Guns and Coffee in the World of Science

Chapter 117 The Assassin in the Pupils

Inside Jingxin Café, Chen Shuo sat leisurely by the window, a newspaper in hand, his eyes drifting toward the continuous rain outside. It had been raining non-stop in Beika Town for the past two days, and the street outside the café had been washed clean and cool by the rain. There were very few pedestrians, and the café itself was much quieter than usual.

Chen Shuo took a sip of his coffee, his lips curled up slightly as he savored the moment's tranquility. The girls had all gone to school, and Chen Shuo was happy to be back in the café to while away the hours. He flipped through the newspaper in his hand, but from time to time he would look up at the hazy rain outside the window, listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the windowpane, and he felt unexpectedly comfortable.

At this moment, Maori Kogoro pushed the door open angrily, sat down opposite Chen Shuo, and cursed in a low voice: "Damn it!"

Chen Shuo had just been immersed in the rain outside the window, his leisurely and comfortable mood suddenly interrupted. He put down the newspaper and looked at his usually erratic old friend in surprise. "What's wrong? I rarely see you so angry. Who offended you?"

The usually carefree Maori Kogoro now had a rare serious expression, his eyes brimming with anger. He slammed the table hard and pointed angrily at the newspaper in Chen Shuo's hand. "That's it! This is the second time a detective has been shot and killed recently! This isn't just a random incident; it's a series of premeditated murders!"

Chen Shuo glanced down at the headline in the newspaper, his brows furrowed slightly. Maori Kogoro continued angrily, "I just called Officer Megure to ask about the case, but he flatly refused and refused to reveal anything! This is obviously..."

Chen Shuo continued what Maori Kogoro had said, his tone thoughtful, "It's obvious that there may be some unknown secrets behind this case. For example... the suspect may have some connection with the police?"

At this moment, Huihara Megumi came over with a cup of hot coffee and gently placed it in front of Maori Kogoro. She tapped her cheek, recalled and said, "Oh right, it seems that Conan saw the whole process of the first police officer's murder? He also has no clue?"

Maori Kogoro sighed, the anger in his eyes subsiding a little. He shook his head and said, "He only saw the murderer's clothes. There were no useful details at all. No wonder. The murderer acted so quickly. It was not easy to see this."

Chen Shuo took a sip of his coffee and nodded thoughtfully. "This kind of swift and efficient assassination method is indeed difficult to leave valuable clues if we can't catch them on the spot. What's more, it's raining outside, and the traces will disappear even faster. Cases like this... are difficult."

A few moments of silence passed, the only sound in the cafe being the gentle tapping of rain on the windows, creating a slightly depressing atmosphere. Maori Kogoro clenched his coffee cup, frowning, clearly still troubled by not being able to participate in the case.

---

A few days later, on a rare sunny afternoon, Chen Shuo brought Mao Lilan and Sonoko to the Rice Flower Hotel.

Today was the wedding celebration of Sara Shiratori, the sister of Metropolitan Police Department officer Shiratori. The Shiratori Group, a prestigious Japanese financial group, had heard of Chen Shuo's identity and extended a sincere invitation to him.

Of course, the invitation stated that he was attending as the head of "Jingxin Coffee." And Suzuki Sonoko, as the daughter of the Suzuki Group, was naturally one of the VIP guests.

In contrast, Haibara Ai had no interest in such a lively occasion and chose to stay in the cafe to spend a leisurely day with her sister. They walked into the spacious lobby of the hotel and happened to meet Maori Kogoro and Kisaki Eri who also came here with Conan.

As one of Tokyo's most famous detectives and lawyers, Kogoro Mouri and Eri Kisaki were also among the invited guests. Conan was already accustomed to working with Kogoro Mouri. After they met up, they prepared to go upstairs together.

As soon as he reached the elevator, Maori Kogoro couldn't help but complain in a low voice: "You really know how to pick the right time. You have to come to the celebration at this critical moment. No matter how you put it, it makes me feel so depressed..."

Kisara smiled softly and soothed him gently, "There's nothing Sara can do about it. The arrangements for this celebration were made a month ago. After all, it's just a small wedding celebration, not a formal wedding banquet. The schedule has been set long ago, so it's really hard to change it."

As they chatted, they took the elevator to the banquet's sign-in area. Maori Kogoro picked up a pen and wrote his name in the sign-in book. However, his crooked handwriting made Chen Shuo burst out laughing. He mercilessly complained, "Kogoro, even if I'm not Japanese, I can tell your handwriting is terrible."

Kisaki Eri couldn't help laughing as she watched from the side, nodding in agreement: "Yeah, this person's handwriting has always been sloppy, not neat."

Maori Kogoro immediately glared at the two of them in dissatisfaction, and retorted with an unhappy look on his face: "Humph! What do you think it's your business?"

However, when he saw Kisaki Eri's neat signature in the sign-in book, and then glanced down at Chen Shuo's beautifully written Chinese characters, he immediately felt guilty and said nothing more. Even Sonoko, the high school student, had handwriting that was much more standardized and beautiful than his, clearly the product of practice.

