Chapter 45

When Xingchuan and Ming were distracted thinking about the email sent by Xiaozhi this time, Nishihara Tadahiko, who had been sitting across from the bar, noticed his strange expression and suddenly asked:

"What are you thinking about? Have you encountered any difficult problems?"

Xingchuan and Ming paused for a moment, then said without changing his expression:

"Nothing. I just suddenly thought that I had something to discuss with Brother Ida. Since he can't come tonight, when should I call him and tell him?"

Hoshikawa Kazuaki had no intention of telling Nishihara Tadahiko about the whole thing.

The previous notice almost became known to everyone, but I had no choice. The aftermath of that incident has caused me to be unable to go to get off work alone freely until now.

Furthermore, it was a matter of my own life at that time, and I had no choice but to take it seriously.

But now that it has been confirmed that "Xiaozhi" poses no threat to me, there is no need to report the email to the police.

Moreover, this email directly and precisely involves the word "crow", that is, the black organization. So whether it is to cover up my increasingly suspicious social circle or for the safety of my friends, I can no longer drag them into this matter.

Nishihara Tadahiko looked at Hoshikawa Kazuaki's expression suspiciously, and then glanced at the phone in his hand, obviously not believing it. However, he did not raise any questions in the end, but patiently answered:

"I heard that the Investigation Division has been working overtime day and night to solve a theft case. If you really need to find him urgently, it doesn't matter what time you call him. As for those matters that can only be solved in person, it depends on their progress in solving the case."

Xingchuan Heming nodded somewhat disappointedly. He had originally wanted to invite Date Kou to go to the welfare home with him on Saturday, but now it seems that the other party may not be able to spare the time.

However, no matter whether it is possible or not, tell the other party first.

Hoshikawa and Akira called Date Kou.

The call was connected quickly. There seemed to be some noise in the background, and then I could vaguely hear the door closing.

Ida Ko's rough voice came out from the receiver.

Xingchuan and Mingmin noticed that the other party seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Brother Ida, didn't you just have a fight?"

Xingchuan and Ming were just trying to make a joke, but there was a suspicious silence. Xingchuan and Ming's joke immediately turned into an awkward laugh:

"…Are you really arguing? Wait, aren't you supposed to be working overtime?"

"Xingchuan, we were actually discussing your case just now."

There was a hint of dissatisfaction in Ida Ko's voice, but he was clearly trying to control his emotions.

"I won't go into the details, but the conclusion is that the murder notice you received and the poisoning you almost received were actually two separate cases. The hacker who sent the notice, who signed as 'Xiaozhi', has been found. He is a habitual perpetrator of spreading rumors and intimidation on the Internet. He has sent notices to many people, including you. The fact that it happened together with your poisoning case was just a coincidence."

Xingchuan and Ming were stunned.

"No way? How could the Investigation Division come up with such a result?"

Xingchuan and Ming had just confirmed that the Xiaozhi who sent them the notice was definitely not the intimidation habitual offender that Date Kou said. Moreover, they had just received news about Xiaozhi.

It was hard to believe to hear such a result from Ida Ko at this time.

Ida Kou on the other side was obviously also very angry. He took a few deep breaths before saying heavily:

"No! This is not the result of our investigation team's investigation, but... Anyway, when the higher-ups were investigating other cases, they happened to bring up this incident, so they just sent the results over. However, I have been in charge of this case, and I think there are still some illogical aspects in it, and I need to continue investigating, but it was rejected by the higher-ups."

Hoshikawa and Ming immediately understood what Date Kou meant.

The investigation of the case was interfered with by someone, who bypassed the police in charge and exerted pressure directly from the top, and directly made a judgment without sufficient evidence.

This way of handling things sounds very subtle. It doesn't seem like the usual style of the Metropolitan Police Department at all, but more like the style of a special department.

And there was that suspicious pause by Date Kou. Perhaps that hidden content was the key to the matter.

However, there are obviously other regulations within the police force, and it is impossible for Ida Hang to disobey orders because of personal emotions.

So, this matter is indeed a big problem.

"So... the poisoning case was closed so inexplicably?"

Xingchuan and Ming asked softly.

