The Outlaw

Almost at the same time the murderer confessed, people from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrived.

This time, they had come at just the right moment. They did not even need to serve as background props for the detectives; they only had to handle the cleanup.

Leading the team was everyone's old friend, Inspector Megure.

Lin Xinyi had only learned that morning, while playing Minesweeper and looking things up online, that Megure's rank of "inspector" was actually quite significant:

The position of inspector was roughly equivalent to a third- or second-level police superintendent, with duties comparable to the chief of a district or county public security bureau, a precinct chief, or the captain of a criminal investigation unit.

Lin Xinyi had not even managed to become director of a forensic department before, so in his eyes, Inspector Megure was naturally quite a high-ranking official.

For such a senior officer to keep taking the lead and personally appearing at crime scenes was truly a sign of dedication.

And every time there was a report, it was always him who came.

It was as if he were the only field-commanding officer in all of Tokyo.

"It's you again."

When they met, both Lin Xinyi and Inspector Megure wore very complicated expressions.

Yes, Inspector Megure's expression was equally vivid, though for a different reason.

"Three times now... Are all people named 'Shinichi' from the underworld?"

"Oh, so Brother Kudo is here too."

"Then it's fine!"

The moment he noticed Kudo Shinichi, Inspector Megure visibly relaxed.

His expression became natural again, and a kind smile returned to his round face.

That smile, however, was directed at Lin Xinyi.

"Mr. Lin, it's wonderful to see you!"

"Thanks to you again, we caught the murderer so quickly!"

"Oh, right."

Like an online salesperson who had just added a new contact, Inspector Megure immediately began pitching the moment he got the chance.

"Have you given any more thought to our Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department job offer?"

"We can still discuss the compensation."

He did not actually have the authority to decide matters of compensation.

However, after seeing Lin Xinyi demonstrate such extraordinary investigative ability again today, Inspector Megure believed he could persuade the head of the Criminal Investigation Department to offer more.

After all, even if they raised Lin Xinyi's compensation to the level of an inspector, it would only cost them an extra six or seven million yen a year.

If that money could restore the reputation of the Japanese police, it would be an incredible bargain.

Inspector Megure's invitation was sincere.

But Lin Xinyi refused without hesitation.

"I don't have any intention of doing that for the time being."

"However, if you run into any cases you can't solve in the future, you can try contacting me."

"As long as I have time, I'll do my best to help."

He had refused the request to work part-time as a Forensic Consultant, yet offered to assist them.

This was actually part of the early-stage undercover plan GIN had laid out for him.

Like a manipulative woman expertly stringing along rich men, he was supposed to constantly display his charm before the target while keeping them at arm's length, tempting them to pay a greater price to win him over.

During the process, the organization would also secretly use the news media to build Lin Xinyi's reputation.

As long as he solved a few more cases, the organization was confident it could turn him into an even bigger celebrity and idol than Kudo.

By then, Lin Xinyi would become a famed Zhuge Liang, while the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department would become Liu Bei, desperately seeking talent.

And when Zhuge Liang was invited out after three visits to his cottage, he had immediately become the second-in-command of Liu's enterprise.

"Sigh... Let's not talk about that for now."

Lin Xinyi spoke with mixed emotions.

He temporarily put aside the distress of being coerced into becoming an undercover agent and turned his attention back to the case itself. "Inspector Megure, we'll leave the culprit to you."

"Make him confess where he hid the cash as soon as possible—preferably right now. Kudo was right; that money is the most direct physical evidence."

The murderer had already been frightened into confessing. It was the perfect chance to make him publicly reveal where he had hidden the victim's belongings. Once he did, there would be no chance for this case to be overturned.

"Understood." Inspector Megure readily complied.

Lin Xinyi gave him another special warning.

"You must be careful. This guy isn't simple."

"The victim had no defensive wounds or restraint marks. That means the murderer did not hesitate at all when he killed him. He decisively stabbed the victim to death in a single blow."

"Criminals like this are dangerous."

He had committed robbery in a public place, decisively killed when he encountered resistance, calmly cleaned up the scene afterward, firmly defended himself under investigation, and even after being exposed, his first instinct had still been to run.

A person like that was a true outlaw, afraid of nothing.

"Understood." Inspector Megure nodded obediently again.

"Oh, right."

Having finished his instructions about the case, Lin Xinyi began thinking about the highly anticipated competition that afternoon.

"We have something to do this afternoon, so about the statements..."

"The statements are no problem." Inspector Megure smiled agreeably. "Since you're all witnesses, Brother Kudo can handle them."

Kudo Shinichi: "..."

"Kudo doesn't have time this afternoon either." Lin Xinyi spoke up for him.

