Chapter 277

Department head Odagiri pressed his forehead, unable to speak for a long time.

Inspector Megure's lips twitched: "Kanakawa, you..."

Kogoro Mouri was the first to lose his temper and roar, "Why didn't you say this sooner?!"

Han Chuan Shenliu said matter-of-factly, "I forgot."

Conan Edogawa's eyes squinted into crescent shapes: "Heh..."

I forgot to mention that Kyosuke Kazato is the criminal, but I didn't forget to kick him out, right?

Who would believe that?!

Conan Edogawa looked at the few reliable police officers, hoping they could talk about Shinryu Samukawa—he may be capable, but his improper attitude is also a problem!

Under Conan Edogawa's expectant gaze, Kenji Hagiwara sighed deeply: "We arrived just as the suspect was here, and we have no evidence. It's really hard to say what will happen in these situations..."

Conan Edogawa: "…………"

Officer Hagiwara, you're so good at making excuses for your friends...

However, Inspector Megure, who was familiar with Kankawa Shinryu, didn't buy it at all: "Kankawa-kun, when did you start to suspect him?"

“After I learned about Ms. Sato’s incident,” Shinryu Hanakawa replied, “before that, I only thought he was an ordinary fugitive.”

Everyone: "…………"

No, it's the fact that the person is a fugitive that's already extraordinary!

However, compared to Conan Edogawa and Kogoro Mouri, who couldn't accept this explanation, the Metropolitan Police Department staff were much more accepting of it.

“I see.” Kenji Hagiwara even started to cover up the truth again. “No wonder you asked if the son of Minister Odagiri was involved in this case. You thought that Dr. Kazato was also related to the case and wanted to find a loophole.”

Conan Edogawa couldn't help but ask, "Speaking of which, how did Mr. Kankawa know that the culprit's next target was Inspector Sato? Did Inspector Hagiwara tell you?"

Kenji Hagiwara: "...No, do I look like someone who can't keep a tight mouth?"

Kogoro Mouri pondered, "Who let it slip?"

“It’s Takagi and Shiratori,” Shinryu Kazukawa suddenly said. “When they saw Ms. Sato, they both looked worried. Considering what has happened recently, I think the next target might be Ms. Sato, but I’m not sure yet. Otherwise, Ms. Mori wouldn’t have risked checking the cabinet for me.”

Inspector Megure suddenly realized: "I see."

Department Head Odagiri nodded approvingly, "Your observation skills are still as sharp as ever."

Conan Edogawa: "…………"

No way, you guys trust Hanchuan Shenliu way too much! No wonder no one's asked this all this time. Do you think this open-book exam is nothing to Hanchuan Shenliu?!

Although he asked a lot of questions, Conan Edogawa didn't suspect anything about Shinryu Samikawa. He just didn't quite understand the man's behavior pattern, and he just needed to figure it out.

After all, both he and Hattori Heiji felt that Shinryu Samakawa was just a bit dangerous, but since he could gain the trust of the police so much, he must be a very decent person.

After receiving this new information, Inspector Megure also got into the swing of things: "So, the case that Sato and the others are investigating... is also related to the doctor."

Department Head Odagiri said in a deep voice, "A doctor named Yasushi Nino was found dead in his apartment. Because he was sued by a patient's family for a surgical error before his suicide, and apologized for the surgical error in his suicide note, the case was closed as a suicide. But his sister believed that her brother was scum and could not have committed suicide for such a thing. She believed it must have been murder, so Inspector Tomonari reopened the investigation... The two police officers who died, as well as Inspector Sato, were all involved in the case under the leadership of Inspector Tomonari."

He paused for a moment, then continued.

