Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"That matter...that matter really has nothing to do with me. I never expected that Pingdong would actually steal it..."

Halfway through his sentence, Mizuma Tsukihiko noticed the surprised expressions on Inspector Megure and Hayashi Shuichi's faces and suddenly realized that he had been tricked.

The other party had no idea about the "gun theft"; it was just that I accidentally let it slip!

His eyes widened suddenly, and he said with annoyance, "You...you're trying to trick me!"

"Was the police gun that went missing from the guard post stolen by Hiratō Tōji?"

Lin Xiuyi ignored his frustration.

"Since you've already let it slip, just tell me everything you know."

Mizuma Tsukihiko slumped into a chair, his hands supporting his forehead.

"Actually... besides playing mahjong, the four of us are also mystery enthusiasts. When we play mahjong, we also talk about various criminal cases, discussing methods of committing crimes and ways to solve them."

He paused, his voice lowering.
“About a month ago, we talked about the ‘perfect crime,’ and I said that it was possible to exploit legal loopholes to evade punishment.”

“Dr. Sato said that medical knowledge could be used to fake the cause of death, Associate Professor Yamada said that physical methods could be used to create an alibi, and Hirato said that psychology could be used to manipulate people’s behavior.”

“We were just joking, nobody took it seriously.”

"Unexpectedly, Pingdong actually took those words to heart."

Mizuma Tsukihiko's tone was tinged with lingering fear.
“About two weeks ago, he suddenly came to us with a handgun and showed it off, saying that he stole it from the guard post according to his 'perfect crime plan'.”

"As soon as Sato and Yamada saw the gun, they became agitated, angrily accusing him of being a criminal and saying they would call the police."

“Pingdong panicked immediately and hurriedly said that he had just made a mistake and returned the gun the next day.”

“But Sato and Yamada wouldn’t let it go, saying that even if the gun was returned, stealing a gun was still a crime, and they would never play mahjong with him again.”

"I advised them at the time that since the police hadn't found out and there was no evidence, there was no need to make a big deal out of it."

"But the two of them just wouldn't budge, so the four of us had a huge argument and ended up parting on bad terms."

"Last Saturday, I didn't go to play mahjong because of this. I was afraid we'd argue again if we met. Yamada and Sato didn't go either, probably because of this."

"So, Hirato Doji murdered Dr. Sato and Associate Professor Yamada to cover up the theft of the gun?"

Inspector Megure instantly understood.
"He was afraid that Sato and Yamada would call the police, so he simply killed them to silence them!"

"It's very likely. Let's go find Hirato Doji."

Lin Xiuyi called out, then looked at Mizuma Tsukihiko.
“Attorney Mizuma, you should come with us too. Dr. Sato and Associate Professor Yamada have already been silenced. Hirato’s next target might be you.”

"Probably not?"

Mizuma Tsukihiko swallowed hard, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“When we argued, I was on his side. I even helped him persuade Sato and Yamada…”

“You’re a lawyer, so you should know better than us that the best way to completely cover up a case is to eliminate everyone who knows about it.”

Lin Xiuyi sneered, her tone carrying a warning.

"Hirō Dōji once even dared to attack police officers with his car in an attempt to silence them, nearly killing an officer from the First Investigation Division. Do you think he's more inclined to believe 'you won't betray him,' or 'the dead don't speak'?"

These words completely shattered Mizuma Tsukihiko's hopes. His face turned deathly pale, and he quickly stood up: "I'll go with you! I know where Hirato Doji lives!" ...

Following the address provided by Mizuma Tsukihiko, Inspector Megure quickly drove to the apartment building where Hirato Doji lived.

This is an old two-story apartment building with some mottled exterior walls, and several cars are parked in the parking lot downstairs.

As soon as he got out of the car, Inspector Megure's eyes were fixed on one of the black sedans, and he angrily said, "It really was him!"

Lin Xiuyi recognized it too; this black sedan was the same one that had attacked Officer Morimura earlier!

There is also a noticeable dent at the rear of the car, which is the mark left by Inspector Megure when he drove into Inspector Morimura to stop him from running him over.

“Hirōdōji lives in room 202 on the second floor.” Mizuma Tsukihiko pointed to a lit window on the second floor of the apartment building. “I’ve been to his apartment once before; it’s over there.”

"Kogoro, you stay here and keep an eye on Mizuma Tsukihiko, don't let him run around," Lin Xiuyi instructed. "Inspector Megure and I will go up and check on him."

"Don't worry!" Kogoro Mouri straightened his back and patted his chest. "With me here, he can't get away!"

Lin Xiuyi and Inspector Megure quickly entered the apartment building and found the building manager.

After Inspector Megure showed his identification, the building manager was somewhat surprised, but immediately produced the spare key to room 202.

Lin Xiuyi and the other person took the key and tiptoed upstairs, trying not to make a sound.

Upon arriving at the door of room 202, Inspector Megure carefully inserted the key into the lock and slowly turned it.

With a "click," the door lock opened.

But just as he pushed open the door, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from inside the apartment.

Lin Xiuyi and Inspector Megure exchanged a glance, then immediately pushed open the door and rushed inside.

The living room was empty, but the bedroom door was open, and a young man dressed in casual clothes was standing in the bedroom with a backpack in his hand, obviously packing his things to escape.

Upon seeing the cherry blossom badge on Inspector Megure's chest, Hirato Doji's face turned deathly pale. Without a second thought, he turned and ran toward the apartment's balcony.

"stop!"

Lin Xiuyi immediately lunged forward, trying to grab his arm, but she was too late.

Hirato Doji had already climbed over the balcony railing and jumped from the second floor.

"Chase!"

Lin Xiuyi and Inspector Megure immediately followed suit, vaulting over the railing and jumping down.

The second floor wasn't very high, and the two of them only stumbled slightly after landing before immediately getting up and chasing after Hirato Doji in the direction he had fled.

Hirato Doji ran very fast and was about to reach the black sedan in the parking lot. If he opened the car door, he could escape again.

Just at this critical moment, a figure suddenly darted out from behind the car next to them—it was Kogoro Mouri!
He reached out and grabbed Hirato Doji's arm, using the momentum of the other's running to throw him over his shoulder and slam him hard to the ground!
"Hehe, I've caught the murderer..."

Kogoro Mouri proudly raised his head, but before he could finish speaking, he heard Shuichi Hayashi's angry shout.

"Idiot! Hold him down!"

Kogoro Mouri then realized what was happening and hurriedly bent down to press down on the other man's shoulder, but unexpectedly, Hirato Doji suddenly reached out, grabbed his calf, and yanked him hard! (End of Chapter)