The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

"Director Jin, please try to stall for time. We will conduct technical detection here to try to locate the criminal's location. The longer the delay, the better it will be for us to pinpoint the criminal's location."

"I will do my best."

The director nodded, took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then answered his phone.

"Moshi moshi, this is director Jinzi, Moshi moshi, say something!"

"Why didn't you answer the phone immediately? You didn't contact the police, did you?"

The person on the other end was very cautious. When they saw that the director, Jinzi, didn't answer the phone immediately, they began to suspect that the police were involved.

These words made the already nervous director Jinzi stammer instantly, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. He didn't expect the criminal to be so alert, nor did he expect him to ask such a question.

The police officers present all looked nervously at the director, Jinzi. Although the conversation wasn't on speakerphone and they couldn't hear the content of the conversation, they could clearly see the expressions on Jinzi's face.

This blank, wooden expression indicates that this contact is going to be bad. Seeing this scene, only Kazama Kaoru could clearly hear what the criminal on the other end of the phone was saying, but the voice was indeed very muffled and unclear. It seems that a very low-quality voice changer was used, which would probably be recognized in a minute in later years.

You need to understand that in a world where cross-dressing men are rampant, you need to have a very clear and serious understanding of voice changers in order to avoid being deceived emotionally.

Just as Kaoru Kazama was having a brainstorming session, the director Kaneko suddenly had a brilliant idea and completely turned the unfavorable situation around. The excuse she came up with was also particularly righteous, the kind that makes you feel like you owe the Oscar a statuette.

Chapter 140 There is no medicine for regret in this world

"Uh, no, that's not true. I was just busy broadcasting and didn't hear the phone ring."

"Alright, is the money all prepared?"

It seemed the other party didn't intend to pursue the matter further, and the director, Jinzi, breathed a sigh of relief. She gestured to the police to indicate that the situation was good, and then continued the conversation following the criminal's train of thought.

"Put the money at the exit of goal number 18. Put it there during halftime. Make sure you don't get it wrong."

"Hey, wait a minute, moshi moshi, moshi moshi."

The assailant was very cautious. After saying all that, he immediately hung up the phone, catching the director, Jinzi, completely off guard. All she could hear was the busy tone from the other end.

"So, have you tracked down the perpetrator's location?"

Seeing that the call had ended, Inspector Megure approached Kaoru Kazama with a hopeful look, watching him type out strings of code on the computer screen. Although he couldn't understand it, he seemed to be enjoying it immensely.

"Unfortunately, there was just too little time. There wasn't enough time to locate the perpetrators. All I could find was their phone number."

The other party was very cautious; the phone number was a blacklisted number, and mobile phones in this era didn't even have caller ID. Otherwise, the director, Jinzi, wouldn't have been so confused.

"The other party was too cunning. At least we gained something, which is better than nothing."

"The call has ended. How are things on your end? Report to me all the suspicious individuals you just discovered. Don't make any rash moves yet. Follow my instructions."

"He may contact his companions, so don't let your guard down and continue to monitor their situation."

After hearing his subordinate's report, Inspector Megure pondered for a moment and decided to stick to the plan and lure the criminals out with the ransom. Right now, the police were clearly in a passive position, and everything they did was restricted.

"These damn bastards are ruining my chance to watch the game."

"What's wrong? Did they offend you?"

Ai Haibara asked with great interest, as this was the first time she had seen this person's emotions fluctuate so obviously.

"This is a rare holiday, don't you think it's a pity to waste it like this?"

Kaoru Kazama answered without turning his head, saying that nothing was more important to him than a vacation.

Of course, nothing could be more upsetting than having his holiday money confiscated, and unfortunately, that's exactly what happened today.

Ai Haibara was speechless. Just how lazy was this person? As a police officer, shouldn't he be actively fighting crime and punishing evil? He seemed like a salted fish without any dreams.

"One champion of justice by my side is enough. If I were to have another champion, it would be a case of duplicate character traits, which would lower the ratings."

"What ratings? You always say strange things that are hard to understand!"

Clearly, this seemingly unambitious young woman, who had no particular hobbies, disliked makeup, following celebrities, or watching TV dramas, piqued Ai Haibara's interest considerably.

This is clearly very different from the style of women in island nations in the 1990s, but if she could go to the future and take a look, she would understand that this is a typical Buddhist style.

A simple simulation game that couldn't be simpler, using a virtual "frog son," can still attract the interest of young people, which shows how lazy they are.

"Shouldn't you be playing detective games with those kids?"

Kazama Kaoru glanced at Haibara Ai and noticed that she was looking at the code he had typed with great interest, as if it were some rare, limited-edition bag.

"I'm not like Edogawa or those kids who are good at language and intelligence, and I have no interest in pretending to be a child. In terms of age, I'm actually the closest to you, but you and I have absolutely no similar interests. Since I'm not a girl with a normal personality myself, I've decided to observe your words and actions and make some corrections to my own personality."

"No need, you can just stay your proud and aloof self. If your fans found out, they'd tear me apart."

Kazama Kaoru was inwardly grumbling, but on the surface he still acted like he was very busy, trying to use this method to drive away the curious brat. However, judging from the previous twenty minutes, the result was obvious: it was completely useless.

Ai Haibara is clearly not the type of person who can read people's expressions, or perhaps she already saw it but was just pretending not to know.

"Actually, I think you can start over. In my opinion, aptx-4869 is more than just poison. If we could rename it, I think 'regret medicine' would be quite suitable."

Kazama Kaoru wasn't the type to be arrogant or eccentric. Since a pretty girl was willing to chat with him, there was nothing wrong with that.

His previous reluctance to have much contact with Ai Haibara stemmed from his fear of her high intelligence.

