The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

Sato and Kazama immediately saluted solemnly. This operation involved the lives of many people, so they couldn't be careless.

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"Can everyone hear me clearly?"

Inspector Megure's deep voice came through the Bluetooth headset, his tone as serious as ever.

"Can"

Eight voices rang out on the Bluetooth channel. These were the two teams led by Kazama Kaoru and Sato. Their main objective was to rescue the hostages. They had just received a tip that the robbers were not just petty thieves using the security system to rob the police; they also seemed to be involved in a missing gunpowder case.

This means there is a high probability that the operation will encounter a bomb, and this is no joke. The robbers are very likely to blow up the building after the robbery to divert the police's attention.

That's why the task force included a bomb disposal team, precisely to prevent such a situation from occurring.

The eight people led by Sato and Kazama Kaoru have now entered the building next to the department store and have reached the rooftop. They only need to wait for Inspector Megure's orders to be given, and they can infiltrate the department store across the street within half a minute.

"Urgent notification: According to sniper observations, several hostages are currently in a direct confrontation with the robbers in the restaurant on the seventh floor of the department store and are currently making an emergency escape. You must immediately take this opportunity to infiltrate the department store, subdue the robbers head-on, and rescue the hostages."

"receive"

Under the cover of night, this group of elite police officers, dressed in dark bulletproof vests, moved like ghosts, infiltrating the robber-controlled department store at top speed.

Having identified their target, the SWAT team wasted no time. Equipped with night vision goggles, they were able to move freely even on the unlit seventh floor.

At this moment, two adults dressed as Kamen Rider are chasing Conan and his friends, while the group of kids are sitting in a stroller. Conan is controlling the direction and using his power-enhancing sneakers to push against the wall to generate recoil force to accelerate the stroller.

"This kid is incredibly proactive; he's got real potential."

Seeing Conan's incredible display of power, someone in the SWAT team couldn't help but say:

Kaoru Kazama didn't take it seriously. He had no interest in being a policeman, and he would never work, especially for the Metropolitan Police Department. The only way he could make a living was by being a detective.

"Turn on the light! There's a little devil here! There's a little devil head here!"

After spotting the children, the robbers, who were holding walkie-talkies, chased after them relentlessly while yelling into the walkie-talkie.

"You wretched brats, stop right there! Don't run away, or I'll slaughter you all!"

The man dressed as Kamen Rider, though outwardly fierce, roared at the Detective Boys who were sprinting desperately ahead:

Now that his face has been seen, he's determined to kill these brats. Otherwise, if they go out and draw two random pictures based on his appearance to issue warrants, he probably won't have a peaceful life in Japan, let alone enjoy wealth and luxury.

"Are these robbers idiots? You said you were going to kill them, so who wouldn't run away? It's true that robbing people while dressed as Kamen Rider lowers your IQ."

They mentally berated the guy's intelligence, but they didn't hesitate to strike. They were caught off guard, and these idiot robbers were still chasing the kids for their lives. They subdued the two of them in just a few moves.

"Hey, what's going on? Hey?"

The walkie-talkie that had fallen to the ground suddenly crackled to life with the voices of their accomplices, presumably because the series of noises on their end had alerted them to something amiss.

"It's nothing, just those kids running around causing a bit of trouble, but it's all taken care of now."

Just as everyone was on edge, Kazama Kaoru calmly picked up the walkie-talkie that had fallen to the ground, then coughed lightly, and his voice became that of the man dressed as Kamen Rider. Although there were some imperfections due to the haste, it sounded almost indistinguishable from the real thing in the highly distorted walkie-talkie.

"Really? Be careful, don't let yourselves be caught off guard."

The accomplice on the other end of the line, hearing the voice, did not suspect anything, gave a few instructions, and then cut off the communication.

Chapter 44 Conan's Double Buff

The kids were completely dumbfounded by Kaoru Kazama's performance. This skill, which was like magic, allowed him to imitate another person's voice so realistically in the blink of an eye. They had never seen anything like it in their short lives.

As for Conan, he won't witness Kaito Kid's skill until later, after he faces off against him. Right now, he's one of those dumbfounded kids.

"Officer Kazama, that was so cool!"

The kids were still in a state of high excitement when the police raided them. They rushed out and subdued the two robbers while the kids were still running for their lives. The kids still felt like they were living in a dream.

"Shh, don't make too much noise, or it'll be bad if the radio picks it up."

Fortunately, Kaoru Kazama had prepared in advance and cut off the power to the radio after the other party hung up. He still had an important use for it later, and he couldn't let these kids ruin his plans.

"Everyone be careful from now on. These robbers have access to the security cameras inside the department store. It would be terrible if we were accidentally exposed to them."

That being said, it's not so easy for a group of adults to move around in a department store full of security cameras, since they can't easily hide in blind spots like children.

