Detective Conan: Is Miss Haibara planning to assault a police officer again today?

"You...!" Ai Haibara said, not wanting to talk to this guy who was becoming increasingly careless when talking to girls, and walked towards the airport exit on her own.

It's quite a long distance to get home from the international airport.

The Kudo family home remains very comfortable.

Higashino Ning was too tired to talk, so he went upstairs and fell asleep.

This time, Ai Haibara didn't urge Higashino Ning to take a bath or anything; she was exhausted herself.

But after a short rest, she took a bath and then fell asleep peacefully while holding Miss Panda.

Dreams are truly wonderful.

An ordinary town, an ordinary life, an ordinary you and an ordinary me, together we make up an ordinary home.

What is unrealistic is the dream.

But the reality of the future probably won't be too bad.

Ai Haibara has confidence in herself and Ning Higashino.

...

The next day.

Higashino Ning dragged his still-recovering body out of bed.

Ai Haibara was still sleeping, and he was too lazy to cook for himself, so he simply took a shower and went out to have breakfast.

I didn't see Vermouth at the Metropolitan Police Department today, and walking into the office felt a bit like stepping into another world.

He greeted them as soon as he entered, and the repeated calls of "Inspector" made him secretly pleased.

The police have had a relatively comfortable life these days.

For a full six days, Higashino Ning only managed to get three cases for free, earning a total of 7 reward points.

Beika Town really wouldn't be the same without Conan, the free-spirited Grim Reaper.

But it's great to get something for free, so I don't care about the amount.

"Takagi, you look refreshed."

Higashino Ning sat down next to Takagi Wataru. "How have you been these past few days?"

He, who was getting freebies in Kyushu, shouldn't know anything about the situation in Tokyo. He should ask about it now, both logically and emotionally.

Takagi briefly recounted the cases he had been handling these past few days, and then inquired about his travels.

The morning passed quietly as we chatted.

Inspector Higashino was like a street urchin, wandering around here and there. When he had nothing to do, he would drop by the classroom next door. If he really had nowhere to go, he would go and bother Shiratori Ninzaburo and have some tea with him.

Before his trip, he had said he would treat Shiratori Ninzaburo to dinner, but that very evening Shikoku was already there.

This greatly displeased Shiratori Ninzaburo, who said he would definitely beat him up tonight no matter what.

Because he had broken his promise first, Higashino Ning had no choice but to agree, and the other party's current attitude was already quite considerate.

In the afternoon, Inspector Megure and Shiratori Ninzaburo suddenly found Higashino Ning and also called Takagi Wataru, Sato Miwako, and Chiba Kazunobu to their office.

The two inspectors looked quite serious.

"Brother Higashino, someone in our Metropolitan Police Department has been deliberately murdered."

Chapter 148: The Beginning of Another Theatrical Version

Who was killed?

Yuki Nagasawa?

The face of the young policewoman flashed through Higashino Ning's mind.

Based on previous speculation, he believed that Yuki Nagasawa was replaced after meeting Ai Haibara.

Moreover, from a purely logical standpoint, it's impossible for Vermouth to have started impersonating Nagasawa Yuki a year ago.

In addition, since Nagasawa Yuki was not seen today, Higashino Ning immediately wondered if Vermouth was going to abandon this identity.

Of course, I kept my guesses to myself and couldn't say them out loud.

Seeing that he was only somewhat shocked and didn't say anything, Inspector Megure stopped being mysterious and said, "The detective who died this time was transferred from the First Investigation Division last year. Officer Sato knew him."

Miwako Sato blinked. "I know him?"

“Yes, Officer Aota, he used to work with you under Inspector Tomonari.” Inspector Megure returned to his office chair and sat down. “He was just found dead in his own underground garage, clutching his police handbook.”

I'm quite familiar with Inspector Higashino Ning.

He passed away a year ago due to a sudden heart attack while on a mission. Not long ago, Shiratori Ninzaburo was promoted to police inspector, taking his place.

If Ida Kou hadn't died in an accident last year, he would have been the police inspector.

At that time, Sato Miwako was under Inspector Tomonari, while Higashino Ning and Takagi Wataru were initially under Date Air Command before being placed under Megure Juzo.

After Inspector Tomonari passed away, his officers were reassigned and reorganized. Sato Miwako came to Inspector Megure's side, while the rest were transferred away.

"Police officer murdered... Police handbook..."

Higashino Ning felt something was familiar. "Isn't this a movie? What... what... what assassin?"

He tried hard to recall.

