Conan: Rice Flower Spring

Chapter 435, 429. Stirring up the enemy. Megure, riding the "roller coaster."
In the early morning, Robert Taylor finally returned to Beika Town from Tottori Prefecture.

In the early hours of the morning, the streets are sparsely populated, with hardly any cars on the road.

Taylor considered driving directly to the Tokyo City Hotel, but Kiel might not be there. After thinking about it, he gave up and prepared to return to the safe house that the precinct had set up in Beikacho.

These safe houses are supposed to be for emergency use, but due to funding constraints, they are mostly used as dormitories for the field staff.

Of course, the reported funding will be based on the level of a high-level safe house, as for the price difference...
In the new era, there are new ways to embezzle funds or exploit soldiers.

Keeping up with the times, that's what it means.

In any case, Beido Town is now considered Taylor's "base camp," and the anxiety in Tottori Prefecture has been greatly alleviated since he returned to Beido Town.

'I'm back in my lair, what's there to be afraid of?'

As Taylor was thinking this, he suddenly noticed two cars turning in from the left and right at the intersection ahead.

Taylor instinctively slammed on the brakes, and then noticed that one of the two cars in front of him was moving erratically.

Agent Taylor's instincts made him cautious, and he reached under the seat to grab the hidden pistol.

The Russian-made Makarov PM is different from the Sig Sauer P226/P228 and Glock 19/26 used by its counterparts.

The Russian-made Makarov PM pistol is even more sophisticated in its camouflage. It is a top-selling model, especially on the Tokyo black market.

Whether it's a Sig Sauer, a Glock, or even a Makarov PM, a single magazine of bullets is enough to turn a person into a sieve.

Taylor slowed down to be able to react immediately if an accident occurred.

Then the car in front did something that surprised Taylor.

The swaying car behind suddenly accelerated, and then, as if out of control, crashed headfirst into the door of the moving car in front.

The loud crash echoed through the street, and lights even came on in nearby houses immediately.

"You bastard, how do you drive?!"

The driver of the vehicle that caused the accident got out of the driver's seat and staggered as he took two steps. Judging from his loud voice, it was clear that he had been drinking a lot.

The driver of the vehicle that was hit also got out of the driver's seat, and he didn't even have time to react at first when faced with the aggressive car behind him.

The driver who was hit looked at his car and then at the drunkard in front of him, his face showing obvious disgust.

Dude, with your voices so loud, I thought I had made a mistake!
Taylor parked his car at a safe distance, not wanting to meddle in other people's business.

Just as he was about to reverse out of the one-way street, a taxi behind him stopped.

The driver rolled down the window and peered ahead at the commotion, which prompted Taylor to reverse.

Seeing that the two drivers in front of him were about to start fighting, Taylor, not wanting to waste any more time, quickly got out of the car.

If a real fight breaks out, it'll definitely attract the Metropolitan Police Department. What if they accidentally discover the gun in my car?
As a senior agent of the CIA's island nation branch, he would definitely have someone from the branch helping him mediate.

But it's embarrassing.

A high-ranking special agent was arrested by the police for getting into a fight with someone else.

It's not very harmful, but it's extremely insulting.

Taylor didn't want to become a laughing stock for the CIA's island nation branch for years, so he put down his gun, opened the car door, and got out to try and break up the fight.

Taylor had his own way of dealing with the drunkards like the one mentioned earlier: teach them a lesson and then let them see what a "Celestial Dragon" he looked like.

In general, such drunkards will sober up.

Just as he was about to walk over, he suddenly felt something.

He turned around and saw the taxi driver behind him sticking an arm out of the driver's window.

Extending an arm is nothing unusual, but the driver was holding a pistol with a silencer in his hand!
Fuck! We've fallen for their trap!

Taylor looked terrified and immediately prepared to lunge at his car to use it as cover.

Unfortunately, he was a little too slow. The taxi driver emptied the magazine at Taylor the instant he raised his gun.

And there was a commotion behind Taylor.

The two drivers, who were arguing fiercely, simultaneously raised their guns, stopped arguing and fighting, and emptied their magazines at Taylor's back.

The burly Taylor was now like a human sieve, with blood gushing out of his body.

