Daily Spy Life in the Detective Conan World

Chapter 534: Driving the tiger away from the mountain
Xia Chuan frowned, looked down for a few seconds, and then turned and walked to the corner.

The phone number wasn't displayed on the screen, but he wasn't surprised. At this time, only one person would call him.

"Is something wrong?" Xia Chuan asked directly.

“I just reviewed the surveillance footage and found that someone entered the office with Thomas Sindora this afternoon and hasn’t come out yet.”

"Someone's here?" Xia Chuan was clearly taken aback.

However, he didn't have much time left. Thomas Sindora could be discovered at any moment, and he had to take the information inside immediately.

Seemingly aware of Xia Chuan's concerns, Noah's Ark continued:
"A black trench coat, a black top hat, and long silver hair—his image perfectly matches the description of the codenamed member of the distillery you mentioned."

This outfit immediately conjures up a vivid image of Xia Chuan.

Is it Gin?

Xia Chuan suddenly remembered that Gin had said he would use the hair to trace Joel's identity. Could it be that he came to find Thomas Sindora?
And that is why Thomas Sindora is so eager to get the tracking program today, to the point that she decides to kill Kenmura.
Several key points were strung together in Xia Chuan's mind.

"Noah's Ark, could you please use a different computer to download those files?"

"The winery's drug research data is acceptable, but Thomas Sindora's tax evasion and criminal records are not. His computer was developed by Hiroki before his death. To prevent hackers from breaking through the firewall, Hiroki left a physical firewall inside the computer. Data can only be connected to the computer by clicking a physical switch on the host."

Xia Chuan nodded. He understood. It sounded complicated, but to put it simply: before the physical switch was pressed, the host and the data hard drive were in a separate state, and the hard drive inside needed to be manually inserted to read the data.

It's certainly hardcore, but this method is indeed very secure, even more secure than a local area network, because the data is unique. If the network cable is unplugged during the operation and only the host and hard drive are running, then there is basically no way to solve it, unless an offline virus is implanted.

However, offline viruses cannot hide from IT experts at all.

Thomas Sindora's rise to become a global IT tycoon wasn't just due to his wealth; his IT skills were also exceptional, ensuring he could detect any offline viruses.

This creates a closed loop, so it's no wonder that Tadahiro Kenmura had to resort to such methods; it seems even Noah's Ark itself couldn't steal the criminal evidence inside.

Now the question is, if the person inside is Gin, what means should he use to obtain the data from the computer?

There's only one chance. Thomas Sindora probably won't stay in Japan after today, so to avoid any further trouble, we have to resolve this today.

“There are no security cameras inside. I also checked the architectural plans of the Mihana Municipal Building. There are no other exits from this room, so he must still be there. You need to be careful.”

"In that case, we need to find a way to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Joel has already come into Gin's sights, so I'd better not let him notice me anymore."

As if struck by a thought, Xia Chuan looked out the window at the bustling entrance below.

The closed beta test of the "Cocoon" game on the first floor has entered the ticket-checking stage.

Yusaku Kudo personally reviewed the surveillance footage, hoping to find some clue.

According to the bodyguards, Thomas Sindora was still in the lobby before the lights were turned off, but was gone when the lights came back on.

Given the disappearance of Kenmura and the bloodstains, something must have happened.

However, after watching the surveillance footage, Yusaku Kudo felt utterly helpless.

Surveillance footage leading to the basement shows that no one went to Tadahiro Kenmura's office during the time he was giving his speech, and he himself did not come out.

After watching for about ten more minutes, Kudo Yusaku suddenly noticed something.

"Go back."

The technicians played back the video as required.

"and many more."

"Rewind these three seconds twice more!"

Kogoro Mouri and Inspector Megure craned their necks to stare at the screen, but they couldn't see anything and were just puzzled.

Yusaku Kudo said, "Look, in the first second, the ground was clean, but in the third second, a piece of chewing gum appeared out of thin air."

"Well?"

Several people huddled in front of the computer and observed carefully. They indeed found that a piece of chewing gum appeared out of thin air in the three seconds. Moreover, it appeared slowly. In the second second, it was still a little faint, but in the third second, it was completely solidified.

This is similar to a fade-out overlay in video editing.

Because the surveillance camera was in a fixed location, no one would have noticed such a small detail if it weren't for the chewing gum.

Yusaku Kudo's eyes flashed. "Inspector Megure, the surveillance footage has been tampered with."

"What should we do then? Does this mean that Tadahira Kenmura has already left?"

Inspector Megure was getting anxious. There were many reporters blocking both the front and back doors. Logically speaking, whether it was Tadahiro Kenmura or Thomas Cindora, they should have been discovered when they left. Since they hadn't been discovered, it should prove that the two of them were still inside the building, right?

