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[Thousand Faces Witch]: You and Bourbon are the only ones in the entire organization who still think that he is not dead. You have caught the fox by the tail. Where did you see him?
[Transfer me 5 million and listen to my plan to seize power and usurp the throne]: Although he doesn’t look like him, the possibility of him being in disguise cannot be ruled out, so isn’t this just confirming with Bourbon…
[Gin]: What have you found? Send me the information. I will return to China tomorrow.
[Transfer me 5 million and listen to my plan to seize power and usurp the throne]: There is not much information, it's just my intuition. I haven't found out anything specific yet, but even if this person is not Akai Shuichi, there must be something wrong with him. He is now staying at Kudo Shinichi's house, so Afushi and I plan to contact Mori Kogoro first in the next few days, and use him and his daughter to contact the person suspected to be Akai Shuichi.
Gin knew Conan's identity, so he had no objection to Chu Ming's method of approaching Kogoro Mouri to investigate. However, this scared Vermouth. She was indeed a little passive now that she was not in Japan. If something happened to Conan, she would not be able to help, so she quickly said in the group that she also wanted to go back.
[Thousand-Faced Witch]: Some time ago, I disguised myself as Akai Tsutomu to meet Akai Mary. I originally wanted to kill her and then infiltrate M16 using Akai Tsutomu's appearance, but that woman was too alert and saw through my disguise. She also had a backup plan. If she didn't make it back alive, her daughter would inform M16 that I, Akai Tsutomu, was a fake. I had no choice but to feed her a poison and leave. Since the infiltration plan failed, there was no point in me staying in London any longer, so I might as well return home as soon as possible.
[Transfer me 5 million and listen to my plan to seize power and usurp the throne]: Poison? Could it be APTX4869 again?
[Thousand-Faced Witch]: Yes, I picked it on purpose. I wanted her to die from the poison made by her own sister. Isn’t it interesting?
[Transfer me 5 million and listen to my plan to seize power and usurp the throne]: It's quite interesting. I have some news that you may find even more interesting. The laboratory has just come up with a new conclusion that this drug has a one in a hundred billion chance of mutation, causing cells to divide rapidly, which is painful but not necessarily fatal. The laboratory has already found a surviving mouse, so I suggest you don't come back yet, and find someone in London to fish in the water to see if you can find the body. What if she is one of the one in the hundred billion?
Vermouth was leaning on the sofa sipping red wine, but she sat up straight upon hearing this. She was not worried about whether Mary was dead or not, but she was stunned by the sudden news from Granburch.
She didn't know yet that Conan had already passed the test in the eyes of the boss and Gin. She just suddenly realized that since the laboratory has confirmed that the drug has a chance of survival, they will definitely send people to check the death list of APTX again. Others are fine, but Kudo Shinichi can't stand the investigation!
Even if you just ask around, you will find that Kudo Shinichi is still active in many places after taking poison.
But she really couldn't go back home now. After all, according to what Chu Ming said, she really had to stay here to check whether Sera Mary was dead or not.
What to do now?
Vermouth was silenced by Chu Ming's news and did not speak in the group for a while. The rest of the people also stopped talking.
Chu Ming put away his phone, bowed his head and pondered for a moment, then instructed Vodka: "Your eldest brother asked you to contact Maori Kogoro. Tomorrow you will pick me up at the door of my safe house, and we will go together."
Recently, whenever he appears next to Mouri Kogoro in a vest, Conan will always generously give him some points, so there is no need to rush back using Chu Ming's identity for the time being. He should get some points first. Although he has enough for the time being, who would complain about having few points?
Chapter 696 Being held hostage
Chu Ming had been so decadent recently that he slept until the afternoon the next day. When he turned on his phone, he found that Vodka had called him at around 10 o'clock in the morning. After finding that Chu Ming didn't answer, he probably realized that Chu Ming hadn't gotten up yet, so he sent a message asking Chu Ming to notify him after he woke up.
Then they waited until about three in the afternoon. When Vodka received the call, he was a little bit incredulous. He thought Granburch had changed his mind and would not go. But he actually slept until the afternoon before preparing to leave...
