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

What is the gap?

There might be a little jealousy, but when I think about how Shinichi Kudo is working so hard purely for the sake of justice, that little bit of jealousy completely turns into admiration.

No wonder the public criticizes them for being incompetent; in comparison, they are indeed tax thieves.

At the Metropolitan Police Department early Saturday morning, Inspector Megure felt that his younger brother, Kudo, was actually a bit of a bad person, and refused his request in order to prevent the situation from escalating further.

In retrospect, it was truly a huge mistake.

If the police had positioned themselves around Tojo Shuntatsu from the beginning, wouldn't they have been able to catch the real culprit directly?

"Brother Kudo, do you think there will be a next time?"

Inspector Megure intended to take remedial action, but Shinichi Kudo pondered for a moment and then shook his head.

"I feel like something's not right."

He pointed to the two photos on the electric stove: "If it's not necessary, don't add physical evidence. This method of committing the crime is indeed ingenious, but if someone takes the evidence away, it will be even more covert, just like the previous cases, leaving no trace."

The mastermind behind this couldn't be unaware of this, and we still haven't uncovered his identity. He doesn't need to worry about an alibi, so why doesn't he act personally?

"Hmm, maybe he just had something to do today?"

"He could have waited until he had time to kill Tojo Shuntatsu. In fact, our attention wasn't even on him to begin with, so he could have chosen not to kill him. I don't understand why they went through all this trouble."

"Quiet?"

"The answer would certainly be this, but I feel it shouldn't be in the directions we're thinking of. In Masato Cedar's case, the method and logic are already closed, and there's no need for anyone to deceive the police with false testimony; that would just be superfluous."

"So, Tojo Shuntatsu was silenced for something else? But... this..."

"I don't know either, Inspector Megure."

But looking at this incident alone, I have a feeling that the real culprit among the Cedar mother and daughter... Sigh, Cedar Kiyoko and Cedar Nami, with the issue of how that insurance money was distributed, to be honest, I can't completely tell the difference.

However, Kiyoko Yukimatsu is younger and prettier, so I still prefer her.

I believe her relationship with the mastermind behind the scenes was not entirely seamless.

"hiss--"

Inspector Megure gasped, then exclaimed in realization, "Brother Kudo, are you saying that she did this all by herself, without any help from the mastermind behind the scenes?"

"Perhaps, otherwise some parts don't make sense."

Shinichi Kudo pondered for a moment: "By the way, compared to the methods used here, I feel that the person who made that phone call to the police earlier is more like the mastermind. He's trying to divert the police's attention, as if he's trying to make amends for someone's reckless act."

“But he was talking about a young woman, specifically Kiyoko Yukimatsu, and you saw right through him, little brother.”

"It was probably just something he did on a whim. He didn't have to pay anything anyway, and who knows if he had other motives? Maybe he was nearby at the time and verified something he wanted to know by observing our reactions."

"This……"

Inspector Megure was completely at a loss for words, only feeling a buzzing in his head.

These clever guys, calculating and scheming over every single word they say, don't they get tired?

Shinichi Kudo was certainly not tired.

On the contrary, he is now more invigorated than ever before.

After countless events over the years, he finally encountered a troublesome opponent. Good heavens, just like Sherlock Holmes finally met Moriarty, every nerve in his body was cheering and shouting for challenge and glory.

He said it, didn't he? He was sure he would win!

"Brother Kudo, Brother Kudo!"

A shout came from a very distant place. Shinichi Kudo opened his eyes groggily and found himself lying on a sofa. The room was dark, and everyone except Megure Juzo, who was calling him, had left.

Megure walked to the window and drew back the curtains. The light outside was not very bright; the moonlight had just faded, and the east was not yet dawn. Everything was still shrouded in a hazy twilight.

“It’s just past six o’clock. This is the Metropolitan Police Department’s break room. You fell asleep while we were talking last night, so I moved you here.”

Shinichi Kudo patted his somewhat dizzy head forcefully, letting the thin blanket covering him fall to the ground.

"Have the results of the scientific investigation department's tests come out yet?"

"Haha, I knew you'd be most concerned about this, so I didn't take you to a hotel. I woke you up now." Inspector Megure picked up a document from the coffee table and handed it to him. "The handwriting comparison results are in. It's Yukimatsu Nami."

"what?"

Upon hearing the result, Shinichi Kudo did not breathe a sigh of relief; instead, he frowned deeply. How could it be her?

Was he really deceived by the other person's acting skills before?

"Could it be that they've simply reused something Nami Yukimatsu wrote before? Can we determine when the text was written?"

"The paper was soaked in water, so it's impossible to be sure. However, there's half a fingerprint on the bottle, which was left after wiping it with fabric near the bottle opening. It's currently being repaired, and that should be more reliable."

Shinichi Kudo nodded. If it really was a mistake by the murderer, it would indeed be a crucial clue.

The fear is, what if it's also misleading?

However, this kind of baseless, endless nesting is meaningless. Shinichi Kudo stood up, feeling his eyes swollen, his nose sore, and he felt like sneezing, but he took a deep breath and held it in, asking, "What are the police planning now?"

"I've already sent someone to summon her here to cooperate with your investigation, brother."

As Inspector Megure was speaking, someone knocked on the door and brought breakfast, which he had specially prepared for Shinichi Kudo before he came in. Shinichi Kudo went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face, and patted his forehead and the back of his neck in front of the mirror.

I probably haven't had a good rest in the past few days, and I even went diving last night, so I'm feeling a little unwell.

