"Yes, little brother Conan, you're amazing," Miyamoto Yumi said, looking at Conan in surprise.
"In traffic accidents, it's common for the car engine to get damaged and carbon monoxide to leak, which is why we always carry carbon monoxide detectors."
"When Miike and I discovered that the man in the passenger seat was unconscious and the concentration of carbon monoxide in the car was unusually high, we quickly turned off the engine and pulled the man out."
"That was a very professional response."
Conan furrowed his brow and nodded slightly.
He looked at the unconscious man lying on the ground, a complicated expression in his eyes.
When the man in the passenger seat was unconscious from the high concentration of carbon monoxide, his life would have been in danger if he stayed in the car for another second.
No matter the reason, Conan hated criminals equally.
But he would never leave him like this.
Even if the other person was the murderer who had just committed a murder.
"The car was already stopped when we got here. This cheap K-Car doesn't have the automatic engine start and stop function. I should have thought of that earlier."
After checking the situation inside the car, Sera Masumi approached Conan, also looked at Akikawa Kyusuke lying on the ground, and said quietly,
"What if they discovered it earlier? Officer Miyamoto and the others had already moved him to a nearby open space."
Conan was confused.
"In that case, I won't directly question Officer Miyamoto."
There was a hint of disappointment in Sera's pure tone.
She originally wanted to have a good relationship with her second brother's fiancée, but accidentally made an impolite statement that questioned her professionalism.
Immediately, Sera Masumi changed the subject and continued,
"Speaking of which, the death of the deceased this time was more tragic than the victims of serial murders during this period."
"Of course, serial murders are simply disguised as exchange murders. In fact, the killers don't hate their targets, so they just want to end the person's life as quickly as possible, so naturally, they won't commit very cruel acts."
The so-called exchange murder is a method where people, each with a target they want to kill, exchange murder targets to hide each person's motive for the murder and create an alibi.
"Yes, I just observed the deceased's injuries. In each wound, you can feel the overwhelming hatred the killer had for the victim."
While speaking, Sera Masumi continued to look at Akikawa Kyousuke lying on the ground.
Unlike Conan, who had a hard time understanding the killers' motives even after hearing their confessions, Sera Masumi was truly curious.
What could have happened for the man in front of him to harbor such hatred towards that woman?
As soon as Sera Masumi finished speaking, she heard the sound of police sirens approaching from afar.
Then Conan and the others saw Wataru Takagi, the director of the 1st Section of Investigation of the Metropolitan Police Department, leading the forensic police from the Metropolitan Police Department to the site of the car accident.
Takagi Wataru acted with great clarity. After briefly understanding the situation with Miyamoto Yumi, he began investigating the scene and fingerprint identification with the forensic police.
"Although the death of the victim was tragic, the circumstances of the case were much simpler."
Looking at the busy forensic agents and detectives from the First Section of Search, Sera Masumi couldn't help but say,
"The serial murder cases during this period have exhausted me a bit. Finding a relatively simple case is a blessing among misfortunes."
"Yes, as long as we identify the fingerprints of the second person on the murder weapon and then compare them with the passenger's fingerprints, we should be able to come to a conclusion."
"As for the motive for the prisoner's murder, I still don't understand it even after hearing it. I'll leave the rest to the police."
There was also a sense of relief in Conan's tone.
He didn't feel sorry for not being able to help this time. Instead, he felt lucky because this case was relatively simple.
At that moment, the sound of the ambulance grew louder.
After the ambulance arrived at the scene of the accident, the medical staff, led by Miike Naeko, a traffic division officer, approached Akikawa Kyousuke, who was lying on the ground, and prepared to lift him onto a stretcher.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
However,
The relaxed atmosphere between the two detectives didn't last long.
Because they clearly saw the increasingly confused expressions on the faces of the forensic police officers and Takagi Wataru.
A bad premonition began to rise in Conan and Sera Masumi's hearts.
The next moment, the hesitant voice of Detective Takagi Wataru instantly turned the unease in the hearts of both detectives into reality——
"Officer Sato, there were no fingerprints collected from anyone other than the deceased on the dagger or on the deceased's clothes."
"Eh?!"
"What?!"
Sera Masumi and Conan exclaimed simultaneously, and then turned to look at Akikawa Kyousuke, who was lying on the ground.
——Two gentle and slightly neutral exclamations made Akikawa Kyousuke, who had been in a coma, finally relax his tense spirit.
Akikawa Kyousuke had woken up a few minutes ago.
But he hadn't moved at all, except to pretend to be unconscious in order to secretly listen to the conversation between the two and understand the progress of the case, or because Akikawa Kyousuke simply couldn't move at this moment.
This situation of regaining consciousness but being completely unable to move his body was not unfamiliar to Akikawa Kyousuke. Because this is one of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning——
The locked-in syndrome.