“My son seems to have some connection with the deceased's sister. Officer Yu Cheng died of a sudden heart attack the day he was following my son, and the person left to monitor him didn't investigate further because he recognized my son… I asked my son, and he said that he blackmailed the person because he knew that Nino Yasuyuki was selling drugs… Because something felt off, I recently asked the police officers who investigated the case a year ago to reopen the investigation, but I never expected that it would lead to their deaths…”

Hearing Minister Odagiri reveal his family's dirty laundry, the Mori couple, who were also parents, showed sympathy and emotion, while the others also felt respect for the deceased police officer.

Only Hanchuan Shenliu remained expressionless, as if he had only received the additional information in those words, and as for human relationships and such, he seemed to have selectively ignored them: "Then I suggest investigating the relationship between Jinno Yasushi and Dr. Kazato Kyosuke. Dr. Kazato may be the murderer who killed Dr. Jinno."

The atmosphere froze for a moment, eerily tense.

Inspector Megure seemed to be saying, "The boss has gone to such lengths, and this is all you think?!"

But thinking about it, solving the case was indeed more important, so he nodded seriously and said, "I understand. I'll have someone investigate privately later."

Han Chuan Shenliu continued, "Although there is a high probability that no gunpowder residue will be found, we still need to investigate. We must make the criminal think that the police have no clue at all, so an alibi is unnecessary."

With so many people in the banquet hall, it's difficult to get an alibi. Not everyone will chat non-stop; some people will always want some peace and quiet. As a result, when the lights go out, everyone gets flustered, and then when the lights come back on... For ordinary people, their memories are often hazy during this time, making it difficult to be certain of anything, and it's even common to be led into having incorrect recollections.

Since we already know the suspect, there's no need to waste time in this place. Just say it might be an outsider who committed the crime, and there's no need to investigate an alibi.

"The gloves probably got flushed down the toilet," Department Head Odagiri frowned. "Finding evidence will be a bit troublesome..."

Upon hearing this, for some reason, Conan Edogawa could already imagine what Shinryu Samikawa would say.

Based on his experience, Hanakawa Shinryu would definitely say—

Hanchuan Shenliu: "We'll just have to wait for new evidence."

Conan Edogawa: "…………"

He knew it!

The same thing happened on the ship last time. They had already spotted the fugitive, but they waited until one of them was killed in a double-cross before stepping forward.

If Hattori Heiji hadn't shown up, not only would one person have died, but Samikawa Shinryu might have waited until only one person remained before revealing the truth...

This person's thinking is truly baffling; I don't know whether to call it rational or cold-blooded. Waiting for new evidence is essentially trying to get the criminal to commit another crime, and one wrong move in this situation could result in someone getting hurt again...

Kogoro Mouri still didn't like Shinryu Samikawa, and asked as if he was deliberately being argumentative, "Can you guarantee that the criminal will definitely make another move? What if he stops after failing to strike once?"

Han Chuan Shenliu: "It's alright, I guarantee he'll make a move."

Mouri Kogoro: "...?"

This is such a strange statement, it feels weird...

Kenji Hagiwara patted Shinryu Kazukawa on the shoulder, hesitatingly saying, "You... take it easy."

Conan Edogawa: "...???"

Huh? Isn't this Hanchuan Shenliu's prophecy? How much more cautious should we be?

Although Conan Edogawa was somewhat confused and had many questions to ask, the others felt that it was about time. After all, the Metropolitan Police Department's cars were parked in a row downstairs, and it would be strange if they didn't go back soon. So, the Mori family and Conan Edogawa left first.

Han Chuan Shenliu then whispered something to a few policemen before returning to the banquet hall, where he pretended to know nothing and conducted a gunpowder reaction test.

Kyosuke Kazato was extremely anxious while waiting in the banquet hall. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they had returned and did not immediately arrest him.

That's true. If they wanted to arrest him, they shouldn't have let him go in the first place. Besides, the fact that they even tested the gunpowder reaction means that although Hanchuan Shenliu guessed where he would strike, he didn't guess how he would do it... Well, Hanchuan Shenliu is only human, he's not like he's cheating.

If so many people are present and no gunpowder residue is found, the police should suspect that an outsider committed the crime, which would greatly reduce his suspicion.

