustachioed man shouted from under the overpass, "I've finally found you! Honestly, I've been calling you nonstop and you never answered!"

"Sorry, something came up earlier." Gao Mo then remembered that he had silenced his backup phone and was now using a special police-supplied phone.

"I heard about the explosion at the Metropolitan Police Department entrance from Ran," the man with the mustache said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. "What are you planning to do?"

"Shh!"

Gao Mo wasn't sure if the police's phones had eavesdropping capabilities, so he gestured to the man with the mustache to shut up.

"Mori, what are you doing here?"

“I almost forgot,” the man with the mustache said absentmindedly, “didn’t we say before that the couple getting married are both our fans? They happened to be here today and said they wanted to meet us in advance and discuss the wedding arrangements for tomorrow.”

"Now?"

Gomo returned to Shibuya to investigate the bombing.

Ai didn't say it, but the first thing that came to his mind was tomorrow's wedding.

Not only was there that ill-timed threatening letter, but there was also a route map showing the traffic control measures in this area tomorrow, which was exactly the same as the picture on that note.

There was something he didn't quite understand.

The wedding and the threatening letter both occurred before Rei Furuya's attack, suggesting that the perpetrator's goal was not limited to revenge against Rei Furuya and his companions.

If Ai Haibara remembers the case, or if she has seen the movie, she should be able to glean the details, even if there are discrepancies.

This is probably how Ai Haibara felt when she tried so hard to help.

A critical, dangerous event—you had the chance to foresee everything, but you couldn't remember it…

Gao Mo reached into his pocket and gripped the crucial note tightly.

enough.

After he came to this world, apart from a few cases and those related to the main storyline, he did not rely on the plot of "Detective Conan" from his previous life.

The first priority now is to identify the perpetrator and their possible motives, or at least to identify suspects.

The clues were the other party's two consecutive attacks and this note.

If the purpose was to silence witnesses, why deliberately detonate a bomb in front of the Metropolitan Police Department?
This criminal seems difficult to profile. The only things that can be determined are that he is vengeful, indifferent to life and treats it as a plaything, and quite confident, completely disregarding the police.

The foreigner who was silenced...

Is the prisoner an international criminal?
Gao Mo was overwhelmed with a jumble of thoughts, various clues intertwined and sparks of inspiration colliding in his mind.

"Kindaichi?" the mustachioed man exclaimed in confusion. "Regarding the bombing, Megure has already assigned Sato and the others to investigate. I believe there will be results soon, and we..."

"Let's go up."

Gao Mo followed the man with the mustache into the commercial building.

coffee shop.

In the booth by the window, there was a tall, middle-aged man with a buzz cut who looked like an instructor, but his face wasn't so serious; instead, he always had a happy smile on his face, as if he was savoring something.

"Village police officer!" the man with the mustache called out first.

"I'm no longer a policeman, Mori." The middle-aged man was burly, yet possessed a hint of shyness and gentleness, like a tamed gorilla.

The man with the mustache was immediately taken aback.

Although I had heard that this former police inspector had changed a lot, this was too exaggerated.

The once incredibly strict Devil Village now seems like a completely different place.

Is this the power of love?
Well, his brain stopped working properly after he got married.

"Where is Miss Christine?" Xiao Hu asked, looking left and right.

Christine is Nu's fiancée in the village. She is a beautiful and charming blonde woman who is gentle yet playful.

The man with the mustache had already seen the photo in the documents.

“She took a phone call and went back first,” Tsutomu Muranaka said, his smile widening as he spoke of his fiancée. “I’ll formally introduce you all tomorrow, especially Mr. Kindaichi. Christine is a huge fan of Kindaichi.”

Fans, stunningly beautiful...

Why do I feel so uneasy?
Gao Mo, realizing he was currently using an alternate identity, coughed lightly and replied, "Mr. Murakami is truly fortunate. Miss Christine is a foreigner, isn't she?"

"Yes, her parents are French, but she came to live in Japan when she was 20 years old, and there's not much difference in her daily life."

The big guy's face was slightly flushed.

"When I was hospitalized with a shoulder injury, I happened to find her medical card. After getting to know her, I felt very relaxed and comfortable with her... Perhaps this was a fateful encounter?"

The sweet and pungent smell of love.

Gao Mo and the man with the mustache exchanged a glance.

“We’ll see after he gets married,” the mustachioed man muttered under his breath as the big guy reminisced. “Marriage is the grave of love; it’s not as beautiful as it seems without the filter.”

