Slacker Assassin's Multiverse Daily

Matsuo Takashi, the emotionally charged host, was introducing Jiang Hang to the viewers in front of their televisions.

"Viewers, I've just received word that the Eagle-Eyed Detective—the one who recently foiled Kaito Kid's plans—has arrived at the crime scene to assist the police investigation! We hope he can help us catch the true culprit who killed Mr. Suwa!"

Eighteen Years of Frustration for Ginzo Nakamori

Inspector Megure was also startled by the television station's stunt and hurriedly had a nearby officer block the camera.

"Didn't I just tell you that even if you were filming, you were not allowed to enter the room? Get out, now!" Inspector Megure glared angrily at Matsuo Takashi, who had brought the camera inside.

This was a crime scene. It would have been one thing if these television people wanted to broadcast the case live, but Suwa Michihiko's body was still in the room. Who knew whether that camera had just filmed the corpse?

After Inspector Megure shouted at him, the cameraman was escorted out by the police. Matsuo Takashi apologized profusely to Inspector Megure. "I'm terribly sorry, Officer. I just wanted so badly to know who killed Mr. Suwa. When I heard that Mr. Jiang Hang had arrived at the scene, I lost control of my emotions for a moment..."

Jiang Hang looked at Matsuo Takashi.

The instant the camera had been pointed at him, Jiang Hang had instinctively turned his head away, so he probably had not been caught on camera.

Afterward, he had stepped in front of Suwa Michihiko's body and blocked the lens.

If it had been a proper newspaper report or interview, that would have been fine. He was simply low-key, not trying to imitate the God of Gamblers by refusing to let anyone take his picture.

But in this situation, he felt as though he was being used to create a television spectacle.

He was here to solve a case, not boost the station's ratings.

He looked at Matsuo Takashi with an unfriendly gaze.

Through Eagle Vision, Jiang Hang noticed a faint sheen of sweat at Matsuo Takashi's temple. Examining the man's expression more closely, Jiang Hang had the feeling that he had done it deliberately.

As he watched Matsuo Takashi apologize to Inspector Megure, he asked, "Mr. Matsuo, I heard that Mr. Suwa invited you here to discuss something?"

Matsuo Takashi looked at Jiang Hang with a grief-stricken expression, seeming especially remorseful. "This is all my fault. If I had suggested meeting Mr. Suwa somewhere else, perhaps none of this would have happened!"

"Mr. Jiang Hang, I beg you, please find the person who killed Mr. Suwa!" As he spoke, he gave Jiang Hang a deep bow.

Jiang Hang felt no reaction at the sight of Matsuo Takashi's display. Instead, he questioned him, "I heard that Mr. Suwa had some conflicts with you recently. But it seems someone may have gotten the wrong idea?"

Matsuo Takashi sighed. "That's true. Mr. Suwa had previously wanted to replace me as the host of Japan Detective Agency, so it did look like we had some disagreements. But I've known him for six or seven years. From the beginning of Japan Detective Agency until now, we've always worked hard to bring better ratings to the show..."

"He spoke with me recently as well. He had prepared a new project and intended for me to host it, so there really wasn't any conflict between us... Mr. Jiang Hang, you don't think I'm the one who killed Mr. Suwa, do you?"

Just then, Takagi Wataru entered the room with a report. He was slightly surprised to see Jiang Hang there, but after giving him a small nod, he said to Inspector Megure, "Inspector Megure, I just retrieved the surveillance footage from the television station."

"I've already sent officers to question everyone who used either the elevator or the stairs to come to this floor during that time. We should soon find out exactly who came here."

Hearing Takagi Wataru's words, Matsuo Takashi asked him, "Officer, I didn't come here, did I? After all, I was at the recording site the entire time and never left—"

While Matsuo Takashi was speaking, a police officer beside him suddenly cut in. "No, you left for about three minutes. It was when the Kaito Kid clip was playing. I remember it clearly."

