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When Yun Feng and Ran arrived at the base of the lighthouse, following the piano music, Kogoro Mouri, Conan, Inspector Megure, and others also rushed over, accompanied by numerous armed police officers.
This was a lighthouse about twenty to thirty meters high. Its exterior had only a spiraling staircase, and at the top was a single room, the lighthouse's observation deck. The piano music was emanating from inside... At this moment, a large number of police officers had already arrived, yet the beautiful piano music continued to play within the towering lighthouse... It did not stop because of the arrival of the police... "Bastard, this guy is really arrogant." Kogoro Mouri roared in anger. He pulled a similarly grim-faced Inspector Megure, preparing to lead the police up and personally capture this audacious culprit.
Wait a moment, Conan, although also very angry at this time, calmly called out, "Teacher Yun Feng, can you have Inspector Megure and the others dispatch some police officers to monitor the outside of the tower? That way, even if the culprit tries to escape, they can be seen." This was just a bare lighthouse; there were no obstructions around it, and it was a bright, sunny high ground. Even if the culprit wanted to escape, they wouldn't evade everyone's eyes. Yun Feng was first surprised, then nodded and instructed Inspector Megure to arrange a team of police officers to stay outside the tower to monitor. He believed that with Xiao Yu's strength, she should be able to evade them.
However, for safety's sake, he strictly emphasized that if the culprit did come out, they were not to shoot, but to capture them alive. Everything was arranged. The piano music continued to play melodiously, driving Kogoro Mouri and Inspector Megure, who were already furious, to lead a large number of police officers up the spiraling staircase. Upon reaching the top of the tower, the entrance was already filled with police officers, and even on every step of the stairs, two police officers were stationed.
Yun Feng also followed up at this point. He had to ensure Xiao Yu's safety. If Xiao Yu's whereabouts were exposed, Yun Feng would directly use his authority as Super Commissioner to intervene if Inspector Megure and his team made any move to harm Xiao Yu. Although, in fact, they couldn't harm Xiao Yu in the slightest, Yun Feng was overcome with worry at this moment. No matter how powerful Xiao Yu was, in his heart, she was his wife who needed protection. Kogoro Mouri and Inspector Megure exchanged glances, nodded, and together forcefully kicked open the not-so-sturdy door. However, at this moment, the piano music abruptly stopped.
What came into view was still an empty observation hall... Actually, it couldn't be called completely empty. In the center of the hall, Tatsuji Kuroiwa was found hanged from the ceiling... And what was somewhat horrifying was that the tool used to hang him was actually a bow. The specific appearance of the bow was not yet clear... Because... what was even more chilling was that the entire bowstring was completely embedded within the ceiling, leaving only the string portion outside, and it was this remaining bowstring that held Tatsuji Kuroiwa steadily suspended in the air... What made one's scalp tingle the most was... The piano from the second-floor piano hall of the community center had inexplicably appeared here.
The piano piece played just now must have been performed on this very instrument... Although this crime scene wasn't as bloody or visually impactful, and it occurred in the bright midday sun, Kogoro Mouri and Inspector Megure still felt a chill run down their spines... The police outside hadn't spoken, which proved that the culprit hadn't left... The furnishings inside were simple: a table, a few chairs, and a microphone for announcements. There were basically no other decorations. The person who played the piano was clearly not inside either... Another disappearance in almost a second... Is this even human... And how did that piano appear here? Inspector Megure clearly remembered seeing this piano in the second-floor hall of the community center just a few tens of minutes ago, and furthermore, due to the incident, there had been many police officers patrolling there... How did "it" move such a heavy piano to the lighthouse without any hindrance...
Inspector Megure wiped the cold sweat from under his peaked cap, feeling that this case might exceed his expectations... Kogoro Mouri and Conan, who had barely managed to squeeze their way in, also looked at this scene in shock, unable to speak for a long time... ... The village office was shrouded in gloom. The bizarre modus operandi made all police personnel feel a lingering shadow in their hearts, unable to be dispelled... On the ground at the entrance, Tatsuji Kuroiwa's body lay there, placed next to Hideo Kawashima's previous body. Reiko Kuroiwa, Tatsuji's daughter, completely fainted from the successive blows. Her boyfriend, Shuichi Tachizawa, under the supervision of several police officers, went to a nearby small room to rest and recuperate. At this point, Inspector Megure was thoroughly incensed.
The culprit dared to commit such an audacious crime right under his nose. What made him even more uneasy was the presence of the Super Commissioner who could supervise all police affairs in the country. He felt that his police career might be coming to an end... Therefore, he had just called the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters and reported to the Central Police Agency, requesting more elite police forces for support, and also requesting the deployment of armed helicopters and armed patrol boats. This was because Conan had just analyzed that this was only the second movement of the sonata, and there should be a third movement of the Moonlight Sonata, meaning a third incident might occur. Inspector Megure simply refused to believe that under such strict security, this culprit would still dare to commit such a crime.
The conclusion of this incident, after inspection by evidence collectors and forensic officers, was the same as the previous crime scene: no secret passages for escape, and no recording equipment. The bow used as the murder weapon was also recovered. It was a silver-white recurve bow, resembling a crescent moon... Professional analytical police officers had tested and stated that it was almost impossible for a single person to embed the entire bow into the ceiling at that height purely by human strength...
However, this test result didn't surprise people anymore, because compared to the previous inference, this one was somewhat more acceptable... Regarding the first incident in the piano hall, the professional appraisers actually said that Hideo Kawashima's body was thrown into mid-air by one hand, and then an arrow was immediately drawn and accurately fired to pin him to the high wall... This... sounded a bit terrifying and inexplicable... This had basically exceeded too much scientific knowledge, such as gravity, inertia, momentum, load-bearing capacity, and so on...
Since this time there was no excessive blood, Ran only felt a bit nauseous but no longer fearful, which greatly relieved Yun Feng. He was glad for his spontaneous change of plans. Last night in the restroom, he had specifically instructed Xiao Yu that the original plan needed to be changed immediately; the second modus operandi absolutely should not be so bloody, and preferably should occur in broad daylight. One must know that in his original plan, this time would have been even bloodier and more terrifying than the first. If Inspector Megure, Kogoro Mouri, and Conan knew that the modus operandi that had already made their minds numb was actually something Yun Feng had hastily arranged by changing the plan on the fly just so his beloved woman wouldn't be scared, one wonders what they would think...