"Officer, our Junior Detective Club can help you catch these robbers! We're really good at it!"

Once the rescued kids realized they were safe, they started up all sorts of mischievous ideas again, especially Genta, that extremely restless little devil.

"Yes, officer, we were just fighting with the robbers. We can help you take them down."

Encouraged by Genta, Mitsuhiko's mind started to wander. These reckless kids were incredibly bold; having just escaped from danger, they continued to court death without any psychological burden.

"Miwako, I'm leaving these children in your care."

At this crucial moment, Kaoru Kazama had no time to coax the children. After telling Sato, he led his people down the blind spot of the camera.

"Honestly, how could Inspector Kazama be like this? She clearly looks down on our Junior Detective League. I thought she was different from those adults."

"You kids, do you know how worried your parents are? It's already midnight! Don't you think about your parents at all? The other side is carrying a gun. What makes you think you little kids can subdue them?"

Seeing that the children were still defiant, Sato couldn't help but lecture them. Seeing that these children didn't know how to be considerate of their parents, Sato, whose father had passed away early and who had been raised by his mother alone, couldn't help but feel a little touched.

"We understand."

After being scolded, the mischievous kids became much more obedient, probably because they realized their parents would worry. Although these kids are braver than the average child, they sometimes lack self-awareness and are too subjective in their thinking, ignoring objective dangers. Of course, Conan's constant use of his abilities to protect them is also an important reason, making them believe that they can really do those things.

Children's ability to distinguish right from wrong is inherently immature. However, Shinichi Kudo, who possesses the mind of an adult, only knows how to solve cases and is also a Grim Reaper, which will attract all sorts of troubles. Then, the protagonist's halo allows him to solve these problems time and time again. Over time, these children will inevitably develop such thoughts.

While on an infiltration mission, Kaoru Kazama secretly thought to himself, "I should go back and tell Ran something to get Conan to behave. Having him around is setting a very dangerous example for these brats."

"Ah!"

Conan, who was following the special police officers to the rooftop, suddenly sneezed loudly. He thought he had caught a cold from being in the air-conditioned department store for too long.

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Miwako took a special police officer to escort the children to the rooftop, preparing to return via rope to take them to safety. Meanwhile, Kaoru and his group descended the escape stairwell, which was a blind spot for the surveillance cameras, to the third floor, which was the kidnappers' target—the jewel container.

Upon reaching the entrance to the third-floor emergency staircase, Kaoru Kazama raised his hand, signaling the SWAT team members behind him to stop and listen carefully to the sounds coming from inside the emergency exit.

Hearing the crackling sound of shattering glass inside, Kazama Kaoru guessed that the robbers were having a great time looting. He activated his newly acquired beastly intuition.

A strange fluctuation flashed by, and Kaoru Kazama's eyes seemed to gleam with a peculiar light in the night, though it was impossible to see with his night-vision goggles. It seemed that the living creature inside him had some inexplicable sense of connection.

It's somewhat like a location function that combines the senses of smell and hearing. Although I don't quite understand it yet, it doesn't stop Kazama Kaoru from using it. He can now determine that there are three people inside, and they should all be men. This feeling is like the senses a wild beast has before it goes hunting.

"Leave three of you. The rest of you come downstairs with me to subdue the thugs guarding the security camera. Once we've succeeded, I'll turn off the lights, and then you can break down the door and use your visual advantage to subdue the thugs inside."

It was a bit strange for a police inspector to command these special police officers, but it wasn't a big deal. After all, Kazama Kaoru was already slated to be promoted to police inspector. Otherwise, Boss Megure wouldn't have taken him to sit in on meetings. He wasn't a secretary.

"Why do I feel like there's something important I haven't remembered? What could it be?"

After sneaking downstairs, they confirmed that there were two people moving around in the monitoring room, and the others were probably the kidnapped security guards. But at this moment, Kazama Kaoru had a vague feeling that he had overlooked something.

Whether it's psychological or not, after arriving in the world of Detective Conan, Kaoru Kazama's memories of the plot have not only failed to gradually recover, but have become increasingly blurred. He can only remember the general outline now, and as for certain key clues, forgive him for not having the super brain.

"Should we ask Conan?"

Kazama Kaoru had this thought in his mind: In the world of Detective Conan, it's always right to ask Conan for help when you're in trouble. With the double buffs of the protagonist's halo and the Grim Reaper's halo, Conan is not someone to be trifled with. Anyone who goes against him will be defeated in no time. It's just that daily life is a bit more troublesome. You have to be careful that someone around you dies every now and then.

