The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

"...Come out, how long are you going to stay in there?"

Using the map to monitor the small dot above, after confirming that Gin's footsteps had completely disappeared, Tang Ze finally spoke, interrupting this state of staring at each other.

Conan observed his expression, and didn't say anything for a while, as if he didn't react.

Tang Ze raised his eyebrows and dragged him to the team list. After confirming that there were no strange debuffs on him and that he was not scared silly or something, he extended his hand.

Conan turned his gaze downwards and saw the hand completely covered in black leather gloves, and he clenched it a little slowly.

"……Thanks."

Oh, so this is because the brain is taking up too much memory and the system is a bit slow.

Tang Ze understood and said nothing more. He directly pulled him out of the narrow cabinet.

"You should be thanking me." Tang Ze adjusted his movements and leaned against the locker behind him, his voice unchanged. "You're being unreasonable, kid."

No matter which script is running in Conan's mind now, Goro Akechi, as Kumail, at most shows a little appreciation for the intelligence and execution ability of this child whose identity is obviously problematic. Apart from that, he should not show any good feelings.

Therefore, Tang Ze did not return to his usual disgusting state, but just spoke coldly and with a hint of sarcasm, just like Xingchuan Teru's natural state most of the time when he used this identity.

Standing up straight, Conan looked at Goro Akechi who was standing in front of him.

Perhaps this scene was not suitable for being associated with a righteous detective, as the man was not wearing his timeless double-breasted jacket, but a solid black suit.

Black Oxford shoes, black suit pants, a black turtleneck sweater underneath a short black windbreaker with a lapel. Even though Goro Akechi wore it in a slim and stylish way, looking more like a model than a criminal, this outfit finally fits in with Conan's understanding of what the organization members would wear.

Except for this face, which looks too young even without a smile.

"Facing you, I'm just an ordinary detective. I have to use all the information I can get." Conan took a deep breath and stopped forcing himself to speak like a child. "I can only use some less than glorious methods."

Conan knew that he was taking advantage of the opponent's weakness. He was exposing himself to Gin and forcing Goro Akechi to make a choice, even though he knew that the opponent would not kill him. But for him now, he really had no better or more efficient choice.

Floating between the organization's tasks and daily life, Akechi Goro neither completely turned to the organization nor was willing to completely turn to them. Although he gave a lot of real information, he avoided answering more questions.

Conan needs a more direct and frank conversation, using the bargaining chips he already has to exchange for as much information as possible.

Like now.

"A detective who cheats and still expects his opponent to be tolerant? Well, you never lack excuses." Tang Ze crossed his arms and looked at Conan scrutinizingly, "You did it on purpose."

"Ah, I don't deny it." Perhaps because he felt that looking up at people like this lacked momentum, Conan took two steps back and leaned against the cabinet door he had just escaped from. "It's obvious that you were involved in Itakura Taku's affairs."

"uh-huh."

"You were the one who ordered lunch for his room. Even if the detective hadn't come, nothing would have happened to him. In fact, as long as the camera is found, the case will be solved even without the detective's involvement."

Conan was not discouraged by his attitude, but narrated at his own pace.

This is actually a case that does not require the involvement of a detective. The murderer brought Kogoro Mouri to the door, which only accelerated the progress of the case.

There was surveillance video at the scene. Although there were unexpected black screens and signal interruptions, it was very clear how the murderer attacked Itakura Taku and how he later returned to the scene to try to erase the traces of the crime.

On the contrary, the black screen in the middle is actually irrelevant to the case itself.

The existing evidence has formed a complete chain with no blind spots. Whether the detective comes or not will have little impact on the current status of the case.

"You secretly downloaded that surveillance footage?" Tang Ze tilted his head. "That's truly beneath your status."

Even though he had already watched the scene in another room, Tang Ze still found his action quite interesting.

Admittedly, Conan had good reasons for doing so. He had foreseen the relationship between the case and the organization in advance, and it was impossible for him to allow such content that might touch the sensitive nerves of the organization to fall into the hands of the police and increase the risk to innocent people. However, copying and concealing key evidence of the case was still a bit flexible and inconsistent with the detective principles he adhered to.

This guy has really grown up compared to when he first became a child.

"If I don't do that, it will also mysteriously disappear from the police evidence library." Conan was not mocked by him. "Not to mention, it would be easy for you to tamper with it again, right, 'Kumair'?"

After learning about this code name, Conan studied the wine Kumel for a while.

It is a relatively niche type of liqueur, originated in the Netherlands, flourished in Germany and Eastern Europe, and is a spice liqueur with a very unique flavor.

In other words, when this code name is blurted out to someone who doesn't have much professional knowledge of alcoholic beverages, most people won't even realize that it is the name of a wine.

Although it is not clear yet what principles the Black Organization uses to name these people, Conan guessed that by finding such an uncommon wine name as a code name for him, his need to conceal his identity might be higher than that of others.

——When it points to Goro Akechi, it becomes more reasonable.

"Interesting statement." Tang Ze didn't answer his question directly, staring at him without moving his eyes. "Are you saying that I will use my identity as a detective to take action against it at the police station?"

"No, I mean, you can easily deal with it without doing that." Conan's gaze also showed no intention of avoiding, "If my guess is correct, your 'ability' is related to it."

"Oh? I'd like to hear more about it." Tang Ze raised his eyebrows and made a gesture of invitation.

This isn't all playful banter. Tang Ze is genuinely curious about the script Conan has compiled for him.

Based on the scenes that Conan had witnessed in the past and the related information he had heard, Tang Ze really wanted to hear what kind of image Kumail was in his eyes.

Conan knew that if he didn't point out more key information, this master of rhetoric would never easily reveal it, so he took a deep breath.

You have to say something that is surprising enough to the other person in order to exchange what you need.

