Conan, I'm an actor

Chapter 253 Wind Mountain and Forest Fire

Longwei family

"Your son, Kang Si, was bound and buried in the ground. He was suspected of being killed by the murderer repeatedly striking his head with a blunt object." Hattori looked at the photo in front of him. "Moreover, the murderer left the dead centipede before the blood had completely coagulated. This method of committing the crime is too cruel."

Kazuha, standing nearby, was trembling all over as she looked at the photo of the deceased.

"By the way, what did the police say?" Hattori looked at the head of the Ryūo family, Ryūo Tamefumi.

"Of course, the police will only give the same answer: 'Under investigation,' 'Under investigation,'" Ryuuji said with some helplessness. "That's why we asked Mr. Otaki, who works at the Osaka Police Station, to help us invite you over."

“But I heard from Mr. Otaki that the identity of the murderer seems to have been somewhat revealed,” Hattori said, frowning. This information was somewhat different from what he had received.

"I have no clue what to do." Ryuuji shook his head, seemingly having something difficult to say.

"It must have been out of spite. They must have thought that our Ryuo family was responsible for their son's death, and they harbored resentment towards us, so they killed Koji as well." An old woman pushed open the door and walked in. "It must have been someone from the Torada family."

"Mother, we can't draw conclusions about this yet," Ryuuji advised the old woman with a hint of helplessness.

"No one but them could have committed such a hateful killing!" Ryūo Moriyo's tone suddenly rose, as if she was convinced that "the murderer who killed Ryūo Koji was a member of the Torada family."

Hattori, holding up the photo, asked, "I'd like to ask, who was the first person to discover the body?"

“He is my other son, A-Jing,” Longwei replied solemnly. “I found him on my way home after practicing archery and horsemanship.”

"The kind of mounted archery you're talking about, is it the kind where you shoot arrows while riding a horse?" Kazuha asked with some doubt. After all, the archery that Japan promotes now is not mounted archery, but rather the Japanese bow, which emphasizes etiquette and the ability to hit the target with a straight shot.

“Yes, A-Jing is the best in this village. He performs this skill for everyone during every sacrificial ceremony.” Mentioning his son, the man, who had just experienced the pain of losing his son, showed some relief from his sorrow.

At the same time, Kogoro Mouri also learned another thing from Naonobu Torada—Koushi Ryūo is dead, and the way he died is very strange.

"Swift as the wind, immovable as a mountain." Conan's face showed a shocked expression. "Could it be that the remaining victims died in...?"

"Forest and fire." Kogoro Mouri's face grew increasingly grim. "Does it mean dying in the forest and being burned to death?"

Things seem to have gone a bit beyond expectations. What was originally just an investigation into the cause of death has now turned into an effort to stop the murderer from committing further crimes.

"Should we go find Mr. Dragon Tail, the one who first discovered the body?" Conan asked.

“No, let’s gather all the information we have first,” Kogoro Mori said. “Let’s go find Shigeji Torada, the first person to discover the body, and ask him what happened.”

Mori and Conan quickly found Shigeji Torada, who showed no grief over his brother's death and was searching through books, seemingly looking for something.

Kogoro Mouri cut straight to the chase and asked, "Do your Torada and Ryūo families have some connection with centipedes?"

His eyes were fixed on the furnishings in Torada Shigeji's room, which included a samurai sword, a war bow, and samurai armor, all of extremely fine craftsmanship.

This is not something an ordinary family can afford to display. Even if it's a replica, this level of quality is still quite expensive.

“No,” Torada Shigeji said with absolute certainty. “But I do think I saw a centipede pattern during the ritual.”

"Sacrifice?"

"It's the priest who performs the archery demonstration. The men in the village will simulate a war scene and wear that armor." Shigeji Torada said, pointing to the furnishings behind him. "Although it's called armor, it's actually a plastic product provided by the village. It's relatively lightweight equipment. I vaguely remember seeing a centipede pattern during the priest's ceremony."

"Could you tell me more about the ritual?" Kogoro Mouri asked, intrigued.

Torada Shigeji scratched his head. "I don't know anything about the ritual either. If you want to ask for more details, you can ask Akira from the Ryūo family. He's the archer of the ritual, so he knows a lot about it. He's also the one who found Torada Koji's body."

"Thank you!" Kogoro Mouri's face lit up with joy. He hadn't expected to obtain such important information just from taking a stroll. The next thing to do was to go find that boy from the Ryuo family.

