No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

"Excuse me, does this scam group keep records such as lists of people they'll be scamming?"

"Yes, of course. Sakai mentioned before that someone committed suicide because they were repeatedly scammed. That was done by this scam gang. They use a similar rotating scam tactic—first, they use financial product sales to scam the first sum of money, then they impersonate consumer association officials and say that there's a popular scam involving buying financial products, and that to recover the money, they need to pay an investigation fee. In their scam den, they've compiled a list of people who are easily scammed, and then they use the method I just described to scam them back and forth until the victims have no money left."

They're squeezing every last drop of profit from this scam; these fraudsters are willing to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs just to boost their sales.

Kitahara Masaki immediately asked Inspector Nakamori to send him a list of fraudsters. Next, he would look for commonalities among the victims. However, Kitahara Masaki believed that Officer Ozaki had already found them for him.

After obtaining the list, he asked Koshimizu Nanatsuki to ask, since his fame was now too high. If he went to ask in person, he might be stopped and talked to for two or three hours by the elderly people who had been scammed.

While waiting for Koshimizu, he sat in Poirot Cafe to kill time. Meanwhile, Amuro Tooru, who had neither an organizational mission nor a public security mission, was still playing the role of an ace employee. Kitahara Masaki, drinking hand-ground coffee, didn't look like a police officer on duty at all. However, he really didn't look like one. Vermouth had given him a student makeover that morning, and now he looked like a high school student.

Half an hour later, Nanatsuki Koshimizu, who seemed to have obtained some important information, arrived. Just as she was about to speak, Masaki Kitahara raised his hand to stop her, telling her to send the results via phone or text message and to have a drink made by Tooru Amuro to rest.

Amuro Tooru, who was originally hoping to hear what cases Kitahara Masaki had encountered, couldn't hear any of that now. Being so careful in public, as expected of Kitahara Masaki.

In short, I'm very angry.

Ignoring Amuro Tooru's restraint from erupting, Kitahara Masaki looked at the message he had received.

(Many middle-aged and elderly people have sought out an offline legal consultation agency to inquire about legal issues related to inheritance. This agency happens to offer free legal consultation services, but before the consultation, they must record some personal information, especially the amount of the inherited estate and their family and personal phone numbers.)

(Before I went to ask, the elderly people all said that two police officers had already asked them this question, and I was the third police officer to ask them about it. When I showed them photos of the people involved in the Ozaki case, they pointed out two people—the first person to learn about the situation was Ozaki, and then Mr. Sakai also impersonated a police officer to ask about it.)

After reading the message, Kitahara Masaki cursed inwardly. So much time had passed; he wondered if that legal consulting agency was still around. But regardless, they had to go there today and get the truth from Sakai about why he had impersonated a police officer to investigate the fraud case.

"By the way, Koshimizu, did you tell those old folks about Officer Ozaki's passing?"

"Sorry, I didn't say that."

"Remember this next time."

When they arrived at the address of the legal consulting agency, they found it deserted. Now, they had to get Sakai to tell the truth.

Kitahara Maki, who was knocking on the Sakai family's door, didn't care at all that it was Saturday; he was banging on the door as if he was about to break it down.

"Officer, what's the matter now? It's Saturday."

"Katsuhiro Sakai, I hope you can give me an explanation for why you impersonated a police officer to investigate a fraud case?"

Kitahara Masaki didn't bother with pleasantries and went straight to the point. He had let him off the hook last time because there was no concrete evidence, but this time there were witnesses who could prove that he was impersonating a police officer.

"Um, Inspector Ozaki asked me to contact members of the fraud ring, right? I just want to know how far along the investigation is..."

Kitahara Masaki pointed to the cleaning supplies in his room, interrupting his excuse:

"Don't lie to me anymore. I gave you a chance to tell the truth, which is why I didn't bring a search warrant. I think your cleaning tools probably still have Officer Ozaki's blood on them. This kind of thing can be easily detected with reagents, so don't take any chances."

Katsuhiro Sakai sighed and said:

"Looks like I can't hide it from Inspector Kitahara after all. I just... I just..."

