The Black Detective of the Detective Conan World

This morning run significantly improved his physical strength and physique, and overall, his physical fitness is now comparable to that of other people his age.

If he had another soul, he could probably get his body back to its best condition.

Well, using a fantasy-style hierarchy, an adult's health can be divided into nine levels!

A normal person is probably around level six in terms of health.

He was initially at level three in health. After consuming the first soul, his improvement was minimal, and he remained at level three in health. Now, he is at level five in health!

It gets harder to improve as you go further.

As for being at level nine in health, that would probably fall into the non-human category, like Ran or Makoto Kyogoku.

The kind of pole that can be smashed with bare hands.

I jogged home, and this time, apart from being slightly out of breath and sweating, I felt much more relaxed overall.

The improvement in physical fitness is visible to the naked eye!

After taking a shower at home, Naoto Hayashi changed into a set of casual black clothes.

It's not that he particularly loves black, but rather that this color is dirt-resistant, allowing him to wear it for several days without frequent washing.

Naoto Hayashi is somewhat lazy by nature.

While having breakfast, Naoto Hayashi flipped through today's newspaper and, sure enough, saw a news article about Kogoro Mouri!

The Idol's Locked Room Murder Case!

The document details the case that occurred last night, with all the individuals mentioned using pseudonyms, especially Yoko Okino, who is only referred to as an "idol star".

Kogoro Mouri's performance was highlighted, and the article even exaggeratedly stated at the end: "This famous detective's reasoning ability is in no way inferior to that of the former high school detective Shinichi Kudo!"

Naoto Hayashi was delighted.

Conan must be quite annoyed right now.

Chapter 11: Was there really a shady deal?!

I turned the newspaper over, and another news story came into view.

Yesterday, Dino Cabane, the leader of an Italian robbery gang, was arrested.

A year ago, this man led a gang to rob the Basta Bank in Italy, stealing 15,000 maple leaf gold coins, worth 600 million yen!

The robbery gang then fled to Japan with the gold coins, but due to internal disputes over the distribution of the loot, the leader was betrayed by his subordinates and fell into the hands of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

The whereabouts of the remaining members of the bandit gang and all the gold coins are unknown!

Upon seeing this news, Naoto Hayashi immediately straightened up, his eyes shining.

He still remembers the plot of that episode!

It turns out that a group of robbers hid several bags of stolen gold coins in Japan. Then the boss wanted to keep them for himself, so his men reported him and arrested him. The rest of the gang couldn't find where the gold coins were hidden.

Because they couldn't understand the treasure map drawn by their boss!

Besides remembering the general plot, Naoto Hayashi also remembered the location of the hidden treasure at the end, which was an empty building called something like "ghost".

Back then, when he was watching the animation, he was still complaining that only people here are crazy, otherwise why would a normal person come up with such a grotesque name?

Of course, now that he has been reborn and possessed a new body, he has a lot more Japanese knowledge in his mind, so he understands that using the character "鬼" (ghost) in a name is related to cultural customs and naming traditions, and it's not that people deliberately chose an unlucky name.

"The gold coins are missing... Hmm, that means Conan hasn't started searching for the treasure with those kids from the Detective Boys yet. They should only find it after dark... Sorry, Conan-kun, I'm going to steal it!"

Naoto Hayashi checked the time; it was only a little past ten in the morning, so there was plenty of time.

However, he also had an appointment to meet with someone that morning, Yoko Okino's manager, Ei Yamagishi, to discuss a "special commission fee" of five million yen.

Naoto Hayashi quickly tidied up and drove off.

The two met at a coffee shop in a commercial street, a lively place with people coming and going.

When Hayashi Naoto arrived at the location, he found that Mr. Yamagishi Sakae had already arrived ahead of time, and was covered in sweat, wiping it with a handkerchief from time to time.

Naoto Hayashi arrived at the booth, sat down, ordered a coffee, and then looked at Sakae Yamagishi.

Without further ado, Yamagishi Sakae picked up a small black bag from under his feet and gently pushed it toward Hayashi Naoto.

He said in a low voice, "Lin-san, thank you so much for solving the case with Mori-san this time. In addition to the commission fee agreed upon with Mori-san beforehand, here is a 'special commission fee' of five million yen. Please be sure to accept it!"

Five million yen, if all of them are ten-thousand-yen bills, would only amount to five stacks of banknotes, which could be easily packed in a small bag.

Naoto Hayashi tapped the table lightly and said calmly, "Mr. Yamagishi, what I said to you yesterday was just a joke. The deceased, Mr. Fujie Akiyoshi, really died by suicide. There was no external influence. That's the truth. Of course, you don't need to pay any extra fees because of this."

"Therefore, I cannot accept today's special commission fee of five million. Please forgive my previous joke."

A joke? Do you want me to believe you?

Yamagishi Sakae didn't believe this at all.

He felt that the reason Lin Zhiren said such a thing was clearly to guard against him carrying any recording equipment or having someone secretly arranged around him, which was why he would use such words that would leave absolutely no handle.

This person is incredibly meticulous!

Even if he really did hide recording equipment, people say it's all a joke, the deceased committed suicide, there's no secret, and he won't charge extra money.

Is there anything wrong with these statements?

Absolutely not!

They shirked all responsibility and spoke in a grand and righteous manner.

But if I dared to go along with it and not give them the five million, who knows how I would die in the future!

He's probably going to commit suicide after being stabbed eight times in the back!

