Chapter 2171 - 2169: Conanology Crime-Solving Method (I’ve Already Become Useless as an Orange Cat)

Although there was an explosion, fortunately, Officer Shiratori did not die on the spot but was seriously injured. Not only that, Shiratori handed a note to Officer Sato, and after reading its contents, Officer Sato’s face drastically changed.

After that, Officer Shiratori was taken away by an ambulance, as for Fang Zheng......

"Officer Yumi, let’s head back to the Metropolitan Police Department."

"Ah, yes......"

Hearing Fang Zheng’s deep voice, Yumi nodded, then hurriedly drove, taking Fang Zheng and Yoko Okino towards the Metropolitan Police Department. On the way, Yoko Okino couldn’t hold back and began to inquire.

"Um...... do criminals nowadays really plant bombs on police cars? Are they always this bold?"

"Of course not, actually, this criminal is targeting us."

"Huh?"

"This........."

"Go ahead, I also want to hear."

Yumi hesitantly glanced at Fang Zheng, who nodded. Just as Yoko Okino said, now criminals dare to plant bombs on police cars; it’s audacious, isn’t it?

Are they living too comfortably?

"Well...... actually........."

Quickly, Yumi explained the situation to the two of them.

This has to go back seven years ago when someone planted bombs in two apartment buildings and demanded ten billion yen from the police or they would detonate them. At that time, although the police sent people to disarm the bombs, one was particularly tricky and couldn’t be disarmed. Faced with no other option, the police had to agree to the criminals’ demands, and the criminals remotely stopped the bomb’s timer.

After that, the police swiftly evacuated people from the apartments, but unexpectedly they received another call from the criminals, asking why the bomb timer was still active. At that time, the police immediately connected the dots, suspecting the criminals had seen the televised rebroadcast and mistaken it for live footage. They took the opportunity to calm the criminals while tracking down their location, ultimately capturing them.

During the capture, the criminal panicked and was hit by a car, resulting in his death.

Shortly after, the stopped bomb restarted and exploded. The police concluded that there were two bombers, and likely the accomplice believed the police were airing fake news on TV to lure them for capture, thus taking revenge.

Then, three years ago, similar events occurred again, this time with a bomb installed on a Ferris wheel. Back then, Officer Matsuda, Officer Sato’s partner, was tasked with disarming the bomb. Initially, he could disable the bomb, but unexpectedly, the criminal conveyed to Officer Matsuda through the bomb that he planted another bomb elsewhere. If Matsuda wanted to know the location, he shouldn’t disarm the bomb, as he would be told the location three seconds before the explosion.

Ultimately, Officer Matsuda chose to forgo disarming the bomb and learned that the criminal had set another bomb at Beika Central Hospital, saving everyone there, but Matsuda was killed in the explosion.

Officer Sato has always been haunted by this incident. In fact, today marks the third anniversary of Officer Matsuda’s death, and the note the criminal left on Officer Shiratori’s patrol car contained content very similar to what was sent to the Metropolitan Police Department three years ago.

Since this case was never disclosed to the media and the public, seeing the note, Officer Sato immediately knew that the murderer of her colleague had once again begun taking action.

"No wonder Officer Sato had that expression at the time; she must have been very sad......"

As an actor, Yoko Okino, though not as adept as Fang Zheng in mind reading, was still skilled in dealing with people; if she couldn’t gauge others’ expressions, she couldn’t perform in dramas.

"But the criminal is also very pitiable......"

"That thought of yours is wrong, Yoko."

This time, before Yumi could speak, Fang Zheng interjected.

"Listen, you feel this criminal is pitiful because you have preconceived notions. Why do you think he’s pitiful?"

"Because he kept his promise? But he was hit by a car and died......"

"Kept his promise?"

Hearing this, Fang Zheng snorted coldly.

"He used the lives of people in an apartment building as leverage to demand money from the police—what is this? This is downright madness. If the police hadn’t given him the money, do you think he would have really bombed the apartment and killed everyone inside?"

"This........."

Hearing this, Yoko fell silent.

"This is typical of the media: they report why the criminals committed the crimes, painting them as pitiful, but what does this have to do with the police? Listen, the police aren’t arresting him because he’s pitiful; they’re arresting him because he’s violating the law, posing a threat and causing harm to others and society. Demanding money at the cost of lives in an apartment building is utter insanity. Leaving a message only indicates a conscience not entirely lost; it’s nowhere near pitiful."

"Ahem, Mr. Fang Zheng......"

Yumi coughed upon hearing this, while Fang Zheng shrugged.

"What’s there to be afraid of? I’m not a police officer; I’m just a special consultant. I can say whatever I want."

Fang Zheng spoke from experience, after all, he was like this himself.

