No one understands the laws of Collider better than me.

“That’s right. I originally thought I could find a starting point through Zhu Yinjing, but the lawyer sent by Jiaxi Xiuming bribed her and made her change her testimony. So now I have no legitimate reason to investigate Jiaxi Xiuming.”

----------------

"A tower that even a blazing eagle cannot leap over? What kind of article is this?"

A few days after Zhu Yinjing changed her testimony, media outlets across the country suddenly published similar articles. To everyone's surprise, the articles clearly described the case of Zhu Yinjing shooting the police officer, then went on to describe Zhu Yinjing's inconsistent statements, and finally introduced the inflammatory text that "Kashi Osamu is the culprit, and even Kitahara Masaki could not bring him to justice."

This incident caused a huge stir. The famous police officer, who was previously praised by the media, was now being humiliated by the president of an internet company. This attracted even more media outlets, who swarmed in like sharks smelling blood.

After seeing the first article, Kitahara Masaki was shocked to discover that the publisher was Someya Hotaru. This was a huge problem, as everyone would think that Kitahara Masaki was unwilling to accept the outcome and leaked the case investigation information to the media.

Someone is plotting against him. Although it won't have a huge impact on him, he will have to be cautious for the foreseeable future. If he is suspected again, Kitahara Masaki's troubles may not just be dealing with the hordes of reporters.

On his way to work today, he was surrounded by reporters as soon as he arrived at the Metropolitan Police Department. The department responsible for speaking out and dealing with reporters was also packed with people. After all, this was big news. The president of an internet company who could use money to smooth things over and had connections everywhere actually paid someone to shoot a police officer. To this day, his motive is still unknown!

All the reporters were keeping a close eye on Kitahara Masaki and Kasai Shumei, and many TV programs even started prize-winning quizzes, letting viewers choose whether Kitahara Masaki successfully captured Kasai Shumei or Kasai Shumei successfully escaped legal punishment.

Meanwhile, millions of people online were following the progress of the case, and many of Kitahara Masaki's fanatical fans even issued death threats against Kasai Osamu, forcing Kitahara Masaki to personally release a video to warn his fans not to do such things anymore.

"Hey, Masaki."

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

After dealing with one trivial matter after another, Kitahara Masaki, who was sitting in the lounge drinking coffee after lunch, received a call from Vermouth.

"Be careful. Things are developing so fast. The person behind this is definitely not simple. Maybe he's trying to confuse you, or maybe he wants you to lose focus, or maybe he's targeting you. In any case, just leave the small things to your subordinates. You need to rest now. Only then can you figure out what that person's purpose is."

"Thank you, I understand."

Following the advice, Kitahara Maki went home and took a nap. When he woke up, he suddenly realized that he had indeed forgotten to have someone keep an eye on Kasai Shumei. If something happened to him now, the already nearly out-of-control public opinion would become even more chaotic!

However, this time the mastermind didn't give Kitahara Masaki any chance. After figuring things out, Kitahara Masaki suddenly received a call from Inspector Megure.

"Brother Kitahara, this is terrible! Kashiki Osamu and all seven of his security personnel are dead!"

"Is it confirmed?"

"It has been confirmed that the security company hired by Jiaxi Xiuming sent people to his house to check on him after they could not contact him or his home security personnel. They found eight people lying inside, and by the time the paramedics arrived, they had already confirmed their deaths."

"Is the news being blocked?"

"It seems like a lockdown won't be possible. The security company and the medical staff who initially arrived at the scene have already started being interviewed by the media. What's even more troublesome is the situation on-site—"

Inspector Megure paused here, seemingly finding it difficult to speak.

"Is there anything else we need to be aware of at the scene?"

"The words 'Napoleon' were spray-painted on the scene."

Now, Kitahara Masaki is finally certain that Kasai Osamu was killed by Rum; otherwise, no one would have gone so far as to frame Napoleon. Rum had already discovered Kasai Osamu's manipulation of others with money, and killing him now was perfectly timed—when all the media was focused on the case.

