He's in Detective Conan, and he's the mastermind behind everything.

"Didn't I just say that I want to change careers and bake bread? I'll come over tonight and practice secretly."

"........."

Shinichi Kudo didn't want to talk to this person anymore, so he asked the other police officers to come in and search with him. They even had to search the flour sacks in the kitchen and tear open the fermenting dough to check it. Midway through, Juzo Megure and Kazunobu Chiba came from the front door and, after learning about what was going on, immediately joined the search.

Watching everyone busy, Ying Sheng yawned listlessly.

"Tian Shu, are you really alright?"

Xiaolan asked nervously through the earpiece.

Ying Sheng glanced around and, finding it absurdly that no one was paying attention to him, decided to speak directly:

"We didn't do anything wrong, there's absolutely no need to be nervous. It wouldn't matter if we confessed what happened before, I just didn't want to talk about it. Being a vigilante or something, that's weird."

"Hmm...that's true...By the way, what did Shinichi mean by 'Mr. Harada'?"

"Didn't I tell you at noon that someone set up a trap to scam people? This Mr. Harada seems to be the mastermind. The detective wants to investigate this now, but unfortunately I only know the name and can't offer any help. To avoid trouble, I'll just pretend I don't know anything."

"So that's it..."

Xiao Lan paused for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Um, I wanted to ask you before, Tian Shu, did you rescue anyone?"

"You guessed it, right? Actually, I really didn't want to say it before."

Ying Sheng sighed softly, "It's all the detective's fault. He came too fast. This kind of blatant crime involving human auctions doesn't require detective reasoning. The police shouldn't have come after him. Besides, his energy should have been focused on someone else."

"so……"

Xiaolan asked with a hint of sympathy, "Was the person being auctioned really Xuesong?"

"indeed."

"Is the person who was scammed, swindled out of money, unable to repay gambling debts, and ultimately sold her daughter, Yukimatsu Nami?"

"Yes, Alice, have you ever heard the saying, 'A child carrying gold walks in a bustling market'? Yukimatsu Nami's money came too easily, and she herself is a shameless person. Sooner or later, she would be targeted. I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly."

"Moreover, it also affected Xuesong."

"It was bound to happen sooner or later, so I wasn't too surprised. I rescued her from the iron cage, put her in a lounge, locked the door, and only left the underground casino after confirming her safety to observe how things would develop. Somehow, the detective noticed me."

Xiaolan was silent for a few moments: "Is there anything we can do to help Xuesong?"

“I don’t think it’s necessary, because… well, she seems to have a good impression of the detective.”

"Eh???"

"The idea of ​​a hero rescuing a damsel in distress is easy to understand, right?"

Ying Sheng's tone was quite helpless. The Six-Eared Macaque's acting skills were truly superb. Could there be some genuine emotion in his performance?

"But it's probably just her opinion, you don't need to..."

"But wasn't it you, Tian Shu, who rescued the damsel in distress?"

"I was the masked man back then, and you heard what I said on the comms channel, didn't you? I said I was going back to take her away, and then I stood her up. I'm already thankful that she doesn't hate me."

"Actually, I feel that even if you take her away, it's not impossible. The Muddy Association is not organized at all. Even if they don't release her, they can't stop us."

“That would expose our identities. After all, we have to entrust her to someone. We can’t just send her home and leave her alone, or she might commit suicide.”

"Does Tian Shu really not want us to be exposed?"

"Do you really want to?"

"No, it's just... compared to saving people, this... can be a bit more flexible."

"So this is the best of both worlds."

"Hmm, that's right, that's it..."

Chapter 108 Shinichi Kudo: Ran is your girlfriend?

"Feeling a sense of crisis?"

Ying Sheng smiled and said, "Considering your inner qualities, temperament, and personality, I admire you more. But I'm very sorry, if we're just talking about looks..."

And temperament...

Hmm, I hope the detective isn't such a superficial person, and that he hasn't been bewitched by that guy.

"…………"

Xiaolan was speechless for a while: "You're being too blunt, aren't you? Ah... although it is indeed the truth... But! Humph! I don't feel threatened at all! Who would be jealous of that reasoning fanatic for no reason! I don't care!"

"I hope so. I hope I won't end up crying and regretting not taking the initiative earlier."

"Hmph, absolutely not!"

"That would be best. I'll probably need some more time here, so why don't you go home first?"

"No, what if something unexpected happens again? I'm already on my way to you. Call for backup anytime if you have any problems."

