Daily Spy Life in the Detective Conan World

Chapter 263 The Case and the Playing Cards
The next morning.

The sunlight shone on the bedroom curtains, which were fluttered by the summer breeze, creating undulating layers of light and shadow.

Through the light and shadow, Joel was carefully examining her boyfriend's face.

He's handsome no matter how long you look at him.

Joel moved slightly, but when he found that Xia Chuan didn't react at all, he leaned forward, wanting to steal a kiss.

At this time.

The cell phone rang.

Xia Chuan suddenly opened his eyes and found that Joel had his eyes half-closed, his cheeks flushed, and he was leaning closer to him, his rosy lips glistening, no more than five centimeters away from his lips.

"what!"

The sudden sound was clearly unexpected for Joel. Looking into Xia Chuan's pale green eyes, Joel swallowed hard, unsure whether to continue or run away.

"Hey, what's this? It's red and plump like a cherry. Let me try it."

Xia Chuan smiled, then quickly leaned in and silenced Joel's little mouth with a kiss.

Joel's nervousness was eased by Xia Chuan's initiative, and he also became more proactive, even hugging Xia Chuan's arms and legs even tighter.

After a long while, the two reluctantly parted ways.

"Her little mouth is as sweet as honey."

Joel punched Xia Chuan in embarrassment and anger, then lazily got up and answered the phone, which had been ringing for almost twenty seconds.

The call was from Inspector Megure. As soon as the call connected, Inspector Megure's steady voice came from the other end, but it sounded a little weak and sickly.

"Inspector Megure, what happened?"

Joel frowned. Was she going to have to work overtime again? Had another case come up in the first department that required her to take a statement?
A minute later, the call ended, and the blush on Joel's face disappeared within that short minute, replaced by a serious expression.

"what's going on?"

Natsukawa knew that Yoel's expression meant something must have happened with Inspector Megure.

Is it related to Conan?

Yesterday, Kogoro Mouri and his family seemed perfectly normal. What happened this morning, before eight o'clock?

"Inspector Megure, we've been attacked."

"Uh?"

Xia Chuan was curious; the attack was indeed shocking, but what did it have to do with Joel?

"Inspector Megure called you, but no one answered."

Xia Chuan looked at the bedside table and realized his phone wasn't there.

Oh, I remember now, I left it in the living room last night and didn't have time to get it.

"Inspector Megure wants to ask for your help, along with Mr. Mori. Mr. Mori and the others have already set off, let's go and see."

Xia Chuan nodded.

The two drove hurriedly to Mihana General Hospital.

Xia Chuan had dark circles under his eyes; he hadn't actually slept well last night.

I just couldn't sleep last night!
Joel was drunk, but he wasn't. To have such a beautiful woman in one's arms, yet be unable to make a move, is a painful realization indeed.

"If you want to drink in the future, just tell me and I'll prepare it for you. Just don't drink outside."

Xia Chuan wasn't afraid that Yoel would be taken advantage of; he was mainly afraid that others wouldn't be able to withstand Yoel's beating.

I got a beating after carrying Joel to bed, which is the main reason why I didn't dare to lay a hand on him last night.

"I know." Joel's cheeks were flushed as he turned to look out the car window, avoiding eye contact with Xia Chuan.

Soon, the two arrived at Inspector Megure's hospital room.

Apart from Inspector Megure, Mori and his group are already in place.

"Natsukawa, Instructor Yoel, I'm so sorry to have troubled you to come all this way so early in the morning." Inspector Megure was clearly alright, smiling憨厚ly.

"It's alright, it's good that Inspector Megure is alright." Natsukawa said a few words of concern, then looked at Inspector Megure's stomach.

Inspector Megure had bandages wrapped around his stomach, reportedly from an arrow wound to the lower abdomen.

Judging from his condition, the arrow probably didn't penetrate very deep, which is normal, since Inspector Megure was wearing a thick layer of armor that could provide some resistance when hit.

However, given how fat Inspector Megure is, the fact that he still exercises in the morning suggests that he is prone to weight gain.

"Damn it, who dared to lay a hand on the police? Has Inspector Megure been investigating some yakuza organization lately? Is this retaliation from the yakuza?" Kogoro Mouri asked, resting his chin on his hand.

Inspector Megure is his good friend, and since his friend has been hurt, this famous detective has to find the culprit.

