Conan: Ran, I really am Shinichi, you have to believe me!

Page 37

"Why would I lie to you? Megure and Conan both agreed. Megure will be responsible for forging the suicide note, and Conan will be responsible for deduction and making up the method of suicide. The division of labor is clear and the cooperation is perfect. The results will be out soon, so don't worry."

Also, please speak more quietly; it's not good if others hear you.

"Stop talking nonsense here, you're slandering Inspector Megure's reputation. I'm going to tell him..."

By the way, I'm the famous detective, and I've found a loophole in your statement. The deceased's fatal wound was in his back; he was stabbed in the back, which is why he died.

Even a fool could see that this kind of death was murder. How can you close the case as suicide?

Are you stupid? If you can't see that this is a murder, Inspector Megure can't see it, so can't we, the citizens of Tokyo, see it?

So absolutely impossible! Nobody in the world is as stupid as you!

"Mouri, you've been in the Metropolitan Police Department for so many years and been a detective for so long, yet you haven't even mastered the Metropolitan Police Department's most outstanding skill!"

Yes, everyone can see that this is a homicide, but that doesn't mean the Metropolitan Police Department wouldn't do it; they are very experienced in this area.

Just you wait and see. With Conan around, they'll devise a legal, reasonable, and scientifically sound suicide conclusion that is based on a complete chain of evidence, clear reasoning, and is entirely plausible.

The Metropolitan Police Department's special skills are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

"Impossible, I don't believe it!"

"You don't believe me? How about we make a bet?"

"What are you gambling?"

"I'll bet my fruit shop that if this case isn't closed as a suicide, then my fruit shop is yours."

"You bet your Mori Detective Agency that if this case ends with a suicide, then your Mori Detective Agency is mine."

Kogoro Mori lowered his head and thought for a moment, then glanced at Jiang Chengbei with disdain and said indignantly:

"Despicable Jiang Cheng, you want to cheat me out of my house? I won't fall for it!"

"Everyone knows your fruit shop is rented, while my detective agency is my own property. Only a fool would bet on such an unfair stake!"

"Mouri, you've misunderstood me. I never even thought about the house."

Okay, let me explain the stakes in more detail. My fruit shop and your detective agency are not involved in real estate or other immovable property; we are only betting on the operating rights, profits, and the title of owner.

If I win, I'll be the boss of the Mori Detective Agency, and you, Mori, will be my employee. All the agency's profits will go to me, and you'll work for me for free.

If business is good, I'll give you a commission. But if business is slow like it is now, you won't get a single penny.

"If I lose, you get all the profits from my fruit shop after deducting costs."

"Okay, it's settled then, Jiang Cheng, you can't go back on your word!"

Upon hearing Jiang Chengbei's bet, Kogoro Mouri's mouth watered. After all, fruit is so expensive, the profit margin must be very high.

Kogoro Mouri himself knows best how much business his Mouri Detective Agency has.

So even though Jiang Chengbei's bet didn't explicitly state that he, Kogoro Mouri, would be the boss and Jiang Chengbei would work for free, Kogoro Mouri still eagerly agreed, fearing that if he was too slow, Jiang Chengbei would renege on his promise.

Chapter 61 Scapegoat Mori

After making the bet with Jiang Chengbei, Kogoro Mouri felt uneasy.

The detective agency has nothing to lose, but winning means extra income from the fruit shop, and Kogoro Mouri really cares about this free money; that's all he cares about.

After repeatedly emphasizing and confirming with Jiang Chengbei's assurance that he wouldn't go back on his word, Kogoro Mouri is now worried about Inspector Megure's character, fearing that he might have been bought off by Jiang Chengbei's money, now that his own interests are at stake.

So Kogoro Mori quickly went over to investigate the situation and supervise the scene to prevent the Metropolitan Police Department from being shameless and being bribed by Kojo Kita to claim it was suicide.

"Mouri, you idiot! The deceased was stabbed in the back, how can you make it look like suicide? If you're so capable, teach me!"

If this can be ruled a suicide, what about the reputation of the Metropolitan Police Department?