Even as he lost consciousness, Taylor couldn't figure out who wanted to kill him.

Even though he tried his best, he could only face death in despair, and he couldn't even leave some message of his death for his colleagues in the branch office.

Who the hell wants to kill me?

Taylor fell down, and three gunmen walked up to him and each shot him in the head.

Finishing shots is a good habit, but it doesn't seem to work well for Taylor.

If this human-shaped sieve could be saved by a hospital in Tokyo, then the number one Graves player in the Japanese server many years later wouldn't be so legendary.

"Brother, Robert Taylor has been dealt with." Jin Tian showed Lin Longma several photos from the scene.

Seeing Taylor's miserable state, even Lin Longma couldn't help but want to write the word "miserable" on his face.

The black Maybach is Lin Longma's personal vehicle. This time, Lin Longma wasn't the only one in the back seat; Vermouth, who came to watch the fun, was also there.

"You just killed him like that, and now what are you going to do? You don't have any other leads at all."

There's no doubt that both Kiel and Taylor have questionable identities. Lin Long needs to know exactly what the problems are with their identities.

Or rather, whose side are these two on?

"It's like stirring up trouble. Taylor must be a significant figure to be able to become Kiel's partner."

The grass has been cut; now we'll just have to wait and see what sprouts from behind.
-
Lin Longma's men left quickly. After the two private cars and a taxi left, only Taylor and his car remained.

Because the two people had made quite a commotion, some brave residents who wanted to watch the excitement came out of their homes.

Everyone else had left, leaving only one car blocking the middle of the road, which looked very strange.

then
"what--"

A man's piercing scream tore through the night sky.

Despite the strong mystery-solving culture in island nations, with a large number of detective enthusiasts and mystery buffs, most of these people are merely paying lip service to the idea.

If they were to see a corpse like detectives, they'd be numb.

Furthermore, men's screams aren't necessarily quieter than women's. It's just that women's voices are higher-pitched, while men's are louder.

This shout was like a death knell for the locals, and the lights in the surrounding houses turned on as people put on their coats and came out of their homes.

As soon as they stepped outside, they saw a terrified man pointing at a car parked in the middle of the road not far away, and a man sleeping soundly on the ground.

Wait, is he sleeping soundly?!

The residents approached Taylor with trepidation, only to find the ground covered in blood and Robert Taylor, a man sleeping soundly. Seeing a blood-soaked corpse in the middle of the night would send shivers down anyone's spine. Fortunately, enough people eventually came out.

When someone encourages a person, they tend to be a little braver—the neighboring town is Beika, and the average person in Beika town is braver than the average person.

Call the police or an ambulance.

In the dead of night, there were few cars on the street, and both criminal police and ambulances arrived quickly.

The paramedic got out of the ambulance, conducted minimal examinations, and pronounced Taylor dead.

This person was riddled with bullets, and their mind was completely blank. A perfect replica of someone who's just calmed down but is now filled with worry again.

Even without a medical background, one can tell that this person is definitely dead.

Next, the criminal police took over the scene.

A strong atmosphere of deduction isn't without its advantages; at least if no one knows the deceased, no one will trample the scene.

They were all just pointing and commenting on the scene.

Once the initial fear subsides, what remains is nothing more than the ability to command respect and strategize.

"Inspector Megure!" Takagi quickly walked to Inspector Megure's side after receiving the scene report from the forensic officer.

"The deceased, Robert Taylor, was 32 years old and an independent photographer. The incident occurred half an hour ago."

According to nearby residents, some of them heard a vehicle crash about half an hour ago, followed by the sound of arguing.

Some people also saw the two drivers who caused the accident arguing fiercely.

As Robert Taylor got out of the car, three drivers suddenly opened fire on him before speeding away.

Inspector Megure frowned deeply—why would an independent photographer be shot at by three people on the street?

If Takagi's description is true, this was an organized and premeditated murder.

The dead man was a foreigner, an American!

This case can't just be described as tricky; it's an absolutely insurmountable disaster.

It has always been their island nation's overlord, the foreign lord, who has been bullying and committing all sorts of evil deeds on their territory.

When did the Rebels of the Celestial Dragons become Japanese ambush and kill American Celestial Dragons?