"..."

Gao Mo remained silent.

As a single virgin, he had no say in the conversation.

You should investigate your own case.

There isn't much more information available within Japan; perhaps we could search for foreign criminals.

According to Rei Furuya's information, when he encountered the criminal three years ago, the criminal was incredibly skilled and handled the situation with ease despite being surrounded by several people with guns. If Morofushi hadn't shot the criminal in the shoulder, Rei Furuya, who was a public security elite at the time, would have died at the criminal's hands long ago.

"Is Mr. Kindaichi investigating a case?" Muraka Tsutomu asked curiously. "Excuse me, I've seen that expression on your face many times before. Are you dealing with a tricky case?"

"almost."

"Buzz!"

Just then, a helicopter suddenly flew past the window and flew over the building in the blink of an eye.

“Hikarie has a helipad on the roof,” Tsutomu Muranaka said expectantly. “We plan to take a helicopter tour over Tokyo after the wedding.”

"A helicopter?"

Gao Mo felt a sudden urge to try it, but he knew his own limitations. Trying now would be suicide; he could learn to fly a helicopter when he had some free time.

Since he has driving talent, it would be better to materialize it as soon as possible. There's no need to rely entirely on drawing projected books. Even Conan can learn to be omnipotent on his own, so he might not be any worse with his talent.

Learn more skills; you never know when you might need them.

I missed it this time, but there's plenty of time later.

Not just helicopters, but all other aircraft, ships, and anything related to piloting should ideally be learned. You don't necessarily need to be an expert, but you should at least be able to do it.

It seems like many cases in Detective Conan involve driving, so learning from Conan's methods is always a good idea.

"Wait a minute, I'll take a call."

The man with the mustache suddenly heard his phone vibrate. He walked to the side, answered the call, and his expression quickly changed.

"What? Officer Chiba has been kidnapped?"

……

Metropolitan Police Department First Investigation Division.

After the bombing, Sato spent all his time in the archives.

Even though he was no longer trapped in the past, when the case was related to Matsuda Jinpei, Sato still rushed to the front line, trying to find clues through his memories of Matsuda Jinpei.

“He was on duty with me for the few days after I got the business card, and I don’t remember him giving the business card to any foreigner.”

"Officer Sato!" Takagi rushed into the records room. "Something's happened! Chiba was kidnapped while investigating that foreigner's identity!"

"Chiba?"

During a search of the First Division office, a recorded phone call was still playing on a loop. An expert was analyzing it using special equipment, but the caller was using a voice changer and there were no other obvious ambient noises.

“I’ll say it again, Officer Chiba is in my hands. If you want me to release him, bring Officer Matsuda Jinpei here! We’ll contact you again tomorrow morning…”

"Are you kidding me?" Megure's roar came through the recording. "Matsuda died a long time ago, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"Died in the line of duty? We did not get through to Matsuda by phone, but don't make up an excuse like 'died in the line of duty.' If we don't see Officer Matsuda tomorrow, you know what will happen."

"beep!"

After the recording ended, the expert shook his head helplessly: "No, we can't find any clues."

"The other party is very cautious."

Muguru's expression was grave.

"Damn it, who are they? They're actually saying Matsuda's death was just an excuse..."

“Inspector Megure!” Sato followed Takagi to the office. “Matsuda’s name was indeed not released three years ago. The other party may not know that Matsuda was dead, just like the foreigner who was killed this time. Moreover… Chiba’s phone has another Matsuda’s phone number. The kidnappers may have misunderstood.”

"Another Officer Matsuda?"

Megure was taken aback.

Shinichi Matsuda?

Yes, the kidnappers might have made a mistake.

"The problem is, what should we do now? If things continue like this, Chiba will be in danger, especially if Matsuda is still alive..."

"I...I'll go save Chiba," Takagi swallowed hard and stepped forward. "I'll impersonate Inspector Matsuda Jinpei!"

Shiratori glanced at Takagi with surprise, then turned to Megure and the others, saying, "I've already informed Mr. Mori and the others. Could the wedding be postponed tomorrow? Going ahead with the wedding at a time like this..."

“I’m afraid that won’t work,” Inspector Megure shook his head in a deep voice. “We’ve been thinking about postponing the wedding since we received the threatening letter, and the village initially agreed, since a large number of tourists will gather in Shibuya on Halloween…”

But the prisoner seemed to have received the message and immediately sent a message demanding that the wedding proceed as planned, otherwise there would be other victims.

……

The next day.

