The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Feeling that the situation was slightly out of control, Megure Jusan cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention back.

He was aware that his subordinates were becoming restless recently because of the paratrooper Toru Adachi.

It's not that it's not possible. To be honest, he also disagrees with the decision made by the top management, but this kind of internal conflict is not suitable to be displayed publicly in front of colleagues from all over the country.

Before Ireland could retaliate, he interrupted the discussion by saying, "Thank you, Mr. Adachi, for the reference. Does anyone else have any ideas?"

"I think we can think of this clue in a simpler way. Could it be that there was a conflict between the murderer and the victim caused by the card game?"

"That's unlikely. How do you explain the patterns and letters on the back of the mahjong?"

"Rather than using straightforward surface meanings, the murderer should have used a codeword that only he and the victim could understand..."

Except for Ireland who was holding his breath, everyone else in the conference room followed the discussion and entered into a heated atmosphere. Conan, who was sitting outside, listened to the various speculations from everyone inside, flipping through the documents in his hand and thinking.

"Why, what do you think about the case?" Tang Ze turned his head and saw him in the classic thinking posture, and asked.

"Hmm? Oh, not yet. I think that although there are still many mysteries in this case, its nature is actually very clear. The murderer is a character who has intersections with all the victims. The main difficulty is to analyze and discover this intersection. As long as the police from all places work together, I believe that some clues will be found soon." Conan shook his head and changed the subject, "I feel that there is something wrong with Adachi Toru."

"Why, did his 'if I were the murderer' make you feel uncomfortable?" Tang Ze raised his eyebrows.

If you say something is wrong, it is indeed wrong, and it is not only Adachi Toru that is wrong, the current "Adachi Toru" is even more wrong.

If Conan can see through Ireland's identity one step ahead, it will not be a bad thing for Tang Ze's next plan.

"I can't say. It doesn't seem to match my impression of him." Conan frowned, not knowing how to describe this subtle feeling.

Is Adachi Toru a bastard? Judging from his words and actions, not only that, he may be even more of a bastard than everyone thinks.

But based on the impression left by my encounter with this person in Izu, the current Adachi Toru is a little too aggressive and a little too "normal".

Combining his usual speaking style and the tone he used when speaking privately to Karasawa, Conan understood that Adachi Toru had a very dark and world-weary tendency deep in his heart. This was manifested in his usual appearance, as if he didn't care about anything and had no expectations for his work or life.

In other words, he is a person who is incapable of expressing himself positively, and even appears to be a bit of a slacker on the outside.

Would he really stand up and make such an attention-grabbing speech just because of a word from Maori Kogoro? Or is this case really very important to him, so important that even a bad guy like him has to show his utmost enthusiasm to face it?

"In short, what we can be sure of at present is that this is definitely not a random nature or a serial killing of random people with specific conditions by the murderer."

While Conan was still in deep thought, Zhu Fu Gaoming's calm voice sounded in his headphones, standing out among the discussions in the room.

"Although we are still unable to determine what caused the connection between the murderer and the victims, the nature of this case is definitely revenge and revenge. The mahjong left behind and the items taken away can all prove the murderer's emotions when he acted. The behavioral logic of the entire case must revolve around this point."

What he meant was that it would be difficult to figure out the murderer's purpose just by sitting here and speculating and researching. The important thing was to start investigating and visiting step by step and try to find common points among the six victims.

Megure Juzo and Matsumoto Kiyonaga, who were sitting below the whiteboard and the projection, nodded with satisfaction.

Regarding this heinous serial murder case, they certainly don't want to rely solely on the detectives' inspiration and wisdom to try their luck. More solid investigation work is what the criminal police are good at and willing to do.

Matsumoto Kiyonaga stood up and began to summarize the investigation meeting to introduce the case.

"Everyone here, whether it is the last words of the deceased or the situation reflected by the evidence, it shows that the suspect is very likely to commit crimes again. The impact of the case has become very serious. This matter concerns the credibility of the police. We must do our utmost to prevent the case from happening and prevent it from happening. Please abandon the consciousness of jurisdiction and the selfish desire for merit, and synchronize any intelligence in a timely manner, and do your best to arrest the criminal as soon as possible!"

After a uniform response, the police officers in the venue stood up and filed out.

Conan and Karasawa also took off their headphones and pretended nothing had happened. They quickly put away the information that Takagi Shigeru had secretly given them and waited as if nothing had happened.

Mao Lilan, who had been reading a lecture note for a long time, glanced at the two of them and shook her head helplessly.

