Chapter 251
Of all the people, Mr. Nakajima was the one who most wanted to get the file box as soon as possible.
He thought the moment he needed to stay calm most today was when he exchanged keys with his trading partner—but now that a bunch of police officers were standing in front of him, he felt his legs shaking.
When Mr. Nakajima finalized this deal with his trading partner, he had no idea that he was going to entertain the famous detective Kogoro Sleeping Today, nor did he know that a terrorist attack would suddenly occur, causing the police to rush over as well.
He felt that he hadn't prepared himself mentally enough.
So when the police came and called them over, he was terrified, afraid that his betrayal of the list had been exposed... Surely not? There was an explosion all around, would the police even care about a nobody like him?
With such anticipation, Mr. Nakajima nervously walked to the front desk.
Little did he know that among his colleagues was someone even more anxious than him: Mr. Takeshita.
After all, Mr. Nakajima was just trading with someone and selling the list of programmers, but Mr. Takeshita secretly switched the file box that Mr. Nakajima had stored there—he hoped that Mr. Nakajima would be blown up as soon as he opened the box, so he put a bomb in the box.
He had expected this to happen at least after he got off work that evening, but it suddenly happened earlier... and there were so many police officers involved...
Mr. Takeshita cursed inwardly at the terrorist who had orchestrated the attack. Why did he have to pick today of all days? It completely disrupted his plans!
Although a bomb was used, Takeshita did not feel that the explosion had anything to do with him.
After all, it's Tokyo, there are too many bombings. And how could he possibly have imagined that after he and Mr. Nakajima swapped file cases, Mr. Nakajima would also swap file cases with someone else? This isn't a TV drama, this is too much of a coincidence.
Therefore, he was very worried, so on the way there, he asked the policeman who had called them over: "Um, about the explosion over there..."
The police officer named Ida Ko replied in a gentle tone, "We are investigating. Because there may be other bombs, we need to evacuate people as soon as possible."
Mr. Takeshita and Mr. Nakajima both secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
—This attitude means his actions haven't been exposed, right? That's good!
Then they saw that person.
There were quite a few people wearing black suits, but the first thing everyone noticed was that young man with dark hair and red eyes.
The other person's expression was indifferent, and he glanced at them listlessly, creating an oppressive atmosphere that was almost terrifying.
Mr. Nakajima: "...!!!"
When Mr. Nakajima saw this man, supposedly named Shinryu Samakawa, at the explosion site, he had a very bad feeling.
That dangerous, outlaw-like aura, that overwhelming presence, and the fact that someone who clearly has no interest in games would coincidentally appear at a game launch event—there must be another reason, right?! It's definitely not just to try out the game…
Therefore, Mr. Nakajima thought at the time that this Shinryu Samikawa might be a member of the organization he was dealing with!
After all, the two-meter-tall man who died was completely out of place with the atmosphere of the game launch event, and Hanchuan Shenliu was even more dangerous.
As for the officer called Officer Matsuda, he didn't seem like someone who liked playing video games. He was probably a corrupt cop and was called in just in case. I never expected that something would actually happen...
Now that the deal has fallen through, are they planning to take his money back?
But the failed trade wasn't his fault...
Moreover, Mr. Nakajima secretly suspected that the death of his trading partner might be related to the person in front of him. After all, they were from the same organization, but there was internal strife, and it wasn't impossible that he would seize the opportunity to silence him.
Wouldn't it be a huge injustice if he didn't get the money because of that?
Mr. Nakajima felt wronged.
Mr. Takeshita, who had a guilty conscience, also had his own interpretation.
Good heavens, could this be Moriarty, the one who sold me the perfect murder plan?!
What's going on here?
Wait, could it be that the explosion was part of another criminal scheme that Moriarty sold, and now that it's affected his plans, he's coming to "sell it" as after-sales service?
What merit does he possess? As things stand, his plan can continue; it hasn't failed at all!
Is it really okay for Moriarty's advisor to be here? Did the police really not react?
As the group watched Han Chuan Shenliu slowly walk towards them, he said calmly, "We just encountered a terrorist attack. Your club president has a meeting. Now, take your luggage and go find your president."
Everyone:"……?"
Huh? Why is this person in charge? Where are the police?
They looked at the police officers beside them and found that they were either looking down at their phones, discussing something among themselves, or smiling at them.
How eerie, really eerie.
We didn't know, and we didn't dare to ask. They could only awkwardly rush to the front desk to collect their stored packages one by one.
Mr. Nakajima and Mr. Takeshita were the most nervous.
Mr. Nakajima, in particular, was the last one to take his number. As soon as he took out his number, several people in the know began to frown.
Everyone deposited together, and it should have been in the nineties or so, but he pulled out something in the hundred-somethings...
Mr. Nakajima's back was all wet.
According to the original plan, when he retrieved his stored luggage, he would definitely separate from acquaintances, and no one would care what number he was. But now...
Of the three suspects, the most innocent one was the most outspoken: "Well, now that we've collected our things, let's go find the club president for a meeting?"
After something like this happened, a meeting was definitely going to be held, but he didn't suspect anything.
Seeing that someone had taken the lead, Mr. Nakajima and Mr. Takeshita quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, thank you officers, you've worked hard. We'll be leaving now, so as not to disturb you any longer..."
Conan Edogawa couldn't help but keep glancing towards Shinryu Sakkawa.
Are we really going to let them leave like this? Is it really necessary to be so blatantly protective?!
Just as Inspector Megure was about to speak up, Shinryu Samikawa finally spoke.
"etc."
Mr. Nakajima and Mr. Takeshita's hearts sank.
“Mr. Nakajima,” Shinryu Kazukawa said slowly and deliberately, “please give me your file folder.”
