Chapter 88
Such a coincidence in this world.
Edogawa Conan’s first reaction was: Great! No need for the winner to call the police. Inspector Megure can be dispatched on the spot.
The great detective was too naive. He had underestimated the bond between Inspector Megure and Suspect An.
Hearing the girl say she didn’t want to drag the suitcase back, Inspector Megure immediately patted his chest and said, “I’ll deliver it for you. It just so happens that I also need to discuss the revised wedding security plan with Muranaka. It’s best to add a security check at the entrance and purchase some metal detectors.”
Manual security checks also had to be arranged. For some reason, Mouri Kogoro had a strong reaction to metal detectors, especially his neck. The moment the detector touched it, it would beep wildly, which was very puzzling.
Edogawa Conan: (guiltily averts gaze.jpg)
The wedding ended hastily. Only then did An’an discover Inspector Megure’s sinister intention to save money: before the ceremony, he had announced that he would only distribute chopsticks for the feast after the newlyweds’ vows. The truth was, the First Division had not ordered any food at all!
Inspector Megure gave a forced laugh. “Because the rehearsal script for the drill only went up to the wedding crashing part.”
There was no way Officer Sato would have said the three words “I do.” The young men from the Metropolitan Police Department who had come to crash the wedding were, on the surface, participating in a drill. In reality, every one of them was determined to beat Officer Takagi to a pulp.
You’re the one who stole the flower of the Metropolitan Police Department! Unforgivable!
The expression of true feelings was the most fatal. The effect of the drill was excellent.
An’an had cooperated with the performance but hadn’t even received a single bento box as payment. When had a famous actress ever suffered such hardship?
The dark-haired girl squatted with the few children of the Junior Detective League, eating from a fruit platter that Edogawa Conan had gotten by acting cute, while sending a text message to her boyfriend, who was working overtime somewhere. [Hungry, hungry. Food, food.jpg]
A touch of tea-brown appeared in the corner of An’an’s eye. Haibara Ai had walked over at some point.
The little girl’s eyes were very complicated, as if she wanted to talk to An’an but didn’t know where to start.
An’an friendly threw a direct ball. “Sherry?”
Although Haibara was mentally prepared, she was still slightly startled. She looked left and right and lowered her voice. “You know everything?”
An’an: I’ve already said it. Hiromitsu is my loyal subject.
She also knew that Edogawa Conan had participated in the joint red-side combat meeting and had read Mentor Scotch’s masterpiece, “My Life as a Body Double in the Distillery.”
The tea-haired girl in front of her didn’t seem to have been invited by the red-side moles. That wouldn’t do. A masterpiece is written to be passed down through the ages. An’an was determined to make her respected Mentor Scotch famous!
“Add me as a friend,” the dark-haired girl said mysteriously. “I’ll show you something good.”
Haibara hesitated for a moment. The human instinct to be dominated by gossip overcame her reason. The two girls made a wicked deal in a corner.
Sherry, the high-IQ talent known as the youngest genius scientist in the Black Organization, opened the report of her former colleague, Scotch Whisky.
A simple title, which shocked Haibara for a whole year.
Her pupils quaked as she finished reading Hiromitsu’s work.
“You… you all…” Haibara took a deep breath and asked, her question piercing straight to the soul, “The report says your phone has embarrassing photos of Gin’s dark history. Is that true?”
So good at grasping the main point. As expected of a high-IQ talent. An’an generously opened her photo album. “Want to see?”
No employee who had ever worked in the Black Organization would not be interested in Gin’s dark history. None. Silver-Haired Model Bro was the true top star of the distillery.
In comparison, Rum’s embarrassing photos had no market. An’an was very disdainful. A worthless fellow!
Haibara didn’t continue watching.
She stopped at the video of Gin meowing like a cat. She had only seen the cover of the video of Gin dancing a girl group dance before her san value dropped drastically, and she had to go and wash her eyes.
The existence that could record this video was definitely beyond the human realm. It was practically a god. Haibara felt a deep sense of respect for the dark-haired girl from the bottom of her heart.
To lose to her, the distillery had not lost in vain.
“The liquidation of the organization… is it almost over?” Haibara asked in a low voice.
An’an recalled Furuya’s recent overtime intensity and nodded. “The witness protection program is being drafted. It will all be settled in a while.”
There was a long silence beside her. An’an heard the little girl say softly, “That’s great.”
The gloom that had been lingering over her for a long time had finally been pierced by the sun.
Haibara looked at the dark-haired, dark-eyed girl. They were not familiar with each other, but the girl had patiently shared a lot with her. Seeing her relieved expression, she had smiled.
Speaking of which, she and the doctor had also been following the dramas and movies that Teacher An’an had starred in.
An’an’s sleeve was gently tugged. She bent down, following Haibara’s pull. The little girl covered her mouth with one hand and whispered, “I just saw…”
…
[That’s about the situation. I can be discharged tomorrow at the earliest. It’s just a minor injury. There’s no need to worry An’an. I told her that Public Security is working overtime these few days, and I have to temporarily stay at the office.]