After being yelled at by Inspector Megure, Mori shrank his head into his collar, looking incredibly cowardly, and then weakly said:

"But Jiang Cheng said he used his money to bribe you and Conan, and that you would help him get it done, and the case would end up being closed as a suicide."

"You bastard, you believe everything Jiang Cheng says?"

Use your brain and think about it. Are we in the Metropolitan Police Department really that stupid and shameless to call someone who was stabbed in the back, which defies common sense, a suicide?

Even if we wrongly accuse someone and find a scapegoat, it's still infinitely better than classifying the case as a suicide!

Furthermore, I didn't take any money from Jiang Cheng! He never gave me any money either. We have a completely innocent relationship. Mao Li, don't talk nonsense. If you slander me again, I'll arrest you!

"You didn't receive any money? Then what were you and him doing in that corner, away from everyone's sight?"

Hearing Kogoro Mouri's question, Inspector Megure rolled his eyes helplessly. The thought of what Jiang Chengbei had just forced on him annoyed him.

"He tried to give me a coupon for a fruit store. I told him I didn't want it, but he insisted. I couldn't refuse him. What could I do?"

"Well, Megure, you've really fallen so low, accepting bribes! Coupons can be used as cash, is that something you can just accept?"

Questioned by Kogoro Mouri, Inspector Megure's expression darkened. He pulled a stack of coupons printed in a color similar to banknotes from his pocket, threw them at Kogoro's face, and shouted:

"Mouri, look carefully before you speak!"

Kogoro Mouri took the coupon and saw that it read: With this coupon, you can get a 9.99999% discount when buying fruit at the Daitai Stage Fruit Shop at 38-chome, Beikacho.

This is an incredibly valuable value pack with a purity of 99.9 ...

After looking at the discounted prices, Kogoro Mouri chuckled sheepishly, then collected the coupons, organized them, and stuffed them back into Inspector Megure's pocket, saying with a hint of smugness:

"Inspector Megure, I always get fruit from Jiang Cheng's house for free, I never pay. It seems you don't hold a very high place in his heart, haha..."

From Megure's perspective, Kogoro Mouri learned that Kojo Kita had indeed spoken to Megure and Conan, asking them to show leniency and close the case as a suicide, but Megure and Conan refused on the spot.

Upon hearing this news, Kogoro Mouri was overjoyed and strode back to Jiang Chengbei and his friends with an air of indifference.

"Hahaha, Jiang Cheng, I'm sure to win this bet. You can wait to hand over the fruit shop's profits every month."

"Damn it, Kogoro Mouri, you really are a fake fan, no, not only a fake fan, but also a hater!"

"Miss Yoko, we've been really ruined by Kogoro Mouri, that hater!"

Seeing Jiang Chengbei's agitated state, Yamagishi Eiichi, whom the police were most concerned about, immediately asked anxiously, "Mr. Jiang, what's wrong?"

"After all that commotion and shouting, everyone here now knows that I bribed Inspector Megure and Conan. When they come to the conclusion of suicide, who will still believe that there was nothing fishy going on?"

"Mori, you big mouth! You've got us all in deep trouble!"

"Huh? What should we do?" Upon hearing Jiang Chengbei's words, Yamagishi Rong was immediately terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Heh, Yamagishi, you, a dignified agent, were actually fooled by this brat Jiang Cheng? You actually believed his nonsense?"

Seeing Eiichi Yamagishi's pathetic state, Kogoro Mouri sneered and continued:

"Yamagishi, Ms. Yoko, let me tell you, Jiang Cheng is just lying to you. He's using lies to boost his reputation and to deceive your feelings."

You all heard what Inspector Megure said earlier. They weren't bribed by Jiang Cheng at all, and Jiang Cheng didn't pay any money. He only gave them a 9.99999% discount, which is almost like a coupon with no discount at all.

How could he possibly bribe the police without paying them?

Moreover, even if bribed, it would be much smarter to frame an innocent person and classify the case as a suicide.

The police are much smarter than Jiang Cheng; they're not that stupid.

"Huh? It was fake, a lie. What if I really am considered the murderer? And Yoko, if Yoko is considered the murderer, I'm finished too!"

