Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

Upon entering the office, Sonoko spoke first: "Ryūno, what exactly happened? Why are you and your uncle acting so strangely?"

Although Conan didn't speak, he frowned and looked up at Ryūno.

Under everyone's gaze, Ryūno chuckled and said, "Uncle Suzuki, the reason you called Phantom Thief Kid here is probably to have him help you open the vault, right?"

"What?!" Sonoko exclaimed in surprise.

Conan seemed to have grasped some key 'inspiration' as well, resting his chin on his hand and lowering his head to think.

A moment later, Jirokichi Suzuki sat down in his chair and sighed, his voice low and somber: "You're right..."

"Oh? Why do you want me to open the vault for you?"

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, the maid, Mizuki Seto, slowly walked to the opposite side of Jirokichi Suzuki and spoke in the voice of Kaito Kid.

Upon seeing this, Sonoko and Conan immediately looked up at the maid, their pupils contracting.

This voice…

Is that maid Kaito Kid?!

Conan looked at Kid in front of him and instantly understood everything.

No wonder the initial announcement was noticeably different from the announcements that Kaito Kid had made before.

No wonder Suzuki Jirokichi hired three new recruits when he knew that Kaito Kid was about to come to his door.

That explains everything…

Jirokichi Suzuki specifically summoned Kaito Kid!

The first pre-announcement letter was actually a 'letter of appeal' he wrote to Phantom Thief Kid!

If you put the bottom words of the initial notice together from left to right, it says: 'Do me a favor.'

Jirokichi Suzuki rested his hands on the table, his face showing distress.

"If you ask me, Uncle must be trying to save 'Lupin'?" Ryūno said casually.

Upon hearing this, Suzuki Jirokichi and Kaito Kid both turned to look at Ryuno in surprise, while Ran and Sonoko stared blankly at Ryuno, puzzled.

A few seconds later, Jirokichi Suzuki loosened his clenched fists and explained, "That's right, Lupin is in that vault right now, it's locked inside..."

After hearing her uncle's words, Sonoko asked in confusion, "Is it locked inside? Uncle, why don't you just open the vault and let it out?"

Jirokichi Suzuki blinked sheepishly. "Because the steps were too complicated, I memorized the password and the order in which to open the vault on the handkerchief Lupin wore around his neck..."

Yuanzi: "..."

After a few seconds of silence, Sonoko spoke nervously, "But Uncle, if that's the case... Lupin has been locked in the vault for several days?! It wouldn't be...!"

“Don’t worry about that, it’s still alive and well. There’s a ventilation opening at the bottom of the vault, and I bring in food and water through there every day on time,” Suzuki Jirokichi said, shaking his head.

Hearing this, everyone understood what had happened.

When Suzuki Jirokichi opened the vault last time, he accidentally left Lupin inside.

After he locked the vault, he discovered that Lupin was still inside.

But without the handkerchief around Lupin's neck with the password written on it, he wouldn't have been able to open the vault at all.

In desperation, his first thought was to seek help from Phantom Thief Kid, the "expert in breaking into vaults".

In order to contact Phantom Thief Kid, he came up with the method of 'fake notice letter'.

In order to attract the attention of Phantom Thief Kid, he secretly conveyed to him that he needed help.

However, this approach has a major drawback…

Kaito Kid looked at Suzuki Jirokichi opposite him, crossed his legs, and said, "Grandpa Suzuki, what makes you think I'd definitely help you? I..."

Before Kaito Kid could finish speaking, Tatsuno stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

Kaito Kid turned to look at Ryuno, who had a friendly smile on his face, and sighed helplessly: "Never mind, I was going to help anyway..."

At this moment, Conan also remembered something and turned his head to say, "Brother Ryuno, you knew all along that the maid was actually Kaito Kid in disguise, which is why you made that complicated request back then, right?"

Sonoko's eyes lit up after hearing Conan's words.

No wonder she thought Longye's request was a bit strange back then, now I understand!

Before Ryūno could speak, Phantom Thief Kid frowned and said, "Grandpa Suzuki, I can lend a hand, but I need your cooperation."

"I understand... I will cooperate." Suzuki Kichijiro nodded.

After listening to their conversation, Sonoko blinked in confusion.

Cooperation? Cooperation in what?

Longye and the others nodded without saying anything more.

They understood what Kaito Kid meant.

Right now, the villa is surrounded by police, so there's no way that Phantom Thief Kid could openly appear in front of everyone and help open the vault.

Furthermore, Jirokichi Suzuki's actions this time were not exactly 'legal'.

Considering the hundreds of police officers inside and outside the villa... this goes beyond making a false report or wasting police resources.

If the police find out about this, Jirokichi Suzuki will inevitably face both legal and media sanctions…

However, it's likely that only the Second Investigation Division, where Inspector Nakamori is located, could send so many people at once...

They are generally only responsible for investigating 'intelligent crimes', and their caseload is much smaller than that of the First Investigation Division.

That makes sense, since there aren't many intelligent criminals to begin with...

