Daily Spy Life in the Detective Conan World

Chapter 288 The Secret of the Crown (5k views, please subscribe)

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—bang bang bang
As the pitch-black night sky brightened, colorful lights suddenly appeared behind the art museum.

The light quickly rose into the sky, and upon reaching a certain height, it began to burst into magnificent fireworks.

This fireworks show can be clearly seen from art museums and other parts of Osaka.

"Is Phantom Thief Kid announcing his own arrival?" Hattori narrowed his eyes, sensing the provocation.

"That's the direction of the castle tower."

Having just come from the castle tower, Conan and Hattori were naturally familiar with the place.

“At this time, the castle tower is full of police officers. Kaito Kid’s goal should be to divert everyone’s attention there.” Conan turned to look in another direction: “In this way, the police force of the museum will be forced to disperse, and no one will notice him when he appears from Tsutenkaku Tower. In this way, his goal will be achieved.”

"Uh, um, let me interrupt for a moment." After listening for a while, Nishino Masato felt that if he didn't speak up now, something bad would happen: "Inspector Nakamori took away the Egg of Memories this afternoon, saying he was going to find a place where Kid couldn't possibly find it and hide it."

So even if the museum's police force is forced to disperse, it doesn't really matter, because the "Egg of Memory" itself is bait.

"What!!" Conan's face turned green with anger. "Where did Inspector Nakamori go?"

Kogoro Mouri and Shiro Suzuki went out for drinks, while Ginzo Nakamori disappeared without a trace with the Egg of Memories. The person who was really supposed to do the work only found out about this now. How can we play like this?
It's 7:15 now, five minutes until the 20-minute mark.

Ruined!
Conan, in his eagerness, caught a glimpse of Natsukawa out of the corner of his eye and suddenly a look of delight appeared on his face.

By the way, Natsukawa came back to the art museum this afternoon, so he might know where Inspector Nakamori went!
"Uncle Xia Chuan."

Xia Chuan raised his hand to stop him: "Don't ask me, I don't know about this either. The Egg of Memories was still there when I left. Besides, Inspector Nakamori probably doesn't even trust his own people now, so why would he tell me the location where the Egg of Memories is hidden?"

The top of the Tongtiange Tower.

Kaito, dressed in a white robe, stands atop the tower.

His robes danced in the wind, and he revealed an elegant smile, exuding a free and unrestrained spirit.

He hovered high in the sky, arms outstretched, showing no sign of losing his balance despite the raging winds: "Dear ladies and gentlemen, the time for the performance has come!"

"Well then, Inspector Nakamori, let me guess where you'll be."

Kaito lightly raised the remote control and pressed a button!
In an instant, a substation in the suburbs suddenly exploded, and the light in Osaka gradually disappeared like a wave.

The darkness did not last long, and power was quickly restored to most public places.

But this level of recovery still seems lonely compared to the rest of Osaka Castle.

Upon seeing this, Conan immediately realized the problem and chased after them with his skateboard.

He had already guessed Kaito Kid's purpose!

Damn it, this guy must have overheard Inspector Nakamori's plan.

Hattori followed closely behind, leaving on his Kawasaki motorcycle.

Xia Chuan took out his phone and glanced at it.

If Rum really sends people, then Scrooge is probably not the only one who attacked Kidd tonight.

Kaito uses a hang glider to obtain the Egg of Memories; the fastest way to leave is to go with the wind.

Therefore, Scorpion's sniping location should be in Osaka Bay!
"Looks like I'll have to go help out too. If we include the brewery, Kaito might not be able to react in time."

Half an hour later, over Osaka Bay.

A white hang glider drifted with the wind.

"Is it finally here?"

Pu Siqinglan had been waiting for a long time.

Although she didn't decipher the code, she could make a rough judgment about the direction Kaito Kid would escape in just by knowing the wind direction tonight.

If you want to leave quickly, flying with the wind is the best option.

Luckily, she made the right bet!

Although there is a difference in timing, it doesn't matter.

When the entire city of Osaka was plunged into a power outage, she knew that Kaito Kid had already appeared and had made ample preparations in advance.

Standing atop a tall building, the sniper rifle in hand was poised to fire. A red laser beam searched the night sky, quickly pinpointing the movement of the white figure before slowly locking onto the target.

"As expected of Kid, even though the Metropolitan Police Department was well prepared, you still managed to succeed."

