Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Ryūno and his group arrived at the Hokubu Department Store where Uncle Mori's photos were taken.

In order to legally 'access surveillance footage', Conan secretly called Officer Takagi.

Upon learning that it was Kogoro Mouri's request, Officer Takagi immediately agreed.

He knew the media was currently "besieging" Kogoro Mouri, and he wanted to do his part to help Kogoro Mouri investigate the case.

Soon after, the group arrived at the floor where the 'photos were taken'.

Conan looked down at the coffee shop across the street from the window. "You can't see the faces of the people sitting in the coffee shop across the street at all from here."

Ryūno nodded and said, "Yes, just as we guessed, that 'beer coupon' should also be the work of Himuro Reiji."

Conan and Amuro Tooru nodded slowly.

The reason Himuro Reiji sent Kogoro Mouri a coupon was to lure him to the coffee shop across the street.

Although they didn't know why Uncle Mori would fall for the trap so easily, it didn't matter anymore.

The reason Himuro Reiji lured Uncle Mori here and deliberately provoked him by making a phone call was to obtain an alibi through him.

With Officer Takagi's help, Tatsuno and his group were able to view the surveillance footage from yesterday in the building's security room.

The footage clearly shows Reiji Himuro and Kogoro Mouri.

Yesterday afternoon, this building was hosting a public recording event for a radio channel.

Himuro Reiji probably knew this news and that there would be many people here, which is why he deliberately chose this place as the stage for his 'alibi'.

After leaving the Hokubu Department Store, Officer Takagi led Tatsuno and the others to the scene of the crime involving the victim, Shingo Numao, and contacted the patrol officer who had witnessed the entire incident.

It was learned from the inquiry that the patrol officer received an emergency call while on patrol yesterday afternoon.

Someone called the police saying that some suspicious person had broken into the building, which is why he came here.

When he arrived, he saw the victim on the stairs.

He had just warned that the building was in danger of collapsing when the victim suddenly ran upstairs after seeing him.

Less than two seconds later, the victim suddenly fell down the stairs and died instantly.

After listening to the patrol officer's explanation, Amuro Tooru frowned and said, "Officer Takagi, could you conduct a voiceprint analysis on the recording of that emergency call?"

Officer Takagi nodded and said, "I see. You mean that emergency call might have been made by Himuro! I'll contact the communications command center and the person in charge of the investigation right away!"

After speaking, Officer Takagi took out his phone and made a contact.

Conan and Amuro Tooru looked around and continued to assess the situation.

After a while, Conan looked at the patrol officer beside him and asked, "Officer, did you notice anything else at the time?"

The patrol officer thought for a moment, "That's right! I remember now, he seemed to be on the phone at the time!"

Officer Takagi, who had just finished his call, overheard this and exclaimed in surprise, "Making a call? We didn't find the victim's phone yesterday!"

"Since the victim was making a phone call on the stairs at the time, and no phone was found nearby, it's very likely that he threw it away in a moment of panic," Longye said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Officer Takagi immediately decided to expand the search area and look for the phone together.

Since the building is surrounded by flat land with no view, it would be impossible for a cell phone to go unnoticed if it fell on the ground.

Therefore, the most likely location is the woods not far from this abandoned building.

Ryūno and Ran followed Officer Takagi and the patrol officers into the woods to search for their cell phones.

Conan then secretly walked to the staircase on the outside of the building, intending to personally explore the staircase where the victim had been.

Chapter 401 Water Can Carry a Boat

After climbing the stairs, Conan subconsciously touched the stair railing.

Upon feeling the peculiar sensation from the railing, Conan immediately released his grip on the railing and looked down at his palm.

His hands were already covered in rust from just a light grip on the railing.

It seems that this building is indeed, as the patrol officers said, an abandoned building at risk of collapse.

After brushing the rust off his hands, Conan continued upstairs.

He was startled when he saw a large, openwork hole on the right side of the stairs in front of him.

To his surprise, the staircase was even more dilapidated than he had imagined.

Conan cautiously moved forward along the left side of the stairs.

When he reached the vicinity of the cave entrance, he subconsciously reached out his left hand, preparing to hold onto the railing on the left.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that he couldn't touch anything with his left hand.

He then noticed that the railing on his left had long since broken off and disappeared.

Because his center of gravity had shifted to the left, he almost fell down the stairs.

Conan quickly shifted his weight to the right to avoid falling.

Just then, a hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder, steadying Conan. "Watch out!"

After letting out a sigh of relief, Conan turned around and looked behind him, where Amuro Tooru had come into his sight.

