Chapter 54, Chapter 53: Swatches of Black and Red: Vermouth...

Huh? A house?

Aren't we the best junior detective club?

While the Junior Detective League was sneaking away with their older sister, Ai Haibara was pulling out the parking ticket they had registered when they entered the park from her pocket.

She had been waiting next to the professor's car with the three children, but the professor, who had gone to pay the parking fee alone, called soon after, apologetically saying that he had left the parking ticket in the car and asked Ai Haibara, who had the car keys, to bring it to him.

The girl with short brown hair sighed, climbed into the car, found the record sheet, told the three children to wait a moment, and ran to the service kiosk in the parking lot.

But would well-behaved and obedient children form a junior detective team and immerse themselves in murder cases?

Won't.

I'm sorry, Ai and the Doctor.

By the time you read this letter, I will have already embarked on the great journey of capturing the bomber.

So, when Professor Agasa, rubbing his bald head and laughing self-deprecatingly at his bad memory, returned to the car, he and Ai Haibara were greeted by a completely deserted sedan.

Professor Agasa: ...Huh?

Ai Haibara:

"Ha!" Ai Haibara laughed angrily as she instantly understood the three little ones' plan. An invisible rage raged within her, causing Professor Agasa, who was hesitating whether to make a phone call, to break out in a cold sweat.

"These three reckless guys..." The brown-haired girl clenched her fists and led Professor Agasa menacingly toward the Ferris wheel. "No need to call, Professor, they won't answer."

But fate had other plans. The anxious adult and child encountered a temporary safety barrier erected by the police near the Ferris wheel. The area near the Ferris wheel was now closed to all but one person, and large crowds were being evacuated in hushed tones.

Ai Haibara and Professor Agasa, who were going against the flow, were stopped by a dutiful police officer.

The mild-mannered inventor waved his hand helplessly and began to explain the situation to the other party. Ai Haibara, who was beside him, turned on the screen and glanced at the time. Then, taking advantage of her small size as a child, she decisively squeezed through the gap in the crowd.

We can't afford to waste any more time; there are only fifteen minutes left until the bomber's announcement.

The usually relaxed and composed tea-haired girl was jostled and stumbled by the hurried crowd. Following the location shown on her detective badge, she ran towards the Ferris wheel.

Ai Haibara glanced at the location one last time, switched from badge mode to communicator mode, and the moment she connected with Conan, she spoke:

"Edogawa, Ayumi, Tsuburaya, and Kojima ran back."

We need to find them quickly.

…

Beneath the Ferris wheel, beside the base of the installation.

Zhuge Tongzhi was squatting beside a bomb, watching Matsuda Jinpei carefully and cautiously dismantle the bomb that had been placed in front of the Ferris wheel's speed control belt, using tools that Conan had hastily gathered.

The so-called speed control belt, as the name suggests, is a mechanical device used to adjust the speed of the Ferris wheel. It is connected to the central control room through a controllable motor, so that the time required for the Ferris wheel to complete one rotation can be adjusted as needed.

Therefore, the purpose of planting the bomb here is obvious: to prevent the control room from controlling the Ferris wheel's rotation speed, thereby cutting off communication between the bomb disposal police in car 36 and ground support.

Zhuge Tongzhi gritted his teeth as he thought about it, watching intently as the curly-haired officer performed his clean and efficient actions amidst the excellent grinding sound of his teeth.

In her eyes, the transparent interior of the bomb was marked with blue and white navigation arrows of varying shades. Based on her previous bomb disposal experience, she only needed to complete each step of the dismantling task from the deepest to the shallowest.

However, Matsuda Jinpei's method differs slightly from hers in details. Whenever the blue and white arrows deviate from the navigation arrows, they will automatically replan and generate new bomb disposal steps.

"You have deviated from the route; we are replanning for you."

"A new route has been generated for you, with the travel time adjusted to 5 minutes and 42 seconds."

…

"We are replanning your system."

…

"We are replanning your system."

A blue and white navigation box pops up intermittently in the void in front of you, and each path refresh removes a few arrows, making the bomb defusal process simpler and clearer.

