I'm in Detective Conan, and the system has appointed Batman.

Chapter 218 Magic props?

"Huh? You mean, someone bombed the National Institute of Microbiology in Tokyo, stole the deadly virus inside, hired a team of mercenaries to disguise themselves as members of the Red Siamese Cat, and even planned to stage a terrorist attack on the airship between Tokyo and Osaka."

"Was the purpose merely to distract the Nara Prefecture police so they could sneak in and steal the Buddha statue?"

"Are you kidding me? Even if you could bypass the Nara Prefecture police this way, it would be very difficult to smuggle it out. Let alone a fake virus, even a real virus couldn't paralyze customs."

Hearing Chen En's voice on the other end of the phone, Hattori Heiji couldn't help but complain.

They had rarely been in contact since their last meeting at the Nagato family villa. He had recently taken some time to invite Kudo and Chen En over for a visit, but as soon as he picked up his phone, he was told these inexplicable things.

Are you kidding me? If it weren't for the fact that the National Institute of Microbiology in Tokyo was actually bombed in Seymourne...

Even if Chen En said something, he didn't believe it at all!

Hattori Heiji scratched his head, looking somewhat confused, and said...

"I understand. Gofukuji Temple, right? I'll go check it out."

"If they were going to steal the Buddha statue, they should have scouted the location beforehand. If I see any suspicious people, I will continue to investigate until I find out who the ringleader is."

He had just finished speaking when he suddenly asked curiously,
"Oh, by the way, has Kudo revealed his true identity to that girl yet?"

"The Osaka Police Department recently received a few new cars. Come visit Osaka in a while, and I'll take you guys for a ride in the new cars. It's really fun!"

Chen En: ?
Has your delusion of making me the first Batman to ride in a police car not been shattered yet?
Chen En was speechless. He gave Hattori Heiji a final reminder about his situation before ending the call.

And on the other end of the phone.

The girl who had been following Hattori Heiji asked curiously.

"What's wrong? Heiji, who called you?"

"Is it that Kudo guy again?"

A hint of suspicion appeared in Toyama Kazuha's eyes.

Ever since Hattori Heiji went to Tokyo and came back, he keeps mentioning Kudo, whom he met there. Seriously, is she some very beautiful girl that he can't forget?

Or is it that the first love Heiji has been searching for is actually Kudo?
—Back when we were at the Changmen Villa.

When Hattori Heiji asked Chen En how he knew about the girl bouncing the ball and received the answer that he had seen it in a manga, his attention was drawn to other things and he did not continue the conversation.

Because when he was a child, he even published a news article to find the person in question, and at the time he was holding the glass marble that the girl had dropped on the ground.

It's just that it happened so long ago that he almost forgot about it. Now that he thinks about it, Chen En probably saw that news from eight years ago, which is why he used it as a topic to get closer to him.

"In short, I'm going to go check out Nara Prefecture next."

"I've heard that someone is trying to steal the national treasure-level Buddha statue from Gofuku-ji Temple in Nara Prefecture and sell it abroad. I'd better check to see if there's any truth to it. Inspector Shikazumi will definitely be in trouble if he hears about this!"

Hattori Heiji said with a grin,

Upon hearing this, Toyama Kazuha's attention was also drawn to the topic.
She covered her mouth in surprise.

"Huh? They actually stole a Buddha statue from Nara Prefecture?"

"Don't those people know that there are brave Nara Prefectural Police guarding Nara Prefecture?"

Inspector Takeshi Kazuno from Nara Prefecture has a notoriously bad temper.

Not only does its name have a Nara style, but its temperament is also quintessentially Nara.

If someone dares to cause trouble on Deer Antlers' territory, won't they be dealt with by the Great Memory Restoration Technique?

"Well, since you've put it that way, I'll reluctantly go with you." "Don't leave me alone again like last time!"

------

"You mean, someone bombed the National Institute of Microbiology in Tokyo, located in Nishitama City next to Beika Town, and then their aim was to steal Buddhist statues from temples in Nara Prefecture, Kansai? Is that true?"

Conan sat in the chair and said with some disbelief.

He doesn't really want to move around right now.

The main problem is that I don't know why my body feels sore, as if I've just had a high-intensity workout.

"However, since Hattori said he would handle it, there shouldn't be any problems."

"I just want to ask one question: what exactly happened last night? I feel like I have muscle memory for fighting techniques, and my whole body aches... Is this drug capable of improving my fighting skills?"

Chen En: ?
Is it possible that it's because I made you practice extra all night after you recovered?
We only sent you back to the office this time because we saw the medication had worn off.

If taking drugs could improve fighting skills, I would definitely take drugs more often than you. After all, it takes a full thousand points to advance from intermediate to advanced fighting proficiency. If there are other ways to level up, he certainly wouldn't let them pass by.

Chen En waved his hand, signaling Conan to stop talking nonsense.

He simply sighed, looked out the window, and then asked,
"Recently, yakuza organizations have begun to become active again in Tokyo."

"Do you remember those gangsters who wear black skull masks on their heads?"

—A gangster wearing a black skull mask?
That sounds a bit unoriginal.

Conan has seen many yakuza executives robbing people while wearing all sorts of masks. Last time, there was even a gang of robbers wearing Lupin masks and Kamen Rider masks. But a black skull mask is just too ordinary.

He stroked his chin, pondering for a moment.

Then, an uncertain answer was given.

"Could it be the Steel Association?"

"Before I shrunk, I went to many nearby cities to solve cases. Back then, I heard about a yakuza organization called the Steel Society in Kanagawa that wore black skull masks, but I didn't really believe it."

"Now that yakuza are legal, if it is really a yakuza organization, then it should be registered with the official authorities."

"However, I have never heard of the Steel Society, this yakuza organization, from the Fourth Investigation Division. Moreover, the stories about the organization are very mysterious, such as the leader of the yakuza organization having a black mask with magical powers."

"He can control other people's minds simply by putting this mask on their faces."

Conan chuckled as he finished speaking.

"Honestly, it's obviously some kind of urban legend. I'm just saying it, just treat it as a story."

—A black mask with magical powers?

Chen En pondered for a moment.

This is not impossible. Besides, in the Conan universe, magical gadgets are the type that are hard to find but inexplicably feel like they are everywhere. Conan has even come into contact with the owners of magical gadgets in the cases.

This does not refer to Koizumi Akako, but to a baseball player who wielded the "God's Bat".

He possesses the supernatural ability to make baseball reach the top of the pitch at will.

(TV343, Shigeo Nagashima.)
"...Then we really need to be careful."

(End of this chapter)