If it were Inspector Megure's First Investigation Division, it would be impossible for them to mobilize so many police officers in such a short period of time.

Chapter 408 A "Lupin" Who Loves Detectives

When Sonoko was shocked to see her uncle discussing with Kaito Kid how to lure the police away in front of them, she covered her head with her hands, unable to tell whether it was reality or a dream.

"That uncle who's always wanted to catch Phantom Thief Kid, actually..."

Seeing Sonoko's horrified expression, Ryuno sighed helplessly and explained, "Sonoko, although your uncle did it to save his beloved dog Lupin, it's something that can't be done in the open. If that hot-blooded Inspector Nakamori finds out about this, what do you think will happen?"

Sonoko's mind flashed back to the scene of Inspector Nakamori reprimanding his subordinates, and she immediately shook her head.

She understood that Ryūno was right. Now that things had come to this, this matter absolutely could not be discovered by Inspector Nakamori and the others outside!

Otherwise, not only would my uncle lose all face, but he might even be arrested for reasons such as 'wasting police resources' or 'disturbing public order'.

Having figured this out, Sonoko clenched her fists, ready to say that she also wanted to join the plan to 'lure the police away'.

But the thought had barely formed in her mind when Sonoko nervously leaned her head on Ran's shoulder, "It really won't work, Ran... I just don't have any confidence in my acting skills..."

Upon hearing this, Xiaolan nodded, indicating that she was also worried about not acting well and having Inspector Nakamori and the others notice any flaws.

"Don't worry, you guys go to the restaurant for dinner first. This matter will be resolved soon~" Longye waved his hand casually.

"Alright, then we'll head to the restaurant first... We'll also prepare Lupin's dinner; just bring him to the restaurant after you rescue him!"

After saying goodbye to Ryūno and the others, Ran and Sonoko turned and walked out of the office.

A few minutes later, following Kaito Kid's instructions, Jirokichi Suzuki used the internal phone to call his newly hired secretary, Masuhiko Akitsu, and asked him to come to his room.

Longye and the others also left the office separately.

After parting ways with Kaito Kid, Conan whispered, "Takeda, I only started to suspect the maid's identity after the card appeared on the floor of that room. When did you start...?"

Ryūno glanced down at Conan and shook his head. "That's not important anymore. Let's rescue Lupin first. I remember he really likes you, doesn't he?"

Upon hearing this, Conan subconsciously touched his cheek, recalling the scene when he first met Lupin.

For some reason, that dog especially liked to lick him with its big tongue…

Thinking of this, Conan seemed to recall the wet, sticky feeling on his face, and suddenly shuddered.

……

Ten minutes later, Suzuki Jirokichi, leaning on his cane and carrying a large bag, walked to the room where the vault was located and explained his purpose to Inspector Nakamori.

After hearing Suzuki Jirokichi's request, Inspector Nakamori exclaimed in surprise, "What?! You know that Kid could appear at any moment, yet you still want to go in and open the vault now?!"

“That’s right, I need to check inside the vault. It’s something I do every day at this time.”

After saying that, Suzuki Jirokichi ignored Inspector Nakamori, pressed the anti-theft button, opened the door, and went into the room.

After entering the room, Suzuki Jirokichi turned his head and said, "It will be over in two or three minutes. During this time, you are absolutely not allowed to peek!"

After giving his instructions, Suzuki Jirokichi closed the door on his own.

Inspector Nakamori, standing by the door, squinted at the doorway, thinking to himself, "The more they say I can't see, the more I want to see..."

The next moment, Inspector Nakamori placed his hand on the doorknob, preparing to quietly peek into the room.

Just then, a large hand pressed down on Inspector Nakamori's shoulder, interrupting his actions.

When Inspector Nakamori turned around, he saw a large, square face.

Jirokichi Suzuki's bodyguard, Zengo Goto, glared at him and solemnly uttered a few words: "Please don't."

Inspector Nakamori smiled sheepishly and lowered his hand. "I knew it wouldn't work..."

Bodyguard Goto Zengo nodded, then put his hand to his mouth. "Also, could you please be quiet? This might disturb Advisor Suzuki while he's on the phone inside."

"Call up?"

"He was always talking to someone in the vault, but it could also be that he was talking to himself."

"Could it be that he forgot the vault's combination and is asking someone for it?"

"I don't know that."

After answering Inspector Nakamori's question, bodyguard Goto Zengo stopped talking and stood silently to the side, watching Inspector Nakamori's every move.

Having witnessed the entire scene, Longye chuckled from a distance, "Although he hired so many newcomers for that 'purpose,' it seems he made the right choice hiring this bodyguard."

Conan nodded as well. "Yes, he is indeed a competent bodyguard."

After saying that, Conan blinked helplessly.

The bodyguard's so-called "talking to himself" was actually just Jirokichi Suzuki talking to his dog, Lupin.

Two minutes later, Jirokichi Suzuki came out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"Alright, I've finished the inspection. Now you can do whatever you want with me!"