Criminal It's You

Kudo Ran's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up waves of shock and leaving the scene in stunned silence.

All eyes turned to the young high school detective, and the atmosphere grew tense in an instant.

The two men in black coats furrowed their brows.

A high school detective... Kudo Ran?

They exchanged a glance.

Damn it, why did it have to be him?

And that idiot, how could he suddenly drop dead during the deal?

The commander of the law enforcement team frowned slightly, clearly skeptical of Kudo Ran's judgment.

"Brother Kudo, what do you mean by that? We've just confirmed through surveillance and the coroner's report that this was an accident. The victim died of cardiac arrest."

"Cardiac arrest?"

Kudo Ran sneered, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Have you ever considered why he suddenly collapsed in front of so many people? And why his health deteriorated so abruptly?"

"What are you talking about?"

The lawyer couldn't help but retort, his voice filled with anger and unease. "Are you suggesting that we caused his condition to worsen?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"We're all innocent! There's no reason for us to harm him!"

Hearing this, Kudo Ran raised his voice, as if trying to break through their doubts. "Innocent?!"

"Each of you played a role in this incident! Whether you were witnesses, customers, or tourists, you might not realize it, but this was all premeditated."

He continued his analysis, his eyes shining with rationality. He walked over to the victim, lifted the white sheet in front of everyone, and explained, "Even if it was cardiac arrest, it could have been triggered by some kind of stimulus. The terror in his pupils shows that he experienced extreme fear before his death!"

"In other words, the real culprit might be among you!"

"How can you say that?"

The JK Girl was visibly angry. "I don't even know this person. Why would I want to scare him?"

"Whether you scared him or not isn't for you to decide."

Kudo Ran cut her off and began his investigation in front of everyone. "Now, we need to retrace the sequence of events."

"Please recall if anyone was acting suspiciously or was near the victim before he collapsed."

Was anyone nearby?

The commander stepped forward. "Brother Kudo, we've already reviewed the surveillance footage. When the victim died, he was alone in the photo booth."

"So there's no way someone else could have killed him."

"No, no, no."

Kudo Ran shook his head, a cold smile on his lips. "That's exactly what the culprit wants you to think."

"Inducing cardiac arrest is actually quite simple."

"For example, through external stimuli, drugs, or other means to burden the heart, or even using small tools to achieve the goal."

Kudo Ran's voice was calm and firm, his sharp eyes scanning everyone present, searching for clues.

"But we can't ignore one fact: the victim must have experienced panic, anxiety, or shock before collapsing."

"So what? I still don't understand what you're trying to say!"

The JK Girl firmly rebutted, clearly unimpressed by Kudo Ran's reasoning.

At that moment.

The coroner walked over and whispered something to the commander.

The commander nodded, then approached Kudo Ran with a transparent bag and a phone. "Brother Kudo, take a look at this."

Kudo Ran picked up the transparent bag, which contained a small amount of golden powder.

He then opened the phone.

His gaze sharpened, and he walked over to the photo booth.

After a moment, he emerged, his expression gradually becoming one of realization.

The two men in black grew visibly nervous.

Hiss... why does this suddenly feel like a movie scene?

Su Muwan swallowed hard, a hint of excitement in her eyes.

She looked around. The real culprit... is among them!

Who could it be?!

Qin Luo glanced at the excited Su Muwan.

Based on how things usually go, could it be...

The next second.

"I know who the culprit is."

Kudo Ran slipped his hands into his pockets, his expression growing confident.

!!

Everyone was shocked.

He already... figured it out?

Kudo Ran leisurely walked into the crowd and said calmly, "I'd like to ask everyone here."

"Has anyone here come into contact with a golden powder?"

The crowd fell into silence, everyone exchanging puzzled looks, clearly confused by the sudden question.

Only a masked man raised his hand, swallowing hard, and said, "That's Nightmare Powder, right?"

Nightmare Powder?

Everyone was stunned, their expressions turning to shock.

"Exactly, Nightmare Powder."

Kudo Ran continued, "This was originally a legal drug in Cherry Blossom City. Users could fall into pleasant dreams, and it was intended to treat psychological trauma."

"But... if taken in excess, the pleasant dreams turn into nightmares, and the user can suffer cardiac arrest and die within a short time."

"Due to the high number of deaths, private purchases were banned, and it could only be taken in small doses under medical supervision."

"And we just happened to find an excessive amount of Nightmare Powder in the photo booth."

"We checked the surveillance footage. This machine was purchased yesterday for the Corgi Parade performance and was only opened to the public today."

"Once inhaled, this excessive powder is fatal. So..."

Kudo Ran's voice carried a hint of coldness. "Everyone here should know who had the opportunity to plant the excessive powder before the victim entered."

At this point.

Kudo Ran took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing. "There's no such thing as a perfect crime!"

"If someone commits a crime, they'll leave behind traces!"

"So!!!"

"With all the evidence pointing in one direction!"

As he spoke, Kudo Ran raised his finger, his gaze serious as he pointed in a specific direction.

In the crowd.

The two men in black grew increasingly nervous.

One of them whispered to the other, "Boss, what do we do? If they find out we planted the stuff..."

The other clenched his fist. "Don't worry. If it comes to that, we'll fight our way out."

As they spoke, their hands moved toward their waists.

The next second.

"The culprit!"

Kudo Ran shouted, "It's you!!!"

Boom!!!

Everyone was shocked!!!

They all turned to look in the direction Kudo Ran was pointing.

Su Muwan did the same, her head swiveling left and right.

The culprit? The culprit? Where is it?

But...

When she realized everyone was looking at her.

Su Muwan froze.

She shifted slightly, and everyone's gaze followed her movement.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Boom!!!

A thunderclap struck Su Muwan's heart.

She pointed at herself, her expression one of utter shock as she looked around at the crowd, screaming internally.

Wait?!

The culprit... is me??!

Qin Luo shrugged. Well, of course it turned out this way.

The two men in black were stunned: ?