This was also the reason why Inspector Megure invited him and Natsukawa over this time.

Inspector Megure is his good friend, and since his friend has been hurt, this famous detective has to find the culprit.

Conan, who was standing next to him, had the same idea.

The advantages of having many brothers became apparent at this moment. The Grim Reaper duo were filled with righteous indignation and high spirits, determined to avenge Inspector Megure.

Xia Chuan:.
After learning that Inspector Megure had been shot in the abdomen while jogging, he probably already knew what kind of case it was.

It seems that Inspector Megure was attacked because of Kogoro Mouri's influence.

This should be a theatrical version.

He should have remembered this when Kogoro Mouri met Eri Kisaki yesterday.

What I thought were just everyday events unrelated to the plot turned out to be the beginning of a case.

In his memory, the murderer in this case seemed to be a sommelier, and also a longtime friend of Kogoro Mouri and Eri Kisaki.

I've forgotten their name, but one thing is for sure: their target wasn't the Mori family or their friends.

Otherwise, the arrow shouldn't have hit the abdomen.

The two walked over and sat down, and Inspector Megure recounted his ordeal of being attacked.

He has a habit of jogging every morning. This morning, when he was jogging in Mihua Park, someone suddenly emerged from the bushes and shot him in the stomach with an arrow.

The attacker was dressed in racing gear and wearing a safety helmet. He fled immediately after the attack.

Driving an off-road motorcycle, it went extremely fast. The other party had obviously scouted the area. The surveillance footage did not provide the police with any useful clues. After the motorcycle entered the alley, it completely disappeared.

"It seems the suspect doesn't intend to kill Inspector Megure," Natsukawa said.

"What do you mean?" Kogoro Mouri asked.

"According to Inspector Megure, the other party emerged from the bushes at close range. If they really wanted to kill Inspector Megure at that distance, with the power of the crossbow and the accuracy at close range, could Inspector Megure have survived? Obviously not. That person was well prepared and had thoroughly investigated the escape route. There shouldn't have been any mistakes when shooting the arrow. I can't think of any other reason besides not intending to kill."

Inspector Megure was somewhat moved upon hearing this. After thinking for a moment, he realized that the suspect was no more than three meters away from him when he fired the shot. At that distance, even with poor accuracy, it would be impossible to kill him by hitting his abdomen.

“What Brother Natsukawa said seems to make sense.” After saying that, Inspector Megure immediately picked up his mobile phone and called Shiratori Ninzaburo.

After he was injured, the case was taken over by Shiratori, but there was no progress. Xia Chuan's idea might be helpful to the case; perhaps he had offended the other party somewhere.

After finishing the call, Inspector Megure took out another photo from the table: "Brother Natsukawa, could you take another look at this and tell me what it means?"

Xia Chuan took the photo and examined it. The photo showed a small dagger, or rather a small sword, only thirty centimeters long, and it looked brand new.

Inspector Megure explained, "This is an item that was thrown away after the attack. I suspect it represents some kind of meaning."

"An assassin?" Joel glanced at it a few times. It was just an ordinary small sword with nothing special about it. According to her thinking, it was most likely a kind of personal identification left behind by the assassin.

In the underworld, many assassins leave their own unique mark at the scene of a murder. These items vary, but they all represent the assassin's personal identity.

"No, it shouldn't be that simple." Xia Chuan shook his head, thinking about how to connect the small sword with the playing cards.

After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't come up with a suitable reason. What the sommelier was doing had nothing to do with him, so he had no reason to associate it with him.

So it seems that Eri Kisaki will only be added to the sommelier's kill list after she eats the poisoned chocolate and Professor Agasa is shot in the buttocks.

Right now, Kogoro Mouri doesn't even know that the murderer's disguised target is someone related to him. No matter how powerful he is, he can't skip over the disguised purpose and go straight to the real purpose. At that time, not only Conan, but Inspector Megure and Kogoro Mouri will probably suspect that he is related to this case.

All eyes were on Xia Chuan, waiting for him to explain his problem-solving approach.

"Uh," Xia Chuan coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, picked up the picture of the small sword and held it in his palm, saying seriously, "Don't you guys think this small sword looks a bit like the rapier that the King of Spades holds in a deck of cards?"

