Chapter 394 Could you do me a favor?
Inspector Megure, eyes wide, coughed lightly twice to ease the awkwardness. "Cough, cough... Anyway, the problem is why the victim died while playing a video game?"
"Yes..." Wataru Takagi sweatdropped, but still tried his best to cooperate with his superior and get back to the main topic. "According to the people at the Game Arcade, there weren't any particularly suspicious people here at the time. After the victim was found dead, Mr. Chi asked everyone to stay. Also, the victim didn't eat anything while playing the game, so it shouldn't be suicide."
"Hmm..." Inspector Megure looked at the Game Helmet the victim was wearing. "What's with this sci-fi movie getup?"
The Shop Assistant next to him quickly explained, "This is a Virtual Reality game. When you're attacked by an opponent, the pain you receive is synchronized with the scene and transmitted to the player."
"Pain is synchronized and transmitted?" Inspector Megure pressed.
"Yes, if you get kicked in the Protective Gear by your opponent, the pain is also transmitted at the same time," the Shop Assistant said. "The player's hands and feet will also shake slightly, making it feel like you're really fighting..."
"Hey..." Inspector Megure said doubtfully, "Could his Cause of Death be due to excessive pain..."
"That's completely impossible," a Man chewing Chewing Gum walked forward. "Although it's called pain, it's just a slight vibration, like a Mobile Phone vibrating. How could that kill someone?"
"Who are you?" Inspector Megure asked.
"I'm the guy who was in Combat with him when he died. I don't want to be treated as a Suspect because of it," the Man said, still chewing his Chewing Gum. "And I was the one getting beat up just now! My attacks only landed two or three times. I even chewed Chewing Gum to calm my nerves, but I didn't expect... sigh, so embarrassing!"
"Is that so?" Inspector Megure turned to Mouri Ran.
"Yes, the whole thing looked completely one-sided..." Mouri Ran said.
Inspector Megure felt a headache. "In that case, what exactly is the Cause of Death..."
"Poisoning, exchange..." Chi Feichei looked at Inspector Megure. "Inspector Megure, please have a forensic doctor perform an Autopsy."
Conan, who was just about to speak up and mention 'Poisoning,' choked, then lowered his head to ponder.
Poisoning, he understood.
But what does exchange mean?
He didn't believe Chi Feichei was just saying it casually; he must have Thought of something.
Exchange what? Exchange murder? Exchange...
Wait, exchange Game Character?!
"Huh? Poisoning?" Inspector Megure looked at Chi Feichei, puzzled.
"The Corpse's face is bluish, Lips and Fingernails are cyanotic, Death by suffocation, which is often seen in Corpses from strangulation, throttling, and atypical hanging," Chi Feichei took out a pair of spare Gloves from Wataru Takagi's Pocket and put them on. He stepped forward, crouched down in front of the victim, and examined the Corpse. "Furthermore, the superficial veins in the neck are distended because blood flow back from the Head is obstructed, but there are no ligature marks on the neck. This means the victim died from respiratory and circulatory failure, but wasn't strangled. It could be some kind of neurotoxin or blood pressure Medication..."
Wataru Takagi glanced at his Pocket, then at the Gloves on Chi Feichei's hands.
Mr. Chi is really considerate...
Chi Feichei has already said it; what's left for the forensic doctor to say?
Cough, of course, it's still necessary to have a forensic doctor perform a more accurate Autopsy.
"Uh..." Inspector Megure questioned, "But the victim didn't eat anything. If the Culprit wanted to Poison him, they'd have to use a Poison Needle or Syringe or something. Wouldn't the victim have made a Sound or had some Reaction if they felt a prick?"
"Inspector Megure," Conan reminded, "The Game Equipment here is shut down now because of the Murder Case. It was very noisy before, though!"
"I see," Wataru Takagi said, understanding. "In that noisy Environment, even if the victim groaned, no one would have heard it. And this Seat seems to restrain the hands and feet. Once the Game starts, even if the victim Struggles slightly, it wouldn't be noticed."
"Good! Get the forensic doctor here!" Inspector Megure immediately told another Police Officer. "We need to figure out the Cause of Death at least!"
"Yes!" A Police Officer hurried out to Call.
Jodie looked at Conan and Chi Feichei thoughtfully.
Exchange, exchange...
Chi Feichei's Hint... this little kid seemingly Already Understood.
"First, filter and investigate the Suspects!" Inspector Megure said to Wataru Takagi again.
Wataru Takagi lowered his voice. "But there are at least 50 people here. Filtering and investigating the Suspects might be a bit difficult."
"Ah!" Conan snapped out of it. "I know who was closest to the victim..."
"No need for you to say," Chi Feichei said, looking at the Surveillance Camera on the Ceiling. "There's Surveillance Camera."
Okay, then indeed there's no need for him to say it...
Conan was Speechless. As the Police went to retrieve the Surveillance Video and the people around them started moving, he suddenly heard a Weird Sound, like Metal tapping or friction, faint and rhythmic.
"Heard it?"
"Hmm?" Conan looked up at Chi Feichei, who had walked over to his side. Because of the angle, he could only see Chi Feichei's Bangs falling across his forehead and his profile.
"Weapon," Chi Feichei said softly, then followed the Police to look at the Surveillance Video.
Hey hey...
Conan followed him and whispered, "That guy is definitely suspicious. After watching the Surveillance Video and eliminating the impossible people, we should be able to confirm it's him. Now that the Weapon's been found, if the Police investigate it, maybe..."
