He's in Detective Conan, and he's the mastermind behind everything.

"Don't talk about this anymore. It's none of my business." Shinichi Kudo said calmly. "Mizuki has replied again, but it's all just comforting words. She said she'll go see her in a couple of nights and tell her to calm down. That's all."

He paused for a few moments, then said, "This seems normal, but Shuiyue's phone email was completely empty before, without a single email in or out."

"Forehead……"

Megure Juzo thought his younger brother might be being a bit too suspicious, and scratched his head, saying, "He often comes into contact with different women, so deleting emails at any time is a basic skill to prevent them from getting jealous, although it's still excessive, but it doesn't prove anything."

"Perhaps, I hope it's just like that."

Chapter 281 Approaching the Truth, Approaching Conan! The Origin: Vermouth!

The events that occurred this afternoon and evening were clearly more complex than what Inspector Megure told Hotaru.

It started the same way: the police and the distillery clashed again.

But when Shinichi Kudo investigated the house destroyed by the explosion and discovered that its tenant was Akemi Miyano, everything changed in his eyes.

Could everything really be such a coincidence?

To be honest, there's no concrete evidence whatsoever. Sherry defected from the research institute, so it's normal for Miyano Akemi, as her older sister, to be investigated.

But Shinichi Kudo just felt something was off.

It's mainly about timing. Even if you want to investigate, do you need to make such a big fuss, deploying bombs and snipers?

The priority should definitely be concealment.

The situation was so tense that it was as if the research institute was absolutely certain that someone would be there, waiting for them.

It is conceivable that the people waiting there at the research institute, or rather, the organization whose main members used alcohol as a code name, were not police officers.

Thinking about it from this perspective, the answer seems clearer.

The police operation in the afternoon, like the one in the morning, was manipulated by others to step on the winery's landmine.

The strategist this morning was Kiyoko Yukimatsu, but who will be the one this afternoon?

With the phone call from the lounge preceding him, and the news his classmates told him this afternoon—that Hotaru and Kiyoko went shopping together at noon—the answer seemed obvious. Shinichi Kudo arrived at the answer almost the instant he thought of it:

The relationship between Hotaru and Kiyoko was extraordinary from the start!

Of course, after spending a few days together this week, Shinichi Kudo didn't consider them lovers, at most just companions; and the companion level wasn't particularly high, otherwise the incident at the underground casino in Kabukicho would have been somewhat illogical.

Although there is no concrete evidence for this, the fact that they were once neighbors speaks volumes.

Furthermore, Shinichi Kudo obtained further corroborating evidence from Juzo Inspector Megure, namely:

In the past, there have been multiple police reports at Ian Apartment alleging that the Shuiyue couple committed domestic violence. However, when the police arrived at the scene, they could not find any signs of abuse on Yingsheng's body. The Shuiyue couple then claimed that he had mental health issues and even provided a certificate from a mental hospital. In the end, all these cases were left unresolved.

Shinichi Kudo combined this incident with the unusual behavior of Kiyoko Yukimatsu and drew the following conclusion:

It's likely that Shuiyue and her husband have been conducting drug experiments on their own son and their neighbor's daughter for a long time!

It's chilling to think that parents could be so despicable and cruel, but Shinichi Kudo didn't dwell on that. His thoughts shifted, and he realized:

Since Mizuki and Kiyoko were both experimental subjects in the past, is it possible that they had a casual relationship?

Absolutely impossible!

After verifying this inference again, Shinichi Kudo connected almost everything in his mind.

Hotaru Mizuki, Kiyoko Yukimatsu, Shiho Miyano, and Akemi Miyano are all victims of persecution by the brewery. They form an alliance due to some unknown circumstances, help each other, and become enemies of the brewery.

However, their strength was too weak to confront the powerful distillery head-on, so they decided to use their strength against them.

This is why the police were used twice today!

At 5:30 p.m., Shinichi Kudo told Juzo Megure his guess. When Juzo Megure suggested questioning Hotaru about it, Shinichi Kudo refused.

"Years of torment and suffering have long since changed their character. Judging from their willingness to use the police, it is certain that even if they are at odds with the distillery, it is definitely not for justice, but merely for revenge."

Upon hearing his younger brother's words, Inspector Megure's eyes revealed a deep sorrow: "So, they've been consumed by darkness for too long and have been assimilated?"

He felt that this was all due to the police's dereliction of duty.

Why didn't he show any more concern when he first pushed open the door of Shuiyue's house ten years ago and saw the little boy huddled in the corner?

"That's probably it."

Outside the rubble of the explosion, Shinichi Kudo sighed softly: "But then again, this is still just speculation, without any concrete evidence. Suigetsu is a playboy, and Kiyoko has often deceived men in the past. Even if they know each other, it's hard to say how deep their relationship is."

Huh?

Thinking about this, a strange idea suddenly popped into Shinichi Kudo's head:

Shuiyue's health wasn't very good in the past, but after practicing karate with Xiaolan for the past two weeks, she has gradually recovered to her health level at a speed that is almost visible to the naked eye.

His behavior is different from Kiyoko's feigned weakness. Could it be that the two are conducting different experimental projects?

And the common point is...

Both of them were exceptionally good-looking, and both had terrible personalities.

What a strange drug trial.

Seeing his younger brother's shifty eyes, Inspector Megure assumed he was pondering some important question and waited a while before asking, "What's the next step in our investigation?"

