Conan, I'm an actor

This man, Kiichiro Numabuchi, is a fugitive murderer with a long list of crimes. Even in a country where the abolitionist movement is rampant, he could still be sentenced to death.

"He's connected to the longtail who died three days ago, and the method he used to kill the longtail is the same method he used before..."

"Wait, the police shouldn't have disclosed the killer's modus operandi to the media. Only officers from the Osaka headquarters' criminal investigation department and high-ranking officials in the Metropolitan Police Department should know," Hattori interrupted Koshimizu. "How did you find out?"

The Metropolitan Police Departments of Osaka and Tokyo are parallel departments, and they will not share information that is not yet confirmed.

“I investigated the case through Shinjo.” Koshimizu handed a photo directly to Hattori.

"This is……"

“It’s a graduation photo from the driving school training class. Numabuchi Kiichiro and that Nagao were classmates in the same year,” Koshimizu said. “There were six people in total, but I only found out the identities of four of them. One is the current councilor, Goji Sotaro, and the other is his driver, Noyasu.”

"what do you mean……"

“That’s right. I suspect that the remaining few people could all become targets of Numabuchi Kiichiro’s attacks.”

The reason for choosing Numabuchi Kiichiro as the breakthrough point was twofold: firstly, he operated in Osaka, away from Shinjo's sight; secondly, Shinjo placed great importance on Numabuchi Kiichiro, as the other criminals' entries were normal search terms, but Numabuchi Kiichiro's entry had several names annotated and photos attached.

Chapter 144 Fugitive Numabuchi Kiichiro

"Classmates from the same driving school?" Hattori Heiji quickly realized the seriousness of the situation. "You mean, Numabuchi Kiichiro's targets are these people? The living people become his targets?"

“According to my investigation, it may be related to an accident.” Yue Shui took out a photo.

Hattori took the photo and looked at it, then froze. It was a photo of an old newspaper reporting an accident. The driver had died in an accident due to drunk driving, but the fact that Koshimizu had taken out this photo at this moment meant that this traffic accident was not a simple accident.

“The one who died was the driving school instructor, Inaba.” Koshimizu picked up the teacup next to him and took a sip. “I investigated his reputation at the driving school. He was a meticulous person, and because he was strict with his students, he even earned the nickname ‘Devil Instructor.’ The probability of him driving under the influence is not high.”

"You suspect this incident wasn't an accident, so you want to investigate it, right?" Hattori Heiji nodded. "I understand. I'll check the case files. I'll also have the Osaka police keep a close eye on these people."

Yue Shui nodded, then took out a business card. "This is my phone number. Thank you."

After saying that, she turned and left. If she stayed any longer, the girl named "Heye" would get restless. She didn't have the habit of bothering others.

Inside the institute

Xincheng looked at the documents in front of her with a headache. They contained information about her script planning, all of which was true, but some crucial clues had been obscured. If Yue Shui investigated according to this information, the truth she would ultimately discover would definitely be the truth she wanted to see.

"Isn't this the result you wanted?" Karen said with a hint of schadenfreude. "Misleading the master detective and arriving at a conclusion that deviates from the truth—isn't that your favorite thing? Could it be that your partner isn't on your target list?"

"If you can't speak properly, then don't speak at all." Shinjo was about to go to Osaka right now, but he stopped before he even stepped out the door.

[Forced Scenario Mission Triggered]

[Script: The Serial Murders in Langhua City]

[Script Experience Multiplier 5.0]

[Script requirement: No use of firearms]

[The current script is locked. The system will remain locked until the script is completed, and the AI ​​Karen will be forcibly logged off.]

Staring at the display panel in front of him, Shinjo's mind went blank. What a joke! Why did you have to show up at a time like this? He tried calling out to Karen, but received no response.

Just then, the landline in the research institute rang; it was Conan calling.

"What's wrong?" Xincheng answered the phone.

"Mr. Shinjo, you're alright? I thought something had happened to you that morning." Conan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Shinjo's voice. "Yesterday, Uncle Mori and I called you, but you didn't answer."

“It was indeed me who was attacked. Also, I have some matters to attend to recently and I am not in Tokyo,” Shinjo said after a moment’s thought. “Also, inform Professor Agasa not to come to the research institute until I return. No one, including his friends.”

"I understand," Conan said and hung up the phone.

Shinjo checked and found it was the supercomputing center's faulty connection. The center's load was currently at 1%, meaning Karen had been forcibly taken offline or relocated. With Karen gone, the research institute's defense system naturally crashed as well.