Idahang paused for a moment before answering in a casual manner:

"You can rest assured about this. This is the result of my argument just now. Although the investigation from the network aspect has been stopped, we will continue to investigate from other aspects. At least we have to find the poisoner for you."

Xingchuan and Ming were touched for a moment.

It was obvious that Date Ko had an argument with his boss during working hours in order to gain the authority to continue the investigation, and he actually won the argument!

For a moment, Hoshikawa and Ming were extremely impressed by Ida Kou's courage to challenge authority, and his ability to actually win an argument with his boss!

Then he heard Date Kou ask:

"Let's not talk about me. You, on the other hand, should have already met Nishihara. Why are you calling me so urgently? Is there something?"

Xingchuan and Ming were a little hesitant, not sure whether they should tell each other about Xiaozhi. In this situation, they have clues but cannot investigate. Isn't this a nuisance for Date Kou?

"Moshimoshi? Xingchuan? Why aren't you talking?"

Date Ko's loud voice burst out directly from Hoshikawa Kazuaki's receiver and reached the ears of Nishihara Tadahiko on the other side.

Xingchuan and Ming were shocked by the loud voice and their faces froze. Just as they were about to reply, they heard Nishihara Tadahiko on the other side casually say:

"If you are worried about putting the other person in a difficult position, it is better to explain the interests directly and let the other person make the decision on their own, rather than making the decision for them."

Hoshikawa Kazuaki was stunned by what he said, but he understood it immediately. So he looked at Nishihara Tadahiko with gratitude, and then quietly told Date Kou the news he had just learned about Xiaozhi.

"I didn't expect you to find clues from an unexpected source. No wonder I didn't find anything when I investigated your social circle before. It turns out that this child has already left the orphanage, so it is very likely that he has been adopted by someone."

Date Ko's voice was extremely calm.

"Okay, I understand. I will try to free up some time on Saturday so that I can go to the orphanage with you."

"Eh? But haven't you, the police, already concluded that this incident is just an unrelated coincidence? You are investigating this privately..."

As a result, Xingchuan Heming was interrupted by Date Kou before he could finish his words.

"Oh, the higher-ups have stopped the investigation into the Internet, so why don't we just not touch the Internet? I was just invited by a friend to attend a party at an orphanage on Saturday, so what does that have to do with the case?"

Xingchuan and Ming were speechless for a moment before they said with emotion:

"I never thought you would be this kind of Ida-sama."

Datehang also smiled and sighed:

"I have to say, at a time like this, having a friend who knows how to socialize and take advantage of opportunities is actually quite convenient."

Because Date Ko was still at work, the two of them ended the call quickly after agreeing on a time.

Xingchuan Heming looked at Nishihara Tadahiko who was about to finish his coffee, rolled his eyes, coughed lightly and said:

"Officer Nishihara, I just found out something. The Metropolitan Police Department has just found out that the murder notice about me was actually a random message from a habitual cyber threat offender, and it just happened to coincide with the case I encountered. So... ahem, so actually I am not as dangerous as I expected before. I don't need to be escorted every day even when I go out."

Hoshikawa Kazuaki looked at Nishihara Tadahiko expectantly, and at the same time used words to wildly hint that he no longer needed to be picked up and dropped off at get off work like an elementary school student.

Give me back my freedom!

Nishihara Tadahiko looked at Xingchuan Heming with amusement, but did not expose him. He just nodded to indicate that he understood, and then said:

"I just happened to be on leave today. I was originally planning to come here to investigate a missing child case that I was concerned about before. I came in to have a cup of coffee because I was thirsty. I still have a few places to visit later. After the visit is completed, I can come and accompany you home. It's been a long time since we last met. We can still walk and chat in the evening."

After saying that, he pushed the empty cup in front of him towards Xingchuan and Ming, and actually stood up and prepared to leave.

Xingchuan and Ming were a little confused when they saw this and shouted:

"Hey, wait a minute..."

Unexpectedly, Nishihara Tadahiko turned back and gave another reminder:

"Remember to wait for me after get off work."

Then he turned around and walked out with satisfaction.

"…But, I clearly wanted to say that I don't need you to take me home after get off work!"

Xingchuan and Ming sighed helplessly, feeling that each of the policemen they knew was more difficult than the other.

