This man could be described as handsome, but his eyes drooped slightly, and even when he smiled, he looked rather gloomy.

"Mr. Toyama seems to distrust me quite a bit."

Hey, what's with your overly familiar tone? Do I even know you?

Yoruichi Toyama rolled her eyes without any politeness.

Why should I trust a wanted murderer?

"Give me a reason to trust you first?"

Just like Gin back then, this was probably the first time Takato had been directly confronted like this, and his smile became somewhat stiff for a moment.

"...I thought that since Mr. Toyama accepted my invitation, he must have something to say to me."

"No," Toyama Yoru denied without even thinking. "I have nothing to say to you."

"I just feel that you are going to incite someone to commit a crime again, and I don't want there to be another criminal in this world."

Gao Yuan's eyes immediately flickered.

“I’ve also heard about Mr. Toyama, including the last time he stopped my ‘Director of the Undead’…”

"Are you really that nosy?"

For some reason, there seemed to be a hint of complaint in his originally gloomy tone.

"You call this 'meddling'?" Yoruichi Toyama chuckled sarcastically.

"The person who found out the cause of death of Kentaro Izawa's family members before the police... and the cause of death of Ms. Moegi Toma's head teacher, actually turned around and said I was meddling?"

"So, has your thought process always been this peculiar?"

That makes sense; someone who spends all their time funding and creating ideas to help others plan revenge couldn't possibly have a normal mindset.

There's no point in talking to this kind of person.

After exchanging a couple of sharp words with Toyama Yoruichi, she immediately pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

However, all that came through the receiver was silence; there wasn't even a busy signal.

Seeing Yoruichi Toyama's seemingly enlightened expression, Takato smiled again and showed him a device that resembled a mobile phone.

Yes, a signal jammer.

It should have been expected long ago. If Conan's cheat codes are Professor Agasa's black technology, then this puppeteer's cheat code is his money power.

The treasure found on Gold Island alone is worth hundreds of millions.

A small signal jammer just like the one used by the Japanese police would be a piece of cake.

Yoruichi Toyama had no choice but to shrug and put her phone away.

Gao Yuan, who had temporarily gained the upper hand, was not pleased. He simply walked slowly to an armchair in the center of the room and sat down.

He even crossed his legs, looking very relaxed.

"Now, Mr. Toyama, may I have a chat with you?"

...

"Although I don't know much about him, I'll assume that Mr. Toyama has similar hobbies to mine."

After saying only one sentence, Gao Yuan stopped talking and glanced at Yuanshan Ye, who was sitting diagonally opposite him.

It seemed as if they were waiting for the other party to refute them.

However, Yoruichi Toyama's expression had calmed down, and she showed no sign of dislike.

While I certainly can't say I accept or understand everything that Takato Yoichi has done, I can still analyze what's going on.

Gao Yuan is someone who has never experienced kindness.

His famous magician mother was a strong woman who left her child with her husband, who had taken over her life, and went off to focus on her career.

Aside from strict discipline, all Gao Yuan probably received from his adoptive father, with whom he had no blood relation, was this surname.

Moreover, his unreliable parents passed away one after the other while he was still a minor.

Gao Yuan, who learned about his origins from his father's belongings, didn't even have time to reunite with his mother. Instead, he had to bear the burden of her hatred.

As a son, he felt obligated to avenge his mother against the person who killed her.

When the revenge was almost complete, and only one person remained to be killed, it was discovered that the mother had planned everything in advance and had already arranged everything for the enemy.

So what is he busy with? ...

Yoruichi Toyama wasn't sure if Takato thought that way at the time, but when she saw that part of the story, she felt quite sympathetic towards him.

Nobody took him seriously, and he wasn't even given a chance to get revenge.

Therefore, it's hard to say whether this self-proclaimed criminal artist, who clearly has the means to commit crimes, is obsessed with helping others take revenge for this reason.

What he meant by "almost" was probably this kind of obsession.

Yoruichi Toyama shook his head.

"I'm not like you..."

Gao Yuan revealed an almost gleeful smile, as if to say, "I knew you'd say that."

But Yoruichi Toyama calmly continued.

"I'm not trying to talk about good versus evil, and I reckon if someone said you actually used unethical means to help someone get justice, you'd laugh at them."

This was a point of contention between Yoruichi Toyama and her classmate after they finished reading Kindaichi's manga.

In other words, although Gao Yuan instigated others to commit murder, he also helped the original victim punish someone who the law might never be able to punish.

Could this be considered an alternative way of upholding justice?

Yoruichi Toyama didn't think it counted, and judging from Takato's expression now, he himself didn't think it counted either.

"Like you said, we don't know each other very well, but I have heard about your past."

“I never believed that your purpose was to help others get revenge; it just so happens that the person you targeted met that standard.”

The style of "The Puppet Master of Hell" has always been to create a mysterious and suspenseful murder show.

Those scumbags and despicable people who robbed people of their money and sex and then ran away after one heist obviously didn't meet his requirements.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!