No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

After presenting the evidence to his face, Kitahara Masaki said:

"The victim didn't go out yesterday, nor did she order sushi delivery using her own phone. So the sushi in her stomach could only have been brought by you. Plus, we can confirm that she ate the sushi before 8 o'clock, so you are the most likely perpetrator. Do you understand? Confess now. Since you used the name Orochi Ryo to write the threatening letter, then just like that character in the book, be quick to confess."

The contents of the victim's stomach were confirmed to be the same type of sushi that Tono had bought beforehand. This confirmed that Tono was not telling the truth and had concealed the fact that he had brought sushi with him when he went to the victim's house. With his testimony disproven, Tono leaned back in his chair, sighed deeply, and said:

"Actually, I'm a real fan of the teacher... Originally, after I told the teacher about this method, I hoped she could complete the story for me, but she refused, saying that she was afraid that when she got old, the mystery novels she wrote would be used by criminals as a crime guide. The teacher in the past would not have cared about these things, so she was able to create a villain like Orochi Ryo with a very strong personality. But now—she is just an old woman with one foot in the grave."

Kitahara Masaki chuckled coldly, looking at Tono, who had now seemingly confessed his guilt, and said:

"You think your method is perfect, right?"

"Isn't that right? If the sushi delivered to my place is exactly the same type as the sushi I bought in advance, then what other way can you police prove that I am the murderer!"

Kitahara Masaki looked at the murderer in front of him, and he seemed to have misunderstood something, thinking that he would be convicted only because of a small, coincident mistake.

“I think you don’t understand the situation. After you leaked the case details, you already had a motive to kill that writer. You were also in her room during the presumed time of death, and you had a key to the victim’s house. These three things are enough for the prosecution to send you to prison.”

"What a joke! These facts alone cannot prove that I am the murderer!"

"Yes, but we can still prove you're the murderer through circumstantial evidence, and we can also eliminate suspects. Once we've eliminated all the suspects down to just you, the probability that you're the murderer will naturally be close to one hundred percent. But you're saying all this just because you're not convinced, you can't accept defeat—tsk tsk, honestly, every time I meet someone like you, I find it hilarious. You clearly have the guts and time to plan murder, but you're unwilling to write this method into a novel and publish it. You're using your brain on bad things, don't you think that's a waste?"

After teaching the criminal a lesson and attending a press conference announcing the 'criminal caught,' Kitahara Masaki officially went off duty and then saw a somewhat forlorn Conan at the police station entrance.

"What's wrong? Kid, the case is officially closed. Do you have any regrets?"

"Actually, I really wanted to see Ms. Qicun's collection of works, but unfortunately the editor was the murderer. I thought I could meet Ms. Qicun's true fans at this time."

"Kid, don't be discouraged anymore. Victory Charge and Pioneer Sonic only appeared after Charge and Sonic fell into lava. So why don't you go check out some new mystery dramas? Come on, I'll take you to see the police story script I wrote."

What? When did you suddenly become a screenwriter?

Having taken Conan to the Nichiuri TV station, Kitahara Masaki said:

"This show won't officially air until next week, but I'll show you the finished product now so you can be the first viewer!"

However, Kitahara Masaki has been very busy lately, so he hasn't been involved in the drama "Women's Counterattack" since he finished writing the script outline. In fact, he was one of the earliest viewers.

Unlike Conan, who was drawn in by the novel angle of the police station, Kitahara Masaki watched the interactions between the two top actresses as the main characters and realized that helping them was the right decision. The good looks of the four members of the "Earth Ladies Team" alone were enough to boost the ratings significantly.

Oh right, the female lead is still Yoko Okino, so I bet the audience will definitely be seeing Uncle Mori.

"Brother Kitahara, thank you. This drama is actually about the daily life of a police station, which is very different from the previous detective dramas that focused on the First Investigation Division."

"No need. In the end, the majority of the police force consists of patrol officers at the police station, while the First Investigation Division and our Criminal Investigation Division are only a small minority."

After all, I've taken a lot of money from you, so this time I'll be your 'life mentor' for once.

