The cross-dressing master in the world of Detective Conan

However, those who are obsessed with wealth may not be able to appreciate his humor.

My next plan requires a little help from Conan, you should have that thing, right?

Kaoru Kazama gave Conan a meaningful look.

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"Tch, what kind of scientist is he? He's just a big idiot. Looks like we've come up empty-handed again this time."

Mamiya Mitsuru's already gloomy face looked even more terrifying in the dim light. If those children were here, they would probably be scared into submission instantly.

"Don't be impatient, maybe those children can find the truth behind the mystery."

Even with her squinty eyes, Noble Mamiya's eyes are still so big, making one worry whether she can get any oxygen.

However, the warm smile that always graced his lips seemed somewhat enigmatic at this moment.

Kaoru Kazama, dressed in black, stood in the compartment above them.

We really have to thank the designers of these European castles; they have countless mechanisms and secret passages. They can use secret passages to trap themselves, so how could they not retaliate?

Kazama Kaoru used the system to scan the overall structure of the castle, not only gaining a thorough understanding of the secret passages, but also finding this excellent eavesdropping spot.

As for why he didn't do it that way from the beginning, it can only be said that the system's conditions were simply too harsh; he considered it for a long time before agreeing to those conditions.

(As for the specific conditions, that's a secret for now. Kazama Kaoru threatened the author with a lightning bolt to keep quiet. You can guess what they are.)

The conversation continued, but it sounded like the relationship between Mitsuru Mamiya and Nobleman Mamiya was more than just that of a stepfather and child.

"Has she been sent back yet?"

"Don't worry, she was taken to the room half an hour ago. But she'll probably have to go through the secret passage again; that kid with glasses is probably still lying in there."

"Is this referring to Conan?"

Fortunately, Kazama Kaoru was close enough, and the voice recorder in her pocket had a strong enough sound quality. After all, it was a product of the system, and with so much sacrificed, a voice recorder was a small compensation.

After listening for so long, he finally understood that the seemingly elusive old woman was actually just a pawn in the game between these two people.

He had always wondered why a high-achieving student who had been studying abroad would abandon his promising future and stay in this castle deep in the mountains to live a Buddhist-like life.

This was strange in itself, but now he roughly understood that this seemingly gentle and Buddhist young man was actually an addict who indulged in drinking, gambling, and prostitution. His enormous spending had long since turned this seemingly luxurious castle into a hollow shell.

Now even paying the servants' wages has become a problem, so servants are often seen starving to death in the forest. These are all "risk-free businesses" that they are doing.

Humans are creatures that cannot keep their inner secrets; no wonder the ancients said:

Even if the cunning and treacherous are full of tricks, they will inevitably reveal their secrets in the wilderness.

These two are just like that; they told everyone everything without asking anyone. Humans can be quite strange sometimes.

"So, are you going to do the old thing again? Throw all those people into the forest and let them starve to death?"

“No, doing that would likely attract the police. These people aren’t like the servants; no one would bother to search them from so far away if they’re not related to them.”

Nobleman Mamiya rejected Mamiya Mitsuru's suggestion, but judging from his familiar demeanor, it was probably not the first time he had done it.

"What should we do then? We can't just get rid of them all. If that provokes a backlash, we'll probably be exposed."

"Let that old woman worry about it. We just need to pretend we don't know anything. Even if the police come, it won't concern us. As for the treasure, I already have some ideas. If that old woman isn't around, we won't be so constrained. I believe we'll find it soon."

Mamiya Takato's confidence seemed to come from nowhere; perhaps it was the buff from being a famous detective like Conan that made his thinking much clearer.

From their conversation, it's clear that Norihito Mamiya is in charge. Although Mitsuru Mamiya is Norihito Mamiya's stepfather in terms of status, he seems more like a subordinate now.

It seems that this Lady Mamiya has some tricks up her sleeve, managing to make such a shrewd and calculating man like Lady Mamiya run around in circles.