Just like when he bombed America and spoke during the global broadcast—that was just a method of empathy, designed to attract the public. But as for Fang Zheng himself? I just find Americans annoying; I just want to kill Americans; I have destroyed quite a few worlds’ worth of America. I just enjoy seeing American corpses littered everywhere amidst the flames, and that feels awesome!

But what if you’re caught?

Of course, you play the poor victim, saying you lost your family during American air raids as a child and suffered a mental breakdown and illness due to grief—anything that can garner societal sympathy should be used just as long as you avoid the death penalty. Afterward, once you break out of prison, continue bombing again—it’s very comfortable.

Being able to fool the police and others is simply thrilling beyond measure.

Though, that idea might be good too; next time I’ll try planting bombs throughout America and play hide and seek with the FBI—it could be quite amusing.

Hmm...... wandered off; let’s get back on topic.

"That note contains the criminal’s announcement; what should we do next?"

Yoko Okino now understood Fang Zheng’s point and no longer commented on the matter.

"Return to the Metropolitan Police Department; I’ll let you see how the police handle cases now."

While speaking, Fang Zheng glanced at Yoko Okino; now she was wearing Yumi’s police uniform, coupled with her appearance, so if you didn’t look carefully, you’d assume she was just an ordinary female officer.

But that’s fine; she came to experience life anyway.

With sirens blazing, Yumi drove the police car back to the Metropolitan Police Department. Fang Zheng then took Yoko Okino via elevator to an underground third-floor room.

"This is......"

When Fang Zheng pushed open the door, Yoko Okino was directly stunned by the scene in front of her; three walls were filled with screens, and below, dozens of officers sat in their positions looking tense, furiously typing on keyboards.

"This is the Skynet System; with it we monitor the entire Tokyo Metropolis, and no criminal can escape our eyes."

Fang Zheng explained to Yoko Okino before looking ahead, promptly issuing a command.

"Retrieve the surveillance footage from area D—46!"

"Yes!"

Although Fang Zheng’s title at the Metropolitan Police Department was just a special consultant, due to his involvement in the creation and maintenance of the Skynet System, his authority was considerable in this regard. Upon Fang Zheng’s command, the officers immediately sprang into action, and quickly the large screen displayed the surveillance at an intersection.

"Bring up all surveillance around this area, extending to the restaurant."

With Fang Zheng’s command, the large screen’s images shifted again, but...... the angles weren’t great.

MMP!

Seeing this, Fang Zheng cursed inwardly but had no choice; after all, they could only install cameras in public areas, not on private properties, and people wouldn’t share their surveillance data with you... so they had to make do.

"Shiratori and Takagi’s dispatch time is 3 PM, explosion time is 6 PM—save all surveillance footage from those three hours, download, package, and inspect......come with me."

Fang Zheng gestured to Yoko Okino and then took her to his office, subsequently turning on a computer.

"Do you know how to use a computer?"

"Um...yes..."

Yoko Okino anxiously looked at the surveillance footage on the screen.

"But what are we supposed to do?"

"Investigate."

"Investigate?"

"That’s right, you should already know, there was no bomb placed in the restaurant. The perpetrator called the police to lure them over, and then while the police were searching the restaurant for the bomb, they installed a bomb in the police car. This process must have taken some time, and since the police car was parked by the roadside, it’s possible that someone or a vehicle saw something. But now, we first need to pinpoint the exact time."

As he spoke, Fang Zheng pressed the play button and then fast-forwarded. Soon, Officer Shiratori’s police car was seen coming from the intersection and stopping in front of the restaurant at the end of the screen. Immediately after, Shiratori and Takagi got off the police car to enter the restaurant, and shortly thereafter, people from the restaurant started coming out...

"This footage is so blurry..."

Yoko Okino looked at the figures on the screen and said softly. Indeed, due to the cameras of that era not being advanced, people in the distance looked just like walking mosaics. Only some moving color patches could be seen...

"No choice, it’s better than nothing. Now, you just watch here and record anyone who approaches the police car."

"Just...just me doing it?"

At this point, Yoko Okino was also extremely anxious. Although she was there to experience life, she was ultimately just an actress, and now they were pursuing a criminal daring enough to bomb a police officer, such a task relied on her...

"Of course not. I brought you here primarily so you can feel the atmosphere of the Metropolitan Police Department. Of course, the comparison and search will be completed by professional monitoring officers. All you need to do is assist with the comparison. Additionally, write down the license plates of all the vehicles passing this street during this time. We’ll call them one by one to inquire if they saw anything."

"I understand."

Upon hearing this, Yoko Okino heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly nodded.

"I’ll do my best, Mr. Fang Zheng."

"Good luck, I have to get busy too."

Fang Zheng nodded to her and then sat at his desk, starting to watch the surveillance videos himself.

