Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Six years ago, he fell off a cliff during a practice session and lost his life.

The first person to discover it was Yui Torada, the widow of Shigeji Torada's deceased older brother.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that Yui Torada should be tending to the horses in the stables not far away.

After learning the news, Hattori Heiji and his companion bid farewell to Torada Shigeji and prepared to go to the stables to meet Torada Yui.

……

Shortly after

Hattori Heiji and his companion arrived at the stables.

Just as Hattori Heiji was about to push open the stable door, a woman's shout came from inside the stable.

"Please, let me go! My husband only passed away a few days ago! What happened six years ago..."

Hattori Heiji immediately realized that someone was already asking Torada Yui what had happened.

As for who was asking Ms. Yui... Hattori Heiji's face lit up with excitement, thinking to himself, "It must be Kudo and the others!"

Thinking of this, Hattori Heiji stepped forward, pushed open the stable door, and laughed loudly, "Since she's said so, why don't you let her go, Uncle... uh?"

Before Hattori Heiji could finish speaking, he suddenly realized that the people in the stable were not Uncle Mori and his group.

The two people in the stable also looked at Hattori Heiji.

A middle-aged man with a small ponytail turned around and said coldly, "What do you want, kid?"

The man had dark skin, a full beard, and was wearing a navy blue suit.

He has a large "X" shaped scar on his left eye and is holding a crutch in his left hand, which suggests that he has some problem with his left leg.

Upon seeing the man's fierce expression, Hattori Heiji took a step back in fright, his smile vanishing instantly: "N-no, I'm fine. Excuse me... have you seen a detective with a small mustache who looks a bit dim-witted...?"

Just then, a resentful voice rang out behind Hattori Heiji: "The detective with the mustache who looks a bit dim-witted... Look back, isn't that what he looks like?!"

Hattori Heiji: "(#°Д°)!!"

Kogoro Mouri raised an eyebrow and brought his face close to Heiji Hattori's, staring intently at him.

"Ha, haha, uncle, I was just joking, just joking..." Hattori Heiji scratched his head sheepishly.

At that moment, Kazuha and Ran saw each other and immediately crossed their arms and touched each other with joy.

Ryūno and Conan exchanged a glance with Hattori Heiji, then smiled and nodded.

A few seconds later, Kogoro Mouri noticed the middle-aged man in the stable and looked at Heiji Hattori with a puzzled expression: "Hey, who's that fierce-looking guy?"

Hattori Heiji shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

The middle-aged man in the stable walked up to the group, took out a police ID from his pocket, and said seriously, "I am Inspector Yamato Kansuke of the Nagano Prefectural Police Station, who is in charge of this case."

After saying that, the man turned to the woman behind him and said rudely, "Alright, ma'am, I'll ask you one more time. Did that thing exist six years ago?"

"Hmph! Didn't I say I'm not in the mood to answer your questions right now?" the woman said with her eyes closed.

Upon hearing this, Officer Yamato grabbed the woman by the collar and roared, "This is a matter of life and death! Enough with the nonsense, tell me now!"

Just as Kogoro Mouri was about to step forward to stop her, the woman suddenly spoke up: "Okay, I understand. I remember there weren't any dead centipedes next to the body, only a dead horse..."

After listening, Officer Yamato immediately turned around and walked out of the stable, saying indifferently, "Is that so? Sorry to bother you."

After Officer Yamato left the stable, Kogoro Mouri, as if remembering something, asked, "Wait, do you know the meaning of centipede?"

"It's impossible to be sure at the moment, but if we don't close this case quickly, there will probably be more deaths coming out."

At this point, Officer Yamato suddenly looked at everyone and smiled, "It's just like a battlefield in the Warring States period."

As Officer Yamato's figure disappeared into the distance, Hattori Heiji remarked, "That officer is really strange. He looks more like a criminal than a policeman!"

"Yeah, how could he treat such a beautiful woman like that?!" Kogoro Mouri also grimaced.

After listening to what the two said, Xiaolan and Heye nodded without refuting.

This was the first time they had ever seen such "violent" police officers...

Longye glanced at the woman in the stable but did not speak.

"Childhood sweethearts... but when they meet again, she's already married, and might even be a suspect in a murder case. No wonder that Officer Yamato was so 'irritable'."

Chapter 316 Childhood Sweethearts: A Connection, and a Shackle

If I remember correctly, this police officer named Yamato Kansuke encountered an avalanche six months ago while pursuing a fugitive.

Although he had been taken to the hospital by locals, he remained in a coma, so the police believed he had died in the line of duty.

The woman in the stable, who is Torada Yui of the Torada family, was originally named Uehara Yui.

She was Yamato Kansuke's subordinate and his childhood sweetheart; the two had harbored feelings for each other since they were young.

After learning that Officer Yamato had died in an avalanche, she resigned from her job as a detective and came to this village in despair.

To fulfill her and Officer Yamato's shared wish—"Six years ago, after learning of the murder of their 'mentor,' Inspector Kai Genjin, they made a firm decision to find the real culprit."

Uehara Yui eventually married someone she didn't love at all, Torada Yoshiro, the heir of the Torada family, who was "killed" by a tornado.

It's easy to imagine how distressed Yamato Kansuke must have felt upon hearing this news after recovering from his coma and returning to the police station.

He is permanently blind in his left eye, his left leg has suffered a severe injury that is difficult to heal, and even his sweetheart has become a "married woman".

In addition to the two recent cases, his "ideal woman" is also one of the suspects...

