The next morning, after waking up Yor and Anya, Qin Xiao went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
"It smells so good! Daddy!"
Anya leaned over the dining table, staring at the breakfast Qin Xiao had made, swallowing hard.
Qin Xiao's culinary skills were the result of living alone in his previous life, where one of his few hobbies was eating.
Therefore, to satisfy his own appetite, Qin Xiao had long since mastered the art of cooking to perfection.
After finishing breakfast, Qin Xiao left for work.
As soon as he stepped through the door, Qin Xiao saw Miwako Sato, the beauty of the First Investigation Division.
"Good morning, Senior Sato!"
"Good morning, Officer Qin Xiao. You can call me Miwako from now on. There's no need to call me that way anymore."
"Alright, Miwako."
Qin Xiao had expected life at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to be very busy, but after sitting in the office for an entire day, not a single case occurred.
Just as Qin Xiao was getting ready to leave for the day, the phone on Megure Juzo's desk rang.
"Hello! Is that so? We'll be right there!"
After hanging up the phone, Megure Juzo said with a grim expression, "A murder has taken place at Tropical Land! We need to rush over immediately."
When Qin Xiao heard the words "Tropical Land," the corners of his mouth twitched upward into a slight smile.
*(Isn't this the roller coaster murder case from the very first episode of Conan? This is where Shinichi Kudo's legendary journey begins!)*
With the police car speeding along, Qin Xiao and the others arrived at the crime scene within ten minutes.
The crime scene had already been cordoned off by Shinichi Kudo, and the victim's body was covered with a white sheet, with blood pooling all over the ground.
As they arrived, an officer from the Forensics Section immediately walked over.
"Inspector Megure! According to our investigation, the victim's name is Kishida, 28 years old. The cause of death was decapitation, and the woman crying over there is the victim's girlfriend, Aiko."
"The people who were riding the roller coaster with the victim at the time are those individuals over there!"
Megure Juzo's gaze followed the direction of the forensic officer's hand.
Upon seeing a familiar figure, Megure felt a mixture of relief and dismay.
On one hand, with him around, the case would be solved quickly; on the other hand, his presence always made the police look incompetent.
"Kudo-kun! Why are you here?"
"I came here with Ran, Inspector Megure. Don't worry! With me here, the culprit will definitely be caught!"
While Megure and the others were talking, Qin Xiao noticed a pale-faced girl standing beside Shinichi Kudo.
"Ran, are you alright? Let me help you over there to sit down for a moment."
Seeing Qin Xiao here, Ran Mouri's eyes instantly lit up.
"Thank you, Brother Qin Xiao."
Because Qin Xiao had been taken in by Kisaki Eri from a young age, he and Ran had grown up very close. Whenever something happened, Ran would always go to Qin Xiao for help, and coupled with his handsome looks and exceptional talent, Ran had gradually developed feelings for him over time.
The only reason she had agreed to come here with Shinichi Kudo today was because he had begged her for a long time, and since the two of them were friends, she relented.
"Brother Qin Xiao, why are you here?"
"Did you forget I became a police officer? Today is my first day on the job."
As he spoke, Qin Xiao gently helped Ran over to a nearby bench and seated her.
"Looking at how pale you are, you should sit and rest for a bit. I need to get back to work." With that, he walked back toward the crime scene.
"Kudo-kun, do you have any leads yet?"
Megure asked curiously.
Shinichi Kudo replied with absolute confidence, "I don't have any concrete leads just yet, but the culprit must be one of the people who rode the roller coaster with us."
Recalling his memories from his past life, Qin Xiao walked toward the tunnel, remembering that the crucial piece of evidence was located inside.
"It's so dark in here! There seem to be a lot of police officers outside. They aren't here to catch us, are they?"
Suddenly, the voices of a group of children echoed from ahead. Moments later, three kids appeared right in front of Qin Xiao.
Seeing Qin Xiao, the three children instantly panicked. "Mister Police Officer, please don't arrest us! We won't dare do it again next time!"
Watching the shivering children, Qin Xiao picked up Ayumi and gently comforted her.
"Don't be afraid, I'm not here to arrest you."
"Why are you kids inside this tunnel anyway?"
"We wanted to ride the roller coaster, but we didn't have money for tickets, so we came in here to see if we could sneak a ride."
"You mustn't do this next time, it's too dangerous. If you want to ride, just come find me and I'll treat you."
"Thank you, Big Brother!" Ayumi said happily.
Suddenly, Qin Xiao caught a glimpse of something flashing behind Genta and the others. He picked it up, and a smile spread across his face.
*(Found it at last. Time for me to shine.)*
With that, he led Ayumi and the other children out of the tunnel.
Back at the crime scene, the forensics team had just recovered a bloody dagger from the bag of the victim's girlfriend.
Just as they were about to take her away, Qin Xiao emerged from the tunnel.
"Wait, Inspector Megure! This young lady is not the murderer. The real culprit is someone else!"
Seeing Qin Xiao's handsome face, Shinichi Kudo suddenly felt a wave of irritation.
"Officer, please don't talk nonsense! Even I haven't figured out the answer yet, how could you possibly have found it!"
When Ayumi and the others heard Shinichi Kudo speak to Qin Xiao that way, they immediately grew indignant.
"How can you say that to Brother Qin Xiao? Just because you aren't capable enough doesn't mean others can't solve it! I think you're the real murderer!"
Megure Juzo was also quite displeased with Shinichi Kudo's remark.
Shinichi Kudo was left completely speechless by the rebuke.
Ignoring Shinichi Kudo and the others, Qin Xiao turned his attention to the suspects and began asking questions.
"May I ask what the two of you do for a living?"
The victim's girlfriend answered, "I'm a convenience store clerk, and Hitomi is a gymnast."
"And what about the two of you?" Qin Xiao looked at Gin and his companion.
"We're security guards."
Gin replied coldly.
*(Hmph! Security guards! Gin really knows how to spin a yarn!)*
"Inspector Megure, the killer is Hitomi-san!"
Hearing Qin Xiao's words, Hitomi's pupils constricted sharply.
Panicking, she blurted out, "How is that possible? I was sitting in the very front row, and the dagger wasn't even with me!"
"No, you were able to pull it off."
Qin Xiao stared intently at Hitomi, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's, making Hitomi panic even more.
"Because you are a gymnast, performing movements on a fast-moving roller coaster is not a problem for you. You removed the pearl necklace from your neck, attached a metal hook to it, and as the roller coaster entered the tunnel, you hooked it onto Mr. Kishida, using the momentum of the roller coaster to decapitate him."
Even now, Hitomi refused to confess to her crime.
"Where's the proof?! You have no proof! You're just talking nonsense!"
Hearing Hitomi's denial, Qin Xiao raised the object in his hand.
"I found this inside the tunnel. Isn't this your necklace?"