Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 71: Big Blessing: Small Case
"Ugh——!"

night.

Police cars gathered downstairs of the Nichi TV building.

In the small conference room on the 4th floor, after the forensic personnel took photos and collected evidence, Inspector Megure went in with her belly bulging to inspect the scene.

"The victim was Michihiko Suwa, a 37-year-old producer at Nichiuri Television..."

"The murder weapon was a silenced pistol, shot in the head, which penetrated the window glass."

"A total of four shots were fired at the scene. Besides the one at the window, two at the poster, and one at the clock..."

"A total of four bullet casings were found in the room, and there was only one exit... It seems that he was shot while trying to escape to the window."

The on-site environment is not very complicated. There is a door, a window that can be rotated inward and outward, a conference table in the room, and program monitors all around.

A portable camera on the conference table was facing the body and the window.

"They actually broadcast this kind of scene live, it's really..."

Megure moved closer to the camera.

"But what's with this camera? Did the criminal use it specifically to film?"

"Ah, no, the camera was set to time the video," the production crew member who was called in explained, "just a few minutes before our broadcast."

"Actually, it was Suwa and Matsuo's idea. It was originally supposed to be a suspenseful short film."

Several staff members at the scene looked very bad, and some were afraid to visit the crime scene.

"At first I thought Suwa was performing, but then..."

"Didn't you see any suspicious people?" Megure turned around and continued asking.

"No, because Mr. Suwa sent everyone away and stayed here alone..."

"No need to look for the suspect, officer."

Okami Zhushan, pulling his curled beard, returned to the crime scene with a bit of arrogance. His sharp eyes suddenly locked onto Matsuo Takashi, who was sweating profusely in the crowd.

"The victim spoke to them on the phone before the show started. This means she was killed between the start of the show and the timed filming. I roughly know who the culprit is. The culprit in this case is not an outsider, but someone from the TV station!"

"what?"

"Is that all you know?"

"It's that famous gourmet detective..."

Dashang Zhushan's words triggered a series of exclamations.

Megure's mood suddenly became very bad, especially when he noticed that there were a group of TV reporters surrounding him outside.

This senior official had always looked down upon the police.

They claim to know the culprit right after the investigation has begun, which is a slap in their faces in public.

"That's right, the criminal is you, Mr. Takashi Matsuo!" Okami Zhushan looked arrogant in front of the reporters and cameras outside.

"What are you talking about?" Matsuo Takashi, who had suddenly become the center of attention, argued excitedly, "How could I be the criminal? I've been in the studio on the 9th floor the whole time!"

"The only people who knew the victim was in this conference room were the production team, and you were the only one who deliberately arranged for him to be alone here."

Da Shang Zhu Shan sneered and reasoned confidently.

"Did you leave the studio a few minutes before the broadcast?"

"I did go out," Matsuo Takashi said with a pale face, "but I just went to the bathroom because I felt sick to my stomach... It was less than five minutes. How could I have come here to kill Suwa? There are surveillance cameras in the elevator..."

"What if it was the stairs?" Dashang Zhushan, tall and imposing, said, "Coincidentally, the surveillance cameras on floors 5 to 7 that could have captured the stairs were under maintenance today... I heard you were sweating a lot, running up the stairs, right?"

"Is there such a thing?"

Megure then began to suspect Matsuo Takashi, and did not bother to drive away Okami Zhushan. He quickly turned around and asked the police to investigate.

"Call everyone from the production team next door... Hey, hey, can you please stop filming? The police will make an announcement about this case later..."

Just as he was speaking, Megure suddenly noticed a familiar mustache figure in the crowd behind him.

There was also a group of reporters chasing after the man with a mustache to ask questions.

really.

"You annoying guy...why are you here again?"

"My partner and I are here to participate in the show, Inspector Megure." Kogoro Mouri greeted him skillfully and explained the cause and effect of the case.

Gao Mo followed beside him, his eyes sweeping over Okami Zhushan and Matsuo Takashi who were surrounded by reporters in the aisle.