The bomb defusal progress bar displayed on the navigation system advanced rapidly with Matsuda Jinpei's actions, making the frizzy-haired girl next to him blink her eyes and stare at the sky.

When it comes to the best way to defuse a bomb, the only person who could teach O-do the proper procedure is probably Matsuda Jinpei.

Zhuge Tongzhi, quite proud and smug, took out a prepared tissue and wiped the sweat from the sweat of the bomb disposal genius whose face was full of focus.

Matsuda-kun, godfather!

Meanwhile, in the same mechanical control unit that controls the Ferris wheel's rotation, Kenji Hagiwara and Conan are disarming a second bomb not far away—if this bomb detonates successfully, it will completely jam the Ferris wheel's movement.

The two bombs clearly revealed the bomber's modus operandi: first, the first bomb was used to disrupt the Ferris wheel's rotation speed control, forcing the police to board the train to obtain clues about the location of the second bomb.

Then, use a second bomb to jam the Ferris wheel, causing the trap-filled carriages and the police officers inside to be stuck in mid-air. So, can the police officers, who are isolated and helpless in mid-air, land safely?

Therefore, when Kenji Hagiwara saw the location where the two bombs were installed, his expression darkened.

Perhaps his previous attempts to stop the police were merely driven by emotion and had no real reason, but now he knows full well that this is a blatant trap, a vicious scheme to force the police to their deaths using the lives of the masses.

Although it is unclear why, the two bombs, which were supposed to detonate one after the police arrived and the other after the passengers boarded the train, have now quietly lost their original coercive effect.

This was strange, but Kenji Hagiwara didn't know if the other side had any backup plans, or if this was just a bait to lower their guard.

But no matter what, he would absolutely not let Xiao Zhenping get on the Ferris wheel.

The officer with medium-length hair turned his head and wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve. After a brief pause, he continued dismantling the bombs under his command.

This bomb was far more ingeniously designed than one that simply destroyed the speed control device. Conan used the high-powered light on his watch to illuminate the bomb disposal operation, his eyes intently watching Kenji Hagiwara's movements, occasionally revealing a thoughtful expression.

Oh, I didn't know there was such a step.

The two bomb disposal experts worked steadily and swiftly. After five minutes of focused work, they successfully placed the two shattered bombs into the explosion-proof box.

Those who were experienced and those who weren't all breathed a sigh of relief at this moment, and emerged from the back of the Ferris wheel, carrying their suitcases, their bodies covered in a strong smell of engine oil.

Away from the roar of the machine overhead, Date's loud shout, amplified by the loudspeaker, was even more powerful, drowning out the noise of the crowd and reaching the four people's ears: "There is a bomb inside the Ferris wheel. Please evacuate immediately."

However, although the flow of people at the scene had clearly started to move after the warning, the venue, which was already a densely populated area, could not be cleared in a short time. Instead, it caused a traffic jam as people hurried by.

Kenji Hagiwara bent down, helped up a child who had tripped and fallen while running, handed him back to his parents who were hurriedly pushing the stroller back, and said in a serious voice, "You're welcome. Please leave here as soon as possible."

After watching the family of four squeeze back into the crowd, Kenji Hagiwara waved to Wataru Date, who was directing the scene from the loudspeaker in the control room, and gave him a thumbs up to indicate that everything was going well.

Ida Ko also gave a thumbs up. At the same time, thin streams of blue light began to flow into the chaotic crowd. The people who had rushed in were gradually guided away from the scene in the fastest and most efficient way.

The officers from the SWAT team and the First Investigation Division arrived at the scene, accompanied by officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team, who were wearing heavy bomb suits. The officers jogged toward their two superiors.

During the exchange of the professional toolbox, the detective badge in Conan's pocket emitted a beeping sound—it was Ai Haibara.

Didn't she leave with the children first? Conan, holding the badge, was puzzled for a moment, then avoided the noisy crowd and made a call in a quiet place.