Just as he was leaving, he saw two taxis pull up at the door, indicating that more guests had arrived.

"Does the Torada family have many guests?" Kogoro Mori shook his head and walked towards the door.

Inside the Torada residence, Torada Yui's expression remained relatively normal when she saw Yamato Kansuke, who had come to see her, as Yamato Kansuke had been investigating this case. However, when she saw Morofushi Takaki behind Yamato Kansuke, her expression became somewhat unsettled.

"Long time no see," Gao Ming said, looking at Youyi.

"You've come here for that matter," Yui said, her voice carrying an aura that kept everyone at arm's length.

Morofushi Takaaki looked at Yamato Kansuke with a questioning gaze.

“Let’s go outside to talk. Takaaki, you stay here!” Yamato Kansuke grabbed Yui’s hand and led her outside.

"Hey, Kansuke!" Gao Ming was also startled by Yamato Kansuke's actions and immediately chased after him.

He quickly caught up with the stables and heard arguing inside.

"This guy is as clueless about romance as ever," sighed Morofushi Takaaki.

His friend was good in every way, except that he didn't consider the feelings of the victims' families when investigating cases. However, his only goal this time was to solve the case and retrieve his brother's belongings, so he had no choice but to stand on Yamato Kansuke's side.

He abruptly turned his head to look at a corner, sensing someone was watching him from the shadows, but when he looked over, he found nothing there. Just as he was considering whether to go over, a figure emerged from behind the wall.

"Morofushi Takaki, you really came." Shinjo smiled as he looked at Morofushi Takaki in front of him. "It seems you still value that younger brother quite a bit."

"You're the one who sent me the email?" Zhu Fu Gaoming looked at Shinjo in front of him and asked in a low voice, "What's your purpose?"

"What purpose could I possibly have?" Xincheng smiled brightly. "Once the case is solved, you'll know everything, won't you? If you can save someone, I might give you a little surprise."

Chapter 254 Intelligence on Arrows

"Save someone?" Zhu Fu Gaoming's eyes sharpened instantly. "You'd better not be the murderer."

“I’m a law-abiding citizen.” Xincheng shrugged. “See you later.”

Zhu Fu Gaoming felt a toothache. This guy was shameless. How dare someone who made a living in that organization call himself a law-abiding citizen? It was a huge joke.

Just as he was about to chase after them to find out what was going on, an even more intense argument broke out inside the stable. He had to go in to mediate, when he saw a young man and a young woman rushing towards him.

"Uncle, have you seen a detective with a suit-style haircut, a mustache, and who looks a bit silly?" Heiji asked.

"Isn't that Uncle Mori? Is he here too?" Kazuha asked, somewhat puzzled. "Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"Didn't I say that?" Hattori asked, somewhat puzzled.

"They didn't say that!" Kazuha said, somewhat angrily.

"Is there a detective with a suit-style haircut, a mustache, and a silly-looking appearance, like this?" Kogoro Mouri asked through gritted teeth.

He also wanted to come and find Hattori to see if they had gathered any useful information, but as soon as he found them, he heard the kid asking him bad things.

"No, no," Hattori replied immediately.

"Police?" Kogoro Mouri asked, glancing at Takaaki Morofushi.

“Yes, Nagano Prefectural Police.” Morofushi Takaaki produced his identification.

"So, who exactly is that fierce-looking guy inside?" Kogoro Mouri asked, his hands in his pockets, looking at the man standing in front of Yui Torada.

If he remembered correctly, that woman should be Yoshiro Torada's wife. Isn't it a bit much to interrogate a widow like this? And why is the Nagano Prefecture policeman just standing there watching?

“I’m in charge of this case, Nagano Prefectural Police Station, Yamato Kansuke,” Yamato Kansuke said, leaning on his cane. “I have something to ask this lady.”

"A detective?" Hattori was taken aback. This guy really didn't look like a detective, and besides, what kind of detective uses a cane?

"Alright, ma'am, I'll ask you one more time." Yamato Kansuke ignored the detectives. "Were those things there six years ago? Yes, or no?"

"Didn't I already say? I'm not in the mood to answer your questions right now?" Torada Yui replied with a dark face.

"This is a matter of life and death! Enough with the nonsense, answer me now!" Yamato Kansuke suddenly sprang up, grabbed Torada Yui by the collar, and lifted her up.

