Conan, I'm an actor

"Let's wait and see! Cut off contact with them for now," Gin said with his eyes closed.

If there were only one or two people on the list, he would have simply beheaded them to cut off the trail. But the problem is that this time there are too many people involved, and many of them hold high positions. Pisco had already taken care of one wave before, and if he takes care of another, the organization's spies in Japan will be completely eradicated.

"What if those guys in the police investigate them?" Vodka was taken aback, not expecting his boss to be "soft-hearted" this time.

“Help them pass the investigation, then find a replacement.” Gin’s eyes opened. “The most urgent thing is to find Masaaki Okakura.”

Why bother looking for him again?

“Kill him, then make a few fake lists.” Gin suddenly thought of something. “You can leave this to Bourbon.”

"Hey! Boss, didn't you suspect Bourbon of having problems?" Vodka was taken aback. "He..."

"Nobody uses it anymore."

That night

Amuro Tooru encountered Vodka, who had come looking for him. When he heard that he was to go find Okakura Masaaki, his expression immediately fell, but in order not to arouse their suspicion, he still agreed.

After seeing Vodka off, he dialed Kazama's number and received unexpected news: the Metropolitan Police Department had confirmed Okakura Masaaki's death. The cause of death was that he had rushed off a mountain path and fallen off a cliff; his body had not been found.

The next morning, media outlets began reporting on the serial killings, including photos of the victims.

Watching the news report on TV, Amuro Tooru was stunned. This guy was too fierce; he actually killed his mission target.

However, he quickly realized one thing: the deceased in the car below the cliff was a member of the organization who had been working with Tequila and Vodka, not Masaaki Okakura. Once the Metropolitan Police Department announced the cause of death, Vodka would definitely know that Masaaki Okakura was still alive.

However, as news reports revealed the killer's modus operandi, his worries disappeared.

"Kazama, regarding this serial murder case, notify the Metropolitan Police Department to impose a news blackout and control the media," Amuro Tooru said bluntly as he dialed Kazama's number. "Especially regarding the cause of death, make sure to keep it strictly confidential."

After Kazama agreed, he asked, "Do you need me to take over directly?"

"No need, blocking the news is enough." Amuro Tooru hung up the phone after saying that, switched to another phone, found Vodka's number, and dialed it.

Meanwhile, in a small building on Jiuliangliang Island

"Hey, aren't you bored?" Masaaki Okakura asked, somewhat troubled. "How about we go out for a walk? We have a boat anyway."

“I’m not called Hey, you can call me Sakata, or Sakata Yusuke.” Sakata Yusuke said, looking at the construction site in front of him, “You are in danger right now, staying on this island is the safest place.”

"I think being with you guys is the most dangerous thing," Okakura Masaaki complained. "Is this a military base being built? And why are you hollowing out the mountain? Aren't you members of the organization? Why are you doing things that are detrimental to the organization?"

“This is our base,” Sakata Yusuke said, staring at the construction site in front of him. “Also, I am not a member of the organization; I am just following Mr. Shinjo’s instructions.”

"That guy..."

Just then, Yusuke Sakata pulled out a tablet, which was playing the morning's news.

"Besides the Black Organization? Someone else wants to kill me?" Masaaki Okakura took a deep breath. "I don't remember offending so many people."

“That’s a question for you to answer.” Sakata Yusuke shrugged. “Now that you’re dead, the organization shouldn’t bother you anymore. Once things have calmed down, you can leave the island after disguising yourself.”

Masaaki Okakura scrolled through the latest news on his tablet, getting a headache as he read. But then he suddenly remembered something and looked at Yusuke Sakata in front of him.

"What are you doing?" Yusuke Sakata asked, somewhat puzzled, looking at Masaaki Okakura who was staring at him. "Is there something on my face?"

"I was just wondering, as Mr. Shinjo's subordinate, are you, like me, someone who faked your death?" Masaaki Okakura quickly typed Sakata Yusuke's name into the search bar and soon saw Sakata Yusuke's photo and biography.

"You...you...you're a police officer!"

"In the past."

"Then why..."

"Because I personally dealt with the two victims in that case."

Masaaki Okakura's mouth dropped open. He hadn't expected that the guy in front of him was not only a policeman from Osaka Prefecture, but also a corrupt cop. The thought of having to cooperate with such a person in the future sent a chill down his spine.

Sakata Yusuke had no intention of explaining further. He simply picked up a bunch of keys and prepared to go to the cross-sea bridge to see how far the bridge construction had progressed.

At the same time, in Gunma Prefecture, Yabuchi House

After watching the bumbling police officer take the person away, Conan looked at his parents. Although his mother was still complaining, their relationship seemed to have improved considerably.

Just then, his phone rang. When he saw Xiaolan's text message, a strange expression appeared on his face.

"Dad, do you know about that case from the Metropolitan Police Department's investigation meeting?" Conan asked, looking at Yusaku Kudo on the motorcycle. "Aren't you quite familiar with Inspector Megure?"

"Inspector Megure questioned me about that case, but there are too few clues, and I don't have any leads yet." Yusaku Kudo looked at Conan and said with a smile, "Are you interested in that case?"

"No, the Metropolitan Police Department has already solved this case, and the suspect has been apprehended," Conan said, frowning. "This speed of solving the case is a bit abnormal."

“It’s not surprising. The killer left a message at the scene. Once the police decipher it, solving the case will be much easier.” Kudo Yusaku pressed his helmet onto his son’s head. “Let’s go!”

Chapter 199 The Magician's Chat Room

After spending a few days together at the Kudo family's house, the Kudo couple took Conan to the Mouri Detective Agency.