[I’ve made a reservation at this restaurant. Please go with An’an, Conan. You can also bring the other children. I’ll pay the bill later.]
[In short, please help me cover for it, Conan. If An’an finds out I’m injured and I didn’t tell her, she will definitely…]
“I will definitely what?”
A devil’s voice sounded from behind. Edogawa Conan’s hair stood on end, like a little kitten being grabbed by the scruff of its neck.
No, he was really being grabbed by the scruff of his neck, and in a way that he was about to be killed!
Sister An’an, calm down! the great detective shouted in his heart. There are police officers all around! Aren’t you afraid at all?
The dark-haired girl sneered.
A wise man submits to circumstances. Edogawa Conan quickly gave up his resistance and handed over his phone.
An’an took it. Her gaze fell on the word “discharged.” After a moment’s thought, the girl activated her ability.
The ability revealed Hiromitsu’s location and status before her.
An’an opened the despicable map of Beika and entered the coordinates. The navigation immediately located the destination—Beika Central Hospital.
The dark-haired, dark-eyed girl showed a very gentle smile.
Behind the cold-sweating Edogawa Conan, Haibara, having hidden her achievements and fame, left with her hands behind her back.
“Ai-chan,” Yoshida Ayumi said. “I’m so hungry. What should we eat later?”
Kojima Genta: “Eel rice! Eel rice!”
Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko: “Stop eating your eel rice all day! Let’s try something new.”
Haibara said slowly, “Don’t worry. Someone is treating us later.”
Edogawa Conan looked at the girl’s retreating back and sorrowfully made the sign of the cross.
He hoped Mr. Amuro would be safe, at least until it was time to pay the restaurant bill.
…
Beika Central Hospital, Inpatient Department.
A pair of unfortunate brothers were lying in a double room.
Furuya Rei, after sending a message to Edogawa Conan, lay back on his pillow, exhausted, and looked up at the IV drip hanging above his head.
“Two more bags,” he said.
Hiromitsu, on the other hospital bed, said, “I have half a bag left.”
Furuya: “Why do you have one and a half bags less than me?”
Hiromitsu: “Do you need me to remind you? You were the one who faced the explosion directly.”
…
Let’s turn the time back to when the wedding of Sato and Takagi was in progress. On the other side of the city, Furuya, Hiromitsu, and Kazami were chasing a fugitive.
An ordinary fugitive did not require three Public Security officers to act at the same time. During the liquidation phase of the Black Organization, the undercover Public Security officers should have been busy with work related to the distillery. Why were they all alerted by a single fugitive?
“He’s dead?” Hiromitsu asked out of the blue.
Furuya was silent for a moment, then gave a “mhm.”
That was a bomber.
Seven years ago, Hagiwara Kenji had died when a bomb that had already stopped counting down suddenly exploded while he was defusing it.
Three years ago, Matsuda Jinpei, who had transferred to the First Division to catch the bomber, had found a message left by the bomber on a Ferris wheel and had died in the line of duty to get a clue for the next bomb.
The bomber had been arrested, but Furuya had forever lost his two police academy classmates.
Over the years, even though the bomber had been serving his sentence in prison, Furuya had still been monitoring his movements.
Upon suddenly receiving the news that the bomber had escaped from prison, Furuya and Hiromitsu had immediately dropped their work and had chased after him without hesitation.
It was very strange. A prison break is not a simple matter, especially for a heavily guarded, high-profile criminal.
“Someone helped him,” in the white Mazda, Furuya stared at the panicked figure.
Hiromitsu frowned. “Is he wearing a collar around his neck?”
Furuya had also seen it. The escaped bomber had a strange collar around his neck, half pink and half sky blue.
The bright colors were completely out of place with the bomber’s dark clothing style.
Furuya felt it was a little familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen similar colors.
There was no time to hesitate. Furuya and Kazami were the first to approach the bomber. Hiromitsu was hidden in the dark, his finger on the trigger.
“Gah… uh…”
The blond Public Security officer’s figure was reflected in his pupils. The bomber made a gurgling sound in his throat. He frantically pulled at the collar around his neck, crying in fear.
Beep—
A faint beeping sound. No one heard it. The switch on the collar was activated. The pink and sky blue liquids slowly merged together.
BOOM—!!!
The rising flames sent the two Public Security officers flying. Furuya rolled on the ground, his pupils constricting.
Half of Kazami’s body was thrown by the heat wave, dangling precariously from the edge of a railing.
Furuya gritted his teeth and pushed himself up, pulling Kazami back with all his might.
A dark figure appeared in the flames.
A man in a black robe, wearing a Grim Reaper mask, was holding a collar identical to the one on the bomber’s neck and walking towards Furuya step by step.
The blond Public Security officer was desperately trying to save Kazami, who was about to fall. He had no free hands to take out his gun.
The collar was getting closer and closer, about to lock around his neck.
BANG!
BANG, BANG, BANG!
Four consecutive bullets tore through the flames. The man in the black robe was startled.
Hiromitsu’s eyes were icy. He fired again and again without hesitation.