That's quite a generous offer, buying one and getting seven free at once, completely and without hesitation pinning the blame on Kitahara Masaki's pseudonym.

"Okay, I understand. I'll be right there."

Chapter 340 Assassination Competition

Upon arriving at the scene, the eight bodies were neatly covered with white sheets and placed outdoors. The exact location of the crime was in the dining room inside the room, where eight charcoal stoves could be seen on the dining table, with burnt rice cakes on them.

Has the cause of death been determined?

"The forensic examination has preliminarily determined it to be carbon monoxide poisoning. It's probably because eight charcoal stoves were used, which produced enough carbon monoxide to cause death."

Kitahara Masaki was wearing a gas mask to prevent any mishaps, but he was the only one dressed like that, making him stand out among the many police officers in suits, like a bio-engineered soldier infiltrated into a group of office workers.

"Although the space in the restaurant is not large, the ventilation must be very poor for this situation to occur. The windows and balcony doors are all closed, so air conditioning and exhaust fans are definitely needed for ventilation."

“But Officer Kitahara, the air conditioners and exhaust fans at the scene are not working. When we first arrived, we asked the security personnel and medical staff, and they all said they hadn’t touched the switches, so the air conditioners and exhaust fans must have been turned off before.”

Because it's winter and we have a charcoal stove, it's warm enough without the air conditioning on. Strangely, the exhaust fan isn't working either, which creates a completely sealed environment, leading to excessively high carbon monoxide levels.

"Chiba, Chiba, every year, Kasai Osamu spends ten times your annual salary on security. Do you think those well-trained security personnel, some of whom are former police officers, would not pay attention to ventilation in a confined space? Especially with a charcoal stove inside."

"Could it be that there was another security guard who quietly turned off the ventilation fan and left after everyone had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning?"

"You're overthinking it. The security company was the first to arrive; how could they not notice that someone was missing? There's so much food on site, and it's all high-end stuff. The missing person is obviously the chef."

Kitahara Masaki pointed to the ceiling exhaust fan, then reached out and touched it, deducing:

"The ventilation fan was actually turned on, but the filter had been tampered with. If you cover the filter with a layer of plastic wrap, even if the ventilation fan is on, the air in the room can't escape. But the security personnel lowered their guard after seeing the ventilation fan was on, and that's how they died so mysteriously. If you just remove and dispose of the plastic wrap afterward, and then turn off the ventilation fan, people will think it was an accident caused by negligence in ventilation."

Moreover, because Kashi Osamu wanted to show off his so-called magnanimity by having the seven security personnel eat together, the murderer probably didn't need to say much; Kashi Osamu's pride had already set the stage for him.

Kitahara Masaki stood on a chair and disassembled the exhaust fan. A photo was pasted on the filter screen. It was a photo of Kashiki Osamu drinking black tea in a club, surrounded by many other big entrepreneurs like him.

"Why would there be a picture like that posted there? What was Napoleon's intention in posting a picture in such a place?"

"Isn't that simple? Gazio is just the beginning, and these people are Napoleon's next targets!"

"This... Napoleon has never revealed his objectives beforehand, so why did he alert the police this time?"

Nonsense, he's a fake. If he doesn't make a big fuss about it, and the real thing can't be seen, then his whole performance would be for nothing.

Rum's plan was naturally to lay in wait among those entrepreneurs, waiting for the real Napoleon to investigate before launching a surprise attack. The idea sounded appealing, but the reality was that the real Napoleon was always right beside him.

Kitahara Masaki looked at the information his colleagues had brought. The chefs at this labor dispatch company were specifically for prestigious families. The chef's photo reminded Kitahara Masaki of Rum again, because the female chef looked very sloppy and had a very casual name, as if she was mocking everyone.

