Chapter 500

Since Hanchuan Shenliu had been taken to the Nagano Prefectural Police Station and might pass by at any time, it wasn't appropriate for everyone to discuss this topic further. So, they quickly started discussing the case again.

Yamato Kansuke's phone suddenly rang. After glancing at it, he seemed to remember something and made an excuse to leave first.

Those who remained looked at Yamato Kansuke with concern, realizing that something was wrong with him today.

“But there’s nothing we can do. After all, nine years ago today, his childhood friend was killed by the Takeda Group…” Morofushi Takaaki said calmly.

Conan Edogawa glanced at Takaaki Morofushi.

This is practically an attempt to sow discord, making everyone who hears it doubt Inspector Yamato, which doesn't quite fit Inspector Morofushi's previous image of being rational and intelligent...

Was it intentional? A setup? Because the Woodpecker Club is supposedly within the Nagano Prefectural Police, so they staged it directly in front of their colleagues?

Why are these policemen always thinking about catching people?! I feel like he can't keep criticizing Mr. Hanchuan to himself anymore!

Perhaps Mr. Hanchuan's love of fishing was developed during his time as a detective!

—The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's reputation has been damaged like never before.

Before they knew it, the sky outside had started to rain as if in mourning. Because they were involved in the case, Kogoro Mouri and the others could not leave for the time being, so they could only sit in the rest area and watch the police officers busily going back and forth.

"Speaking of which, where is Mr. Hanchuan?" Ran Mouri asked疑惑地. "Did he go to help out?"

Kogoro Mouri rolled his eyes: "Doesn't seem like it. That kid seems to be the type who won't do anything without a reason."

"Dad, how could you say that about others!" Ran Mouri was unhappy.

As if on cue, the cold river of Hanchuan finally appeared from the end of the corridor.

Even Conan Edogawa couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Kankawa, where did you go? Did you find out anything? A lot of police officers went out just now..."

They didn't even have time to explain to them before rushing out in a swarm; it was obvious something had happened.

"Yes, I guess another person has died," Hanchuan Shenliu replied in a friendly manner.

Conan Edogawa paused for a moment.

I guess... that description is a bit subtle...

"Aren't you going to come and see?" Kogoro Mouri, who was barely an acquaintance, was surprisingly sharp at times. "Don't you like watching the excitement?"

Han Chuan Shenliu: "It's raining outside."

Others: "…………"

So, aren't you going to argue that you enjoy watching the drama unfold...?

This talent for killing conversations is truly a headache; even Kogoro Mouri doesn't want to talk anymore.

Conan Edogawa remained silent for a moment before finally probing, "Speaking of which, I heard that Inspector Kuroda used to work in Tokyo. Have you met him, Mr. Kankawa?"

"I've met you."

This sincere answer did not shake Conan Edogawa, because it was expected. They were both police officers, and they might have met in meetings. What he wanted to know were more detailed things.

Conan Edogawa then pressed, "Is it because of some case?"

"I can't say."

Conan Edogawa didn't give up and continued to probe: "Are you two not getting along? The atmosphere feels a bit strange..."

The dangerous-looking young man looked down at him and said, "Probably because I rejected him."

Conan Edogawa: "…………"

Did Kuroda Hyōe really send an invitation to Samikawa Shinryū?!

It's not fair to blame Conan Edogawa for his leaps of thought, but he did immediately recall the story he overheard when he eavesdropped on Shinryu Samakawa and Kenji Hagiwara about Samakawa being rejected by the organization in his attempt to recruit him.

At that moment, his suspicions about both Suikawa Shinryu and Kuroda Hyōe soared, but unfortunately, Suikawa Shinryu could only get his share.

Of course, someone as intelligent as Conan Edogawa, since he has no feelings for Shinryu Suzumawa, wouldn't dwell on things too much. So he managed to pull himself together and consider other possibilities.

Kuroda Hyōe was sent down by the National Police Agency, so it cannot be ruled out that he was recruiting Kanekawa Shinryū on behalf of the Public Security Bureau.

