Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 256 Bai Shi’s Caution

"Inspector Kuroda, long time no see." Counselor Uno and the head of Nagano's Investigation Division 1 have known each other for a long time.

"It's been a long time since we last met. It seems like we have a chance to work together again... This must be Officer Shiraishi, right? It's true that hearing about someone is worse than meeting them in person." Kuroda looked up at Shiraishi and said in a low voice.

Shiraishi was also observing Kurodabei at this time...

Although Kuroda is only fifty years old, not yet older than Uno, his buzz cut is already gray, the right half of his face has burn marks, and the right side of his glasses has a black spot, obviously he has suffered serious injuries.

Perhaps this is the reason why he looks older than he actually is, and his fierce look is almost as fierce as that of Manager Matsumoto.

In addition, when they were taking a bath together before, Uno hinted to Shiraishi that he should not underestimate Kuroda Heibei - this old man used to work in the Security Bureau of the National Police Agency, but was later transferred out and went directly to the Nagano Prefectural Police Headquarters.

Where is the Security Bureau of the National Police Agency?
It is specifically responsible for the security of important occasions and important people, and its level of mystery is second only to the public security.

Uno didn't explain it so clearly, but Shiraishi understood it - people transferred from such places either made mistakes, or... had special missions!
"No, no, I've long heard of Inspector Kuroda's great name." Shiraishi stretched out his hand and shook hands with him.

Although there is a huge difference in size, Kuroda does not feel weak at all, which shows that his "spirit" is strong and will not be shaken by Shiraishi's size.

Also very "spirited" was Inspector Yamato, who was lame. Instead of backing off because of Shiraishi's size, he had an impatient expression, as if to say "Hurry up and talk about the case, instead of flattering each other".

Shiraishi still had some impression of the lame police inspector from "Detective Conan". Although he couldn't remember his last name or background, he vaguely remembered that his childhood sweetheart was taken away by a cow...

As for the other two detectives from Nagano, there was nothing special about them and they were timid when facing Shiraishi.

"Okay, we don't have time to entertain you now. The search meeting has begun." Yuno said after checking the time.

"That's exactly why we're here!" Kuroda said skillfully.

……

Arriving at the meeting room of the Special Investigation Headquarters, Kuroda took the seat below Shiraishi and Uno, while the other three detectives from Nagano sat in the row of seats reserved for them below...

When Takagi and Isshiki saw Yamato who had difficulty walking, they instinctively stood up to help him, but were almost glared at by Yamato, so they both retreated back in embarrassment.

"As everyone knows, another case was discovered in Nagano this morning, which is very likely committed by the same criminal. Now, please allow Section Chief Kuroda of the Nagano Investigation Section to share with everyone the preliminary investigation results of the case." Uno then briefly introduced Kuroda to everyone.

Kuroda stood up and said to the detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department below, "The situation is urgent, so I will just tell you the details of the case..."

After all, he was a police officer from the National Police Agency before. He was not as restrained as those who "went to the capital" from the county police headquarters. On the contrary, many criminal police present felt a sense of oppression when looking at Section Chief Kuroda, as if they were facing an ordinary "rogue police inspector from the country."

“Although the deceased was only found this morning in Nagano Prefecture, the crime actually took place between 1pm and 4pm yesterday, before the case in Touto… This is a photo of the crime scene.”

Kuroda said, using the conference room's projector.

In the empty warehouse, a man was sitting on a concrete pillar, covered in blood. The ground, the concrete pillar, his body, his mouth... were all covered in blood!

"There were three shots in total, two in the legs, and the last shot... was shot from the back of the head after the gun was forced into the victim's mouth..."

As Kuroda described the situation and the close-up of the mouth scars shown on the projection, the detectives present felt even more deeply the brutality of the criminal.

Looking at this PPT...