"He Intentionally made that move. Do you think he'd still leave Evidence on the Weapon?" Chi Feichei countered softly.
"Hi~" Jodie Reach Out and took Chi Feichei's Arm, leaning closer, she asked with a smile in a low voice, "Are you two whispering Secrets?"
Conan was Thinking. Seeing Jodie suddenly get so close to Chi Feichei, he couldn't help but sweatdrop.
This Teacher is really something...
Doesn't she Think Chi Feichei's cold aura makes him hard to approach?
Ordinary people who See Chi Feichei would instinctively feel they shouldn't be presumptuous... At least, it's the first time he's seen someone dare to 'touch' Chi Feichei. Even Suzuki Sonoko and Mori Kogoro, who are quite familiar with him now, rarely have physical contact with Chi Feichei and are very well-behaved.
Guess you could say it's as expected of Americans, they're naturally very lively?
Chi Feichei had originally intended to Say 'no,' but as the Words reached his lips, he immediately changed it to...
"Talking about the Culprit."
Said in a low voice.
"Oh?" Jodie also lowered her voice, mimicking Chi Feichei. "Do you already know who the Culprit is?"
"Yes, we're still lacking Evidence, but..." Chi Feichei's voice remained low. "Sonoko said earlier that when you came over, the Shop Assistant had just collected the Coins, right? Was it from the Arcade Machine the victim was sitting at?"
"Oh, Yes!" Jodie nodded.
Conan was stunned for a moment, then immediately Understood.
Hmm, the Evidence has been found too. It should be in the Arcade Machine.
Chi Feichei is still the same as ever. His Speed in solving cases is terrifyingly fast...
"Could you do me a favor later?" Chi Feichei asked softly.
Conan was puzzled. Does this Case need Help?
His Line of Sight shifted to Jodie's Arm, which was still linked with Chi Feichei's.
Also, Chi Feichei being held by someone and being so close, unexpectedly didn't show any rejection...
"What favor?" Jodie asked, puzzled. Because his voice was lowered, his usually Weird accent sounded much more pleasant. "Do you want me to Help testify?"
"No, I'll tell you the Deduction. You can tell the Police later..." Chi Feichei said calmly.
Conan staggered, almost tripping over his own feet.
As expected, he was overthinking it.
Chi Feichei wouldn't be...
"Why?" Jodie was even more puzzled. "Wouldn't it be easier for you to just tell the Police?"
"If you agree to do me this favor, I can tell you the Reason afterwards," Chi Feichei said.
Subtext: If you're not willing to help, then don't ask. I won't tell you!
Jodie Considered for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Okay, I agree to help!"
"Alright, then I'll tell you the Deduction," Chi Feichei said softly. "The Culprit is the Man who was in Combat with the victim, and the victim was Already dead before the Combat..."
"That's impossible! During the Combat, the victim was beating his opponent so badly... utterly crushing him..." Jodie's voice trailed off. She stood there stunned, finally Understanding what Chi Feichei meant by 'exchange' earlier.
"They swapped Game Characters, using the ones each other is good at."
Chi Feichei continued, "Actually, the one getting crushed was the Role controlled by the victim. The reason the Culprit didn't deliver the final blow is because a Draw makes both machines display 'DRAW' and jump to the game over screen. If he had delivered the final blow and decided Victory or Defeat, others would see 'You lost' on the victim's Screen, realize they'd swapped Game Characters, and notice the victim hadn't moved from the start. That's the Trap in his Method."
"As for the Weapon, it should be a Poison Needle hidden in a Cigarette. Pretending to take out a Cigarette, he could press the bottom of the soft Cigarette Case to make a Cigarette pop out without touching it with his fingers. Then, by just holding the Cigarette Case, he could use the Poison Needle hidden in the Cigarette to stab the victim, leaving no Fingerprints on the Cigarette. Afterwards, he could stick the Cigarette to his chewed Chewing Gum, wrap it in Paper, throw it on the Ground, and when someone walks by and steps on it, the Weapon can be taken away."
Jodie said thoughtfully, "So that Weird Sound we heard earlier... could it be someone stepping on the Cigarette with the Poison Needle? In that case, if the Police do a Lab Analysis on the Chewing Gum, they should be able to..."
"No," Conan couldn't help but interject. If he didn't get to say a few words and indulge his Deduction addiction, he might not get another chance. "He chewed Chewing Gum in front of the Police on purpose. It's because he's worried that if this Method is seen through, he'd become a Suspect. He's using reverse psychology, making people think that if he were the Culprit, he wouldn't expose himself chewing Chewing Gum in front of the Police. So, I think the Chewing Gum and Cigarette are probably things he picked up from the Ashtray. Even if you compare them to his Saliva for testing, you won't find anything."
"However, since the victim was Already Murdered before the Combat, the Coin Insertion for that game must have been done by the Culprit for him..." Chi Feichei said.
"I see," Jodie said, not stupid and also Realizing. "Earlier, the Shop Assistant collected the Money from the Arcade Machine. Now there isn't much Money in the Arcade Machine. If the Police investigate, they can find his Fingerprints on the Coin he used for Coin Insertion for the victim. He can't claim it was a Coin he used when he played before, because after the Shop Assistant cleared the Coin box, the victim was the only one sitting at that Arcade Machine and using Coin Insertion..."
"The specific Details still need to be adjusted based on the Surveillance Video and Autopsy Result, but the general Direction is right," Chi Feichei paused. "I think you'll be fine."
End of Chapter