Moreover, due to Kazama Kaoru's butterfly effect, what was originally a relatively simple robbery suddenly became connected to a bomb. It should be noted that in the original timeline, the robbers in this department store robbery seemed particularly poor, with the entire team lacking any decent weapons, except for the leader who had a pistol. Therefore, even Conan could easily take them down.

If criminal gangs were ranked, then compared to the red Siamese cat in the fourteenth theatrical film, The Lost Ship in the Sky, it would undoubtedly be the difference between a loser and a rich and handsome guy.

Chapter 45 Kogoro Mouri, the Man Who Pretends to Be Weak While Actually Being Strong

As the saying goes, "Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?" Dealing with such a third-rate criminal gang is obviously unnecessary and doesn't require so much trouble. If they weren't possibly involved with a bomb gang, there would be no need for such a complicated process at all.

Under Kaoru Kazama's command, the three thugs at the jewelry counter on the third floor, as well as the two thugs in the monitoring room on the first floor, were quickly subdued by the SWAT officers who rushed in, without even a chance to resist.

Of course, he also used the radio he got from the robbers to imitate the man's voice and lure the robbers out. Then the special police, hiding in a blind spot, captured them all.

Subsequently, all the hostages were rescued one by one, and the department store hostage incident was considered over. That's why he felt that the Metropolitan Police Department's half-day meeting was unnecessary.

If dealing with this gang of robbers who don't even have a single handgun would result in casualties, then the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's special police officers could all retire and go home to take care of their children; such high-risk positions are not suitable for them.

However, as Kaoru and the others walked out of the department store, the sharp-eyed Kazama spotted Conan standing nearby, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and two shiny bumps on his head.

If it weren't for the need to maintain his composure, Kaoru Kazama would really like to investigate this amazing existence. Can a two-dimensional bag exist in the three-dimensional world?

Judging from Ran's distressed look, Kogoro Mouri must have been furious and beat up Conan just now.

In this respect, the educational methods in the East are actually quite similar. When a child gets into a very dangerous situation, they are usually beaten first, and then lectured. After all, children's brains are not as good as their bodies' memory in many cases.

The saying "saying one thing but meaning another" is how this kind of behavior is gradually cultivated from childhood.

"Conan, what's wrong? Did you find something inside?"

By this time, the three mischievous kids had already been picked up by their parents and taken home, since it was getting late. As for Kogoro Mouri and his group, they were there as liaisons for the police, observing the final situation.

"Officer Kazama, did you see a woman in red among the hostages? I remember she was the elevator attendant at this department store; I saw her being kidnapped before?"

"That's right, this woman is the leader of this gang of robbers!"

Only after Conan's reminder did Kazama Kaoru fully recall the entire plot. In the original anime, Conan would eventually confront the female leader with a gun, knock her unconscious with a soccer ball, and then be arrested by the police.

Previously, when these children were outwitting and outmaneuvering the bandit group, this same person was in the control room controlling the elevator and the cameras. However, Kazama Kaoru didn't see this person at all this time.

"Conan, are you sure you've seen this woman before?"

Kaoru Kazama wasn't sure whether the woman had disappeared or slipped away right under their noses.

"Yes, I'm sure. When I accompanied Genta back to find the Kamen Rider autographed card, I saw this woman in the red dress who was tied up in the control room. She is the elevator operator of this company. I can't be mistaken."

"Moreover, based on my guess, the elevator closed inexplicably when we were on the run. If we hadn't run fast, we probably would have been trapped inside and caught by those thugs. I remember that all of them rushed to catch us. Logically speaking, there shouldn't have been anyone in the control room. But the elevator kept moving and the cameras kept automatically searching for us. All of this suggests that there should be someone else behind the scenes controlling these machines."

Conan, chin in hand, analyzed as he spoke, but he didn't pay attention to hiding his true feelings and inadvertently showed off again, and he got a little carried away.

Seeing everyone around him looking at him with surprise, he quickly laughed it off and tried to act cute:

"Actually, my uncle told me all of this."

"Really, Brother Mori? Are there any thieves who escaped from the group of thieves caught on the spot?"

Inspector Megure wasn't one to delve too deeply into things. In some ways, he was just like Kogoro Mouri—it was unclear whether he was genuinely inactive or pretending to be oblivious.

Upon hearing Conan's words, Kogoro Mouri immediately covered the back of his head and burst into laughter, a laugh that was extremely disgusting, and he even took the opportunity to boast about himself.

However, Kaoru Kazama, who was watching from the side, had a sudden realization. He had heard a theory before that Kogoro Mouri was deliberately pretending not to know Conan's true identity. Not to mention that his daughter had suspected Conan's true identity many times, Conan had let slip a few things many times, but he was always able to seamlessly cover up the mistake and help divert attention.

For example, using exaggerated laughter or extremely low-grade self-praise can instantly shift people's attention from Conan to him, even though the performance is extremely natural.