Pu Siqinglan smiled slightly, but didn't care. Only if Kidd succeeded would she have room to maneuver.

The red laser moved slowly and quickly locked onto the eyes from the body.

In mid-air, Kaito suddenly paused.

He also noticed the red laser aimed at his pupils.

However, before he could react, Pu Siqinglan had already pulled the trigger.

call out--

The bullet sliced ​​through the air, remaining perfectly aligned despite the airflow, and struck the right eye precisely.

Clang——

The bullet bounced off the lens after it hit the glass, leaving no mark on it.

The impact was quite strong.

"what's the situation."

Kaito grinned, bewildered, and touched the lens. At that moment, he finally understood the meaning behind Natsukawa giving him the lens.

"It's actually a bulletproof lens. Luckily, I wore it."

Kaito breathed a sigh of relief, turned around, and continued moving away from the sniper's position.

"hateful!"

Pu Siqinglan was furious. She had clearly hit him with her shot, but for some reason, not only did the Phantom Thief Kid not die, but he also turned around.

This was outside her plans.

"Is there really nothing we can do?"

Pu Siqinglan looked around, trying to find a new sniping spot.

Her sniper rifle has a limited range, and now Phantom Thief Kid has flown out of her effective range.

"boom!"

Another gunshot rang out over the empty Osaka Bay.

Could that sound be from another sniper?
Pu Siqinglan turned around and looked around to find the person who fired the shot, but because Osaka Bay was too open, the echo of the gunshot was very strong, and she could not determine the direction at all.

Judging from the sound, it's probably a powerful sniper rifle like the AWM.

This time, Phantom Thief Kid wasn't as lucky as before and fell rapidly.

That shot clearly hit!
Conan, who had followed the Egg of Memories from its hiding place, also witnessed this scene; he noticed both shots fired.

Osaka Bay is lined with high-rise buildings, and he couldn't see the rooftops from his lower position.

Soon, he arrived at the spot where Phantom Thief Kid had fallen.

Conan looked down at the hang glider, the white dove, and the Egg of Memories on the ground.

It seems that Phantom Thief Kid has escaped.

"Who fired the shot? Besides Kidd, is there anyone else who has their eye on the Egg of Memories?"

After pondering for a long time, Conan finally picked up the Egg of Memories and the injured white dove.

As long as the Egg of Memories remains, there is still a chance to capture Kid and find the shooter.

the other side.

Kaito Kuroba lay sprawled on the speedboat deck, panting heavily.

"You were too careless. Those two who fired the guns knew from the beginning that you would leave through Osaka Bay."

Xia Chuan stood at the front steering the ship, glancing back at Kaito: "But you're really lucky to have dodged the second shot."

Kaito didn't want to talk, so he closed his eyes to rest.

Little did he know that an assassin would be involved; he was careless.

After a long silence, he finally said, "Brother Xia Chuan already knew there was a sniper, didn't he?"

“I already knew about Scorpion, which is why I gave you the lens. But the second sniper was really unexpected; I only found out about it recently.”

"Scobing? That assassin who always only targets the right eye?"

"Yes."

"And the other one?" Kaito pressed. "Who is that guy? He fired from so far away. If I hadn't had good eyesight, I would have been killed."

After firing his shot, Scroobing became extremely cautious. Fortunately, he was alert enough to spot the second sniper in advance.

Otherwise, even if the enemy shoots at the bulletproof lens again, the lens might not be able to stop it given the power of the AWM.

"The brewery's killer."

Kaito was startled: "So the Blacksmith Company has also set its sights on the Egg of Memories?"

“No.” Xia Chuan shook his head and said seriously, “But their purpose is indeed related to the Egg of Memories.”

"The goal isn't the Egg of Memories, but it's still related to the Egg of Memories—could it be that?"

Kaito suddenly muttered something.

"What do you mean?" Natsukawa turned to look at Kaito, frowning as he waited for an explanation.

Could the Egg of Memories hold other secrets he is unaware of?

"Actually, when I was investigating the Egg of Memories, I unexpectedly obtained the diary of Kiichi Harada, the author of the Egg of Memories. It recorded that, in addition to its inherent value, the Egg of Memories also contained a secret left behind by the Romanov dynasty."

At this point, Kaito's expression turned somewhat strange: "But that secret was actually activated ahead of schedule during the reign of Nikola II due to a change in power."

