The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan

"——There are less than 20 minutes left before the explosion time announced by the criminals! The children and police trapped with the bomb have not been rescued yet!"

The reporter standing in front of the camera spoke with emotion, his expression anxious and urgent, as if the people trapped in the tower were his relatives and friends.

Hyōji Motobashi, sweating profusely, raised his head and stared fiercely at the red tower in the background of the woman on the screen.

He threw aside the wiretap headphones that kept making sharp noises. He couldn't stand more noises to distract him as he had to deal with the matters in front of him.

These 20 minutes were the automatic countdown he had set long ago. He had prepared to detonate the bomb at noon today when it was installed.

But now, this time has also become his own death warrant.

After several hours of hard work, he finally dismantled most of the circuits that could detonate the bomb, and he would be able to touch the bomb soon.

As long as the bomb is consistent with his design or has a similar structure, it is only a matter of time to dismantle it.

However, now, sitting on the small space on the floor that he had finally opened up, Yoji Motohashi felt as if he was the one sitting on top, among the messy cables.

Would they, like him, set a final code on the bomb?

Or, perhaps it was a more despicable method, using the design he had continued for many years, but changing some small details in it, causing him to mistakenly disconnect the circuit that should not be disconnected or something...

Yoji Motohashi, sitting in front of the bomb, finally felt the torment he brought to the victim, and even because he was the founder of this design and the culprit who created this dilemma, this feeling was particularly painful.

Boomerangs always taste bad.

"The explosion is getting closer and closer. Time is passing by. What will be the fate of the trapped people? Will they be destroyed together with the landmarks that symbolize Tokyo? Mr. Gangster, no matter who you are, the people trapped are young policemen and elementary school children. If you can see the TV and have a little conscience, turn off the timer quickly...!"

Her sweaty hands were shaking slightly, and Yoji Motohashi turned his head and glanced at the direction of the TV with disdain.

Conscience, what conscience?

Didn't that guy foolishly fall into the trap of the police after getting the ransom and die for his conscience?

Sneering, Yoji Motohashi took a deep breath and reached out his hand towards the bomb in front of him.

He was so focused that he couldn't be distracted to notice the movement gradually quieting down on the other side of the headset.

————

"...Anyway, that's what happened. What happened seven years ago can only be said to be a misunderstanding and accident caused by chance." Takagi Wataru told Conan everything he knew, and he also felt helpless, "It could be the delay caused by the TV broadcast, or the accident during the pursuit, which caused the prisoner to die under the wheels..."

"...It's all their own stupidity." Tang Ze took over his words smoothly and answered calmly.

"Hey, Joker..." Conan lowered his voice and reminded quietly like a warning, "He can hear it now."

After rubbing the bug for an hour, Conan, who felt that the eavesdropper should not be able to continue wearing it, finally found a gap to rest for a while, but was speechless by this outrageous talk, so he had to continue to work hard to damage the bug.

"It's best if he can hear it, and I'm scolding him." Looking down at the bomb whose countdown was still moving, Tang Ze curled his lips, "Come on, they placed the bomb themselves, no one forced him to commit a crime. And let alone 7 years ago, even for current TV programs, there is a very high delay in the communication between the studio and the reporter on the scene when the live connection is made. This is common sense, and I don't know which side is more common sense."

The amount of signal transmission required for live TV broadcasts is not small. Even for various events that are claimed to be broadcast in real time, there is still a time difference of more than ten to dozens of seconds in actual viewing. Even for important occasions such as the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, due to the need to add commentary, switch lenses, etc., the delay can sometimes reach several minutes...

Ignoring the delay, the people standing in front of the camera reporting information to the public are the staff of the TV station, not the police. The police cannot ask the front-line police officers responsible for bomb disposal to report to each TV station after the bomb is dismantled. Therefore, the information and pictures broadcast by the TV station are very different from the situation on the scene. This is also something that can be understood with a little brain.

"Well, there's nothing we can do. It's impossible for TV reporters to go to the bomb disposal site in person and broadcast the specific countdown images to the outside world." Takagi Shige touched his head and said uncertainly, "The criminal just relaxed and received the news that the countdown is still going on..."

"Yeah, so I said they were stupid." Tang Ze rolled his eyelids, "Don't you know when the bomb you planted will explode? Why would you misunderstand the information on the screen? Don't you know how to count? Guess what the reporters outside are doing now. They will report all the time with excitement, just like counting the New Year. I'm afraid they will be even more excited when it's 12 noon. They can't wait to count down with the audience on the scene."

"Pfft..." Matsuda Jinpei, who was a little depressed looking at the bomb, was amused by Tang Ze's analogy, "Hey, your statement is too exaggerated."

"There's nothing we can do. This is the media." Tang Ze shrugged casually.

"You seem to dislike reporters very much." Conan, who had been observing the two of them for a while, said suddenly.

"I really don't like him very much," Tang Ze said frankly. "How can I put it this way? It's hard to like a guy who is aloof and does bad things, but every qualified reporter is this kind of person."