Jiang Hang looked at that officer. He was Ginzo Nakamori, the policeman Jirokichi Suzuki had mentioned—the one who had questioned Jiang Hang's abilities during the live broadcast.

Ever since Kaito Kid first appeared more than a decade ago, Nakamori had been responsible for the operations to capture him. Then more than ten years passed in the blink of an eye, and he was still responsible for capturing Kaito Kid.

He was the very definition of someone who kept fighting despite repeated defeats. He had suffered humiliations at the hands of two generations of Kaito Kid that most people would never experience in a lifetime.

Still, although he had been repeatedly humiliated by Kaito Kid, after taking enough losses, his skills had improved somewhat.

For instance, he had silently remembered that Matsuo Takashi had briefly left the recording site.

Hearing Ginzo Nakamori's words, Matsuo Takashi hurriedly rubbed the back of his head in apology. "Sorry, Inspector Nakamori, I forgot about that. My stomach was feeling a little unwell at the time, so I went to the restroom. The cameras along the way should have recorded me, right?"

He looked toward Takagi Wataru.

"Mr. Matsuo never came here in the surveillance footage. And a round trip from here to the recording site upstairs takes more than five minutes. Even if Mr. Matsuo left the recording site, he did not have enough time to commit the crime."

Since Inspector Megure had previously suspected that Matsuo Takashi might have had a motive for murder, Takagi Wataru had carefully checked whether Matsuo Takashi was among the people who had come to this floor.

The answer was no. Although Matsuo Takashi had briefly left the recording site on the ninth floor, the cameras had not recorded him coming to the fourth floor.

Even if he had used some method to avoid the cameras, three minutes was still far too little time for a round trip.

Of course, it would be another matter if he had a Rope Dart like Jiang Hang's.

If Jiang Hang used his Rope Dart, going either downstairs or upstairs would be much faster than taking the elevator. In three minutes, aside from making the trip and killing someone, he might even have had time to use the restroom.

But ordinary people could not make a high-tech gadget like a Rope Dart.

Even Professor Agasa, who possessed the core technology, was currently unable to create a simplified version of the Rope Dart.

After hearing Takagi Wataru's words, Matsuo Takashi looked at Jiang Hang again. "Mr. Jiang Hang, I won't disturb your investigation of the scene any longer. If you discover anything about the culprit, please be sure to tell me. I also want to know as soon as possible who killed Mr. Suwa!"

Matsuo Takashi gave Jiang Hang another deep bow and prepared to leave the room.

At that moment, Jiang Hang suddenly said to Matsuo Takashi, "Mr. Matsuo, I did make a discovery just now. It concerns the method the killer used to murder Mr. Suwa."

"Would you be interested in staying to hear it?"

The Hypothetical Principle

As Jiang Hang's words fell, nearly everyone in the room fell silent.

"The method of the crime...?"

After a brief hesitation, Inspector Megure asked Jiang Hang, "Brother Jiang Hang, there's no question about the method, is there? The killer entered this room with a gun, fired four shots in a burst, killed Suwa Michihiko, tossed the gun beside him, and then fled the scene. Is there a problem with that?"

Conan was also slightly stunned. Compared to Jiang Hang, who possessed Eagle Vision, his powers of observation were not weak at all. When it came to connecting clues in a case, he far surpassed ordinary people.

After Jiang Hang mentioned the method of the crime, Conan quickly understood what he meant.

Jiang Hang glanced at Conan beside him. Conan had probably figured out the killer's method as well, so Jiang Hang leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.

Conan nodded, then slipped out of the room.

"Inspector Megure, please have Mr. Suwa's body taken away first. He shouldn't be disturbed any further."

Inspector Megure nodded. The police had already made the necessary preparations, and Mr. Suwa's body was soon properly transported away.

Matsuo Takashi said nothing throughout the process, merely waiting for Jiang Hang to state his opinion.

"Let me confirm something first. The program's recording set is on the ninth floor, correct?" Jiang Hang asked.

"The recording set is indeed on the ninth floor..." Takagi Wataru confirmed.