"What secret? Tell me more specifically!" Xia Chuan craned his neck, eager to get a piece of the story.

According to the diary, the first emperor of the Romanov dynasty believed that imperial power would always decline due to the incompetence of his descendants. Therefore, in the early years of the dynasty, he left behind a considerable sum of money to restart the dynasty. The secret was hidden in the emperor's double-headed eagle crown. The location of the buried treasure could be found through the crown.

At the end of the dynasty, the emperor's entire family was murdered, with only the third princess and the eldest prince escaping.

Among them, the Third Princess was rescued by Harada Kiichi, who took away the Emperor's symbolic double-headed eagle crown and the memory egg he had created himself.

"I see. It seems that Rum's target is indeed the Crown." Xia Chuan nodded to indicate that he understood.

"However, the funds for restarting the dynasty were found by Nicholas II at the end of the dynasty and used to recruit soldiers; otherwise, the Romanov dynasty would have fallen a few years earlier. Now, even if the treasure trove in the crown still exists, it would just be an empty warehouse once opened."

All the treasures were lost in the war-torn years.

Upon hearing this news, Xia Chuan rubbed his temples and began to think of a solution.

If I'm not mistaken, the crown should be hidden in the castle built by Kiichi Harada.

It seems that to force Binga to appear, we must go to that castle.

As for whether or not to give the Double-Headed Eagle Crown to Gin, if his treasure has already been taken ahead of time, then giving it to Gin is fine.

He still trusts Kaito.

Therefore, his goal is to find Binga in that castle, then seize the crown and hand it over to Gin.

"Looks like there's going to be a good show."

"What mischief is Natsukawa up to now?" Kaito asked curiously. "Why don't you talk to me first? Maybe I can help."

"Okay, but before that, I want to know why Nishino Masato didn't react at all when you impersonated him all morning and he appeared in the afternoon. He didn't seem to realize that he had a blank period of time all morning." Natsukawa was quite curious about this. Could Nishino Masato also be Kaito's accomplice?
"Hypnosis, of course! As a magician, isn't it normal to know a little hypnosis?" Kaito took off his monocle and shook it, ┓(`)┏

That evening, police conducted a search in the waters off Osaka Bay.

However, no trace of Phantom Thief Kid was found.

As for the sniper, he was not found either.

Police found only two bullet casings on the rooftops of the two buildings, confirming that someone had sniped at Kaito Kid from there.

Because the Egg of Memories had a certain amount of time stolen by Phantom Thief Kid and had also fallen from a great height, Shiro Suzuki decided to urgently bring the Egg of Memories back to Tokyo for examination and identification.

The exhibition at the Modern Art Museum was therefore postponed.

As a member of the guard of the Egg of Memories, Natsukawa naturally returned to Tokyo by ship.

With the arrival of Natsumi Kosaka and the encouragement from Natsukawa, everyone learned that the Egg of Memory was likely a nesting doll and decided to go to Natsumi Kosaka's family castle to find another Egg of Memory.

"The Sallybeth, I didn't expect the Suzuki Foundation to have repaired it in such a short time."

On the deck, Joel remarked with some emotion, "I heard it was bombed beyond recognition before."

"Money makes everything faster." Natsukawa smiled and shrugged. "Once we get back to Tokyo, Chairman Suzuki shouldn't need your protection anymore. You can stay home and rest for a day. You probably didn't sleep at all last night, right?"

“That’s right, but as you just heard, President Suzuki is going to support Ms. Natsumi Kosaka in finding another Memory Egg. He asked me to take this one with me, in case it comes in handy.”

Joel looked up at the sky.

Actually, she wasn't originally needed for this, but she decided to go after hearing that Natsumi Kosaka had invited Natsukawa and Kogoro Mouri to go together.

Last night's sniping incident proves that Scrooge is indeed still coveting the Egg of Memory, and might even appear at the Natsumi family's castle in Kosaka. She must go there with Natsukawa.

Although Xia Chuan seemed to be quite capable, she wouldn't feel at ease if she didn't go.

After all, Xia Chuan represents the future she aspires to!

"Father, can you give Aunt Joel a kiss?"

The two were engrossed in their conversation when Anya suddenly popped up, breaking the romantic atmosphere.

Xia Chuan's forehead veins throbbed as he prepared to say something, but before he could speak, another voice came.

"Not good! Not good!"

The two looked at each other.

