Jiang Hang, a Suspect? / The Crucial Blow

Knowing that explaining would be useless, Jiang Hang could only give a vague explanation. "I don't really know much about the Foundation's past operations and decisions. I don't know anything about this kind of thing. My status as the heir is just a title. I never thought about inheriting the Foundation."

Tokiyo Senma nodded noncommittally. "So, you mean no comment?"

She didn't ask any further questions about that issue, but instead returned to the matter of the Twilight Mansion.

"Leaving aside how the Karasuma Group went bankrupt, after the Karasuma Group was dissolved, the Karasuma Family sold off a lot of Karasuma Renya's assets due to the financial crisis."

"The recording also mentions that after Karasuma Renya's death, an auction was held in this mansion, and that all the auction items were eventually stolen by two strangers who suddenly arrived."

"We don't know if the story is true or not, but the sale of property is probably true. This Twilight Mansion was probably sold at that time."

Tokiyo Senma's gaze sharpened as she spoke, making her look nothing like a sixty-year-old woman.

She continued speaking to Jiang Hang, "If the Pioneer Foundation had heard about the rumors of the Twilight Mansion at that time, wouldn't it be possible that they would have acquired it and made it a property under the Foundation's name back then, hoping to find a bargain?"

Tokiyo Senma's tone suggested that he suspected Jiang Hang was the true owner of the mansion.

"But even now, you probably still don't know what the hidden wealth of this mansion is, so you came up with this idea and deliberately invited us detectives here to help you solve this mystery."

"You came to Japan three months ago. Perhaps you have been preparing for this detective gathering for the past three months. You have spent three months becoming a famous detective and coming here to attend the gathering legitimately. With the wealth and power of the Pioneer Foundation, it should not be too difficult to do this."

"What you didn't expect was that before the bomb you set was detonated, Da Shang had already discovered its presence, which ultimately led to the current situation."

After listening to Tokiyo Senma speaking, Jiang Hang's expression remained calm.

Tokiyo Senma is known as the armchair detective, which suggests that she might be even better than Jiang Hang at using the "Hypothetical Principle" to solve cases.

She started by asking about the Pioneer Foundation, then talked about the Pioneer Foundation's connection with the Karasuma Group, and finally about the invitation, making it sound very real.

Even Jiang Hang couldn't help but wonder why he was being suspected so much.

He looked at Tokiyo Senma: "If your hypothesis is to hold true, the most crucial point is to prove that this mansion is indeed an asset under the Pioneer Foundation. If this is not true, then your hypothesis will naturally not hold true either."

However, at that moment, Saguru Hakuba's voice suddenly came from outside the door. "But in fact, this Twilight Mansion has been an asset of the Pioneer Foundation for thirty-nine years. Detective Jiang Hang, don't you know about this yourself?"

Chapter 290: Chapter 288: Suspect Jiang Hang?

They suddenly heard Saguru Hakuba's words from the restaurant entrance. Everyone inside turned their attention to him.

After all, Tokiyo Senma's reasoning was already quite astonishing, but Saguru Hakuba actually confirmed it.

Jiang Hang noticed that Saguru Hakuba was holding a telephone that looked like an old model from more than ten years ago.

But looking at the long antenna on the phone, Jiang Hang quickly recognized that the Saguru Hakuba's hand was a satellite phone.

What he just mentioned about verifying some ideas might have meant communicating with people outside using satellite phones.

Holding the satellite phone, Saguru Hakuba at Jiang Hang: "On the way to the Broken Bridge, I contacted a friend and asked him to help investigate the assets owned by the Pioneer Foundation in Japan. There is a villa in the deep mountains that, although it is not named Twilight Mansion, has the same location and time as Twilight Mansion."

"As expected of you, you actually prepared a satellite phone in advance. No wonder you didn't show any surprise when you heard that the bridge was destroyed," said Saguru Hakuba as he explained the information he had gathered to the people in the restaurant. Then, Ikumi Soda's voice came from behind him.

After Jiang Hang and the others waited for more than half an hour, Ikumi Soda and the others finally returned.

"It's just to be on the safe side. As a detective, you should consider the possible scenarios before you encounter a case. Aren't all of you like that?" Saguru Hakuba replied to Ikumi Soda without turning around.