He had come to realize it as well. Since Jiang Hang was confirming that the recording set was on the ninth floor, did that mean the killer really was Matsuo Takashi, who had left the set once?

Takagi Wataru instinctively stepped in front of the route Matsuo Takashi had been preparing to take when leaving.

Jiang Hang nodded. "Then there's no problem. Let's get straight to the point."

He looked at Matsuo Takashi. "When I encounter cases, I often make certain assumptions. Of course, those assumptions are merely my personal conjectures."

"So after hearing my assumption, Mr. Matsuo, I hope you won't take offense. I'm not targeting you."

The expression on Matsuo Takashi's face began to turn subtle. "Mr. Jiang Hang, if you have something to say, just say it."

"Fine. Then let me make an assumption first." Jiang Hang raised a finger and pointed at Matsuo Takashi. "I assume that Mr. Matsuo is the murderer who killed Mr. Suwa."

Though he had already guessed what Jiang Hang might say, Matsuo Takashi's expression still darkened.

"Mr. Jiang Hang, what a joke. Never mind that I only left the set briefly for three minutes—more importantly, the cameras never captured me coming here, did they?"

"So I was thinking, if we assume you were the one who killed Matsuo Takashi, what method would you use to create an alibi for yourself?" Jiang Hang pointed to the blood-splattered window behind him. "And then I noticed this."

Everyone in the room immediately followed Jiang Hang's gaze.

"What's wrong with this window?" Inspector Megure stared at it for a while but still found nothing unusual.

"The blood," Jiang Hang explained, pointing at the blood radiating outward from the bullet hole in the window.

"Inspector Megure, come over here."

Following Jiang Hang's instruction, Inspector Megure walked over to the window and carefully examined the blood on it. However, his attention remained fixed on the window itself, and he still failed to notice anything.

"The key isn't the window itself, but its edges. Look here." Jiang Hang pointed at the outer frame. "Although much less blood splattered here, at least some blood should have reached the outer window frame and the surrounding wall. But there isn't a trace of blood here."

It was not an easy detail to spot, but with Revealing Eagle Vision, Jiang Hang could even clearly see the blood splattered across the television station's exterior wall. Once he knew that, reaching this conclusion was not difficult.

"That's true," Inspector Megure said, noticing it at once. "Then... this window was still open when the victim was killed, which is why the victim's blood splattered outside the window?"

He turned to the staff member who had first discovered the body. "Before we arrived, did anyone touch this window?"

The staff member hurriedly shook his head. "No. I called the police right away. Before the police arrived, we made sure to preserve the scene exactly as it was."

"In other words, after killing Suwa Michihiko, the killer specifically came over and closed the window?" Inspector Megure also found that rather strange.

At that moment, Jiang Hang felt the phone in his pocket vibrate. After taking it out and seeing the message Conan had sent, he continued.

"We're currently assuming that Mr. Matsuo is the killer, so naturally we have to infer how he would have killed Mr. Suwa."

He pulled Inspector Megure over and opened the window wide, then had Inspector Megure lean his body against it.

"More or less like this. That way, the blood wouldn't splatter into the room."

"Are you sure about this?" Inspector Megure was somewhat overweight, making the pose rather awkward for him. "Brother Jiang Hang, no matter what, Suwa Michihiko wouldn't have been in this position, would he? And if he had been in this posture, how would the killer have fired—"

Almost as Inspector Megure voiced his astonishment, a pen fell from above and struck him on the head before sliding down the window into the room.

"Who's throwing things around from upstairs?!" Inspector Megure angrily looked up, only to see Jirokichi Suzuki's gleaming bald head.

Naturally, Jiang Hang had asked Conan to tell Jirokichi Suzuki to do that.

That old man, Jirokichi Suzuki, wanted to use facts to strike back at those doubts, so Jiang Hang might as well let him gain some publicity.

He had Conan tell Jirokichi Suzuki the full course of the case and have him go upstairs with the cameraman broadcasting live, allowing him to make a proper appearance on television.

And at that very moment, Inspector Megure seemed to understand something as well.

