No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

Fortunately, because the case was resolved quickly, it only attracted significant attention from the Metropolitan Police Department. The media and the public were mainly focused on Renmi Kyoichiro, and it had little to do with Kitahara Masaki, let alone the Public Security Bureau, since this incident had nothing to do with the Black Organization.

Just as Kitahara Masaki thought this exciting night was finally coming to an end, his phone suddenly rang. It was Director Hakuba:

"Ahem, Director Bai Ma, it's about my girlfriend—"

"Inspector Kitahara! Don't worry about that now! Okumura escaped! He had a can of tear gas on him, knocked out the officers in the ambulance, and then disappeared!"

"Yes! I guarantee I'll complete the mission and find him in the shortest possible time!"

After hanging up the phone, Kitahara Masaki looked bitter and said that his work for the day was not over yet. However, he quickly realized that something was wrong. After knocking Okumura unconscious, Kitahara Masaki had thoroughly searched him. Okumura's cell phone was now in Kitahara Masaki's hands. Logically speaking, it was impossible for him to still have a canister of tear gas hidden on him!

Could it be that he has accomplices?

So the question is, who were his accomplices? Were they the rescuers outside? If so, Kitahara Masaki didn't pay any more attention to him after he was carried out, so putting a tear gas canister in his pocket might not have been difficult.

But what if his accomplice is inside...?

Amamiya Saya! If she, as the secretary of President Hasumi, becomes Okumura's accomplice, then the success rate of Okumura's plan will be much higher. Kitahara Masaki originally thought that Okumura gave her the remaining gas mask to provoke and mock Hasumi Kyoichiro, but now it seems that he did it so that she could live together. If the two of them survive at the same time, the credibility of their testimonies will naturally be greatly enhanced!

"She's really hiding this well. I thought she was being quiet because she was scared, but it turns out she already had everything planned out. Koshimizu, go check out Amamiya Saya's information for me. She's Hasumi Kyoichiro's secretary, and she might be Okumura's real accomplice. Also, Haibara, unlock Okumura's phone for me and see if there's any evidence worth looking at."

Soon, thanks to Ai Haibara's efforts, the smartphone was turned on, and the text message records inside were restored. The sent messages were a string of letters and numbers that looked like a code.

"ch9300762011623852957, what does this mean, is it a code?"

Ai Haibara couldn't understand the content at all after successfully deciphering it, but for someone like Masaki Kitahara who had multiple escape routes, the string of numbers meant a bank account number in a neutral country.

"This is the IBAN number required for international remittances to accounts in neutral countries. That country's IBAN number is 21 digits long, starting with CH. The next two digits are the confirmation number, the next five digits are the bank code, and the next twelve digits are the specific bank account number. Damn it, Okumura is likely to flee abroad!"

After reaching this conclusion, Kitahara Masaki immediately ordered the deployment of defenses at various airports in Tokyo to prevent Okumura from escaping under a false identity.

"Oh, I see. But Kitahara-nii, you noticed it at a glance, so it seems—"

"Hehe, that's natural. A cunning rabbit has three burrows, and one should consider defeat before victory. Having a secure account in another country is a must. But let's look back at Okumura's phone now. That last message was a text message sent. Has he received any text messages since then?"

"Hmm! There's one, just two words: 'Completed.' It's a pity the other party used an anonymous phone, so we can't find the owner."

"So cautious... But when this anonymous phone was in use, the cell tower it was located at should be traceable, right?"

Kitahara Masaki wasn't in a hurry. Since Okumura's whereabouts were currently unknown, he could leave the recruitment to Inspector Megure and the others. What he needed to do now was to find out the truth of the case, otherwise he probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"Ah! This is it. When an anonymous phone is used, it sends its signals from here! You see, isn't there a base station over there? That's where the signals are sent from."

Nice!

After finding this evidence, Kitahara Masaki finally understood who the person who transferred money to Okumura's account was.