...But as long as the cold, deep river flows, he can never be at ease.

He had to figure out exactly what Han Chuan Shenliu meant by ruining his plans!

Kyosuke Kazato proactively tested the gunpowder reaction to prove his innocence, and then went to look for Shinryu Hatsukawa.

Hanchuan Shenliu finished his test early and was standing in the corner doing something on his phone, seemingly typing away frequently.

Is it a chat? It doesn't seem like it. At this frequency, someone would definitely be a chatterbox. You can tell at a glance that Hanchuan Shenliu isn't that kind of person.

Although Kyosuke Kazato had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, he didn't dare to go over there now.

After all, there was no one around Han Chuan Shenliu, so his sudden appearance would be too conspicuous.

This hesitation led to the entire group being dismissed—after everyone had been tested and no problems were found, it was impossible to detain such a group of people for too long without a reason, so they had to be released.

While still figuring out how to get Shinryu Kazukawa's phone number, Kyosuke Kazukawa saw a group of people on the first floor discussing visiting Officer Sato in the hospital.

There's no room in the car, so someone has to stay and take a taxi.

What a great saying! Kazeto Kyosuke, who had driven there, quickly seized the opportunity: "Um, actually I still have a seat here. I heard Ms. Sato was taken to the hospital, so perhaps..."

Hanchuan Shenliu turned his head: "Then I'll leave it to Dr. Fengdu."

"It's okay, I'm going the same way."

Inspector Megure watched as Shinryu Suzumawa followed Kyosuke Kazato away and got into the car where Kenji Hagiwara was sitting in the back seat. After a moment of silence, he couldn't help but make a comment.

"Just look at how he so naturally accepted sharing a car with Han Chuan-kun even though he had only just met him. That means there's definitely something wrong with him!"

Kenji Hagiwara blushed: "Inspector, don't be prejudiced... I don't even know if you're criticizing Dr. Kazato or Fukagami!"

Inspector Megure coughed awkwardly, "Let's go to the hospital."

As Inspector Megure pointed out, most people wouldn't really want to ride in the same car as Shinryu Sakkawa.

Kyosuke Kazato started feeling unwell as soon as he sat in the driver's seat. If he didn't have questions he wanted to ask, he would have regretted it on the spot and kicked the driver out.

Even though Han Chuan Shenliu hadn't done anything, just remained silent, he felt like someone had put a needle in his buttock, making him restless and his heartbeat was neither as steady as usual.

Originally, I wanted to wait and see if Shinryu Hanakawa would take the initiative to explain something, but it seemed like I couldn't wait any longer, so Kyosuke Kazato had no choice but to speak first.

"Um... Mr. Kankawa," Kyosuke Kazato asked, "Is Ms. Sato alright?"

This topic is very safe and related to the case. If Han Chuan Shenliu is interested in talking to him, he should strike up a conversation.

Then he heard Hanchuan Shenliu reply calmly.

"You're disappointed you didn't die, aren't you?"

Fudo Kyosuke: "………………"

That one sentence completely stumped him.

Is it necessary?! Is it necessary?!

Japanese, such a subtle language, but you don't use the art of language at all. You can't speak without saying something provocative, right?!

This made Kyosuke Kazeto suspect that Shinryu Samakawa was carrying a recording device and was planning to record his answers to report him!

Kyosuke Kazato immediately became cautious: "How could that be? I'm happy for her. After all, I'm a doctor, and I always hope that my patients will be well."

"Speaking of doctors," Han Chuan Shenliu suddenly said, "a while ago, a doctor I knew was arrested for murder. Do you know why he was arrested?"

Kyosuke Kazato started to feel uneasy, thinking to himself, "Is this a warning?"

"Why?"

In the rearview mirror, Han Chuan Shenliu's dark red eyes looked up and met his gaze.

"Because he didn't contact me. If he had, he wouldn't have been arrested."