Watching the informant, who had been rescued by Officer Ozaki, take out a letter from somewhere in the room, the wrinkles on it like spots, clearly showed that the tears of the person who had read the letter earlier had fallen on the paper.

Chapter 211 How to Vent Anger by Looking Back and Forgetting

After reading the letter, or rather, the suicide note, Kitahara Masaki understood the whole story of the case. It turned out that this was not a case in the first place, but it appeared to be a case only because of Sakai Katsuhiro's handling of it.

"Inspector Ozaki committed suicide, and you found this suicide note in his study, right? And you just happened to be the person in charge of selling cleaning products at the supermarket, so you used cleaning tools to wash away all the bloodstains, and finally moved Inspector Ozaki's body to that special location, and even burned the recording pen, so that the people in the Second Investigation Division would immediately think that the fraud gang had killed him, right?"

Katsuhiro Sakai sat on the tatami mat and nodded, knowing he could no longer hide the truth and had no choice but to confess:

"That night, Officer Ozaki came to see me and told me not to do anything unnecessary. Ah—the unnecessary thing was that I also went to investigate those elderly people who had been scammed, and then I found out that they had all consulted a legal institution. Heh, I'm all too familiar with that place, having been a scammer myself. In the end, I followed the trail and found that the institution was connected to Hyodo. Those elderly people told me that another officer named Ozaki had asked them the same questions, so at that time I thought, Officer Ozaki clearly found evidence, so why hasn't he arrested that bastard Hyodo yet?"

Having naturally learned about police procedures during her time as a detective, Nanatsuki Koshimizu immediately said:

"This clue alone could bring Hyodo back to the Metropolitan Police Department, but if we don't find any further connection between him and the fraud group, it might alert them and cause the hard-won clue to disappear."

"Yes, you're absolutely right, but I acted impulsively at the time and couldn't think things through. After seeing Inspector Ozaki at the supermarket, I couldn't help but say some very hurtful things... That evening after get off work, once I calmed down, I felt I should apologize to Inspector Ozaki. Even if he really did accept a bribe, he's still my benefactor. But... but..."

When he arrived at the Ozaki house, he found the door unlocked. Inside, he saw a study covered in blood and the body of Inspector Ozaki. The suicide note was filled with Inspector Ozaki's resentment—he had been threatened by Hyoudou, who threatened to kill his informant like he had a year ago if he dared to investigate further.

Fearing that things would turn out the same way as a year ago, Officer Ozaki accepted the bribe money and put it in a safe. Then, he suddenly received a message from the old man saying that another officer was investigating their case, so he went to the supermarket that night to talk to Sakai directly.

However, the police officer, who was focused on the case, could not find any clues and was threatened by the mastermind behind it all. He was also criticized by his own informant. Feeling disheartened, he committed suicide.

“I didn’t want anyone to know that Inspector Ozaki committed suicide; he shouldn’t have ended up like this. So after cleaning up the bloodstains, I took his body to the place where the informant was killed a year ago, and then attached a charred recording pen to it. That way, the police would definitely think it was a fraud ring’s provocation against the police, and they would definitely be able to catch Hyoudou.”

At this point, Sakai gave a self-deprecating bitter laugh:

"I didn't expect that the police would not investigate Hyodo, but only crack down on a few fraud dens. I think this was also an order given by Officer Kitahara."

"Of course, it would be pointless to rashly arrest a high-level swindler like Hyodo and bring him back to the police station, but he certainly won't speak without conclusive evidence. That's how the fraud investigation is at this stage. Even if we know that the person in charge of that organization has a relationship with Hyodo, and even that he handed over customer information to the fraud gang, as long as Hyodo says that it was the person in charge of the organization's unilateral action, we have no evidence to prove that he is lying."

Sakai covered his face in anguish. For someone who had already repented, nothing was more painful than driving his benefactor to his death.

“Mr. Sakai, regarding your transportation of the body, we still need you to return to the police station for investigation. Also—please live well. Since Officer Ozaki saved you, then you should carry on with his share of the journey.”

