Chapter 51, Chapter 50: The Young Detectives Deployed and the Scheduled Emails...

Friends, if everything goes smoothly

We will not meet here.

—Hai Zi

Although for primary school students whose schoolwork is not too heavy, the holiday after school should be a relaxing and leisurely time.

But for the Junior Detective League, this will be the beginning of a great adventure!

Shortly after the start of the holidays, the three children went on trips with their families. Conan and Zhuge Tongzhi went to Osaka with Kogoro Mouri, while Ai Haibara, who no longer had to waste time at school, stayed at home and focused on reproducing the data of APTX4869.

Therefore, when the elementary school students once again followed the call of the detective badge and gathered at Professor Agasa's house, it was already the morning of the third day after the bomber's wanted poster was issued.

Since Conan handed the liquor to Ai Haibara, the busy little scientist has made some breakthroughs, but her attitude towards Conan has not improved at all.

Along with them, Zhuge Tongzhi, who had been making daily trips to the Mori family's house without fail for the past few days, was also sidelined. The girl with messy hair was currently typing on her phone, her brows furrowed tightly.

Ai Haibara looked away from the black-haired girl in the orange hoodie and took a sip of the warm black tea beside her—she had switched to drinking this ever since Professor Agasa secretly hid the coffee machine in protest against her staying up late.

As she swallowed a sip of tea, the rich aroma and astringency spread between her lips and teeth. She then browsed through the document Conan had sent her, scanning the lines of objective and even coldly objective self-descriptions, and couldn't help but purse her lips.

Although Conan was unwilling to reveal the person's identity and the document's editing time was unknown, Ai Haibara quickly listed Zhuge Tongzhi as a subject of observation.

Suspected of shrinking, possessing extensive knowledge, and having this document only after going to Osaka with Conan... all sorts of doubts unfolded in my mind, finally converging into a question mark pointing to Zhuge Tongzhi's identity.

However, if this document was written after she personally tested the drug, Ai Haibara felt somewhat uncertain. Writing reflects a person's personality and orientation, so this completely unemotional record seemed far removed from her true self.

Besides shooting, Gin's favorite poison is one that is difficult to detect after killing someone; it's not impossible that it could be used against other traitors who have been dealt with.

The girl with short brown hair closed the document page, half-closed her eyes, and slowly drank the tea that was getting colder in her cup.

No rush, she'll find the answer herself.

The doorbell at Professor Agasa's house rang urgently and repeatedly, and the excited voices of Ayumi Yoshida and the others came from outside the window: "Ai/Haibara! We're here!"

"I told you, just press it once." Ai Haibara said, jumping off the bar stool to open the door when the doorbell rang for the first time. As she passed the sofa in the doctor's house, she handed the self-written document to Zhuge Tongzhi, who was organizing it for Noah's Ark. Zhuge Tongzhi was putting down his phone and rubbing his forehead in distress.

I'm so anxious! Why haven't they found the bomber yet?!

Three days have passed since the arrest warrant was issued, yet there's still no result. Are the police officers in the Metropolitan Police Department just sitting around doing nothing?! Zhuge Tongzhi vented all his anger on the pillow in his hands, but after kneading and shaping it, he could only helplessly admit it.

Perhaps this is the irresistible inertia of plot-driven deaths.

After all, even Noah's Ark, which conducted a 72-hour continuous, full-band surveillance search over three days, failed to find the bomber. Of course, this also highlights the drawback of Japan's current limited surveillance coverage.

After the search yielded no results, Hiroki Sawada used algorithmic simulations to determine several of the most likely hiding places of the other party, and Noah's Ark was used to airdrop another search mission. The police also listened to the advice and went to investigate on-site.

But they still found nothing; that scumbag vanished without a trace, as if evaporated into thin air.

What should I do? Do I really have to wait four years? Zhuge Tongzhi bit her lip hard, and suddenly felt the sofa on both sides of her sink in. A clear child's voice, full of concern, rang in her ears.

"Kiri-chan, what are you worried about?" Yoshida Ayumi pulled Haibara Ai's hand and sat down between the two friends she hadn't seen in a long time. With her other hand, she pressed down on Zhuge Tongzhi's hand, which was tightly gripping the sofa cushion, and patted it reassuringly.

"She's worried about why the bomber hasn't been caught yet." Conan, who had moved to the other side, leaned back on the sofa, yawning and mumbling, "Zhuge, it's only the third day. We'll have news soon."