Shinichi Kudo snapped out of his daze and glanced around. Amidst the vast rubble of the explosion, small groups of police officers were clearing away debris, searching for any possible clues, as well as the bodies of the special police officers.

On the surrounding streets, police officers from the Third Investigation Division were also collecting the remains of their colleagues.

Further away, there were yellow warning lines and onlookers with excited eyes.

"Have you caught anyone from the brewery?" Shinichi Kudo asked.

"No."

Megure shook his head in disappointment and sighed, "They're no ordinary people; they have a private helicopter. They flew away right in front of the SWAT team that was chasing them. We didn't expect this to happen. After urgently calling for backup, all we caught up with was an empty shell; the people had already escaped."

Honestly, even if Shinichi Kudo was used to the police's inaction, letting them escape so repeatedly was still somewhat...

It feels rather subtle.

However, the fact that the other side dispatched helicopters this time was indeed unexpected, but understandable.

Thinking of this, the slight disappointment in Shinichi Kudo's heart quickly disappeared, and he thought of another direction for the investigation:

“My classmate Aoyagi said that Kiyoko came to see her yesterday to say goodbye. But Kiyoko is clearly still in Tokyo today, and she even met and greeted many other classmates. This is contradictory and there might be a problem.”

I'd like to ask Aoyagi-san what exactly Kiyoko and she talked about yesterday. She didn't see anyone else, so she might find out something.

As he said this, he took out his phone and started looking for his classmates' numbers, only to find that he didn't have any.

That's true, he doesn't seem to have ever spoken to Aoyagi in class.

He thought for a moment, then asked Inspector Megure for Hotaru's phone number. He searched through the contacts but couldn't find it, so he had no choice but to call Kenta Nakamichi.

Didn't this guy admit last night that he had feelings for Aoyagi-kun? He should have her phone number by now.

Oh right, didn't Aoyagi call him yesterday? He'll definitely get it!

A moment later, Shinichi Kudo declined Kenta Nakamichi's invitation to play soccer, but successfully obtained Chiso Aoyagi's phone number.

When I called back full of hope, no one answered.

Helpless, Shinichi Kudo could only look at Juzo Inspector Megure.

The police system is really useful. After Inspector Megure informed his subordinates who were staying at the Metropolitan Police Department about this, he soon received the address. At 5:50 p.m., he parked his car in front of an old, dilapidated apartment building in Beikacho 7-chome.

It was already summer, and normally at this time it wouldn't be too late.

However, this afternoon, dark clouds drifted across the sky from time to time, making the sky much gloomy. Under such light, this small apartment in Tai'an appeared particularly deserted.

As soon as Shinichi Kudo got out of the car, he looked around and walked into a narrow alley that was originally quite spacious, but was made narrow by the clutter piled up everywhere.

The air was stuffy, with a faint smell of mold. Shinichi Kudo frowned slightly and quickened his pace.

The development of Aoyagi's gloomy personality is probably related to living in such a place for a long time.

dong dong dong-

The external metal staircase was rusty and even a bit loose. Shinichi Kudo and Inspector Megure walked past it one by one, stopping in front of a security door on the third floor. The blue film on the door had not been removed, but it had now turned pale and faded, with curled edges.

There was a doorbell nearby, and Shinichi Kudo pressed it.

After waiting for about ten seconds without a response, Shinichi Kudo pressed the button again and called out, "Is Aoyagi-san home? This is Shinichi Kudo, please open the door."

There was still no response.

Shinichi Kudo pressed his eyes against the peephole, peering inside, but all he could see was a blurry, dim light, without a single clear shadow.

“It’s the weekend, maybe he went out,” Sato Miwako suddenly said.

Shinichi Kudo shook his head: "Although this place is old, judging from its length and width, the apartment should be quite large. Aoyagi's family is not well-off, so she probably doesn't live here alone. It's the weekend, so even if she went out, there should be other people here."

Moreover, he felt that, given Aoyagi Chisato's personality, she would most likely stay at home during the holidays.

Sato Miwako glanced at him indifferently: "Not everyone has a two-day weekend, especially the poor."

"Sorry, let's ask someone else."

Shinichi Kudo was preoccupied with the case and didn't want to argue. He gave a casual reply and went back up the stairs, making a thumping sound as he walked up. Inspector Megure quickly followed, ready to vouch for his brother's actions at any moment.

Chiba Kazunobu glanced at their backs and then stayed where he was, waiting.

Sato Miwako also looked away, "I'm going to the restroom."

After saying that, he walked downstairs.

Chiba Kazunobu shrugged, showing no reaction to this commonplace event. A knock came from upstairs, and soon after, he heard Shinichi Kudo's question:

"Hello, we are police officers. Have you had any contact with the residents downstairs?"

Is it really that direct? Isn't the tone a bit too harsh?

Chiba Kazunobu shook his head. What was this scoundrel thinking? He was a million times better at solving cases than Chiba.

Before long, Shinichi Kudo and Juzo Megure received the information and returned to the third floor.

Shinichi Kudo looked at the closed door, his eyes flickering: "Mr. Tanaka said that the Aoyagi couple both work on construction sites, leaving early and returning late every day. Even if they try to restrain themselves, they still make a lot of noise when they step on the bulges on the stairs, which annoys him to no end."

Last night, while he was writing at home, he heard noises downstairs as usual.

But I didn't hear it this morning.