But as soon as he thought of that unknown opponent, all his ailments vanished and he became invigorated.

By the time he finished breakfast, his battery was fully charged.

Time flew by and it was already seven in the morning, but the person who went to summon Yukimatsu Nami had not yet returned.

Shinichi Kudo mentally reviewed the suspicious points over and over again, and finally couldn't help but look up at the door: "Inspector Megure, you didn't send Inspector Sato, did you?"

"Well, she volunteered, so I let her go."

Megure Juzo scratched his head: "But don't worry, Kudo-kun. I know someone wants to harm her, so I sent Chiba and Kanakawa with her. They're both armed, so nothing should happen. Oh, and Mori-kun too. He volunteered to go as the melee specialist."

"That's good……"

Buzz buzz!

Before Shinichi Kudo could finish speaking, Juichi Megure's phone rang. He glanced at it and quickly answered it. His subordinate Chiba's hurried voice came from the other end.

"Inspector, Mr. Mori and Sato have gone missing!"

Chapter 54 The Brainless and the Grumpy: Jumping into Pitfalls

Both Miwako Sato and Kogoro Mouri are quite skilled in combat and are certainly not stupid. How could they possibly disappear without a trace?

Upon hearing his subordinate Chiba Kazunobu's report, Inspector Megure was shocked for a moment before quickly calming down and inquiring about the details.

It turned out that they were just two people who couldn't be found and weren't answering their calls; they weren't missing at all. Chiba was just making a big fuss over nothing...

No wonder!

There's a terrifying guy hiding in the shadows who's hostile to the police. Could it be that Sato and Mori's disappearance is due to his scheme?

Megure quickly turned on the speakerphone and asked Chiba Kazunobu to explain what had happened in detail. He looked to Kudo Shinichi for help, hoping that he could solve the case remotely.

Chiba Kazunobu quickly recounted what had happened.

When the four of them arrived at Yamada Okao's house, they did not find Yukimatsu Nami. They asked the neighbors and learned that she had left home yesterday at noon, dressed up in a flamboyant manner, and had not returned since. Because she greeted the people around her in a smug manner, everyone had a deep impression of her.

Yesterday at noon was the time when the insurance money would be deposited into their accounts, and the four of them immediately guessed that Yukimatsu Nami had gone out to celebrate.

But they couldn't get through on the phone, and they didn't know where she had gone. Finally, one of her middle-aged female neighbors said that she might have gone to see a male prostitute.

Kogoro Mouri then made a few phone calls and, through special channels, learned that a nouveau riche had come to Shibuya yesterday—the very same person who had been making headlines in the newspapers recently.

The four of them immediately headed to Shibuya, but since they didn't know the specific store, they discussed it and decided to split up to find it in order to save time, and to contact each other by phone if there were any problems.

Then, I lost contact with them.

Upon hearing this, Inspector Megure's forehead veins throbbed. He had already told them to be on high alert, yet they still dared to split up. Were they afraid the mastermind would have a hard time making a move?

But he knew his subordinates' personalities well and understood in an instant: "It was Sato's suggestion, right? And you all felt that the mastermind behind the scenes couldn't be monitoring you all the time, so there was no danger, and you all agreed."

"I'm sorry, Inspector, I... yes, that's it."

"This has nothing to do with the two of you. Sato is very assertive in the department. I'll talk to her when I get back. But, well, if she's alright."

Inspector Megure looked at Shinichi Kudo with a bitter expression, hoping that his younger brother would display great power.

But he also knew very well that there was no way to analyze something so vague and unrelated. Sato... well, hopefully she can at least survive.

"Kamaku Izakaya!"

"what?!"

Inspector Megure stared incredulously at his younger brother who had spoken up. "You can even provide clues from this?"

It’s cheating!

"I remember there's a club on the street to the left of that izakaya. Officer Chiba, the address is 36-6-chome, Jingumae. You can only drive to the back door, so you have to be quick!"

Shinichi Kudo's tone was firm, conveying an air of unquestionable certainty, and Kazunobu Chiba responded immediately without hesitation.

"understand!"

Before the call was even disconnected, an engine roared to life. What's that about again, a Metropolitan Police Department vehicle? Anyway, it's definitely flooring the gas pedal.

The Metropolitan Police Department's beauty must not be harmed!

As it turns out, Sato Miwako was fine, since she wasn't even there.

The one in trouble was Kogoro Mouri. He was surrounded and beaten by a group of yakuza... or rather, a group of bikers? In any case, he was surrounded by a group of people wearing helmets in an alley.

When Chiba and Shin saw this, they immediately shouted that they were police officers, but the yakuza group was unmoved. Finally, they had no choice but to draw their guns, and the group scattered.

The two of them rushed forward to check on Kogoro Mouri, only to find that his face had been beaten into a pig's head, his eyes rolled back, he had lost consciousness, his body was covered in blood and footprints, and his left calf was twisted unnaturally.

They quickly lifted Kogoro Mouri into the car and were about to leave for the hospital when Miwako Sato rushed over from another alley, holding Nami Yukimatsu by her side.

After the group got into the car and met up, they learned that Kogoro Mouri had recently received information from a special channel, which told him the general location of Nami Yukimatsu.

He was with Sato Miwako at the time, and told her to come here together. He also said that in order to prevent Yukimatsu Nami from escaping, they should split up and surround her from the front and back.

Then, less than fifteen minutes after they separated, Kogoro Mouri ended up like this.