Chapter 94 also features a cameo role as a suspect.
[Anti-fraud expert #26: So where should we needle? Don't worry, I was quick just now and specially equipped myself with "Empress Rong's Classic Acupuncture Therapy"! Needle wherever there's a blockage, my companions no longer need to worry about me...]
Stop. Get rid of all that nonsense in your head.
[Anti-fraud expert #198: Ignore him. I've already replaced the small bottle with a syringe. You can let me put the needle under your fingertip the moment you make a move.]
Perfect.
Morofushi Kagemitsu began to move silently toward Akiyama Nao.
[Anti-fraud expert #11: Stop! There's someone crouching in the gap between the cabinets at the 4 o'clock position.]
He quickened his pace, then shifted his head, looking as if he was tired of standing and needed to adjust his weight.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #19: Okay, look away.]
He glanced at his watch and appeared to be heading straight for Zero, but in reality, he planned to quickly make a small cut on Akiyama Nayuki's skin as he passed by.
[Anti-fraud expert #66: Then move to the left; there's a hidden camera over there that could easily film you.]
Morofushi Kagemitsu then adjusted his angle again.
As he passed by Nao Akiyama, she took a small step back to make way for him.
Just then, the small wooden partition separating the aisle and the tables and chairs slightly blocked Zero's view, and Morofushi Kagemitsu seized the opportunity to send a message to Number 198:
Needle, please!
[Anti-fraud expert #198: Here we go.]
Nao Akiyama felt a slight stinging sensation on the back of her hand. Upon closer inspection, she saw a shallow cut on the side of her palm, with a little blood seeping out.
She didn't immediately suspect anyone had done it. Instead, she glanced at the plants on the wooden barrier and assumed she had accidentally scratched them while retreating. After all, the so-called plants weren't real plants, but rather artificial flowers and leaves placed there for decoration.
She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a wet wipe to clean her hands.
[Anti-fraud expert #198: Luckily, Maple Leaf No. 4 has already seeped in, so wiping it off now is fine.]
Morobuchi Kagemitsu also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Now that the most important step had been completed, he stopped paying attention to Akiyama Nao's next move and just kept walking towards Furuya Rei, even taking out his detective business card as he got closer.
Of course, the name on it couldn't be Asakawa Sora; it was a randomly chosen name: Ando Teru. He had a bunch of these identity cards, just to deal with this situation.
Rei Furuya glanced at the business card handed to him, his wariness undiminished, but he maintained a courteous and attentive demeanor, politely asking, "Detective, what brings you here...?"
Morofushi Kagemitsu said, "I am also a detective who is currently training, and I have noticed something amiss. I'd like to see if I can help."
Rei Furuya, remembering he was just a waiter, didn't respond from a police officer's perspective, but simply said, "Really, Mr. Ando? Did something strange happen before that gentleman collapsed?"
Morofushi Kagemitsu nodded solemnly, then began to make up a story: "I remember that gentleman in the corner seemed to have had some kind of argument with his companion, I wonder if it's because of that..."
"What are you talking about?"
A girl suddenly interrupted, her tone filled with strong dissatisfaction, "How could Jingmei and I possibly kill someone? Especially not Mr. Komori! You're not just trying to shift the blame onto us, are you? He ate food from your restaurant!"
Judging from what she said, she and the other girl were Mr. Komori's companions.
It's normal for her to react this way, after all, she's already been accused of murder, so it's understandable that she'd be a little emotional. On the contrary, the attitude of the girl named Jingmei is more abnormal.
Jingmei nodded in agreement, her perfunctory tone quite obvious: "Yes, Chengxiang is right."
She was so calm, as if the person who had just died wasn't even her friend; she didn't even show a hint of sadness.
Rei Furuya initially wanted to clarify after hearing Sumika's words that he hadn't done anything underhanded, but Shizumi's strange behavior left him speechless.
He never expected that such a simple suggestion would lead to a suspect. He had originally planned to wait for the test results of the actual object before making any deductions.
"Shizumi...?" Chengxiang looked at her best friend in shock. What was the difference between this and admitting that she was the murderer?
Rei Furuya glanced at the entrance of the fast food restaurant and said, "Ladies, the police have arrived. We hope you can cooperate with our work."
Jingmei nodded indifferently, while Chengxiang was somewhat anxious to say something to her friend.
[Anti-fraud expert #198: Attention, Maple Leaf No. 4's effects are about to kick in.]
Morofushi Kagemitsu glanced at Akiyama Nao's condition and steered the conversation back to the food: "However, I think we should first check if there's anything wrong with what Mr. Komori drank."
Furuya Rei couldn't deny it, saying, "Of course."
Morofushi Hiromitsu walked to Mr. Komori's table and continued, "I have another proposal, which may be a bit presumptuous, but for our safety, I suggest we check all similar dishes that this gentleman has touched, just in case..."
"—Miss! What's wrong?!"
Before he could finish speaking, Nao Akiyama collapsed to the ground, and a passerby standing nearby caught her.
