The park management staff ran over, fully a dozen people.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for startling you, dear guests."
The leader was obviously the director, apologizing repeatedly to Heiji and the others.
"What's wrong with you people, letting a dozen kids shoot us with toy guns? Luckily it was toy guns this time, what if they were real guns?"
Yukiko responded in English, her tone full of anger.
"I'm sorry, this is our negligence. We will compensate double for the tickets, and also let you bring your families to visit for free for a week."
The director apologized repeatedly.
"No need for compensation. Take me to your surveillance room to see the recordings."
Suddenly, Kazuha and the others looked at Heiji in surprise.
"Heiji, your English..."
Even though their English wasn't very good, they could hear that Heiji's English had a native New York accent, exactly like the director's.
Vermouth had regained her calm. Hearing Heiji's English, her heart moved: This kind of native English, unless he stayed in New York for a long time, meant he was an absolute linguistic genius. Heiji Hattori was indeed not simple.
Slowly, she began to understand Gin's meaning.
"Excuse me, you mean you want to see our recordings?" The director frowned.
"This concerns our safety. If something happens because of this, according to the US Constitution, your New York Central Park has undeniable responsibility. At that time, you will be sued."
Heiji's voice wasn't loud, but his tone was firm, carrying an unquestionable aura.
The director thought for a moment, then nodded: "No problem, but guests are not allowed to take photos or videos during the process. This is our park rule."
"This way, please."
Heiji and his group left with the director.
The staff members didn't leave, looking at the BB pellets covering the ground and the fern leaf riddled with holes, glancing at each other.
"So many bullets, all blocked a meter away. Does that boy know Kung Fu?"
The others shook their heads, looking confused.
The surveillance room was still some distance from the Tropical Rainforest Area.
"Heiji, how come your English is so proficient?" Kazuha couldn't help asking.
"I taught myself. To reach the peak of deductive analysis, one needs to understand cultures from all over the world. To understand their culture, naturally, one must learn their language."
As a top mechanic, Heiji knew far more languages than just English. He had mastered the languages of important countries worldwide. Plus, with the Magic Voice skill, he could even impersonate a local at any time.
"Heiji, you mean you know other languages too?" Sonoko asked blankly.
Heiji nodded lightly.
"So amazing," Ran said in surprise.
Vermouth was at the very back, quietly watching Heiji's back, her eyes under the sunglasses shining with a sharp light.
Yukiko held her chin, contemplating: This Heiji Hattori seems very capable, quite handsome too, and Ran's attitude towards him seems a bit enthusiastic. No way, Ran belongs to Shinichi. I can't let her get too close to this person.
What made her feel most threatened was that Kazuha and Sonoko were both Ran's best friends, and both were Heiji's girlfriends. What if they subtly stole Ran's heart away too?
[For Shinichi's sake, I must stop them from getting too close.]
The director took Heiji and the others to the surveillance room, where hundreds of screens appeared before them.
"Wow, so many screens, and you only have 5 people?"
The surveillance room was huge, but only 5 people were on duty. Yukiko was angry.
"They probably went out to eat. There should be about 30 people here," Heiji said lightly.
"Oh, young man, you're very sharp. How did you know there are 30 people here?"
The director looked at Heiji in surprise. Even someone who had worked there for a while wouldn't know exactly how many people there were without asking specifically.
"Although there are many tables here, there are only 30 tea cups. That makes it obvious."
"But Heiji, what if someone doesn't drink water? Wouldn't that mean no tea cup?"
"People monitoring screens must sit in their chairs from the start of their shift. If they don't drink water, they can't last."
"Um... so what do you plan to do, Heiji?"
Seeing Heiji and Ran tending to chat, Yukiko quickly changed the subject.
Heiji looked at Yukiko doubtfully: Why did this woman's attitude suddenly change so much?
"Big Sister Yukiko is right. Heiji, why do you want to see the recordings?"
Looking at those screens, Kazuha felt a bit dizzy.
"I want to find the person who instructed those kids."
Heiji looked at the director: "Please pull up the recordings from 10:00 to 11:00, from the Sea Lion Performance Area to the Tropical Rainforest Area for me to see."
The director nodded and instructed the staff to start working.
"Heiji, I remember we entered around 10:30 and reached the Tropical Rainforest Area at 11:30. Why don't you ask for the recording from that time?"
If investigating, it should indeed be as Sonoko said, investigating that time point.
"This was a premeditated plot. They were definitely observing us secretly. Everything was set up a bit in advance, especially those kids. If they had to wait too long, they would definitely get impatient."
At this time, the recording was pulled up.
Heiji stared at the recording intently.
During that time period, the crowd wasn't large, and no suspicious characters were found.
"Heiji, could your deduction be wrong?"
Sonoko said softly.
A smile appeared on Heiji's lips as he looked at the director: "Please pull up the recordings from this location, this location, and this location for me to see."
The director's eyes widened suddenly, looking at Heiji in disbelief: "How did you know there are cameras there? Those are all hidden pinhole cameras."
"Don't you know? Heiji is a very amazing detective, a famous detective."
Sonoko hugged Heiji's arm, saying sweetly in English.
Heiji smiled faintly: "Because from these recordings, those locations are blind spots. However, they are also the most important feeding areas. To prevent keepers from mistreating animals, there must be cameras there. I didn't see them during the tour, so they could only be hidden pinhole cameras."
"Amazing, young man, you are truly amazing."
The director was full of admiration for Heiji's insight and deductive analysis ability.
Next, the efficiency was even faster.
After watching the recordings from several pinhole cameras, Heiji frowned tightly.
"Heiji, how is it?"
"Probably didn't find any clues."
Yukiko breathed a sigh of relief. She almost thought Shinichi was here. However, a flash of pride passed through her heart: Hehe, looks like Shinichi is still a bit better.
"I found the people, but they aren't the masterminds."
Heiji's words shocked Vermouth inside: Did he discover Gin's existence?
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