Upon hearing Kogoro Mouri's words, Eiichi Yamagishi, now one of the suspects, was stunned and almost burst into tears.

"Ha, Mori, you think you're so smart, you're a great smart man!"

Mao Li, I'm the owner of the fruit store. I have the final say on the interpretation of the coupons. Haven't you ever thought about how you could use a 9.99999% discount coupon to buy fruit in my store and not only not have to pay, but also get a lot of change back?

Besides, I even saved Conan's life. Didn't you ever think that Megure didn't want money and just wanted to repay my favor?

Most importantly, Mori, are you stupid? To so openly ask Inspector if he'd taken bribes and was planning to fabricate a case for me—how stupid would he have to be to admit it?

When Jiang Chengbei refuted this, Yamagishi Eiichi, who had been filled with despair after being told off by Mouri Kogoro, was filled with hope again and felt alive once more.

However, Jiang Chengbei didn't give him much hope; a sudden turn of events extinguished his hopes once again.

"I had already prepared a plan with Conan and Inspector Megure, and we were just waiting for them to implement it. But because of your cleverness, everyone here knows about it now."

Now, even if Conan forcefully declares the deceased's death a suicide, even if he provides ample evidence, perfect reasoning, and superb logic, not many people will believe that this is the truth.

Most people will have doubts about this result and be skeptical, which greatly reduces the probability of success. All of this is thanks to you, Kogoro Mouri.

"Mouri, you really are the biggest fake fan and hater in this room, always sabotaging my plan to save Yoko."

"What? How could this happen? Even if the police are willing to help, no one will believe me. What should I do? What if I'm framed and treated as the murderer?"

After hearing Jiang Chengbei's words, Yamagishi Eiichi broke down again. In such a short period of time, his emotions had gone through several ups and downs, and he was suffering a lot.

Seeing Eiichi Yamagishi break down and almost cry, Kogoro Mouri pointed at him and said with great confidence:

"What do you mean by being treated as the murderer? In my opinion, you are the murderer. You killed the person and then framed Yoko, right?"

As Kogoro Mouri begins to identify Eiichi Yamagishi as the murderer, a tug-of-war ensues between the two of them, with each side stating their own opinion.

Chapter 62 Inspector Megure and the Detective Partner to Make Money Illegally

At first, the case progressed smoothly.

Even when the third suspect, Yuko Ike, was brought to the scene, she arrogantly berated Inspector Megure and the others, refusing to admit that she had ever been there.

But in the end, Conan subdued her, finding her weakness in just a few words and proving that she had been here earlier that day, around the time of the victim's death.

Yuko Ike is the kind of person who bullies the weak and fears the strong. She strikes hard against the civilized law enforcement of Megure, but becomes timid and submissive in front of Conan, who has caught her red-handed.

Through Conan's deduction, her underhanded actions against Yoko, such as stealing Yoko's house key, trespassing, ransacking, making threatening phone calls, spreading rumors and slander, were all exposed, revealing her true colors to everyone.

When her shameful deeds were exposed, Ike Yuko's arrogance vanished instantly. Instead, she became even more timid and fearful than Yamagishi Eiichi, trembling in fear on the sidelines.

Having dealt with the arrogant and domineering Ike Yuko, Conan continued his investigation.

However, while investigating the case, Conan inadvertently saw Jiang Chengbei and Chi Zeyouzi hiding to the side and squirming.

What was different this time from the previous two was that Conan clearly saw Jiang Chengbei take a lot of money from Chi Zeyouzi and put it into his pocket.

Meanwhile, Chi Zeyuko, who had given the money, was beaming, her earlier low spirits and unease completely gone.

Especially after meeting her gaze, Conan could clearly see a hint of smugness in her eyes—a smugness that said, "I'll teach you a lesson soon enough."

Conan couldn't guess what they were up to, but it certainly wasn't anything good. However, he still had to investigate the case, so Conan composed himself and continued to focus on solving it.

After a while, Conan finally figured out the case and uncovered the truth. However, unlike before, he was not happy at all. Instead, he looked at Jiang Chengbei with a solemn expression and complicated feelings.