Unlike the two detectives who realized that things were different from what they had originally expected.
So far, the development of things was still in line with Akikawa Kyousuke's expectations before falling into a coma.
"Although I don't know the exact time when the car accident happened, from the color of the blood of the deceased I just observed, I can judge that the car accident occurred no more than an hour ago."
"In such a short time, he already showed signs of coma. The carbon monoxide concentration in the car at that time was at least 1,600 ppm."
"At this concentration, life could be in danger in two hours. Opening the windows for ventilation will not alleviate the symptoms at all, so the police will definitely pull me out of the car."
"As long as they change my position before investigating the scene, the crime scene will be damaged."
It was because he realized this that Akikawa Kyousuke felt fortunate before falling into a coma.
The lack of memory of the original owner is Akikawa Kyousuke's greatest flaw right now, so it's hard to handle things thoroughly.
It's definitely the most reliable and safest way for the police to take the initiative to retreat from the crime scene.
And after being away from the crime scene, going to the hospital to receive treatment and allowing his body to recover,
he could have more physical strength and clearer thinking to face what comes next.
"But speaking of that, the sensation of carbon monoxide poisoning is really uncomfortable."
"Although, as long as the concentration is high enough, carbon monoxide can pose a mortal threat in just one or two hours."
"But the pain suffered during this period is immeasurable."
Many people thought it would be easy to end their lives by carbon monoxide poisoning.
However, they don't know that during carbon monoxide poisoning, you still have to endure strong dizziness, palpitations, and vomiting that persist in your mind.
And even if halfway through you regret it, there's nothing you can do about it, because after carbon monoxide damages the brainstem, the body loses control of the brain.
If you're lucky enough not to die in the end, you're most likely to suffer serious brain damage, leaving you with lifelong disabilities.
"I hope I don't get a headache."
Akikawa Kyousuke silently prayed in his heart.
He knew he wasn't a very smart person,
but at this moment after the time travel, his brain was one of the few weapons he could rely on.
"As long as we can survive this crisis first, we should have a stable life in the future."
Akikawa Kyousuke thought in his heart, and at the same time, the medical staff took him to the ambulance.
Since Akikawa Kyousuke is highly suspected of murder, besides the medical staff, Chiba Kazunobu, the director of inspection of the 1st Section of Investigation of the Metropolitan Police Department, also accompanied him.
Just when the medical staff from the fire department was about to close the ambulance door, a child's voice interrupted their actions.
"Oh! Wait a minute, wait a minute!!"
Conan shouted loudly and ran toward the ambulance.
"Hey, Conan-kun, what's going on?"
Detective Chiba Kazunobu looked at Conan running and asked doubtfully.
"Officer Chiba, I want to go to the hospital with you!"
As Conan spoke, he saw a somewhat embarrassed expression on Chiba Kazushi's face, so he quickly added,
"Miss Sera asked me to go with her. She said there are some things she wants me to help confirm!"
"Miss Sera, then come aboard."
Chiba Kazunobu had great confidence in Detective Sera Masumi's judgment, so he nodded without hesitation.
Conan quickly climbed into the ambulance, and the doors were closed behind him. The vehicle began to move, and they headed toward the hospital.
Inside the ambulance, Akikawa Kyousuke remained still on the stretcher, his face expressionless. Conan sat across from him, his mind racing with thoughts.
The fact that there were no fingerprints other than the deceased's on the murder weapon left a mystery unsolved. How had Akikawa Kyousuke been involved in this? Was he truly the murderer, or was there something more to the story?
As the ambulance swerved and made its way through the streets, the silence in the vehicle seemed to weigh heavily on everyone inside.
Conan's eyes never left Akikawa. He was trying to read the man's body language, searching for any clue that might reveal the truth behind the strange situation.
Akikawa Kyousuke's calm demeanor didn't reveal much, but Conan had learned not to rely solely on appearances. His sharp mind was focused on the details—the sequence of events, the possible connections, and the questions that still lingered unanswered.
"Why didn't the killer leave any traces?" Conan thought to himself.
"Why no fingerprints, no clear evidence tying Akikawa to the crime scene?"
The deeper Conan delved into the mystery, the more questions arose.
Was this all part of a bigger plan? Or had Akikawa been framed somehow?
He shook his head slightly. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted. He had to focus on the facts.
The situation was complicated, but he knew that the truth was out there, waiting to be uncovered.
As the ambulance approached its destination, Conan prepared himself for what would come next. He knew the investigation was far from over, and that the answers he sought were still hidden somewhere in the details.
But one thing was clear: he wouldn't rest until he uncovered the truth, no matter how tangled or unexpected the path might be.
(End of the chapter)
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