“At that time, the only person who could use a cell phone would be outside the ruins, and this person would be threatened by Okumura and have a large sum of money to pay. This sucker could only be Hasumi Kyoichiro’s son, Hasumi Seiji! So the possibility that Amamiya Saya was Okumura’s accomplice is getting bigger and bigger.”

Thinking this through, Kitahara Masaki knew he was close to the truth, unaware that Conan had been drawn into the case again.

Chapter 225 Meeting Death is Your Misfortune

After lunch, Conan was about to buy the latest issue of a Japanese mystery magazine when he suddenly heard a breaking news report—an underground parking lot had been suspected of being bombed. He had been following the case closely, and when the reporter revealed the names of those trapped, he was surprised to see Kitahara Masaki. This was indeed unexpected. After asking Ai Haibara, he learned that she had arrived at the scene, but when he got there, he was driven out by the police.

Consider it exercise. Conan took a big bite of ice cream, and then, thinking about the prisoner locked up with Kitahara Masaki, he felt much better.

beep beep.

"Oh, Haibara's update on the case—oh, how come the police let the criminal who was already caught escape...?"

He only recently discovered this—the Japanese police seem to be out of place with Kitahara Masaki's art style. Many of the police are just ordinary people in police uniforms, getting beaten up by criminals all day long. No wonder so many people say that the public security in Japan is not good at all.

"Let's go home after we buy the magazines."

Now that everyone knows who the culprit is, there's no chance for the detective to appear. Conan sighs, thinking that today is another day of looking for Amuro Tooru's cat. On his way home, he sees a man sneaking into the park, as if he's about to do something illegal.

Conan rubbed the back of his head where Gin had hit him, and then followed.

"You're so slow!"

Okumura, disguised, immediately expressed his displeasure upon seeing Hasumi Seiji.

"Oh, right, don't think you can get away with killing me. I've already copied your case and the information about the innocent person you killed onto a USB drive, and I've already sent that USB drive to the courier company. If I don't go back and cancel the order, by this time tomorrow—that USB drive will be received by Inspector Kitahara of the First Criminal Investigation Division. I think that officer, who has a powerful background, definitely won't mind sending you to jail. So, take out your gun."

Hasumi Seiji's face was no longer the gentle and refined one he had been; he was now staring at Okumura with an icy expression.

"What? If I get arrested, it'll be the same. Once I'm in jail, I'll definitely tell you everything I know. No matter what, your Hasumi family needs to find a way for me to leave the country!"

"You bastard! Even if you received the remittance message while you were in the garage, did you still intend to kill my father?!"

Okumura grinned at Hasumi Seiji, who had finally lost his composure, and replied:

"What's wrong? I'm just trying to help you! If your father dies, you'll naturally inherit everything from the Hasumi family. What's wrong with that? Anyway, you and your father are both ruthless in your pursuit of power. Do I really need to remind you of the fact that the criminal you supposedly killed was just a passerby?"

At this point, although Okumura held leverage over the Hasumi family, the police had already obtained all the information about him. If he didn't flee the country, his only option would be to be arrested and imprisoned.

"Heh, are people who threaten others afraid of going to jail?"

"Shut up! Hasumi Seiji, who do you think you are! Three years ago, you said you were injured while chasing a thug who was wielding a knife, and you had no choice but to shoot him dead, but that person was just a passerby! You portrayed an innocent person as a criminal, and even had your father pull strings to get him arrested, hahaha!!! You probably still don't know—Amamiya Saya, your father's secretary, is actually that innocent passerby's fiancée! It's because you two have committed so many sins that the people seeking revenge against you two could stretch from Tokyo to Kyoto!"

"Hmph, our Hasumi family has devoted ourselves to Japan for generations. What do the lives of a few commoners matter? Speaking of which, I should thank you for your honesty. It has allowed me to learn about your backup plan and your accomplices. After I kill you, I will take care of the aftermath, and then no one will be able to threaten our Hasumi family."