Yusaku Kudo chatted with Uncle Mori about the details of the serial murder case, and after learning enough details, he fell into deep thought.

"Uncle Kudo, is there a problem?" Ran asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Um, did that Mr. Shinjo you mentioned say why he found out about that matter?" Kudo Yusaku asked, frowning.

"No, not at all." Kogoro Mouri shook his head. "However, Inspector Megure questioned Shinjo about this matter separately. But the case is currently under confidentiality, and I don't know the specific reason."

Yusaku Kudo nodded, then stood up. "Then I'll go and pay a visit to Mr. Shinjo myself."

"Huh?" Conan and Ran looked at Yusaku Kudo with some surprise, not understanding why he would make such a decision.

“This case is a good subject. I’m currently working on my next novel, and maybe I can find some inspiration from it,” Yusaku Kudo said with a smile.

Conan wanted to stop it, but couldn't find a suitable reason.

“It won’t be easy to get a visit from him.” Kogoro Mouri shook his head. “Here’s his business card. You should make an appointment.”

"Let's talk about it next time we go back to Japan. My flight to Los Angeles is taking off tonight." Yukiko pinched Conan's cheek and said with a smile, "Be good here and don't cause trouble for others."

"Okay!" Conan could only respond, pretending to be a child.

Kogoro Mouri yawned, offering no comment on Conan's stay. He'd probably been overreacting that night; even if a child was special, it wasn't a big deal.

In the following weeks, the Mouri Detective Agency took on several more cases, and the trio traveled to many different locations. Because they had seen Kogoro Mouri at the investigation meeting, the prefectural police treated him much better than before.

Inside the research institute in the new city

"Another one died?" Shinjo stroked his chin, looking at the documents Karen had printed out. "Or an accident?"

“The local county sheriff’s investigation concluded it was an accident, but there was no autopsy, the scene was not thoroughly examined, and all the reports were very cursory,” Karen said. “The possibility of murder cannot be ruled out.”

"This is the third one. One or two might be accidents, but three..."

Shinjo leaned back in his chair, pondering whether he should call Amuro Tooru. Although these people were undercover agents for the Black Organization, they were now also considered moles within the Public Security Bureau.

"By the way, are you really comfortable letting Curaçao protect Yue Shui?" Karen asked with some concern. "That woman doesn't seem very safe. She's already betrayed us once before. Aren't you afraid she'll betray us again?"

"Betrayal? Speaking of betrayal, aren't you a betrayer too?"

"That's different! They're not even from the same world!"

Xincheng adjusted her posture. "She has a very clear understanding of her own role: she is a tool. Tools don't choose who they use."

"You said it's a tool..."

"Can tools betray their users? Tools don't have any survival instinct."

Just then, Shinjo noticed an interface at the bottom of Karen's screen. He clicked on it and found that it was actually a chat room, with hundreds of chat rooms.

"Why are you joining so many chat rooms?" Looking at the various chat room names, Xincheng felt a bit overwhelmed.

“Of course it’s for chatting,” Karen said matter-of-factly. “It’s so boring being alone. You might die of boredom if you don’t talk to someone. Besides, don’t you think it’s a great way to understand people?”

"Chat rooms?" Shinjo thought of something and started searching for chat rooms related to magic on his computer.

What are you looking for?

"A chat room for magic enthusiasts, found it. I didn't expect it to actually exist." Shinjo looked at the chat room's nickname. "AI Karen, why are you using your real name?"

"Because everyone thought it was a pseudonym."

"Okay, you're right." Shinjo started browsing the chat room's history.

Karen quickly found an invitation to a meetup in person. She neither agreed to attend nor refused.

"You must have seen this invitation, right?" Shinjo asked with a smile. "Why didn't you refuse?"

“From a social point of view, wouldn’t it be the most unwise thing to refuse outright?” Karen said with some doubt. “I plan to wait until two days before the party and then find a reason to refuse, such as something coming up.”

"No need for all that trouble, I'll go for you." Xincheng stretched. "I also want to see what kind of monsters and demons these people are."

He quickly found a name called Doi Takaki and added him as a friend.

"Hey, don't use my social media accounts to add friends!" Karen was getting a little anxious when she saw Shinjo's actions.

"What does it matter?" Shinjo stretched. "You agreed. You were quick."

Is there anything I can help you with?

The person on the other end quickly accepted the friend request and sent a message.

[It should be a workday today, right? Is it okay to use your phone in class, Kaito Kuroba?]

After typing this line and clicking send, Shinjo immediately went offline. He couldn't wait to see Kaito Kuroba's expression.

At that moment, Kaito Kuroba, who was in class, turned pale after seeing the message from the other end.

It's not surprising that the name Doi Takuki can be rearranged to form the name Kaito Kid, but the fact that the other party addressed him as Kuroba Kaito instead of Kaito Kid indicates that the other party has confirmed his identity.

Not many people know that he is the Phantom Thief Kid. Could it be that one of them is in the chat room?

With that in mind, he began to search for the chat history of this AI Karen. After reading the chat history, he quickly determined that this AI Karen should be a woman.

Among the women who know their own identities, it seems the only ones are that transfer student and my mom. My mom wouldn't do something so pointless, and that girl is totally old-fashioned; she probably wouldn't use online dating...

"Kaito, you look terrible. Do you have a cold?" Nakamori Aoko asked with some concern.

"No, I just feel a bit of a stomachache. I'll go to the infirmary after class," Kaito said with a forced smile.

"Are you really alright?"

"It's okay." Kaito quickly regained his composure, but his brain was still racing, wondering if he had given himself away somewhere.

Chapter 200: An Offline Gathering of Magic Enthusiasts (Part 1)