"That's fine." Inspector Megure said unhurriedly, "Brother Kudo has murder cases wherever he goes anyway. He can accumulate a few more cases and write all the statements together later."

"..."

This time, Lin Xinyi fell silent.

He became even more determined to stay far away from Kudo in the future.

After a brief handover, the murderer, who had already confessed, was placed in handcuffs.

Inspector Megure and the other officers escorted him back down to the underground platform, both to have him identify the scene and to make him reveal where he had hidden the victim's belongings.

Lin Xinyi and the others also returned to the underground platform.

They were going to catch the subway they had missed because of the murder case and head to the karate tournament venue.

Thus, Lin Xinyi's group stood by the platform and waited for the train.

Meanwhile, Inspector Megure and the other officers took the murderer to search the platform trash cans for the proceeds of the robbery he had hidden.

Soon, the train arrived. Once its doors opened, Lin Xinyi and the others would finally be able to leave the murder scene behind.

The case seemed to have been completely resolved.

But then—

"Don't move! Nobody move!"

The murderer's hysterical roar suddenly exploded behind them.

Lin Xinyi and the others instinctively turned around, only to stare in shock.

The murderer was holding a police handgun.

This man had not dared to move while being watched by Mouri Ran, a female high school student, yet after reaching the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he had managed to seize a gun within minutes.

"Calm down!"

"Put down the gun now. Don't make another mistake."

Inspector Megure's face darkened. He had not expected Lin Xinyi's warning to become reality so quickly.

A young police officer beside him had gone pale as death.

He had never imagined that a criminal who had obediently confessed and was already handcuffed would dare to seize a police weapon. Because he had been too close and off his guard, the murderer had snatched the service pistol from his belt.

Losing his service weapon was a serious offense. His career was practically over.

"Hahaha, make another mistake?"

"I've already been reduced to surviving through robbery. Do you think I'm afraid of making mistakes now?"

The young murderer laughed wildly.

As he spoke, he disengaged the handgun's safety—the safety was generally located where the right thumb could reach after taking a normal firing grip. Whether it was a half-baked enthusiast or a beginner touching a gun for the first time, anyone could easily find it.

"You pigs, get farther away!"

"Otherwise, I'll start shooting people!"

The murderer casually pointed the gun at nearby waiting passengers, triggering a wave of piercing screams.

"Don't get worked up. We'll move back."

Inspector Megure carefully spread out with the other officers.

The murderer then glared viciously at Lin Xinyi and the others standing in the distance.

"You lot stay back too—"

"Especially that violent girl with horns on her head!"

Mouri Ran's expression changed, and her body, which had already begun moving on instinct, immediately stopped.

"H-how could this happen?"

Suzuki Sonoko had not expected that the man who had attacked her would still have a chance to turn things around.

She instinctively clutched Ran's arm, as though seeking protection from her, yet also as though she were instinctively protecting Ran.

"Stay calm." Lin Xinyi spoke up.

Based on his years of martial arts experience, the best move when facing an armed criminal like this was:

"Back away."

"Retreat until you're out of his sight."

"This situation is no longer something we can handle."

"But..." Mouri Ran instinctively wanted to stay.

Before Lin Xinyi could say anything else to persuade her, the murderer began moving.

While keeping the officers at gunpoint, he hurried backward toward the edge of the platform and the train that had just arrived.

At that moment, the train doors opened.

The passengers inside also saw the dangerous scene of the armed criminal confronting the police.

The murderer raised his gun and edged toward the train car step by step.

Clearly, he wanted to use this chance to escape onto the train, then look for another opportunity to flee at the next station.

"Don't come closer!"

"None of you are allowed to get on the train after me!"

"And when I get off, if I see any cops waiting on the platform... Heh, heh. You know what will happen."

The murderer threatened the officers as he backed one foot into the train car.

Cold sweat immediately beaded more heavily on Inspector Megure's forehead.

That train car the murderer had entered was full of high school students in uniforms.

A robbery-murder case that had already been solved had somehow turned into a train hijacking that endangered students. The consequences were simply unthinkable.

The police were tense beyond measure, but at that moment—

Mouri Ran's expression instead became relaxed and strange.

"What is it?" Lin Xinyi asked quietly, confused.

"He shouldn't have gotten on that train." Mouri Ran said meaningfully. "Two stops from here is the karate tournament venue."

"What do you mean?" Lin Xinyi still did not understand.

"I know the people in that car."

Watching from afar as the murderer stepped into the carriage, and seeing the group of uniformed high school students inside carrying sports bags, Mouri Ran's expression became extremely intriguing.

"They came to participate in this karate tournament."

"Beido High School's Karate Club."