But where would they be if they were inside the building?

“I just watched the lobby video. When Thomas Sindora was in the lobby, he stepped on a piece of chewing gum that a child had spat on the ground. Now we can confirm that he was in the basement. Combined with the timing of this footage, it happened to be the time when the lights went out while I was giving my speech.”

Although it is impossible to determine who was injured, it is an undeniable fact that Thomas Sindora was here.

I haven't found anything wrong with the surveillance footage leading to the first floor, but since there's blood on the floor, they couldn't have left without leaving a trace. They must still be in the basement.

As soon as he finished speaking, Officer Shiratori pushed the door open and entered. "Inspector Megure, the blood on the floor has been tested, and the DNA information matches Thomas Sindora perfectly."

Yusaku Kudo spoke up immediately: "Inspector Megure, seal off the basement, check every corner, I'll go check the situation! Maybe we can find the answer to this case in the game."

“Okay.” Inspector Megure nodded solemnly.

Thomas Sindora's office.

Gin sat on the sofa, bored out of his mind, and could only pass the time by watching TV.

He had been waiting here for half a day.

As Xia Chuan had predicted, the reason he sought out Thomas Cindora was for the Thorn Princess's hair.

Actually, Thomas and Sindora had already done a DNA tracing test when Thomas first arrived, but because Thomas's existing DNA tracing program was a crippled version, the results were not satisfactory.

So he is now waiting for Thomas to bring over the full version of the DNA tracking program.

Princess Thorn is very important, and worth spending an afternoon with.

He also wanted to see just how amazing the "Cocoon" game, the so-called groundbreaking creation of the Syndora Corporation, really was.

The television screen in front of me showed the press conference venue downstairs, with fifty "Cocoon" devices arranged on the stage, and staff members making final adjustments and preparations.

"what?"

Gin let out a soft "hmm" as he watched the children talking to each other pass through the testing equipment.

Among those children, the boy and girl standing at the very back looked somewhat familiar.

The boy in the blue suit and shorts seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen him before; the girl in the brown short-sleeved shirt with a blank expression also looked familiar, especially her hairstyle.

Where have I seen this before?

Gin muttered to himself, even standing up from the sofa and walking towards the television.

For some reason, his right eyelid kept twitching when he saw the two children, and his breathing became heavier involuntarily.

As the two children walked off the screen, Gin's gaze remained fixed on the television, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

This was not because he had discovered their identities.

The migraine was caused simply by trying to recall what other people looked like.

He doesn't like to remember too many people's faces because it causes severe headaches, but he can't help but think about these two in front of him.

At the same time, a red light suddenly appeared outside the window, but Gin was focused on the television and did not notice it.

Gin's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his eyes gradually widened.

I remembered!

He seemed to have seen that boy before in Nishitama City. Back then, this little boy had followed him. He forgot what his name was. It was this little boy who brought the policewoman named Yole.

Speaking of which, when he saw this little boy that time, he also had a feeling of déjà vu.

What about the other girl?

Just as Gin's thoughts were about to wander, the screen in front of him suddenly flickered and switched to a different view.

"This is Nichiri TV, bringing you the latest updates on the 'Cocoon' game."

"Just now, a car parked next to the main entrance of the Mihana Municipal Building suddenly exploded. Although no one was killed, several onlookers were affected and have been taken away by ambulances."

"The explosion was too sudden. Our reporter initially deduced that it may have been a serious bombing incident. Whether it is related to the ongoing 'Cocoon' game launch event still needs to be verified. Please wait patiently. Nichiri TV will continue to report on it."

Gin suddenly paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.

The car in the picture has a strange sense of familiarity.

There was also a fire hydrant nearby, which was probably affected by the explosion. It was now bent at a 45-degree angle, and water was spraying out continuously from the break point, which poured onto the car and gradually extinguished the flames.

The familiar fire hydrant, the familiar parking spot, and the remaining wreckage of the car all filled Gin with a bad feeling.

His expression twisted in pain as he pulled out his phone and dialed a number with trembling hands: "Hello, where are you?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, then Vodka's voice came through: "Brother, have you found out about the Thorn Princess yet? I'm eating pork chop rice, it'll be ready soon."

Vodka had been waiting downstairs since the afternoon, and suddenly felt hungry. Since his older brother hadn't come down yet, he went next door and ate a pork chop rice.

"This pork chop rice is really delicious. I highly recommend that you have one too, brother."

I'm afraid the air will suddenly become quiet.

Vodka broke out in a cold sweat. Although he didn't know what had happened, he could feel the heaviness in his older brother's presence even though he wasn't standing in front of him.

(End of this chapter)