After bringing him back to the Second Investigation Division and explaining everything, Inspector Nakamori looked regretful. No matter how much he wanted to catch Hyoudou to comfort Ozaki's spirit in heaven, he couldn't act until he had enough evidence.

Even for Kitahara Masaki, finding evidence to prove Hyodo's involvement in the fraud would be extremely difficult. His previous success in bringing down a politician was purely due to luck and coincidence. Luck stemmed from the politician saying something he shouldn't have, and coincidence from both him and his secretary believing the judge was dead. However, this fraud ring had formed a sophisticated system, allowing Hyodo to operate remotely without needing to get involved personally.

After the case was closed, Kitahara Masaki went home for dinner, but he still couldn't understand why Officer Ozaki would commit suicide. Just as he couldn't understand why Americans considered it normal for everyone to carry a gun, Japan always had a culture of atonement through death.

"Shinichi, is something on your mind?"

"Well, I just don't quite understand it, or rather, I find it hard to comprehend their actions. After all, if someone dies, doesn't that mean the enemy has won? It's infuriating to even think about it."

"Well... if Kitahara Masaki can't resolve this in a short time, then perhaps Napoleon can let you vent your anger first."

Upon hearing this, Kitahara Masaki sighed and said:

"Please."

At dawn, Kitahara Masaki put on a refined suit and disguised himself once again as a handsome middle-aged Gallic man, while Vermouth disguised herself as Kitahara Masaki and went to a movie theater to watch an obscure film shown in the early morning.

Hyoudou Kengo, according to the phone location provided by Ai, is currently in a private room at a nightclub, opening champagne. Kitahara Masaki, leaning on a cane, walks up to the door with a smile, prompting the two bodyguards outside to shout at him:

"What country are you from, you old geezer? You're not welcome here in Japan."

After saying that, they reached out to push Kitahara Masaki away. However, as they reached out, their chests, abdomens, and necks were caught off guard, and Kitahara Masaki immediately struck their Adam's apples. The pain made them clutch their throats, unable to speak at all.

boom!

Having entered Napoleon mode, he kicked open the door and, seeing Hyodo groping two girls, laughed:

"I'm here today mainly to borrow two things from Mr. Hyodo: one is your ill-gotten gains, and the other is your tongue, which you only use to deceive people."

Chapter 212 Strange Death Messages

"Huh? Inspector Megure, you mean you want Mr. Mori to solve this case? Heiji Hattori and Conan are with him too. Hmm—you could have told me sooner. My work here has just officially ended."

To prevent people from thinking that Napoleon was targeting only Hyoudou Kengo, Kitahara Masaki also found two other people with criminal backgrounds who had still become company presidents. Hyoudou Kengo's tongue was cut out, and his ill-gotten gains were distributed by Kitahara Masaki to the elderly people who had been scammed. Kitahara Masaki also informed Someya Hotaru, a female reporter who was already famous in the industry, about his involvement in fraud, so that she could expose it.

Ultimately, evil people will be dealt with by evil people. If we don't take such drastic measures, people like Hyoudou won't repent even if they are caught, and they will only continue to commit crimes after they are released. So let's just make sure that he can no longer commit fraud.

After doing all this, Kitahara Masaki felt a sense of relief. As a police officer, he needed to rely on evidence, but for Napoleon, the leader of the criminal organization, a conman with low combat skills was not a threat at all.

Inspector Megure was very surprised and asked:

"I see. Kitahara, didn't you just help the Second Investigative Division uncover the truth behind Inspector Ozaki's case, and then Napoleon committed acts of violence against three company presidents involved in the crime? Is that case serious?"

"Well, it's alright. Since all three victims had seen the criminal Napoleon face-to-face, all we need to do now is issue an urgent arrest warrant. Finding a foreigner in a sea of ​​people isn't our primary task as the First Criminal Investigation Division. Naturally, we'll have time to look at the cases that your First Investigation Division encounters."

Although Hyoudou Kengo is dead, the police have not yet obtained conclusive evidence regarding his crimes, so they have entrusted Koshimizu Nanatsuki to search his computer at home.