"...What?" Conan raised his voice after hearing the content and said to Ai Haibara, who was panting from running, on the other end of the communication: "No, they didn't come looking for us."

"...Okay, I'll go look for it now." Conan hung up the call with a headache, turned on the real-time location on his glasses, and sure enough, he found three small red dots clustered together, moving around in the area under the Ferris wheel.

The short-armed, short-legged detective looked in the direction of the location and revealed his crescent-shaped eyes to the surging crowd in front of him.

These guys...

…

In front of Ferris wheel car number 42.

Unaware that the Junior Detective League had returned, Zhuge Tongzhi followed the two officers from the Explosives Unit to the spacious platform where the Ferris wheel carriages were accessed.

The carriage marked number 42 slowly turned into view. The six young people seemed to have temporarily put together a carriage. After the carriage door slid open automatically, they each seized the opportunity to jump onto the stands and hurriedly left this place of trouble.

Carriage 36 had just left, and the Ferris wheel in the amusement park takes about 18 minutes to complete one rotation. At this point, the speed was adjusted to the fastest setting in the control room, and it was estimated that we would be off in about 9 more minutes.

Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji, having changed into their bomb suits, were explaining the details of the mission to their deputy. Zhuge Tongzhi listened to Hagiwara Kenji's calm voice as he laid out the action plan, and glanced up at the man's composed expression.

After the struggle just now, he seemed to have accepted the arrangement of waiting for the address prompt below.

...No way they'd accept that.

The girl with short black hair narrowed her eyes, but couldn't see any flaws for the time being, so she could only look away from her probing gaze.

Next waypoint: Seat 36 at the round table (incomplete)

"Please wait where you are. Countdown: 08:54:31"

Regardless of what Kenji Hagiwara plans to do, and regardless of which of the twin virgins ends up in carriage 36, she will definitely find a way to get in.

But it would take nine minutes. She grabbed the top handrail, stepped on the bottom railing to pull herself up, and casually looked down at the crowd of passengers getting off the train.

Before the entire area was scanned, several blue and white notification boxes suddenly popped up:

"Please note, a person associated with the Black Organization has been detected: Vermouth."

"Please note that your friends have been detected: Ayumi Yoshida, Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, Genta Kojima, and Ai Haibara."

Huh? Zhuge Tongzhi rubbed his eyes, looked closely, and saw four small green dots marked and a red and green cursor in the crowd.

The small green dot marked Ai Haibara is farther from the Ferris wheel and is moving closer to the small green dot marked the Detective Boys, while the cursor marked Vermouth...

The black-haired girl involuntarily leaned forward, her pupils dilating to their maximum size in her lowered eyes, reflecting the rolling crowds below the stands.

The cursor was right next to the Junior Detective League.

The silver-haired older sister was talking to her.

…

From the stands.

Curasola pulled Yoshida Ayumi back, preventing the little girl from being brushed against by the man who rushed past her.

The short-haired girl looked up, smiled at her with reliance and trust, then let go of her gently held hand and ran towards the two little boys in front of her. They were asking the surrounding pedestrians if they had noticed the strangely behaving uncle.

Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya opened his phone's photo album, pulled up a picture of the bomber he had prepared beforehand, and, together with his two friends, showed it to the passersby: "Uncles and aunties, have you seen anyone who looks like this?"

There were many police officers. While keeping an eye on the three children, Curaçao subtly glanced at the police officers maintaining order around him, quickly planning an escape route in his mind amidst the chaos.

But coincidentally, she could entrust these three children to these…people! Curaço's train of thought suddenly faltered, and she turned defensively into a fighting stance.

Upon seeing the woman in the dress clearly, her previously gentle expression immediately darkened. "Vermouth."

“Oh, it seems this isn’t what I expected.” Vermouth gracefully removed her sunglasses, a faint smile appearing on her face beneath her sun hat as she looked at the wary silver-haired woman before her. “Curaçao, it seems you know exactly what you’re doing.”

"Rum is looking for you. Why didn't you return to the organization after the mission?" Vermouth asked, flicking her blonde hair, her tone suggestive. "Is this defection?"

