Chapter 276
Hanchuan Shenliu was not in a hurry at all.
He dared to send Ran Mouri to inspect the traps set by Kyosuke Kazato in advance, and there was a plausible reason for it.
“Before that,” Hanakawa Shinryu said calmly, “do I need to do a gunpowder reaction test first?”
Inspector Megure was taken aback and glanced at Chief Odagiri.
Because if we do the testing now, we're treating people as suspects... How should I put it? According to the rules, everyone could indeed be a suspect now, but if we actually do it, it might offend some people, so it's a delicate situation.
However, as expected of the head of the Criminal Investigation Department, Chief Odagiri was swift and decisive: "Do it, everyone do it, including me and my good-for-nothing son."
If even a minister is appointed, it won't seem like they're targeting anyone.
Inspector Megure also breathed a sigh of relief.
Han Chuan Shenliu suddenly asked, "Why did you specifically mention your son? Are you suspicious of something? Was your son involved in this case before?"
Chief Odagiri's expression wasn't good, but Fumikawa had gotten used to his face while working in the First Investigation Division. He knew that Chief Odagiri always had such a serious expression, and that he was also very upright, so he wasn't afraid of offending anyone.
As expected, after his jaw tightened for a moment, Department Head Odagiri finally relented: "...I was planning to consult you anyway, and I'll tell you later. Tell me your thoughts first."
See, leaders really know how to talk. Instead of letting Shinryu Kagawa explain, they let people express their own thoughts... Although Shinryu Kagawa's words are all the same, Minister Odagiri's way of speaking is much more comfortable.
“It’s very simple,” said Hanchuan Shenliu. “Considering that the target is Ms. Sato, and there are so many police officers in the banquet hall today, if the murderer wants to make a move today, he will definitely choose a place with fewer people, preferably only Ms. Sato. The women’s restroom is the most likely location. So I asked Ms. Mori to observe carefully when she goes to the restroom to see if there is anything amiss.”
Kogoro Mouri angrily retorted, "Then why can't you find someone else?! Why does it have to be Ran?!"
He practically wished he could undergo gender reassignment surgery and take his daughter's place, rather than let Ran Mouri get hurt in any way... Thankfully, Ran is alright, otherwise...
He suspected that Han Chuan Shenliu had no heart and didn't care about others at all in order to achieve his goals!
Kenji Hagiwara also felt something was amiss, but since they were friends, he tried to smooth things over: "There are still too few policewomen. It's not his fault. And generally speaking, nothing will happen. It's just a precaution. He probably didn't expect to actually encounter one... Anyway, it's great that Ms. Mori wasn't injured."
"Kogoro Mouri is still angry," Ran Mouri said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Well... actually, it was my initiative."
Kogoro Mouri's angry expression froze, and he turned to Ran Mouri blankly: "What do you mean by 'taking the initiative'?"
Ran Mouri pinched her fingertips and said awkwardly, "I was just about to go to the restroom, and when I came out, I saw Mr. Kankawa standing in the hallway, looking troubled about something, so I went up and asked him... That's why Mr. Kankawa asked me for help..."
Everyone: "…………"
Oh, it seems he's struggling with who to ask to go to the women's restroom... But it's amazing that Ran could see Han Chuan's troubled expression and still dared to go up and ask...
Realizing that it seemed Shinryu Sugawa hadn't intentionally tricked his daughter, Kogoro Mouri felt his earlier outburst was a bit unreasonable. However, being proud, he couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid there might be a bomb inside? What if Ran opens the door and it explodes..."
Han Chuan Shenliu said calmly, "The murderer didn't kill indiscriminately, but with a purpose. He wanted Ms. Sato to die. If he set up a trap to detonate it, it would kill innocent people and waste an opportunity to kill Ms. Sato. If I were the murderer, I would choose the kind of remote-controlled detonation method that I could control the timing of, like the one in the power distribution room. I would detonate it as soon as I saw Ms. Sato go in."
The description made everyone's expressions not too good, especially Han Chuan Shenliu's repeated use of "If I were the murderer," which made people feel uneasy.
However, the most subtle feeling comes from Kyosuke Kazato.
From the moment Shinryu Sugawa said "It's very simple," Kyosuke Kazato's mood soured, even worse than when he discovered that Miwako Sato was still alive.
This is because it's like he's smugly thinking he's solved some great mathematical conjecture, only to be told it's just an elementary school math problem, and that he's overestimating himself.
Most importantly, he had just thought that Shinryu Hanchuan treated him differently because he thought he was capable, but he was immediately proven wrong. The other party didn't even care about his murder plan, and made such a deduction without knowing anything about him, only knowing that the murderer was targeting Miwako Sato.
It even severely disrupted his plans.
Otherwise, whether it was Ran Mouri or Miwako Sato who got the flashlight, he could see more clearly and shoot more accurately. Maybe Miwako Sato would be dead by now!
When he went in full of anticipation, the flashlight was still in the cabinet, and he could only barely shine a faint light on the shadows... Alas, his plan was supposed to be perfect, but it was ruined... No, wait.