There are so many Conan movies, I always feel like I'm getting them all mixed up.

"Brother Higashino, what's wrong with you?" Inspector Megure asked with concern when he saw that Higashino looked pained.

Higashino Ning waved his hand, "I just suddenly thought of something, it's nothing."

Megure didn't press further. "Well... I called you here mainly to explain the situation. Thanks to Higashino's efforts, the police's reputation is soaring."

"Now that a vicious case has suddenly occurred targeting criminal police officers, the higher-ups are paying close attention and hope to find the perpetrator as soon as possible to set the record straight."

"I hope you will not disclose information about this case to outsiders, especially Brother Takagi."

Takagi Wataru, who had been singled out, scratched his head sheepishly. "Inspector, I don't think I'm that big of a mouth...?"

Everyone turned to look: "..."

Takagi Wataru stopped struggling and said, "I understand."

Then Inspector Megure looked at Higashino Ning and said, "Next is Higashino, you've just been promoted to inspector, and the higher-ups want to see your abilities again."

"So this case is assigned to me for investigation." Higashino Ning responded directly, "That's probably what the higher-ups mean."

Megure nodded. "Yes, to be honest, it's very difficult to make progress in this case right now. The on-site investigation has not found any useful clues at all. All we know is that the killer used a 9mm bullet."

His expression was serious. "This case is going to be very difficult, Brother Higashino. Do you have confidence?"

Higashino Ning replied casually, "Yes."

Before Inspector Megure could continue speaking, he immediately asked, "For a heinous criminal like this, can I beat him up or use force to extract a confession after I find him?"

Everyone: "..."

Inspector Megure was at his wits' end. "So, we're saying there's really no way to use any normal criminal investigation methods?"

Higashino Ning spread his hands, "If we can't find any solid evidence, then this is the only way. This is a matter of great importance to the dignity of our police force."

Shiratori Renzaburo chuckled, "It's not impossible. As long as Inspector Higashino can solve the case, it doesn't matter if the methods are a bit ruthless."

His words can be seen as either supporting Higashino Ning or hoping that Higashino Ning will make a mistake and leave a stain on his resume.

It all depends on how you interpret it.

Higashino Ning stated that he has an adaptive way of understanding things, and everything depends on the specific circumstances at the time.

The short meeting ended quickly.

Leaving the office, Higashino Ning told Shiratori Ninzaburo that he might not get to eat dinner that night, but Shiratori said it was alright and that business was more important.

The lunch break has just ended.

After a brief hesitation, Higashino Ning chose to go directly to handle the case.

He is now considered a sensitive figure in the Metropolitan Police Department, and his every move is under scrutiny.

Whether you cultivate a tough-guy persona or a strong-arm persona, you still need to be proactive in important matters.

Incidentally, his current tough stance towards prisoners, besides stemming from his inherent aversion to them, is also paving the way for his future development.

With over a thousand episodes of Conan, he certainly can't remember all the daily cases, but he still knows the main storyline.

In the upcoming red-black showdown, Tsuchimichi Yasuhiro, a politician with a military background, is another powerful patron he plans to rely on.

In the main storyline, politicians who became involved with the organization include Shigehiko Toguchi and Yasuaki Tsuchimon.

Tsuchimon Kanghui himself has this kind of iron-fisted and strong-arm political attitude. Higashino Ning catered to his preferences in advance, which will surely help him when he is promoted to a higher position in the future.

This natural advantage is right here, so why not take advantage of it?

Higashino Ning quickly left the Metropolitan Police Department and casually called Ai Haibara to tell her that he would most likely not be able to leave work at the normal time that night, and that she didn't need to wait for him for dinner.

It takes about twenty minutes by car.

He arrived at the crime scene, where the investigation was not yet complete, but the body had already been removed.

"Police department."

The forensic team leader, who had been informed of his return in advance, jogged over and saluted.

"Officer Aota was shot dead from the front. Judging from the depth of the bullets, the killer must have been right in front of Officer Aota before firing. There were a total of five bullets."

"The murder weapon has not been found yet; it must have been taken away by the criminal."

Higashino Ning hummed in agreement. "Have you found anything regarding the group interviews?"

“It hasn’t started yet,” the team leader glanced down. “Inspector Megure hasn’t sent anyone over. I think you’ll have to personally assign some people to do it.”

Where the hell am I supposed to get manpower?

Higashino Ning only held the position, but had no real power or personnel.

However, he didn't doubt that Inspector Megure was deliberately making things difficult; he probably just forgot.