Although he was away from the country for a long time in his previous life, he later retired and had a lot more time to surf.

There were several colleagues from different units who died because the media failed to fulfill their obligation of confidentiality, or in other words, in order to attract attention and so-called authenticity, they exposed more details that should not be made public, which ultimately led to their sacrifice.

He did not die in the most dangerous confrontation, but died in the stupidity and contempt of his own people. It is difficult for Tang Ze to have a good impression of reporters.

"The fact that he would reactivate the bomb immediately after his accomplice died shows that he himself was near the death scene. In other words, he actually knew the ins and outs of the other party's death and knew that the police did not intentionally kill anyone and that the death was an accident. But. He still harbored resentment and immediately activated the bomb, killing people." Tang Ze changed his tone and stopped talking about himself. His voice was very calm, "So, if I have to summarize what this prisoner said..."

"He is an immature criminal who enjoys violence, is greedy and lacks moral values ​​and ego." Jinpei Matsuda, who was sitting in front of the bomb, spoke proactively. "On the surface, his attack was to vent his anger for personal grudges, but in reality, Essentially, he just enjoys the pain of others and the joy of manipulating fate and hurting others.”

"You still know this guy quite well." Karasawa tilted his head and looked at Matsuda Jinpei, who seemed to be making a case statement.

"Nonsense, I have been following this case for a long time." Matsuda Jinpei exhaled, "Not only the structure of the bomb, I also used this information to find many psychological experts, including some who are very good at profiling. People involved in criminal psychology.”

"Then it seems that yesterday, I was worried that you might have other ideas and dragged you to get to know the prisoner all day long. It was unnecessary for me." Tang Ze shrugged.

"You can't say that. I still have to thank you for leaving me enough time to summarize and draw conclusions." Matsuda Jinpei

Motohashi Yoji, although he fell short in the end and failed to capture this man's true identity, then he was the one who killed Hagiwara Kenji.

Since the case occurred seven years ago, Matsuda Jinpei has been working on this case day and night, trying to find a breakthrough for a long time.

Just because the sample only contains one case from seven years ago, it is still too difficult to find the person relying on limited information and clues.

So in the end, Matsuda Jinpei came to a slightly cruel and helpless conclusion.

——He must wait for this person to commit another crime.

"Relax." Sensing Matsuda Jinpei's mood swings, Tang Ze suddenly said, "Actually, even without our intervention, that guy can be arrested smoothly."

Matsuda Jinpei raised his head and looked at Karasawa's determined expression in surprise, then turned his head and looked at Conanmu's blank face, where the person wiping the bug was a little dazed, and the elevator car at his feet.

Just imagine if they hadn't intervened...

"A rookie policeman and a primary school student?" Matsuda Jinpei asked in surprise.

He didn't mean to be sarcastic. He knew that Joker, due to his special abilities, did have the ability to make prophecies in some respects.

Because of this, he was particularly unbelievable.

"They can indeed solve this crisis, but not just by the two of them." Karasawa shrugged his shoulders, "It is Police Officer Hagiwara who fell in front of the bomb seven years ago, did not flinch, and fulfilled his promise. It was Officer Matsuda who resolutely terminated the bomb disposal process three years ago, knowing that there was only a thin line between his life and death... and the detectives from the Investigation Section who have not forgotten every detail of this case..."

There are many more people who have devoted their efforts to this case.

Under these prerequisites, Conan and Takagi Wataru in the original plot received full support from the police, obtained the complete structure of the bomb and the steps to dismantle it, and were able to communicate smoothly with the outside world...

It was never a heroic thing.

This is what Karasawa really appreciates about these people.

"Your code name sounds a bit ridiculous at first, but I think you did a good job." Tangze smiled and finished the evaluation he had not given before, "You are indeed the trigger that set off all this. It's the switch and the trigger."

Unexpectedly, Matsuda Jinpei, who suddenly received a high evaluation, was stunned.

The smiling Karasawa didn't wait for his reaction, he just lowered his eyes and read the text that started playing on the LCD screen.

"Brave policeman, I want to praise your courage and praise you..."

————

"Takagi! Oh my gosh, your call can finally be connected! There are only ten minutes left. The situation on your side is like..."

"'Brave police officer, I want to commend you for your courage, praise you...'"

Before Sato Miwako could ask about the situation over there, Takagi Wataru's words directly interrupted her question, making her whole body stiff and unable to move.

"'3 seconds before the bomb explodes, I will display a prompt to tell you the location of another, bigger, fireworks to celebrate the end of the game. I wish you endless struggle...'"

Miwako Sato's lips began to tremble.

"Well, this is the text displayed on the LCD switchboard. Sato, you should be very familiar with it." Takagi Wataru's voice was steady and calm, with a rumbling echo caused by the small space, sounding as if he was far away in another world.

"Takagi..." She trembled and called the name on the other side, wanting to say something, but in the end she felt her throat dry and couldn't speak.

Should he give up and let him save himself first?