"That old woman is really restless. I guess I'll have to go over and give her the medicine again later."

"It seems that the old woman was just a pawn in their game."

He had perfectly collected the prisoner's confession, saving him the trouble of interrogation. He planned to go back and extort a beating from Sato. After all, it was her job to collect the prisoner's confession; this was what he deserved.

After their conversation, the two left the place. Mamiya Noble went to the old lady's room, presumably to feed her medicine.

This old lady is quite pitiful. Four years ago, when this Mamiya Noblewoman returned, she had already realized that she wasn't the real deal and that a little bit of hallucinogenic ingredient had been added to the medicine she took every day.

She was willing to transform herself into an old woman in order to obtain this treasure, and this abnormal obsession was actually closely related to these hallucinogenic drugs.

For a woman to be so determined to undergo surgery on her face, especially one that makes her look ugly and old, requires extraordinary willpower. How could she make that decision without taking some kind of medication?

As for these two, they've been following this old lady around doing dirty work. Although she's officially the owner of the castle, she has no control over the finances due to dementia, which is one of the main reasons she's so obsessed with the treasure.

This is truly a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Now that all the evidence has been collected, we can get down to business.

I stretched my body on the rooftop to make sure I could unleash Kirito's full potential.

Chapter 179 Conan's Three-Pronged Approach

After learning of the other party's plot, Kaoru Kazama stopped hesitating.

He had only been following the two men out of suspicion, and now that he had learned such explosive news, his curiosity was completely satisfied. Of course, he had to go down and deal with these two notorious murderers.

He had heard it clearly just now: the corpses that often appeared in the forest were actually thrown in by these two people, and the reason was so refreshingly unconventional: simply because the castle was experiencing financial problems and couldn't afford to pay the servants' wages, they had to cruelly murder them. It was simply an act of beasts.

Anyone with a conscience wouldn't do that.

Although Kazama Kaoru desperately wanted to kill those two scumbags, he couldn't break the law.

The only solution was to knock each person unconscious with a knife to the back of their neck, but before that, they were given an experience of electroshock therapy.

He felt a strange sense of pleasure watching others tremble violently when they were electrocuted and almost lose control of their bladder and bowels.

Then a chill ran down my spine. Could it be that he'd end up transforming into a Thunder King with Misaka Mikoto's abilities? That would be hilarious.

"Alright, now only that old woman is left. She can be considered a victim too, but malicious assault is enough to keep her in jail for a while."

Kaoru Kazama hummed a little tune as he walked back, intending to knock out the old woman along the way and give them a "Thunder King Family Bucket" combo. However, he was surprised to find that Conan, that restless guy, had disappeared again. Of course, the old woman wasn't staying quietly in the room either.

"Could it be that he's on drugs again?"

He remembered that those two scumbags had said that in order to control this old woman, they had been adding hallucinogenic ingredients to her medication for a long time, so now she was half-mad and extremely paranoid. If Conan provoked her with words, who knows what she might do.

"That damn guy, would he die if he skipped one of his deductions (showing off)?"

"You all stay in your rooms and don't go out. Minghui, keep an eye on them. There are mentally ill people out there, it's very dangerous."

Fortunately, it was Conan who disappeared. Given his personality, even with his eyes closed, Kazama Kaoru would know where he would go. It might not have been those brats if it had been him.

"Then you must be extra careful!"

Mingmei looked at them with a worried expression, then nodded, indicating that she would take good care of the children.

He stopped humming a tune and started running quickly. He reached a corner of a corridor, rotated the candle holder ninety degrees to the left, and the wall opened like a revolving door.

This is another entrance to the secret passage. After obtaining all the maps of the castle, he can now enter and exit the secret passage at will.

Upon entering the secret passage, he didn't rush to look for Conan. Instead, he tried his best to calm his breathing and return to a normal state, which would amplify his five senses.

After calming his breathing, his hearing and sense of smell were amplified to an alarming degree, and no slightest sound in the secret passage could escape his ears.