"Thank you very much. I'll disconnect for now, just in case something unexpected happens and your exclamation pierces my eardrums."

"……Oh."

With communication temporarily cut off, Ying Sheng got up and wandered around the store. The police, who had previously ignored him, finally turned their attention to him, and then continued to search for clues.

This reaction left Hotaru somewhat bewildered, so he simply looked at Shinichi Kudo, who was deep in thought at the entrance to the kitchen:

"I said, did you just plant a listening device on me?"

"What?" Shinichi Kudo looked up in confusion.

Ying Sheng looked at him strangely: "Aren't you treating me as a suspect? I'm chatting with people so openly, and you're not going to do anything about it? What if I'm looking for accomplices?"

Shinichi Kudo remained silent.

"Alright, since you've been so lenient with me, you must not have found any suspicious points and have largely confirmed that I'm just an innocent bystander, right?" Ying Sheng asked curiously, "Now can you tell me what you're looking for? Maybe I can help."

As expected, they figured it out.

Shinichi Kudo sighed inwardly and glanced around.

By this time, the bakery had been turned upside down; he and the police had searched the ceiling, floor tiles, oven, flour, toilet, and even the sewers, but found nothing.

He is now suspecting that the location locked by the program might be the resident of this shop.

The police, on the other hand, had a simpler view: what a ridiculous reverse tracking program, pure garbage.

but!

More than one person secretly cast an annoyed glance at Ying Sheng. This is also related to you, isn't it? You keep wearing that lousy mask and refuse to take it off. Of course, it will arouse suspicion!

Now that the matter has been made clear, all the police officers who were still searching in vain stopped and turned their attention to this.

Shinichi Kudo looked at Hotaru and said solemnly:

"Sir, please take off your mask. I will apologize to you and pay you a million."

At this point, it doesn't really matter who's behind the mask, as long as they're not on the police's wanted list or it's actually Harada Taro.

However, Shinichi Kudo just wanted to confirm it one last time.

Moreover, given the other party's mental fortitude, they are definitely not an ordinary person. Even if they are unrelated to this incident, it's hard to guarantee that we won't encounter them again in the future.

He will definitely remember this person!

Ying Sheng shook his head and chuckled: "Keep the million for yourself. I was unwilling to cooperate before because I was annoyed by your attitude. I didn't do anything, yet you held a gun to my head. Oh well, I guess I'm just good-natured."

Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Ying Sheng raised his chef's hat slightly, reached behind his right ear, and then paused:

"Let me make it clear beforehand that I'm very ugly, so no one is allowed to laugh at me, or I'll explode."

Everyone quickly shook their heads, saying that they had all received professional training and would never laugh at them.

Then, Ying Sheng took off her mask.

The air fell into silence for a moment.

About three seconds later,

"puff--"

Someone couldn't hold back and burst into laughter in the silence.

"Um--?"

Ying Sheng raised an eyebrow, put his mask back on, and swept his cold gaze around. A group of guys who were about to burst into laughter immediately raised their hands to cover their mouths and tried their best to keep their faces straight. Some of them even turned red with suppressed laughter.

"Tch, a bunch of shallow people who judge by appearances."

Hotaru curled his lip and looked at Shinichi Kudo. This guy didn't smile; instead, a hint of pity even appeared in his eyes.

"Is it a combination of knife wounds and burns?"

The face that had just been shown to them looked at first glance like a barren wasteland that had endured countless storms and snows, pitted and uneven, with many skin undulating and wrinkled, as if it were the remnants left by a fire.

At first glance, it does seem rather comical and laughable, but upon closer reflection, it evokes a sense of sympathy.

What exactly happened to him?

"It's in the past."

Ying Sheng spoke calmly, covering his face again and subtly lowering his voice: "By the way, do you still need my help? If not, I'm leaving."

"At least two cell phones, the others are still uncertain." Shinichi Kudo said it seriously, and to ease the tension, he paused and then added:

"Is the person waiting for you your girlfriend?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Hotaru nearly choked on his own saliva, staring at Shinichi Kudo in utter shock:

"Why do you say that?"

“Even if it’s not, I think it’s close enough.” Shinichi Kudo smiled and said, “Next time you call her, maybe you can stand in front of a mirror. That way you’ll see that the expression in your eyes is very different from usual.”

I didn't stop you from talking to her, not only because I already thought you were largely innocent, but also because I felt that even if you were a criminal, you would definitely hide your bad deeds from the people you care about, and it's impossible for you to tell her the truth.

So you can talk to her for as long as you want, it's nothing to do with the case anyway.

"…………"