Shiraishi estimated that Kuroda had taken the first-class seat of the Shinkansen and was rushing here while working on the way!
"The deceased, Yukiichi Aoyama, was a member of the local violent organization 'Tsukami Group' in Nagano Prefecture. The ballistic identification results at the scene matched the gun used in the death of the Touto councillor, and... fingerprints consistent with Kanako Akiyoshi were also collected at the scene!" Kuroda said in a deep voice.

There was a sudden murmur among the detectives below.

Megure raised his hand and asked, "Ahem... Inspector Kuroda, may I ask... has the victim been found? Is there any connection between this and the disappearance of Kanako Akiyoshi?"

This is really the most important thing...

Hearing this, Kuroda's face darkened, and he continued in a deep voice: "After discovering the body, we raided the deceased's house in the countryside, and found a hidden cellar..."

Kuroda looked at Yamato, who stood up and said, "I led the team... We found traces of confinement in the cellar, and we also found Kanako Akiyoshi's fingerprints. We speculate that Kanako Akiyoshi was most likely abducted and imprisoned by Yukiichi Aoyama during the fifteen years she was missing!"

Yamato said this, and a photo of the cellar was projected on the screen...

Very bad environment!
Dirty, messy, poor…dark and claustrophobic…fast food packaging garbage…bloodstained sheets…

Even louder noise broke out in the conference room. This time, the detectives felt that Qingshan's death was not tragic enough.

The photo on the projection at this time is a message on the wall...

It was written with a marker: [Kanako, I will definitely save you - Deerman.]

"Deer Man? Who is Deer Man? Were the words written by Akiyoshi Kanako?" Megure asked in confusion.

"I don't know, but the handwriting has been identified... Although it only shows the handwriting of Kanako Akiyoshi when she was ten years old, according to the handwriting identification expert, this does not seem to be the handwriting evolved from Kanako Akiyoshi's childhood handwriting." Kuroda took over the topic again.

"It sounds like a man's name...if that's the case..." Megure muttered.

In the minds of the detectives present, the "deer man" was also considered a candidate suspect!

"Inspector Kuroda, have any fingerprints of a third party been found in the cellar?" Kunikida asked, raising his hand.

"No, not yet, and... as you can see, it doesn't look like there are two people living there." Kuroda said as he replayed the video.

Indeed, not to mention beds and the like, the most important thing is that restraint props such as chains are also for one person.

"Could it be... that this deer man is an outsider, who started killing people after saving Akiyoshi Kanako? Does the Nagano Prefectural Police know anything about this person?" Megure asked curiously at this time.

This inference is a bit strange...

Killing Yukiichi Aoyama can be said to be for revenge for Kanako Akiyoshi, but why did he kill Kanako Akiyoshi's former teacher?

Judging from the condition of Matsushita's body, Akiyoshi Kanako did not seem to have any hatred towards Matsushita.

"No, this person is in Aoyama Yukiichi's social circle, and no clues were found. As for the pistol, it should be kept privately by Aoyama. The Tsugami Group was involved in a gun case before, and the pistol involved was of this model." Kuroda replied at this time.

Kuroda also understood that the reason why Megure asked whether the Nagano Prefectural Police knew this deer man was because of the pistol!
Judging from the ballistic analysis, this is not a 3D-printed substitute, but a genuine military pistol that ordinary people cannot get.

Therefore, Megure's first reaction was whether it was Aoyama Yukichi's enemy, or a hostile violent organization of the Tsugami Group. If so, he might also have been registered with the Nagano Prefectural Police.

But Kuroda denied it. The Nagano Prefectural Police had never heard of the name "Deer Man". As for the pistol... it was most likely Aoyama's own!

But no matter what, there is now a new suspect, or accomplice in the crime, - the ruthless "Deer Man".

As for the original division of labor in the search, nothing needs to be changed.

After the criminal police from Nagano Prefecture arrived, they were not solely responsible for anything. They came to investigate because a murder had also occurred in Nagano and the criminal was likely to have fled to Toudou.

