In Detective Conan: Intercepting Miwako Sato at the Start

He knew this was just the beginning.

Taking down Deputy Director Sawai was merely cutting off one of the sinister hands reaching out to him, temporarily alleviating the imminent crisis.

But an even greater shadow—the “O” and the unknown forces it represents—still looms over him.

Collaborating with O is truly like asking a tiger for its skin; the manipulated evidence he handed over may become a new ticking time bomb in the future.

Moreover, the downfall of Deputy Director Sawai will inevitably trigger a major earthquake in the police force, and the Mishima family behind him will certainly not let it go.

The storms to come will only get more intense.

"Take him away!" Matsumoto Kiyoshi waved his hand, and two strong detectives escorted the ashen-faced Sawai Yasunari out of the conference room.

The conference room remained deathly silent; no one had fully recovered from this shocking turn of events.

Looking at Takada Yuuki standing in the center with complicated expressions, admiration and shock flashed through his eyes, along with an indescribable sense of estrangement and awe.

Matsumoto Kiyoshi walked over to Takada Yuuki, patted him heavily on the shoulder, his eyes filled with admiration and a hint of worry: "Inspector Takada, you did a great job this time! Well done! But... it must have been tough. The follow-up investigation and report will be very complicated."

“It is my duty, Section Chief Matsumoto.” Yuki Takada bowed slightly, concealing the weariness in his eyes.

Just then, the organization's cell phone in his pocket vibrated very slightly again.

Yuki Takada's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

O's message.

The message arrived just as he was completing his instructions.

This pervasive sense of surveillance instantly shattered the slight relaxation that Yuuki Takada had felt after taking down Sawai, and a chill once again rose up his spine.

Using the excuse that he needed to organize evidence and prepare a report, he consulted with Matsumoto Kiyonaga and then quickly left the still tense meeting room, entering an empty lounge and locking the door.

He took a deep breath and took out the phone.

An encrypted message from an unknown number was displayed on the screen:

"A brilliant performance, Mr. Hennessy. The first step in our collaboration is satisfactory. Sawai Yasunari's downfall will temporarily divert some of the Metropolitan Police Department's and the organization's attention, buying you valuable time. Remember, this is only the beginning. Handle the 'original' in your hands carefully; it will be your talisman, or it may become your death warrant. Await the next instructions. —O"

The message is destroyed after being read and disappears instantly.

Yuuki Takada leaned against the cold wall and slowly closed his eyes.

O's words confirmed his guess.

The other party's goal was by no means righteous; Sawai Yasunari's downfall was simply because he was in the way.

Or perhaps there's some inside story that Yuuki Takada isn't aware of?

Is it to help them expand their drug supply?

Or will it cause even greater chaos?

O, or rather, what do the forces behind him want to gain from this mess?

The phrase "waiting for the next instruction" clearly declares that Yuki Takada has become a pawn in O's hands.

Break free?

It's easier said than done.

O knows him inside and out, and may even know more about his identity and actions within the organization than he imagines.

But Yuki Takada is by no means a pushover.

He does indeed still possess crucial evidence, and he also has another identity—Hennessy of the Black Organization. This identity, while dangerous, can sometimes provide unexpected channels and information.

He opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and resolute once more.

Next, he erased all traces of his actions, encrypted and hid the backup evidence in multiple offline storage devices, storing them in absolutely secure locations known only to him.

After doing all this, he straightened his police uniform, opened the door, and went out again.

Outside, the Metropolitan Police Department was thrown into a strange flurry of activity and commotion due to the sudden arrest of Deputy Commissioner Sawai.

Reporters rushed to the scene, and the building was already surrounded by people.

As the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police Department, Toda Akihiko naturally became an important figure at this press conference. However, during his conversation with Matsumoto Kiyonaga, he learned about the cause and effect of the matter.

In a subsequent press conference, although he did not explicitly state the real reason for Deputy Director Sawai's arrest, he did reveal details of Deputy Director Sawai's misconduct and other violations and crimes.

The Metropolitan Police Department was thrown into chaos, the largest in its history. Even after the operation, many important inspectors were imprisoned for their collusion with Deputy Commissioner Sawai.

The offices in the Metropolitan Police Department were brightly lit, and everyone's face was etched with the word "busy."

Yuki Takada was among those writing the report on the incident.

After all, there are many times when he really can't refuse these things.

These identities are intertwined and conflicting, yet they constitute his only way of survival at this moment.

He slightly raised his head, his gaze passing through the corridor window to the still gloomy sky over Tokyo.

Chapter 93 The Nakamura Yoshihiro Case

In the following days, Yuki Takada wrote a report on the incident while also reviewing what had happened before.

Since cooperating with them to complete the initial report and hand over the evidence, Yuuki Takada could clearly feel the change in the gazes of his colleagues.

There was admiration and shock in it, but more than that, there was an indescribable feeling.

It should be noted that during the confrontation with Deputy Director Sawai, he and Inspector Megakure were the only two in the entire conference room who were clearly identified as targets, standing in the same position as Section Chief Matsumoto.

The remaining inspectors either joined Deputy Commissioner Sawai's team or remained neutral.

After all, without clear evidence, they dared not act rashly and offend Deputy Director Sawai.

One thing that surprised Yuki Takada was that the case of Yoshihiro Nakamura was still unresolved.