Moreover, the structure of the secret passage, like a basement, has an extremely strong echo effect. He could clearly hear a fierce chase taking place dozens of meters away, with the sound of footsteps thumping like a heartbeat.

"Is Conan playing a battle royale game?"

Kazama Kaoru found it somewhat amusing. This kid was really suffering because he didn't listen to his elders.

But despite his laughter, he immediately gave chase, since Conan's methods were limited to just three tricks: soccer or tranquilizer darts.

If nothing else works, then all we can do is talk.

If you're just talking to a normal person, as long as they have a conscience and a sense of remorse, they'll basically kneel down immediately, going through the three steps of kneeling, covering their face, and crying in front of Conan.

However, if it were a fanatic, things might be different. He had just heard Conan talk about deduction, and there was basically no possibility of any treasure in this castle.

Having just learned from tracking those two scumbags that the castle is facing a financial crisis, the possibility of hidden treasure is even smaller.

If Conan were to have a brain fart and tell someone the truth—that the treasure he'd been searching for for decades, even resorting to plastic surgery and drugs, didn't actually exist—he'd probably be killed in a heartbeat.

With this thought in mind, Kaoru Kazama quickened her pace and finally spotted a glimmer of light in front of her. It was an entrance that opened upwards, and she could faintly hear the old woman's voice.

"Hahaha, impossible! I've worked for this castle for twenty years, even going so far as to have myself surgically altered to look like an ugly old woman. All of this was for the treasure hidden inside. It can't be fake. It must be you, it must be you! You stole the treasure! It's all your fault, all your fault!"

It seems Kaoru Kazama's guess was correct; the mentally unstable old lady was indeed quite provoked by Conan's blunt honesty.

The detective armband I asked Conan for was for double insurance; if the recording pen didn't pick up the sound well, I could only rely on Professor Agasa's advanced technology inventions.

It was precisely because of this that Conan learned about the castle's current economic crisis.

He must have said something provocative to provoke this old man, Taita, who sees finding treasure as his life's pursuit, to this extent.

"Stop! Don't be so stubborn."

The situation was urgent, and Kaoru Kazama didn't have time to eavesdrop anymore. He took two or three steps back, took a running start, stepped on the handrail in mid-air, and jumped up.

Keep in mind, that's a secret passage entrance that's almost three meters high.

"Sister Xiaoxun, what are you doing here?"

Conan was squatting down, twisting his soccer shoes, looking like he was preparing for a powerful shot.

"The police are here, but that's no use. The treasure can only be coveted by those who want it. You people can forget about taking the treasure from me. Who told you to covet my treasure? Go to hell, you lot!"

The old woman's eyes were terrifying, and a trickle of saliva even dripped from the corner of her mouth. It seemed that the hallucinogenic drug had taken effect, causing the man to fall into a state of delirium.

Even more terrifying, she was holding a handgun in her hand.

"A Tokarev pistol, using 7.62 caliber ammunition, is extremely powerful and is one of the most frequently smuggled pistols into the island nation. Where did she get it from?"

Upon seeing this handgun, Conan reflexively began explaining that it was the same type of handgun used by the perpetrators in the 12 million hostage crisis.

Seriously speaking, 99% of the handguns confiscated by the Metropolitan Police Department are of this model, which shows the sheer number of people being smuggled.

"Hehe, you can all die! Who taught you to even think about getting your hands on my treasure?"

The old woman's voice was sinister and terrifying, and coupled with the pistol she was tightly gripping in her hand, anyone would feel their life was threatened.

The most terrifying thing is a child possessing a nuclear bomb, because they have no idea how terrifying a nuclear bomb is.

"Don't be afraid, just stay behind me and be a good boy."

Seeing that Conan was about to cause trouble again, trying to shoot at the goal while holding someone's gun to his head, Kaoru Kazama quickly blocked him, instantly drawing his Lightning Flash from his back.

This series of actions put pressure on the other party, who, in a state of confusion, instinctively pulled the trigger.