Thinking of this, Longye clicked his tongue and closed his eyes to mourn for him for three seconds.

This is also thanks to the officer's sound mind and strong will.

If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have collapsed long ago.

……

Soon after, Ryūno and his companions followed the woman from the stable, Torada Yui, back to Torada's home.

The group sat around the table, summarizing the intelligence they had gathered so far.

Putting aside the incident from six years ago, these two recent incidents have two things in common: first, the people who discovered the bodies were people close to the victims, and second, there was a dead centipede next to the body in both cases.

In the incident six years ago, no centipede carcass was found.

However, all of this is predicated on the fact that Ms. Yui's testimony is true.

After listening to everyone's discussion, Torada Yui crossed her arms and analyzed, "However, although there was no centipede next to the body six years ago, in terms of 'failure to help someone in distress,' it may be the same as the first case of my husband's death."

Upon hearing this, Hattori Heiji immediately asked, "Should we stand by and watch someone die? Didn't the person who died six years ago die instantly after falling off a cliff?"

"No, when we found Mr. Kai's body, he was already very emaciated. Based on the current situation, it is believed that he fell off the cliff and his body hit trees and rocks, breaking his back."

"His white martial arts uniform was stained with blood that had oxidized and turned black. Most importantly, according to the forensic examination, he starved to death..."

"Starve to death?!" Kogoro Mori exclaimed in astonishment.

“That’s right. The place where he fell never sees sunlight, and no one usually passes by there. His body was discovered almost a week ago,” Ms. Yui said with her eyes closed.

"A week... Didn't he fall off a cliff with his horse? Even with such a large target, you still couldn't find him? Did you guys really search properly back then?" Hattori Heiji complained.

Miss Yui's eyes widened immediately: "Of course we searched carefully! The police and villagers were all mobilized, and everyone searched day and night! Because everyone admires the character of the Kai patrol officer!"

After Ms. Yui's explanation, everyone learned that Kai Genjin, who died six years ago, had worked at the police station in this village.

He is a person with a strong sense of justice, who is kind and gentle, and is loved by all the villagers.

The reason they couldn't find him for a week was that after falling off the cliff, Mr. Kai was unfortunately covered by fallen leaves.

The body remained buried there until the thick layer of fallen leaves was blown away.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes showed surprise.

No wonder Ms. Yui suspected that Kai was also "left to die" six years ago.

Looking at it this way, the incident six years ago might not have been an accident...

After thinking for a while, Hattori Heiji seemed to have thought of something, turned to look at Torada Shigeji beside him, and asked, "From the time your brother had the accident to the time you found him, did a week also pass?"

“No, my brother Yoshiro’s body fell on a rock with a good view, so it was easy to find,” Torada Shigeji said, bowing his head.

"Back then, was it the whole village that went out to search together?" Conan pressed.

Torada Shigeji shook his head and said, "No, we only started looking for him after dawn when we saw that my brother hadn't returned yet."

At this moment, Yui spoke up: "Start looking for people? Didn't you accidentally find my husband's body on your way to the cave?"

Just as everyone was wondering what kind of cave Ms. Yui had mentioned, the door was opened, and the client, Naonobu Torada, and his wife, Tatsue Torada, walked in.

As soon as he entered, the client, Naonobu Torada, complained, "What cave! This kid never does his job properly, always daydreaming about exploring and treasure hunting in caves! You've completely disgraced the Torada family!!!"

“That’s right, you really need to step up your game! Fanci, you’re the only one left who can inherit this family!” the client’s wife added.

After saying this, Torada Naonobu turned his gaze to Mouri Kogoro and slowly asked, "So, Detective Mouri, have you found any clues?"

Kogoro Mouri frowned: "This... near the body of Mr. Koji from the Ryūo family, just like Mr. Yoshirō from your family, someone placed a dead centipede."

“Speaking of Mr. Koji, my husband would often have private talks with him before he passed away... it seemed like they were talking about whether or not to go,” Ms. Yui recalled from the side.

Before anyone could think further, the client, Naonobu Torada, continued:

"Yes, I've heard about that too. They said they're going to meet that one-eyed detective named Yamato soon, and that something big might happen, so we should be prepared!"

Upon receiving this news, Kogoro Mouri and Heiji Hattori immediately got up and prepared to go to the Ryuo family to investigate relevant information about the matter.

Conan also quietly got up and followed Heiji Hattori.

At this moment, Hattori Heiji noticed that Ryūno was still sitting there drinking tea and frowned, saying, "Takeda, what are you still sitting there for? Aren't you coming with us to Ryūo's house?"

Longye put down his teacup and shook his head: "No, it might rain in a bit. Besides, the criminal hasn't been caught yet. What if Xiaolan and the others are in danger if you all leave?"

Kogoro Mouri and Conan were already used to Ryuno's personality, so they didn't say anything and thought it was normal.

Hattori Heiji turned to look at Ran and Kazuha, slightly taken aback with surprise in his eyes, thinking to himself, "Do these two violent women need someone to protect them?"

Although Hattori Heiji didn't say it aloud, Tatsuno still sensed something from his strange gaze.

"Hmm? Hattori, do you have a different opinion?" Tatsuno asked with a smile.

Seeing Ryūno's ambiguous smile, Hattori Heiji immediately shivered and turned his head away: "N-nothing, we'll be going now..."

Chapter 317 Fire Prevention, Theft Prevention, and Clothing Protection

After Kogoro Mouri and his group left, the clients, Naonobu Torada and his wife, along with Shigeji Torada, also came out of the room.