Daily Spy Life in the Detective Conan World

Chapter 168 Investigation Direction
ten minutes later.

Siling Bank lobby.

At this time, the bank was deserted, and a cordon was set up at the entrance. Occasionally, passersby would point and talk about the bank.

Some well-informed reporters were also waiting at the door, ready to get firsthand information about the case.

Murders happen every day in Mikasa, and the residents have long been used to it. On the contrary, other cases tend to attract attention.

What's most eye-catching is the amount of money stolen this time.

"What? You said there are a total of one billion?"

Kogoro Mori gaped in disbelief and said, "With so much money, why didn't you even know the armored truck had arrived at the parking lot? You even closed the side door."

Inspector Megure had the same question. He heard from Kogoro Mouri that the side door was still closed when the armored truck arrived, which was a bit illogical.

Furthermore, banks install surveillance cameras at armored truck parking spots, so even if the doors are closed, the staff on duty in the monitoring room should be able to detect the robbery.

President Otsuka said with a wry smile, "The roller shutter suddenly broke this morning. Hirota Masami told me about it after she came to work, and I haven't had time to have it repaired yet."

As for the surveillance, the side door camera broke down three days ago. The repairman we had arranged to come and fix it was supposed to come yesterday, but he was in a car accident the night before last and is still in the hospital.

The surveillance work was thus delayed.

"Oh, I see. What a coincidence." Kogoro Mouri stroked his chin, trying to recall if there were any other clues during the case.

The long-haired cash transporter died from excessive blood loss before the police arrived. Including the two other cash transporters, a total of three people died in this case, and one billion yen was lost.

Such a case is extremely shocking, even in Mikasa.

"How could it be a coincidence?!"

Conan gritted his teeth. Uncle Mori has been with him solving cases for so long, can't you tell if this is just a coincidence?

"What else could it be but a coincidence?" Kogoro Mouri stared at Conan with deadpan eyes. "Could it be that someone deliberately damaged the roller shutter door or sabotaged the surveillance cameras?"

Kogoro Mouri paused, exchanged a glance with Inspector Megure, and the two suddenly began to warily scrutinize all the employees of Yotsubishi Bank in front of them.

This makes sense; many bank robberies involve undercover agents, and this one might be no different.

Indeed, it is highly suspicious that the roller shutter door and the surveillance camera both malfunctioned.

"President Otsuka, are all the employees here?" Inspector Megure asked.

"Yes." President Otsuka looked around, then suddenly frowned. He glanced at the manager standing at the front of the staff and said, "Where's Masami? I remember she was the one who reported the broken roller shutter to me this morning. Why haven't I seen her?"

President Otsuka was very interested in this salesperson who had been training for two and a half months. He was the one who decided to hire him in the first place, not for any other reason than that he was good-looking.

He had hoped that by bringing her in, he could take advantage of her proximity and bring her into his household, but to his surprise, Hirota Masami refused to budge, even when he tried to bribe her.

Even if the deal falls through, goodwill remains, and Hirota Masami ignited his desire to conquer. Like water dripping on a stone or grains of sand forming a tower, Otsuka Yukinaga believed that with enough persistence, he would eventually succeed.
"Did Sister Yamei tell Uncle Bank Manager that the roller shutter door was broken?" Conan asked.

“Yes!” President Otsuka glanced at Conan, somewhat puzzled, and asked, “Is there a problem?”

"But didn't President Otsuka just open the electric roller shutter door?"

Conan pointed at the roller shutter door and asked, somewhat puzzled, "This roller shutter door isn't broken at all!"

President Otsuka paused for a moment, then began to recall how he had just left the house.

It seems he simply opened the roller shutter door and went out.

And the roller shutter is indeed open now, so it doesn't look broken.

The kid didn't mention that he hadn't thought of this bug.

To verify, he took the remote control out of his pocket and pressed it on the roller shutter door, which was already at its maximum height.

A buzzing sound rang out, and the roller shutter door responded by moving, closing in less than ten seconds.

"."×n
Everyone was stunned.

⊙▃⊙

"It seems that this Ms. Hirota Masami is highly suspicious!"

"Maybe Hirota Masami is the mole!" Conan whispered in Kogoro Mouri's ear.

Uncle Mori is always captivated by beautiful women and refuses to believe they could be criminals, so it's necessary to gradually correct his thinking.

Who is the prime suspect?

A voice reached their ears.

"Brother Xia Chuan, what brings you here?"

Inspector Megure exclaimed with delight, "With two of the most capable detectives together, this case will surely be solved quickly!"

The billion-yen heist put immense pressure on him.

