Stay away from Conan.

"I made an exception and brought you all here, so don't cause any trouble! Be good and wait outside!"

In the corridor of the Metropolitan Police Department, Kogoro Mouri received a call from Inspector Megure, asking him to come to the department to discuss something. Eisuke Hondo and the others, who were at the police station at the time, were curious and wanted to come along. In the end, because Conan also wanted to see the world, Kogoro Mouri brought them to the Metropolitan Police Department.

However, it was clear that even though they had been brought to the Metropolitan Police Department, it was impossible to simply take them into the place where they would discuss matters.

Then, Kogoro Mouri turned to Ran, who had followed him, and said to her:
"Xiao Lan, you stay here and keep an eye on them. Don't let them cause trouble!"

As he spoke, Kogoro Mouri looked down at Conan with a serious expression, which made Conan feel a little awkward. He sensed that Kogoro seemed somewhat displeased, so he could only force a somewhat innocent smile, hoping that Kogoro's temper would improve.

"Especially that kid! He always runs off!"

Kogoro Mouri pointed specifically at Conan, as past experience had already made him wary of Conan.

Conan could only smile awkwardly, unable to respond, and Ran, faced with Kogoro Mouri's reminder, could only nod.

After Kogoro Mouri specifically reminded Ran, he looked at Eisuke Hondo, who had followed him. Hondo was looking around curiously until Kogoro turned his gaze to him. Only then did Hondo nervously adopt a respectful attitude and look at Kogoro, as if to show that he wouldn't do anything reckless.

Slightly satisfied, Kogoro Mouri led them onward. Just then, Inspector Megure came from the other side of the corridor and ran into Kogoro Mouri.

Therefore, Inspector Megure couldn't help but exclaim with delight:

"Oh! Brother Mori, you're here so fast!"

"Inspector Megure! I came right over as soon as I got your call. What... happened?"

Upon seeing Inspector Megure, Kogoro Mouri naturally greeted him before turning his attention to him and inquiring about the purpose of his visit.

Taking advantage of this moment, because of Inspector Megure's appearance, Ran and Eisuke Hondo's attention turned to Inspector Megure. Conan immediately and quickly took the listening device off the temple of his glasses and stuffed it into Kogoro Mouri's pocket. This way, even if he was separated from Kogoro Mouri in the future, he could still find out what Kogoro Mouri was talking about with the police through the listening device.

"Is there a conclusion regarding what happened last night?"

Kogoro Mouri somewhat naturally connected this matter with his experience last night, asking if it was related to the two shootings of police officers that had already occurred. However, Inspector Megure shook his head, denying it, and explained:

"It's another incident, involving a wide range of people, and it's also a serial murder case."

Hearing Inspector Megure say these words with a somewhat serious tone caused everyone present to change their expressions. They seemed not to have expected it to be about a new case, and the words "wide-ranging" and "serial murders" made Conan even more concerned about the matter.

"A large-scale serial killing spree?"

Surprisingly, Kogoro Mouri asked a question in return, and Inspector Megure then gave a brief explanation:
"At the scene of a murder that occurred earlier today on a toll road in Odawara City, we found a mahjong tile. Prior to this, mahjong tiles had also been found at murder scenes in other places, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizuoka, and Nagano. Because relevant information had been gathered from various locations beforehand, we immediately realized that this incident was related to the same thing."

After explaining the general situation, Inspector Megure glanced at Conan and the others who had come with Kogoro Mouri, then spoke to Ran and the others, telling them to rest in the nearby meeting room. He then turned to Kogoro Mouri and said:
"In short, let's discuss the more specific details at the meeting. This incident has a wide impact, and we hope to seek help from all sides. Manager Matsumoto also thinks so, which is why he specifically asked you and Brother Akechi to come and assist us to see if we can find anything."

Upon hearing this, Kogoro Mouri was somewhat surprised: "Huh? It was Manager Matsumoto who specifically asked me to come and assist? And... Akechi..."

"Brother Mingzhi hasn't arrived yet, let's go in first."

After giving a brief explanation, Inspector Megure led Kogoro Mouri to the conference room.

After seeing that Kogoro Mouri had already left with Inspector Megure, Ran, who was left behind, told Eisuke Hondo and Conan that she was going to take them to the nearby meeting room to wait for Kogoro Mouri to come out.

As it happened, just as Ran and the others were about to head to the lounge, they turned around and ran into Takato and Ai in the hallway—they were there together.

"Oh? Mr. Akechi? You've come too?"

So, Xiaolan greeted them.

Upon seeing Xiaolan and the others, Gao Yuan seemed slightly surprised. After exchanging greetings with them, he curiously surveyed the group and asked:
"Mr. Mori was invited too?"

At this moment, Gao Yuan subconsciously understood what was going on. After all, he had been called here by Inspector Megure, and now that Ran and Conan were there, there was no reason why Kogoro Mouri wouldn't be there, right?

However, what caught Takato's attention even more was the boy beside them, also wearing the Teitan High School uniform and glasses, Hondou Eisuke...

After all, back when Takato and the restored Miyano Shi were kept in the hotel, Takato happened to run into Kogoro Mouri and Eisuke Hondo on his way out to buy something, and he also witnessed the incident of the fall. So naturally, Takato immediately recognized Eisuke Hondo.

However, there was still a sequence to things. Gao Yuan did not immediately pretend not to know Hondo Eisuke and inquire about the person's situation. Instead, he first asked about the reason why the other party and his companions had come here.

Xiaolan nodded naturally and responded with a smile:
"Yes... Mr. Akechi, right? Inspector Megure mentioned earlier that you and my father were specially invited!"

Having learned of the situation, Gao Yuan nodded, then turned his gaze to Hondou Eisuke—

"By the way, who is this?"

Gao Yuan asked, feigning surprise.

Meanwhile, Ai Haibara, upon seeing Eisuke Hondo there, also took a somewhat surprised look at his appearance—

After all, she really does look alike; she's so similar to Rena Mizunashi!

However, perhaps because she already knew Rena Mizunashi's true identity, Ai didn't show much nervousness or apprehension upon seeing Eisuke Hondou. Instead, she displayed more curiosity, until...

After Ai Haibara noticed that Conan seemed to have noticed the way she was looking at Hondo Eisuke, she became more cautious and subtly hid behind Takato, appearing somewhat wary... (End of Chapter)