This Is the Murder Method / The Extra Game Token

Jiang Hang only told Inspector Megure and Conan about this from the beginning, and did not tell anyone else in the arcade.

Takagi Wataru quickly waved his hand. "Of course we can't tell anyone about this, and the forensic department's results aren't out yet."

To be honest, if Jiang Hang hadn't told them directly that the deceased died from poisoning, they would probably still be investigating whether the death was an accident.

"In other words, from a normal person's perspective, it's impossible to know whether Bito Kengo's death was an accident or murder. After all, the deceased didn't have a good reputation at this arcade, and there were rumors that he had joined a gang. When I examined the body, I found that the deceased may have used drugs before his death, and had even reached the point of injecting himself intravenously."

"Shimizu Takaho's sister was dating the deceased and he kept trying to get her to leave him. I think he should know something about this. Intravenous injection is very dangerous. If you are not careful, it could lead to death."

"If Shimizu Takaho knew about this, and given his aversion to the deceased, he should have assumed that the deceased died from an overdose of drugs."

"Even if he really didn't know the truth, he should be guessing the cause of death, but what he just said seemed to imply that Bito Kengo was murdered, which is very strange."

Upon hearing Jiang Hang's words, Takagi Wataru's expression immediately turned serious.

"Sure enough... I felt something was off when I saw him bend down to pick something up. Now, the next step is to find the evidence. Once we find the evidence, we can formally arrest him."

Although the killer's identity has been confirmed, crucial evidence is still lacking.

"I've already had the forensic team analyze the fingerprints and DNA on the cigarette and the chewing gum. Once the results are in, it should be enough to arrest him."

Takagi Wataru seemed relieved, as if he felt that the case could be brought to a close.

However, Jiang Hang shook his head. "I don't think it will be that easy. I just noticed that the chewing gum in his pocket and the cigarettes he just smoked are not the same brand as the ones we found."

"This is an arcade. Chewing gum and half-smoked cigarettes are everywhere. If he had been careful enough, he probably wouldn't have left any evidence here."

"Moreover, he seems quite familiar with the location of the cameras in this arcade, so it won't be easy to find any loopholes here."

Takagi Wataru asked Jiang Hang, "Do you have any evidence now?"

Since the evidence he originally believed to be useful was now useless, he could only turn to Jiang Hang, hoping that Jiang Hang could find evidence that the other party had killed the victim.

"No rush, let's go check out that game machine first."

Jiang Hang greeted Conan from afar. Judging from Conan's current appearance, he had probably also identified the culprit.

But perhaps because he was there, Conan only exchanged glances with him. After learning that Jiang Hang had also identified the culprit, he focused all his energy on the more "suspicious" Jodie Starling.

It must be said that, as a detective, Conan's sense of smell in this area is quite keen.

Jiang Hang knew that Jodie Starling Saint-Temilion was an important character because of his Eagle Eye ability, but Conan immediately noticed her just from her seemingly unremarkable name.

Is this the difference between him, a third-rate detective, and Conan?

Thinking of this, Jiang Hang shrugged and led Takagi Wataru, Chiba Kazunobu, and others to the game consoles.

Chapter 318: Chapter 316: This is the method of murder

In fact, although Jiang Hang was certain that the murderer in this case was Shimizu Takaho, he had no clue how the other party had committed the murder.

In the arcade.

By this time, the police had made a record of everyone in the arcade to ensure they could be contacted if necessary.

The area around the arcade machine where Bito Kengo died was cordoned off, with only some police officers and passersby who stayed behind to be questioned.

"Chiba, go sit on the arcade and have a fight with Wataru Takagi. Try to imitate the actions the deceased took before he died."

"Eh, let me play? I've never played this game before," Takagi Wataru, pointing to himself in surprise. "Or Jiang Hang, you and Chiba can play instead."