"Really?" Conan looked at Natsukawa strangely. How did they make this connection? Isn't the sword similar? Rather than associating it with playing cards, it's more accurate to say it's related to a chef.

and many more!

Conan narrowed his eyes and suddenly noticed something.

"Inspector Megure, where is this little sword now?" Conan asked anxiously.

"I took it back for fingerprint analysis."

Noticing Conan's anxiety, Inspector Megure glanced at the time. "The identification will be quick. Inspector Sato said he's coming to see me and give me a brief report. He should be bringing Ken with him."

"Great!"

Conan clapped with his left hand and cheered with his right; Inspector Megure was as reliable as ever.

"Kid, why ask so many questions? Inspector Megure is already tired, so don't ask useless things."

"Conan might have discovered something. Brother Mori, let Conan tell us." Inspector Megure certainly wouldn't do this with other kids, but Conan might be different.

Conan is pretty good. He can provide some clues at every crime scene. Although in the end, the mystery can only be solved after his brother Kogoro falls asleep, it is still very impressive!

Conan nodded in agreement; he had indeed discovered a problem.

Xia Chuan stroked his chin and looked it over, but he couldn't see anything unusual about it.

Soon, Miwako Sato arrived in a hurry, followed by a little follower.

The sidekick was none other than Officer Takagi.

After exchanging a few words of concern, the two then took out the small sword.

"Did you find anything?"

Conan held the evidence bag and examined Xiaojian up close, soon breaking into a smile.

"Look everyone, this little sword must have been just bought; there are no signs of it being used."

"So what?" Kogoro Mouri was itching to get involved, already holding his fist above Conan's head.

Conan, completely oblivious, said seriously, "This kind of small sword has no practical use, so its sales must be very low. I think we can find out by investigating knife dealers in Tokyo."

"Boom!"

"it hurts!"

Conan clutched his head, on the verge of tears. He had provided such a good clue, so why did Uncle Mori still hit him?

"Kid, do you know how big Tokyo is? Do you know how many knife shops there are? Even with the Metropolitan Police Department's ample manpower, it's impossible to conduct a carpet search throughout Tokyo."

Natsukawa remained noncommittal, agreeing with both Conan and Kogoro Mouri.

He suggested, "For now, we can only investigate based on this situation, but it shouldn't be the focus. Perhaps Inspector Megure could first consider whether anyone has a grudge against you."

"Celebrating a holiday."

Inspector Megure was stunned. He had a lot of grudges against people, but thankfully, most of them were criminals, and they had all been sent to prison.

"That's it!" Inspector Megure's eyes suddenly lit up as he thought of someone!

"Is it Murakami Takeshi?!"

"Murakami Jo?" Kogoro Mori suddenly became serious.

"Dad, could Murakami Takeshi be the guy who was just released from prison yesterday?"

Xiaolan was stunned. If the suspect was Murakami Takeshi, and her father had boasted yesterday that he had single-handedly arrested him, then wouldn't her father also be at risk of being attacked?

"Ah."

Kogoro Mouri nodded seriously and then said, "Murakami Jo was a dealer at the casino before. If you connect the sword, the playing cards, and Murakami Jo, it might really be him!"
This explains why he attacked Inspector Megure.

“Inspector Megure’s name contains the number 13, so he was left with the small sword in the King’s hand in the deck of cards!” Natsukawa said.

"Mr. Natsukawa is amazing. He discovered that this case was related to playing cards in advance." Takagi Wataru said with envy. If he had Natsukawa's associative ability, he would have been promoted and married Sato Miwako long ago.

"Not really, I was just offering a suggestion." Xia Chuan shrugged, indicating that it was all a fluke.

"In that case, Uncle Mori's name contains the number five."

As Conan thought about this, a bad feeling welled up in his heart.

A deck of cards consists of thirteen cards, from Ace to King. If Murakami Joe intended to use playing cards to commit murder, does that mean he had thirteen targets?

But if that's the case, who would the others be?
Yesterday, when Uncle Maoli was bragging, he already knew that there were only five police officers involved in the case, which was far from enough to make thirteen cards.

"Wait!" His expression suddenly changed. Things were more serious than he had thought. Murakami Takeshi's goal was not necessarily just the five people involved in the case.

They might take action against Uncle Mori and the people around Inspector Megure.

Speaking of which, Uncle Mori just met someone who might be on the poker list yesterday—Eri Kisaki!

(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)