Although there were witnesses to the case four years ago, they only saw the appearance of one of the individuals in the deep of night.
The wanted poster for that guy was still posted on the utility pole outside the apartment.
Senichi and the others took a look. It depicted a guy with messy curly hair and a long scar on his right cheek, looking like a typical thug.
As for the other person, there was no information about their appearance. The police speculated that his accomplice might have concealed his whereabouts, as it was unlikely to have no clues at all.
After listening to Mr. Otonashi's detailed account of the case, Senichi more or less had an idea about the case.
Considering the continuous "ghostly events" since their arrival, someone behind the scenes must be orchestrating these events, trying to frighten away those who came to investigate, even including Mr. Otonashi.
Since it involved an old case and ghostly occurrences, combining it with Detective Conan world's principles, the basic outline of the case became clear.
Clearly, the mastermind behind these ghostly pranks is likely the culprit from that case four years ago.
In other words, the criminal is somewhere within this apartment!
Except for the "Case-trigger" Mr. Otonashi, the other three are all suspects!
The reason for this suspicion is not solely based on the "Case-trigger" principle. Instead, it's because Mr. Otonashi's actions contradict the interests of the mastermind.
After all, this apartment has already scared away many people, and the disturbances have subsided. There is no need to intentionally call more people over and create more trouble for oneself.
So, among the three remaining people, the culprit is likely one of them. Seeing Mr. Otonashi bringing a few people here with the intention of investigating, the mastermind wanted to scare them away.
Unfortunately, their calculations were off. Senichi touched his nose, revealing a slight smile.
All those ghostly pranks have been exposed, including the ghostly fire and the pale figure in the abandoned apartment building across them. Answers had been obtained.
However, there were still confirmations to be made.
After the three residents on the first floor returned to their rooms, Senichi told Kogoro Mouri to wait for him for a while and headed towards the abandoned apartment building across the street.
Pitch black.
This was Senichi's initial reaction upon entering the building. However, Senichi's "Genetic Enhancement Serum" comprehensively improved his physical qualities, including vision and night vision abilities.
After a brief adaptation, Senichi acclimated to the darkness. After all, the building was not completely sealed, and some light from the streetlights outside could shine through the unfinished windows.
Senichi scanned the bottom floor, found no one, and then slowed his footsteps as he moved towards the staircase.
Step by step, Senichi moved very slowly, making every effort not to make any sound.
In this quiet environment, human senses are heightened, and under these circumstances, while ordinary people might use vision and hearing to locate another person, Senichi had a much easier time.
With his enhanced sense of smell activated in an instant, subtle scents in the air entered Senichi's nose with the airflow. The smell of tobacco and sweat made Senichi involuntarily frown, but it allowed him to pinpoint the location of the other person.
In the darkness, Senichi turned his head to a corner on this floor. There, a man was leaning against the wall, lazily smoking a cigarette.
The light from outside the window illuminated his face. A long scar and the face of a villain matched the appearance of the wanted criminal posted on the lamppost.
The man also held a can of beer in his left hand, taking occasional sips. The scattered empty cans indicated he had already had quite a bit to drink.
However, this was normal since living a life on the run was not easy. Besides drowning sorrows in alcohol, what else could he do all day?
However, the man's carelessness saved Senichi a lot of trouble. Just as the man noticed Senichi's figure and was preparing to stand up in a panic, Senichi had already charged towards him.
Crack!
A powerful punch landed squarely on the man's face, and the crisp sound of bone breaking reached Senichi's ears.
"Ahhhhh!! You bastard!! What the hell are you doing all of a sudden?!" The man clutched his nose, wailing in pain. The scar on his menacing face made him look even more terrifying.
Senichi expressionlessly shook off the blood from his hand and coldly said, "Criminal, you're under arrest. Surrender quietly, okay?"
With his strength, dealing with a guy who had been corroded by tobacco and alcohol and lacked regular exercise was a matter of moments.
However, he didn't do it that way. He didn't pull out his weapon; he confronted the man barehanded.
Because just subduing the guy was too lenient.
This murderer who burned bodies—better give him a good beating first.
After all, if the potential fugitive were to be arrested, a slightly heavier hand during the process of subduing the criminal would be no problem, right?
Sure enough, upon hearing Senichi's "advice," a hint of fear flashed in the man's eyes. However, seeing that Senichi was alone, a glimpse of brutal intent flickered in the man's eyes.
With roars and shouts, the man rushed forward, but his clumsy movements were entirely ineffective in Senichi's eyes.
In no time, amidst the repeated actions of dodging and counterattacking, Senichi gave the man a thorough beating.
Seeing the man hesitating and reluctant to approach, Senichi took the initiative and stepped forward.
Evading the wildly swinging right fist from the man, the next moment, a straight punch hit the man's face again. As the man unconsciously retreated, Senichi advanced, delivering elbow strikes as if wielding a long spear directly into the man's chest.
And it wasn't over. Before the man could react, a side kick swept through the air, directly hitting the man's stomach.
The intense pain in the abdomen struck directly, and the convulsions of the full stomach after a heavy blow made him vomit all the beer he had consumed in an instant.
"Surrender?" Senichi stood in front of the man and asked casually, "Or should I still arrest you?"
"Surrender... surrender..." The man stood up in a sorry state, wiped his mouth, and said shakily.
However, just as Senichi was about to remove the handcuffs and approach him, the man suddenly launched an attack. His right hand shot towards Senichi's face suddenly, specifically targeting his eyes!
This guy knew that getting caught would lead to a bad outcome. However, resisting earlier made it clear that he was no match for Senichi alone. So, he wanted to resort to a sneak attack.
If he could injure Senichi's eyes, then even if Senichi were formidable, facing this weakness would likely render him powerless.
However...
The idea was beautiful, but reality was cruel.
He thought of himself as "swift as the wind," but in Senichi's eyes, he appeared as slow as if in slow motion.
The next moment, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking, intense pain surged straight to his brain.
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA) - 133 advance chapters
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
⭐Harry Potter: Card System - 2 Chapters
p@treon.com/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------