Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

”Bang!!”

Upon hearing the gunshot, Fang Zheng’s heart sank.

Damn it, worried about trouble, and now there’s trouble!

At the same time, Naruhodo and another reporter hurriedly left the room and headed to the spirit summoning meeting room. Fang Zheng, Akemi, and Little Ai quickly got up and followed them.

When everyone returned to the meeting room door, the entire door was tightly closed. Naruhodo knocked hard on the door, but there was no response. Then he and the reporter forcefully hit the door open and rushed inside.

At that moment, everything inside the room was fully revealed to everyone present.

In the center of the meeting room lay Kirisaki Tetsurou, drenched in blood, and a woman in a white robe stood there, back turned to everyone, holding a handgun.

”I am... murdered.”

A dark, eerie female voice echoed.

”This man... killed me...”

”Ah?!”

Seeing this, not only was Naruhodo Ryuuichi stunned, but even Akemi and Little Ai stared at the scene, unsure of what to say.

Just then, the woman with buns on her head approached.

”Step aside, I will handle this. You go call the police!”

”But...”

”Hurry, the phone is in the main house!”

Urged by the bun-headed woman, Naruhodo Ryuuichi fumbled and nodded, preparing to leave. However, at this moment, Fang Zheng’s voice suddenly rang out.

”No one moves!”

”Huh?”

Upon hearing Fang Zheng speak, everyone was momentarily stunned and turned their heads towards Fang Zheng, while the bun-headed woman frowned at him.

”What are you saying? It’s very dangerous now, you...”

”I am Fang Zheng, a special advisor from the Metropolitan Police Department.”

Fang Zheng took out his credentials from his pocket and silently showed them to everyone.

”A murder has occurred here. I will manage the crime scene, everyone stays put.”

”Don’t joke around! Right now, Master Mayu is possessed by an evil spirit. If not dealt with promptly...”

As if to verify the bun-headed woman’s words, the woman in the white robe slowly turned around with a gun in hand, covered in blood. However, besides this, what was most shocking was that her face was entirely different from Maya Ayasato’s appearance previously seen by Fang Zheng and the others; she was a completely different person!

”Eh?!”

Seeing this, the reporter beside Naruhodo took two steps back in fear and hurriedly snapped photos of her.

”Could this be the spirit of the deceased nurse possessing her?”

What nonsense.

Upon hearing the reporter’s words, Fang Zheng rolled his eyes. Although this place had spiritual energy, it was incredibly thin, making it uncertain whether any ghost would even appear, let alone possession by an evil spirit. You think this is a horror game?

Evidence is...

”Put down the gun, miss.”

Fang Zheng pulled a gun from his pocket and aimed it at the woman in white.

”I am now arresting you on suspicion of Kirisaki Tetsurou’s murder. Don’t resist, or I will shoot.”

”...”

Everyone stared at the woman in white, and facing the black muzzle, the woman hesitated for a moment before ultimately putting down her gun and standing aside obediently. Fang Zheng then stepped forward with his gun, handcuffed the woman in white, and then looked at Akemi.

”Akemi, call the police.”

At this moment, the bun-headed woman’s face turned deathly pale.

After calling the police, they soon arrived at the scene and started their investigation, and then things became straightforward.

Police found Maya Ayasato sleeping soundly behind a box behind the screen, and from the white-clad woman, gunpowder residue was discovered. Comparing ballistics confirmed that the bullet that killed Kirisaki Tetsurou indeed came from the gun in the white-clad woman’s hand. No more questions were necessary; all evidence showed this woman disguised as a spirit medium and shot Kirisaki Tetsurou.

As for her real identity and motive for killing Kirisaki Tetsurou, that will be revealed after police interrogation.

You see, this is a normal police investigation process, unlike detective novels, which first consider motives before pursuing suspects.

Although many murder cases indeed begin with examining the victim’s relationships, ultimately it’s the evidence that speaks; unlike a detective, you can’t assume someone’s motive just because you think they have one.

Since it was caught red-handed, there’s no need to say much more. The moment the evidence was conclusive, the culprit broke down and confessed everything like spilling beans from a bamboo tube. It turned out she was the nurse reported in the news as having died in a car accident. But in fact, it wasn’t her who died, but her sister.

As for herself, she was disfigured in the car accident and used her sister’s photo during the plastic surgery, hoping for a fresh start.

By the way, it’s true that the medical accident causing death was indeed due to her medication error. No wonder Kirisaki Tetsurou kept shouting that he was wronged — but unfortunately, it’s useless to say this now.

In fact, the nurse didn’t initially intend to kill Kirisaki Tetsurou. At first, she merely approached Kimiko Ayasato — that middle-aged woman with the bun hairstyle — hoping she would help set up a failed spirit medium session. Simply put, she just didn’t want Kirisaki Tetsurou to continue to pester over the matter.

However, to the nurse’s surprise, this woman was not a good person either. After learning everything, she turned around and used the nurse’s secret to blackmail her into following her demands, which was to have the nurse kill Kirisaki Tetsurou. Afterward, they would put all the blame on Maya Ayasato by claiming publicly that Maya Ayasato summoned an evil spirit that killed someone due to a spirit summoning failure. Of course, the court wouldn’t believe the story of an evil spirit committing murder, so based on physical evidence, they could surely determine it was Maya Ayasato who killed someone.