What did this foreigner do to warrant such a brutal method of killing him?
Independent photographer. Did this foreigner accidentally capture something deadly?
Inspector Megure is now in a real bind.

Given the severity of the incident, solving the case within a limited timeframe is imperative. They even need to contact the American embassy.

An American citizen was shot and killed in the street in Beika Town. The Beika Town Police Station officers had to bow in apology, and the Metropolitan Police Department officers couldn't escape either!
Moreover, how easy is it to investigate such an organized and premeditated shooting?

If it were just a crime of passion, a few detectives could help investigate. But against an organized and premeditated shooter like this, even detectives wouldn't be able to help, let alone the police.

This is not to say that detectives are bad; on the contrary, they are excellent detectives.

Once they uncover some deadly clues, it could really be fatal.

If they can't design a perfect crime scene, can't they just take down the people who solve the case?

Beika Town truly excels in upholding freedom and equality.

Amidst rampant cyanide, flying bullets, and randomly generated luck, there's bound to be an equal opportunity for you.

Inspector Megure wasn't afraid of danger or difficulties, but he was afraid of not being able to explain himself to his superiors.

No matter how many difficulties you face, if you fail to complete the task, the blame will fall on Inspector Megure's backside.

"This is really...this is really!" Inspector Megure gritted his teeth and looked around, hoping to find one or two unusable cameras.

Regardless of when he gets punished, he should at least have something to say to his superiors, right?

Subordinates are not afraid of making mistakes, but they are most afraid of being incompetent.

Making a mistake is at most a matter of going in the wrong direction or having a flawed methodology. But when you can't find anything and know nothing when asked, you're completely clueless.

That's a matter of attitude and ability.

'Perhaps I should go to the Second Investigation Division and keep Inspector Nakamori company?' Inspector Megure, who was in his prime, even thought about voluntarily retiring to a less active role.

He can't take the blame for this.

"Inspector Megure, we've made a discovery!"

Chiba's voice sounded like heavenly music to Inspector Megure's ears at that moment, and he pushed Takagi aside and ran towards Chiba.

"Brother Chiba, have you discovered anything?"

"Inspector, we found this under the driver's seat." Chiba was wearing white gloves, on which was a Makarov PM pistol.

"This is... a handgun?!" Inspector Megure's eyes narrowed. The presence of a handgun in Robert Taylor's car meant that this incident was no longer a simple murder.

Instead, they got into even bigger trouble.

Chiba removed the magazine and pulled the slide, and a bullet flew out.

This gun is clearly loaded!
The situation became increasingly serious, but Inspector Megure suddenly relaxed.

Big trouble is good, if the trouble is big enough, then it's beyond what these criminal police officers can handle.

Robert Taylor is a lousy photographer. What decent photographer would keep a loaded handgun in their car?

This job looks like it's done by the police!
"Chiba, well done. Continue the investigation of the scene. Be sure to be thorough!" Inspector Megure patted Chiba on the shoulder heavily.

Chiba was also greatly encouraged by Inspector Megure and began to conduct another inspection of Taylor's belongings.

Then he found two business cards in Taylor's luggage.

"Tokyo City Hotel and Tokyo Isshin Consulting?" Inspector Megure looked at the business card in his hand, a little puzzled.

Inspector Megure didn't know much about the Tokyo City Hotel, as no murders had ever occurred there, so he was unfamiliar with it.

But he was no stranger to Yixin Consulting.

Isn't that the company of one of his good brothers, Lin Longma?!
How did Brother Lin get dragged into this?!

Inspector Megure wanted to give Ryoma Hayashi a heads-up, but with so many people around, he couldn't make too many moves.

It's now clear that the follow-up investigation of this incident is not the work of their First Investigation Division. If he were to risk giving a warning, he might end up getting himself implicated.

After a moment's thought, Inspector Megure placed the two business cards aside; now he needed to report it to his superiors.

Inspector Megure's report immediately attracted the attention of his superiors. After being reported through multiple levels, the higher-ups decided to hand the case over to the Metropolitan Police Department for investigation.

At the same time, the Metropolitan Police Department contacted the American Embassy through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inform them of the shooting death of American citizen Robert Taylor.

(End of this chapter)