The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Chapter 1291 The Killer Who Was Punished by Heaven

Chapter 1291 The Divinely Retributed Murderer

"They already know who the culprit is?!"

Takagi Wataru, who was smiling when he answered the phone, immediately lost his composure upon hearing Tang Ze's voice on the other end.

However, after seriously considering the number of detectives in the two cars, he felt inexplicably reassured.

That makes sense. Only one person died, and with so many detectives around, it feels like there wasn't enough dialogue for the reasoning and explanation parts alone. So it's understandable that it was fast.

He glanced at Ran Mouri and Kazuha Toyama, who seemed quite relaxed and were whispering amongst themselves, then looked at the three people on the other side with unpleasant expressions, and quickly gave his answer.

"Since the detectives all say so, then of course there's no problem. I understand, I'll take three people over right away!"

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the three suspects and politely gestured for them to follow.

The three people who were arguing fiercely just moments ago looked at each other and could only huddle together and act as a group.

Regardless of the extent of their conflicts, considering they were about to face a siege by the police and detectives together, the three of them at least knew each other, which was better than being isolated and helpless.

"That was quick," Kazuha Toyama remarked, pulling Ran Mouri aside. "If Heiji were this efficient all the time, at least his attendance rate wouldn't be affected—"

If it weren't for his good grades, good background, and excellent interpersonal skills in the sports department, given Hattori Heiji's usual low attendance rate and the fact that he had ample reasons to avoid various punishments, he would definitely be ostracized at school.

"Ah, even though we go to school together, I always end up going alone, and sometimes I even get late because of it. I guess it's an unavoidable experience of growing up with a detective." Ran Mouri was quite philosophical about it, responding with a smile.

What else can we do? Xi is used to it.

Instead of blaming the detectives for always getting involved in strange things, we should blame the criminals for always disturbing other people's lives.

Even if it's a crime, can't they choose to commit it after school or after get off work? Making police officers and detectives go through all that trouble on their way to work is just too inconsiderate.

"Do you often do this too?" Kazuha Toyama raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "When Karasawa told me he wanted to be a detective's girlfriend, some things were unavoidable, but I didn't really feel anything then—"

"Hmph, yeah. Hattori might be a little better off, at least your parents are both police officers. Shinichi, on the other hand, is always the one who gets taken away by the police without any warning." Ran Mouri shrugged, her expression quite calm, still in the mood to joke. "It's just that his face is familiar enough to many people, otherwise they'd mistake him for some delinquent with a lot of criminal records—"

"You have such a good attitude." Kazuha Toyama was genuinely surprised this time. "Doesn't your Shinichi always say he'll come back, and then disappear again? You can even tell jokes like that."

If it were her, she would be extremely anxious in this situation. As soon as she heard the police say that the investigation was over and she could go to the scene, she would probably run away without hesitation.

"Oh dear, it's not good to interrupt their reasoning—"

"What's there to worry about disturbing others? There are so many people gathered there, it's lively enough. Hurry up, run!"

"Hey, wait a minute, Kazuha—"

—」

Having also studied martial arts, they were all of exceptional physical strength, and in just a few steps they overtook Takagi Wataru and the three suspects ahead, causing the four of them to quicken their pace as well.

The three suspects were inexplicably led by two girls to the crime scene. When they arrived, they were all panting heavily. Upon seeing the deceased, they noticed that his face was deathly pale, even weaker than the lifeless body with its eyes wide open.

"Strangled to death while the car was traveling at high speed?!" Atsuo Tadada's voice trembled. "My God, who did this?! This is Kojo-gunpei—"

If it were a driver with poor skills, and they panicked and became flustered, the vehicle at that speed would immediately roll into a gourd shape on the road, and the death would not be as simple as just one person.

"It's really strange that you still suspect us in this situation." Shimotori Taishi pushed up his glasses and wiped the cold sweat from his face. "We were all driving with our own steering wheels in our hands. There's no way we could be the murderer—"

"Exactly, we were all driving alone, and we were doing these dangerous maneuvers on the highway—"

"Of course it's possible." Koshimizu Nanaichi snapped his fingers, silencing the three people who were about to continue their cries for justice. "It's entirely possible if Mr. Kojo Gunpei makes just one move."