Chapter 248 Xiao Ai: Staying up all night caused my hair to fall out in clumps.

In the dimly lit underground casino, the dealer whispered:

"The dealer is the trump card; all your chips will be taken away."

After disguising himself, Kitahara Masaki watched as all the chips in front of him were taken away, and couldn't help but chuckle, saying:

"Since it's an underground casino, why can't you afford to gamble? For example, there are inconspicuous scratches on that card, which can be said to be a classic cheating method in card games. And there's this guy among the gamblers who's cooperating with the dealer. He should also be a professional gambler you hired. To be honest, putting aside the fact that this is an illegal casino, if you were to gamble according to the rules, I think there would at least be some class. But I didn't expect you to be just like the underworld. For a few chips, you've even lost your shame and are just trying to cheat those ignorant rich businessmen."

The thugs and waiters around him approached Kitahara Masaki. After his cheating methods were exposed, the dealer's eyes gradually turned cold. He thought to himself that the man in front of him was already on his deathbed. Originally, he was pure and innocent and planned to smash a glass as a signal to have eight hundred axemen chop Kitahara Masaki into mincemeat. However, before he could even say a word, he was stopped by the police who rushed in from the door.

After the operation was successful, Kitahara Masaki stood on this red-light district and chatted with the people from Section 4:

"This crackdown on underground casinos is really thanks to Inspector Kitahara. We were short-handed and in a difficult situation."

"Haha, Inspector Kakuta, you initiated this big operation. I bet many sources of funding for the yakuza have been destroyed by us after today. This is a great achievement. But I noticed that one casino is not open today, even though it's Saturday, a time when you can make money."

"Well, the underworld also uses the method of taking turns closing down for a break to avoid inspection. It can be considered a kind of risk management."

Sure, the underworld has taken over the banking system and ended up making more money than the banks. It's a truly hellish joke.

After Inspector Kakuta left with the criminals, Kitahara Masaki and Koshimizu Nanatsuki went to the underground casino that happened to be empty. Seeing Kitahara Masaki deep in thought, Koshimizu Nanatsuki asked:

"Masaki, are you still bothered by this place?"

"Well, how should I put it? The most important thing is that I don't think this casino would be closed for the holidays—look over there, the wine and lobster, all delivered this morning, and the dates on the seals are still on, it's obviously like they received some kind of notification—"

"Then they hurriedly left. Didn't the Fourth Investigation Division have a corrupt cop before? How come they still have one now... Well, they've been dealing with the underworld all the time, watching them live a life of luxury while they themselves are stuck with a fixed salary. When the disparity is too great, some people will inevitably fall into depravity."

Just as Kitahara Masaki was looking around for hidden cameras, two men walked in from outside.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I am Inspector Hyakuto from the Security Division of the Life Safety Department."

“I’m Inspector Kuga from the same department, and we have something to say to the two officers in the First Crime Investigation Division.”

Hyakuto is a middle-aged man with gray hair and a humble expression; Kuga is a young man in a sharp suit, whose arrogance is impossible to hide. The older one has a lower rank, so the younger one should be like Kitahara Maki—an elite professional.

The Department of Life Safety... naturally doesn't handle underground casino matters, but this kind of development was quite novel to Kitahara Masaki, so he made a gesture and went to the rooftop with the two people to discuss it.

"I believe you two have cleared up the fact that our Security Division is responsible for issuing licenses in accordance with the provisions of the Gambling Law [1]. Gambling activities in places like pachinko parlors and game centers are approved on the premise that no money is directly traded, and are called licensed businesses. The people responsible for handling other unlicensed gambling activities are naturally the people in the Fourth Division, but Kakuta takes huge sums of money from certain gambling operators and leaks internal police information to them, so when carrying out crackdown operations, he only lets go of these casinos that have paid money."

As a mature adult, Kitahara Masaki wouldn't impulsively say something foolish like "I'm definitely going to help you." Instead, he asked some seemingly meaningless questions from a different angle:

"If Mr. Hyakuto wants to capture Kakuta, then what is Mr. Kuga's purpose?"

