Conan: I'm Really Not Tokyo Ghost Story

Page 148

Unfortunately, perhaps due to the use of disguise, when the police went to verify the identities of the two individuals, they were confirmed to be fake.

This incident thus became an unsolved case.

...To be honest, when Conan finally discovered that the other party had used a bomb, his first thought was almost immediately No-Face.

However, that was just a gut feeling, since there were no clues. Perhaps it was because of the previous car accidents that he was a bit overly sensitive.

Conan shook his head and refocused his attention on the present moment.

Although this incident also involved a bomb thief, Conan believed that since the perpetrator specifically targeted "Shinichi Kudo," the probability of it being No-Face was close to zero, as the thief had a grudge against him.

I wonder if this guy might also be one of these extraordinary individuals...

If it were the original Conan, he might even feel excited in this situation—because the stronger the opponent, the greater the joy of victory.

But after doing this too many times... my hobby always felt like torture.

"Forget it, I'd better call the police first..."

After some hesitation, Conan decided to take out his phone.

An hour later, Inspector Megure and the other police officers, Conan, Kogoro Mouri, and the three groups of mischievous kids who were to be used as witnesses gathered in a room.

"So, that person actually admitted that he was the one who stole the Japanese gunpowder depot, and stated on the phone that he had planted a bomb, right?"

Conan nodded in response to Inspector Megure's question.

"But Conan, you did exactly what that person said, yet you didn't find any bombs, right?"

Inspector Megure asked again, and Conan nodded once more.

"That's strange. They said they planted a bomb but haven't found it, and so far there hasn't been any explosion. Could it just be a simple prank?"

Inspector Megure frowned, while Kogoro Mouri stared at Conan suspiciously: "Hey, this isn't some kind of prank you're playing, is it? If it is, you'd better admit it right now, or the consequences won't be as simple as a couple of spanks!"

"I really didn't lie..."

Conan said helplessly.

"Hey, Mori, I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush."

Inspector Megure tried to dissuade him, but he also suspected that it was Conan's prank.

It's only because Conan is a "detective intern" who has participated in many cases, and because this matter is related to the gunpowder depot theft case, that it is taken so seriously.

Besides that, there's another point that's quite concerning...

"You just said that a man wearing a hat stole your remote-controlled airplane and had a gun, right?"

As Inspector Megure's gaze shifted, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta immediately nodded in agreement: "Yeah, yeah, that person was terrifying, he almost killed us..."

Bomb, gun, wearing a hat...

Inspector Megure and Conan, among others, had brows furrowed so tightly they could trap flies.

These factors, when considered together, always evoke the image of a certain arrogant and domineering criminal.

However, in this particular incident, it seems impossible to place the other party into any role.

"Could it be that person who took the bomb?"

Conan still offered his own ideas, and Inspector Megure immediately looked at Takagi Wataru beside him: "Takagi, have you found anything?"

Takagi Wataru, who was staring at his phone, immediately replied: "Yes, according to the descriptions of people who went to the green park today, someone did indeed fire a gun into the air in the park. We also found a surveillance camera in front of the square, and we are retrieving it now... Ah, they're here!"

Takagi Wataru manipulated his phone for a while, then played a video that was about two or three minutes long for everyone to see.

The video is blurry; you can only see a figure wearing a baseball cap walk near the bench, then open the cat carrier and pet the cat.

The person petted the cat until the very end of the video, at which point they seemed to have gotten tired of it and casually tossed the cat back into their bag.

"..."

After watching the video, everyone fell silent.

"This... doesn't seem to be anything wrong."

Takagi Wataru hesitated for a moment, but still didn't say the words "He just looks a bit scummy".

"Hmm... Although the clothes are a bit off, this person is indeed wearing a baseball cap. Perhaps we can temporarily regard him as the man in the hat in the green park."

Inspector Megure attempted to analyze the situation, saying, "Even though this person has a gun, if someone really did steal gunpowder and then attempted to carry out a terrorist attack, then that person might actually be on our side."

"By the way, didn't you find any CCTV footage of the person who put this cat carrier in?"

Kogoro Mouri interjected.

"We found it, but just like the three little ones described, it was wrapped up so tightly that we couldn't see anything at all..."

Just as Conan was about to speak, his cell phone suddenly rang.

Upon seeing this, everyone present was stunned for a moment, and then their expressions instantly became serious.

Inspector Megure first signaled everyone to be quiet, and then gestured for Conan to answer the phone and turn on speakerphone.

Conan nodded solemnly, then took out his phone and pressed the answer and speakerphone buttons.