Jiang Hang waved his hand. "I've never played this kind of game before. It would be embarrassing if I got beaten up by Chiba. Anyway, you just sit here and move around a bit. Just play the role of Shimizu Takaho, who was just beaten up. Chiba, you play the role of the dead."

Seeing that Takagi Wataru and Chiba Kazunobu had both sat on the game console and put on their gaming equipment, Chiba Kazunobu seemed a little itchy to play, as if it was a rare opportunity to torment Takagi Wataru in the game.

Takagi Wataru his body a little, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it.

"With all these devices on my body, I can't move at all," he complained to Jiang Hang.

Upon hearing Takagi Wataru's words, Jiang Hang seemed to have thought of something, and he suddenly patted Takagi Wataru on the shoulder.

Jiang Hang struck him hard, Takagi Wataru instinctively struggled. However, because he was wearing the equipment, his body was completely bound to the machine, and he had no way to dodge.

He could only look at Jiang Hang helplessly. "Jiang Hang, why did you suddenly hit me?"

"It seems that under these circumstances, any struggle by the deceased would be futile," Jiang Hang replied.

"So that's how it is," although he was hit suddenly, Takagi Wataru quickly understood from Jiang Hang's words why the deceased did not resist.

"But even if he couldn't struggle, why did the deceased still fight Shimizu Takaho after being stabbed in the arm? Did Shimizu Takaho say something provocative to him?" Takagi Wataru muttered to himself.

Besides that, he couldn't help but complain to Jiang Hang, "But didn't we agree that Chiba would play the dead man? Why didn't you go and beat him up?"

"I just thought of something, let's try it out... Stop spacing out, it's time to choose people." Jiang Hang skillfully changed the subject.

Upon hearing Jiang Hang's command, Takagi Wataru hurriedly and frantically selected a character on the screen.

"Wait, who was the character that Shimizu Takaho chose? I've never played this game before, and I don't know any of these characters at all!"

"Lucas, that guy's nickname is 'Undefeated Lucas of Beika,' he's the one in the middle of the third row," Chiba Kazunobu, who had played the game before, reminded him from the other side, and then he quickly chose "Caesar," the strongest character the deceased had played in his lifetime.

Immediately after entering the game, the large screen between the two game consoles lit up and began playing the battle footage of the two players from a spectator's perspective.

Jiang Hang's gaze fell on the battle scene on the big screen. It was clear that the two game characters looked quite similar, with only slight differences in their hairstyles.

Chiba Kazunobu's character then launched an attack directly at the character controlled by Takagi Wataru.

Completely a novice, Takagi Wataru had no idea how to play and could only wave his arms and legs wildly, so he was naturally hit by Chiba Kazunobu's character.

As he received feedback from the gaming device, Takagi Wataru, who wasn't used to it, couldn't help but gasp.

He was hit in the chest, and just now, he felt a push from the gaming device, causing his body to lean back involuntarily.

"How are you feeling?" Jiang Hang asked Takagi Wataru directly.

"It's a bit strange, isn't it? It's like being slightly numb, and then there's a slight tremor... but it's not very strong," Takagi Wataru answered truthfully.

Jiang Hang felt as if he had realized something, but he couldn't quite grasp the key point yet.

"You two keep fighting. Chiba, just keep fighting until Wataru Takagi is down to his last drop of health, then stop."

Chiba Kazunobu responded with a "I understand," while Takagi Wataru replied somewhat helplessly, "Then I might as well just stay still. Anyway, I'm just someone who gets beaten up."

What happened next seemed to mirror the scene before Bito Kengo's death: Chiba Kazunobu relentlessly attacked Takagi Wataru, who, as a newcomer, was completely unable to fight back and could only mess around.

Chiba Kazunobu's movements only stopped when Takagi Wataru's character was knocked to the ground, leaving only the final KO round.

Then, after the time expired, the big screen displayed the message that the outcome was still undecided.

