Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 511 A Life Swapped

"This is the fifth person we've replaced... Inspector Takei, is there anyone else we can spare?"

While tracking the robbers, the plainclothes detectives discovered that the money had already been handed over to four different people, and now there was even a next victim!
These people were also cautious. When exchanging bags containing money, they didn't just swap them directly. Sometimes on the tram, they would deliberately leave the bag behind so that their neighbor could take it, and sometimes they would just throw it onto a passing tram without any communication...

In order to arrest all the participants, and especially to prevent the ransom from being switched or someone from taking the real ransom, police forces were assigned to track the ransom after each change of hands, and manpower was already somewhat strained.

"Keep an eye on the ransom as long as it doesn't disappear from your sight!" Takei ordered over the walkie-talkie.

If there is a risk that the ransom money has been switched, then it is necessary to track it separately.

at this time……

"Oh no! After the ransom was placed in the car, it seems the other party is transferring the money out!"

A pair of detectives, peering through the car window, vaguely noticed the person opening their bag to take money...

This means not only will the location tracker be taken away, but also... the counterfeit money will be exposed!

After a moment of silence, Takei said, "Continue to observe. If they discover the money is counterfeit, immediately take action to arrest the current targets."

Takei hadn't expected that the process of returning the stolen money would be so complicated...

No wonder those caught before were all "middlemen" recruited online.

Fortunately, at that moment, Takei said, "There's no need to worry about the counterfeit money..."

"Huh?" Takei looked over, puzzled.

“Deputy Director Bichuan gave the robbers real money,” Yuan said matter-of-factly.

In cases of normal kidnapping, the police have clear regulations prohibiting them from providing funds to victims, and there is no mention of preparing counterfeit money.

but……

The Organized Crime Countermeasures Department implicitly accepts the use of various shady methods and also prepares counterfeit currency on a regular basis!

However, Daisuke Kobe was also involved in the mission this time, so...

"Inspector Takei, I felt that real money was more credible, so I switched it." Daisuke Kobe's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

Takei:…

Takei recognized who it was—it was that nouveau riche detective from the Beika Police Station!
“Okay, that’s good news too. At least they shouldn’t notice anything amiss yet… Keep tracking! Keep an eye on where the money ends up,” Takei said in a deep voice.

Kobe then spoke up again, saying, "Don't worry, I'm also doing the tracking."

Upon hearing this, Takei frowned deeply and said, "You're a police officer, you should understand... ordinary citizens shouldn't be involved in these kinds of cases!"

Takei initially thought Kobe had hired someone to follow him, but...

"Yes, of course, it's just that there are 'ordinary people' assisting me in operating the drone," Kobe said calmly.

At this moment, dozens of screens in front of Kobe were displaying different surveillance footage, and it was clear that these "surveillance" feeds were moving and viewed from above!
Apparently...

There are a large number of drones tracking the target from the air!

Takei:…

Drone?
This thing is useful, and Takei knows that too.

However, obtaining the necessary permits for this new generation of technology is difficult...

Given the approval efficiency of the National Police Agency and the Metropolitan Police Department, it would be difficult for even the Security Department, which is responsible for security at important occasions, to get approval, let alone the Organization and Countermeasures Department!
It would be much easier to buy several fax machines for the same price.

It's not a matter of whether the leaders believe in drones or not, but rather that creating a new expense category is a very troublesome thing for the "system"—there were no drones before, so why are they needed now? Can't we overcome this obstacle?

This is a problem that plagues the police... no, it's a problem in almost all institutions in the Eastern Island Nation.

As for not needing funds and purchasing them ourselves?
No one else will pay their own way to work!

The drones like the one in Kobe, capable of high-altitude operations, equipped with high-definition cameras and boasting exceptional battery life, cost more than half a year's salary for an average detective...

However, for Kobe, the cost of drone swarms is negligible.

For Takei, the problem of "lack of manpower" preventing him from fully tracking the situation was not a problem at all in Kobe's eyes.

Although it is impossible to track the indoor areas, the general locations of all participants are currently locked!
With Kobe's comprehensive tracking system, no matter how many "middlemen" there are, it's useless. Even if there are deliberate deceptions, making it seem like the person who ultimately receives the money is throwing it away in the dump, but...

Kobe's drone still "saw" that the group of people who seemed to have handed over the money along the way had arrived at the Silver Dragon Association's office!