A plan that can be so easily detected and destroyed can hardly be considered perfect.
Even the fact that Shinryu Hanakawa sent Ran Mouri to inspect the cabinet might have been a test, a test to see if his plan was really that simple.
Now that we've discovered that Hanakawa Shinryu's criminal skills are actually only at this level, what if he thinks that's all he is and chooses to give up on him, and then exposes him to the police...?
Although he could also accuse Kankawa Shinryu of providing murder counseling, he had no concrete evidence, while Kankawa Shinryu was clearly someone who had been questioned many times and must have a familiar set of procedures to get rid of suspicion!
What should I do...? What does Han Chuan Shenliu mean? He hasn't looked at me once since he arrived, it's so unsettling... But he probably didn't leave any evidence...
Kyosuke Kazato managed to calm himself down and decided to continue listening in first.
Just as he was thinking that Hanchuan Shenliu hadn't looked at him since the incident, Hanchuan Shenliu's gaze suddenly fell on him.
Those cold, dark red eyes glanced at him indifferently: "Dr. Kazato isn't a policeman, is he?"
Inspector Megure then remembered: "Oh, I was just thinking of having Dr. Kazato check on Ran. She's been so frightened, it wouldn't be good if she had any lasting effects... Um, Dr. Kazato..."
Kyosuke Kazato understood the subtle way of telling him to leave.
He became even more nervous, his mind filled with doubt—what did this mean! Why did they suddenly decide to send him away now!
And it was Hanchuan Shenliu who spoke!
Does this mean that Sumikawa is about to say bad things about him?!
Something doesn't seem right. Based on his experience, most people, especially detectives, when they discover a murderer, tend to recount their reasoning process to the murderer, analyzing the suspicious points bit by bit, then identifying the murderer and presenting evidence...
With so many police officers still around, there's no fear of retaliation—fear is hardly even a word to be associated with Han Chuan Shenliu! It feels incredibly incongruous!
He couldn't understand it at all, but forcing him to stay was impossible. Kazato Kyosuke even suspected that Kazukawa Shinryu was deliberately trying to force him to escape because he lacked evidence. This way, he could investigate him on the grounds of "Why are you running away when you're innocent?" and then discover that he was connected to the case that the attacked police officers were investigating...
Filled with doubt, Kyosuke Kazato forced a polite smile, said goodbye to the others, and turned back to the banquet hall.
Running away now would be the real disaster! He won't fall for it!
The group couldn't continue discussing serious matters in the corridor. Now that Han Chuan Shenliu had explained why he had asked Mo Li Ran to check if there was anything wrong with the restroom, it was time to move on to the next step.
Hearing the sound of police sirens coming from downstairs, Department Head Odagiri said in a deep voice, "Let's conduct the gunpowder reaction test first."
“I don’t think it should be detectable,” said Kanakawa Shinryu. “Knowing there are so many police officers at the scene, it’s fundamental to consider avoiding gunpowder reactions when planning a murder.”
Kogoro Mouri muttered to himself, "It's not as simple as you say..."
When he was a detective, how many criminals did he find using gunpowder reflex technology? Most criminals can't solve this problem! Washing your hands can't stop the stains from getting on your sleeves. In this situation, if someone suddenly loses a jacket, wouldn't that be very noticeable?
Conan Edogawa asked curiously, "Huh? Mr. Kankawa, do you know many ways to bypass the gunpowder reaction detection?"
"It's alright," said Hanchuan Shenliu modestly.
"For example?" Conan Edogawa asked curiously.
Han Chuan Shenliu: "Make a hole in the umbrella, wear gloves, and shoot through the umbrella that is blocking your way. Most of the gunpowder residue will fall on the umbrella, and a small part will fall on the gloves. As long as you remove the gloves, you won't be able to detect any gunpowder residue on yourself."
When Conan Edogawa heard the word "umbrella," he suddenly paused for a moment.
He remembered that when he ran over, he noticed a strange umbrella on the umbrella rack; it was in a different spot than when he first saw it… Could it be…?
Realizing something, Conan Edogawa took off running, and Kogoro Mori couldn't stop him: "Hey! Conan! Damn it, that brat..."
The group hadn't planned to stay there anyway, so they simply continued walking forward.
In the blink of an eye, Conan Edogawa came running back with an umbrella: "There really is a hole!"
Inspector Megure: "Huh?"
Conan Edogawa opened the umbrella in his hand and demonstrated to them: "Look! This umbrella really has a hole!"
Everyone: "………………"
Everyone silently turned to look at Han Chuan Shenliu.
So, you're giving an example, and an umbrella is the perfect one, right?!
You little rascal! Just how far have you seen through the truth?!
Kenji Hagiwara, who knew him better, asked directly, "We weren't planning on talking about anything anyway, so why did you suddenly ask Dr. Kazato to leave? Is there something wrong with him?"
Han Chuan Shenliu: "Oh, he must be the criminal."
Everyone: "………………"
—Couldn't you have just said so from the start?!
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