Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Although Officer Takagi's investigation results are not yet available, as long as Mr. Kusaka and Ms. Akiyoshi are not accomplices, then Kusaka Hiroshige's alibi is valid.

After leaving Ms. Akiyoshi's room, Kogoro Mouri walked down the street with his head down and a gloomy expression.

Upon noticing his condition, Inspector Megure joked again.

"He must be thinking about that Minamiko from earlier~ She's a real beauty, after all~"

Upon hearing this, Kogoro Mouri scratched the back of his head and laughed again, feeling embarrassed.

Shortly after, Officer Takagi also finished investigating the ship's call records. At 10 o'clock, Mr. Kusaka did indeed have a phone call with Ms. Akikichi for about half an hour.

Upon hearing this news, Inspector Megure and the others all sighed.

Therefore, Mr. Kusaka's alibi is indeed valid.

But if Mr. Kusaka is not the culprit, then their investigation has come full circle.

There were over six hundred passengers and crew members on board, making it virtually impossible to identify a suspect from such a large group.

Seeing that the case had returned to square one, Inspector Megure and the others went to President Takae's room to see if the forensic team had made any new progress.

Upon entering, Inspector Megure immediately greeted him, "Mr. Aryu, how's the investigation going?"

"Inspector Megure! The investigation is temporarily over, but we didn't find anything," explained the forensic team leader in his blue uniform.

"Is that so? You've worked hard." Inspector Megure nodded slightly.

He never had any hope of "successfully resolving the case through on-site investigation".

Just then, the forensic officer spoke up, "However, there's something strange. There's a large patch of reddish-brown liquid on the floor near the victim. It looks like the liquid was wiped up."

"Reddish-brown liquid? Isn't that blood?"

"No, it's not. Although it looks like blood, it doesn't have a luminol reaction."

"Yeah……"

Upon hearing this news, Inspector Megure and the others shook their heads and put the matter out of their minds.

Although the reddish-brown liquid stains on the ground were indeed suspicious, this pool of liquid, devoid of any clues, did not help them identify the perpetrator.

Unlike Inspector Megure and the others, Kogoro Mouri and Conan both showed thoughtful expressions after hearing the news.

A few minutes later, everyone returned to the cruise ship's conference room.

The group brainstormed and discussed the next steps.

Not long after, Captain Haito Wataru knocked on the door and entered the conference room.

Just minutes earlier, he received a call from the Japan Coast Guard.

The Japan Security Agency has already found the body of the eighth chairman on the sea.

Although he had suspected it beforehand, Inspector Megure's expression became noticeably more serious after hearing the news firsthand.

Just then, Officer Takagi suddenly spoke up: "Inspector! Officer Sato and the others seem to have made a new discovery!"

"You mean the case of Eito Yashiro? What did Sato say?" Upon hearing this, Inspector Megure immediately frowned.

"Officer Sato said that there was a suspicious scorch mark on the car's seatbelt buckle, resembling a kite string. Apart from that, there were only empty juice cans and other scrap metal inside the car."

The appearance of the "kite string" and the "juice can" caught Conan's eye. He looked around for a while and found an empty paper bag.

Chapter 301 Kogoro Mouri Under the Spotlight

Conan blew air into the paper bag and then sealed the opening with his hand.

The next second, he ran straight to Inspector Megure and the others who were thinking about the case, and used his other hand to crush the paper bag.

"boom!"

The sound of the paper bag exploding startled the group of people who were deep in thought.

Just as Kogoro Mouri was about to teach Conan a lesson, Officer Takagi, who was standing nearby, looked at the tattered paper bag in Conan's hand and exclaimed as if he had just realized something.

Amidst the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Officer Takagi exclaimed, "A jar that'll give you a fright! Isn't that...?"

"Flashbang, its shape really does look like a soda can!" Officer Shiratori added.

"Flashbang? What's that?" Inspector Megure asked, puzzled.

"That's right! It's a weapon that produces a blinding flash and sound after it explodes!" Officer Takagi immediately explained with a smile.

While Inspector Megure was still completely baffled, Officer Shiratori explained, "If you tie a flashbang with the safety pin removed to a kite string, and then tie the kite string to the seatbelt buckle, the flashbang will detonate when the victim fastens their seatbelt."

Upon hearing this, Inspector Megure and Kogoro Mouri both realized what was happening.

If that were done, even if Hidetoshi Yashiro didn't have a heart attack while driving, he would faint and lose control of the vehicle, naturally causing him to drive off the cliff.