At Zhuge Tongzhi's request, the itinerary for the past two days has been to track down the bomber. After running around the city all day, he was bombarded with anxious text messages from the girl last night, and he feels like he hasn't woken up at all.

"Please, it's been three days already!" The girl, who was now extremely sensitive to time, folded the poor pillow 180 degrees and pressed it tightly together, gritting her teeth as she said, "I really hope that scumbag was hit by a car, otherwise we wouldn't have heard from him now."

"Hey, I told you, curses are useless." Conan flashed a half-moon eye and took a cup of black tea from Professor Agasa. The girl next to him, who had been frantic, quickly calmed down when the tea was handed to her, took the cup with both hands, and thanked him.

"Phew—" Zhuge Tongzhi took a sip of black tea and let out a long breath, calming down slightly.

She turned to look at Yoshida Ayumi. The young detectives had planned to go to the amusement park after they returned, but she wasn't in the mood for fun right now. She could only apologize and say, "I'm sorry, Ayumi, I want to continue investigating this matter today."

Ayumi Yoshida was currently hissing and panting, having burned her tongue by drinking too quickly from a mouthful of hot tea. Ai Haibara pinched her cheek, looked her over, and then went to pour her some ice water.

Upon hearing this, the short-haired girl with the headband grabbed Zhuge Tongzhi's hands and said with a slight lisp, "Tong-chan, we'll go investigate with you!"

Ai Haibara, who had returned, handed the girl ice water. Ayumi Yoshida took a sip as instructed and held it in her mouth to relieve the pain. Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya and Genta Kojima, who were sitting on the sofas on either side, also chimed in in agreement: "We are the Junior Detective Club, so naturally we should act together!"

"Zhuge, let us help you." Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya placed a hand on his chest and said to his friends with the sincerity of a vow: "Many hands make light work. Maybe we can find something that you and Conan missed."

"Yeah, yeah, after we find the culprit!" Kojima Genta said, wiping his mouth as he imagined the scene of victory. He raised his hands high and cheered, "We can go out for eel rice to celebrate!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the chubby little boy received helpless half-moon eyes from his friends. He scratched his head and chuckled without realizing it.

"Genta, really. But no need." Zhuge Tongzhi was momentarily infected by the high-spirited atmosphere, and waved his hand with a smile, saying, "Aren't you all looking forward to the new activities at the amusement park? If you don't go now, you'll miss it."

“But we’re partners.” Yoshida Ayumi took another sip of ice water, shivered from the cold, put down the glass, and took Zhuge Tongzhi’s warm hand with her own, which quickly warmed up.

"A partner will never abandon anyone," she said earnestly. Then she smiled at Zhuge Tongzhi, who was slightly stunned, and repeated, "Tong-chan, let's investigate together."

“Then let’s go together.” Ai Haibara crossed her arms and leaned against the sofa, glancing down at Conan who was browsing wanted news on his phone, and said calmly to Zhuge Tongzhi, “Don’t trust Edogawa too much.”

"Hey, Ai Haibara." Conan paused, scrolling through his phone, and looked up to see Professor Agasa across from him, stroking his bushy beard and giving him a helpless yet kind smile.

"Ah... alright!" Zhuge Tongzhi didn't dwell on it too much. After thinking for a moment, he grasped Yoshida Ayumi's hand, cleared his throat, and said, "The Junior Detective League's first mission of the holiday—"

"Hunt the scum bomber! Let's go!"

She jumped off the sofa first, stretching out one hand and dangling it in the air. Ayumi Yoshida followed suit, jumping down and placing her hand on top. The two girls smiled at each other and looked at their companions, who were still in a daze.

"So you wanted to cheer him on!" Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya patted Genta Kojima on the shoulder, and the two boys ran over and took his hand, beckoning to Conan, who had put down his phone but was lounging on the sofa: "Come on, Conan!"

Even if someone like that took the drug A and shrunk, could they really write such a self-narration? Ai Haibara stood far away from the crowd, her thoughts turning for a moment, before receiving a cheerful urging from Ayumi Yoshida.

"Edogawa, it seems your mind has indeed slowed down." Ai Haibara chuckled casually. She, who never liked participating in such childish activities, walked over and placed her hand in his. Conan, who was teased again, sighed and walked over to extend his hand as well.

"Se—no!"

Under the bright incandescent light of the living room, six hands formed a circle and clasped together, casting bright blocks of color on the coffee table like rose windows, while also covering the dark shadows like the frame of a Ferris wheel. With a ready signal, they all lifted their hands upwards, revealing the clean and tidy white tabletop under the light.