Although Vodka didn't know why Granburch wanted to bring him to show off in front of Mouri Kogoro, since his eldest brother agreed, there must be a reason, so he specially brought Okino Yoko's precious figure with him, preparing to establish a good relationship with Mouri Kogoro.
It was because of this figure that Chu Ming and Vodka were warmly welcomed by Maori Kogoro. Before Xiaolan returned home from school, Maori Kogoro even made coffee himself and brought it to the guests.
Chu Ming had come here so many times before, and even brought wine stolen from Gin to Maori Kogoro several times, but he never received the VIP treatment from Vodka today.
"I'd also like to thank the little boy in your family. He ran around and helped a lot with yesterday's case. It must be because you taught him well." Vodka greeted Kogoro Mouri happily while holding a cup of coffee.
Maori Kogoro couldn't let go of the figurine sent by Vodka, and took the credit without hesitation: "Hahaha, this kid only learned a little bit. When I saw the scene yesterday, I knew it was definitely not you..."
The two were chatting animatedly. They were originally discussing the case, but the topic turned to their idols. Chu Ming had no idea about these things, so he simply took out his phone and started playing games.
"I'm back~ Hey, Mr. Uozuka and Mr. Shochiku are here too." Xiaolan said cheerfully, with Sera following behind her, "Dad, this is Sera, the one you met yesterday. Sera is actually the new student in our class."
Sera Masumi bowed slightly and said, "Excuse me, but I came here mainly to play with little Conan."
Maori Kogoro waved his hand and said, "You came at a bad time. The kid went to Dr. Agasa's house. They are going to camp early tomorrow morning, so the kids are staying at Dr. Agasa's house tonight."
"That's too bad..." Shira was a little disappointed. She reached out and picked up the schoolbag she had just put down from beside Chu Ming. "Then I'll take my leave first. I'll come to visit you next time when Conan is here..."
Before she could leave, the door was suddenly pushed open, and three ladies stood in a neat row at the door. The one who spoke was the most sturdy lady: "Excuse me, I'm Mitsui Tamami, Mr. Maori. I heard that today we can hear the details of the case you solved before - Hey, aren't we the only ones here today?"
"I'm Nibin Junxia. The three of us are friends who met on SIDE. We're all amateur female mystery writers. We heard that we could listen to Mr. Maori's storytelling today, so we came all the way here." Another tall and thin lady spoke up immediately. Seeing that everyone in the room had the same confused look on their faces, she asked in confusion, "Did Zeli say that? Why do you look like you know nothing?"
Maori Kogoro was confused by the three people who suddenly broke in. What should he know? This was the first time he had heard of this name.
Xiaolan, however, was influenced by Kudo Shinichi and knew quite a lot about mystery novels. She thought for a moment and asked, "The Sawakuri you are talking about, is it the famous mystery writer Ms. Sawakuri Miku who passed away last month?"
"Yes, but the one who invited us here today is her brother, Sawakuri Isao—"
Before he finished speaking, a man wearing a vest and a red hat suddenly appeared outside the door: "Yes, I invited them here."
Seeing the man appear, Mitsui Tamaki frowned and accused him: "What's going on? They don't seem to know about this?"
Tang Di Wang Xin also spoke up: "Mr. Zeli, have you not mentioned this to Mr. Maori?"
Ze Lixun showed a sinister smile: "Of course——"
He suddenly pulled out the gun hidden in his pocket and pulled the trigger towards the ceiling.
"boom--"
A gunshot rang out, and a hole was punched in the ceiling, and cement dust fell to the ground through the gap.
Everyone present was so frightened by this sudden incident that their faces remained unchanged. Vodka's back, which was originally leaning on the sofa, straightened instantly, and his hand subconsciously reached for his waist, but Chu Ming held down the back of his hand.
Seeing Vodka's doubtful look, Chu Ming shook his head slightly: "It's okay."
This person shouldn't be coming for them, so they can just watch the show.
Seeing that everyone was intimidated by him, Ze Lixun closed the door and pointed a gun at everyone: "Put your phones on the table over there, and retreat to the sofa over there."
Chu Ming took out his cell phone from his pocket and put it over, then raised his chin slightly towards Vodka, indicating him to do the same.