"Eh? Inspector Kitahara, what do you mean? I came here to learn about cracking down on illegal gambling, and after learning about Kakuta's situation, I also want to do my part."

"Heh, never mind, it's nothing. You think Inspector Kakuda might be involved in accepting bribes, so I hope you can provide information on those casinos that evaded inspection. To determine whether an officer has accepted bribes, you need to determine the source of his money."

The two from the Life and Security Department bowed in surprise at Kitahara Masaki's quick agreement to help. They then immediately went to prepare the necessary documents.

After the two left, Koshimizu Nanatsuki asked in confusion:

“Masaki, we still don’t know the true purpose of those two. And that Kuga, he’s obviously an elite bureaucrat. I can tell he has no interest in Kakuta’s affairs. He probably wants to go back to his original department. Staying in a department like the Department of Life Safety with little power would probably kill someone like him.”

"Hehe, yes, that kind of guy who won't do anything without a profit actually came to me—he must have his own purpose. I'll leave the investigation to you, and I'll go see what's so special about those casinos that have evaded inspection."

Koshimizu Nanatsuki pouted, clearly dissatisfied with the task assignment, but considering that Kitahara Masaki had entrusted her with this important and confidential task, she obediently went to investigate.

Back in his office, Kitahara Masaki, holding the documents he'd gotten from Hyakuto, noticed that the casino operators who had escaped inspection were all different. However, he couldn't possibly glean anything from just the paper documents, so he showed Haibara the CCTV footage from in front of the casinos, asking her to help investigate.

"First, remove the people who have been arrested, and then find out who has been in and out of the casino multiple times."

"You know, although it can be summed up in one sentence, the actual workload is huge."

"Yes, that's why I'm leaving it to you. You're an employee of my cybersecurity department. The Metropolitan Police Department's cybersecurity department is like a sieve; if someone wants to investigate something today, everyone will know by tomorrow."

Sigh, Xiao Ai made herself another cup of coffee, hoping that staying up all night wouldn't cause her hair loss.

[1] Laws concerning the regulation and legalization of the sex industry, etc.

Chapter 249 You've really failed as a father!

"Found him. He's reappeared at every casino that's managed to evade checks. I'll send you a screenshot of his profile picture now."

Two days later, Ai called to tell Kitahara Masaki that she had found the suspect.

Accompanied by Hyakuto and Kuga, Kitahara Masaki had the Life Safety Department lead the way, while he remained merely an observer. Since Kitahara Masaki wanted to inquire about someone, Hyakuto, having worked in the Life Safety Department for over twenty years, naturally possessed his own network of contacts. He led Kitahara Masaki to a licensed shop, handed the photograph to the shop manager, and asked:

Have you seen this man before?

"Oh, I've met him. His name is Kenji Waki. He goes to the shops here to teach them how to open underground casinos and make money, like a consultant. People around here say that he has the police protecting him, so quite a few people go to him."

"Thanks, Baiqi. I'll have dinner with you again next time."

"Haha, no need, Officer Hyakuteng has always taken good care of me."

Kitahara Masaki watched the interaction between Inspector Hyakuto and his informant without saying anything. He simply pointed to a door in the game center and asked:

"Why does that door look like the one in the casino?"

"Ah! That's a VIP room that offers VIP services. The decor is just to give guests a casino atmosphere."

Afterwards, Kitahara Masaki naturally had someone verify the information about this Kenjiro Awaki, and discovered that his resume was as blank as a sheet of paper, with absolutely no criminal record. Even though he was teaching others about running underground casinos, he had never been targeted by Section 4. What surprised Kitahara Masaki the most was that he had only just turned sixteen.

Hmm—then this person is even more worthy of a visit.

After Kitahara Masaki found Waki ​​Kento's office, Waki ​​immediately recognized the person in front of him as a police officer, Kitahara Masaki.

"Kid, let's not waste each other's time. Tell me—what's your relationship with Inspector Kakuta?"