Gao Mo and Megure's group met at the Shibuya Central Police Station, waiting for the kidnappers to contact them again.

Gao Mo had a fairly good impression of Chiba, his temporary partner, but he never expected that he would be kidnapped.

It's understandable that he said the kidnappers called him but couldn't get through.

The pseudonym "Shinichi Matsuda" has already gone offline, so how could he possibly still keep his contact information?

“Mr. Kindaichi,” Gao Mo received a call from Kazami Yuya in the hallway, “The matter you asked me to investigate has yielded results, although we still don’t have specific identity information…”

That guy is a top-tier assassin of unknown identity, with no information about his nationality, gender, or age. Three years ago, he was only active in Russia, but since then he has started appearing all over the world, though his base of operations remains in Russia.

People regarded it as the Grim Reaper, perhaps because of its terrifying pinkish-purple flames, which it called Pramiya, meaning "flame" in Russian.

After a brief pause, Kazami Yuya's knuckles turned white as he continued explaining with a hint of anger.

"The bombs he used were extremely powerful in terms of both combustion and explosive force. They would explode the moment the two liquids were mixed, and then burst into flames. Their signature feature was the pinkish-purple flames."

That guy deliberately set a trap to lure out Mr. Furuya; it was indeed revenge for what happened three years ago. Police forces in various countries have encountered similar situations.

"Is this all you've found in the past three years?" Gao Mo's sudden interjection silenced Kazami Yuya.

“That guy is formidable,” Kazami Yuya’s voice sounded somewhat unnatural. “Also, I think the people who kidnapped Inspector Chiba this time are a Russian civilian organization dedicated to seeking revenge against Pramiya.”
The foreigner who was killed in the bombing at the entrance of the Metropolitan Police Department was also one of them. The reason he wanted to meet Matsuda Jinpei was probably because Matsuda Jinpei defused the bomb at Pramie three years ago, which was the first time in the world.

Currently, only we possess the detailed structure of that liquid bomb.

"Thank you for your hard work." Gao Mo's mind began to fill with more clues.

NGOs...

Indeed, if he were the bomber, he should have already known that Matsuda Jinpei had died in the line of duty.

“I’ve already sent you the detailed information,” Kazami Yuya paused, “Mr. Furuya trusts you a lot, so I trust you too…”

We will assist the First Investigation Division in rescuing Officer Chiba. Leave professional matters to the professionals. Mr. Kindaichi doesn't need to get involved. Continue investigating Pramia…”

“No, I think it’s necessary,” Gao Mo interrupted Kazami Yuya. “Don’t underestimate civilian organizations. I need more information about Pramia.”

Even the Japanese Public Security Bureau and international police could not find more information about Pramiya, but a non-governmental organization was able to find key clues and was subsequently silenced by Pramiya.

Even if it wasn't for Chiba's sake, he still wanted to see him.

He was initially puzzled by the prisoner's specific motives.

It now seems that the other party is not only seeking revenge against Furuya and his group, but also intends to eliminate this civilian organization.

Sending threatening letters to the wedding is not only a provocation against the Metropolitan Police Department, but also another trap to attract the attention of civilian organizations investigating them.

Gao Mo examined the note in his hand again.

The Shibuya traffic control map above is probably a clue that Pramie deliberately leaked to civic organizations.

"I see."

Kazami Yuya fell silent for a moment, then his voice suddenly stammered.

"Mr. Kindaichi, please find Pramia no matter what. Mr. Furuya shouldn't have died at the hands of someone like that. I beg you..."

“I have a lead,” Gao Mo said, slightly taken aback. “Don’t worry, Pramia will reappear by tonight at the latest, and I will catch him then.”

"Today? Let me come with you. Pramia isn't an ordinary bomber; he's an extremely dangerous terrorist. If..."

"If even your boss can't handle someone, there's no point in you following him. That's it, I know what I'm doing."

Gao Mo hung up the phone immediately.

Now it's not just about finding Pramiya anymore; we also need to find the locations of the bombs the enemy has secretly planted.

If Pramiya intended to use a trap to eliminate civilian organizations, the bombs would be incredibly powerful, potentially destroying an entire commercial building.

What would he do if he were in that situation?

Wait, are they going to blow up the entire block?

Gao Mo's eyes narrowed sharply.

No, he needs to find a helper.

Forget about Conan; the Conan in this world isn't that exaggerated, not like the Conan in the movies.

The hospital definitely needs Conan's help.

(End of this chapter)