"It was just good luck. The phone was originally in the car. If those bombs hadn't been discovered and my car had been destroyed, I wouldn't have been able to contact anyone outside."

As Saguru Hakuba said this, he then made room for Ikumi Soda behind him.

"You've been gone for so long, have you found anything out?"

Ikumi Soda smiled and said, "We have indeed discovered quite a few interesting things, but compared to what we have found, the current situation is definitely more interesting."

Behind Ikumi Soda were Ran, Koharu Yoshino, and several other girls. They seemed to have also realized the current situation. After their own investigations, the detectives who had been invited this time seemed to have finally entered the final showdown.

What they didn't expect was that the first person to be targeted was none other than Jiang Hang, whom they knew well.

"How could Jiang Hang be the planner of this event? Are you sure you've got something wrong?" Koharu Yoshino completely trusted Jiang Hang. She wanted to say something more, but Ikumi Soda stopped her.

Ikumi Soda stood at the restaurant entrance, looking at Jiang Hang, whose expression seemed somewhat "solemn" inside.

"So, Mr. Jiang Hang, what do you have to say about this fact?"

"What do you want to say?" Jiang Hang's expression turned somewhat melancholy.

To be honest, after being betrayed by his own system several times, Jiang Hang has gradually gotten used to the feeling.

Even before arriving here, Jiang Hang had inquired with his system whether the Twilight Mansion they were going to had been acquired by forces such as the Templar Knight or even the Assassin Brotherhood, and was still nominally his property.

However, at that time, the system's response was very simple, just two words: "No."

So Jiang Hang made full preparations and came here.

What he didn't expect was that he was tricked by his own system once again.

"Damn system, I think you should come out and explain the current situation to me at this time. Didn't you say that this Twilight Mansion was not an asset of the Pioneer Foundation or any other random organization related to me? Why has it changed its mind now that it's in someone else's hands?"

If Jiang Hang had known earlier that this mansion belonged to him, even if it was only "nominal" his, he probably would have come to cause trouble for the person who invited him long ago. He wouldn't have stood by and watched someone mess around on "his own turf."

Jiang Hang originally thought that his own system had tricked him, but to Jiang Hang surprise, his own system remained quite calm at this time.

"This system has verified that this Twilight Mansion is indeed not an asset under the host's name. Please do not doubt the professionalism of this system."

Listening to the explanation of his own system, Jiang Hang couldn't help but want to complain that his system looked unprofessional no matter how he looked at it.

Originally, he was supposed to be taken to the medieval world of Assassin's Creed, but an accident occurred and he ended up in the world of Conan. Then, the perfectly good Assassin System was transformed into Detective System. Such an operation can only be described as "amateurish".

However, Jiang Hang was quite clear about the nature of his own system.

Although the system can be quite unreliable at times, with some functions being incomplete, at least the system shouldn't try to make excuses when problems have already occurred, right?

In other words, this Twilight Mansion is indeed not Jiang Hang's property now. So what exactly did Saguru Hakuba find out?

"Wait, tell me honestly, did the backdrop you provided for me once acquire this Twilight Mansion, and then sell it off later to avoid affecting the development of this world?"

After Jiang Hang made this inquiry, the system's response speed became much slower, as if it were searching its own database.

Of course, this slowness is relative. It's just that the system usually responds almost immediately after he finishes speaking, but this time it took several seconds to give an explanation.

"According to the system's query, the Pioneer Foundation did indeed acquire this mansion in the past, but it was transferred twenty years ago, and now the mansion has no connection with the host."

After receiving the system's reply, Jiang Hang breathed a slight sigh of relief, but also seemed somewhat puzzled.

Although he still had many questions to ask his system, such as whether the Foundation had removed the hundreds of tons of gold from the mansion after it had been owned for twenty years, and who the mansion had been sold to twenty years ago.

But now, facing the questioning of several detectives, Jiang Hang's first priority was to clear his name. Seeing the suspicious looks in the eyes of the detectives in the restaurant, including Kaito Kid, Jiang Hang spread his hands towards Saguru Hakuba.

"The Pioneer Foundation has investments all over the world. I don't know much about these things. Maybe our Foundation really did acquire this mansion, but I'm not aware of it. Could I borrow your satellite phone? I'd like to call someone from the Foundation to ask."