Upon hearing this news, both Takei and the detectives at the Beika Police Station were greatly encouraged.

When Kobe provides banknotes, they naturally keep evidence and record the codes.

Now that the stolen money is in the Silver Dragon Society's office, no matter how many lawyers they hire or how many ways they have to get away with it, we can just rush in and arrest them without any problem.

As long as they're caught...

Before the other party goes through legal procedures, try to uncover some charges, and at the same time meet with their "informants" to solidify some charges. At the very least, we can cripple their influence, and if we're lucky, we might be able to completely wipe out a violent organization!
This kind of separate investigation is also a common tactic used by the organization's countermeasures department.

As for the "hard battle" phase...

"Keep a close eye on them. From now on, don't let anyone leave the office!" Takei ordered directly.

As he spoke, Takei got up and went out. He was currently not far from the Silver Dragon Society's office.

"Once I get to the scene, the Mika Police Station will be responsible for sealing off the area, and we'll be responsible for rushing in..." Takei said, making the arrangements.

It wasn't about "stealing credit," but rather that Takei was afraid the officers from the Beika Police Station wouldn't be used to this kind of operation!

In contrast, the officers in pairs are more experienced in this area, so they only need the cooperation of the Miho Department.

but……

"Alright, everyone, you can relax a bit now."

Kobe suddenly spoke into the walkie-talkie before Takei arrived at the scene.

“What do you mean by ‘more open’? You just need to…” Takei frowned. “I’ve already bought the property rights to the office building,” Kobe said matter-of-factly.

Takei:? ? ?
Although it is the office of the Silver Dragon Society, it is not a property of the Silver Dragon Society, but a place rented by the Silver Dragon Society.

Kobe bought the building directly from the property owner at a premium.

Although the principle of "sale does not break lease" applies, meaning you can't evict someone just because of that, but...

This way, there's no need to worry about any damage to the building.

But Takei didn't understand at this point...

They're just going in to grab someone, and Shiraishi isn't even there. Why would they cause any damage to the building?

The next moment, Takei, who had just arrived at the scene, saw a heavy helicopter flying over and descending to the height of the building's upper floors. At this point, the people in the firm's upper management could see it from their windows!
Immediately, something was launched from the helicopter...

Takei:! ! !
Could this be a military helicopter?

"Don't worry, it has already been converted for civilian use." Kobe seemed to know what everyone was shocked about, and added an explanation.

However, Takei was even more speechless—what do you mean by "converted to civilian use"? So when it was purchased, it was indeed for military use, but it was just converted... no, just had civilian permits obtained, right?
What's wrong with the country?
If this continues, sooner or later someone will use Apache helicopters to sweep through Dongdu Tower!
Takei thought to himself...

At the same time, Takei also discovered that what the other side was shooting at the windows of each floor of the building was not an explosive device. It did not explode; there was only smoke coming out!

Meanwhile, the police officers from the Mikasa Police Station, who had been waiting outside, put on gas masks and rushed into the building...

……

The engagement ceremony of the Kobayakawa family.

"I was devastated by the tragedy of Koichi, who was supposed to marry me. But it was during this dark time that I met Uno. He comforted and supported me, helping me through those difficult days. So I decided to move on from my grief and walk into the future with Uno..."

Nahoko Kobayakawa then delivered a deeply moving speech.

However, the guests below the stage were all trying to control their expressions, almost bursting with suppressed rage—girl, you're right, but… Hoshimiya Koichi just died last weekend! Today's engagement ceremony was supposed to be for you and Hoshimiya Koichi!

Below, Shiraishi wore an expression of amazement; no wonder she was the daughter of a politician…

Just then, Shiraishi's phone vibrated.

"Wait for me," Shiraishi whispered to Ayako, then left the auditorium first.

Seeing Shiraishi go out to answer the phone, Kensuke Uno probably already sensed something was wrong. After speaking hastily, he quickly left the scene, but was eventually caught on the rooftop by Miwako Kobe, who had followed him.

“Mr. Uno, as the main character today, shouldn’t you be keeping quiet and leaving?” Kobe said after catching up with him.

"Quietly? I just felt it was a bit noisy and wanted some peace and quiet," Uno said, feigning composure.

If it were only Kobe, Uno might still have a chance to escape or even fight back, but the problem is...