"Look here." Hattori Heiji pointed to the completely closed car window. "You can use these two small holes. It's a very simple device."

"This car is designed to automatically lower the windows all the way down," Shinichi Kudo said, opening the car door and pressing a button. "So, if you take a strong enough thin thread, thread it through this hole, go around to the back of the headrest, tie a knot in his tie, and then find an opportunity for him to press this button, his tie will be quickly tightened until he suffocates."

"—This, this kind of murder, is unlikely." Atsuo Tadada's face paled even more after hearing their description. "A person can't be strangled instantly; he just needed to press the button to raise the glass—"

"It's still very possible." Hoshikawa Teru shook his head. "When a normal person is driving, there's usually some space between their neck and the headrest. If they're suddenly pulled so close to the backrest, their hands might not be able to reach the buttons."

"Indeed. Rolling up the car window requires holding down the pressure, which makes it even more difficult," Kogoro Mouri chimed in.

Now, the expressions of the suspects, along with the two police officers beside them, grew increasingly grim.

It's not about feeling guilty or not; it's just that this whole thing feels like a student in a classroom actually seeing an overhead fan fall down and shave the head off the student in front of them. It's the most terrifying kind of fantasy coming true, and it definitely sends chills down your spine.

"But then it couldn't be me, could it?" Coming to his senses, Shimotori Taishi quickly pointed to himself, "I just honked the horn. Kojo Gunpei isn't a particularly short-tempered guy. He can't just open the window and start yelling because I honked the horn—"

"You can't argue with the window open on the highway," Atsuo Tadada quickly clarified. "I admit I did make a provocative move, but after he overtook me, my car stayed behind him."

That's a very strong argument, since when vehicles are traveling in the same direction, their high beams can only flash to the car in front.

"Are you doubting me?!" Riko Mizobata's eyes widened as she immediately retorted, "It's none of my business! What could I possibly do to make him open the window?"

"Your car was in front of his. If it were you, as long as you slowed down, he would have to brake as well, right?" Hattori Heiji walked up to her and pointed out rather bluntly.

"That's certainly possible, but what does that prove?" Riko Mizobata frowned.

"You were traveling together, and your friend suddenly slowed down. It happened so suddenly, and regardless of traffic safety, he couldn't possibly call to check on you. So, his actions are quite obvious." Shinichi Kudo stood next to Heiji Hattori and gestured to show the distance between them. "Like this, his first instinct would definitely be to move closer and walk alongside you to check on your situation."

"His car is an imported one, with the driver's seat on the left. Your car is a regular Nissan, with the driver's seat on the right. He'll only choose to go into your right lane to observe your situation closely." Koshimizu Nana tapped her knuckles on the car window. "What you need to do is simple. Pretend something's wrong, shout anxiously a few times. He'll want to hear what you're saying, so of course he can only—"

"—Lower the car window." Kogoro Mouri said, seemingly summarizing, but actually realizing something.

He understood what method these people were describing.

Indeed, if this were done, it would be perfectly logical and reasonable for the deceased to lose control of the steering wheel due to sudden asphyxiation, causing the vehicle to scrape against the guardrail.

"You're attacking me like this because you're convinced I did it?" Riko Mizobata panicked for a moment, but quickly composed herself and tried to fight back. "That's a possible method, but what you're saying is just reasoning. Where's the evidence? If you want to accuse me, you need a reason, right?"

Koshimizu stepped forward and spoke first: "Suspecting you is a reasonable guess. First of all, the other two people wouldn't be as familiar with him as you are. They are unlikely to have anticipated that Mr. Kojo would stop at the service area, but you are different. As long as a little bit of a drug that easily induces drowsiness, such as sleeping pills or certain cold medicines, it is foreseeable that he would fall asleep halfway through the journey."