Curaçao's fist clenched for a moment, and her two eyes, one blue and one transparent, locked onto the blonde woman in front of her, quickly assessing her weaknesses.

However, Vermouth would never put herself in danger; there must be other members of the organization nearby.

Curaçao hesitated for a moment, and the person before her continued to ask during her silence: "Or have you discovered something else?"

"Curaçao, you were almost executed before for remembering things you shouldn't have. What is it this time that makes you refuse to return to the organization?"

Vermouth approached Curaçao, grabbing the silver-haired woman's chin with one hand. She looked at the heterochromatic eyes, born from experiments, with disgust and said coldly, "Curaçao, tell me, what did you see?"

I did see something I shouldn't have seen; I saw ale that had rejuvenated.

Curaçao twisted away Vermouth's hand that was gripping her chin, her tall stature allowing her to look down at the face that hadn't changed in over a decade.

Her time has reversed, just like you, an ageless witch.

“I did see something interesting.” Curaçao had no intention of getting into a conflict with Vermouth while the three children were around.

Following Vermouth's pressure, pretending to return to the organization might be a good solution, but Rum's surveillance of her would inevitably intensify, and leaving again would likely come at a price.

Al's identity must not be exposed; the most urgent task is to keep Vermouth in the dark.

Curaçao quickly weighed the options in his mind, gave Vermouth a deep look, and said in the enigmatic tone typical of a riddle teller, "Vermouth, you have told me everything."

“We’re only staying here to investigate, but we’ve done enough. Let’s go now.” Curaçao said as she walked towards the exit. As she brushed past the blonde woman whose expression had changed slightly, she said softly, “I’ll explain everything to Rum. I believe he’ll be satisfied.”

Upon hearing this, Vermouth's pupils contracted, and her long, slender fingernails instantly dug deep into her flesh.

Curaçao's meaningful gaze swept across her ageless face like a knife, and Vermouth knew almost instantly what the other knew.

Cool guy's identity has been exposed.

Curaçao realized that Conan was actually the shrunken Shinichi Kudo.

Vermouth felt a surge of murderous intent. She reached for the pistol hidden in her dress and turned to look at Curaçao, who was walking away from her in the direction away from the Ferris wheel.

The pistol was concealed in his sleeve, and he raised his arm to aim at the silver-haired woman's back.

Suddenly, a clear child's voice rang out in the increasingly empty space, startling both Curaçao and Vermouth.

"Wait! There are children in carriage 35!" Ai Haibara's breathless voice came from the crowd in the distance as she shouted to the black-haired girl in the stands, "Zhuge, Ayumi and the others are in there!"

Curaçao suddenly turned around. In the distance, in carriage 35, three figures staggered to their feet. The chubby figure was none other than Genta Kojima.

Children!

Curaçao ignored Vermouth and turned to run towards the Ferris wheel.

Vermouth immediately turned her gun around and fired a shot cleanly at Curaçao's back.

But the bullet made a crisp impact in mid-air, and the running silver figure was not hindered at all. Vermouth paused in her hand that was raising her gun, and saw Conan walking out of the woods beside her. The boy's soccer shoes still had lingering white smoke on them.

"Vermouth, why are you here?" Conan, who had rushed over after being notified by Zhuge Tongzhi, put his hands in his pockets, looked up at the serious-looking Vermouth, and asked bluntly, "Who exactly is that woman?"

“Cool guy.” Vermouth put away her gun with a slight headache. “What are you doing here…”

…

In the distant stands, Matsuda Jinpei, who had been unexpectedly thrown to the ground by his childhood friend, got up and looked incredulously at Hagiwara Kenji, who had just slammed the train car door shut.

"What are you doing, hagi?"

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

Author's Note: Curaçao: Let's just be a riddle-maker and get by for now.

"I know everything."

Vermouth: Oh no, she knows everything.

Kill her!

…

The three boys didn't get on the Ferris wheel on purpose.

There's no time to talk about it.

The next chapter will explain.

…

Mwah