When they sent their men to look for clues about the chef again, they found nothing. Now all the leads had gone cold. Rum was no ordinary man; killing a businessman was as easy as eating lettuce for him. As for the seven security guards around Kashimi Shigeaki, they were nothing more than a bunch of lobsters.

In short, at this point, Kitahara Masaki could only watch as the media and public opinion were once again guided by Rum. Kasai Osamu's sudden death once again pushed the Metropolitan Police Department into the spotlight, and Kitahara Masaki had no choice but to take on the task of arresting himself again. Even Napoleon's challenge was exposed.

When the big businessmen associated with Kashimi Shumei realized that a killer had set his sights on them, they immediately used their connections to get the police department involved.

Kitahara Maki, who was only thinking about slacking off, once again encountered Amuro Tooru, who had been urged by his superiors to solve a case.

"Officer Sasao, are you also investigating this case?"

"Yes, I can't do anything about what the higher-ups want. I wonder if Officer Kitahara has found any clues?"

"You're overthinking it. The fact that Napoleon was able to commit multiple crimes right under the police's noses is enough to show that he was a person with strong counter-investigation capabilities. Although he left clues in many cases, this is the first time he has announced his next crime to the police."

Amuro Tooru's eyes flickered, understanding Kitahara Masaki's implied meaning.

"Does Officer Kitahara mean that this Napoleon might be a copycat?"

"We can't rule out this possibility, because although Napoleon's previous crimes didn't attract as much attention as this one, relevant information can still be found online, so it's possible that someone is impersonating Napoleon to commit crimes. And most importantly, Napoleon's previous appearances were all as a middle-aged foreign man, but this time he's disguised as an obese female chef."

"Hmm—it seems highly likely that this was a copycat crime, so the investigation should focus on people who have a grudge against Kashi Osamu."

Amuro Tooru thought that it would be best to catch the culprit as soon as possible by following this direction, but if the culprit also had a histrionic personality, then the scope of the search would be much wider.

While Amuro Tooru was figuring out how to catch the culprit, Kitahara Masaki was thinking about how to regain the initiative. One was focused on catching the criminal, the other on committing the crime.

Two days later, Kikuta Jun, one of the big capitalists in the photo left by Rum, also received a package. It was an antique he had recently bought on the dark web. As he cut open the package with a knife, his last thought before being reincarnated as a goblin in another world was—Damn it, playing dirty tricks, huh!

The media quickly reported that a big capitalist, like Kashi Osamu, who liked to treat human lives as a game, was killed by a courier box explosion. The photo showed more than twenty people. Now that two people have died, they finally realized the seriousness of the matter, and everyone is shouting for the police to come and save them!

This incident was orchestrated by Kitahara Masaki to regain the initiative. Instead of thinking about who Rum would kill, he preemptively eliminated all of Rum's targets, so that when only one person remained, both of them would naturally appear there.

Chapter 341 The Last Target

"Courier box bombs, long-range sniping, truck ramming, hot air balloon bombing, mustard gas, inside assassination—"

Amuro Tooru clutched his head. He'd recently come to understand that the so-called Napoleon had two figures—one real, one fake—but both were top-tier assassins. One excelled at precise assassinations, while the other preferred a grand display. In short, neither was an ordinary individual. The Public Security Bureau had previously deployed many officers to investigate clues about the Black Organization in the United States, leaving them short-handed. By the time Amuro Tooru began setting up defenses, the twenty-odd capitalists who treated human life like a game had already been mostly wiped out. They probably never imagined they would ultimately become tools in the power struggle between the two assassins.

And now, just as Kitahara Masaki predicted, there is only one person left, and this person is on the verge of collapse. Basically, his experience over the past few days has been like this: the police first said that they would definitely protect them, then the news of someone being killed was broadcast on TV, then the police came to comfort him again, and then the news of someone being assassinated was broadcast on TV. When he was the only one left in the photo, he thought about committing suicide, but he was afraid of the pain, but he was even more afraid of being killed.