Mr. Takeshita: "...???"
His bomb is still inside! What does this mean?! Why come to stop his plan?!
Mr. Nakajima: "...!!!"
The money he received is still in there! What does this mean?! The transaction is void?! Or is he planning to double-cross him?!
No wonder they made him take the file box in front of so many police officers; they were just taking advantage of his fear of being called out, weren't they?!
The two people, feeling they had been tricked, simultaneously revealed a look of slight resistance and fear in their eyes.
In the silence, Hanchuan Shenliu repeated, "Please give it to me."
He emphasized the honorifics, making it sound strangely sarcastic, as if he were threatening someone.
Mr. Nakajima gritted his teeth, not daring to argue with this guy who was planning to double-cross him in front of the police. He could only accept that he had suffered a loss and reluctantly handed over the file box in his hand.
Han Chuan Shenliu picked up the file box and was about to open it.
At this point, Mr. Takeshita could no longer hold back and immediately shouted, "Stop!"
But Hankawa Shinryu wouldn't listen to him. With a click, Takeshita-san turned and tried to escape, but was caught by Date Wataru, who was blocking his way.
Inspector Megure was still bewildered: "What's going on? Why is he reacting like that?"
Kenji Hagiwara understood and explained, "He probably thought there was a bomb in the box."
"……ah?"
Mr. Takeshita didn't hear the explosion, so he turned his head shakily and was shocked to find that the opened file box was full of banknotes.
Suddenly, his behavior made him seem like a clown who had exposed himself.
"H-How could this be..."
The situation changed so quickly that he didn't even have time to react. Now, thinking about it carefully, if there really was a bomb inside, and the other party was indeed someone who knew about it, they definitely wouldn't have opened it...
Damn it! He exposed himself!
Why can't you just stay calm!
While Mr. Takeshita was filled with remorse, he also felt that it wasn't entirely his fault.
Because that person seemed like someone who didn't care about human life at all—not just other people's lives, but his own as well. It didn't seem like he was completely incapable of causing a group of police officers to die!
Mr. Nakajima was also dumbfounded: "Why did he think I had a bomb in my box?"
Ida Ko also understood: "He wanted to kill you, so he switched your luggage. Who knew that you didn't claim your luggage yourself, and as a result, he blew up and killed that person... He really suffered an innocent disaster."
Kenji Hagiwara chimed in, "However, the fact that they would conduct a transaction in this way probably means it's not something that can be brought to light. Now, Mr. Nakajima, please explain what you traded and who the other party is."
Mr. Nakajima wanted to argue further, but Shinryu Samikawa spoke up leisurely.
“Since Mr. Takeshita exchanged file cases with you, the key the deceased had should match Mr. Takeshita’s file case, and the number you have is clearly not the original one…”
Mr. Takeshita, who had unfortunately exposed himself, completely broke down upon hearing this: "So you guys already knew what was going on?! What was all that just now?! You even lied to us and said the explosion was a terrorist attack... What were you trying to achieve?!"
At that moment, the police officers fell silent.
Conan Edogawa, who had been secretly observing everyone, was also puzzled, and his curiosity deepened when he saw the police's reaction.
Indeed, judging from Hanchuan Shenliu's behavior, he clearly already knew the truth. Instead of slowly deducing like a detective, he could have just presented the evidence and identified the culprit. Why did he have to go through such a long and complicated process?
The police officers seemed to know something; their expressions were all subtle...
Conan Edogawa tried his best to analyze the situation, but he couldn't come up with a plausible reason. He could only stare at Inspector Megure, just like the unwilling Mr. Takeshita, waiting for an answer.
Inspector Megure ignored it: "Anyway, the case is solved. Take the person back to the Metropolitan Police Department..."
Conan Edogawa: "...???"
Inspector Megure! Is this how you try to fool me?! Not even a single explanation?!
At this moment, Kogoro Mouri, who had not yet fainted, proved his worth!
He walked up to Inspector Megure and quietly asked, "So why did you make Kanekawa do this? Couldn't you just arrest him directly?"
Conan Edogawa stayed close to Kogoro Mouri, eagerly awaiting Inspector Megure's reply.
When dealing with outsiders, Inspector Megure could handle things calmly, but when it came to his old friend Mori, with whom he often cooperated and who was also a policeman, Inspector Megure thought for a moment and decided it was best to be direct.
After all, both Suikawa Shinryu and Mouri Kogoro seem to be prone to causing trouble. Besides, it hasn't been long since they met again, and similar situations may occur in the future. Suikawa Shinryu is already easy to misunderstand, so there's really no need to cause any more accidents on matters that can be explained clearly...
Inspector Megure then spoke with difficulty: "Well... the reason is rather difficult to say."
Kogoro Mouri pressed, "What's the reason?"
Inspector Megure's face was filled with a mixture of emotions: "Toying with criminals is Hanakawa-kun's personal hobby, everyone's used to it..."
Conan Edogawa: "...???"
Kogoro Mouri: "...Playing with prisoners???"
Upon hearing this, Mr. Takeshita, who had rather sharp ears, turned around abruptly, his eyes practically blazing with fury!
"I thought I had misunderstood... but it was you, wasn't it! Advisor Moriarty! You sold me the plan because you wanted to manipulate me, and then deliberately sabotaged it?!"
Conan Edogawa: "...?!?!?!?!"
—There's so much gossip about Han Chuan Shenliu! But we can have some more! He can keep eating!
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Extra chapter tonight
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A policeman who enjoys toying with criminals... that image... emmmm...
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A rare moment of clarity for Kogoro Mouri: I want to eat melon seeds (a Chinese idiom for being out of one's mind).
Conan: Thank you, Uncle. You're the best! (Next time, another tranquilizer dart)
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