After Deputy Director Sawai was apprehended, the subsequent interrogation appeared to be conducted by Section Chief Matsumoto and Inspector Megure.

From Inspector Megure's words, Yuuki Takada learned that all the evidence pointed to Yasunari Sawai accepting bribes, abusing his power, and even cruelly murdering his colleague who worked at the Metropolitan Police Department.

However, regarding Yoshihiro Nakamura's death, apart from the recording pointing to a cover-up, there is a lack of the most direct physical evidence that could link Yasunari Sawai to the scene of Yoshihiro Nakamura's death.

After his initial outburst, Sawai Yasunari quickly calmed down and denied all charges during interrogation.

He vehemently denied directly murdering Yoshihiro Nakamura, claiming he had a perfect alibi during the meeting and that Nakamura had a vested interest in him, so he had no reason to kill him.

Moreover, over the years, Yoshihiro Nakamura had remained unchanged, and Yasunari Sawai had no motive to kill him.

Yuki Takada wondered if... the Nakamura Yoshihiro case was truly an internal matter within their Mishima family.

……

After the press conference, Toda Akihiko immediately convened an emergency meeting.

At an emergency high-level meeting, Metropolitan Police Department Commissioner Akihiko Toda listened to the report on the incident with a grim expression.

After listening to the whole story, Toda Ryohiko finally understood the general cause and effect of what had happened.

After all, as the Superintendent General of Police, Toda Akihiko had many busy things to deal with outside, while these specific internal affairs of the Metropolitan Police Department were handled by Deputy Commissioner Sawai Yasunari.

With Sawai Yasunari's downfall, the bottom line for him is simply that he lacks a capable assistant as deputy director.

This is, of course, why he held this emergency meeting.

Judging from the current situation, Matsumoto Kiyonaga, the head of the First Investigation Division, is quite a good candidate, given his strong decisiveness and loyalty demonstrated in this incident.

After a brief moment of thought, Toda Ayahiko glanced around at his colleagues in the audience, but ultimately turned his gaze to Matsumoto Kiyonaga in front of him.

"I hereby announce that from this day forward, Kiyonaga Matsumoto will assume the position of Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department, and will be fully responsible for the follow-up investigation and internal reorganization."

Matsumoto Kiyonaga immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to Inspector Tota: "Inspector Tota, I am very sorry, but I am afraid that I am not capable of the position of Deputy Inspector of the Metropolitan Police Department at present, so I think this honor should be given to a more suitable candidate."

Tota Ayahiko looked at Matsumoto Kiyonaga, who was still bowing deeply, and nodded. "Fine, since Matsumoto Kiyonaga isn't willing..."

After scanning the room, Toda Akihiko's gaze finally settled on Hakuba. "Alright then, Hakuba, from now on you will be the Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department."

"You shouldn't have any objections, right?"

Deputy Commissioner Hakuba shook his head repeatedly, "Of course, of course, Commissioner Tota, it is truly an immense blessing for me to be given the position of Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Department. I am overjoyed!"

This appointment is both a reward and a way of handing over a hot potato to the deputy director of the White Horse Company.

After all, there was still a lot of mess left behind by Yasunari Sawai.

“Deputy Director Hakuba…” Toda Akihiko looked at him seriously, his tone slightly heavy, “Sawai Yasunari’s crimes must be thoroughly investigated to give the public and his fallen colleagues an explanation.”

"However, the reputation of the Metropolitan Police Department cannot be damaged any further."

"The case of Yoshihiro Nakamura has too great an impact and involves too many people. It must be resolved as soon as possible and a satisfactory explanation must be given to all parties."

Deputy Director Bai Ma immediately felt immense pressure.

Director Toda Akihiko's implication was clear: Sawai Yasunari himself had done something wrong, so the case should be pinned on him as much as possible to avoid any further complications.

Clean up the mess left by Yasunari Sawai.

Of course, the most important thing is still the long-standing case of Yoshihiro Nakamura.

But Deputy Chief Inspector Bai Ma's many years as a criminal investigator have kept him committed to the truth.

After announcing the matter, Director Tota Ayahiko hurriedly left the conference room, leaving the newly appointed Deputy Director Hakuba to handle the follow-up matters.

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze.

The newly appointed deputy director of the White Horse Department had a sharp eye and directly named Takada Yuki, who was sitting in the corner.

All eyes turned to them, their gazes complex and difficult to decipher.

There was scrutinizing curiosity, and perhaps even a hint of barely perceptible sympathy—he had been pushed to the forefront of this hot potato.

Yuuki Takada took a deep breath, straightened his back, and answered clearly and forcefully, "Yes! Deputy Director Hakuba! I was the one who followed up on Yoshihiro Nakamura's case before."

Deputy Director Hakuba nodded, his fingers lightly tapping the thick report in front of him, the culmination of Yuuki Takada's hard work, compiled over several sleepless nights.

“I have read your report in detail. It is very well written and the logic is quite clear.”

“However…” Deputy Director Bai Ma’s tone shifted, becoming serious, “There are still several key issues that cannot be bypassed, nor can they be perfectly explained using the existing chain of evidence.”

He paused, then proceeded to explain clearly and logically:

"The first is Yasunari Sawai's alibi."

"He was indeed chairing a meeting at the time, with numerous police officers at various levels testifying. The timing was extremely precise, leaving almost no window of opportunity for him to commit the crime. I personally agree with this conclusion."