Although Amuro Tooru's appearance surprised him slightly, Conan still said, "That was dangerous! Thank you..."

Amuro Tooru nodded, then turned to look at the railing. "This should be the reason for the victim's death."

Upon hearing this, Conan glanced down from the broken railing and suddenly realized what was going on.

The deceased, Shingo Numao, likely suffered the same fate as him, passing by on the left side while hugging his body to avoid the opening on the right side of the stairs when he reached this point.

When he instinctively reached out to grab the railing on the left, just like he had done... the railing suddenly broke, and he fell down as a result.

And this is Himuro Reiji's 'murder method'!

Shortly after, Conan and Amuro Tooru walked down the stairs.

Longye and the others had also found the cell phone in the woods and returned downstairs.

Although the phone has been found, the data and call logs on it are likely damaged due to the fall from a height.

Conan was about to say something to Officer Takagi when he suddenly realized that Amuro Tooru was still beside him, so he immediately shut his mouth.

He glanced up at Amuro Tooru, only to find Amuro Tooru smiling at him.

Conan quickly pretended not to care and turned his head to the side, but he was very nervous inside.

'Damn it! This guy definitely guessed what was going on!'

Amuro Tooru glanced at Conan a couple more times, then turned to Takagi and said, "Officer Takagi, Conan and I just went up the stairs to take a look. If possible, could you please examine the broken part of the handrail more closely?"

"The railing? Okay, I understand." Officer Takagi nodded seriously.

Just then, Amuro Tooru's phone suddenly vibrated.

He took out his phone and glanced at it, then his pupils constricted.

Then, he turned to Longye and the others, "Sorry, I suddenly have something I need to take care of..."

"Mr. Amuro, thank you so much for today!"

"That's right, Mr. Amuro, you go ahead and get busy. Leave the rest to us~"

Longye and Xiaolan spoke up one after another.

After saying goodbye to everyone, Amuro Tooru immediately turned and left.

Although he was a little puzzled as to why Amuro Tooru suddenly wanted to leave after looking at his phone, Conan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his departing figure.

Unlike Sera Masumi and others who already know his true identity, Amuro Tooru currently has no clue about his background.

Having someone like that watching his every move put him under considerable pressure.

After Amuro Tooru left, Officer Takagi also said goodbye to Tatsuno and the others, as he was going to take the cell phone he had just found back to the Metropolitan Police Department for investigation.

Ryuno glanced at Ran and Conan and chuckled, "Let's go back first~ Uncle Mori should be awake by now, let's go back and tell him what we found."

……

Not long after, at the Mori Detective Agency.

To the surprise of Ryuno and the others, Kogoro Mouri was still snoring, probably because he had drunk too much alcohol the day before.

Although somewhat speechless, Ran ultimately didn't have the heart to wake Kogoro Mouri up on the spot.

After all, what happened yesterday was indeed a heavy blow to him.

He also saw yesterday's media reports and public opinion, and he must be feeling very down.

While waiting for Kogoro Mouri to wake up, Ran got up and went to the kitchen to make some tea.

After Ran entered the kitchen, Conan immediately looked at Tatsuno, frowning, and said, "Although the clues we've found all point to Reiji Himuro, we don't have any substantial evidence..."

Ryūno nodded and said, "Well, based on this information alone, it's probably not enough to convict Himuro Reiji. But... do you remember the surveillance footage we saw at the Hokubu Department Store?"

"monitor?"

"Yes, Himuro Reiji deliberately chose the building where a public recording of a radio channel was taking place in order to obtain eyewitnesses. Conversely, this was also his biggest mistake."

Conan was silent for a moment after Ryuno's words, but after a while, he understood what Ryuno meant.

"I remember now! Before Uncle Mori arrived, Reiji Himuro in the surveillance footage was making a phone call near that recording event!"

"That's right, if all goes well..."

"Maybe they recorded his conversation at the time!!" Conan exclaimed excitedly.

Ryūno chuckled, "That's right. Now all you have to do is wait for Officer Takagi's investigation results, and then you can notify Inspector Megure."

……

Two hours later.

The scene of Shingo Numao's death.

Inspector Megure, who received a call from Kogoro Mouri, arrived at the crime scene with his subordinates and Reiji Himuro.

Kogoro Mouri and Tatsuno, who had received a notification from Inspector Megure, also arrived at the scene.

Upon seeing the situation before him, Kogoro Mouri was immediately puzzled. "Inspector, what's going on...?"

Before Kogoro Mouri could finish speaking, Conan shot him with his watch from the shadows.