Therefore, it is highly likely that the incident of Yashiro Eito driving his car off a cliff and the deaths of Chairman Yashiro and his daughter on the ship were committed by the same person.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that there was a deep-seated hatred between the prisoner and the Yatsushiro family.

Inspector Megure looked at the captain beside him and said seriously, "Captain, I have something I'd like to discuss with you! Could we postpone tonight's welcome party? The deaths of Chairman Yatsushiro and his daughter still require further investigation!"

"Ah? But this..." The captain looked troubled.

If the passengers on the ship were just ordinary people, it wouldn't be a problem, but those who came to participate in the "Aphrodite's Departure Journey" were all prominent figures invited by the Eighth Chairman.

Former prime ministers and their spouses, chairmen of large and small conglomerates, owners of major corporations...

Inspector Megure noticed the captain's hesitation and pleaded again, "Please, Captain!"

Just then, a confident voice echoed throughout the conference room.

"—Inspector Megure, please wait a moment! Let the party proceed as planned. By then, the truth should come out!"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to Kogoro Mouri.

Inspector Megure exclaimed with delight, "Brother Mouri! Could it be that you've already...?"

Officer Takagi exclaimed excitedly, "Has that inspiration struck you again?!"

"Hahahaha!" Kogoro Mouri stuck out his tongue and laughed wildly.

Officer Shiratori, standing nearby, chuckled and teased, "But you're still awake!"

Only Conan looked at Uncle Mori speechlessly, his face full of doubt.

……

after an hour

Longye and the others changed into formal attire and prepared to head to the main restaurant for tonight's cocktail party.

Sonoko had given these instructions to everyone before boarding the ship.

Therefore, even Mitsuhiko and the others had already prepared their suits and dress shirts.

Although the criminal has not yet been caught, everyone is excited about the upcoming party.

After all, apart from the garden, people rarely attend such "dinner parties".

Soon after, the group gathered at the restaurant entrance.

When everyone saw Longye and Xiaolan's attire, they all showed expressions of shock.

Ryūno was wearing a black evening tuxedo, while Rin was wearing a blue and white dress.

The black evening suit perfectly showcased Longye's physique and image. Every gesture he made exuded the handsome and dashing air of a true noble prince.

Xiaolan also put on the "Azure Star" gem, which perfectly complemented her dress.

In everyone's eyes, Xiaolan at this moment was like a real "Blue Princess".

Seeing the dramatic change in the two simply by changing their clothes, everyone held their breath.

"Brother Longye, Sister Xiaolan, you..."

"Brother Longye is so handsome!"

"Sister Xiaolan is so pretty too!"

"..."

"Ran, this dress suits you so well! You really look like a princess! No, you are a princess!" Sonoko exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.

"Seriously, Sonoko, you're exaggerating!" Xiaolan blushed and quickly waved her hand.

At that moment, Inspector Megure and the others, who were observing the guests, also noticed Tatsuno and the others entering the room.

Upon seeing the two of them, everyone couldn't help but turn to look at Kogoro Mouri.

"Mouri, look! Ran and Tatsuno have grown up without us even noticing..."

"Yes, Mr. Mori, they are such a perfect match!"

At that moment, Kogoro Mori looked at Ryuno and Ran in the distance and silently shed a few tears.

Upon seeing Kogoro Mouri's tears, Inspector Megure immediately exclaimed in shock, "Mouri?! What's wrong?"

Officers Takagi and Shiratori stared at Kogoro Mouri with astonishment and confusion.

Kogoro Mouri remained silent for a long time before finally wiping his eyes with his sleeve and replying softly, "It's nothing..."

A few minutes later, most of the guests had arrived. The lights in the venue flickered twice.

Immediately afterwards, Ms. Kaho Tsujimoto stood on the podium and began to speak.

"Welcome everyone to the Aphrodite! I'm Kaho Tsujimoto, the host of tonight's party. Thank you!"

Amidst enthusiastic applause from the passengers, Ms. Tsujimoto introduced the ship's main staff.

Shortly afterward, Captain Kaito took to the podium to deliver a speech.

Just then, an audience member suddenly interrupted: "Captain! Is it true that President Takae and Chairman Yatsushiro were murdered?!"

A stone stirred up a thousand waves.

As the man finished speaking, the other guests also began to ask questions.

"Were they really killed?"

"Captain, have you caught the prisoner?!"

"Could the criminal still be among us?!"

"..."