“I understand!” Yui Torada said with a hint of helplessness. “I remember there were no dead centipedes next to the body, only the emaciated body of a dead horse that fell off the cliff with it.”

"Is that so? Sorry to bother you." Yamato Kansuke walked towards the outside of the stables, leaning on his cane.

"Hey, do you know what's going on with that centipede?" Kogoro Mori wanted to grab Yamato Kansuke's shoulder, but in the end he didn't dare to do it, mainly because the guy looked too fierce.

"I know a little, but it's not confirmed yet. However, if this case isn't solved quickly, the body will still..." Yamato Kansuke's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he raised his cane to block something.

The next second, an arrow pierced the ground beside them, trembling slightly.

Everyone else was stunned. Conan and Hattori immediately looked at the open window on the second floor and were about to chase after them when they were stopped by Yamato Kansuke.

Just as the two were wondering what was going on, Yamato Kansuke walked to the side of the arrow, reached out and pulled hard, but couldn't pull it out completely. At this moment, everyone noticed that a piece of paper was tied to the back of the arrow.

"What is this?" Morofushi Takaaki walked up to Yamato Kansuke and asked curiously.

“Bank transaction records.” Yamato Kansuke’s lips curled into a smile. “It seems that some clever people already know what’s going on.”

“Ryūo Ayaka?” Morabushi Takaaki noticed another name on the back of the paper. “Is she the one who secretly helped us, or is she the next victim?”

"Gao Ming, you go to Longwei's house first and secretly protect Longwei Linghua. I'll check the accounts on this site."

“Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain, the next one could be Forest, or it could be Fire.” Morofushi Takami said to Yamato Kansuke, “There’s only one name on the list. What if there’s another one? You probably won’t be able to handle it.”

"That depends on your speed," Yamato Kansuke said with a smile. "If you disappoint the guy who's been watching this place in the dark, you might not get what you want."

Zhu Fu Gaoming didn't speak, but instead started dialing numbers and asking a friend he knew to investigate the bank statements.

Investigating bank statements is a very troublesome task. If we go through the proper procedures, we might end up dead by then. This isn't the Metropolitan Police Department.

Meanwhile, in the guest room

"Senior Shinjo, what is this thing you gave my brother?" Jingguang asked with some concern.

He had heard about Mr. Shinjo's exploits from Zero; the man's methods could only be described as eccentric, offering help while also causing even greater trouble. His own brother was just a lowly county policeman, and couldn't withstand this man's antics.

"The whole thing here is just the murderer trying to create a mystery," Shinjo said with a smile. "He killed, that's all. Why make such a fuss? The more he does, the more traces he leaves, and the easier it is for the police to investigate."

Upon hearing Shinjo's words, Yue Shui frowned. This guy had become increasingly bloodthirsty in recent months.

"You mean, the murderer is trying to cover something up?" Morofushi Kagemitsu immediately realized, "He only wanted to kill one person, and the other two were innocent bystanders?"

“Who knows?” Shinjo put the bow aside. “I really can’t get used to using such an old thing.”

"You, a complete novice, do you really think you can hit a target from a hundred paces away?" Yue Shui thought about the distance just now and couldn't help but feel speechless. "That arrow was at least over 60 meters long, and it landed so deep in the ground. That's better than many archery masters..."

“Those so-called archery methods are all about ceremonial archery, emphasizing etiquette, not archery skills.” Shinjo shook his head.

“Mr. Shinjo is probably even more insightful than you. The bow is of ordinary quality, the bowstring is poorly maintained, and the arrows are just ordinary handicrafts,” Jingguang said, examining the bow in his hand. “With a bow and arrows like this, it would be difficult for anyone else to even hit a 30-meter target. Senior Shinjo, have you practiced before?”

"It's necessary for the mission; after all, guns aren't allowed in other places." Shinjo shrugged. "Crossbows are also controlled items, so we can only bring bows."

Chapter 255 Medicine Delivery and Equipment

Jing Guang gave him a "I knew it" look, then said with a dark face, "Don't change the subject, you haven't answered my question yet."

“Why are all your family members so perceptive? Sometimes being too perceptive isn’t a good thing; it can easily bring you trouble.” Xincheng shook his head. “What I gave them was a bank statement.”

"Bank statements?" Jingguang and Yueshui asked simultaneously. "Isn't this a serial murder case?"