Chapter 126
Usaku Saiki was looking at X-ray films, while Kudo Yusaku, Hagiwara Kenji, and Matsuda Jinpei formed a small circle around him, exchanging information.
The two bomb disposal experts were naturally talking about the bomb, and they subtly implied that it didn't matter if the bomb couldn't be defused, but they had to catch the person behind it and find out where the design drawings came from.
Yusaku Kudo's main responsibility is solving cases, and his focus is not on the bomb itself. Therefore, the story focuses on the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the bomb and the client's situation.
"...Judging from the traces, it was probably brought in through the staff entrance, and one person couldn't have transported all of this alone; someone must have helped him...The ransom note demands a price that's too high, enough to buy a portion of the hotel's shares, but the cost of reconstruction, as well as the losses from not being able to operate during reconstruction, are also considerable, so the client is still hesitant."
Bo Yezaki casually remarked, "Have you already guessed?"
Yusaku Kudo raised an eyebrow, amazed by Saiki Usaba's keen insight: "I asked the client if he had offended anyone, and he said that the business world is like a battlefield, and he has offended many people... However, I do have some suspicions. Perhaps you can take a look at the extortion letter first."
Usaku Saiki actually just had a biased view of Yusaku Kudo, thinking that it was impossible for him to have no ideas about the cases he handled.
Since Yusaku Kudo said so, he picked up the extortion letter and quickly glanced at it.
The ransom note was printed, so you couldn't read anything from the handwriting, but other parts still revealed some problems.
Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda are both quite good at English and reasoning, but they certainly can't compare to Yusaku Kudo, who does writing and frequently reads original English books.
They could understand the meaning of the ransom note, but deducing from the use of a particular word what the writer was feeling at the time, and why that word was chosen instead of another word with a similar meaning, was a challenge for them.
Yusaku Kudo can analyze subtle psychological states from word choice and sentence structure, and even enjoys studying this, which also helps him in writing mystery novels. Saiki Usaku has a systematic translation skill, plus other miscellaneous skills, so doing some text analysis is a piece of cake for him.
Judging from the extortion letter, the other party is an acquaintance of the client, someone with whom there is a deep-seated grudge.
"Does the client really have absolutely no clue?"
Yusaku Kudo smiled: "Maybe."
But if you don't say it, it's the same as not saying it at all.
After thinking for a moment, Usoppei Saiki decided to study the bomb first.
Just like his design drawings, apart from the 28 switches, there seemed to be nothing to attack. According to the ransom note, once they received the money, they would be told which switch was genuine.
However, Usakabe Saiki said, "If it really is according to my design, the switch he gave me can probably only turn off the balancing mechanism, so that you can move it to another place to detonate it."
Judy asked, "So you really have no ideas at all?"
“There is a risky way,” Bo Yezaiji gestured. “The bomb box is below, and the control box is above. If we use a small bomb to blow up the control box before the bomb is activated, without affecting the bomb box below, we can resolve the crisis.”
The FBI was frowning: "But if the reaction time of this small bomb is very fast, and the blast radius is miscalculated, it's equivalent to detonating it directly in the hotel."
“Yes.” Bo Yezaki didn’t care about the capitalists’ losses anyway, and looked indifferent. “You can ask the client what they think.”
After entrusting the case to Yusaku Kudo, the client disappeared without a trace. Kudo guessed that he had gone to investigate his enemies one by one. Now, he sent someone to ask the client for his opinion, and the group moved to a safe room to continue their discussion—after all, if the bomb exploded, it would blow through at least three floors nearby.
The hotel owner arrived quickly. Even with the air conditioning on, he kept wiping his sweat with a handkerchief.
He had heard that this very man designed the incredibly troublesome bomb.
On the way here, he was somewhat resentful of this person, thinking that this guy had nothing better to do than design a bomb. The difficulty level was practically hellish. If it weren't for this design, the experts could have easily dismantled the bomb that the criminal got, instead of causing such trouble now.
But when he arrived at his destination and met the designer in person, he was speechless and felt a little intimidated.
Yusaku Kudo only introduced the bomb expert without telling the hotel owner his nationality and profession, which led to some misunderstandings.
This big shot doesn't seem like a good person, but if he's not a good person, why is he here helping to solve the case?
His mind had never been so active before. His brain came up with many possibilities, which he quickly rejected one by one. Finally, he figured out what seemed to be the most likely scenario.
—Is this guy the kind who secretly stirs up trouble, but is so skilled that keeping him in prison would be a waste of his talent, so he was recruited by the FBI and is called upon to help him out of trouble in order to offset his sentence?
It looks like it!
He obediently toned down his attitude and asked demurely, "Even you can't take it down? Wasn't this your design?"
"I can't be sure that he followed my design exactly, and when I designed it, I didn't think about actually making it, so I didn't think about how to disassemble it."
Bo Yezaki said calmly, "You only have two choices now: pay the other party the money, or try my suggestion."
Judy added from the side, "His attempt to blow up the control box is very dangerous, with a low success rate. If it fails, it's equivalent to detonating it on the spot."
The hotel owner quickly began to analyze the situation.
Well, compared to the options of letting the bomb explode or paying money, choosing between the possibility of a bomb exploding and paying money sounds a little better.