"Mental influence, hallucinations, emotional disturbances..." Conan answered directly with a firm tone, "Isn't your ability related to that?"

As Conan said this, many faces flashed before his eyes.

The other party's biological father, Shigehiko Tsuchiguchi, Matsuo Takashi who shot and killed his colleague at the TV station, and Nagato Mitsuaki who caused the fire twenty years ago...

Countless murderers and criminals who lost their composure in public for wise reasons continuously contributed highly dramatic shots to him, making their image in front of the camera more and more attractive, and even earning him the title of "Crime Nemesis".

It may be a coincidence once or twice, but if it happens every time, it would be self-deception to say that there is no human factor involved.

Among these, Goro Akechi's extremely powerful ability to stir up emotions is one aspect. To be able to produce such an effect, it is definitely not just about being able to talk and lie.

Tang Ze controlled his facial muscles, but still couldn't help but raised his eyebrows again.

He knew that Conan had a high IQ and that this guy had a strong associative ability, but it was a bit unreasonable for him to skip so much previous information and directly read out Kumail's personality in the organization.

"You did your best and used all the information you could get. You are not completely ignorant of cognitive science." Tang Ze gave a positive comment.

"Yoi Reika." Speaking of this name, Conan couldn't help but curl his fingertips and clench his fist. "Although I don't know how you did it, I think... the Yotoi Reika who was seen by the witnesses fleeing into the forest was also created by you, an 'illusion', right?"

If it can simply cause mental effects and make people hallucinate and have visual and auditory hallucinations, this ability is very powerful, but it is not enough to be used to kill people.

At least, it is impossible to leave no trace.

The only explanation for this phenomenon is the "cognitive science" that originates from the user's subjective consciousness and has sufficient reverse influence on reality and cognition.

"I've seen some unusual phenomena before," Conan euphemistically described. "Using the word 'hallucination' might not be the right word to describe it. At that level, it should already be an illusion, right? And it's an illusion that can be captured by electronic devices, photographed and recorded by cameras, and is convincing enough to be mistaken for the real thing."

Yes, this is Conan’s understanding of the completely contradictory surveillance video he saw.

It can even be said that it explains to some extent Goro Akechi's puzzling and sharp reasoning style.

Without relying on too much external force, this guy can also "transplant flowers and trees", deceiving not only human eyes but also cameras and computers. True and false, real and unreal, in his hands, they are just clay sculptures that move according to his thoughts.

"Those things, all of them, whether you gave them to the police as evidence or used them elsewhere, no one could discover your guilt because you didn't need to falsify them. You were like a puppeteer standing on high. What they saw and what they did were all controlled by you with a flick of the strings. You are undoubtedly a genius, a born liar. Because your lies are so easy to carry out."

Conan expressed his evaluation in a tone that was difficult to describe.

The footage of Yotsuba in her own life? Of course, there was no way to verify its authenticity. He believed that the people holding the camera were indeed Yotsuba and Nikaidou. It was just that their emotions were out of control, and they had fallen into a frenzy, completely unaware of the danger of their actions. No one knew what they saw.

The surveillance footage in Itakura Taku's room? Soma Ryusuke must have confirmed the victim's survival, but in his mind, it looked like Taku was tied up and lifeless. The surveillance footage wasn't what was actually happening in the room, but what Goro Akechi wanted Soma Ryusuke to see.

How did they do that? Conan, who had personally entered that world, certainly knew the reason behind it.

That world controlled by the mind can also be recorded by video and photography, right?

"A born liar." Tang Ze smiled, pulled out his two hands, and clapped slowly, "You think very highly of me."

And to a certain extent, that's absolutely true.

Although the means of achieving this vary, some are the result of cognitive space shooting, and some are fake bodies created by disguise or with the help of teammates, but Conan's statement is indeed quite essential.

Creating illusions, manipulating people's minds, and distorting other people's cognition for his own purposes are indeed Tang Ze's fundamental means of doing things.

After all, Tang Ze’s real rank is called a trickster.

"Since you know all this, you still want to bet that I won't hurt you?" After clapping a few times, Tang Ze asked in a playful tone, "Just because I won't hurt Tang Ze doesn't mean I have an obligation to protect all of his friends. Are you so sure that I won't attack you? I'm not a good person."

The core of today's performance of pretending to have nothing in it is that it is impossible for Tang Ze to really hurt Conan.

In this subtle psychological game, it can be said that Conan is cheating, but the risks involved cannot be denied.

From the perspective of identity, if Kumail is just a real alcohol who is wary of certain people, in this scenario, it would be a more reasonable choice to pull Conan out and hand him over to Gin.

When no one else knows what happened, eliminating the unstable factors will only benefit you. If the person under this layer of skin was not Tang Ze himself, even if it was Xingchuan Teru who had a worse mentality a few months ago, it is hard to say what decision he would make.

After all, it's Conan who is risking his life.

"Of course you won't hurt me. I'm confident because you must be keeping a close eye on Itakura Taku. You must know that Uncle Maori and I are involved in this case. If I dare to come here, I will most likely run into you... and that's not the point."

Conan exhaled the air from his lungs long and hard, expelling the subtle tension along with it.

He made the right bet, and this slightly risky guess hit the mark.

As long as he answers this question correctly, he will be qualified to have a conversation.

Thinking of this, Conan chose his words very carefully.

"I've already said that you're an undoubted genius and a born liar. To put it another way, you're a gifted pretender. When you want to deceive someone, no one can escape your trap... When I started matching your identities, I couldn't help but wonder, who are you really deceiving?"

The corners of Tang Ze's mouth straightened again, and Conan, noticing this, curled up the corners of his mouth instead.

"It wasn't me, it wasn't us, that you were lying to, right?"