Just as he put his phone away, he heard Shiliang quietly discussing with Xiaolan: "I'll be in charge of the feet, you'll be in charge of the gun, and suppress that man."
Xiaolan nodded obediently: "Yes!"
Chu Ming glanced at the bulge in Ze Lixun's vest and knew that their plan might not work.
Tsk, it's a bit difficult to deal with a bomb. With only a gun, he can guarantee the safety of himself and Vodka. If there are more bombs, he is not afraid, but Vodka may not be able to...
But he didn't say anything, just quietly took the vodka and returned to the sofa. However, there was a hint of coldness between his fingers. In case of an emergency, he should be able to cut off the fuse in time...
Seeing Xiaolan and Shiliang still staying where they were after putting their phones away, Zeli Xun couldn't help but urge them, "Hurry up, leave as soon as you put them down!"
Shiliang raised his hands and said obediently, "Okay, okay."
At the moment when Sawakuri Xun relaxed his vigilance, Sera's expression became serious, and he leaned back and kicked Sawakuri Xun to the ground. Xiaolan quickly followed up and kicked the gun out of his hand. Before she could even put her legs down, Sera pounced on him again and grabbed his throat and pinned him down.
The two of them cooperated very well, and in just two seconds, Sawakuri Xun was pinned to the ground.
"I'm talking to you--" Before Sera could ask anything, she found that Sawakuri Isao raised his left hand tremblingly, still holding a trigger tightly in his hand.
"You still won't let me go?"
Sera suddenly froze, stood up and retreated, while reaching out to protect Xiaolan behind him.
"Ha ha ha..." Ze Lixun got up from the ground, his chest vibrating with an extremely proud laugh. He unzipped his vest, revealing the bomb tied to his body, "I knew that the famous detective had a daughter who knew karate. It turned out that I was right to prepare this. Okay, now can you be quiet and listen to my request carefully?"
Chapter 697: Is it because you don’t want to pay the commission fee?
Maori Kogoro quickly comforted Zeli Xun: "Don't be impulsive, have you encountered any difficulties?"
"I……"
Before Sawakuri Isao could speak, the phone at the detective agency rang. He looked unhappy, but still motioned for Maori Kogoro to answer the phone: "You should know what to say and what not to say, Mr. Maori."
Maori Kogoro nodded repeatedly and answered the phone. It was the waiter from the Poirot Restaurant downstairs. The waiter was on the phone and asked, "What's the matter with you?"
Kogoro Mouri quickly made an excuse that the remote control was broken when he was watching TV, causing the volume to suddenly become extremely loud.
After hanging up the phone, Ze Lixun curled the corners of his mouth in satisfaction. Just as he was about to state his request, he heard a red flip phone among the pile of mobile phones that had just been handed in, with the light of an incoming call flashing.
Xiaolan looked over and said, "That - it seems to be my cell phone..."
Ze Lixun was furious: "Why didn't you turn off your phone just now!!!"
Seeing that he seemed to want to hang up directly, Shiliang suddenly thought of something and quickly reminded him: "Hanging up the phone suddenly and turning it off will arouse suspicion."
Sawakuri Xun looked as straight-headed as vodka. Hearing this, he looked up at Sera and asked, "Why?"
Sera began to lead the way: "Because if the call doesn't go through, the other party might come over to see you out of worry, so I think it's more appropriate to answer the phone now and deal with it, just like Detective Mori did just now."
As she said that, she pushed Xiaolan towards the table. Zeli Xun might have remembered the beating he had just received from the two men. Seeing the two men passing by him, he subconsciously took a step back and said, "You can answer the phone, but if you say something you shouldn't, don't blame me for being rude."
Xiaolan picked up the phone and answered the call at the kidnapper's eye signal.
"Sister Xiaolan..." As soon as the call was connected, Conan's voice came out, "Is it not the right time for me to call?"
Xiaolan subconsciously looked at the kidnapper and denied, "No, I was in the kitchen just now and my phone was not beside me, so I was slow to answer. What happened when you called me?"
"It's actually nothing serious..." Conan's voice sounded particularly awkward, "I just heard from Genta and the others that Xiaolan was walking on the street with a boy she didn't know after school that night..."