People with many secrets are usually reluctant to associate with intelligent people because they feel insecure and worry that their secrets will be exposed.

However, after spending these days with her, he discovered that she was actually a girl who lacked a sense of security.

This sense of security is not the affected sentimentality of later generations, but a genuine psychological state.

People are strong not because they are born that way, but because life does not allow them to be weak.

"Hey, why do you like to daydream so much? Is it boring to talk to me?"

Kazama Kaoru snapped out of her daze and saw the deep blue eyes slowly probing into the darkness within them.

Curiosity is the driving force of human progress, but it can also become the source of human depravity.

However, this pure curiosity and exploration of things doesn't make people feel annoyed; on the contrary, it reveals a unique simplicity and cuteness.

Living in society for a long time, we get used to hiding our desires. Even if we are curious or want something, we won't say it out loud. We have long forgotten the essence of childhood, which is also our teacher in understanding the world—curiosity.

"No, that's not true. It's an old problem of mine. I always tend to overthink things, and I don't think I can change it."

Kaoru Kazama said, half-seriously and half-jokingly, that this inexplicable habit of starting to think divergently actually started after she transmigrated, and could be considered a sequela of transmigration.

It doesn't really affect life, and since good looks are everything, it won't actually make others dislike you because of this habit. Instead, it adds a special kind of cuteness.

"Based on the overall physical condition of modern white-collar workers, it is highly likely that the neurasthenia is caused by insufficient rest at night. Who told you to stay up so late?"

"Hey, you have no right to lecture me on this. Don't you know who I run into in the kitchen every night?"

Staying up late is definitely a bad habit from a past life; I was a total internet addict, but now I should probably change it to an internet addict girl. It's a truly heartbreaking change.

As for the chance encounter in front of the refrigerator, it's not an isolated incident. Obviously, anyone who has watched Detective Conan knows that Ai Haibara is not only a workaholic, but also a night owl, who loves to sit in front of the computer alone late at night to do research.

This is probably a common trait among mad scientists. As a fellow night owl enthusiast, he could understand it to some extent, since one's thoughts and mind tend to be much more open when it's quiet at night.

Moreover, compared to the hustle and bustle of the day, the silence of the night makes it easier for people to concentrate.

Ultimately, this is a bad habit that can harm one's health.

In response to this, the newly minted health guru Akemi Miyano has repeatedly advised the two of them, but to no avail. Instead, the two, who often go out to eat at night, will have a chance encounter in the kitchen.

Over time, they developed a tacit understanding, which was that if Akemi found out, they would both be in big trouble, so they kept each other's secrets.

Chapter 141 I'm going to dedicate my life to selfless service!

"Hey Conan, can you please stop hanging around in front of me all the time? Kids shouldn't interfere when adults are working, you know?"

I don't know if it's because Ai took software engineering as an elective when she was studying abroad, but after staring at Kaoru Kazama for more than ten minutes, she actually volunteered to help him modify the software.

Kaoru Kazama certainly didn't have any objections; she was overjoyed that someone was helping her relieve work pressure.

That's why he had the time to come here and tease Conan. He's currently staring at a monitor with 24 screens, showing the broadcast of this soccer match.

"Don't you need to observe the situation? Why do you seem to be doing nothing?"

Conan frowned, glanced back at Kazama Kaoru, and then quickly turned back, as if worried that even such a short time might cause him to miss the culprit.

Given this complete lack of will to live, it's only because Xiaolan has a good temper that she's treated her so well; otherwise, she would have been beaten to the point of being unable to take care of herself long ago.

"So, you've been squatting here for half a day, have you gotten anything?"

Kazama Kaoru glanced at the monitor screen for half a minute, then felt dizzy. His brain capacity was not enough to keep track of everything on such a screen at the same time.

"Not yet, no one has been found to be a clear suspect."

Conan's answer sounded somewhat weak, as if he was experiencing some frustration.

"Then good luck, young man."

He originally intended to continue harassing Conan, but Inspector Megure called him away via radio, saying there was an urgent mission to be assigned.

"Alright, everyone's here. Now I'll explain the main points of this operation."

When Inspector Megure saw that Kaoru Kazama had arrived late, he clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention to him.

There's no way around it; good looks are everything, and it's normal for her to attract attention. That's why everyone's eyes were drawn to Kazama Kaoru. After all, how can a greasy middle-aged man compare to a stunning beauty?

"There are five minutes left, which is halftime. The criminals told us on the phone earlier that they should put 50 million old bills at the goal of goal number 18 during halftime."

"Our mission is to set up an ambush there and capture all suspicious individuals who appear. Do you all understand?"

"I understand!"

A strong, resonant voice rang out in front of the broadcast booth. It sounded quite impressive, though it might have been even more effective if you could ignore Kazama Kaoru's yawn.

He looked around and found that apart from himself and Miwako, the police officers in this operation were mostly tall and strong.

Well, aside from Officer Takagi, I don't know how this kid managed to get in. He's supposed to be a patrol officer, but Inspector Megure always takes him along on patrols, even though it's mostly just running errands. But there's no doubt he's being groomed as a trusted confidant. You could say that fools are just lucky.

"But, Inspector Megure, will that person really go to the designated location to collect the money as agreed?"

"They probably won't be that blatant, but you guys need to be extra vigilant. Also, keep a close eye on those eight people's movements. Make sure to catch the criminal before he notices that the police are involved."

"Hay"

"Strange, where's my radio?"

After finishing his reprimand, Inspector Megure habitually reached for the radio he had placed on the police car, only to find it empty.

"Inspector Megure, is this what you're looking for?"

Under Kazama Kaoru's watchful gaze, Conan shamelessly handed over the radio, which was equipped with a bugging device, to Inspector Megure.