"Go and see."

The three quickly entered the cabin and followed the sound to its source.

At this moment, all the guests on the ship gathered around.

This is Hanchuan Long's room.

Seeing the room number, Xia Chuan felt much more at ease; it seemed the plot was progressing smoothly.

"What happened?" Xia Chuan asked knowingly.

"Mr. Hanchuan Long is dead!"

It was Kogoro Mouri who spoke, and he immediately examined the body.

"The deceased was shot in the right eye, killed instantly, and seemed to have offered no resistance, but there were signs that his room had been ransacked." Conan looked at Natsukawa with a serious expression: "Uncle Natsukawa, I remember you mentioned a killer named Scorpion before, right?"

Conan had heard the assassin's name back in the Blue Castle.

Later, he learned more about the assassin through Professor Agasa's connections.

Han Chuanlong's death was exactly the same as Shi Kaobing's method of killing.

He wouldn't have easily connected Han Chuanlong's death with Shi Kaobing.

However, one of the two sniper bullets collected by the police last night was of the same type as the bullet used in the gun used by Scottie.

While these people were chatting on the deck, Han Chuanlong even showed off a ring from the Romanov dynasty.

He searched the room, but nothing was missing except for the antique from the Romanov dynasty.

Considering all of the above, the probability of Shi Kaobing being the perpetrator is as high as 90%.

“Mr. Hankawa Ryu has been dead for no more than fifteen minutes,” said Kogoro Mouri.

“We were on the deck just now, and no one left via the lifeboats.”

After Xia Chuan finished speaking, Conan turned his head and scanned the crowd. As expected, Scorpion was among them.

But who exactly is it?

Glancing away the impossible individuals, all that remains are Secretary Nishino Masato, Russian Secretary Chinnikov, art dealer Inui Shoichi, photographer Kanakawa Ryu, researcher Urashi Seiran, and Kosaka Natsumi and her household butler.

Seven people in total.

Considering that when they left the museum yesterday, Natsumi Kosaka, her butler, and her secretary Masato Nishino were all at the museum entrance, there probably wasn't enough time, leaving only four suspects.

Chinnikov, Inui Shoichi, Kankawa Ryu, and Pu Siqinglan.

Of these four people, one is Shi Kaobing!

At the same time, Xia Chuan was also observing these people.

There's no need to look for Skobing, but there is a need to look for Binga.

Xia Chuan suspected that Binga had disguised himself and was hiding among these people.

The possibility that Binga was in disguise is 100%, and only disguise can explain why Gin knew that Rum sent people to Japan.

The brewery's disguise couldn't bypass Vermouth, and given Vermouth's personality, it's highly likely that after helping with the disguise, she would tell Gin about it.

As the strongest traitor in the brewery, Vermouth is probably second to none when it comes to disgusting her teammates.

Rum clearly suffered a hidden loss.

"Uncle Xia Chuan, have you also noticed that there's something wrong with these people?"

Natsukawa's actions did not escape Conan's notice.

"No, I'm just looking for Hattori. Where is he?"

"Uh," Conan rolled his eyes. If he wanted to ask about Hattori, he should have asked earlier. Why wait until now?

However, he explained, "Hattori-nii got injured last night when he took me to Osaka Bay. He's in the hospital and probably won't be able to help me anymore."

"It seems that swordsmanship is not as good as physical skills." Xia Chuan shook his head. If it were Kyogoku Makoto, he probably wouldn't be hurt even if he got hit by a car.

Conan ignored Natsukawa's mutterings.

It's already this time and you're still making sarcastic remarks.

With few clues at the scene, Conan couldn't confirm who the culprit was, but Ryuu's death further narrowed down the possibilities to Scorpion.

Now it's a three-choice question, a type of question he's very familiar with.

Of course, familiarity does not mean ease.

Even after the Sally Beth docked in Tokyo Bay and Inspector Megure boarded the ship, Conan still couldn't find any evidence.

Afterwards, the identification of the Egg of Memory took a whole day.

Conan still couldn't come up with an answer during this time.

Xia Chuan then called Frank during a free moment and asked him to investigate the identities of suspicious individuals, but the results were mediocre.

Everyone on board has a travel history to foreign countries this month, meaning they are all potentially at risk of being replaced by Binga.

Therefore, the answer to this mystery can only be found when we arrive at Yokosuka Castle.
(End of this chapter)