He waited until the two people approached.
There were hundreds of villagers in front of him.
All these people were lined up, holding signs or banners and shouting loudly.
"Give us back our land!"
"Don't pollute the fish pond!"
"Give us back our clean and pure air!"
"Shut down the factory!"
"We want to tear down privileges!"
"The tyranny of the current village chief cannot be tolerated!"
Keisuke Kumiko watched from the sidelines for a while.
Then, he randomly stopped an elderly villager, around fifty or sixty years old, and pointed at the words on the sign he was holding.
"Isn't your current village chief, Kuroiwa Tatsuji, already dead?"
"Well, this was our old slogan. We've been shouting it for over a year. We got used to it a long time ago and never changed it."
The old villager responded.
Keisuke Kumiko nodded and looked back at the parade.
"What are these protests about? Can you tell me in detail?"
"Sure."
The old villager was a kind-hearted person.
He led Keisuke Kumiko to a nearby hill. After climbing up, he pointed to a group of buildings in the distance.
"Do you see that building with the chimneys over there? Three years ago, after Kuroiwa Tatsuji took office as village chief, a foreign company wanted to build a factory here. At that time, the village chief accepted bribes from the company and agreed to the factory's construction despite the entire village's opposition."
As he spoke, the old villager became very angry.
"However, after the factory was built, it kept discharging gases and wastewater! These wastes have severely polluted our land and ponds, endangering the lives, health, and safety of our entire village. It's truly outrageous!"
"I see, so that's why you're protesting."
Keisuke Kumiko looked toward the buildings in the distance.
It was a huge chemical plant, built very impressively. It was evident that the factory's owner was a businessman with a lot of capital.
He recalled that when he met Masashi Miura, she seemed to have given him the same information.
"Which company owns this factory?" Keisuke Kumiko asked casually.
"Baiwan Pharmaceutical Group. It's a very famous pharmaceutical company in the market. You may have heard of it." The old villager responded.
"It's actually quite well-known."
Keisuke Kumiko nodded.
This company had been around for more than 20 years, and most of the health care products currently on the market came from them.
Keisuke Kumiko was about to say something, but at that moment, he noticed that something seemed off with Ai beside him.
She was trembling all over, and her expression looked a little unnatural.
Keisuke Kumiko raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Did you get an upset stomach from eating expired dumplings again?"
Ai tried to stay calm and shook her head.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about some things that happened in the past."
"What is it? Can you tell me?" Keisuke Kumiko asked with interest.
Ai looked at him.
Pause.
"Do you know Baijiu Pharmaceutical?"
"Hmm, sounds familiar."
Keisuke Kumiko thought about it and felt like that name existed in the original story.
"Baijiu Pharmaceutical was the predecessor of Baiwan Pharmaceutical," Ai said slowly. "Thirty years ago, my parents worked at Baijiu Pharmaceutical and started developing drugs, but a few years later, the company suddenly shut down. I heard that a giant conglomerate drove it into bankruptcy. In the end, the company owner had to declare bankruptcy and transfer it to that conglomerate."
"I see..."
Keisuke Kumiko was thoughtful.
The super-large conglomerate Ai mentioned was probably the Karasuma Group.
Its true identity was the mastermind behind the Black Organization.
No wonder Ai had that expression.
Her attitude toward the Black Organization had always been full of fear.
"Don't worry, what you said shouldn't have anything to do with the case we're investigating this time."
Keisuke Kumiko smiled and patted Ai's head.
Ai looked at him, staring at the smile on his face.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
She returned to her usual indifferent expression.
Since Ai met Keisuke Kumiko, he had always been very confident, fearless, and had everything planned out.
She had to admit that, to some extent, that feeling had rubbed off on her.
"Excuse me, what case are you talking about?" The old villager beside them was still confused.
"The three murders that happened here before."
"Oh, you're talking about that case!"
The old villager suddenly understood and then said angrily,
"The police and detectives must have made the wrong decision! Dr. Honest is such a good person. Sometimes, he even examines and treats us for free. How could someone like that kill people?"
"Hmm..."
Keisuke Kumiko held his chin and looked at the faces of the villagers.
Then, he suddenly asked, "How many people in your village share your opinion?"
"Everyone says it! Because Dr. Honest is a good guy!"
The old villager said firmly.
"Then Dr. Honest would never kill anyone!"
"Very well."
Seeing his resolute attitude, Keisuke Kumiko nodded in satisfaction.
Then, he took out a business card and handed it to the old villager.
"I always forget to introduce myself. I'm Dr. Honest's defense attorney in this case."
The old villager took the business card.
"So you're the lawyer! Then you must stand up for the doctor!"
"I will certainly do my best."
Keisuke Kumiko looked at him and gave him his classic smile.
"But during this process, I might need a little of your help."
"No problem! If you need anything, just ask!"
Shortly after, Keisuke Kumiko explained his arrangements to the old villager and asked him to spread the word to people in other villages.
After the old villager left, Ai turned to look at him.
"You want to use these people to generate public opinion and spread all kinds of good things about Asai Narumi to create a local advantage, don't you?"
"Bingo."
Keisuke Kumiko rewarded her with a pat on the head.
Ai rolled her eyes and slapped his hand away.
"But isn't this meaningless? Because what they're doing has nothing to do with this case!"
"How is it irrelevant?" Keisuke Kumiko raised an eyebrow. "Making a good impression on the judge and jury is also important. Judges are still human. They can never be completely objective when ruling on a case. When judging uncertain matters, they often make arbitrary conclusions based on certain subjective emotions."
"I see. Alright."
Ai couldn't help but recall the previous lawsuit where Conan was sued for violating women's privacy rights and how the judge ruled on the case.
To some extent, Keisuke Kumiko truly exploited people's hearts to the extreme.
After exploring the situation on the island,
Keisuke Kumiko did a few more things.
First, he collected some soil and water from the island, as well as some rice, vegetables, and other plant-based foods, and brought them all back.
Then, he bought a hamster for experimentation.
---
(End of Chapter)