Conan: The Mechanic

Fifteen minutes later, the lifeboat was launched into the compartment.

"One less lifeboat?" Suzuki Jiroji asked sharply, looking at the uninflated lifeboats that were rounded into **** on the ground next to him.

"Yes, consultant Suzuki, according to our check, the number of lifeboats is one less than before going to sea. As for the sound heard by the child before, we deduce that it may be the sound of an inflated lifeboat being thrown into the water!" The staff He seemed a little nervous and spoke quite fast. "We have contacted the relevant departments and hope they can help us..."

"Yes, but I think it's better that you don't have any expectations." Suzuki Jiroji calmed down again and said after thinking for a while. "They... by the time they really come to work, the other party must have already escaped with the power of the lifeboat."

"However, that kid said he definitely didn't hear the sound of any engine starting." After hesitating for a while, Officer Nakamori chose to trust Qianyu's words - he had been stationed in the storage area of ​​[Egg of Memory] before, in Hanchuan After the dragon's body was found, he returned to a place outside the safekeeping area to meet everyone. "And he didn't find any traces of the lifeboats when he looked on that side."

"After all, our passenger ship is a large ship, and it is also in a state of sailing now, and the noise of chopping waves is very loud. At the same time, our lifeboat has multiple different gears, and theoretically speaking, the work of the engine running in low gear It is entirely possible that the sound of our ship will be obscured by the sound of our ships." The staff's veto of this possibility, said by Officer Nakamori, was much calmer than when facing Jiroji Suzuki before, probably because the other party could not directly Fire yourself up.

……

"What do you think of what they said? What about the lifeboats you thought of just now?" Qianyu sat on the bench with an unhappy expression, drinking canned drinks. "All I can say is, I'm really, really sure, there wasn't any sound of the lifeboats starting - it wasn't anything overwhelmed by the sound of the ships, but there was no engine sound at all."

"It's normal, a lifeboat disappeared from the boat, but during this process you didn't hear the engine sound of the lifeboat driving away, and you didn't see the lifeboat itself." Conan shook the soda can in his hand and explained leisurely. Possibilities that come to mind. "Then, if the lifeboat is not on board, it has not moved away, and it has not stayed in place, where would it be?"

"It's me who is wondering now, and you are answering!" Qian Yu said angrily. "Where did the lifeboat go?"

"—Considering that the right eye was blown out again, now we should all be able to clearly kill Mr. Hanchuan. That's right—his original purpose must be the [Egg of Memories], not just as soon as he gets on the boat. In order to assassinate Mr. Han Chuan, otherwise he would have absolutely no need to act on such a ship of the Suzuki family, which is full of people." Conan slowly analyzed. "This means that killing Mr. Hanchuan was not his original plan, but a remedial measure after an accident. Then it is reasonable to infer that his normal response should be to immediately find a lifeboat at any cost, from a considerable distance from the coast. Are you fleeing in a hurry from a distance?"

"No, so the other party's behavior of releasing the lifeboat is just a pretense, the purpose is to divert the danger from himself who is still on the boat..." After Chiba said this, she immediately understood what Conan meant. "You mean that the functionality of the lifeboat itself is not the purpose, the purpose itself is [letting us know that a lifeboat has been taken]?"

"Yeah, it doesn't really matter where the lifeboat goes, and considering the sound of falling into the water you heard at the time, I can even give a very reasonable possibility that it was just a crumpled, uninflated What kind of dark bag the lifeboat is packed in (otherwise Chiba must be able to see the bright color of the lifeboat) and throw it down. In such a situation, you can hear the sound of falling into the water, because the engine in the bag is somewhat heavy, and it is shot in the There's definitely a sound on the water. But you don't hear the engine cranking because the engine doesn't start. Likewise, you can't see where the lifeboat is after you run past it, because that's one that might sink a few meters below the water. A dark bag more than ten meters deep: let alone night, you may not be able to see through the water even during the day." Conan continued to explain his thoughts. "Then next, we can be sure that this is really with us, and it must be one of the people who followed us from Osaka to the boat."

"Correct judgment, after all, apart from them, no one can follow us on this journey." Qianyu murmured. "Count from scratch, antique dealer, Russian diplomat and Pu Siqinglan, choose one of three."

There were not many people on the boat ~www.readwn.com~ mainly composed of crew members, acquaintances and strangers. The reliability of the crew can be assured. After all, this ship has just returned from the ocean and was temporarily recruited to participate in the transshipment activities. It is impossible for those who have just executed the attack to mix in in advance. The acquaintances can also rest assured, because everyone must have alibi for each other when they committed the crime last time. That being the case, it is easy to conclude that it must be one of the three strangers.

"Diplomats are actually less likely, right?" Conan reminded. "After all, he has a formal career as an envoy abroad, so it's unlikely to move around like that."

"Unless he has obtained official permission from Russia to use that identity as a cover to serve national interests." Qianyu asked rhetorically. "Isn't that reasonable too?"

"It's theoretically possible, but in practice, his stature is too burly, and it's too different from his stature. From this point of view, he's unlikely. Antique collector Gan Jiang's shriveled appearance depends on him. Let's take a look, and Pu Siqinglan also has a little touch."

"Gan Jiangyi is also an old man. Unless we can prove that he is not really Gan Jiangyi, but a young man wearing his old man's skin, there is not much hope. As for Pu Siqinglan...then I It's just a shame to say that so many security guards were beaten in a shootout by a woman."

……

Meanwhile, in front of a castle in Yokosuka.

"..." Officer Shiratori looked at the behemoth and seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, he adjusted the straps of his backpack with his snow-white gloved hands, and then walked to the gate of the castle.

When Chiba and Conan were on the second floor, Suzuki Jiroyoshi and others had plans on the third floor, but Kaitou Kid was already waiting for them on the fourth floor.