"Anyway... Akiyoshi Kanako is very likely with this 'deer man' right now, and he is the kind of murderer who kills without blinking an eye. Everyone must be careful and cautious when searching!" Counselor Uno emphasized safety at this time, then looked at Shiraishi and said, "Director Shiraishi, do you have anything else to add?"

Bai Shi was sitting in his oversized boss chair, silent, with his hand resting on the table, tapping the table with his index finger, as if he was thinking about something...

"Huh?" Yuno was stunned when he saw this - if he had nothing to say, he would just keep silent, but now... it was obvious that he had something to say, and he didn't know how to start.

"Director Shiraishi?" Uno called him again.

Shiraishi then spoke up, "Let me emphasize one more point... If you only find Akiyoshi Kanako during the search and there is no one else around her, you must also be cautious and don't be afraid to draw your gun. Even if she is willing to cooperate with the investigation, immediately arrest her and handcuff her on suspicion of murder!"

"Eh? Director Shiraishi?" Uno was stunned when he heard that, and Kuroda on the side couldn't help but look over.

Yamato, who didn't know much about Shiraishi, questioned directly, "Director Shiraishi, what if it is proven in the end that Akiyoshi Kanako was not deeply involved in the case?"

Others actually have this concern too!
After all, Akiyoshi Kanako was a victim of abduction and had been imprisoned for fifteen years...

Regardless of emotion, reason, or public opinion, even if she is really related to the murderer, as long as she is not the direct criminal, it would be difficult to justify her rashly.

"All responsibility lies with me. If I made a mistake, I will bow and apologize in front of the camera," Shiraishi said.

Now Yamato has nothing to say...

I originally thought that this guy was big and timid, but when I heard him say that he would take the initiative to take responsibility, my opinion changed. He asked everyone to arrest people right away, maybe because he was afraid of being responsible for the injury of police officers. However, he was willing to take the responsibility for arresting the wrong person, which actually showed that he was a responsible leader.

"Well, Director Shiraishi is also thinking about safety...Everyone remember to handle it with caution." At this time, Uno didn't understand why Shiraishi did this.

"Not only must you be cautious, you must also use handcuffs!" Bai Shi emphasized again.

Uno also glanced at Shiraishi again, and then did not refute: "Well, they need to be handcuffed and arrested. Everyone, go ahead and do your work."

After the meeting, the other detectives left, and Uno couldn't help but ask Shiraishi: "Chief Shiraishi, did you find anything?"

"I'm not sure yet. I can only say that there is a possibility. Specifically... I want to go to the site in Nagano to take a look." Shiraishi stood up and said.

"Eh?"

Uno was stunned again when he heard that Shiraishi was not going to continue to stay in charge of the search headquarters.

Kuroda looked at Shiraishi and said, "Okay, I'll ask someone to pick you up at Nagano Station." Nagano Prefecture, located between Kanto and Kansai, has been a battleground for the eastern island country since ancient times. It is also the county with the highest average altitude and the fourth largest area, but it is sparsely populated and mostly mountainous...

It is not the Warring States Period now. It only takes an hour and a half to get from Touto to Nagano City in the prefecture by Shinkansen.

But Shiraishi said at this time: "No, I want to go to the imprisonment site of Aoyama Yukiichi's hometown. It is in... Shinno City, right?"

Well, in Nagano Prefecture in this world, there is a city called "Shinnoh City".

"Okay, then I'll call the police officers from Shinno Police Station over." Kuroda said directly.

"Thank you."

Shiraishi didn't bother to be polite with Kuroda, and then said to Uno: "Counselor Uno, I'll leave the search headquarters to you!"

"You really can't sit still...Okay, this won't happen again." Yuno said helplessly.

Uno also didn’t understand what could have happened that made Shiraishi have to go there in person... couldn’t he just leave it to his subordinates?

Even as a senior police officer, he is still so impatient!

However, seeing that Bai Shi's tone was serious, he did not refuse.