Sonoko covered her mouth and chuckled, patting Maori Kogoro on the shoulder: "Uncle Maori, it seems that you really should practice your calligraphy, otherwise we will laugh at you in the future."

Maori Kogoro curled his lips unwillingly and couldn't help muttering quietly: "Writing is really exquisite these days. Isn't being casual a style?..."

---

Entering the hall, the group immediately sensed the subtle atmosphere. Some guests were smiling and chatting cheerfully, while others, men and women with serious expressions, stood in a corner. Even a few men with menacing looks were whispering among themselves. The strange coexistence of these two contrasting atmospheres, joy and solemnity, in the same room, left an indescribable feeling.

Kisaki Eri looked around, raised her eyebrows slightly, and sighed softly, "I can see it at a glance. Police officers can never hide anything. It's really obvious."

Chen Shuo nodded, his eyes sweeping over the straight, professional figures, and said calmly, "Well, it's probably related to the recent case... It's really a troublesome matter."

Mao Lilan was not affected by the atmosphere at all. She suddenly smiled and pointed at the two people not far away: "But not everyone is so nervous! Look, Officer Sato and Officer Takagi are very relaxed."

Everyone followed her gaze and saw Sato Miwako, dressed in a beautiful dress, happily showing off her outfit to Takagi Wataru, seemingly forgetting her worries at work. Takagi, on the other hand, was scratching the back of his head, his face slightly flushed, clearly at a loss.

Sonoko couldn't help but chuckle and said, "It seems not all police officers are so serious! They still have their enviable moments of lightheartedness."

Suddenly, Maori Kogoro glanced across the hall and saw a familiar figure: his former boss, Odagiri Toshiro, the current Chief Inspector of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Director of the Criminal Division. His eyes lit up, and he immediately revealed a bit of excitement. He waved to Chen Shuo and the others, then quickly walked over to greet them.

Seeing this, Chen Shuo and the others gathered in a relatively empty corner, awaiting the celebration. Not long after, the lights dimmed slightly, and the spotlight slowly fell on the entrance. The bride, Shiratori Sara, walked slowly into the venue, arm in arm with her husband, as everyone watched. Dressed in a white gown, she smiled gently, elegantly, and with grace, she met the groom's gaze, their eyes filled with happiness.

The guests in the hall applauded and offered their sincere blessings. The police officers, who had been a little nervous just now, also put aside their serious expressions and immersed themselves in the warm atmosphere, raising their glasses to celebrate with the newlyweds.

Yuanzi held her face in her hands excitedly and whispered, "It's so beautiful, so romantic!"

Mao Lilan also nodded slightly, with a bit of envy in her eyes: "Yes... What a happy feeling."

---

After the ceremony, several people gathered together and chatted, the atmosphere relaxed and cheerful. At this time, Shiratori Jinzaburo came over with a stranger and greeted everyone with a smile: "Mr. Chen, Mr. Maori, thank you very much for coming. I am here to thank you all on behalf of my sister."

Maori Kogoro raised his champagne glass with a smile: "Haha, congratulations! I wish you a happy marriage."

Chen Shuo also raised his glass to congratulate Shiratori. Shiratori Renzaburo smiled and raised his glass in response, then gently led the man next to him to the front of the group and introduced him, "This is my attending physician, Fudo Kyousuke. He's a psychiatrist from Beihua Yakushino Hospital."

Fenghuo Kyosuke bowed gently and politely, acknowledging the others with a proper smile. He then turned to Maori Kogoro and extended his hand to shake his. "My name is Fenghuo, and I'm grateful for your guidance."

Maori Kogoro happily shook hands with Fudo Kyosuke and then briefly introduced the people present. Everyone nodded in greeting, and the scene seemed harmonious and harmonious.

Kisaki Eri looked at Shiratori Renzaburo with some curiosity and asked softly, "Officer Shiratori, are you seeing a psychiatrist?"

Shiratori Jinzaburo gave a wry smile and nodded, looking somewhat helpless: "I've been under a lot of pressure lately, and I feel like I need to relax." Then he approached Maori Kogoro with a mysterious look on his face and said in a low voice: "Mr. Maori, I urge you to go and have a look too. It's guaranteed to be effective."

Maori Kogoro nodded thoughtfully after hearing this, and seemed to think seriously for a few seconds: "That's true, my recent memories are all..." He was halfway through his words when he suddenly realized it, his eyes widened, and he roared: "Hey! What do you mean? You must be kidding!"

Looking at the exasperated Maori Kogoro, the people around him couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter. Conan laughed the loudest, his small shoulders shaking. But before he could laugh for two seconds, Maori Kogoro slapped him on the head: "You have no right to laugh!"

Conan covered his head and muttered in grievance. The people around him couldn't help laughing when they saw this scene. The laughter became louder and louder in the venue, and the atmosphere became warmer.