This is also why he told Professor Agasa and the others not to come to the research institute. Rum's people might infiltrate the institute one day, and if they were seen, the witnesses would suffer a terrible fate.

After having Conan notify the others, he sent a message to the employees and then locked all the rooms in the research institute.

These locks certainly won't stop Rum and his gang, but it's good to cause them some trouble. Besides, the locks are connected to alarm systems—a dozen or so—so one of them is bound to go off.

After doing all this, Shinjo boarded the train to Osaka.

Within the Black Organization's stronghold

"Numabuchi Kiichiro? The guy who escaped from the organization?" Gin asked, frowning. "What does that little girl next to Cognac want with him?"

“That Koshimizu Nanatsuki probably doesn’t know anything about the organization. She probably slipped up during a routine Cognac activity, which led to her…” Vodka’s forehead began to sweat.

“That Numabuchi Kiichiro is just an outer member of the organization, a failed experiment, and he knows limited information,” Gin said, a cigarette dangling from his lips. “Tell Cognac to find a way to clean up his mess.”

Vodka breathed a sigh of relief; he was really afraid that Gin would kill Numabuchi Kiichiro and also kill Koshimizu Nanatsuki in the process.

Last time, we were just cleaning up his own territory, and this guy dared to blow up the organization's entire warehouse in Tokyo. If we touch the people around him, who knows what this guy will do.

“It’s unlikely that Cognac will slip up. He’s never had any contact with that Numabuchi Kiichiro.” Gin shook his head. “Besides, that guy isn’t strictly a member of the organization. He didn’t even pass the special training arranged by the organization. We were going to get rid of him, but he escaped. He’s committed quite a few cases outside. I guess that detective found out about one of his cases.”

"I'll go inform Cognac right away and have him give Numabuchi Kiichiro to..."

"Just tell him the news, and let him handle the rest."

Meanwhile, inside the Osaka Prefectural Police Department

Hattori Heiji frowned as he looked at the files in front of him and began to flip through them. Due to their age and improper storage, these files had a distinctive musty smell.

“Heiji, this is the case file for this murder case.” Sakata Yusuke placed another case file next to Hattori Heiji and asked with some curiosity, “By the way, why are you so concerned about this murder case?”

“The victim was first strangled, then his wallet was pierced with a sharp blade and stuck in his chest,” Hattori said, resting his chin on his hand. “I suspect it was some kind of ritual.”

"A ceremony?" Sakata Yusuke was taken aback.

“It might be something like a religious sacrifice. In any case, I suspect this murder case may just be the beginning, and there will be more victims later,” Hattori said. “Moreover, a friend of mine gave me a clue.”

"A clue?" Sakata asked with a smile. "What kind of clue?"

"Twenty years ago, Hidetoshi Nagao and Kiichiro Numabuchi were classmates in a driving school training class..." Hattori hadn't finished speaking when someone rushed in from outside in a panic.

“Heiji, that Nishiguchi Tayo was also killed. He was strangled first, then his wallet was stabbed through his chest with a knife,” the police officer said in a panic.

Chapter 145 Fugitives in Wave City

Yusuke Sakata's face turned extremely grim, as did the other Osaka Prefectural Police officers. They had not released any information about the victim's wallet being pierced by a sharp blade and stuck in his chest.

In other words, this is not a copycat murder, but a serial killing case.

Moreover, Nishiguchi Tayo was the person Hattori Heiji specifically requested to protect, and this time he has utterly humiliated himself.

Fortunately, Hattori Heiji is the son of Hattori, the head of the department, so he can be considered half an ally, and at least the news didn't get out.

"Brother Sakata, you look terrible." Hattori patted Sakata Yusuke's shoulder familiarly. "Don't worry, we've confirmed that Numabuchi Kiichiro is in Osaka. Once we catch him, everything will be over."

Meanwhile, Shinjo arrived at Osaka Station.

Without Karen's help, he didn't even know where Yue Shui was, let alone how far things had progressed.

After thinking for a moment, he took out his phone and dialed Conan's number.

"Mr. Shinjo, is there something you need?" Conan asked, somewhat puzzled.

I just called this morning, and you're calling again now? Is something really urgent?

"What's your relationship with Hattori? You mean, that Hattori Heiji? You two seemed to have a pretty good chat at the Twilight Villa last time." Shinjo went straight to the point.