"Secondly, the two of them didn't have a good relationship with the deceased. If they rashly approached the car and drilled a hole in the window, the noise would be so loud that the deceased wouldn't be unaware. You're different. Not only can you directly access his car, but you also know his smoking habits. You'll know exactly how to drill a hole so he won't notice." Pointing to the hole in the car window, Hattori Heiji's tone was confident and certain. "You know very well that he would open the window a little when he smoked."

"And finally," Shinichi Kudo pointed to the car she was parked in last, "you got out of the car before us, and you got closer faster. You are the only one who might be able to retrieve the most important evidence, which is the fishing line."

After all, leaving it there unattended would make the method immediately obvious, which was somewhat unexpected. You anticipated his car would overturn or even catch fire, so there shouldn't be such obvious evidence left behind. Therefore, the evidence you want should be found in your car, right?

"It's not just fishing line." Compared to the others who were keen on making deductions, Hoshikawa Teru's voice was slightly cold. "Using sleeping pills or something like that, it's hard to guarantee that you won't alert him when you directly thread the line. There must be other things in your car. Like chloroform, a gas that can directly induce sleep. These chemicals wouldn't just appear in your car for no reason; you can't deny it, can you?"

"You were just unlucky," Kogoro Mouri said, half summarizing to fit the mood, half sighing. "If we hadn't run into them, the vehicle might have been seriously damaged on its own. Even if it wasn't damaged, you could have easily thrown those things away somewhere. But you were in our sight the whole time from the moment the accident happened, so you didn't have that chance."

If the detectives hadn't caught her red-handed, she could have easily made an excuse that she was driving ahead and didn't notice his car had fallen behind, and then let it go with a little investigation.

The whole process was explained clearly, and there was really no way to escape it. Riko Mizobata quickly suppressed the panic on her face.

"You're right." She forced a smile, giving up the struggle. "I'm such an unlucky person."

"I ran into this man, and then I met you guys, such a lovely group of detectives."

Not just one or two, but two whole cars.

Riko Mizobata couldn't help but wonder if she had gone too far and incurred some divine retribution. Was it really necessary for such a large group of detectives to target just one person?

"Does that mean you're admitting guilt?" Sato Miwako adjusted the body camera on her collar and began recording skillfully.

"It's all been made so clear, there's no point in denying it now. Yes, I did it. I killed Gunpei while I was holding the steering wheel." She turned her head and glared at Koujou Gunpei, whose eyes were still open inside the car. "Just like he did to A-Zhang!"

"Ah-Zhang? My son Ah-Zhang?" Shiratori Taishi, who hadn't expected to be involved, was stunned.

"Yes, although Akira probably hasn't had a chance to tell you yet, I started dating him after breaking up with Gunpei." Mizobata Riko lowered her head as she said this, "It was after Gunpei lost to Akira in that mountain race. I like racers, and I only like the fastest and best—he clearly knows that—"

"Oh, no wonder." Realizing he had nothing to do with it, Atsuo Tadada reverted to his mocking expression, settling into a state of spectator-like amusement and laughter. "He lost face as the boss, and his girlfriend got stolen. He couldn't swallow his pride, so he drove that guy to his death, right?"

"It wasn't just rain! The visibility was incredibly low that day, it was a storm!" Riko Mizobata turned around, her voice almost cracking as she accused, "Competing in that kind of weather is practically murder! He knew perfectly well that Akira's temper couldn't take any provocation, yet he still instigated Akira, saying that whoever lost this time would leave the team. He did it on purpose!"

"So in the end, that guy's tires slipped, and he fell off the mountain and died." Tadada Atsuo scoffed, without any particular expression. "You can't entirely blame Kojo. They both went onto the track knowing the risks, and the one who lost lost his life, while the one who won left the team. They paid the price. They were practically risking their lives for you, and in the end, you blame him? You're really unreasonable."

It can only be said that only a professional thug can stir up trouble. Riko Mizobata, who had been being served by the detectives in turn, hadn't shown any reaction. But his few casual words instantly ignited her anger.

Riko Mizobata's already slightly distorted expression became completely contorted in rage after being provoked by his sarcastic remarks.