Shiraishi then changed into a suit that served as a "criminal work uniform", booked a ticket and headed to Shinno City - Shinno City is not far from Nagano City, both are located in the northern part of Nagano Prefecture...

Of course, Shiraishi was sitting in a first-class seat, but even so, it still felt a bit cramped.

While waiting for the bus at the station, Shiraishi also went to the store and picked up a stack of bento boxes and a stack of boxed sushi. He ate a stack of sushi at the station as a late breakfast, and ate another stack of bento boxes on the bus as lunch.

On the way, Shiraishi also received a call from Yuan...

"Hello, I'm Shiraishi."

"Director, I'm Yuan... I may have discovered the murderer's motive for killing Councillor Matsushita!"

Yuan has already reported to the investigation headquarters, but he still called Shiraishi again - it can be seen that the detectives of the Beika Police Station now trust and rely on Shiraishi.

When I searched the news back then, I found that Akiyoshi's parents initially blamed the school for not fulfilling its obligations...

According to Akiyoshi's parents, before she disappeared, Kanako Akiyoshi had asked her teacher for help many times, saying that she seemed to be followed.

However, her class teacher at the time did not take it seriously and even went to her parents to tell them that she often lied - this class teacher was obviously the current Senator Matsushita!

But now all of this has been lost in time, because Akiyoshi's parents died one after another more than ten years ago!

Only Yuriko Matsushita is left, and she makes her presence known by appearing in the news every year to show her concern for the long-missing Kanako Akiyoshi.

Therefore, Yuan believes that the murderer may feel that Matsushita is also one of the people who let Kanako down!

……

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Shiraishi arrived at Xinye Station...

After getting off the car, Bai Shi didn't know who was coming to pick him up, but... it was obvious that the other party didn't need to hold up a sign!
Firstly, Bai Shi's height stands out among the crowd of people; secondly, when people around see Bai Shi, they will disperse a little.

The person who came to pick up Shiraishi was none other than the head of the Criminal Division of the Shinno Police Station, Takaaki Morifushi...

He was originally a police inspector at the Nagano Prefecture Headquarters, but because of his recklessness in a case, he was transferred to the Shinno Police Station.

Although Kuroda had only been in Nagano for a short time, he knew his abilities. Although he didn't know what Shiraishi was going to do, he still assigned this capable man to take over from him...

Inspector Morobushi, who had a small moustache, was wearing a neat suit. Unlike the other detectives who wore dusty suits, his temperament was also very elegant... He saw Shiraishi from a distance and came up to him.

"Hello, I guess you are Inspector Shiraishi, right? My name is Takaaki Morobushi, the chief of the Criminal Division of the Shinno Police Station. I will now take you to the scene... Would you like to have lunch first?" Morobushi said politely.

Seeing this, Bai Shi also shook hands with him and said, "Hello, thank you for the hospitality, but I have already eaten in the car. Let's go to the prison site of the victim's hometown."

"Okay." After hearing this, Zhu Fu's impression of Bai Shi improved a lot.

When they arrived outside the station, Shiraishi's impression of Morobushi became three times better - he was driving a convertible jeep!
Xinye City is not big. We soon left the city. There were mountains in the distance and fields on the roadside...

Nagano Prefecture's pillar industry is planting. It is an agricultural prefecture with two million people mostly distributed in mountainous areas and forests. It only takes an hour and a half to get here from the eastern capital, but it actually takes longer to drive on the road.

"How is it? This feeling of vast land and sparse population is completely different from Dongdu, right?" Zhu Fu chatted with Bai Shi while driving.

"Well, the types of rapes are completely different from those in big cities, right?" Shiraishi asked curiously.

Zhu Fu: ...

Police Shiraishi Shimasa really never stops talking about his profession!
However, Zhu Fu also likes this topic.

"That's right. Murder cases in Dongdu are generally 'building murders', right? They happen in the downtown area, so the key is to interview the residents and passers-by around the scene...