Seiji Hasumi pulled out his pistol, thinking that it wouldn't matter if he killed Okumura later, since he was already a wanted criminal and no one would say anything if he was killed.

Just as he was about to fire, he suddenly heard a phone ringing behind him.

This terrified Conan. When he saw the phone number, he realized it was Ran calling. It was dinnertime and Conan hadn't shown up yet, so Ran called.

However, Hasumi Seiji, who was already planning to kill, was in a state of extreme excitement. After being seen and having his past overheard, he fired without hesitation.

Clap!

Conan crouched behind the stone altar. The bullet shattered many of the stones, and small fragments hit his head.

This has angered Death. From their conversation, we know that the man named Hasumi Seiji is a policeman, but if he shot himself without hesitation, then the story told by the fugitive Okumura is very likely true.

Conan, with his elementary school-sized frame, nimbly maneuvered between the stone embankments in the park. Seiji Hasumi, who was chasing after him, was not used to looking down to find people, so he quickly lost track of him. However, he soon heard the phone ringing again, and without thinking, he walked in that direction.

However, that was a trap set by Conan. After all, he had anticipated that Ran would definitely call again, so he left his phone in an excellent position—a position where a soccer ball could hit him in the face!

"Watch the game!"

Conan's sneakers flashed with electricity like lightning from magic, and the soccer ball he kicked slammed into Seiji Hasumi's face like a comet streaking across the sky, causing him to lose consciousness from the pain.

"Solve one."

Okumura, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, thought he could escape while Hasumi Seiji went to find the passerby, but at that moment a brat stood in his way.

"Hey, kid, who exactly are you?"

"Ha! Listen up, my name is Conan Edogawa, I'm a detective! Not a Grim Reaper!"

After he finished introducing himself, the anesthetic needle from the little idiot's smartwatch suddenly shot Okumura.

"Hey! This is near the carousel in the park. I've seen two men who have passed out. One of them looks a lot like Okumura Shogo, who is wanted by the police. I hope you can send someone over to confirm this as soon as possible!"

When Kitahara Masaki arrived at the scene, he found Conan sitting on a carousel with his nose pointing skyward, and the case was closed in such a comical way.

Chapter 226 The Disappearance of Itakura Suguru

Several days have passed since the underground parking garage explosion. Conan is now sitting in the Mouri Detective Agency listening to three clients who came up with him talk about the missing person case they had entrusted to Uncle Mouri—a software designer named Itakura has gone missing.

"He's really acting strangely this time. He clearly took on three jobs, but now he's disappeared."

"Yes, we commissioned him to make game software for shogi, go, and chess respectively, but we don't know what he's thinking when he takes on so many jobs at the same time."

"Oh, by the way, let's show that video to Mr. Mori."

The client took out a laptop, and the video recorded by Itakura Taku was about how he would go to a place far away from the firm to design slowly, asking the three of them to wait patiently for the software to finish, and also mentioned that he had a heart condition.

"I see. He was indeed in a hotel in the video. If this Mr. Itakura is, as you all say, a famous CG creator and software designer, is it possible that he was kidnapped?"

"Ah, that's quite possible. I saw a burly man with a strong Kansai accent at Mr. Itakura's company two years ago. The man in all black said something like, 'You're no longer of any use to me.' He also showed up at the launch event for Manten's new game."

Upon hearing this, Conan immediately became agitated. The person the client mentioned was clearly Tequila. Although Tequila had been accidentally killed in the explosion, it didn't mean that Itakura had no connection with the Black Organization.

No! We must find Mr. Itakura immediately!

Conan's brain worked at lightning speed. After seeing three types of board games in Mr. Itakura's room in the video, he immediately used "Are you there?" to remind Uncle Mori.