Several plainclothes officers followed at the same time!

At the same time, Shiraishi and Kobayakawa Taizo, who looked annoyed, also came up.

“I see, Mr. Uno. Then let’s go to a quiet place and talk about Mr. Hoshimiya Koichi’s murder case last week,” Kobe said calmly.

"I've already said enough, haven't I? I have nothing more to say!" Uno said impatiently.

“No, Mr. Uno shouldn’t have forgotten, right? Although you said before that you didn’t know Mr. Hoshimiya, our investigation found that... twenty-two years ago, you and he were good friends, right? We even saw a photo of you together at Hoshimiya’s birth mother’s place.” Kobe then revealed directly.

Seeing Uno remain silent, Kobe continued, "Actually, Mr. Hoshimiya Koichi was adopted into the Hoshimiya family when he was eleven years old. Before that, he was your neighbor, classmate... and friend, right?"

“I don’t remember! Even if that’s true, we haven’t seen each other for over twenty years…” Uno just shook his head.

However, Kobe tilted his head and said, "Eh? Is that so? But... in the group photo of the three of us that we found the most, this girl is the receptionist who swiped your membership card at the bar before. Mr. Uno, you can't possibly not recognize her, can you?"

Uno fell silent again, and Kobe continued, "Furthermore, we discovered that your mother was a maid in the Hoshimiya family back then. When the Hoshimiya couple wanted to adopt a child, your mother actually wanted to send you to the Hoshimiya family, right? After all, she was a single mother at the time, and her health had always been poor..."

Uno seemed to have been hit where it hurt, and said angrily, "That's right! I should have been the one adopted back then! But... it was that guy who said he wanted to be together forever and didn't want me to leave... that's why I refused to be adopted."

"Not long after, he moved away with his mother after she remarried. I thought... I thought that was really the case, until a few months ago when I saw the news report and found out... that's how it was..."

In Uno's view, Hoshimiya Koichi was a scheming woman from a young age. He instigated her to refuse adoption, and then she went to the Hoshimiya family, became the young master, and got engaged to the daughter of a member of parliament, which even made the news.

In comparison, Uno's life seemed so insignificant and humble; he was not only impoverished but also had virtually no good fortune.

Thinking about how he had always done lowly and menial jobs, and then looking at the glamorous and successful Hoshimiya Koichi, he was naturally resentful!
“No, that’s not how it is. We went to find Hoshimiya’s birth mother. Actually… back then, it was because Koichi couldn’t accept his stepfather, which caused a lot of conflicts. Then we heard that the Hoshimiya family was looking for an adopted son, so we sent Mr. Koichi to the Hoshimiya family.” Kobe explained.

"So what? What's the difference? I went to see him after I saw the news, but... he completely ignores me now!" Uno said angrily.

Uno had previously gone to see Hoshimiya Koichi, but the current Hoshimiya Koichi completely ignored him.

It was from that moment that Uno began plotting his revenge...

The reason he was able to find Kobayakawa's phone was the result of his tracking over many days; it wasn't a coincidence.

That's why, after discovering Kobayakawa and Hoshimiya Koichi's secrets, he didn't think about making a quick buck and leaving, but rather about coercing them into marriage—in Uno's view, he was reclaiming the destiny that rightfully belonged to him.

For this reason, he did not hesitate to kill Hoshimiya Koichi with his own hands!

"So, you killed your childhood friend because of this?" Miwako Kobe looked at him sadly.

Uno seemed stung by her gaze and snapped, "What do you know? You superior person... have you ever cared about your childhood friends?"

Upon hearing this, Kobe said dejectedly, "When I was a child, my grandfather would have his teachers come to our house to give me private lessons. I didn't have many close friends, sigh..."

Uno:! ! !
"Shiraishi! That's right, I'm the one who killed that guy! Come on, arrest me!" Uno then turned and yelled at Shiraishi.

Shiraishi looked at him strangely—you broke down so quickly? You're no good either, bro…

“You’re an orphan too, right? I can accept you arresting me! I’ll absolutely not let these guys…” Uno said hysterically.

However, Shiraishi interrupted directly, saying, "No, Kobe is a detective, and you are a murder suspect. It is right for her to arrest you."

Although he could understand why Shiraishi was acting crazy here, he had no empathy for him and was not prepared to grant his wish.

(End of this chapter)