53: Chapter 53 The Metropolitan Police Department Takes the Blame

Sirens wailed from afar, eventually stopping at the entrance of the Mihua Grand Hotel. The piercing sound shattered the afternoon's tranquility but couldn't dispel the scent of blood and fear hanging over the banquet hall.

Inspector Megure rushed into the banquet hall with Miwako Sato, Wataru Takagi, and dozens of officers.

As soon as they entered, a thick smell of blood hit them, making even the experienced Inspector Megure furrow his brows tightly.

The scene before them was shocking—

On the main stage, five bodies lay scattered; they were the core members of the Tomizawa Financial Group. Blood soaked the luxurious carpet, shimmering with an eerie luster under the lights.

Tetsuji Tomizawa slumped in a chair, a gruesome bullet hole in his forehead. His eyes were wide open, as if still filled with the terror and resentment he felt before death.

In the corner of the banquet hall, several bodyguards in black suits lay on the ground with obvious gunshot wounds to their chests or heads, clearly silenced during the initial conflict.

Broken wine glasses, overturned dining tables, documents and jewelry scattered everywhere... the entire banquet hall looked like it had been swept by a typhoon, a complete mess.

Most of the surviving guests huddled in corners, their faces pale and eyes vacant. Some sobbed quietly, while others stared numbly at everything before them. The air was thick with heavy fear and despair.

"Inspector Megure!"

Miwako Sato stepped forward quickly, her voice tinged with gravity.

"Preliminary assessment shows all victims died from gunshot wounds. Time of death was no more than half an hour ago.

The killers seem to have come prepared, acting swiftly and leaving behind very few traces at the scene."

Wataru Takagi held a notebook, adding as he recorded:

"We questioned a few terrified waiters. They said the killers were a group of masked men in black combat gear, about thirty of them, well-equipped, and carrying signal jammers..."

Inspector Megure took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.

Thirty people? Well-equipped? Storming into the Mihua Grand Hotel in broad daylight, committing a massacre at a wedding attended by many celebrities, and then escaping unscathed? This was a blatant provocation to the entire nation!

"Seal off the scene immediately! Notify the medical examiners and the Forensics Division to come over!"

Inspector Megure ordered in a low voice,

"Also, retrieve all hotel surveillance footage, check for suspicious vehicles and personnel, and expand the search area!"

"Yes sir!" Sato and Takagi immediately sprang into action.

However, before their work could even begin, they were surrounded by a group of furious guests.

"What is the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department good for?!"

A middle-aged man in a sophisticated suit stepped forward, pointing at Inspector Megure's nose and shouting. He was the president of a well-known Tokyo company and had nearly been hit by a stray bullet; his anger had yet to subside.

"We were held hostage for over half an hour! You only show up now? If the killers hadn't left on their own, would we all be dead here?!"

"Exactly! People outside call you 'tax thieves,' and I see they're not wrong at all!"

Another fat man chimed in; he was a member of the House of Representatives. He had been so scared he crawled under a table, and now, unable to save face, he vented his anger on the police.

"You didn't even know a group of hardened criminals slipped into Tokyo, yet you dare enjoy yourselves on taxpayers' money? I demand you solve this case immediately and give us an explanation!"

What gave Inspector Megure an even bigger headache was that several high-ranking officials of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department—including the Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department and the Chief of the Security Department—were also among the hostages.

Their faces were currently ashen, and their eyes were filled with fury as they looked at Inspector Megure.

"Megure!"

The Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department spoke coldly, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority.

"What on earth is going on? Why did this happen? Over thirty armed militants stormed a hotel to commit murder—is your intelligence network just for show?!"

"Chief, we..."

Inspector Megure tried to explain but was interrupted.

"I don't want to hear explanations!"

The Chief of the Security Department also said sharply,

"All of Tokyo's elite are watching us now! Although the Tomizawa Financial Group has a bad reputation, they are still a prominent family. For something like this to happen at their wedding, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has lost all face!"

Inspector Megure was sprayed with saliva but could only lower his head and nod repeatedly:

"Yes! Yes! We will definitely solve the case as soon as possible!"

He knew in his heart that these people dared to reprimand him so unscrupulously not just because of anger, but because of their status—everyone present was rich or powerful, and any one of them could affect his future. He simply couldn't afford to offend them.

Seeing Inspector Megure's pathetic state, most of the surviving elites just snorted coldly. Carrying their bad luck and fear, they were carefully escorted out of the banquet hall by their own bodyguards.

Although they were extremely dissatisfied with the efficiency of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, they didn't bother to argue with a "small fry" like Inspector Megure—their anger would be passed down through higher-level channels.

Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori blended into the crowd, silently observing the scene.

"Kudo, what do you think?"

Heiji Hattori asked in a low voice,

"Their equipment was too professional; they don't seem like ordinary gangsters or robbers."

Conan Edogawa nodded, his brows tightly knit:

"Their target was very clear: the core members of the Tomizawa Financial Group. The robbery was just a cover.

Moreover, they acted in an orderly fashion and retreated quickly; they are clearly a well-trained professional team. That leader, the 'Joker'... is definitely not simple."

He recalled the man wearing the Joker mask; that aura where deep-seated madness and calmness coexisted made him shiver.

This person was even more elusive than Gin from the Black Organization.

"Also, the signal jammers they used were military-grade."

Heiji Hattori added, "Ordinary criminal organizations simply can't get their hands on stuff like that."

Conan Edogawa's gaze became even more serious. Military-grade? Did they have state backing? Or was it... some massive underground organization?

On the other side, Mouri Kogoro was being supported by Mouri Ran, still trembling and muttering, "That scared me to death... I almost didn't get to see my fine wine again..."

