Detective Conan: Birth of the Demon Child

Kurosaki Tamaka asked, "Where did that child go after that?"

"After that child left the station, he went to the mountains over there."

Following the direction the ticket inspector pointed, Suzuki Haruaki and the others also saw the dense forest opposite the station.

Looking at the lush, green mountain in the distance, Genta and the others' faces instantly fell.

If you're camping, seeing such vibrant mountains might be refreshing, but since they're looking for someone, it's a real headache.

"No way! How are we supposed to find this godforsaken place?"

"And it's getting dark soon, do we really think we can find Mitsuhiko?"

Looking at the setting sun on the horizon and the endless mountains, Genta and the others couldn't help but have second thoughts.

Seeing this, Inoue Ryuichi suggested, "Young master, why don't we call the police and ask the Gunma Prefecture police to help us find Mitsuhiko?"

With darkness approaching, even Inoue Ryuichi wasn't entirely confident he could guarantee the safety of all five children heading into the mountains at this time.

Putting aside whether there are any ferocious beasts in this mountain, if Suzuki Seimei and his companions were to be bitten by poisonous insects or snakes, it would be a huge problem.

"Don't worry! I have a way to find Mitsuhiko quickly, without having to call the police."

Suzuki Seimei first waved his hand, then took out a white tablecloth from his pocket, used the tablecloth as a cover, and used [Pet Summoning Doll] to summon a husky.

"Wang Wang Wang..."

Although it wasn't the first time Conan and his friends had seen Suzuki Harumi conjure up creatures using magic tricks, they were still quite surprised to see that half-person-tall husky appear from the tablecloth.

"Don't lick! Don't lick my face..."

Seimei Suzuki shoved the husky's head away, took out Mitsuhiko's detective badge from his pocket, and said, "When I left Mitsuhiko's house, I had already anticipated that this might happen, so I took out Mitsuhiko's detective badge. Now is the time for it to come in handy."

After Suzuki Seimei finished speaking, he held Mitsuhiko's badge up to the husky's nose and let it sniff it carefully.

"Alright! Now we just need to follow Erha and we'll find Mitsuhiko soon."

At Suzuki Seimei's command, the husky barked twice and, while sniffing the scent left by Mitsuhiko, led everyone into the deep mountains.

"Wang Wang Wang..."

Not long after the group had been traversing the forest, the husky leading the way suddenly began barking wildly into the depths of the forest.

Upon seeing this, Inoue Ryuichi's expression instantly turned serious. He reached into his clothes and gripped the handle of the pistol.

"Who's there? Don't move! You're surrounded!"

The figures gathered deep in the forest were also startled by the husky's barking. Accompanied by the rustling of branches and leaves, dozens of plainclothes police officers armed with guns rushed out of the woods and surrounded Suzuki Haruaki and his group.

Faced with those seemingly menacing plainclothes police officers, Genta and Ayumi were almost brought to tears.

"Put down your guns!"

The middle-aged policeman in the lead was slightly taken aback when he saw Suzuki Harumi and his group. He then gestured to the other policemen to put away their guns.

"Children, don't be afraid. We are not bad people. We are police officers from the Gunma Prefectural Police Department."

Noticing that Genta and Ayumi looked like they were about to cry from fright, the middle-aged policeman quickly forced a kind smile.

Chapter 456 The Criminal Who Almost Killed Conan

Conan glanced at the police officers in front of him, and finally fixed his gaze on that familiar figure, calling out, "Officer Yamamura!"

"Huh? Aren't these Conan and Seimei? What are you doing here?"

Upon hearing Conan's voice, Yamamura Misao was taken aback at first, but quickly recognized their identities.

When the murder occurred at Yukiko's friend's house, it was Officer Yamamura who handled the case. It was the first time he had handled a murder case on his own, and he was also deeply impressed by Suzuki Haruaki and his colleagues.

"Officer Yamamura, we're here to see a friend..."

Suzuki Seimei stepped forward and told Officer Yamamura and the others everything about Mitsuhiko running away from home and how they had searched for him.

"What did you say?! A child has gone missing in these mountains?"

The police officers present changed their expressions drastically upon hearing this.

"It's over! My police career is over. I finally passed the test after so much effort..."

The village police officer collapsed to his knees, his face contorted in despair, and began pounding the ground with his fists in frustration.

"Officer Yamamura, are you alright?"

Seeing this, Conan couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened?"

Glancing at the distraught police officer from the mountain village, the middle-aged officer in the lead said with exasperation, "This idiot let the suspect escape while he was collecting evidence at the scene. He's a very dangerous serial killer; his name is Numabuchi Kiichiro!"

"Numabuchi Kiichiro?!"

Ai Haibara shrank slightly, revealing a somewhat shocked expression.

Kiichiro Numabuchi was once one of the lowest-ranking members of the Black Organization, and had a criminal record for murder before joining the organization.

Because of his agility and extraordinary physical abilities, Kiichiro Numabuchi was heavily trained by the Black Organization, who wanted to mold him into a formidable assassin.

Unfortunately, Kiichiro Numabuchi failed to meet the Black Organization's requirements and was thus used as a test subject for drugs.

Just as Numabuchi Kiichiro was about to be sent to the laboratory to become a test subject for the drug made by Miyahiro Shino (Sherry), he finally couldn't bear the psychological fear and escaped from the Black Organization.

The Black Organization originally planned to send people to hunt down Kiichiro Numabuchi, but before they could make a move, he was arrested by the police for accidentally killing three people.

