No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"Ahem, Officer Kitahara, you must want to become a high-ranking officer, right? I have a lot of dirt on high-ranking officers here, it can definitely help you! All that useful information is stored on my cloud drive, to see it you'll need—"

"Password. And then it's probably the same old trick, right? No matter how many times you enter the wrong password, the data inside will be automatically destroyed. Seriously, that's enough already. You don't actually realize I'm some kind of good cop now, do you?"

Kitahara Masaki's face was icy cold. Looking at the guy in front of him who was already terrified, how could he possibly give him even the slightest chance of survival?

Kitahara Masaki is here to take over this man's intelligence network. As for whether he will talk or not—a man with such an obsession with immortality, a man who hates being treated like a son, will definitely tell the truth under Kitahara Masaki's interrogation.

After using CIA tactics on this down-on-his-luck lion, Kitahara Masaki easily obtained the password. To eliminate the possibility of being tracked, Kitahara Masaki recorded all the records inside by taking pictures, which took a whole day.

And this 'Ryan', who had finally been used up by Kitahara Masaki, was taken to a nearby mountain and buried there by Kitahara Masaki.

Thus, most police officers assumed that the person who hired the hitman to kill the superintendent had fled abroad, except for Koshimizu and Director Hakuba.

The day after Kitahara Masaki returned to work at the Metropolitan Police Department, the now gray-haired Chief Inspector Hakuba personally presented Kitahara Masaki with a piece of calligraphy in front of everyone.

"With a weapon in hand, the will to kill arises naturally. The calligraphy the director gave you seems to be hinting at something."

Kitahara Masaki chuckled. When he dealt with Hehelian before, the surveillance footage only showed him in disguise. Moreover, the drones hovering in the air were constantly monitoring the area within a radius of several kilometers centered on Kitahara Masaki. Furthermore, after all the data on the safe house where he was located was captured, Kitahara Masaki burned it to the ground.

"The director meant that we should be cautious and prudent in dealing with power, and avoid arrogance and impetuosity. I guess he was a little disappointed that I didn't catch the murderer who killed the superintendent."

The real meaning, of course, is not like that. That old fox probably sensed something, but since he had no evidence, he could only use this method to warn me.

Kitahara Masaki was not intimidated at all. If Director Hakuba still wanted to be a civilized person, he would never be able to find any evidence to prove that Kitahara Masaki had committed the crime.

Moreover, Kitahara Masaki was extremely happy to take over the Zoo's intelligence network. Unlike the Black Organization, which has many assassin members, the Zoo is more like a platform, through which the lion can contact people from all walks of life to obtain various information about gems.

However, once the platform came into Kitahara Masaki's hands, the first thing he had to think about was—there wasn't enough money.

Because this is a one-way platform, the lion delivers tasks to others while bearing most of the rewards. Unlike food delivery or e-commerce platforms, which are two-way, the zoo's intelligence network platform only provides intelligence to its owner and does not generate a continuous stream of revenue.

However, ever since he acquired a helicopter and various gadgets to deal with the spider, his finances have started to run into trouble. Of course, this refers to Kitahara Maki's money; he hasn't reached the point where he has to borrow money from Vermouth.

After the case concluded, Kitahara Masaki considered taking a break. Although he spent most of his time resting, being a free spirit, he opted for a vacation. However, this vacation wouldn't be as leisurely as before. In order to earn more intelligence funding, Kitahara Masaki accepted an invitation from Nichiri TV to participate in a reality show.

For Kitahara Maki, this kind of show, which is similar to a boys and girls rushing forward, is just a simple cross-country game. He can earn a lot of money by running in front of the camera. Who wouldn't love that?

When they arrived at the TV station, the people who came out to pick up Kitahara Masaki were Okino Yoko and Hoshino Terumi, both of whom were female celebrities that Kitahara Masaki had encountered in previous cases.

"Oh! How have you two been lately?"

"Thanks to you, all five of us from the Earth Ladies Team are able to appear in one drama at the same time, and 'The Female Police Officer's Counterattack' will also be participating in the awards! This is all thanks to the script provided by Officer Kitahara."

"That's right! I heard you've recently encountered a tricky case, but I'm confident you'll be able to find the culprit soon!"

Hehe, I've already buried the murderer in the mountains.

While the three were chatting about the show, they suddenly saw Amuro Tooru carrying a basket and Azusa with shining eyes at the door of the dressing room. It turned out that Okino Yoko had ordered Polo's takeout. She had heard from the uncle that the sandwiches at this shop were delicious, so she ordered them.

"Haha! Ms. Okino, Mr. Amuro's desserts are absolutely amazing. If you have the chance, you must try them."

"I see. So Officer Kitahara really appreciates Mr. Amuro's cooking skills. I'll definitely give it a try next time!"