Saguru Hakuba generously handed the satellite phone to Jiang Hang.

Then, in front of a group of people, Jiang Hang, under the system's instructions, contacted the group of "tools" created by his own system.

The setup of these "tools" was quite useful; the respectful titles they used made Jiang Hang feel as if he had truly become a young master from a wealthy family.

After enjoying the rare "young master treatment," he also learned through this method that the mansion had been transferred again twenty years ago.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Hang looked at the detectives around him. "Okay, I'll lay my cards on the table. Our the Pioneer Foundation did indeed acquire this mansion more than 30 years ago, but it was transferred again 20 years ago. Detective White Horse, I think you can verify this again."

Upon hearing Jiang Hang's words, Koharu Yoshino, who was standing behind Ikumi Soda, breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking at the atmosphere on the field just now, she almost really thought that all of this was a conspiracy secretly planned by Jiang Hang.

Although she didn't know much about the Pioneer Foundation's financial resources, she still chose to continue to trust Jiang Hang at this time.

However, Tokiyo Senma, who was standing to the side, did not seem to believe the result.

"Who knows if this is true or false? Maybe this is a story you two agreed on beforehand, or maybe the so-called 'transfer' is just a simple transfer from one hand to the other. This kind of trick is very common for you, isn't it?"

"You are carrying specialized bomb disposal tools, and there are also sedatives in the car. With these things together and your identity, the credibility of what you are saying is questionable."

Jiang Hang looked at Tokiyo Senma, the first person to stand up and question him.

"Detective Qianjian, have you already considered me a suspect?"

Tokiyo Senma's expression remained unchanged. "I was just making normal deductions, but since I've received confirmation from Detective Hakuba, it's not strange for me, as a detective, to continue reasoning in this direction. That's always been my style of deduction."

"Of course, in my eyes, you only have a motive for the crime. However, if you cannot prove your innocence, then it can only mean that my reasoning is correct."

As she said this, she looked at Saguru Hakuba and said, "Hakuba Saguru, since you have a satellite phone, you must have already figured out how to leave this place for us, right?"

Saguru Hakuba nodded slightly. "I have contacted the nearby police station, and a helicopter will come to pick us up and take us away from here tomorrow morning."

Tokiyo Senma turned to Jiang Hang and said, "If you can't prove your innocence before the helicopter arrives tomorrow morning, then we'll have to ask you to explain the situation to the police."

Upon hearing Tokiyo Senma's words, Jiang Hang couldn't help but smile, "Given your method of suspicion, I'm afraid I have no way to clear my name."

Tokiyo Senma did not respond to Jiang Hang's words, but at this moment, Jiang Hang suddenly asked Tokiyo Senma in return, "But to be honest, Senma Detective, I do find you quite suspicious."

In response to Jiang Hang's sudden action, Tokiyo Senma placed her hands on the table and said, "Are you telling me? Interesting. Let me hear what you have to say."

"First, when you were in the lounge this afternoon, when you were introducing that mahjong set, you simply referred to it as 'a wealthy person I'd heard of.' Later, when you heard Karasuma Renya's name in the restaurant, you didn't show any surprise on your face. Obviously, you already knew that the mahjong set was created by Karasuma Renya, but you deliberately concealed it at the time." Jiang Hang recalled the events of the afternoon while also paying attention to the changes in Tokiyo Senma's expression at this moment.

"Because at that time, I couldn't be sure that this mansion was once Karasuma Renya's house, so there was no need to say such a thing."

Jiang Hang shook his head. "But when the recording mentioned that the Karasuma Family's emblem was a raven, we all picked up the spoons next to us to check. You were very calm at that time. Of course, this was just a trivial matter."

He continued, "There's another thing. When we came back from checking and defusing the bomb, you said you washed all our dishes. This is something that maids usually do, but you did it yourself. And I noticed that you haven't taken out your handkerchief since dinner tonight."

"And this afternoon in the lounge, I saw you frequently wiping your glasses with a handkerchief or napkin, but until now, you haven't wiped your glasses at all."