When she spent the whole day with Shinichi, she had seen how desperate the detectives were to get to the bottom of the truth. Unexpectedly, now that she was a child and it was even less convenient for her to get in touch with the case, she would be able to see an even more exaggerated side of these mystery geeks.

Speaking of eavesdropping on internal police meetings, is it really not illegal?

She was still hesitantly thinking when the police who had walked out of the meeting room came closer.

Mao Lilan looked up and saw a familiar face, and quickly stood up and saluted: "Inspector Matsumoto, long time no see. How is Sayuri-sensei recently?"

"Oh, it's you, the daughter of the Mori family. Long time no see. Sayuri is doing well and is considering changing jobs." When Matsumoto Kiyonaga saw that it was Mori Ran, his expression eased a little and he greeted her in a friendly manner.

His eyes swept over Conan and Tang Ze behind her, who also nodded and calmly withdrew their gaze.

It was a bit rude of Kogoro Mouri to bring his entire family to the meeting, but since these children were all participants and victims of Sayuri's thrilling wedding, he couldn't harden his attitude.

"Hey, Sayuri-sensei, are you planning to change jobs?" Mao Lilan was surprised. "Is there something wrong with your work?"

What else could it be because of? That bastard Takasugi Toshihiko.

Matsumoto Kiyonaga rolled his eyelids and his voice became completely cold: "She thinks she might be better at calming others down, so she plans to volunteer for psychological counseling at the Suzuki Group's Victims Assistance Foundation."

Hearing the familiar name, the three people's expressions changed and they silently looked away.

Among them, Tang Ze's expression is the most subtle.

Matsumoto Sayuri, oh no, now she is called Takasugi Sayuri. Although her husband Takasugi Toshihiko is an adopted son, he is also the real heir of the Takasugi Group. She is now a rich wife who no longer needs to worry about her livelihood.

Because of the ups and downs and experiences she and her husband had gone through, and the fact that the charity fund was established under the leadership of her former student Suzuki Sonoko, it was natural for her to have this idea.

As for her father, he was in the wrong in the matter of Takasugi Toshihiko. If she proposed the idea of ​​reducing tragedies and misunderstandings like Toshihiko's, Matsumoto Kiyonaga would not even be in a position to stop her. Seeing that they were more or less involved, his mood would be very delicate.

Matsumoto Kiyonaga, who was in a bad mood, caught a glimpse of the policemen following him out of the corner of his eye, and immediately saw Mori Kogoro and Adachi Toru walking one after the other several meters away, and his expression became completely gloomy.

"Mori, and Adachi, right?"

The two people who were still secretly sizing each other up immediately straightened their backs when they heard this.

"This case involves a wide range of people, so choosing you is an attempt. I hope you won't let us down." Matsumoto Kiyonaga's fierce appearance was even more murderous after he frowned, and his words sounded like a threat.

"Yes!" Kogoro Mori shuddered and instinctively tightened his heels and saluted.

"Thank you for your trust." Ireland also tensed his face and bowed slightly to him.

Matsumoto Kiyonaga nodded indifferently, turned around and continued to leave.

Shiratori Renzaburo, who had been following behind them, saw the stunned expressions on their faces and stopped walking. He explained softly to Mao Lilan and Tang Ze, "Inspector Matsumoto is not targeting you. Don't mind it. He is just a little dissatisfied with the interference of the higher-ups in the investigation."

As he spoke, he signaled with the corner of his eye to Adachi Toru who was slowly standing up, and it was obvious who Matsumoto Kiyonaga was dissatisfied with in his words.

Tang Ze, who had more or less caused this situation, understood what was going on.

Since Ireland's replacement was no longer Matsumoto Kiyonaga, the person in charge of the entire investigation team, the fact that Kogoro Mori was invited should not have happened.

It's not a technical problem. What's the point of asking for help from people outside the police force? Isn't this tantamount to admitting that the police have no confidence in solving the case?

The reason why Kogoro Mori received the invitation this time was mainly because of the arrangement between him and Toru Amuro. Toru Adachi, a non-staff member, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the real person in charge, Kiyonaga Matsumoto.

After his opposition failed, in order to counter the decision of the top leaders, he nominated Kogoro Mouri, a "close relative" detective who also came from the police force and was closer to the First Investigation Section, which was somewhat like letting them compete with each other.

So now he thinks that these two consultants who were stuffed in have noses that are not noses and eyes that are not eyes, and that is all very normal.

According to the plan of Karasawa and Amuro Toru, when the case reaches the final stage and Ireland's identity is exposed, the character of Adachi Toru will be transformed from a simple paratrooper to an equally innocent victim. Everyone's emotions about this identity will probably have been vented, and the safety factor will be much higher when the case is handed over to Matsuda Jinpei.