...But he always felt that the Public Security Bureau, a department that pursues secrecy and security so highly, didn't seem to meet Han Chuan Shenliu's standards!

According to the information he gathered, many police officers in the Metropolitan Police Department had complained that Mr. Hankawa was more suited to the Organized Crime Countermeasures Department, which deals frequently with yakuza, and was especially suited to go undercover, where he would not be suspected at all.

However, the police from the Organized Crime Countermeasures Department countered that if they sent Shinryu Samakawa to infiltrate, headquarters would be constantly anxious and suspicious of his stance, and it would be difficult to fully accept the intelligence sent back, which would be a complete waste of resources...

If even ordinary police officers from the Metropolitan Police Department, who monitor "legal yakuza," are so distrustful of Kankawa Shinryu's involvement in these dark matters, then the public security forces, who deal with even darker things, should be even less likely to consider Kankawa Shinryu.

However, one should not be too absolute in their judgment. Although Conan Edogawa felt that the probability was very small, he still kept this idea in mind.

Sigh, the FBI's investigation into Mr. Hanchuan is taking too long... Is it true that things can't be done outside their own territory?

Conan Edogawa sighed inwardly.

It seemed that Han Chuan Shenliu just passed by, said hello, and then slowly walked away. No one knew what he was going to do. What was most strange was that despite his suspicious behavior, no one in the entire police station dared to stop him... But that was probably because Han Chuan Shenliu didn't go to confidential places and just wandered around in public areas.

Conan Edogawa felt that this behavior would arouse fear and suspicion among many police officers who did not know Shinryu Sakkawa, but this reason was not very effective in stopping Shinryu Sakkawa from doing so. He could only remain silent and hope that Officer Yamato, who seemed to be less respectful to Shinryu Sakkawa, would return soon.

After waiting and waiting, the main force that had just rushed out finally returned, bringing with it bad news.

"Officer Kano has been murdered!"

Conan Edogawa remembers that Officer Kano was also a member of the Takeda Group. Now that two members of the Takeda Group have died, could it be...?

Yui Uehara said worriedly, "The murderer left a message saying there are three left... He claimed to be the God of War who destroyed the Woodpeckers... Could it be that Officer Kano and Officer Takeda are both members of that Woodpecker Society?"

Morofushi Takaaki looked at Kankawa Shinryu, who had come over to watch the commotion, and asked, "Mr. Kankawa, do you remember anything about the Woodpecker Society?"

Hanchuan Shenliu replied indifferently, "The same as before."

Zhu Fugaoming: "..."

To be honest, he had some doubts. The "same as before" simply meant knowing something but not wanting to say it...

Not to mention Morofushi Takaaki, even Edogawa Conan had the same suspicion.

Conan Edogawa thought for a moment, then turned to Yui Uehara and asked, "The culprit said he wants to kill three more people, is that right?"

Uehara Yui nodded: "Yes, I wonder who it could be..."

Conan Edogawa's expression became subtle.

Ah... why does he feel that perhaps after the remaining three people died, Mr. Hanchuan "suddenly remembered" the Woodpecker Society's information?

Mr. Hanchuan's attitude suggests that the dead police officers were indeed problematic. This could be seen as revenge, but a normal trial would not result in the death penalty for them, which is why Mr. Hanchuan is so passive and uncooperative.

It must be said that Conan Edogawa has not only reached the expert level in the study of thin leaves, but has also mastered the study of cold leaves. His analysis is quite impressive, and the more he thinks about it, the more convinced he becomes.

However, Mr. Hankawa prefers to wait until most of the people who deserve to die are dead before taking action, while Conan Edogawa prefers to save as many people as possible.

So he found an opportunity and went to find Hanchuan Shenliu: "Um, Mr. Hanchuan..."

"Hmm?" Hanchuan Shenliu raised an eyebrow. "You've got a lot of questions today, Conan-kun."

Before he could even ask, Conan Edogawa chuckled dryly: "Um... well, I was wondering, Mr. Hankawa, do you think this case will only be solved after the remaining three people in the preview have all died?"