"That guy's really something, he even managed to defuse my second bomb?"

The middle-aged man on the other end of the phone sneered, "But it's time for the kids' playtime to end. Hurry up and get Kudo to come and answer the phone for me!"

Upon hearing this, Kogoro Mouri, who was standing nearby, couldn't sit still any longer. He bluntly stated that Shinichi Kudo wasn't there, and then, as the famous detective, he challenged the other side.

"Kudo isn't here? Then who defused my bomb?"

"Fine, whatever. Detective Mori, you can try this challenge. I've planted five bombs on the East Capital Loop Line."

"If the train's speed drops below 60 kilometers per hour after 4 p.m., the bomb will explode directly. In addition, if the bomb has not been defused after sunset, it will also explode."

"Here's another hint: XX of X. Each X represents a word. If you're capable, go find them, Detective Mouri."

After saying that, the person hung up the phone immediately, completely ignoring the group of people whose expressions had changed drastically.

"Damn it, if it's four o'clock, there are only a few minutes left, there's no way we'll make it!"

Inspector Megure quickly pulled out his phone: "I'll notify the headquarters first and have them stabilize the situation!"

Just as Conan received a new threat, Sano, wearing a rye vest, was standing on a rooftop with more than a dozen bombs in front of him, all of which had been defused with explosive gloves.

...It's more accurate to call them ignition devices than bombs, because each bomb contains very little explosive.

It feels like they're trying to disguise an "explosion" scene as a fire.

What exactly is this guy's goal?

"My lord, is there anything else you require?"

A dozen or so members of the outer circle dressed in black were all watching Sano cautiously.

Sano remained silent, frowning in thought as he waited quietly.

Sure enough, the system popped up another task trigger notification. Sano pulled it out and took a look, but his brows immediately furrowed.

[Please find and defuse the five bombs on the East Capital Ring Road. Completion will earn you 250 enhancement points. Time remaining for the mission: 1:59:59.]

No location...?

Do we really need to find it first this time?

Sano counted on his fingers. Judging from the current situation, Conan, that troublemaker, must have some clues or hints. If he wants to find the bomb, he probably has to contact him first.

However, this puzzle game is different from the previous murder cases. I can't play any role at all and can only wait for Conan to solve it.

The problem is whether Conan can see through the truth within the limited time available?

...According to the usual pattern, it should be possible, after all, he's the protagonist, but Sano can't be 100% sure.

If things go wrong, even if it's someone else who gets blown up, it'll be Sano who suffers the loss.

Furthermore, Sano doesn't like to place all his hopes on others.

As the saying goes, "If you rely on a tree, the tree will fall; if you rely on a person, the person will run away."

Ha, so what if there's no location or clues? Well, then we'll just have to find it ourselves. We've already defined the area for ourselves, haven't we?

Sano slightly raised his hat, a gradually manic smile playing on his lips.

Hearing Sano's uncontrollable laughter, the peripheral members present felt a chill run down their spines.

……

The so-called Toto Loop Line is a very important train line in Tokyo, which, as its name suggests, is a continuous line.

Sano didn't know any more specific information, but the total length should be less than 100 kilometers.

...Well, it's actually quite a long time. It would be very difficult for the Metropolitan Police Department to conduct a thorough investigation in a short period of time with just their limited personnel.

Another thing that puzzled Sano was that he didn't know what the Tokyo police were thinking. They didn't try to check the lines, but just stood guard at each station, evacuated the crowds, and maintained order.

Is it because they're too lazy to even try?

Are the Japanese police just sitting around doing nothing?

Sano tilted his head, feeling quite puzzled—of course, if he had called Conan, he would have found that their thinking was completely different.

Conan believed the bomb was planted on the train, while Sano focused solely on the train tracks.

But that's not important. What's important is Sano's next move.

Arriving at a track between two stations, and after changing his clothes, Sano took out his expensive racing suit and helmet from his backpack—in a real backpack—and put them on. Then he pulled out his electric scooter from another backpack.

That's right, that's Sano's plan.

Without any clues or the intelligence to locate the bomb, they had to rely on "force" to get it!

It's just a mere hundred kilometers?

One round of berserk mode is enough to check everything!

...Although Sano had already concluded after trying the rampage mode that this thing definitely could not be driven in the city, and...the risks of driving on the track were probably not much less than those of driving in the city.

But Sano had just gotten off the train at that time, so he inevitably had some lingering energy.

Or perhaps it's just because so much time has passed that Sano now feels he's ready again.

Anyway, Sano decided on this incredibly crazy, yet incredibly exciting, plan to go on a rampage.

"boom--!"