Or should he not give up and let him complete the mission of a policeman...

"Karaze-kun should go in your direction." Takagi Wataru said here, and suddenly changed his tone, "He just called me and said that he ran to the monitoring room while the staff of the tower were transferred away, and retrieved all the surveillance within 48 hours for comparison, and there may be some gains."

Sato Miwako, who was in a trough, suddenly raised her head, and the force was so strong that she almost hit the crossbar of the car door.

"Go and catch that guy. The detonation line has been cut off. We have tried to re-energize the switchboard. We can't leave here for the time being. We are about to end the wiretapping of him. Conan and I need to stay here to stabilize the criminal. There is not much time left for the next bomb."

"You, you mean, you have already dismantled the bomb?! Yes, yes..." Sato Miwako repeated the connecting words two or three times, but still failed to say the name directly.

Takagi Wataru took a deep breath and said carefully: "...It's a man named Trigger. Anyway, please, Sato!"

Without giving the other party a chance to continue asking, he hung up the phone and sighed.

"It sounds terrible, Officer Takagi." Conan, who was sitting opposite him, propped up his head and looked at his somewhat gray face.

Maybe it was because of Takagi Wataru's presence that Joker kept talking about other things until he left, and did not give any affirmative answer to the true identity of the man in black.

Although he looks like Matsuda Jinpei, sounds like Matsuda Jinpei, and acts more like Matsuda Jinpei... But in theory, it is indeed impossible to assert that he is Matsuda Jinpei.

However, this may cause the idea that Sato Miwako finally let go to be stranded again, and then Takagi Shigeru's feelings may be completely hopeless.

"Catching that person is also what Sato wants to do." Takagi Shigeru shook his head and straightened up again, "Actually, this is also good. Fair competition, right, so that there will be no more people who think like Yumi, misunderstanding that Sato is just empathizing because I look a bit like him."

If he is really a dead person, then he may really be unable to compete, and the current situation is not bad.

Conan shook his head and wanted to say something, but he looked down at his arms and legs, and felt boring and deflated again.

The lawsuit on his side is still unresolved, so don't go and be someone else's emotional mentor. This kind of problem should be left to Tang Ze

Conan, who had thrown off his psychological burden, said seriously: "Okay, are you ready? I'll let go."

"Well, let's start."

"Ahem! Officer Takagi, there are only three wires left, but I have something to tell you..."

————

While they were communicating about the contents of the LCD screen, Yoji Motohashi, who had put on his headphones again and was listening intermittently, was experiencing an almost synchronized horror experience.

"Cowardly criminal, you are such a pretentious guy. The fact that you can see this line of words means that you are holding your little scissors, kneeling here and trembling, and dare not make the final choice."

Yoji Motohashi, who was pressing the wire cutter on the mercury switch wiring, let out two violent gasps.

As if mocking, these sentences used a lot of complex sentence structures, and they just jumped out one word at a time, forcing him to gather here in embarrassment, full of anger, but could only wait quietly.

He could almost imagine what tone that arrogant voice would use to say such words to him, and therefore, his anger was particularly fierce.

"I have good news and bad news for you. Of course, it's up to you whether you believe it or not."

"The good news is that this is not a real bomb, it's just a little prank. Thank you for praising my sense of humor."

"Who the hell praised you!" Even though he knew that his words could not be conveyed to the person concerned, Yoji Motohashi still roared at this smug self-talk.

"The bad news is that the power of choice is not in your hands."

"Never."

"You don't have time."

After the period of this sentence flashed slowly, the text on the top of the LCD screen and the countdown below suddenly entered a synchronized state.

"10"

[00:00:10]

"9"

[00:00:09]

Yoji Motohashi's fingertips kept trembling.

This message could be true or false, or more likely it was a bluff in another sense.

But just like he imagined when he played tricks on the police, would he dare to gamble?

He watched the countdown on the screen with bloodshot eyes, until the dazzling red number reached the last second, and finally gritted his teeth and cut the line connected to the switch.

"Bang——"

"Bang——"

Two loud noises came.

The first one was the bomb in front of him.

As the thief's message mentioned, this was not a real bomb, so his action of cutting off the switch triggered it instead. A large bunch of ribbons and glitter instantly filled Motohashi Yoji's vision, causing him to cough in fear.

The second sound came from the main door of the house behind him.

It was the sound of the device prepared by the police breaking the fragile wooden door.

"Yoji Motobashi! You are under arrest!"

"Don't move, raise your hands!"

Yoji Motobashi stood up without hesitation after a shiver. As he had rehearsed many times, he crossed the mess of golden powder on the ground and rushed to the safe stairs on the balcony, ready to escape before the police rushed into the bedroom.

Before leaving the room completely, he saw a flashing red dot in the wreckage of the "bomb".

It was an old-fashioned mobile phone, exactly the same model as the one he liked to put in the bomb as a trigger.

The screen that lit up showed the alarm number, which was the "gift" provided to him by the Phantom Thieves.

The police followed it and found his exact location!