After finishing the game, Chiba Kazunobu removed his gaming device and asked Jiang Hang, "That should be how it is, right? And then Bito Kengo was found dead on the game console."

Takagi Wataru also stepped down from the game console and looked at Jiang Hang: "Did you figure something out?"

"You played really badly. Even if you were just messing around, you should at least land a punch or two on your opponent."

"I already said I don't know how to play this game, I was just messing around... And didn't I say I was just getting beaten up anyway, so I just stopped doing anything later on."

Jiang Hang originally wanted to comfort Takagi Wataru. If you can't beat someone, you can't beat them. There's no need to say that you didn't play well. Just like when he used to play games with a relaxed attitude, he would get crushed by the other side. He could only comfort himself by saying that he lost because he didn't play the game seriously.

But at that moment, he seemed to have thought of something, and his gaze suddenly turned to Takagi Wataru, his expression becoming serious.

Are you sure you didn't do anything?

"I know exactly what I did. I know my role was to get hit and then just sit in the game console and watch Chiba knock my character down. I didn't do anything in between..." Takagi Wataru answered confidently. "And if you pay close attention, the slight numbness combined with a little vibration feels like a massage. It's actually quite relaxing."

"But just now, in my eyes, your arm was constantly swaying, and on the big screen, your character was also constantly making movements," Jiang Hang told Takagi Wataru with a serious expression, "And this is probably the 'murder method' designed by Shimizu Takaho!"

Chapter 319: Chapter 317: Extra Game Coins

"Is this his method of murder?" Takagi Wataru blinked upon hearing Jiang Hang's words, seemingly recalling the events of the case after being reminded by Jiang Hang. "You mean Bito Kengo was actually already dead?"

Chiba Kazunobu, who was standing to the side, seemed to have not yet reacted. He stared blankly at Jiang Hang and Takagi Wataru.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about? Didn't Bito Kengo die from poison during the battle? What you're doing is making things really confusing for me?"

Jiang Hang smiled and then patted Chiba Kazunobu on the shoulder, "Actually, the truth of this case is very simple. Bito Kengo is already dead. What the audience saw was just a trap deliberately set by Shimizu Takaho."

His gaze fell on the large screen between the two game consoles.

"Do you see this screen?"

Chiba Kazunobu nodded. Although he had never been to this arcade before, he knew the purpose of the screen.

"I just noticed that this broadcast screen has a unique feature: it's not broadcast from the player's first-person perspective, but rather from a spectator's perspective. More importantly, it doesn't show which character is controlled by which console player."

"Simply put, you can't tell which of the two of you is playing which character just by looking at the big screen."

Chiba Kazunobu nodded, but he didn't seem to understand yet.

Jiang Hang continued to explain, "Then, the deceased Oto was known as the Kaiser Emperor of Beika during his lifetime, while Shimizu was known as the Undefeated Lucas of Beika. So if the two of them used these two characters during a battle, which character would the average viewer think they were playing?"

"They'll definitely think that Oto is playing Caesar, while Shimizu is playing Lucas?" Chiba Kazunobu answered quickly, and by this point, he seemed to have understood something as well.

"You mean they each played the roles the other is good at?" Chiba Kazunobu's eyes widened.

"That's right, only this can explain everything." Jiang Hang nodded affirmatively.

"Shimizu Takaho exploited the preconceived notions of most people. After seeing the characters of Caesar and Lucas, they would subconsciously assume that they had chosen characters that they were good at."

"Then, during the battle, the 'Lucas' who was constantly being suppressed was actually Bito Kengo, who was probably already dead at that time. But because of the damage feedback system of this battle game, even though Bito Kengo was already dead at that time, as long as Shimizu Takaho attacked him, it would look like Bito Kengo was still controlling the game character thanks to the damage feedback."

"In addition, the characters they play are somewhat similar, so if the audience members next to them are not paying attention, they can't tell which character they are playing at all."