The man in the black robe dodged the bullets in a sorry state. He threw down the collar with hatred. The two different colored liquids in the collar merged together and exploded again.
The successive explosions sent dust flying all over the building. The man in the black robe took the opportunity to escape. Hiromitsu was caught in the heat wave of the explosion and had to give up the chase. The three Public Security officers were all sent to the hospital.
Kazami was more seriously injured and needed a single room to recuperate. Furuya and Hiromitsu were in a better condition and were arranged in a room together for an IV drip.
“The test report shows that the collar contains a unique liquid bomb. The explosion occurs when the two different colored liquids merge.”
The bomber had died in an explosion. What an ironic ending, and one he deserved.
“Zero, why did the man in the black robe want to put a collar bomb on you?” Hiromitsu didn’t understand.
He had been hidden in the dark. The man in the black robe didn’t know there was support. In that situation, the other party could have just shot Furuya directly. Why go through all the trouble?
Furuya stared at the IV drip hanging above his head. His thoughts gradually cleared in the constantly falling drops. He opened his mouth and said, “November 6th, the Shibuya commercial and residential building. Do you remember?”
Hiromitsu was taken aback. He searched his memories and quickly found the memory of that day.
On this day, the four members of the police academy group had arranged to pay their respects to Hagiwara. On their way back, they had found a commercial and residential building in Shibuya surrounded by the police.
The few police officers had naturally gone forward to help. Furuya and Matsuda had found a kidnapped Russian in the building—not the kind-hearted Russian An’an knew, but an unlucky Russian—who had told them: “Run!”
Furuya and Matsuda had then found a suspicious man in a black robe and a new type of bomb in a room inside.
“The same liquid bomb as today,” Furuya said.
At that time, Matsuda had stayed behind to defuse the bomb. Furuya had gone to chase the culprit, and Hiromitsu had also followed.
The three of them had gathered on the rooftop. At a critical moment, Hiromitsu had shot the man in the black robe in the right shoulder, and a flower of blood had bloomed.
The man in the black robe had abandoned his gun and fled, and had never shown his face again.
“The man in the black robe’s codename is Plamya. He’s an internationally wanted criminal, skilled at making bombs, and has caused many tragic cases with his bombs, with countless victims,” Furuya said, recounting the information that Public Security had later found.
“Since that day, Plamya’s bomb-making ability has greatly deteriorated.”
A shot to the right shoulder is very fatal for someone who needs to make bombs with precision.
Furuya: “To want to put a collar on me instead of a fatal shot, Plamya’s motive is already very obvious.”
Revenge.
Only revenge.
“In that case, the person who attracts Plamya’s hatred the most seems to be me,” Hiromitsu said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and sighed. “It’s really a good time to be alive.”
Otherwise, he would have had to come and find him in hell.
“Don’t jinx yourself,” Furuya said, dissatisfied. “Plamya saw your face and almost got shot by you again. Hiro, you have to be careful.”
The hatred value has probably been maxed out.
Hiromitsu knew the stakes. Being passive was not their style. Maybe he could use himself as bait to lure Plamya out…
Hiromitsu’s half-bag of IV drip was finished. The nurse came to remove the needle.
He got out of bed and moved around, looking at his friend’s remaining one and a half bags of IV drip.
Furuya had been closer to the bombs in both explosions and was more seriously injured. Hiromitsu’s injuries were truly minor and he could have been discharged the same day. Furuya, on the other hand, was a workaholic who was putting on a brave face.
A Working Emperor is like that, unwilling to honestly recuperate in a hospital room.
Furuya had one hand on an IV drip, and the other was busy giving work instructions on his phone.
“I’ll take care of your work for the next two days,” Hiromitsu said.
Hearing this, Furuya looked at his friend in surprise.
“Why are you suddenly so kind?” the blond young man said jokingly. “Hiro, you’re not right. Did you do something to wrong me?”
Furuya’s workload was no joke. Hiromitsu’s selfless help was both heartwarming and extremely suspicious.
Hiromitsu nodded.
“You know, I have no secrets from An’an,” he said with pity. “Conversely, when she uses her ability to check my location and physical condition, I can also sense it.”
An’an rarely did this. She had always respected Mentor Scotch’s privacy.
However, she had checked Hiromitsu’s location today. Not earlier, not later, but precisely today.
When Hiromitsu’s location was at Beika Central Hospital, the girl had checked his location.
In that instant, Hiromitsu looked at his one and a half bags of IV drip less than Furuya’s, and a sense of relief from having escaped death washed over him.
He was truly a lucky person. He didn’t have to participate in the three-person movie. He didn’t have to have a name.
Hiromitsu, surrounded by a sense of happiness, was very happy to take over his friend’s work. Overtime is good! Overtime is great! Work keeps a person away from the rights and wrongs of a young couple.
Hiromitsu raised his arm and looked at the time. In Furuya’s “You betrayed me?” look of disbelief, he quickly said, “Zero, I’ll go first. You’re on your own.”
Mentor Scotch’s figure disappeared outside the hospital room. A moment later, a dark figure flashed outside the hospital room window.