Moreover, Kimiko Ayasato threatened the nurse that if she didn’t do as she was told, she would expose the nurse’s true identity. Helplessly, the nurse had to comply with Kimiko Ayasato’s suggestion,

Their initial plan was that after everyone discovered Kirisaki Tetsurou’s death, Kimiko Ayasato would use the excuse of ”performing a ritual to banish the evil spirit, hurry and call the police” to drive others out of the room. Meanwhile, the nurse would seize the opportunity to leave the meeting room, and then set up the scene to make it look like a locked-room murder.

Unfortunately, they didn’t expect that there would be a special advisor from the Metropolitan Police Department present, who caught them red-handed. Consequently, all their subsequent plans... naturally vanished into thin air.

So this is the correct way to handle things, right? How could every time a criminal’s complicated plan succeed so perfectly?

At that moment, Fang Zheng even felt a tear-jerking impulse — it’s not easy to actually apply science on this unscientific land... it truly wasn’t easy.

As for the gun, it was something Kirisaki Tetsurou himself brought, claiming it was for self-defense if the nurse attempted to attack him. One has to admit his intuition was quite accurate, but unfortunately, his counterattack failed, and he ended up losing the first blood.

In the end, Kimiko Ayasato and the nurse were taken away by the police because one was the mastermind and the other an accomplice. The nurse, being an accessory under duress, might receive a lighter sentence, but how long Kimiko Ayasato, the mastermind, will spend in jail is up to the judgment of the heavens.

As for the others...

”I’m really grateful to you, Mr. Fang Zheng.”

Phoenix Wright was also holding Fang Zheng’s hand tightly, tears and snot all over his face. It wasn’t easy; being a lawyer for so long and finally encountering a reliable police officer was truly not easy. When he thought about the cases he handled before with Detective Itonokogiri Keisuke, Phoenix Wright could only feel... exhausted.

If every officer were as earnest and responsible as Fang Zheng, he wouldn’t have to exhaust himself in court every time.

”If you encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to seek out Phoenix Wright. I assure you I will serve you with all my heart!”

”Ah, um... I’ll see about that...”

Looking at Phoenix Wright in front of him, Fang Zheng’s mouth twitched. If he could, he wouldn’t want to be Phoenix Wright’s client; after all, this guy’s clients are almost always unfortunate souls... wrongfully accused and all.

Speaking of which, that jerk Kirisaki Tetsurou, if you want a lawyer, fine, but why choose this unlucky fellow? Now, great, there’s no need to resign, just go back to his hometown and get married.

But what’s giving Fang Zheng the biggest headache now is...

”Didn’t you say no one would die?”

Little Ai stood beside him, quietly commenting with sarcasm.

”Could it be you’re also affected by Edogawa’s Grim Reaper’s Aura?”

”... I’m telling you, this time, it wasn’t my fault, do you believe it?”

”Hehe.”

Seeing Little Ai chuckle, Fang Zheng was completely speechless.

His reputation, once so pristine, was ruined in an instant.

The problem is, it really wasn’t his fault this time. If he knew that unlucky lawyer was coming, he would have turned around and run!

After this, Fang Zheng and his group went to the police station for follow-up processing of the case. That woman, Kimiko Ayasato, was also straightforward, decisively admitting to her crime. As for the motive, according to her, it was the old family feud between branches and the main family. In Kimiko Ayasato’s eyes, her daughter Harumi was more suitable to be the Ayasato Family head than Maya Ayasato. Therefore, she attempted to frame Maya Ayasato so that Harumi could inherit the Ayasato Family...

Upon learning the truth, Maya Ayasato was exceptionally dejected. After all, she was just a teenage girl, and to be betrayed by her family... it saddened her greatly. Meanwhile, the one even more heartbroken would naturally be the little girl Harumi, as the criminal Kimiko Ayasato was her mother...

However, when leaving the police station, Maya Ayasato also expressed her gratitude to Fang Zheng, stating that if he ever needed any help with spiritual matters in the future, he could come to her... Well, honestly speaking, Fang Zheng indeed has a bit of interest in this.

After all, if he remembers correctly, Phoenix Wright’s ”deduction setting” involves some supernatural elements. For instance, that little girl Harumi once transformed into Chihiro Ayasato. Fang Zheng is particularly curious to see what would happen if these spirit medium sisters and Conan were in the same place — who would overpower whom.

But for now...

”We’re going abroad!”

After leaving the police station, Fang Zheng promptly revealed his decision to Little Ai and Akemi.

”This time, let’s go for an overseas trip!”

He has realized it thoroughly by now — within Japan, nowhere seems safe. Distancing himself from Conan only brought about Phoenix Wright. Now that Phoenix Wright is out of the picture, who knows who he might encounter next. To enjoy a peaceful holiday, Fang Zheng is determined... Japan is a land full of death, so he might as well just leave.

”To where?”

”China!”

Yes, Fang Zheng has already planned it. No matter how the Japanese mystery stories unfold, they would never feature China. This time, he might as well return home and take Akemi and Little Ai sightseeing around. This time, he shouldn’t encounter any murder cases!

In his homeland, this time, it’s secure!!