Kitahara Masaki looked at the man struggling with whether or not to die, feeling no sympathy whatsoever. Before taking action, he had already had Haibara investigate the backgrounds of these people, so he did not hesitate at all when he started to act.

The most important thing now is that the showdown with Rum is approaching. However, besides Amuro Tooru, who came to guard the place, and Conan, who is waiting outside, Shuichi Akai is probably also monitoring it from a distance. It can be said that this assassination will be a huge uproar, and the last capitalist's mansion is the Howling Abyss.

"Officer Kitahara doesn't seem worried at all."

"The assassination competition between the two Napoleons is now over. This man is just an add-on to them. The important thing is that the two elusive assassins want to eliminate each other. So we don't need to do anything. They will kill each other on their own."

"Alas, it would be best if they only focused on each other, but one of the two Napoleons completely disregarded innocent people and was willing to affect everyone around his target in order to achieve his goal."

Kitahara Masaki also sighed in a mocking manner. There was nothing he could do about it. Was he supposed to call Rum and tell him to be more careful and not to hurt innocent people?

Just kidding, Rum hasn't told anyone in the organization about his plans yet. Kitahara Masaki only deduced that Rum was the mastermind because of Kasai Osamu's case.

Moreover, Rum is a man who acts without any scruples. Last time, Kitahara Masaki had the Metropolitan Police Department set up layers of defenses near a target, but Rum drove a dump truck into the target's house and sent the target directly to another world.

However, this time Kitahara Masaki was protecting this last target together with Amuro Tooru. If another dump truck came, it would be like bringing a mobile coffin.

Drop drop-

Kitahara Masaki took out his phone and saw that it was Conan calling. After seeing the details of the murder of Kashimi Osamu on TV, Conan also started investigating the case. However, just like him, he was completely unable to stop Rum's unscrupulous assassination methods. After all, even a Martian superball couldn't stop a charging dump truck.

At this moment, a phone call came while he was guarding the last target, it seems that this Grim Reaper has discovered something.

"What? Kid, has someone else died?"

This was originally just a joke by Kitahara Masaki, but Conan told him that something had indeed happened.

“I noticed that there were a lot more people around the target’s house, and they all looked like foreigners.”

Kitahara Masaki was taken aback when he heard the news, but quickly realized that the foreigners Conan saw must have been FBI agents.

"Ignore them, they're not the point."

"Eh!? Kitahara-kun, do you know them?"

What do you think?

Knowing that Conan must have understood, Kitahara Masaki hung up the phone.

It is now certain that the FBI is nearby, and they are monitoring this last target together with the Japanese Public Security Bureau. There is no doubt that Shuichi Akai is also nearby.

Shuichi Akai, Tooru Amuro, Conan, and him—a total of four people... Masaki Kitahara was starting to look forward to Rum's operation. If he dared to come, each of the four of them would be enough to beat him to death with a big shovel.

Just as Kitahara Masaki was pondering how to deal with the person who had stepped into this inescapable trap, the target suddenly collapsed to the ground, seemingly in unbearable pain.

After exchanging a glance, Kitahara Masaki and Amuro Tooru immediately ordered all the police officers to be on high alert, while Kitahara Masaki brought in a doctor. In order to prevent poisoning, they had prepared an entire medical team.

"Doctor, how is Mr. Kikuta?"

Kikuta, who had initially maintained a demure expression, was now sweating profusely from the pain, soaking the bedsheets.

"It's neither good nor bad. I don't have any medicine on hand to cure him right now, but he won't be in any immediate danger. However, if this delay continues, things might change."

Seeing Kitahara Masaki's somewhat displeased expression, the doctor immediately explained:

“We only brought serum or medications specifically for acute illnesses. His current symptoms are due to some kind of chronic virus with an incubation period of at least two to three weeks. The reason he is in so much pain is because his immune system can no longer withstand the invasion of the virus.”