In fact, if the Skynet System was connected to Fang Zheng’s personal terminal, the problem would be solved instantly. However, the computers of this era still had their limitations, and since the case happened in front of Conan, it suggested Conan might solve it, so Fang Zheng wasn’t too rushed... Of course, this case was also a good opportunity for Skynet to shine.

Fang Zheng’s task was mainly collecting the license plates of vehicles passing through this street during this time, investigating their addresses and phone numbers, and then calling them one by one to ask if they saw anything. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Department was also extremely busy because the criminal faxed the letter intended for Officer Shiratori to the Metropolitan Police Department, raising suspicions it might contain a threat to a baseball field as it included "big league" baseball terminology. So, they exerted great effort to investigate, deploying nearly all available personnel...

Soon, Fang Zheng obtained leads.

Several car drivers, after receiving calls, confirmed they saw a man approach the police car. As searches for the bomb were ongoing at the time, many people gathered outside the restaurant. These drivers, while driving, naturally looked twice as they saw a group outside. Although they didn’t have a detailed impression of the man, combined testimonies suggested he was a man in his thirties or forties, wearing a brown suit and glasses.

So, this... well, at least it’s easier to find than before. At least, the gender, and characteristics are established.

And at the same time, Fang Zheng received news from Officer Sato that according to Conan’s deduction, they found the first bomb placement location mentioned by the criminal, which was --- Minami-ku Station!

However, the bombs placed there were fake.

But...for Fang Zheng that doesn’t matter.

Real or fake, placing it suggests you visited, and by asking about those fake bomb locations, Fang Zheng quickly devised a plan.

"Retrieve surveillance footage from Minami-ku Station from last night after cessation until this morning before operations."

"Why this time period, Mr. Fang Zheng?"

Upon hearing this, Yoko Okino asked curiously, while Fang Zheng chuckled.

"Very simple, according to the report, one of the bombs was on the top of a train. Unless he could fly like the Phantom Thief Kid, it’s impossible to climb onto a moving train under public scrutiny. Therefore, he surely infiltrated the station and climbed up after operations ceased to install the bomb."

"I see!"

Yoko Okino was excitedly nodding, looking at the screen again.

Sure enough, based on this information, the police retrieved further footage showing someone sneakily driving to Minami-ku Station after the train ceased operations and avoiding the guards to enter the station.

Although the lighting was dim, making it hard to see the person’s appearance and license plate, it was evident the car was a white Toyota, thus further narrowing the suspect’s scope.

"The suspect is a middle-aged man around thirty to forty years old, wearing a brown suit, glasses, driving a white Toyota! Immediately pull out all surveillance footage from the street and track this bastard!"

Although Officer Sato conveyed that Conan is trying to unravel the secrets on the notice letter, Fang Zheng insisted they’re police officers, not detectives, and dismissively questioned the relevance of the notice, saying they need to find evidence, retrieve surveillance, track suspects, and case closed!

Dismissing the deductions and notice, questioning the logic of following the suspect’s foolish warnings?

That’s the idiot move.

Even with a target, searching is still tough, given 12 million population in Tokyo Metropolis, with white Toyota owners unaccountable, monitored through three intersections. Once rush hour hit, faced with overwhelming street congestion, analysts were bewildered.

"Continue searching, trace his route prior to arriving at Minami-ku Station."

Yet, Fang Zheng was unfazed.

"If this criminal is indeed the same as the previous incident, he’ll surely not target the same location repeatedly. He’d likely use the same trick with bombs at two different places. To achieve his goal, he’d pick crowded venues, impervious to daytime intrusion, hence potentially sneaking in at night. So, all in all, keep investigating."

"Mr. Fang Zheng."

Just after Fang Zheng issued the command, Yoko Okino raised her head, anxiously looking at him.

"Well...I have a discovery."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng eyes beamed as he approached Yoko Okino and glanced at her screen. His reason for involving Yoko wasn’t mere police life experience, but to leverage "Conanology" because, as a key supporting character in the Conan series, Yoko inherently possessed an "evidence" trait, just like certain people attract murder cases or stand idly obtaining key clues....... Fang Zheng saw potential in Yoko.

"What discovery?"

"It’s here..."

Yoko Okino pointed at the surveillance, and soon Fang Zheng saw a white Toyota parked at the lot, followed by a man with a backpack stepping out.

"This is Tokyo Tower, the time is...two days ago?"

"Ah, yes...I just thought about investigating after hearing Mr. Fang Zheng mentioning the criminal likely acted at night..."

"But why did you think of Tokyo Tower?"

"Uh...because...it’s quite famous?"

Understandably, just like thinking of Beijing, one first considers the Great Wall and Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square.

How should I say it...Conanology supporting characters indeed seem remarkable.

Fang Zheng believed Yoko Okino casually thought of it, opened it randomly, yet "coincidentally" found it...

Hmm...it seems like after Conan, Fang Zheng discovered another conventional approach for Conanology supporting characters.