Xiaolan was somewhat surprised and was amused by Conan's weird thoughts: "It's not some unfamiliar boy, he just transferred to our class today--"
Before Xiaolan could tell Sera that she was actually a girl, Sera snatched the phone away: "That's me they saw! Okay, you already know who it is, so let's leave it at that for now and enjoy camping tomorrow!"
After saying that, she closed the screen of her phone and smiled at Ze Lixun: "This should be fine, right?"
She put the phone back on the table and silently pushed Xiaolan back.
Sawakuri Xun didn't notice it, but Chu Ming saw it clearly. Sera didn't hang up the phone at all. While she closed the screen of her phone, she stuffed the sea cucumber man pendant on Xiaolan's phone between the screen and the button to maintain the call.
After she brought Xiaolan back to their original position, she found that Zelixun did not suspect anything, so she urged: "What exactly do you want Detective Maori to do?"
Sawakuri Isao didn't even notice that his phone was still on. He threw a stack of information in front of Maori Kogoro, with a trace of grief in his eyes: "My sister, Sawakuri Miku, is a best-selling author who won the Naoki Prize at a young age, but the police said that she committed suicide in a hot spring hotel some time ago. But I don't think so! She must have been killed by one of the three people who took a hot spring bath with her! These in front of you are the information I collected, and I need you to help me deduce who killed my sister!"
Chu Ming blinked. Naoki Prize, it sounds familiar. Wasn't there someone who won the Naoki Prize before? I think his name was -- Imatake Satoshi? He also became famous after winning the prize.
Tsk tsk tsk, this award is like a death notice...
But he could have just come directly to Kogoro Mori to commission an investigation, so why did he have to make a bomb?
Is it because you don’t want to pay the commission fee?
Ze Lixun seemed to have been trapped in the sad news of losing his sister. He held the bomb trigger tightly and swept his bloodshot eyes over the three ladies behind him: "Mr. Mao Li, you don't have to worry. You just need to point out who killed my sister, and I will kill the murderer and avenge my sister. As for me, after helping my sister to avenge, I will naturally disappear from this world."
"However, my patience is limited. If you delay too long, my bombs will explode..."
Time passed minute by minute, Chu Ming yawned silently, and his body, which was originally sitting upright, gradually tilted until he collapsed on the sofa like Ge You.
Maori Kogoro was flipping through the documents brought by Sawakuri Isao one by one, frowning, "But from the information you provided, it is obvious that the scene is a completely secret room, and the person who confirmed this happens to be you, the first person to discover it, so why do you think this is a murder case?"
"Because I heard it! When I found my sister lying next to the bathtub, I was about to take out my phone to call an ambulance, but at that moment I heard a slight popping sound. When I ran out to see, I found some tiny glass fragments on the balcony. I broke the door from the balcony to save my sister, but if you break it from the outside, the glass fragments will only fall inside the house, how could they fall on the balcony? The murderer must have been hiding somewhere in the house at the time, and when I went into the bathroom to see my sister, he took the opportunity to walk out through the glass I broke. These fragments must have been stuck to her feet!"
"And here, look!" Sawakuri Isao took out one of the photos and placed it in front of Maori Kogoro. "This is the photo I took at the time. You can clearly see a bloody handprint on the mat at the bathroom door. This must be what my sister grabbed when she was struggling to run out after the murderer cut her wrist. Otherwise, why would there be bloodstains here!"
Maori Kogoro actually had no clue at all. He frowned and flipped the photos of the scene in his hand back and forth, trying to find some clues in the photos, but to no avail. He scratched his head and said, "Even if your sister didn't commit suicide, how can you be sure that the murderer is these three people?"
"Because at that time, only these three people entered and exited my sister's room! They all said they were looking for my sister's autograph, so I specially asked them to bring the book with them this time." At this point, Ze Lixun turned around suddenly, pointing the gun in his hand at the three people behind him, his eyes full of murderous light, "Did you bring it?"
The three men trembled when the gun was pointed at them, and they quickly took out the books from their bags.
Even Vodka was frightened by his suddenly raised voice. He sat up straight from his slumped body on the sofa, and was poked back by Chu Ming's elbow.