"Hmph—Yoko, you don't know this, do you? Mr. Kitahara met Mr. Amuro at the shop where he worked before."

While chatting with the group, Yoko Okino suddenly remembered something and said to Tooru Amuro:

"If it's possible, could you please pass something on to Mr. Mori?"

Yoko Okino picked up her bag from the table in the lounge, and after searching for a while, she realized that her belongings were missing.

"Sorry, it seems like my things are missing, including my makeup bag."

"Eh! It's like this again!"

Amuro Tooru, who had caught a whiff of the case, looked excited, while Kitahara Masaki looked bitter.

Chapter 298 Boys and Girls Charge Forward

“Recently, people have been having things stolen backstage, but they are mostly small items.”

The staff around her also began to whisper, mostly expressing sympathy for Yoko Okino, while many others felt scared and confused.

“I see. Then I’ll discuss it with Mr. Mori upstairs. Besides, Officer Kitahara is here too; the criminal will definitely be caught.”

"Yes, with Inspector Kitahara here, the criminals probably won't steal anything anymore. By the way, we're about to start recording 'Hanzo' soon. See you next time, Mr. Amuro."

Hanzo is based on an ancient Japanese ninja. The show is a hugely popular sports program broadcast on television, and numerous athletes and people with top-tier physical abilities have attempted to complete it, but no one has succeeded. Yoko Okino and Terumi Hoshino serve as guest commentators on the show, and she presents awards to those who succeed.

Kitahara Masaki, who had just been nodding and smiling, had only briefly learned about the show when he arrived. He only wanted to participate in the recording, not to catch a thief. In the end, the thief was likely an insider with a key that allowed him to freely enter and exit the dressing room, which is why he was able to steal so many celebrities' personal belongings.

After everyone left, Kitahara Masaki said to Amuro Tooru:

"Since Mr. Amuro is also a detective, why don't you stay by the door a little longer? Maybe the culprit will show up on his own soon."

"Haha, of course no problem. It's just that Officer Kitahara is too famous. If the criminals saw you at the door, they definitely wouldn't dare to come over."

"Sigh, so I'll have to leave the surveillance to my colleagues now. Anyway, this thief is probably an insider who sneaked in with a key when everyone else was gone. So I'll leave it to you."

Kitahara Masaki left first, while Amuro Tooru stood by the door, pretending to look at Hanzo's poster. Azusa, who was watching from the side, was also very interested after learning that Amuro Tooru wanted to catch the thief. She stared wide-eyed at Amuro Tooru from behind.

Soon, just as the two had predicted, a staff member wearing a baseball cap stealthily approached the door of Yoko Okino's lounge, took out his key, and was about to go in when Amuro Tooru's voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Oh my, isn't this Ms. Okino's lounge?"

"Ah! I'm a staff member related to Hanzo."

After offering an explanation, the man in black hurriedly left. However, Amuro Tooru, being no ordinary person, took out his pen, threw it on the ground with a thud, and then quickly blocked the man's view with his body, asking in confusion:

"Huh? Isn't this a lipstick? How did it fall out of your bag?"

"Ah! I'm that—the makeup artist, yes! The makeup artist. Excuse me, could you please give me that lipstick?"

Kuro, oblivious to his surroundings, was tricked by Amuro Tooru and innocently pulled out the stolen makeup bag. Just then, Kitahara Masaki returned with the group. Upon seeing her makeup bag in Kuro's hands, Okino Yoko immediately said:

"That's my missing makeup bag!"

The staff behind them were also surprised, exclaiming that it was Xiao Hei who stole it.

Realizing he was completely exposed, Kuro was unwilling to be captured. After hesitating for a moment, he quickly ran away. Amuro Tooru, driven by a sense of justice, immediately gave chase, while Kitahara Masaki was forced to follow.

The two followed Kuro to the location where Hanzo had taken the test. The props team from Yomiuri TV was quite impressive, having created a 'castle' filled with various obstacles, rotating platforms, ropes, high platforms, and all sorts of props to form the 'Genin Exam location'. The finish line was set at the castle tower, the highest point on the entire stage.

Kuro immediately rushed towards the first stage, with Amuro Tooru close behind. As for Kitahara Masaki, he was half a step slower because he was thinking, "Why am I participating in this farce again?" Moreover, since the stage was an indoor recording studio, and Kuro had fled here in a panic, there was no need for the two of them to chase after him.

However, by the time Kitahara Maki realized this, he had already stepped onto the stage steps.

The first level's platform was set on water, consisting of a series of upright polyhedrons. Little Black quickly passed through and grabbed the last rope to swing.

As for Amuro Tooru, he used the technique of triangle jump to step on the polyhedrons on the water to quickly pass the level, while Kitahara Masaki relied on speed to push off the wall at some angles on the very edge.

Xiao Hei sneered inwardly. This devil's castle was so difficult that even professional athletes couldn't pass it. The reason was simple: he was part of the props team, and he was the one who knew these levels best.