Then, Uncle Mori, being quite obliging, called the front desks of various hotels in Tokyo, pretending to be the strange guest who had borrowed three kinds of Go stones. He then managed to extract information from the front desks about Mr. Itakura's whereabouts.

But when everyone arrived at his room, they found Mr. Itakura clutching his chest, and upon checking his breathing, they discovered that he was already dead!

Upon seeing this, the others immediately called the police, and Conan took the opportunity to text Kitahara Masaki that Itakura Suguru, the software designer, had connections with the Black Organization, and told him to come over immediately.

Kitahara Maki, who had originally planned to rest for a few more days, gave up the idea of ​​letting Koshimizu Nanatsuki solve the case and went over immediately after getting dressed.

Upon arriving at the scene, Conan didn't say much, but instead subtly pointed to a USB drive with the word 'Diary' written on it in large font.

"Two years ago, Mr. Itakura's eyesight and heart began to deteriorate, so he retired from CG production and devoted himself to software design. And now he's been murdered! Could it be that he was killed by the Black Organization?!"

Kitahara Masaki did not answer. Regarding Itakura Suguru—he remembered that this software designer was commissioned by the organization to create a software, but what kind of software it was was never clearly stated. Most importantly, this person was likely in charge of Gin, so he could only treat Itakura as an ordinary murder case.

Furthermore, the death of this software designer was definitely not the work of the organization, because if it were, such an obvious vulnerability would not have appeared.

“Kid, take a good look. Mr. Itakura was only wearing one sock, and there was a Go board next to him. If you look closely, you’ll see that it was a message left by Mr. Itakura about his death!”

Before Mr. Itakura died, he was probably tied up, so he used his still-movable toes to pick up the Go stones and arrange them into the words he wanted to say.

Conan calmed down and, after carefully observing the chessboard, immediately discovered that the black pieces conveyed a message—'The culprit is Soma, and the evidence is his watch.'

"I see! Mr. Itakura deliberately placed the white stones in the area surrounded by the black stones to imply that we should ignore the white stones that violate the rules and only look at the black stones—that's what he meant."

"Did you figure out what that meant?"

"Oh, right, Braille is similar to Braille. Unless you have vision loss, there's no need to learn it. I can understand what it means because I learned it while on vacation in Hawaii."

Fine, there are places in Hawaii that teach Braille, but Kitahara Masaki couldn't be bothered to think about such an absurd thing.

At this point, it can be confirmed that the person who killed Itakura was one of the three clients. These three people are definitely not related to the Black Organization, so Itakura's death is no longer important. What is important is what the Black Organization made him do and what he left behind.

Kitahara Masaki made a quick decision, having Conan tranquilize Kogoro Mouri to buy time, so that Kitahara Masaki could find out all the information about the Black Organization.

Kitahara Masaki's advantage lies in the fact that Gin is unaware that Itakura was suddenly killed by a passerby, and Gin has never told Kitahara Masaki about Itakura. Therefore, Gin will definitely think that Kitahara Masaki knows nothing about it, but unfortunately for him, he already knows most of the things.

But even he didn't know what software the organization wanted to buy. In fact, asking Vermouth might have given him the answer, but that would involve a lot of things. So for now, let's see what his diary actually recorded.

While everyone's attention was on Uncle Mori, Kitahara Masaki copied the data from the USB drive to Itakura's computer and checked the other contents on the computer and whether there was any other important content in Itakura's bag.

During Kitahara Masaki's search, they suddenly discovered that there was a USB drive under his clothes. This USB drive was different from the diary USB drive. It was one of Itakura's personal belongings that the police had not found to this day.

Kitahara Masaki first put it in his pocket, then greeted the forensic personnel and made an excuse to check his personal belongings list. After finding that the USB drive was not recorded in the list, Kitahara Masaki was relieved. This inconspicuous USB drive was different from the diary USB drive. Because it had not been discovered, there would be no problem even if Kitahara Masaki took it directly.