If he was leaning against the window like this, and someone above shot at him, then the entire crime scene could be explained!

"Inspector Megure, imagine you've just been shot, then fall to the ground," Jiang Hang instructed. Inspector Megure slowly fell to the floor. Since he had been leaning against the window, his body weight caused the special window to close as he fell.

"If that's the case, then even with only three minutes, it would have been enough for Mr. Matsuo to kill Mr. Suwa and return to the recording set, wouldn't it?" Jiang Hang pulled Inspector Megure up from the floor.

"To verify whether I'm right, the police only need to check whether there is a bullet hole below this window."

Naturally, Jiang Hang had already confirmed that with Revealing Eagle Vision. That was why he could speak with such confidence now.

"Even so, that only means I might have committed the crime. Other people could have done the same thing, couldn't they? So many people left the recording set. How can you be certain that I was the one who killed Suwa Michihiko?" Matsuo Takashi still had no intention of admitting anything.

He appeared prepared to keep denying it until Jiang Hang gradually presented the final "decisive evidence," forcing him to honestly confess the details of his crime.

Jiang Hang suddenly smiled. He was not a detective like Conan, who had to talk criminals into complete conviction before they would confess.

"Mr. Matsuo, didn't I say earlier? This is only an assumption. You don't need to be so nervous."

"If Mr. Matsuo truly is the murderer, then with only three minutes to commit the crime, no matter how cautious he was, he would definitely have left behind flaws and clues in that upstairs room that he had not yet had time to deal with."

He looked again at Inspector Megure beside him.

"Alright, that concludes my hypothesis. As for how the police should investigate from here, I don't think it'll be too difficult."

Chapter 118: The Television Station Murder Case Concluded

Following Jiang Hang's "hypothetical principle," Matsuo Takashi naturally became the prime suspect in this case.

Inspector Megure's judgment was no longer likely to be mistaken at this point. He immediately ordered the other officers to collect the evidence and leads Jiang Hang had just mentioned.

During the police search, it did not take long to find a hidden raincoat and pair of gloves in the warehouse, both bearing gunshot residue. Further fingerprint comparison confirmed that they indeed bore Matsuo Takashi's fingerprints.

In fact, after Jiang Hang withdrew from the matter, Matsuo Takashi did not hold out for long.

Even though the police had yet to discover the "decisive evidence" he had not had time to dispose of, the immense psychological pressure made Matsuo Takashi realize that he could no longer escape legal punishment. He obediently confessed to the details of his crime.

His motive for murder was exactly what Inspector Megure had suspected from the beginning.

Several years ago, Matsuo Takashi and Suwa Michihiko had planned the program "Japan Detective Agency" together. Matsuo Takashi gave all the credit for the planning to Suwa Michihiko, and thus became the show's host.

However, because the ratings had fallen over the past year, Suwa Michihiko, already an accomplished and famous top producer, decided to replace Matsuo Takashi and add more adult-oriented content to attract viewers.

Unable to accept losing his hosting position and watching the program he had worked on for years turn into something entirely different, Matsuo Takashi ultimately decided to kill Suwa Michihiko and put that decision into action.

Matsuo Takashi's method was not particularly complicated.

First, he had Suwa Michihiko wait for him in a rarely used room downstairs until the program's recording was over. Then, during the recording, he used the time when a short film was being played to rush to the warehouse he had prepared in advance.

During this process, he put on the raincoat and gloves to prevent gunshot residue from being detected on his body.

Using an anonymous phone call, he told Suwa Michihiko that he could not bear it anymore and intended to commit suicide, making Suwa Michihiko open the window and look up to witness his death in person.

The instant Suwa Michihiko frantically leaned out the window, he shot and killed him. At the same time, he threw the murder weapon onto Suwa Michihiko so that it fell into the room along with Suwa Michihiko's body.

Combined with the few bullets he had fired into the room beforehand, he believed this would make the police think that the killer had broken into the room, killed Suwa Michihiko, tossed the gun beside him, and fled the scene.