There was a faint glow of words above their heads.

Ogami's wishes were "Quickly find the treasure and resolve the debt crisis" and "Harshly humiliate your half-baked detective partner to further enhance your reputation." Matsuo Takashi's was "I really didn't kill anyone"...

This guy is most likely not the murderer.

Gao Mo looked thoughtful.

These projected texts serve as the basis for the mission and are usually not false. They reflect the target's real information and true psychology.

There have been no errors so far.

"call!"

Gao Mo looked at the female assistant who was traveling with him.

【Becoming the host of "Detective Bureau"】

This woman...

"I really didn't kill anyone!" Matsuo Takashi shouted desperately in front of the flashing lights and live cameras, "It really wasn't me! I... I have no motive to kill!"

"Mr. Matsuo," the female assistant said dejectedly, "How could you do such a thing? Mr. Suwa did want to replace the host and add a sexy element... but you can't..."

"Yeah, Matsuo," the other members of the production team looked at Matsuo Takashi with a hint of fear. "The program transformation has already been decided in a meeting. You..."

"no!"

Takashi Matsuo was sweating profusely at the strange looks from his colleagues. He looked around frantically and then struggled to explain to the live camera.

"Believe me, I spoke to Sumire a few days ago, and he said that if this special program can set new records in ratings, he'll let me continue hosting!
"That's why I asked for a famous detective as a guest... If I really wanted to kill someone, why would I ask a famous detective to come over?"

"Humph, what else could it be?"

Okami Zhushan shattered Matsuo Takashi's last hope.

"I've seen a lot of guys like you. You killed people right in front of us and even broadcast the death scenes live... You're deliberately provoking us!
You're no longer content with just writing plots and making short films, but want to use your hatred for Suwa to bring your criminal methods to life, right? Unfortunately, you're still far from the high-IQ criminals abroad."

"Officer!" Maori Kogoro, displeased with Ogami Zhushan's preoccupation, quickly chimed in, "It's said that Matsuo has been practicing shooting abroad frequently lately, and has even reached a professional level... We can check that gun first."

Takashi Matsuo's face turned even paler under the flash light, his lips trembled as he took a few steps back and leaned against the wall, completely losing his ability to control the situation when hosting the show.

"The gun... the gun is indeed mine, but I really didn't kill him!"

"You admitted it yourself..."

"That gun is just for my private collection! Really!"

Takashi Matsuo could hardly breathe.

He didn't know how it turned out like this, as if an invisible hand had grabbed his throat.

"Someone must have stolen the pistol to frame me!"

"Alright, we'll continue investigating the details," Megure realized at this moment that the TV station was still broadcasting live, and not wanting to continue arguing on the spot, "Please come with us."

He already has a silencer, but he actually said he was collecting it privately.

"The murderer is actually Matsuo..."

"As expected of a famous detective!"

The reporters and staff from the surrounding TV stations were not polite at all and took photos of Takashi Matsuo in the face.

Instead of worrying about the case, the TV station leaders further relaxed their authority and were grinning from ear to ear because of the skyrocketing ratings.

It is right to continue live streaming despite the risk!
In the end, Matsuo made a huge contribution to the program team.

The host of a mystery show killed the producer, and a wave of real performances came...

"Hurry up, other programs should also interrupt and report in real time!"

"Interview Da Shang Zhu Shan!"

“150 million is totally worth it!”

"Mr. Okami..."

"There's nothing much to say. Just do a quick search and you'll know. There's no trick involved."

Okami Zhushan and Matsuo became the focus together, as if they were solving a trivial case, with confidence, arrogance and vague contempt on their faces, which made the neglected mustache man depressed.

"We've become this guy's stepping stones... Damn it! I should have stepped forward first..."

"Wow!"

Gao Mo lowered his head slightly, activated his Eagle Vision, and quickly scanned the crime scene that the female assistant and the police were starting to clean up.

(End of this chapter)