"Our relationship is alright, I guess," Conan said somewhat uncertainly. "Mainly because I'm not very familiar with him. Why is Mr. Shinjo asking this? Are you in Osaka now? If I remember correctly, Hattori gave us quite a few business cards back then, especially yours. He even wanted to learn your bullet-catching skills from you."

Shinjo could even hear Conan's malicious laughter, clearly waiting for him to embarrass himself.

“Since it’s a special skill, it can’t be learned in one go,” Shinjo said matter-of-factly. “I am in Osaka, that’s true, but Koshimizu is there too, and she’s already gone to find Hattori.”

"Aren't you two a detective and an assistant? Could it be that you two have a falling out?" Conan said, stroking his chin. "But thinking about it, it makes sense. You're always causing trouble outside, you've never been a proper assistant for even a day."

"That's enough gossip. I need you to call Hattori now. Ask him if he's caught Numabuchi Kiichiro, if Koshimizu went to see him alone, and if so, ask him to protect her. If necessary, restrict her freedom."

“Numabuchi Kiichiro, could it be that…” Conan instantly realized the seriousness of the situation, “How could this be related to him? And what about Koshimizu-neechan…”

“This was my oversight. I wasn’t careful about keeping things confidential when I was organizing intelligence a couple of days ago, and Koshimizu saw one of the lists.” Shinjo said after a moment’s thought. “That list was of APTX-4869 users, and Numabuchi Kiichiro’s name was on it.”

"You're looking for someone like me?" Conan immediately understood the significance of the list, but then asked somewhat strangely, "Since Kiichiro Numabuchi has already taken the drug, why is he still..."

“I know what you’re going to ask, because he didn’t take the medication at all.” Xincheng hailed a taxi. “The organization captured him to train him, to turn him into a weapon. But unfortunately, he wasn’t suitable, and after being eliminated, he was used as a test subject. He must have guessed his fate, which is why he ran away before taking the medication. I’ll hang up now, we’ll talk about the rest later.”

After getting into the taxi, Shinjo asked directly if there was a place to buy a katana here.

If the system forbids the use of firearms, then the only option left is to work on melee weapons.

He originally wanted to bring the knife that Karen had made for him, but the knife was too conspicuous and would get him questioned when boarding the high-speed train. To avoid such trouble, he decided to buy the knife in Osaka.

At this moment, the initial location where the body was found

"There's a Yoshikawa line on the victim's neck, but there are no signs of struggle or fighting at the scene. We suspect this isn't the primary crime scene," Officer Otaki said, holding a notebook. "The killer may have wanted others to discover the body as quickly as possible."

"Why?" Hattori Heiji removed the white cloth from the deceased's face.

Tayo Nishiguchi's expression was extremely ferocious, as if he had encountered something extremely terrifying before his death.

"Why what?" Officer Otaki was taken aback.

“I’m asking why the murderer wanted us to discover the body,” Hattori Heiji said, frowning. “We’ve completely overturned our previous conclusions, haven’t we? Since the murderer didn’t kill for a religious ritual sacrifice, his motive for killing and disposing of the body is questionable.”

"You mean the killer wanted to tell someone that he's here?"

"Ah." Hattori nodded, then took out his phone and dialed Koshimizu's number.

"This is Yueshui. Who are you?"

“It’s me, Heiji Hattori. Miss Koshimizu, another one has died. This time it’s the older one, Tayo Nishiguchi.” Heiji Hattori looked at the corpse in front of him. “Like Hidetoshi Nagao, she was strangled and then her wallet was stabbed with a knife, which then pierced her heart.”

"Another one died?" Yue Shui frowned and said, "Should we try some special methods?"

"A special method?" Hattori Heiji was taken aback. "What method?"

"Besides Numabuchi Kiichiro and the two who died, aren't there three left?" Koshimizu thought for a moment and said, "That Goji Sotaro hates the police and has bodyguards around him, so we can't find a breakthrough. But the remaining two are a different story."

"You mean..."

“For inducement, you can simply tell them that the statute of limitations for criminal cases is fifteen years. Even if they are involved in a case that is more than twenty years old, they will not be prosecuted,” Koshimizu said after thinking for a moment. “Then tell them about the deaths of Nagao Hidetoshi and Nishiguchi Tayo.”

"Will this make them talk?"

“That probably won’t work, but you can tell them tomorrow that another person was killed tonight while going out to buy something, and the way he died was exactly the same as the other two,” Yue Shui said, frowning. “Of course, this is just my suggestion; whether to adopt it is up to you.”

"Thank you, I'll consider it." Hattori nodded.