Putting aside the amount of money involved, the fact that three people died makes it a major case.

Although cases frequently occur in Tokyo, most are everyday cases involving family ethics and debt disputes.

Armed robbery and murder are rare, but the amount of money stolen was so huge and multiple people were killed. I heard that the robbers were even carrying submachine guns. Such a thing happening in the capital city is extremely serious.

"I originally planned to come and withdraw some cash, but it seems that's not going to be possible now," Xia Chuan said, shaking his head in frustration.

"Let's put the money withdrawal aside for now. Since Brother Xia Chuan is here, I might as well help him out."

Afterwards, Inspector Megure revealed the entire details of the case and Natsukawa's story.

Many hands make light work, and Inspector Megure understands how to integrate resources.

"Didn't you get any useful information at all?" Xia Chuan asked.

Inspector Megure and Kogoro Mouri exchanged bewildered glances and shrugged, indicating they had no idea.

After thinking for a moment, Conan decided to tell what he knew. Although he really wanted to find the culprit on his own, there was very little he, a child, could do.

“I heard from the deceased long-haired cash transport worker that they seemed to be changing vehicles at the Mihana Bridge.”

"What?"×2
Kogoro Mouri punched Conan on the forehead: "Why didn't you tell me something so important sooner?"

"I was so nervous that I forgot. The most important thing was to save the cash transporter's life."

Conan grinned and ran behind Natsukawa, clutching his head.

Among them, Xia Chuan is the most cultured and wouldn't hit a child casually.

Even though he wasn't killed immediately after being shot in the heart, Natsukawa began to wonder if this was intentional on the part of the world's will, in order to leave Conan with some clues.

His order was to shoot him in the chest, and he didn't die immediately, which was quite unexpected.

However, the problem is that he still died. Judging from Conan's serious expression, it seems that he also obtained some clues about the organization.

Next, the remaining two robbers will also die. This matter will be handled by the other peripheral members, and he will be in charge of directing it.

And there's Akemi Miyano.

Gin instructed Miyano Akemi to kill him personally, as she was Sherry's sister, and Gin still didn't quite trust the outsiders.

Xia Chuan outwardly agreed, but in reality, he didn't intend to eliminate Miyano Akemi; instead, he wanted to save her life. This was the main reason he suggested to Gin that he kidnap the tycoon Lu Ban. Speaking of which, Miyano Akemi and the two kidnappers should have already changed cars and left by now.

"Inspector Megure, let's go check it out quickly. And Ms. Masami, if she really is one of the robbers, she must have joined up with the other two robbers and left because she's not at the bank at this time."

Inspector Megure nodded, waved his hand, and led several police cars away.

Ran was sent back. She originally wanted to take Conan with her, but Conan refused. In the end, it was Natsukawa who persuaded Ran to give up.

Ten minutes later, the police car stopped at the edge of the Mihana Bridge, and several forensic personnel carrying boxes walked towards the van at the bottom of the steep slope of the bridge.

"It has been confirmed that this is the vehicle that was used in the robbery. There is no one inside, only three hooded figures. It seems that, just as Brother Mori mentioned before, there are indeed three robbers."

"Of course, I heard it with my own ears, there's absolutely no mistake. That long-haired cashier was an accomplice of these three. It was because he didn't die immediately that I was able to get this valuable information out of him."

Kogoro Mouri stands with his hands on his hips and his head held high.

Conan:
Don't you know who asked that question?

But that's just how Uncle Mori is; he's used to it, and it makes him feel safe.

Especially since this case involves the black-clad organization, he needs to be extremely cautious and avoid exposing himself.

"Uncle Natsukawa, shall we go down and take a look?" Conan tugged at Natsukawa's sleeve and whispered, "I know Sister Yami. Maybe we can find something at the scene and confirm whether Sister Yami is one of their accomplices."

Xia Chuan nodded in agreement and then led Conan to the scene.

Inspector Megure and Kogoro Mouri stayed on the shore to check the surveillance footage that the traffic police had just sent over on their computers.

As an important transportation facility, the Mihana Bridge is equipped with surveillance cameras.

The two men hoped to find out what car the robbers had switched to, as this was crucial for the subsequent manhunt.

However, their idea was obviously unrealistic. Conan had already noticed when he arrived that the surveillance cameras at the bridgehead couldn't reach this area at all.

Furthermore, these robbers were clearly well-prepared, having even sabotaged the bank's surveillance system; they couldn't possibly be careless here.

"What is this?" Xia Chuan asked as the forensic personnel placed a black knitted item into a transparent evidence bag.

"The hoods, the hoods of all three robbers are here." The forensic personnel placed the hoods side by side in Xia Chuan's hands, and then continued to collect evidence.