Kiichiro Numabuchi is just a low-ranking member of the Black Organization and has no idea about its secrets. Therefore, members of the Black Organization don't need to worry about him revealing secrets that are detrimental to the organization.

To avoid causing unnecessary trouble, the Black Organization abandoned their plan to storm the prison and silence Kiichiro Numabuchi.

Ai Haibara knew the name Kiichiro Numabuchi for two reasons: firstly, because he almost became her guinea pig, and secondly, because he was the first person to betray the organization without being silenced.

Conan didn't notice Ai Haibara's unusual behavior, because he was also shocked when he heard the name Ichiro Numabuchi, and even felt a slight pain in his chest.

Above the High Heavens

When Conan was invited by Heiji Hattori to go to Osaka to help him investigate a case, it was Heiji who helped the police arrest Kiichiro Numabuchi.

To Conan's surprise, Numabuchi Ichiro managed to take advantage of the police's inattention and retrieve the kitchen knife he had hidden in the garbage dump, nearly stabbing Ran Mouri who was standing in front of him.

To protect Ran Mouri, Conan had no choice but to shield her from the fatal blow with his own chest.

If it weren't for Conan's protagonist aura and the fact that he happened to be wearing the lucky charm given to him by Heiji Hattori that day, which blocked the tip of the kitchen knife, "Detective Conan" would probably have ended prematurely.

That was also the closest Conan ever came to death!

"Is there a murderer in this forest?!"

"Wouldn't that put Mitsuhiko in danger?"

Upon hearing this, Genta and Ayumi's faces were filled with worry.

"Alright! Officer Yamamura, now is not the time for you to be downcast. You need to cheer up and find a way to atone for your crimes!"

Suzuki Seimei walked over to Officer Yamamura, patted him on the shoulder, and then pointed at the husky, saying, "This husky has memorized Mitsuhiko's scent. As long as we follow it, we'll find Mitsuhiko soon, and maybe it can even help you find that Numabuchi Kiichiro!"

To be honest, Officer Yamamura's reasoning ability is absolutely terrible, and he's also careless and sloppy in his work. He's really not cut out to be a police officer.

If it were in his previous life, Suzuki Haruaki would have preferred him to resign as soon as possible to prevent him from harming innocent civilians.

However, since Suzuki Haruaki has now been reincarnated in an island nation, and Officer Yamamura is an island nation police officer, there is no need to dismiss him.

In any case, in the world of "Detective Conan", the incompetence of the Japanese police has long been deeply ingrained in the public's mind, so it doesn't make much difference if Officer Yamamura is another incompetent policeman.

“You’re right. I need to atone for my crimes by doing good deeds. Even if it means the end of my police career, I have to make sure that child is safe and sound!”

Hearing Suzuki Haruaki's words, Officer Yamamura rallied and joined the husky in searching for Mitsuhiko's whereabouts.

The middle-aged police officer in charge was a little worried, so he sent two more detectives to accompany Suzuki Haruaki and the others to search for the missing Mitsuhiko.

The other police officers continued their search in the forest for the fugitive, Kiichiro Numabuchi, to prevent him from escaping.

"Swish..."

Led by the husky, Suzuki Seimei and his companions walked through a dense forest and came to a clear stream.

"It's Mitsuhiko!"

"Who is that person next to Mitsuhiko?"

"That's Kiichiro Numabuchi!"

Upon seeing the disheveled, burly man sitting with Mitsuhiko eating rice balls, Officer Yamamura hurriedly shouted, "Numabuchi Kiichiro, you're surrounded! Give up resisting immediately, and whatever you do, don't hurt that child!"

"Shh-"

When Numabuchi Kiichiro saw Officer Yamamura and his team, he didn't use Mitsuhiko as a hostage or try to escape. Instead, he made a shushing gesture to them and said, "Keep your voices down, or they'll be too scared to come out."

"they?"

Just as the village police officers were completely baffled, tiny green lights suddenly flew out of the woods—fireflies, a summer phenomenon.

Officer Yamamura was taken aback for a moment, then asked incredulously, "You...you didn't choose to run away just to see fireflies, did you?"

"If I were to go to jail, given the crimes I've committed, I'd probably never get out of there in my lifetime. Of course, I want to see these old friends one last time."

Facing the surprised looks of the mountain village police officers, Numabuchi Kiichiro said with an air of matter-of-fact composure.

Chapter 457 Two LSPs

Kiichiro Numabuchi was originally from Gunma Prefecture, and he often came to play in this forest when he was a child.

Since Kiichiro Numabuchi was arrested in Osaka, he should also be imprisoned in an Osaka jail.

However, in order to see the scenery of his hometown one last time, Kiichiro Numabuchi lied to the police in Osaka, saying that he had killed many people in Gunma Prefecture and buried their bodies in this forest.

That's why the Osaka police handed over Numabuchi Kiichiro to the Gunma Prefecture police station, asking them to send someone with Numabuchi Kiichiro into the forest to investigate and collect evidence.

At first, Kiichiro Numabuchi was very cooperative, which made the police officers in charge of guarding him lower their guard.

Taking advantage of the police's laxity, Kiichiro Numabuchi easily escaped thanks to his strong physique and familiarity with the forest.

Of course!

Numabuchi Kiichiro had no intention of escaping; he simply wanted to take one last good look at the beautiful scenery of his hometown before going to prison!