Yamagishi immediately pushed the small bag of money towards him, bowed, and said, "Mr. Lin, actually, this money is a 'thank you money' specially approved by our agency to thank you and Mr. Mori for restoring Yoko's reputation. It is not included in the commission fee. We sincerely hope you can accept it."

Naoto Hayashi repeatedly refused and pushed the small bag back.

Yamagishi Ei pleaded repeatedly, then pushed the small bag away.

Naoto Hayashi declined three times, but finally couldn't resist Sakae Yamagishi's pleading and enthusiasm, and had no choice but to reluctantly accept the huge sum of money.

He placed his hand on the small bag, looked at Yamagishi Sakae seriously, and said, "Mr. Yamagishi, I have made myself very clear. That was just a joke. Are you still going to insist on giving me this 'thank you money'?"

Yamagishi Ei breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "That's right, thank you very much for accepting it."

Naoto Hayashi was speechless. Fine then.

Suddenly, Naoto Hayashi felt a gaze directed at him.

He turned his head and saw Conan staring in astonishment at the scene across the street from the cafe!

He saw it!

I saw Sakae Yamagishi!

I saw Naoto Hayashi!

I spotted the small black bag!

These two are engaged in a dirty deal?!

So, so, so!

Was Naoto Hayashi's mention of "five million" last night actually not a joke?!

Conan felt like his brain was about to explode!

This bastard dares to accept dirty money in broad daylight, under the clear sky?!

Countless curses were about to spill from his mouth, but then he remembered something.

Wait, something's not right?

The truth behind last night's case is that the deceased committed suicide, so why did Yamagishi give him money?

Could it be that the truth isn't suicide?

But I swear on my name, "High School Detective Shinichi Kudo," that all the evidence at the scene points to that one and only result!

The truth is, it was suicide!

So why did Yamagishi give him money?

Conan felt his brain was stuck in some kind of vicious cycle, and his CPU suddenly overheated, causing his whole body to turn red rapidly.

Naoto Hayashi looked away and sighed softly.

It doesn't matter if Conan sees it.

After all, I can't refuse; if I do, he'll have to thank me.

"Conan, what are you looking at?"

Conan, who was in a red-hot mood, was suddenly interrupted by a few voices, and three naughty children appeared beside him.

One is the tall and strong Genta Kojima with a head shaped like a triangular dumpling; another is the tall and thin Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya with a face full of freckles; and the third is the petite and cute Ayumi Yoshida with a headband.

They are Conan's elementary school classmates, known as the "freebie trio" of the entire anime, who are responsible for dragging Conan down, acting as hostages, and giving away freebies. Of course, they also occasionally help Conan with a flash of inspiration.

These three mischievous kids found a piece of paper that looked like a treasure map today, so they quickly formed a "juvenile detective team" to solve the mystery and find the treasure.

Conan was also pulled into the detective team and began searching for clues to the treasure on the streets.

As a result, Conan inadvertently witnessed Naoto Hayashi's transaction.

The last time he witnessed a shady deal, he was knocked down with a stick, then poisoned, and his body shrank.

This time, he witnessed the transaction again, but the other party was open and aboveboard, making no attempt to hide it from outsiders. Yet, he still felt as if he had been hit on the head with a stick.

My head hurts.

By this time, Naoto Hayashi had completed the transaction with Ei Yamagishi. The two shook hands and said goodbye. Naoto Hayashi carried a small black bag in one hand and picked up the remaining coffee on the table with the other, drank it all in one gulp, and turned to leave.

Conan wanted to chase after them and question them, but he was stopped by the three mischievous kids beside him, who told him to focus on finding the treasure on the treasure map.

Conan had no choice but to watch helplessly as Naoto Hayashi got into the car and drove away.

He didn't look away until the other car disappeared at the end of the street.

"Could this Naoto Hayashi really be a member of the Black Organization? Every time I see him, he's dressed in all black, and he's always involved in what looks like a criminal transaction..."

Conan was in a state of utter confusion, only regretting that his body had shrunk and he was unable to investigate the truth.

You bastard! Just wait, one day I'll expose your true colors!

……

At that moment, Naoto Hayashi had already parked his car in front of a building called "Mingjiu Guiying".

The gold coin is hidden here!

Chapter 12 Uses of Gold

It's easy to find this place.

Naoto Hayashi completely deduced the process from the answer.

He couldn't remember the pattern on the treasure map, but the plot mentioned that Conan and the others first went to the Tokyo Tower, and the treasure location was an empty building with the word "ghost" in its name. The two places weren't too far apart.

After searching the map, Naoto Hayashi quickly selected several locations, and then drove around to check them one by one.

The whole process took less than an hour, and Naoto Hayashi found the target building.

The building's purpose is unknown; it appears to be abandoned. There are iron chains at the entrance, and the interior is empty and unrenovated.

After confirming that there were no pedestrians or surveillance cameras around, Lin Zhiren parked the car far away and climbed over the wall into the building.

The stolen gold coins were actually hidden in the ceiling by the bandit leader and hung up with a rope, making them difficult for the average person to spot without looking up.

Soon, Naoto Hayashi found the gold coin!

The gold coins were contained in a gray cloth bag and hung from the ceiling.

Naoto Hayashi put the bag down, opened it, and checked it. It was indeed 15,000 Maple Leaf Gold Coins!

The gold coin is heavy and has a strong grip. It features a maple leaf design, hence its name, the Maple Leaf Gold Coin.

A single gold coin weighs approximately 30 grams, so 15,000 coins would weigh 450 kilograms! That's comparable to the weight of six adults.

However, when Naoto Hayashi was examining the gold coins, he sensed something was off!