In the world of Detective Conan, however, he was bound to the Naruto System.

Chapter 229 Your Entertainment Circle is Truly Chaotic

Chapter 229 Your Entertainment Circle is Truly Chaotic

Shiota Heihachiro's presence was not weak, and whether it was the cases he helped solve or his unreliable personality, or the things he always said that sounded like nonsense, he left a deep impression on Inspector Megure, who was his "disciple".

Of course, it wasn't a good impression.

Inspector Megure believes that some of Mori's bad habits, as well as his style of accurately solving cases only after falling asleep, were likely influenced by his mentor.

Otherwise, he should have already distinguished himself when Mori was still in the Metropolitan Police Department.

Inspector Megure had naturally noticed this legendary detective with his particularly striking appearance long ago. However, although he wanted to show respect to his nominal mentor, Shiota's personality and tendency to act superior due to his age meant that he was often reluctant to meet him.

Inspector Megure pulled Akutagawa Hiko aside, genuinely worried that this precious darling of the Metropolitan Police Department would be influenced by Shiota Heihachiro: "What's he doing here? Did he say anything strange to you?"

Before he could answer, Shiota Heihachiro leaned in without any hesitation: "What strange things could I possibly say? I've been hearing a lot of rumors about you and Mori lately, as well as about this rising star kid, so I thought I'd come and see for myself."

Inspector Megure avoided eye contact. He knew his own situation well; he wasn't very capable, and it would be good if he could get promoted one or two ranks before retirement, so there was no question of any real progress.

"If you ask me, aren't you already retired? Please don't obstruct the police from filing a report, okay?!"

Shiota Heihachiro looked on in surprise: "Oh, oh, oh~, you're quite good at speaking Mandarin, haven't you forgotten—"

'

As Shiota Heihachiro recounted Inspector Megure's embarrassing moments as a rookie in a somewhat sarcastic tone, Akutagawa Hiko felt a pang of emotion, realizing that there's a reason why some people are suppressed by their elders their entire lives.

No matter how old you get, your elders will always remember the silly things you did and the embarrassing things you made when you were little.

However, this kind of thing is best kept private; bringing it into the open would be going too far, especially with Inspector Megure having so many subordinates watching.

If Inspector Megure hadn't been so good-natured, this behavior could have easily turned into enmity. This is the world of Detective Conan, after all. He's become a famous detective, how come he doesn't even have this much survival skill?

Akutagawa could tell that Inspector Megure was in a bit of a predicament, since he had helped him a lot, so he stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, solving the case is the priority now, and more people means more strength."

Inspector Megure pulled down his hat and led his team to the body on the stage.

After Motoki Kazuo panicked and shouted "She's dead!", no one moved after that. She lay there quietly, her face showing a hint of struggling pain, no longer arrogant and domineering.

"The deceased's skin was pink and had spots that appeared from the inside out, clearly indicating poisoning by cyanide compounds."

Inspector Megure glanced at the composed Heihachiro Shiota, then pulled Hiko Akutagawa aside again for a private conversation: "Brother Akutagawa, you have to help me out. If Mr. Shiota solves the case, I'll be in for a world of trouble."

Upon hearing this, Akutagawa Hiko was genuinely curious. What had Shiota Heihachiro done in the past? Everyone believed in his abilities, yet they didn't want him to solve cases. Was his character really that bad?

"Don't worry, Inspector Megure, I've made some progress—"

Before he could finish speaking, Akutagawa Hiko suddenly looked up sharply. He had just heard a slight clicking sound from the curtain, which was clearly not a sound that should have occurred under normal circumstances.

"What's wrong, Brother Akutagawa?"

Before Inspector Megure could even feel happy, he followed Akutagawa Hiko's gaze and saw that the thick beam on the curtain had actually fallen down. If Conan and Shiota Heihachiro were under the curtain, he wouldn't be worried at all, since they were quite skilled and would have no trouble dodging such a trap with a pre-emptive dodge.

The problem is, the one below is Wataru Takagi, and his fighting skills are...

Just as Akutagawa was about to make a move, he saw Officer Sato take action, grabbing Officer Takagi around the waist and carrying him to a safe distance.

Generally speaking, even a poor-quality curtain wouldn't just fall down like that. It's obvious that someone did it, and the most likely person to tamper with it is the theater troupe's prop master, Junichi Tateoka.

"Although I tampered with the curtain, I only wanted to injure him; I absolutely did not intend to kill him!!"

The prop master frantically tried to defend himself, saying he really just wanted to vent his anger.

Akutagawa nodded: "We can't be sure if the murderer is Mr. Tateoka. Cyanide compounds can kill steadily, so there's no need to tamper with the curtain for an unstable double insurance."

In short, the next step is to expose each other's secrets.

First of all, there's the director and screenwriter, Kazuo Motoki, who argues with Shoko Oide almost every day and once said something like, "It would be better if Shoko died."

Then there's the male protagonist, Yuichi Uda, who used to be Shoko Oide's boyfriend. After Shoko Oide became famous on television, she dumped him, giving him a reason to kill her.

Then there's Yingzi, who harbors resentment after Xiangzi took away her leading role and is suspected of murder. Furthermore, papers identical to the threatening letter were found in her bag, with traces of a ballpoint pen on them.

Finally, there's the prop master, Junichi Tateoka. He once spied on Shoko Oide while she was changing clothes, which made her resentful. She wanted the production team to fire the prop master and replace him, so she had plenty of motivation.

It has to be said, the entertainment industry is truly chaotic.

Inspector Megure's subordinates quickly checked the kettle and cups on the table, and finally found traces of cyanide compounds only in the cup that Shoko Oide drank from. They found nothing in the kettle, the other cup, or the prop medicine packet.

This immediately amplified the suspicion surrounding Eiko, who brought the water glass.

"It really wasn't me! You have to believe me, I didn't poison anyone, and the threatening letter was just to ruin the performance!"

Akutagawa Hiko patted Inspector Megure and shook his head, saying, "It might not really be her, or at least she couldn't have done it alone. It was Mr. Tateoka who prepared the props at the beginning. She couldn't poison it in front of everyone. The two cups were exactly the same, and she couldn't accurately tell which one was poisoned."

"So unless it was a joint operation between Ms. Zhongchu and Mr. Tateoka, it's impossible to complete. Moreover, the most important piece of evidence, the cyanide compound, hasn't been found yet, so we can't draw any conclusions."