Next comes the log bridge, but crossing it isn't as simple as it seems. The second challenge involves logs swinging down from all sides that can knock you over; of course, these logs are just props.

Xiao Hei crawled forward quickly, but after passing through the checkpoint, he saw Amuro Tooru running at top speed, dodging the logs with a slide tackle. As for Kitahara Shigeki, he was even more outrageous, doing somersaults while sitting on the logs like a gymnast.

The third level features various ziplines, the fourth level requires arm strength to cross a cliff with kunai stuck in it, and the fifth level is a steep slope where water rushes down.

Xiao Hei was exhausted after passing the previous obstacle and was swept away by the artificial waterfall. The two behind him took advantage of a gap in the water flow and reached the top of the slope three seconds earlier.

"It seems this prisoner is still a bit inferior to us."

"Ahem, actually there was no need to chase him after he came in. He just fled here in a panic."

"Haha, that's true, but Officer Kitahara, don't you want to have a match?"

Just as Kitahara Masaki was considering refusing, Hoshino Terumi suddenly ran out from backstage. This actress was a fan of Kitahara Masaki and shouted loudly:

"Mr. Kitahara, please continue! I've recorded the whole thing!"

No, how did you record this already? Sigh, if the TV station wants to keep the show popular, they definitely won't let go of the content that Hoshino recorded.

"Alright. Ms. Hoshino, may you call 'start'?"

This actress, who usually projects a mature and sophisticated image, is now beaming with excitement, eager to see how the two will overcome the final hurdle.

"Three, two, one, go!"

Both of them started very fast. They would swing to a 'cliff' using a rope, and then see who could reach the top faster.

After grabbing the rope in front of him, Kitahara Masaki's hands slipped and he lost control of the rope because he had touched water during the previous obstacle course, causing Hoshino Terumi, who was watching below, to cry out.

However, the next second he used his legs to entangle the rope, swung over, and flipped over in mid-air, starting to climb the 'cliff' with Amuro Tooru. In the end, the two of them pressed the finish line button at the same time.

As for the clip of catching the thief, it was edited out by the TV station as the final bonus feature, and I heard that the response was very good. After all, only Kitahara Maki and Amuro Tooru were able to pass the 'Hanzo' program.

However, Kitahara Masaki was even more pleased that his compensation had also increased.

Chapter 299 Men and Women Are Indistinguishable

In order to make money legally and quickly, Kitahara Maki not only participated in reality shows, but also sold several scripts that were famous in his previous life to TV stations. However, even so, he only made tens of millions.

However, if these legitimate rewards were used as capital, and they were thrown into the stock market, and Ai were sent to collect insider information, initial results should be achieved within a month.

Having initially resolved the funding shortage, Kitahara Masaki returned to work at the Metropolitan Police Department. Now, he no longer needed to personally investigate intelligence as before; he could simply hand it over to the Zoo Network and those who possessed the evidence. Thus, Kitahara Masaki was now just a policeman who wanted to solve cases "happily."

"What's wrong? You look like something good has happened to you."

"Haha, maybe it's because I've become a vampire."

"Huh? Really?"

"That's right. During my vacation, I was turned into a familiar by a vampire named Kiss-Shot Acerolarios Heart-Under-Blade. Now I am a vampire count."

Oh--

Koshimizu wasn't interested in these complicated settings; she just felt regretful that she couldn't spend the holiday with Kitahara Masaki. However, having already vaguely sensed that Kitahara Masaki had many secrets, she wouldn't easily investigate, fearing that her rash actions would displease Kitahara Masaki.

Sera, a sensitive high school girl sitting to the side reading a novel, naturally noticed the strange atmosphere between the two. However, as a high school student, she was also very interested in this kind of adult-oriented romantic drama. Just as she was about to ask Koshimizu some questions in private, Inspector Megure walked in with a smile, mechanically interrupting the two women's spellcasting.

"Brother Kitahara, are you quite free?"

"As you can see, there aren't any important cases right now. Could it be that another case has arisen?"

"Yes, but there's that boy from Osaka at the scene. He's also a very good high school detective, so you should be able to solve the case even if you don't go."

"Ahem, let's hurry over there. It's not proper to let a high school student help solve a case."

Kitahara Maki naturally realized Koshimizu's thoughts, so it was best to hurry to the scene.

The crime scene this time was a karaoke bar. The deceased was a middle-aged man whose head was covered by a coat, and the back of his head had been smashed beyond recognition.

This karaoke place is very small, with only five private rooms and two restrooms. The layout is L-shaped. The cashier is at the beginning of the long side of the L, followed by rooms 1 to 3. Rooms 4 and 5, as well as the restrooms, are located on the short side of the L. The cashier is opposite room 4, and there is a large vending machine near the restrooms.