The hints from the man who called himself a detective had already made the customers at the fast food restaurant somewhat uneasy. When they saw Nao Akiyama fall to the ground, their hearts skipped a beat, and they all panicked.
"Hey! Is there really something poisoned in your food?!"
"That girl only ordered a grape drink, so is the only problem with the drink? Everything else is fine, right?"
"No, I'm poisoned! I feel awful!"
Jingmei remained calm, looking at her good friend Chengxiang with a hint of doubt in her eyes.
"Wait, something's not right..." Chengxiang said, a little confused.
Rei Furuya rushed to check on Nao Akiyama, while the police, who arrived a little late, were maintaining order at the scene and promised to take them to the hospital for examination as soon as possible.
The scene was in chaos. Morofushi Kagemitsu walked over to Akiyama Nao and said, "Speaking of which, Mr. Komori and this lady both seem to have ordered grape juice. Could it be that there's something wrong with that drink?"
Rei Furuya frowned upon hearing this, since the detective had done something quite useful. He then shared his analysis with him: "I've been observing that Mr. Komori and Ms. Akiyama's mealtimes weren't that far apart. Why is there such a long interval between their attacks?"
[Anti-fraud expert #214: Noon is in 15 minutes.]
Morofushi Kagemitsu replied normally, "So, were they the only two who ordered grape juice today?"
Since there's not much time left, we shouldn't leave too many mysteries unsolved. If we don't have enough evidence, it wouldn't be good if someone else were to be implicated in a mass poisoning.
Furuya shook his head and pointed to the large vat for dispensing drinks, implying that all the grape juice for the day came from there.
Knowing the truth, Morobuchi Kagemitsu looked away and pretended to be worried, saying, "Then we can only wait for the test results and the surveillance."
Rei Furuya seemed about to say something, but was interrupted by a sudden noise:
"Bang!"
That's... gunshots!
Morobuchi Kagemitsu immediately became alert. Why was someone suddenly firing a gun?
"Bang! Bang! Smash!"
"Watch out!" Rei Furuya, who was beside him, pressed down on his shoulder and hid under the table. Several shards of glass bounced to the ground, and Rei Furuya's hand paused for a moment.
[Anti-fraud expert #205: We've already checked the shopping mall's security cameras, but the person who fired the shot seemed very professional and avoided them all. I'll check the security footage from the underground parking garage and the streets as well.]
Morofushi Hiromitsu adjusted his position and, seeing that he and Zero were both in a safe zone, began to pay attention to the source of the gunshots with a little peace of mind.
Creating chaos at this point is pointless... Neither the organization, the Police Department, nor the Public Security Bureau have any reason to act. Or perhaps this attack has nothing to do with Nao Akiyama? If so, what is the reason?
Zhu Fujingguang was somewhat worried.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: I know you're worried, but don't worry too much. Run! A fast food restaurant has been planted with a bomb!]
What? !
Upon hearing this news, Morofushi Kagemitsu instinctively grabbed Furuya Rei and ran outside. Before the latter could understand what this meant, he heard the man shout, "Bomb! Run! There's a bomb here!"
The incident caused a huge uproar. The onlookers, who were already very worried about their lives, scattered immediately. Even those around the restaurant, unaware of what was happening, followed the panicked crowd and ran away.
"etc……"
"Boom!"
As Rei Furuya was being dragged downstairs, he was about to speak when an explosion behind him interrupted him. His pupils contracted, and he tried to turn around to look, but a familiar hand continued to pull him away.
As they stumbled and staggered their way out of the chaotic shopping mall, white, fluffy things floated in the sky, like cotton candy.
Both of them stopped in their tracks because of the somewhat eerie sight.
...What's going on? Could it be that an alien species could invade Earth in this timeline?
[Anti-Fraud Guru #214: ...Of course not!]
Morofushi Hiromitsu suppressed all the dramas he had been watching in the past few days into a corner of his memory, and turned to Furuya Rei to briefly explain the situation.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #148: Crouch down!]
Zhu Fujingguang subconsciously squatted down.
"Bang!"
The bullet grazed his hat.
This time, Furuya Rei dragged him to hide behind the building, while the gunfire outside continued.
Could this be targeting him?
Zhu Fujingguang wanted to find out the truth.
[Anti-Fraud Guru #26: Let's not investigate anymore, there's no time now! We'll check later, we've already copied the data.]
Oh well.
Morofushi Kagemitsu had no choice but to abandon a plan that had just rapidly formed in his mind.
How long until noon?
[Anti-fraud expert #205: 5 minutes.]
That's enough.
Although he sits in the office all day approving expense reports, he can't let others misunderstand him as a complete office worker, even though he has handled sniper rifles and played duos with Lai!
He touched the gun in his pocket.
-----------------------
Author's note: Originally, I wanted Jingguang to pretend to be a detective in this chapter, but considering that there are more suitable people to play this role later, I gave up on it.
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