Just as Tadahiko Nishihara was about to walk to the door of the cafe, the door was opened from the outside.

A young man with blond hair and wheat-colored skin was walking in from the door, carrying two large bags of flour on his shoulders. A familiar little detective was following behind him, shouting:

"Mr. Amuro, wait for me!"

Seeing this, Nishihara Tadahiko politely made way for the young man and the child to enter first. The blond young man was also stunned for a moment, smiled and nodded at him, then turned around and shouted in the direction of an electric car outside the door:

"Please wait a moment. I will be back soon to move the remaining goods."

The child following behind the young man looked at Nishihara Tadahiko curiously and then shut up.

After the young man came in from outside, Nishihara Tadahiko looked at Hoshikawa and Ming with a warning look, and left without hesitation.

Xingchuan and Ming sighed inwardly, it seemed that they could not escape the fate of being escorted home by the police today.

Then he took the flour that Amuro Toru brought in and said:

"Didn't Amuro-sama take a leave? Why are you back here to help receive the goods?"

"I just happened to be passing by and ran into the delivery guy outside who was delivering the ingredients that I had ordered from the store."

Amuro Toru replied with a smile, handed the flour in his hand to Hoshikawa and Akira, and went out to move other things. Hoshikawa and Akira directly drove Edogawa Conan to sit at the coffee table to avoid causing trouble.

When Hoshikawa and Ming carried the flour to the warehouse and put it away, Amuro Toru happened to come in carrying a large box.

Xingchuan and Ming raised their heads and were about to take it, but suddenly, the lights in the warehouse made some kind of harsh noise, and then went out with a "click".

The entire warehouse fell into darkness.

Xingchuan and Ming suddenly froze, as if a huge fear was overwhelming them. His whole body began to tremble unconsciously, and his clothes were instantly soaked with cold sweat. It seemed that a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe. He had to gasp for air, and he felt dizzy and his consciousness was almost blurred.

"...Xingchuan? Calm down Xingchuan!"

"Mr. Amuro, are you all okay? What happened in there?"

"Conan, open the door!"

"I've already opened it - ah! Brother Xingchuan's eyes..."

Looking at the dim light coming in from outside the door, Xingchuan and Ming finally regained their lost sanity from the darkness in the room.

He opened his eyes wide, gasped and looked around, only to find that he had completely slid to the ground without knowing when, his limbs were limp, but his hands were still tightly grasping Toru Amuro's forearm.

Amuro Toru grabbed his arm and led him out the door, saying:

"Let's go out first."

Upon hearing this, Conan also ran over to help, and the two of them took Hoshikawa and Ming to a place outside the warehouse where they could get exposure to sunlight.

"Phew! Sorry, I..."

Xingchuan and Ming apologized as soon as they felt better. But when they opened their mouths, they found that their throats were so tense that their voices became hoarse.

However, Amuro Toru's reaction at this time was even stranger than Hoshikawa and Akira.

He first looked intently into Xingchuan and Ming's eyes, and then, in the light coming through the window, he carefully examined Xingchuan and Ming's faces.

After confirming that he was indeed alright, he asked in a serious tone:

"Xingchuan, your eyes...how do you feel now?"

At this time, Hoshikawa and Ming's brains were still in a state of confusion after falling into fear, and for a moment they were unable to react to what Amuro Toru meant.

Conan, however, saw that he had basically calmed down, so he asked with concern:

"Brother Xingchuan, are you okay? What happened to your eyes? Why did they glow in the warehouse just now?"

Hoshikawa Kazuaki was confused by the question:

"What are you talking about? Are you confused? I am a human, not a wolf. How can my eyes glow?"

Conan and Toru Amuro looked at each other without saying anything.

Xingchuan and Ming's minds gradually became clear at this time. Although they were still buzzing with pain, they could already sense the subtlety of the atmosphere at the moment.

He saw that the two of them didn't seem to be joking, and his heart sank when he thought of Conan's strange question just now.

"Conan, you just said...you saw my eyes glowing?"

The author has something to say:

A cold joke.

Xingchuan and Ming have a pair of big, sparkling eyes.

Fortunately, I can't speak yet. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution during 2022-08-10 21:29:20~2022-08-11 11:33:20~

Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: 2 bottles of Qingruan;

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!