Chapter 113: Who is the Real Kuroba Toichi?
The Greenland Exhibition Center's treasure exhibition was packed with people that night.
Outside, reporters and fans completely blocked the entrance.
"I've been a Kid fan for eight years! I have to see him tonight!"
"Only eight years? I've been following him for twenty! I'd pay a fortune for an authentic Kid announcement card!"
"It doesn't matter how long you've been a fan—what matters is your dedication to Kid-sama!" a brown-haired girl shouted enthusiastically.
The chaotic scene overwhelmed the surrounding police officers. It was absolute madness.
At that moment, searchlights blazed from the rooftops of nearby buildings, and the officers received orders to establish a perimeter. The entire exhibition center went on high alert.
Inside the exhibition hall, two hundred police officers stood assembled.
Nakamori Ginzo's eyes held a hint of suspicion as he sternly surveyed his subordinates.
Natsukawa's words really did have merit.
Yes, a magician's specialty included lock-picking.
The transceivers he'd prepared might have already been unlocked by Kid.
Had Phantom Thief Kid already infiltrated their ranks?
After a moment's consideration, Nakamori Ginzo made his decision.
A thorough investigation!
Kid absolutely could not be allowed to blend in with the police force—otherwise tonight's entire operation would be meaningless.
"Listen up, men! I now suspect that Kid has already infiltrated our ranks. Although it's just a suspicion, we must eliminate all possibilities before they become problems.
Therefore, I'm ordering everyone to pair up and pull on each other's faces—hard. If it's Phantom Thief Kid in disguise, the mask will come right off!"
These words caused a slight commotion among the assembled officers.
Having served as police officers for so long, this was the first time they'd received such an unusual order.
Some veteran officers, however, nodded in understanding.
These men, like Nakamori Ginzo himself, had been pursuing Phantom Thief Kid since before his disappearance.
"Damn it!"
Kuroba Kaito broke out in a cold sweat. What an unlucky start.
Inspector Nakamori was sharper than expected. He remembered Aoko's father being more... straightforward. Who would have thought he'd come up with face-pulling as a verification method?
Even with Kaito's masterful disguise techniques, being physically unmasked was still a fatal weakness. After all, a disguise mask wasn't real skin—any forceful pull would expose the deception.
Is it that guy's doing?
That young blond man had whispered something in Inspector Nakamori's ear just before this order was given.
Who exactly is he? A detective?
Kaito's mind flashed through the faces of all the famous detectives in Japan, but he couldn't identify this person.
Blond hair... could he be a foreigner?
Since news of Natsukawa receiving the jewel from the Hatamoto family hadn't spread publicly yet, Kuroba Kaito remained completely unaware that Eternal Bloom had changed owners.
Among the officers, someone else shared similar concerns.
Jii Konosuke's expression twitched slightly beneath his disguise.
Eight years ago, when he'd assisted Toichi-sama, Inspector Nakamori hadn't been this perceptive.
Eight years have passed... Inspector Nakamori, you've really grown as an opponent!
All the officers stood in pairs, their expressions mixing hesitation with excitement.
Could their colleague standing opposite them really be Kaito Kid? How thrilling!
There was a certain excitement to it—like watching a magic trick about to be revealed.
It had to be Inspector Nakamori who thought of such a method! No wonder he was the elite inspector who'd managed to recover stolen gems from Kid more than once!
"Everyone, raise your right hands!"
Nakamori Ginzo's eyes gleamed like a predator's. "Raise your arms and face your partner!"
"Then rip off Kid's deceptive mask, officers!"
Nakamori Ginzo waved his hand with visible excitement. It felt like opening a mystery box.
Excitement, trepidation, hesitation, curiosity...
At that exact moment, someone couldn't wait any longer.
Just as all the officers were about to reach for their partners' faces, the ceiling of the exhibition hall erupted like fireworks.
The ventilation ducts hissed unexpectedly, releasing clouds of white mist.
The lights simultaneously went dark, and several smoke bombs—clearly thrown by someone—began emitting thick smoke.
Within moments, the entire hall was shrouded in white fog.
Fortunately, the exhibition center had emergency lighting systems.
The lights dimmed for only a second before all the backup lights activated.
However, the illumination was significantly reduced.
"Inspector Nakamori, you said you checked the ventilation system, so why is fog pouring in again?" Natsukawa's eye twitched as he couldn't resist complaining. "Are you even taking the protection of my jewel seriously? At this rate, I might as well have hired Uncle Mouri for security!"
The name Kogoro Mouri seemed to strike a nerve with Nakamori Ginzo. Ignoring Natsukawa's jab, he waved his hand and roared, "Start the exhaust fans immediately! Clear out all this fog!"
No one answered him. The fog filled the entire hall, and officers began collapsing like dominoes.
"Oh no—the fog contains sleeping gas!"
Nakamori Ginzo's warning was cut short as his head began spinning.
In his final conscious moments, he turned toward the jewel's owner, wanting to protect him.
But what he saw was a man wearing a gas mask.
