Chapter 231
"So that's it! The treasure map pointed to this place! Conan is amazing!"
Ayumi Yoshida, Conan's elementary school classmate after he shrunk, gazed happily at the fish-shaped lights on the opposite bridge: "But what kind of treasure is hidden there?"
Holding the treasure map, Conan Edogawa found the perfect angle, looked around, and finally spotted several packages hanging from the overhead beam.
He followed the rope that was hanging up to find the source and found the fixed cable near the ground. He ran over and shook it, and the package on it swayed a few times and something fell off.
The crisp sound attracted the children's attention, and several children immediately ran over to pick up the fallen items.
Wow, it's gold coins!
Conan Edogawa never expected that this seemingly random treasure map would actually contain gold coins.
But speaking of gold coins... he seemed to understand what was hidden here.
If he remembers correctly, today's news reported that an Italian robbery gang stole 15,000 gold coins in Italy, equivalent to 600 million yen. The leader, Cabané, fled to Japan and was arrested three days ago. Three accomplices are still at large, one of whom is Japanese and may be the guy who accidentally swapped bags with them at Tokyo Tower.
Because Kojima Genta thought the treasure map was fun, he secretly hid it. The Japanese man even chased after them asking if they had seen it, but it never appeared again.
That's true. After all, the treasure map is actually quite simple, just a few simple line drawings that even elementary school students could draw. The only thing to worry about is that there might be some hidden code on the paper itself, which is why the other party wants to take it back.
In short, given this amount of gold coins, it's best to call the police immediately.
"The advisor was right, the gold coins really are hidden here!"
The Japanese people they had met at Tokyo Tower during the day appeared behind them at some point, muttering unintelligible words.
"As expected of the advisor, he gave the answer so quickly after seeing the treasure map. I was worried that he might have misinterpreted it... Luckily, I didn't waste time and went directly to the advisor, otherwise someone else would have gotten there first!"
Conan Edogawa was somewhat puzzled.
Consultant? What kind of consultant?
But now is not the time to ask that. He hesitated for a moment, then quickly called out to the real elementary school students, "Run!"
The news reported that three of their accomplices were still at large! Here, there's only one!
Unfortunately, elementary school students have their limits, and they were quickly tied up by the three fugitives.
After all, they are not only adults, but also have guns. No matter how brave and reckless a primary school student is, it's already a miracle that their legs didn't buckle in fear at this moment.
However, these three people must be stupid. They've come all this way and still haven't noticed the gold coin hanging above their heads. They're still questioning these elementary school students about where the gold coin is.
"I didn't expect even elementary school students could crack the code. I should have just followed you guys instead of looking for the [Advisor]... Oh well, since you've already come this far, where are the gold coins?! Where are the gold coins?"
Conan Edogawa was somewhat speechless, but it was a good thing for them, so he used this opportunity to stall for time and extract information: "Didn't that advisor tell you?"
"...The consultant is extremely busy, how could he possibly explain in such detail?"
The Japanese man readily made an excuse for the so-called "consultant": "I was only inside for a minute. The consultant glanced at the treasure map, told me to go to the top floor of this building called 'Oni Sakura' to find what I wanted, and then he didn't say anything more. I didn't dare to ask any more questions..."
As if recalling something terrifying, the Japanese man unconsciously shuddered, his face showing awe.
After he went in, the "advisor" sat behind the table, his chair half-turned, leaving only his profile visible to him. Without looking up, he asked directly, "What is it? Just say it."
...He immediately swallowed all the pleasantries he was about to say.
I always feel like even my breathing is disturbing the other person, and I wish I could turn into a photosynthetic plant.
In order not to disturb the "advisor", he took out a piece of paper with a coded message drawn on it, carefully placed it on the table, and pushed it with his fingertip.
Before he could say anything, the "advisor" merely glanced over lazily, but then instantly revealed the location.
To be honest, he was a little skeptical at the time.
Did it take more than a second from when the consultant saw the coded message to when they reached a conclusion?
They've been painstakingly studying the code for two days now, but they haven't figured it out at all! What is it that the "Advisor" can see right through, but they just can't seem to figure it out?!
However, after the consultant gave the location, he lowered his head and continued reading, seemingly not intending to pay any more attention to him.
This confident attitude of "believe it or not" and "there's no further explanation anyway" made him very waver.
...Perhaps it's precisely because he's so capable that he can outwit the police and is respectfully called "Advisor" by everyone in the underworld.
To the "consultant," most things in the world are probably boring and obvious. He doesn't understand anything, yet he tries to use his little brain to figure out the "consultant"—it's simply overestimating his abilities!
After figuring it out, he respectfully took back the paper with the coded message drawn on it.
Then he realized that he hadn't even had a chance to ask for payment.
For the "Advisor," deciphering the code is probably as easy as listening to a joke—a mindless form of entertainment. But as the beneficiary, he can't remain silent, otherwise he worries that his followers will retaliate against him for disrespecting the "Advisor."
So he took out all the cash from his wallet, carefully placed it on the table, and then backed away to the door, finally breathing a sigh of relief as he returned to the world outside.
Although the consultant's reputation and the aura that had intimidated him earlier made him think the code might have been correctly deciphered, he still had some doubts since he hadn't actually gotten his hands on the item.