"But it's different in Nagano. Murders often happen in closed villages. There are no surveillance cameras and no passers-by. There are only complicated relationships between local residents and strange stories that are often mixed in with the cases." Zhu Fu was very familiar with this topic.

Shiraishi estimated that the cases in Nagano were more like those in "traditional mystery novels", often taking place in closed villages, often producing "Snowstorm Villa Model" cases, and surveillance and the like could not be relied upon!

……

While chatting, the two came to Aoyama Yukiichi's hometown.

This is a small, almost independent farm with no other residents around...

"This guy has a pretty wealthy family background, but he actually joins a violent organization?" Bai Shi frowned upon seeing this.

“Many young people don’t like farm life,” Zhufushi said as if it was a matter of course. It seems that this has become a social problem in Nagano.

At this time, there were still police officers cordoning off the scene. After seeing Shiraishi, they all became nervous and even instinctively reached for their gun bags...

After all, there are real bears in Nagano!
And every year there are incidents of black bears attacking people...

But it was just instinct, and I could tell quickly that this was not a black bear, but a human, and...

"Inspector Zhufushi!" The patrol officers at the scene saluted immediately.

"Well, this is Police Inspector Bai Shi from Dongdu. Let's go in and check it out." Zhu Fu nodded to them.

"Ah? Yes!" The police officers in Nagano were also shocked - is this the Touto? It is indeed a big city!

It took Bai Shi some effort to enter the cellar.

For this small entrance, Bai Shi could only raise his hands and close his shoulders to pass through!

There were no electric lights in the cellar, only a few electrical appliances including a generator and a small table lamp...

Before, Shiraishi had only seen photos, and because it was too dark around, he couldn't piece the pieces together properly. Now Shiraishi went to check it out himself!

Bai Shi was seen crouching in the middle of the small cellar. After looking around, he tried his best to imagine himself as a ten-year-old elementary school girl, chained here...

From Shiraishi's perspective, some things around him that only appeared in recent years disappeared one after another, becoming simpler. The old transistor TV turned on with a rustling sound, and the news began to report that Akiyoshi Kanako had disappeared and the police were searching for her...

The sun sets and rises outside, but the light here is no different. Only the word "正" (positive) on the wall increases in number, and the content of the news broadcasts gradually changes.

From the search headquarters being disbanded without success, to Akiyoshi and his wife being exhausted physically and mentally because of their daughter's disappearance, to the mother dying of mental illness after going insane, to the father also dying in a car accident on the way to find his daughter, these "tragic stories" were also broadcasted sporadically on the news...

These are also the information that Shiraishi saw when he investigated the disappearance case of Kanako Akiyoshi!
"Thanks to" Congressman Matsushita's hype, Kanako Akiyoshi is in the news every year.

Because every year, Matsushita Yuriko would come out and cite the case of Kanako Akiyoshi's disappearance to support her own ideas, and every time on TV, she would give a moving speech to express her desire to see Kanako Akiyoshi again...

The little girl in Shiraishi's imagination also watched the news day after day and grew up little by little.

As time passed, more things were placed in the cellar, such as some books and pens. Perhaps Yukiichi Aoyama didn't want her to suffocate here, so the TV was also placed here for this reason.

Although Zhu Fu didn't know what Bai Shi was doing at this time, he seemed to just stand there without moving, but...

Zhu Fu instinctively felt that Shiraishi was thinking about something important, so he didn't disturb him.

It wasn't until Bai Shi looked at the small table next to him that he asked, "Were these the things that were here before?"

"There are also some things she wrote that were taken to the office for analysis. I have photos and printouts here," Zhu Fu said.

Compared to some idle books that entertain her, of course, what she wrote herself is more important to the case.

However, Bai Shi quickly flipped through the books on the small bookshelf and found that they were several novels, one of which was called "The Hotspot Heroes of the Great Jianghu". After confirming the name of the protagonist, Bai Shi's face changed obviously...

(End of this chapter)