"Moreover, after the game became a tie, it quickly returned to the start screen. At that time, everyone's attention was focused on Caesar, who had gained a huge advantage but suddenly stopped moving. Only then did they pay attention to Bito Kengo's situation."

"But if Shimizu Takaho had delivered the final blow at that moment, Bito Kengo's game console screen would have displayed the word 'failure,' which might have led to his design being discovered. So Shimizu Takaho deliberately delayed until the very last moment and did not deliver the final blow."

"And clearly, his plan succeeded. All the witnesses testified that Bito Kengo suddenly stopped at the last moment of the fight. All their attention was drawn to the sudden death of Bito Kengo, and no one paid Shimizu Takaho's movements."

"And Shimizu Takaho also directly disguised himself as a loser. The more familiar people are with him, the easier it is for them to fall into a cognitive bias and not suspect him in this way."

Jiang Hang carefully explained the methods used by Shimizu Takaho to Chiba Kazunobu, and Takagi Wataru.

"So that's how it is!" Upon hearing this, Chiba Kazunobu finally understood completely.

However, he soon found himself in a new dilemma.

"But this is just speculation. Even if we know that the murderer is Shimizu Takaho, we still have no evidence to prove that he orchestrated all of this."

Upon hearing Chiba Kazunobu's words, Takagi Wataru, who had thought the case was over, immediately realized what was happening.

Although they have now figured out Shimizu Takaho's method of killing, they have only figured it out; there is absolutely no evidence to prove that he did it.

"Can you check the game characters that players have chosen on the game console?" Takagi Wataru hadn't been to an arcade much, asked Chiba Kazunobu.

If the game console has such a record, they can use it as evidence to interrogate Shimizu Takaho.

"Well... most arcade machines don't have this function, but I'm not sure if these large machines have it. I'll go ask one of the arcade staff," Chiba Kazunobu replied, then quickly walked towards the area where the staff were.

Soon after Chiba Kazunobu left, another policeman came over with a test report and explained the situation to Takagi Wataru.

After listening to the policeman's report, Takagi Wataru's expression turned somewhat regretful. He then looked at Jiang Hang and said, "The forensic team has confirmed that the deceased did indeed die from pufferfish toxin. The same toxin was also found on the needle. However, just as you guessed, the fingerprints and DNA on the chewing gum and cigarette were not left by the same person. It should have been taken by Shimizu Takaho from the ashtray in the arcade."

Jiang Hang was not surprised at all to receive this news.

Based on the current situation, the deceased was poisoned with tetrodotoxin, which has an extremely rapid onset. Only Shimizu Takaho had the opportunity to do so, and he also had a motive. The police can already take him back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for further questioning.

However, without crucial evidence, the other side probably won't give up so easily.

"I hope there will be good news from Chiba," Takagi Wataru said, looking at Jiang Hang Jiang Hang, who seemed to be deep in thought.

Jiang Hang's attention was now focused on the game console that Bito Kengo had sat on before his death.

Under the influence of Revealing Eagle Vision, the game console's chassis was constantly flashing with light, symbolizing clues, as if hinting that there was something he had overlooked.

He had been pondering why that place was highlighted by Eagle Eye.

"If we need evidence, it's not actually that complicated." Suddenly, Jiang Hang seemed to recall something.

He found another policeman and asked him to call over the arcade employee named Dejima Hitoshi.

"That waiter... could he be related to this case?" Takagi Wataru asked with some concern.

Jiang Hang nodded. "There is some connection, I would say. Without him, the evidence in this case wouldn't have been so easy to find."

Soon, Dejima Hitoshi was brought over.

"Before the incident, you had used this machine to collect game tokens, right? And after that, before the police arrived, the deceased was probably the only one who played games on this machine."

They Dejima Hitoshi.

"Then could you please open the coin box of the game machine? If there are no surprises, there is a crucial piece of evidence inside."

Upon hearing Jiang Hang's instructions, Dejima Hitoshi used a key to open the coin box.