Mouri Ran looked at him helplessly, but in her heart, she was worried if Conan Edogawa had been frightened just now.

Kudo Yusaku and Kudo Yukiko stood in a corner, talking in low voices.

"Yusaku, who do you think those people were?" Yukiko's face was also somewhat pale; clearly, the recent experience had left her shaken.

Kudo Yusaku shook his head, his eyes deep:

"Hard to say. But their methods were very clean. Although they used robbery as a disguise, their purpose was extremely focused: they were after the Tomizawa Financial Group.

The tomizawa family has many enemies, but to be able to mobilize such professional armed forces and dare to act on such an occasion... the power behind them is likely not simple."

He paused, looking toward the entrance, and added thoughtfully:

"The person wearing the Joker mask... is very interesting."

Vermouth, disguised as "Lin Long," had long since left the banquet hall amidst the chaos. She sat in a black sedan, removed her disguise, and a hint of complexity flashed in her blue eyes.

Lin Long... what exactly are you trying to do?

To eliminate the tomizawa family in such an extreme way, aren't you afraid of attracting the attention of the police and the Organization?

She took out her phone and sent a message to Lin Long: [The scene is in chaos, the police have intervened.]

Soon, Lin Long replied with two words: [Understood.]

Vermouth looked at the message and frowned slightly. This man was always so confident, as if everything was under his control.

...

The efficiency of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was "pushed" to its limit under immense pressure.

Personnel from the medical examiners and the Forensics Division quickly arrived at the scene and began investigating and gathering evidence.

Ballistics analysis, fingerprint extraction, surveillance retrieval... various tasks were carried out in an orderly manner, but the results made everyone's heart sink halfway.

The killers were clearly experts—no fingerprints or DNA were left at the scene, the bullets were specially treated and couldn't be traced, and the surveillance footage was completely disabled during the time the signal jammers were active. The only clues were the vague descriptions of "black combat gear" and "Joker masks" from a few terrified guests.

"Damn it!"

An officer from the Forensics Division couldn't help but curse, "These people are too professional; they're like ghosts!"

Inspector Megure's face grew worse as he looked at the preliminary investigation report.

No clues, no witnesses, no surveillance... this case was simply a dead end!

Sure enough, early the next morning, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department held an emergency meeting.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was oppressive, filled with cigarette smoke.

Police Superintendent General Hakuba sat in the main seat, his face ashen. He suddenly slammed the table and roared at the officers below:

"A bunch of useless trash! All of you!"

"At the Tomizawa Financial Group wedding, over thirty armed militants committed murder, killed six people, and escaped unscathed! Tell me, how did this happen?!"

Chief of Police Hakuba's voice echoed in the meeting room, filled with endless fury,

"Now look! The Prime Minister called to question us, the major Zaibatsu are applying joint pressure, and the media is tearing the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to shreds! How am I supposed to explain this to the public?!"

The officers below all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe. The Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department and the Chief of the Security Department turned even paler—they had been at the scene yesterday and were now the primary targets of the Superintendent General's "attention."

"I don't care what methods you use!"

Chief of Police Hakuba pointed at everyone and said sternly,

"Three days! I'm only giving you three days! You must find a clue to the killers, or everyone can get out!"

The meeting ended on a sour note, with everyone leaving the room under immense pressure. The entire Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department felt as if a giant boulder was crushing them, making it hard to breathe.

And this "Beika Grand Hotel Shooting" that shocked Tokyo quickly reached the ears of more factions.

Inside the FBI Tokyo office, Akai Shuichi looked at the intelligence in his hand, a sharp glint flashing in his red eyes.

"Black combat gear, military equipment, clear targets, swift action..."

Akai Shuichi muttered to himself, his fingers lightly tapping the desk, "It doesn't look like the Black Organization's style, but it's just as dangerous."

He picked up the phone and dialed Jodie's number:

"Jodie, help me check on suspicious armed militants who entered the country recently, especially those with connections to the Middle East..."

Elsewhere, Amuro Tooru (Rei Furuya) sat in Café Poirot, seemingly wiping a cup, but actually analyzing the details of the case in his mind.

"The tomizawa family wedding massacre..."

Amuro Tooru's eyes darkened, filled with anger. He loved this country deeply, and seeing someone commit murder and robbery so blatantly in this nation naturally made him very angry.

Who exactly was that mysterious person wearing the Joker mask?

Not only the FBI and the Public Security Bureau but even the Black Organization, which had been hiding in the shadows, took notice of this case.

Gin sat in his black Porsche, listening to Vodka's report, his face icy.

"The core members of the Tomizawa Financial Group were wiped out?"

Gin's voice was devoid of emotion. "Do we know who did it?"

"Not sure, Big Brother."

Vodka quickly replied, "The police have no clues. All they know is it was a group of armed militants led by someone in a Joker mask."

Gin remained silent for a few seconds, the cigarette between his fingers burning to ash.

"Have our people look into it. See what organization or individual did this."

A cold light flashed in Gin's eyes,

"Investigate. No matter who did it, find out. To dare make such a big commotion in Tokyo, they have some nerve."

"Let's see if they can be of use to us."

"Yes, Big Brother!"

The bloody wedding orchestrated by Lin Long not only completely destroyed the Tomizawa Financial Group but also acted like a stone thrown into a lake, creating ripples across various factions in Tokyo.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department was overwhelmed, the FBI and Public Security Bureau were investigating secretly, and the Black Organization had also begun to move...

And the mastermind behind all this, Lin Long, was currently sitting on the terrace of the Lin Family Manor, leisurely drinking red wine and looking at the distant sea view.

"Boss, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is being driven crazy, and the FBI and Public Security have also started to move."

Ghost's voice sounded in his ear.

Lin Long smiled, swirling the red wine in his glass:

"Let them investigate."