Xia Chuan felt a pang of heartache at the sight of his opponent's skill.

How many outsiders must have helped him solve the case to be able to hand over the evidence so skillfully?

"Uncle Xia Chuan, let me see!" Conan grabbed the hood with one claw and started turning it over and over.

Not long after, he discovered that there was a problem with one of the headgear pieces.

"This is..." There were two red marks inside one of the headgear pieces, which looked a bit strange.

Conan put it to his nose and sniffed it.

Xia Chuan:.
Is that polite of you?

"That's a lipstick stain, isn't it?" Natsukawa reminded Conan.

As a man with a girlfriend, I'm quite familiar with this kind of thing.

Conan is different. He's still single at seventeen. He has a childhood friend but he's been hesitant to confess his feelings. He deserves to be single and deserves not to realize what this is at first glance.

Lipstick?
Conan couldn't help but think of bank employee Masami Hirota; the color of this lipstick was very similar to Hirota's lip color.

As for the smell, yes, it does have a familiar feel to it, as I just took a sniff.

That's right! It's Masami Hirota.

Conan searched the car for a long time, but found nothing except a few metal boxes lying on the ground.

There were no fingerprints, not even hair or dander, on the car, which shows that the other party was very cautious.

"Brother Xia Chuan, should we go check out Hirota Masami's house? If she is the kidnapper, we might find something in her house."

It has been basically confirmed that Masami Hirota is one of the kidnappers, but now the question is no longer who the kidnappers are, but where they went.

The other party changed vehicles, and the police were unable to find out where the vehicles went in a short period of time, so they could only look for clues at Masami Hirota's home.

Natsukawa nodded and returned to the roadside. "Inspector Megure, how is it? Have you found out what kind of car they switched to?"

Inspector Megure sighed and shook his head: "No, this location just happens to be a blind spot for surveillance cameras. They didn't pass the Beika Bridge when they left."

Xia Chuan nodded. This was within his expectations, since he had chosen the location for changing cars and there wouldn't be any problems.

“If that’s the case, Inspector Megure could probably keep investigating along this road. There are convenience stores at most intersections, and most of these convenience stores have road surveillance cameras. If you come across an intersection, you could check the surveillance footage of the nearby convenience stores. Maybe you can find something,” Conan raised his hand to offer his opinion.

This method is rather clumsy, but clumsy methods have their own merits, and it's the most effective at this time.

"The robbers left Siling Bank at 12:30. At normal speed, it would take about 15 minutes to get here from Siling Bank."

Inspector Megure can use 12:45 as the starting time. Using this as a starting point, he can calculate the time it takes for the robbers to arrive at each intersection. This should help him find suspicious vehicles.

If the robbers don't turn at the intersection and leave the city along the road, then there's nothing we can do. But if they don't leave, this is a great opportunity to break through.

Conan's words stunned everyone, even Natsukawa was somewhat surprised.

As expected of a famous detective, he even thought of this method.

Xia Chuan was still wondering whether he should reveal some information, but he didn't expect Conan to come up with a solution so quickly.

"Kid! Don't disturb our investigation."

Just as Kogoro Mouri was about to punch Conan, Natsukawa reacted quickly and pulled the latter back, dodging the attack.

"Uncle Mori, don't be angry. Conan's method may not be without merit. Although it is a waste of time, it is still a relatively practical method."

Natsukawa glanced at the surrounding officers and said, "Inspector Megure, I'd like to go to Hirota Masami's house. Could you find someone to take us there?"

Inspector Megure nodded: "Yes, I was just planning to go to the cash transporter's house with Mori to check on the situation. You guys going to Hirota Masami's house will help share the time pressure."

However, you should be careful not to disturb the scene, as evidence collection has not yet begun at Masami Hirota's home.

"I'll have someone try Conan's method; it certainly makes a lot of sense."

"Great!" Conan felt relieved. This method still had a chance of finding the three robbers, as long as they hadn't left Tokyo!

"Takagi, come here for a second."

"Yes." A dark-skinned, thin police officer with piercing eyes strode over. He was dressed in plainclothes, and his hair stood out, making him very recognizable.

Takagi Wataru walked up to the group and saluted Inspector Megure.

"Alright, we've been here for a while now, we don't need so much formality in our department." Inspector Megure waved his hand and said, "Takagi, take Natsukawa to Hirota Masami's place and check on the situation."

"But..." Takagi was about to say that the forensic personnel over there hadn't checked it yet, which didn't comply with regulations.

Before he could even utter a word, Inspector Megure glared at him, shutting him down.

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)