Conan: I'm Really Not the Manipulator

Fūya Rei also stretched out his left hand and shook hands with him.

The two of them tacitly did not mention their brief relationship as colleagues at Minato Middle School. Furuya Rei saw the door of the small room next door open, and a young woman with a low ponytail walked out and made her request.

"Mr. Qingliu, regarding this murder and the previous shooting, we have received the suspect information from the United States, but there are still some things we want to confirm. Can you please spare me a moment to talk?"

Before Furuya Rei and Samukawa Ryu came to Osaka, he had checked their destinations and the people around them in advance, so he naturally knew the reason why Aoyagi Akimitsu came to visit the Suzuki family and the shooting incident that occurred in the Beika Central Hospital.

Furuya Rei did not tell the Osaka police about the Tokyo shooting. Until he left the room, they thought it was a brand new case.

There are two reasons for not informing. First, there is insufficient evidence at present and he himself is not sure whether it is the same murderer. Second... we have to mention some unpleasant habits of the public security police.

——The public security bureau often snatches cases and existing intelligence from the police, and the public security bureau will not tell the relevant police the information it obtains unless it is absolutely necessary. The two sides sometimes do not communicate information with each other.

If Aoyagi Akiko took the initiative to bring it up with the Osaka police, that would be his business, and the public security would have no right to intervene. But judging from his current attitude, he probably had similar ideas to Furuya Rei.

Aoyagi Hiromitsu nodded, and then offered his own opinion: "Mr. Maori is involved in both cases, maybe we can invite him to join us?"

Furuya Rei did not refuse.

Kogoro Maori felt a little uncomfortable when he learned that he was invited, but since human lives were at stake and he thought about the two shootings and four deaths, he still followed them in.

The door closed with a click, attracting a lot of people's attention.

For example, Suzuki Sonoko, she did not stay in this hotel last night. The reason she was put here is because she is the daughter of Suzuki’s chairman and has a slight connection with the deceased.

She whispered to Mao Lilan beside her: "Xiao Lan, uncle has been questioned just now, why did he go in again?"

Mao Lilan shook her head, equally confused.

Conan Edogawa seemed to be thinking about something. He was standing closest to Rei Furuya just now and barely heard a little bit: "Could it be related to the previous case in the hospital? The victim in that case also died of a gunshot, and the murderer has not been caught yet."

"Oh, I remember my father came home very late that day..." When Mao Lilan thought of what happened that day, her face changed slightly.

Perhaps attracted by their conversation, Pu Siqinglan and Mizuno Rena who were nearby looked over.

Rena Mizunashi was the only person in the Nichimi TV station who was called up for questioning, because she was the only one who had clear contact with Ryu Samukawa.

For some reason, she looked very haggard, and even became dazed from time to time.

Edogawa Conan accidentally caught sight of Mizunashi Rena's expression and took note of her strangeness. Suddenly, he remembered the two questions that had interrupted him yesterday.

Considering that there were two strange women around him whose background he didn't know, he stood on tiptoe, touched Suzuki Sonoko's arm, pulled her aside, and then spoke in a low voice.

"Sister Yuanzi, do you know when Mr. Aoyagi arrived at the museum, and the real reason why he advised Uncle Suzuki not to exhibit the Egg of Memories?"

Suzuki Sonoko seemed carefree, but at this moment, she was good-tempered and bent over to accompany him in "playing around". When she heard this question, she quickly gave an answer.

"He arrived the night before yesterday. I happened to be there. As for the reason..." Suzuki Sonoko frowned and lowered her voice, "It seems that there is a professional killer wanted by the FBI operating in Japan. He has been eyeing the treasures of the Romanov dynasty. Maybe he will take action on this egg."

Edogawa Conan was stunned.

Somehow, he remembered the reminder that the wealthy businessman's bodyguard gave to Aoyagi Akimitsu in the hospital that day.

——"Be safe, Stephen. That person seems to have come to Japan..."

Could it be that “that person” refers to this killer?

No, that shouldn't be right... This killer has already fled from the United States. He should avoid an outposted agent. Why would he come to me on his own initiative? Unless he is a particularly arrogant type, or he has a personal grudge against Mr. Qingliu...

Edogawa Conan pulled his thoughts back to their tracks and asked another question.

"Uncle Suzuki, did he know Mr. Aoyagi in the past?" He paused and added, "It's very rude to point fingers at the exhibits of an art museum that is about to open. If you really want to remind them, you can ask the police to inform them, but he came here by himself, so I think they may know him..."

While Edogawa Conan was working hard to collect clues.

He didn't notice that not far away from him, Mao Lilan was once again looking at him silently with that observant gaze.

Chapter 282 Aniseite's Signature

The room attached to this conference room is not big. There is a square table in the middle and two chairs on each side.

After closing the door, Fūya Rei walked to the table and naturally sat opposite Aoyagi Akimitsu and Mori Kogoro.

Kogoro Mori looked at him with a somewhat uneasy expression.

"Mr. Maori, no, actually I should call you Maori-senpai."

Furutani Rei gave a friendly smile, which contained a bit of the gentleness and friendliness that belonged to "Amuro Toru".

"When I took my first shooting class at the police academy, my strict instructor specifically mentioned you, saying that you were a genius who could hit the target every time you touched a gun for the first time. I have always admired you for this."

"I don't dare to call myself a genius. I've resigned many years ago..."

Although he knew it was just a polite remark, Kogoro Mori's expression was obviously much more relaxed.

Seeing that he had relaxed, Furuya Rei got to the point. He asked in a gentle tone, "Mr. Maori, can you tell me what information you have collected from the hospital and the Suzuki Museum?"

Kogoro Mouri looked at Aoyagi Akimitsu beside him in surprise, as if he didn't expect Furuya Rei to ask him first, but he still sorted out his thoughts and described the situation on both sides.