When they arrived at the location the "advisor" had mentioned, they found a bunch of kids picking up gold coins!
Praise the consultant!!!
To even doubt the "advisor" shows a lack of awareness! If it happens again, there will be absolutely no questioning!
Conan Edogawa asked, puzzled, "What's this 'advisor' you're talking about? He deciphered the code in just one minute?"
"...It was less than a minute, really just a glance."
Conan Edogawa: "...??? Are you kidding me?! This is a code that can be deciphered with just one glance?!"
Knowing that these elementary school students seemed to have found their way here by deciphering a code, the Japanese man, who hadn't dared to ask the "advisor" about the process, shamelessly inquired, "What's wrong with this code? Why can't we decipher it at a glance? Isn't it a clue to the address here?"
"...Well, this code doesn't directly tell you the address here."
Not to mention that Conan Edogawa originally intended to stall for time, he himself couldn't help but want to clarify this topic of deciphering the mystery.
"These symbols on the code... like the Tokyo Tower shape at the top, with a moon next to it, are meant to indicate that the code can only be understood at night. The shapes below are also the neon lights that illuminate on some shop signs in Tokyo, which can only be seen at night. You have to follow these signs to find this place..."
The Japanese person was completely bewildered: "Huh? So what?"
Conan Edogawa said helplessly, "So, unless he can directly visualize a map of Tokyo in his mind, or even memorize all these signs, he can only locate this building the moment he sees the code. Otherwise, even if an ordinary person understands that this is a hint for nighttime, they would still have to go out and search each shop on the street..."
The Japanese man pondered for a moment.
Conan Edogawa asked, "Did you understand?"
Although he could memorize some roads and many unique features, there was no way he could possibly memorize all the neon lights on the shops along the street! Who would have that kind of free time!
Even he, upon seeing the code, initially went in the wrong direction and didn't realize the key point: "nighttime"!
Cracking it in one second? That's something no human could do!
After pondering for a moment, the Japanese man nodded: "As expected of the [Advisor], he has an absolute photographic memory. That's why this code was no challenge for him at all!!!"
Conan Edogawa: "...Just who is this 'advisor'?!"
The Japanese person looked on with a mixture of admiration and inexplicable fear: "He was a great man, but children don't need to know."
Just then, the two Italians suddenly shouted something in Italian, which called the Japanese away.
The three of them stood there, looking up, one of them pointing upwards and saying something, as if they had finally discovered the bag hanging there.
Conan Edogawa's heart sank.
Oh no, once these people get their hands on the gold coins, they'll kill them all to silence them. They're tied up now, and if they try to escape...
Suddenly, someone tapped Conan Edogawa on the shoulder from behind and whispered something.
"Quiet, don't speak. I'm a police officer. I'm going to untie the ropes now. It's dangerous here. You'll have to leave with me right away."
Conan Edogawa was taken aback.
...He hadn't even had a chance to call the police yet, so where did the police come from?
Although somewhat confused, he immediately gave the other elementary school students a look: "Be good! Quiet!"
Several elementary school students nodded repeatedly, but their expressions unconsciously relaxed.
A moment later, they felt the ropes binding them loosen, and the policeman behind them said...
"Okay, now while they're not paying attention, quietly follow me."
Conan Edogawa couldn't help but ask, "And what about them...?"
"Someone else will solve it."
Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the person who had been looking up noticed what was happening and shouted, "Hey! Why did the kids run away?!"
Conan Edogawa acted decisively, forcefully pulling the mechanism on the ropes suspending the bags of gold coins. The next second, the three people standing under the bags were hit squarely.
Given the weight of those gold coins, they won't be able to get up anytime soon.
The policeman in charge of their rescue was stunned for a moment: "...This is really...If I had known it would be like this, I would have called two fewer people over."
A burly man in a suit emerged from the shadows: "Since we're already here... and there are three of us, one police car isn't enough to fit everyone."
"That's true, class monitor."
The police officer who rescued the child responded and then waved to the back, saying, "Come on over, it's all taken care of."
The children stared in disbelief as two more policemen appeared.
This time, Conan finally recognized one of the two police officers and couldn't help but call out, "Officer Takagi!"
"Oh, you...aren't you Mr. Mori's kid?"
Takagi Wataru grinned sheepishly and scratched his head: "What's your name again?"
Before Conan Edogawa could answer, Ayumi Yoshida excitedly blurted out her answer.
"His name is Conan! He's a detective!"
At that moment, for some reason, the other three police officers all turned to look at Conan Edogawa.
One of the policemen, with curly black hair, said speechlessly, "...Why is there yet another detective named Conan? Is this ever going to end?"
Conan Edogawa: "...???"
—What do you mean "again"? What's with that disgusted tone?! Were there any detectives named that before me?!
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I have some menstrual cramps...
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Matsuda, Hagiwara, the class president, and Takagi were called out to work overtime that night.
The class monitor had previously complained to Matsuda and the others about encountering a strange guy who claimed to be Detective Conan (Chapter 83).
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Han Chuan possesses the skill to decipher codes. He might put on an act at the Metropolitan Police Department, but he doesn't bother with it on his own turf; he can crack codes in a second.
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