However, Tokiyo Senma's expression remained calm. "Is that all? My handkerchief got dirty by accident and I haven't had time to wash it. As for why I washed the dishes myself, it's just that I don't trust this maid."

Jiang Hang shook his head. "Of course, that's not all. The most important thing is that recording."

"If I'm not mistaken, you were the one who discovered the mannequin from the very beginning, and you also found the tape hidden inside the mannequin's body, right?"

Jiang Hang looked at the people who had been in the restaurant, hoping to get confirmation from them.

"It was indeed Granny Senma who discovered the problem with the dummy at that time," Conan, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, finally made his presence known. "She also discovered the recording."

"For this reason, and since you, Detective Sen, are sitting in the seat closest to the dummy, you are also in charge of controlling the recording playback."

"I noticed that after the mannequin finished its riddle, you immediately stood up and stopped the recording," Jiang Hang said, his gaze fixed on Detective Qianjian. "But something suddenly occurred to me: if the recording had ended right after that, you wouldn't have needed to stand up to stop it at all."

"There's probably only one reason you would do this: there's something hidden behind that recording that you don't want us to hear!"

Chapter 291: Chapter 289: The Most Crucial Blow

After Jiang Hang pointed out the flaws that Tokiyo Senma had revealed during dinner, Tokiyo Senma seemed somewhat dazed, as if she hadn't expected to expose such flaws.

But she quickly regained her composure and offered an explanation to Jiang Hang.

"That's because I was worried that the person who invited me might have set up other recordings, so I had to check if there were any more recordings on the tape. If there were, I could adjust the recording so as not to waste everyone's time."

Her explanation seemed reasonable, but Jiang Hang shook his head at her.

"Your explanation seems reasonable, but that makes it even more suspicious. I remember the recording stopped once in the middle, when the person who invited us to have dinner first. At that time, you didn't check the recording at all, and then quickly pulled up the next part of the recording after we had dinner."

Jiang Hang stared at Tokiyo Senma: "The only thing I can think of in this situation is that this recording was very likely made by you. So you know very well what's in these recordings. Do you think there's any possibility that my guess is correct?"

Faced with Jiang Hang's sudden questioning, Tokiyo Senma's expression turned serious. "If what you say is true, then I am indeed a suspect, but there is one thing you should know."

Tokiyo Senma pointed to the dummy next to her.

"For your hypothesis to hold true, there must be something else behind that recording; otherwise, your suspicions would lose their strongest evidence."

She gestured to Jiang Hang, instructing him to operate the tape recorder on the family member and see if there were any new recordings after the one they had listened to.

Seeing Tokiyo Senma's confident and fearless demeanor, Jiang Hang knew that as a famous detective, Tokiyo Senma must also know about the flaw she had left behind.

While the two groups went out to look for other clues, Tokiyo Senma had probably already taken Shukuzen Oogami Shuzen was asleep in the entire restaurant to eliminate the flaw in the tape.

If he were to examine that recording now, he would most likely find nothing of substance.

Seeing that Jiang Hang hadn't walked to the mannequin's position yet, Tokiyo Senma adjusted her glasses, concluding that the duel was over.

Compared to the suspicions she just mentioned, there aren't many suspicious points about her. Even if some people still suspect her, it's enough that Jiang Hang is more suspicious than her.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to check? Or do you think I erased the original evidence while you weren't in the restaurant? As a famous detective, you should know that such suspicions only come from third-rate detectives when there's no evidence."

Jiang Hang's current suspicion lies entirely in the fact that the Foundation behind him did indeed once own the mansion. Even without the "solid evidence" provided by Saguru Hakuba, she had already made the corresponding preparations. As long as Jiang Hang admits this, then the suspicion on him cannot be completely cleared tonight, at least in this mansion isolated from the outside world.

To her surprise, Jiang Hang's expression suddenly relaxed after hearing what she said.

"Then I'll check it out."

Despite saying this, Jiang Hang walked to the mannequin in the eyes of the detectives and reached out to examine the tape.

On the surface, there was nothing on the tape, but with Revealing Eagle Vision, Jiang Hang could easily tell that the tape had been tampered with.

In this way, we can confirm that Tokiyo Senma was not bluffing, but did indeed tamper with the recording.

Now that he knows this, Jiang Hang sees no need to press play and make a fool of himself.