Judging from the clothes, it was definitely Natsukawa.
But where did that gas mask come from...?
Natsukawa calmly watched Inspector Nakamori collapse to the floor.
Thank goodness he hadn't trusted Inspector Nakamori's preparations completely and brought his own gas mask. That had been the right call.
But things were developing unexpectedly.
Natsukawa looked up and saw three other figures in police uniforms still standing in the exhibition hall, unfallen.
They were all wearing gas masks too.
"Strange... there should only be two. How are there three?"
Natsukawa didn't understand, but at this point, anyone still wearing a gas mask was definitely suspicious.
No need for politeness now.
A black pistol appeared in his hand. He disengaged the safety with a practiced motion, and the weapon was ready to fire.
"Take off your masks obediently, put your hands behind your heads, and kneel down—or I'll send you straight to hell!"
Smoke continued billowing through the exhibition hall as the four masked figures stood facing each other, the floor littered with unconscious officers between them.
Natsukawa's continued consciousness was unexpected for the other three.
The sabotaged ventilation ducts, the ceiling lights going dark, the smoke bombs—all had been the work of these three individuals.
All three had added sleeping gas to their smoke, so wearing gas masks made sense for them.
So what was up with this guy? Why was he wearing a gas mask too?
However, the immediate concern wasn't Natsukawa's preparedness. Rather than questioning why he was still standing, the three masked figures were more concerned about identifying each other.
After all, there could only be one true Phantom Thief Kid.
"Is this a trap?"
One of the police officers wearing a gas mask took a step backward and tugged at his uniform.
A white cape materialized as if from nowhere—it was hard to imagine this elegant white outfit had been concealed beneath the police uniform moments ago.
White tuxedo, impeccably tailored suit, top hat forcibly adding height to bring Kid's apparent stature to nearly 190 centimeters.
The gas mask remained in place, still covering his face.
Natsukawa couldn't determine from the costume alone whether this was Kuroba Kaito or Jii Konosuke.
"Who are you? Why are you impersonating Phantom Thief Kid?"
The second figure pulled at his uniform, and within seconds had transformed into an identical white suit, also wearing a gas mask.
The scene fell into awkward silence.
Natsukawa swiveled his gun toward the last person who hadn't changed yet.
Who the hell is this guy?
"Hurry up and change already. Everyone's waiting." Natsukawa fired a warning shot at the man's feet to prove the weapon's authenticity.
This wasn't some toy gun or trick lighter.
The last man in police uniform—the one still disguised as an officer—startled visibly, taking a step back. His head drooped so his expression behind the gas mask couldn't be seen.
The two figures now dressed as Phantom Thief Kid also turned their attention to the final man, equally curious about his identity.
Jii Konosuke raised his card gun, silently aiming at the officer who hadn't yet revealed himself.
Today's events were completely beyond his expectations. He'd only just begun imitating Toichi-sama's techniques, and two others resembling the master had already appeared.
One had already transformed into Kid's appearance—so who was this person who hadn't?
Was he Toichi-sama himself? Or was he connected to whoever had caused the master's fatal accident eight years ago?
Kaito crossed his arms, his gas mask still obscuring his features, presenting an unreadable poker face.
Even now, with his face completely hidden, he remembered his father's final lesson:
A magician must always maintain a poker face.
The three pairs of eyes made the remaining officer visibly uncomfortable. Should he also pull away his uniform now to reveal a white suit underneath?
But he didn't have one!
Who could have predicted there would be two Phantom Thieves here? He couldn't solve this mystery.
But when stuck in an impossible situation, flipping the table was always a viable strategy—he was quite familiar with this tactic.
"Hmph! Phantom Thief Kid, so you really aren't dead after all!"
The policeman slowly raised his head and announced arrogantly, "How many times have I warned you not to covet the gems we want? Just how suicidal are you?!"
The moment he finished speaking, all the glass windows in the exhibition hall shattered simultaneously.
After the glass exploded inward, the thunderous roar of helicopter rotors filled the air.
One by one, men in black trench coats rappelled inside, the powerful downdraft making their coats billow dramatically.
The men in black formed neat rows in each corner of the hall, weapons drawn. The mechanical clicking of assault rifles being readied echoed ominously.
"Let me see which one of you is the real Kuroba Toichi!"
The police officer seemed to have complete control of the situation. With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked confidently toward the two Kids.
He didn't take Natsukawa seriously at all. What could a small pistol do against more than a dozen armed mercenaries with assault rifles and two helicopters providing backup?
This is a much bigger operation than even some Syndicate hits.
Natsukawa sighed, mentally confirming the officer's identity.
This guy was probably from that organization—the one Conan was always dealing with. The Black Organization.
Kaito subtly took a step backward, his eyes scanning all three masked figures carefully.
Which one left that card at my house? All three seem suspicious now.
Moreover, this so-called police officer knew about his father. Judging from his words, his father had indeed been the Phantom Thief Kid who disappeared eight years ago!
Therefore, his father's death must be connected to this man—or to the organization backing him!
End of Chapter 113
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