"Mouri, my friend!! What did you see?!"
As Kogoro Mouri listened to Megure's words, he turned his head towards the nearby lamppost and became stunned. Inspector Megure couldn't help but shout anxiously, "Don't just stand there! What's up there?"
"There's a handgun fixed to the cylindrical body of the spotlight!" Kogoro Mouri snapped back to his senses and quickly replied, "Not only that, there's also a motor fixed behind the gun with tape. The motor's rotating wheel is tied with a thin thread, and the end of the thread is wrapped around the trigger of the gun!"
Kogoro Mouri clung to the low wall and shouted loudly, "If the motor activates, it will rotate and contract the thin thread. Which will then pull the trigger without needing someone to do it!"
Upon hearing this, Inspector Megure quickly turned his head and looked at Senichi, saying, "Senichi-kun, are you saying..."
"Yes, Inspector," Senichi nodded. "The bullet that killed Senator Takada wasn't fired by Shiro Hiraoka. It was actually fired by the gun fixed on the spotlight. And the target was never President Ishimoto!"
"The bullet only grazed President Ishimoto's shoulder to make it appear as if Hiraoka failed in the attempted to extort him and was seeking revenge, but accidentally killed Senator Takada instead, thus diverting attention from the real motive."
As this statement came out, the entire hall was shocked, finding Senichi's deduction somewhat unbelievable.
"Are you saying that the target was Senator Takada from the beginning!?"
President Ishimoto couldn't believe it and said, "But... if the gun was fixed and shot... how could it accurately lock onto Senator Takada in such a crowded place? Moreover, you said the perpetrator also wanted to create the illusion of an assassination attempt on me, so I should have been attacked as well. How could the bullet graze my shoulder so precisely and then kill Senator Takada? I could have been accidentally killed too!"
As President Ishimoto spoke, cold sweat flowed down, feeling angry at being manipulated and at the same time, unable to contain his fear.
"No, it wouldn't happen. Although it seems like everything is coincidental or very risky, it actually has a 100% success rate."
Conan looked at the puzzled crowd and cutely explained, "Maybe you don't know, but the lighting system in this banquet hall is the latest technology."
"The latest technology?" Everyone looked up at the spotlight with puzzled expressions.
Senichi pointed to the spotlight upstairs and said, "You must have noticed it during the banquet. Even when the lights were turned off, the spotlight still accurately illuminated Senator Takada amidst the crowd. You might think it was the light technician's skill, but it was actually the technological effect of that spotlight!"
"It can accurately lock onto the reflection base on the microphone attached to Inspector Megure's chest. No matter how you move, it can track and lock onto you using the microphone."
"Huh?"
Inspector Megure, feeling skeptical, swayed his body from side to side, and the spotlight next to Kogoro Mouri, following Inspector Megure's movements, continuously adjusted its position.
Seeing the spotlight move along with Inspector Megure's body, everyone believed Senichi's deduction and nodded in understanding.
"So, with the automatic targeting system and the previously attached motor, the killer can freely manipulate the firearm anytime, anywhere."
Senichi's tone became serious, and his gaze sharp as he said, "As for his target, it was always Senator Takada, who was wearing the microphone from the beginning."
"So, who is the one responsible for shooting Senator Takada and framing Hiraoka?"
The words of Inspector Mokumori drew everyone's attention to Senichi, and in the next moment, Shibata Kenichi, who had been in the corner without participating in the scene reconstruction, spoke up.
"It's President Ishimoto!" Kenichi Shibata looked at the people who turned to look at him and sneered, "The one who killed Senator Takada is Ishimoto Seiji!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" President Ishimoto roared, "Don't speak without evidence!"
"Speaking without evidence? Sorry, but I have solid evidence. It's useless for you to pretend!" Kenichi Shibata sneered and held up a small box in his hand, "This is absolute proof!"
"Huh? What is that?" President Ishimoto looked at the object in Kenichi Shibata's hand, his face filled with confusion.
"What else could it be?" Kenichi Shibata scoffed, "It's the remote control for the motor that controls the gun trigger. I found it in your company!"
"What?!" The revelation shocked everyone.
"Hey! Are you joking?!" Secretary Niikura looked at Kenichi Shibata in astonishment, "Is it confirmed?"
"What great acting, Ishimoto," Kenichi Shibata toyed with the remote control, "You staged a good show of your life being threatened, all to frame Hiraoka and get rid of suspicion of murder. You even used a ploy, passing by Senator Takada and got yourself gazed by the bullet, and used a well-designed mechanism to control the gun and kill the Senator!"
Kenichi Shibata played with the remote control and looked at Senichi, "I'm right, aren't I, Mr. Detective?"
"No, Mr. Shibata, although your reasoning seems perfect on the surface, you have overlooked a crucial fact," Senichi chuckled and waved his index finger, "Don't forget, Mr. Niikura led Senator Takada along the route. In other words, President Ishimoto had no way of predicting that Senator Takada would pass by him."
"Then why did Mr. Shibata find the remote control in the president's office?" Upon hearing Senichi's words, Secretary Niikura asked eagerly.
"Oh, that's right!"
Before everyone could react, Conan's innocent voice suddenly rang out, "Just now, Shibata-nii-san clearly said he found the remote control in President Ishimoto's company, right?"
Conan wore a puzzled expression, "But why did Secretary Niikura directly confirm that Shibata-nii-san found the remote control in the president's office?"
"Oh, I know!" Without waiting for everyone to react, Conan pounded his right fist into his left palm, looking excited as if he had guessed the answer, "Secretary Niikura must have some kind of special ability!"
"That's why he was able to determine directly that Shibata-nii-san found the remote control in the president's office, even without Shibata-nii-san specifying the exact location!"
Along with Conan's innocent words came a hint of ruthless betrayal hidden beneath his innocent speech!
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