Moreover, this big shot seemed very capable. Although the FBI said the success rate was not high, the hotel owner felt that the other party must be confident to make such a suggestion.
What does the FBI know about bombs?!
The hotel owner indeed chose: "Let's try blowing up the control box with a bomb."
The FBI didn't try to dissuade them either. This "fight fire with fire" approach was very American, and they thought it was worth a try, since they wouldn't have to pay compensation if it failed.
However, making those fast-response bombs still requires Usakabe Saiki to personally mix and make them, because he frankly stated that he could not guarantee the effect of those made by others, since everyone's formula is different.
The materials are definitely not available for immediate purchase, but the Hawaii Police Department has confiscated raw materials and some bomb-making tools, which should be sufficient.
The two Hawaiian police officers, whose guns had been stolen, drove to the Hawaii Police Department with a look of utter disbelief.
The way we live these days is truly outrageous.
The two Hawaiian police officers kept glancing in their rearview mirror, feeling extremely uncomfortable about Usakata Saiki sitting in the back seat. They were constantly worried that a bullet would pierce their chest at any moment... Even though the FBI had agreed to cooperate with this foreigner, they still felt uneasy being in such a confined space.
Kenji Hagiwara also came along. Jinpei Matsuda originally wanted to visit the bombs seized by the Hawaii Police Department, but Kenji Hagiwara stopped him, saying that there was no room and he would accompany Shinryu.
"..." Matsuda Jinpei glanced suspiciously at the back row, then at the three of them, whose bodies weren't particularly obese. "Do you think I believe that?"
Kenji Hagiwara remained unfazed: "I noticed your hands were shaking just now. You should go back and rest."
Upon hearing this, Matsuda Jinpei was both angry and embarrassed: "I was angry because of Kankawa!"
But it was clear that Kenji Hagiwara didn't really want him to go with them, and he could even guess why. With his own thoughts on his mind, Jinpei Matsuda went off with Yusaku Kudo to continue investigating the hotel owner's enemies.
So the people who went to the Hawaii Police Department were Kenji Hagiwara and Saiki Usaku.
Kenji Hagiwara secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Sigh, it's one thing for Shinryu to make a suggestion, but why did he agree so readily to be in charge of making that small plastic bomb?
Yusaku Kudo's gaze towards him was off; this really wasn't something he taught him!
At most, he'd teach people the proportions for homemade bombs, but that's all in the textbooks. And whether it's a homemade bomb or a plastic bomb, when it comes to him, all he needs to do is work on the detonation mechanism. What's the big deal about him teaching people how to make explosives in practice?
This must be the result of some illegal organization's misleading teachings. Kenji Hagiwara was worried whenever he thought about it. Fortunately, Jinpei Matsuda didn't ask any questions, otherwise he really wouldn't know how to help cover it up.
Even now, Shinryu still refuses to tell him the details about that organization. However, it seems that Shinryu only skipped school once during his time at the police academy, and has been well-behaved ever since. It's hard to say what will happen during his internship, but once he joins the First Investigation Division, his working hours will be fixed, and he might even have to work overtime frequently. That illegal organization won't be able to take up much of his time. And the power of an ordinary detective in the First Investigation Division is limited; if he wants to act on behalf of someone else, he'll have to consider whether he has the status. Maybe there's no need to worry too much...
Under Kenji Hagiwara's guidance, the group arrived at the police station where the two Hawaiian police officers were located. Saiki Usaba went to the warehouse and retrieved the necessary items. He then occupied the workshop of a bomb expert who was currently on vacation in the area. He directed the bewildered police officers, who looked like they were being told, "Our police station has been occupied?", to tidy up the room and the desk, and then they got to work.
The bomb expert, whose studio had been occupied, returned just then. Upon arriving, he was furious to hear that someone was using his office: "Do you think you can just mess around with my office?!"
But he didn't dare to rush in, fearing that it would disturb the people inside and cause an explosion. He only dared to knock lightly on the door, then slowly press down the handle and quietly slip in.
The bomb expert crawled in and immediately looked at the workbench.
Hmm, I heard they're making plastic bombs. That flask should contain a binder solution. Are they doing a granulation process now?
The bomb expert didn't even notice the operator's appearance. As soon as he entered, he became completely absorbed in the operator's deployment process. The "aura of the black screen" couldn't affect him because his mind was only focused on the bomb.
Now it's time to pour water... Hmm? Did we get the required amount in one go? Should we proceed to the next step?
The bomb expert was a little confused, but then he was shocked to see the other party casually pour the contents of several bottles, including powder containing octogen, a powerful explosive, onto a piece of paper without even weighing it, and then directly pour the mixture into water to mix it...
Aaaaaahh ...
The bomb expert couldn't hold back any longer and screamed, "Stop!!!"
—With explosives, even a 1-gram difference can cause serious problems! Why didn't you measure it?! Why didn't you measure it?!
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Extra chapter tonight
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The manufacturing method can be found in patent applications, but it seems a bit risky, so I won't go into detail.
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Han Chuan: Bomb skills maxed out, no measuring instruments needed.
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FBI: Fight fire with fire, that's very FBI.
Thin Leaf: Who are you cursing...?
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