The child in front of him, whose childishness was still faintly visible even after makeup, did not answer Kitahara Masaki's question. He gripped the dagger in his hand, threw it at Kitahara Masaki, and then jumped out of the window and escaped.

Kitahara Masaki merely watched the boy's retreating figure without giving chase, lest he provoke the child and cause him to do something irrational. Furthermore, Kitahara Masaki saw the boy's loyalty to Kakuta in his eyes.

----------------

Back at the Metropolitan Police Department, Kitahara Masaki finalized the next strategy—surveillance of Kenjiro. Suddenly, Inspector Kakuta, a highly respected officer in the Fourth Division, entered the First Crime Investigation Division's office and said:

"Inspector Kitahara, I heard that you recently learned about a young man and plan to continue investigating him. I hope you can stop here. Fighting the underworld always requires informants, and I don't need to elaborate on what's needed to maintain informants. I believe you should understand the importance of informants after working with Hyakuto these past few days. If our police force doesn't have informants in places with little surveillance, it's practically impossible to move an inch. So I implore you to be lenient!"

Kitahara Masaki did not answer Kakuta, but simply asked:

"Who is He Qijian to you?"

"Kenren is like my son."

Upon hearing Inspector Kakuta's answer, Kitahara Masaki was surprised by his courage to be frank, but he was also very dissatisfied with his answer.

"Son? Are you serious?"

"Kento's father was a gangster, but he was killed by gangsters from outside who wanted to take over his territory, so I raised him."

"Really? Then you are indeed a compassionate police officer, but—"

Kitahara Masaki delivered a straight punch to Inspector Kakuta's face, surprising even Kitahara Masaki himself.

Ah—if he were just a corrupt cop, I wouldn't feel there was anything wrong with killing him like before. But this man is now sincerely begging me to be lenient.

cough cough.

Inspector Kakuta coughed up blood, thinking that Kitahara Masaki was angry at his tolerance of evil.

"Inspector Kitahara! The rest of us in Section 4 are definitely not the kind of people who only take bribes! We've made a fortune by cracking down on disobedient underground casinos, extracting money from those casinos willing to sever ties with the yakuza. But this is absolutely not for ourselves. I've already instructed my men to distribute all the money we've collected to the lower-level yakuza who have lost their source of funding. Those people will definitely provide us with intelligence from the higher-ups. We can wipe out all the yakuza entrenched in Tokyo's red-light district in one fell swoop!"

As someone in Section 4 who wanted to get things done, Inspector Kakuta first had his adopted son become a consultant for underground casinos. Then, he led his men to shut down those underground casinos that refused to pay and had ties to the yakuza. The remaining people would then believe that Kenjiro was indeed backed by the police, so more and more people would obediently hand over their money. Once the yakuza's funding sources were cut off, they would be attracted by the money Kakuta was distributing, leading them to betray each other. This would allow Kakuta to simultaneously obtain intelligence on multiple yakuza groups.

Once he understood, Kitahara Masaki also realized that this method was indeed impressive. However, what angered him was not this aspect, but rather Kakuta's attitude towards his adopted son.

“I know that in order to improve the efficiency of solving cases and ensure the protection of police intelligence, some necessary ‘evil’ is unavoidable. I can understand that you have to break some rules in order to solve cases, but I cannot agree with you letting your son become your connection with the red-light district—what kind of justice is it to involve a child who can go to school normally in the struggle between adults!”

Kitahara Masaki grabbed Inspector Kakuta by the collar, lifted him up, and continued:

"You clearly still have a choice, why won't you let that child live a normal life? Just because his biological father is a dead gangster? Does that mean you should help him get rid of the shadows of the past? You don't deserve to be a father, and you don't deserve to be a policeman!"

At this moment, a large number of people from Section 4 had gathered outside the office of the First Criminal Investigation Division, as well as many others who were just there to watch the drama unfold. Kitahara Masaki's punch was completely unexpected by everyone. Kitahara Masaki, who was usually quite easy to talk to, had actually attacked another colleague this time. The reason for this was unknown.