"I went to the Mihua Central Hospital to investigate a celebrity who was having an affair. His mistress often went there during that time."

"The mistress was also a former showbiz artist and special effects makeup artist with a certain ability to disguise herself. She would go to the bathroom to change her clothes before leaving the hospital, so I stayed at the exit for a few days and took photos of all the suspicious people."

Being a detective is actually a profession in a gray area. Tracking, eavesdropping, and secretly taking photos are all illegal and involve serious violations of other people’s privacy.

However, compared with the public security police in front of him and the FBI next door, the detective's actions are nothing, so Kogoro Mouri said it without any guilt.

Furiya Ling nodded slightly: "So after the shooting, the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division called you over because the criminal might be photographed in those photos."

"Since it involved a wanted criminal from a foreign country, the Investigation Division didn't let me help, so I just handed in the photos. The commission just happened to be over, so I came to Osaka at the invitation of my daughter's best friend, the second daughter of Chairman Suzuki..."

Kogoro Mori then briefly explained the reason why he was invited, the incident in which the security guard at the art museum was attacked where nothing was stolen.

"…Originally, Chairman Suzuki thought it was an accident, but Mr. Aoyagi suddenly visited and said that an international assassin had set his sights on the exhibits. It was very likely that the assassin or his accomplices had scouted the area in advance."

Fūya Rei placed his hands on the table, with the backs of his hands folded and resting lightly on his chin. This posture would not cause too much pressure on people, but his expression was extremely serious.

When Maori Kogoro finished his story, he looked at Aoyagi Akimichi and said, "Mr. Aoyagi, I have a question. Can you answer it?"

"Please speak." Aoyagi Binguang said.

"Why were you able to determine that it was done by your country's wanted criminal, Shi Kaobing, just by seeing the body in the hospital?"

Rei Furuya stared into those light brown eyes.

"The deceased did not receive any threats before his death. There was no 'signature' of the killer left at the scene or any items missing. He was only shot in the right eye... This is not enough evidence, right?"

Kogoro Maori was stunned for a moment, then finally reacted.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became depressing, but in the face of such doubts, Aoyagi Akimitsu still maintained a polite attitude.

"The deceased did not receive it, but his bodyguard received a reminder."

Qingliu Binguang's voice was not loud, but his pronunciation was clear, and in this small room, every word was heard by them.

"Scooping is not an ordinary killer. Before being wanted by the FBI, he was employed by a criminal organization that likes to collect various gems and has activities in many countries."

"In order to collect gems, this organization has attacked many museums, exhibitions and auctions, killed many people, and kidnapped some wealthy businessmen who possessed special gems... Mr. White, who died in the hospital, was one of their targets."

Aoyagi Hiromitsu paused here, met Furuya Rei's gaze, and continued:

"There was also a consultant from the Suzuki Group who was also kidnapped two years ago."

……

outside the room.

Edogawa Conan opened his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Kidnapping?"

There was no smile on Suzuki Sonoko's face, she nodded slowly.

"Two years ago, one of my uncles was traveling in the United States. He was very competitive. Although he was in his seventies, he still liked to participate in various competitions to make headlines in newspapers. As a result, after one of the competitions, he and a friend he met in the United States were kidnapped. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $3 million."

She looked distressed: "This amount of money is not a big deal, it's just enough to buy a painting... But when my father was about to transfer the money, the US police sent a message saying that they escaped on their own."

Edogawa Conan's brain froze for a full second before it restarted.

"So it was Mr. Qingliu who saved them?"

Is Chairman Suzuki so polite to Mr. Aoyagi because he saved the consultant of Suzuki Group in the past?

Suzuki Sonoko nodded, but soon shook her head hesitantly.

"Indeed, he saved her, but..."

Suzuki Sonoko struggled to articulate her words: "After my uncle was released, he returned to Japan immediately. I met him and heard what happened when he was kidnapped."

"The person in charge of guarding them at the time was a young man. Mr. White, who was kidnapped with my uncle, saw that he was so young, so he advised him not to go astray. If he was short of money, he could give him a job... Mr. White was a talk show host in his early years and had a good eloquence. The other party was quickly persuaded by him."

"At that moment, Mr. Aoyagi suddenly entered the room with a gun. The man was startled and almost knelt down to beg Mr. Aoyagi not to kill him. He even called Mr. Aoyagi 'Stephen'..."

Conan Edogawa was worried: "And then?"

Suzuki Sonoko finished the rest of the sentence in one breath: "Then Mr. Aoyagi helped him up, untied the ropes on his uncle and Mr. White, showed them the way, and let the three of them escape together."

Edogawa Conan: "......?"

...Did they fast forward a bit in the middle? How did they jump to just releasing the person? ? ?

Suzuki Sonoko didn't notice his expression and summarized on her own: "Half a year after the kidnapping, the robbers were arrested. It seems that they are a criminal organization of considerable size..."

When Edogawa Conan heard this, his face changed and he quickly interrupted Suzuki Sonoko to stop her from speaking further.

"Okay, Sonoko-sister."

He already knew what was going on.

"Hey, what's wrong with you, little brat? You asked me and I was kind enough to answer you, but now you act like I think I talk too much?"

Suzuki Sonoko was unhappy with his tone.

Edogawa Conan was helpless and somewhat regretful. If he had known that this was the case and Mr. Aoyagi was this kind of person, he would not have asked in public. If someone with ulterior motives heard it...

He was about to apologize when a few people came in the door.

……

inside the room.

"……That's it."

Aoyagi Akimichi spent several minutes telling the story of a kidnapping case involving a wealthy man with a ransom of 6 million US dollars, and a story about a young man who stopped the kidnapping in time and was hired as a bodyguard by one of the wealthy men.