"Junior Detective League! Move out!"

Six little radish heads filed out of Professor Agasa's house, chatting excitedly about recent cases, performances, and the Kamen Rider flash mob, and headed towards the first investigation site.

There, they encountered two bomb disposal officers who had applied for investigative authority from their superiors and were temporarily involved in the investigation of the First Investigative Division. Standing next to the two officers, Date Wataru smiled and waved to the children he often encountered.

Having been transferred to Tokyo for a month and gradually getting to know the local customs and culture, Date Wataru took out the extra rubber gloves he had brought with him and naturally distributed them to the children. Then, holding his police ID, he led the group into the scene.

Elementary school detectives solving cases are a local specialty.

He understood completely.

…

Nighttime, on the highway leading out of the city.

The bomber, having packed all his belongings, was driving. The highway was temporarily reopened tonight because of a pop star's concert, and he wanted to take this opportunity to leave as soon as possible.

The intensive search over the past week has left him exhausted. The police are chasing him like mad dogs, even though he has carefully avoided all surveillance cameras and is still using his deceased cousin's ID.

The bomber thought about his daily frantic escapes from the hotel entrance where the police had been searching it for the past few days, gritted his teeth in extreme hatred, and cursed inwardly—but somehow those people always managed to find him.

The bomb at Qingchuan Tower did not take the life of a single policeman, but he was forced to flee and hide after that day, even though he could have made a living by concealing his identity.

But just two days ago, those people somehow found his identity and issued an arrest warrant, so he can no longer hide.

Damn cops!

The man, disheveled and exhausted from his travels, pounded the steering wheel, pulled out his phone amidst the blaring horn, and began composing a text message.

But it didn't matter; he gave them a gift before leaving.

The bomber was typing away at his text message, glancing occasionally at the stable highway in front of him, carefully crafting his uniquely styled riddles.

He pressed the last button, glanced one last time at the calm road, and began setting a timer for the message.

"Tomorrow will be perfect. He'll keep a close eye on the scene and make sure that policeman can't leave..." The bomber smirked maliciously, pressed the send button, and the old-fashioned phone spun a few times before displaying a message indicating successful setup.

The man looked away with satisfaction, about to look up at the road, when suddenly his vision spun around him. An unknown force struck the right side of the car, causing both him and the car to overturn and roll over.

The contents of the vehicle flew around wildly in the weightlessness. The bomber was hit and bleeding profusely from his head as the vehicle rolled around. After a few instinctive, heart-wrenching screams, he heard a loud gunshot.

A gun? Where? He instinctively started searching frantically, and in the next second, he found the answer in his vision filled with firelight—the shot had hit his gas tank.

Help! Help!

The towering flames drowned out the unspoken cry for help; no one heard it, and no one cared.

Closest to the explosion site were two men of similar height, who were frowning as they looked at the wrecked highway, where the guardrail on the side of the road had been smashed open.

Their target also fired a shot at a passing vehicle, and then, propelled by the force of the explosion, plunged into the river along with the out-of-control car, disappearing without a trace.

"...Hiro, let's deal with the scene first." Furuya Rei, whose blond hair was covered in dust, wiped the grime off his face, looked at Morofushi Kagemitsu, who was also looking serious, and then looked at a spot that was currently empty.

"If it weren't for that damn FBI, that guy wouldn't have been here!" he said in a harsh tone. He was only halfway through his sentence when his childhood friend grabbed his shoulder. The man with his eyes wide open shook his head at him.

"Zero, deal with this first." Morofushi Kagemitsu walked to the railing and looked at the turbulent river surface that had completely sunk to the bottom, with no trace of any vehicles in sight. Behind him, black smoke billowed up like the quiet moonlit night, accompanied by the approaching alarm.

He glanced at her for a moment, then said to the person next to him who was giving instructions on the phone, "We'll check the area later; she can't have gone far."

"good."

The car, which had been directly detonated, was beyond saving. After quickly treating the injured nearby, the two police officers left the scene anonymously.

A scheduled email lies quietly in the virtual mailbox.

Tomorrow is almost here.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Evil will be punished.

Not having the death penalty doesn't mean you can live a carefree life (laughs).

I love big sister Curaçao!

You have the right to choose your own color.

…

I should have time for a big update tomorrow (he's starting to make empty promises again).

Mwah