Meanwhile, Kitahara Maki went alone to the scene that Inspector Megure had mentioned.

Upon arriving at the scene, he saw Uncle Mori, Heiji Hattori, and Conan searching the area. Since the forensic department had completed their investigation the previous day, the detectives were finally able to work at the crime scene, something they hadn't done in a long time. However, what puzzled him was Ran and Kazuha standing nearby, the two best friends seemingly chatting about something.

However, Kitahara Masaki was used to detectives bringing their families to crime scenes, and in order to understand the case as quickly as possible, he signaled to Inspector Megure that he could speak.

"The deceased was the president of this children's toy company. This photo was taken at the scene yesterday. The deceased was discovered by four company employees on their way to work this morning."

The photos show the company president bound and lying on his side on the floor. On either side of him is a desk and scattered toy wooden blocks. An overturned ink bottle on the desk has dripped ink onto the floor next to where he lies. The office safe has been opened and is empty.

Police also found a golf club, which was used as the murder weapon, and a coat that the killer wore to prevent blood from splattering on him in the company's trash can. However, both of these items were left in the victim's office, so the killer's identity could not be determined based on these items.

What catches the eye most are the toy blocks scattered on the ground. They are all hexahedrons with the same shape. Five of the six faces are engraved with the five syllables of the Japanese syllabary, and the last face is painted with an animal.

"Ah! Four of these cubes are covered in the deceased's fingerprints, and each of the four cubes has one face covered in ink. We initially thought this was a message left by the deceased, but there's only one word that can be formed from these four sounds—'toy'. It's completely baffling."

In other words, the victim, bound behind their back, first grabbed a cube from one side, then turned to the other side, imprinting it onto a patch of ink near their body. The presence of the victim's fingerprints proves that they were groping for the cube's indentation in an attempt to find the desired side. However, the deciphered message of death is this incomprehensible word…

"Now that he mentioned toys, have you checked all the toys in the room?"

"Of course, but we just didn't find anything."

Hmm, Kitahara Masaki looked at the photos from the scene and felt a bit troubled. He was thinking of just asking Conan when Conan tugged at his sleeve and pulled him aside, whispering:

"Kitahara-kun, let me tell you something. Actually, Hattori and Kazuha made a bet to see who could solve this case faster and who would get to decide on the tourist attractions."

Ok?

Kitahara Masaki was puzzled, but after Conan explained in detail, he understood—it turned out that the Mori family planned to travel to Osaka the next day and wanted Hattori and Kazuha to be their tour guide. However, Hattori wanted to take them to the Koshien baseball tournament, while Kazuha wanted to take them to the Takarazuka Revue. To decide which one to go to, they made a bet on who could solve the case faster; whoever solved the case first would have the right to decide.

"No, does Kazuha really dare to agree to this?"

"Ahem, Uncle Mori said he would help Kazuha win the match, and as a result, Kazuha agreed to bet with Hattori."

Oh dear, this is the kind of helper that can only be used to eliminate wrong options most of the time, and he's just AFK in the fountain all day.

When Kazuha saw Conan and Kitahara Masaki whispering to each other, she immediately came to their side and said:

"Ahem, Officer Kitahara, you can't take sides! And Conan, you can't cheat, okay?"

"Haha, don't worry, this kid just told me about your bet with Hattori. I'm just here to solve the case, so don't worry about me. But I just think you might have chosen the wrong teammate."

Kitahara Masaki pointed to Uncle Mori, who was squeezing a rabbit doll. After seeing that Uncle Mori was just a goofball if he didn't fall asleep, Kazuha also felt that her bet was in jeopardy. However, she would not give up easily in order to beat Heiji.

"Sigh, looking at this child, I suddenly feel that Hattori is just a block of wood. I wonder when he will realize his true feelings."

"Yes, as his friend, I am also very worried about him."

Kitahara Masaki looked at the smug Conan and then slapped him on the head.

"Don't be so smug. What do those four cubes with ink standing on them really mean?"

"Hmph! I figured it out even faster this time!"

"Okay, okay, hurry up and tell me."

Chapter 213 Ke Xue the Wooden Man