This was actually a test and a subtle form of persuasion. Conan Edogawa knew that his little schemes would probably be laid bare in front of Shinryu Samikawa, but he was too unwilling to give up without trying.

We can't just stand by and watch everyone die!

Three lives lost! And who knows what the Woodpecker Society did? What if their crimes don't warrant death?

Mr. Hanchuan isn't some kind of devil; we should still try to persuade him if we can!

Conan Edogawa felt Shinryu Kagawa's gaze scrutinizing his face, as if analyzing his thoughts. He bravely met Kagawa's gaze directly, staring intently into those dark red eyes that carried an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Perhaps moved by Conan Edogawa, Shinryu Samakawa's attitude softened a bit.

He replied, "No."

Conan Edogawa secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In other words, at least one of the three people should survive... Of course, it would be best to solve the case now so that no one else will die.

I didn't expect Mr. Hanchuan to be so easy to talk to.

Conan Edogawa thought to himself.

When Conan Edogawa returned to the rest area, he discovered that while he was talking to Shinryu Samurai, Kansuke Yamato had already had a big argument with Takaaki Morofushi because of his suspicions and they had gone their separate ways—this was a fishing trip, so Conan Edogawa wasn't in a hurry.

But not long after, one of the policemen from the Takeda Group went missing. He said he was going home to change his clothes, but he ended up in the mountains. Another member of the group was on his way to see what was going on, so he called Morofushi Takaaki and asked them to come over as well.

Conan Edogawa pondered for a moment and decided that he should go and see what was going on. He planned to sneak into Morofushi Takaaki's car, but as soon as he got into the back seat, he felt himself being enveloped by someone's shadow.

Turning his head, Conan Edogawa was shocked to find that Shinryu Samikawa had also come along!

Zhu Fu Gaoming also noticed the two people who had boarded the carriage without invitation. He didn't try to shoo them away, but simply asked, "Why did you come along?"

Hanchuan Shenliu: "Because the rain has stopped."

Others: "…………"

"And I remembered something about the Woodpecker Society, so I thought I'd go check it out."

"What is it?" Conan Edogawa asked in surprise.

"Let's confirm it first."

Conan Edogawa: "...How do you plan to confirm this?"

Hanchuan Shenliu thought for a moment: "Let's see who died."

Morabu Takaaki's face tightened—no one wants to hear their colleague being described as surely dead by outsiders, but he wasn't in the mood to argue. He simply stepped on the gas, hoping to drive faster.

Finally, the vehicles that had set off from the police station arrived at the mountain, and as soon as the search began, they heard the shouts of the person they were looking for.

The group followed the sound and found that the person they were looking for had a rope tied around his neck, the other end of which was attached to a car that was heading towards a cliff.

There was no time to do anything. When they arrived, the person hanging from the back of the car only had time to shout "Help me!" twice before the car dragged him off the cliff.

Everyone rushed to the edge of the cliff, where they could only see the head, which had been separated from the body due to the pulling, lying on the treetops below. The body and the car had fallen into a deeper area.

"W-How could this be...!" Uehara Yui exclaimed in shock. "If only we had come sooner..."

"It makes no difference whether you come early or late."

Han Chuan Shenliu stood behind them and said in a detached tone, "After all, he was just waiting for you to witness this scene. Why did he have to wait until he was about to fall before he started screaming? Doesn't anyone think that's too coincidental?"

Conan Edogawa stared blankly at Shinryu Kanakawa.

He realized that the person who had just fallen was staging the whole thing, and was most likely the criminal himself.

But at this moment, Conan Edogawa was thinking—whether the culprit included him in the "three people who will die in the future" as a way to escape.

So he asked Mr. Hanchuan, "Wouldn't it take the deaths of all three people to solve the case?" and Mr. Hanchuan replied, "No way..." Wasn't it because the culprit was inside, so no matter how many people died, it wouldn't be because of his request?!

He's asked Mr. Hanchuan for nothing!

--------------------

Conan: I didn't expect Mr. Hanchuan to be so easy to talk to.

afterwards--

Conan: I went to all this trouble.