To put it bluntly, Ireland's role this time is that of a filter absorber, which is used to whitewash the pseudonym Adachi Toru.

So even though Ireland stared at him with malicious eyes, Tang Ze did not show any displeasure, but instead responded with an inclusive smile.

Go ahead and glare at me, glare as much as you want, it’s understandable that the victim feels a little resentful.

"They are like gods fighting each other, and we, the subordinates, are unlucky." Kogoro Mori scratched his head and sighed helplessly.

He also knew that this invitation was a bit tricky. Matsumoto Kiyonaga didn't really value his abilities. It was mainly to counter high-level interference. Compared with a detective who was helping, he was more of a convenient tool.

But because of his background and the relationship with his old boss, he couldn't refuse this commission...

"This is a really difficult matter, Mr. Maori." Knowing that he was also in a difficult situation, Takagi Wataru patted his arm comfortingly, "If you need any help with the investigation, please feel free to ask."

Takagi Wataru himself, or rather, most of the people in the First Investigation Section, have a similar attitude to Matsumoto Kiyonaga, and they are equally disgusted with Adachi Toru, a guy who was parachuted in and given a lot of authority.

As long as Kogoro Mori can defeat him, the entire Investigation Section will help.

Kogoro Mouri thanked him for his kindness and looked at the policemen who were gathered in groups of three or four on the other side.

These police officers who are not from Tokyo have to have their food and lodging arranged by the Metropolitan Police Department when they come on business trips. Now they have to eat together and cannot walk together with the local police officers.

"Don't we need to contact the police from other counties first? In this case, interpersonal relationships are the key point. Most of the victims are not from Tokyo." Kogoro Mouri pointed in their direction.

Looking at the backs of those people, Conan couldn't help but nodded.

It is indeed possible to get in touch with him, and Kogoro Mori is somewhat famous in various places and has come into contact with many of them. This is definitely an advantage over Toru Adachi.

"That police officer named Morobushi seems to be quite capable." Conan poked Tang Ze's arm and whispered, "It seems that his investigative ideas are very clear. Otherwise, we..."

Otherwise, you can use the name of Kogoro Mori to contact him.

After listening to the entire conversation, Conan was very impressed by this clear-minded policeman - especially in contrast to Yamamura Cao who was sitting next to him.

Having a police officer like him who has solid working ability and is reliable in investigating together can effectively improve efficiency.

Tang Ze looked at the back of Zhu Fu Gao Ming as he walked forward while talking to the policeman beside him, and his eyes unconsciously looked to the other side of the corridor.

Zhu Fu Jingguang, who had been sitting there before the meeting, was no longer seen, probably having gone in the direction of Group Zero.

"Officer Morobushi, Officer Morobushi—"

Zhu Fu Takaaki, who was about to make a phone call to inform Yamato Gansuke of the current situation of the meeting, heard the call from the side and raised his head to look in the direction where the voice came from.

A female staff member in charge of the front desk ran up to him and asked carefully, "Excuse me, are you Officer Takaaki Morobushi from Nagano Prefecture?"

"Yes, I am."

After taking a look at the nameplate on his chest, the female employee breathed a sigh of relief and quickly handed the tied bag in her hand to him.

"Great, I made it in time. I was worried that I would miss the end of the meeting. This is something that someone just sent to the front desk, and they said it must be delivered to you before noon."

"For me...?"

He has no connections in Tokyo and seldom comes to Tokyo after graduating from university. His participation in this investigation was also a temporary decision made by the bureau.

Why was there a package sent to him with his name on it?

Zhu Fu Gaoming took the heavy bag in confusion and felt a heat through the outer packaging. He was stunned.

When I opened it, it turned out to be a lunch box.

It was a very new lunch box, simple and solid in color without any prints. On the lid of the box was a folded thank-you letter, with the words "Zhu Fu Gaoming personally written" on it.

"A thank you letter." The other police officers who were watching this place couldn't help but smile when they saw this. "It looks like it was sent by a citizen who helped. Officer Morifushi is really prestigious and capable."

Zhu Fugaoming stared at the words on the envelope with a dazed expression. He just forced a smile when he heard it and opened the envelope eagerly.

To his disappointment, there were only two blank sheets of letter paper in the envelope, and there was no identification on the empty letter paper.

He turned his gaze to the lunch box again, and as if he had a premonition, he slowly opened the lid.

Inside the lid of the box, there was a full bowl of pasta mixed with mushrooms and shrimps. The warm noodles were still emitting a slight heat.

Holding this lunch which had no signature but was completely to his liking, Zhu Fu Gaoming stood there in a daze.