*Time passed quickly, and there were only three minutes left before the 20-minute deadline.

Song Jiangxun also squatted in front of the last bomb.

His expression remained motionless, neither happy nor sad, as if his emotions had been pulled out of his soul. Only his increasingly trembling movements revealed that his physical strength was running out.

The cracked lips slowly exhaled a slightly scorching temperature, and an abnormal blush once again covered the young man's pale cheeks.

Fever is not all bad. The chaotic mind will block out many things you don't want to think about. Only the increasingly dark red on the tools makes it more difficult for him to calibrate.

——It’s really insane that you can’t control your hand shaking when you see blood. If Akabane knew about this, he would probably beat you up, right?

Songjiang Xunye's movements were a little stagnant, the bomb lying quietly a few centimeters away from his fingers. He tried to move closer patiently, little by little, using his scattered bangs to create a shadow in front of his eyes.

But I can't do it.

I seem to hear some sound, tick...tick...

It seemed as if someone was telling him to hurry up.

The chill rising from his bones made him shiver, and the next moment, a loud noise suddenly exploded in his ears.

"Bang!"

Natural light carrying the heat of the sun shone in from the broken chain door with an unexpected force.

It was like a bomb warming up for explosion—white light, flames, and loud noise.

The blond young man's back was instantly soaked with sweat. He finally couldn't bear the tremendous psychological pressure. The tool in his hand flew out of his hand. He seemed to fall into fear again and fell to his knees.

"Matsue Xunya——!"

The voice came from behind him. The young man tried to stand up and turn around, but in the end he just raised his neck slightly.

Those cobalt blue eyes were completely immersed in chaos, like glass beads covered with dust.

The blond young man only saw a sea of ​​blood and the still-throbbing bomb.

In the past, someone had also thrown him to the ground at the last moment and hugged him tightly. *

*****

"So why leave him alone in the room!"

Haibara Ai's voice echoed in the car. The girl who rushed from home after hearing the news looked extremely ugly. Edogawa Conan stammered and could only lower his head dejectedly.

"I was the one who pulled Mr. Akai aside to talk..."

"I don't want to hear this." Huihara Ai took a deep breath, her eyes full of anxiety, "Edogawa, he's afraid of the dark, and--!"

He shouldn't be allowed to go back to that state!

When Haibara Ai saw the damaged laptop lying on the ground, she knew what the FBI's plan was in collaborating with the police.

They just want to exploit A's abilities but don't care about his psychological problems at all!

This can also roughly prove that Akai Shuichi discovered the true identity of Matsue Shunya...

That damn bastard not only hurt him once, but now he's going to hurt him a second time!

Haibara Ai's heart was bleeding. She completely forgot that Akai Shuichi had no idea that A had helped him. She just wanted to rush over and beat up that bastard FBI guy.

"And what? Miss Haibara." Amuro Toru, who was driving in front and following, said in a cold voice, "Now is not the time to hide the situation."

Huibara gritted her teeth. She had promised Matsue Shunya that she would help him keep A's identity a secret.

"Besides...his health is very bad now." She murmured, "I finally found someone who is as warm as a sister...is this the right time to ask this!"

As if she felt that she had let something slip, Huibara raised her voice in anger and annoyance.

The other two were stunned. They all noticed that Shirley treated Songjiang Xun differently, but they never thought that she did so for this reason.

"Yes, we have to find Brother Matsue quickly! He can't dismantle the bomb in his current condition!" Conan Edogawa was anxious.

Amuro Toru took a deep breath and said, "Fasten your seat belts, I'm going to speed up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the light turned red and the white Mazda shot out like an arrow.

****

Inside the warehouse, Matsue Shigure didn't know how many beats late before he realized that he was caught by Akai Shuichi.

He looked at the FBI who had somehow tracked him down here, and tried hard to speak—

"Bomb! Bomb!"

Stop being in a daze and run!!

However, it was not until Akai Shuichi looked down at the blood on his hands with a complicated expression that Matsue Shigure felt like opening his mouth.

The sound of “Bomb——” was like the death of a deceased parent.

"I know. I'll take care of it."

Shuichi Akai's tone was very calm, with a hint of calmness. He simply reached out and covered Matsue Shigure's eyes, and considerately left a gap for him to see the light.

"Ah—bomb—"

Matsue Shigure: "..." in a daze.

The sound of the machine freezing came at this moment. Akai Shuichi paused when he wanted to help him up. Finally, he sighed and said in a low voice: "Sorry, I'm late."

In fact, it is a miracle that we can catch up.

Songjiang Shigure opened his mouth consciously and wanted to say "It's okay".

But before the words came out——

The next moment, Matsue Shigure felt himself floating in the air. Akai Shuichi seemed to have determined that he could not walk, so he grabbed him by the waist and picked him up.

Feeling weightless, a player panicked and subconsciously tried to hook Akai Shuichi's collar, but when he was stuck on the action for a long time, he slapped the opponent on the chin.

--"It's OK".

Only then did he hear himself speaking dryly.

Akai Shuichi paused in his movement towards the outside.

…

“Ahhhhhh!”

The player's eyes went dark. Only then did he feel the horror of a delay of 999+. Even if his brain could react, his body could not keep up with the speed of communication of ordinary people.

"Hey everyone, how long will it take to repair this?" Songjiang Shiyu cried out in despair, "If this continues for a year, I'm going to die!"

"No, no!" the system comforted him, "Now the reading has reached 2%. It is estimated that the main system will be able to self-check successfully when it reaches 100%. Then it will be able to be repaired... Do you want to take a nap?"

Matsue Shigure: "Autism.jpg"

"I really would thank you." He said with a sob, "Akai Shuichi was kind enough to save me, and I didn't even say thank you, and I slapped him in the face. I'm afraid he's going to remember me in his heart."

The system choked: "Do you think everyone will hold a grudge like you?"

The player, who was almost embarrassed by his own slow operation and had to pick his toes, closed his eyes and pretended to be dead, opened the forum, and was once again created by the comics in it.

Songjiang Shigure roared: "...Tong! Tell me, who is the autistic looking golden-haired guy in there?"

System: "Oh~ My respected host, you are the golden-haired guy who looks autistic."

Matsue Shigure looked as if he had seen a ghost: "I was just sitting down to rest for two minutes. Why did this make me go crazy? And why does this comic also include Subaru Akabane?"

Xianyu almost jumped up with excitement. He looked at the figure of Akabane Subaru in the comics and even began to recall whether he had seen a ghost just now.

I have to say, in this round, his partner who died long before the game started made his presence felt.

Facts have proven that Songjiang Shigure has nothing but bugs.

The system was very calm: "This is artistic creation. Otherwise, would they draw a silly sculpture like you and say, 'Hey, I can dismantle a hundred of these broken bombs'?"

"Or when they are defusing a bomb and you sit there and say, 'Ah, take a break for two minutes'?"

Matsue Shigure: "...That picture is too beautiful, forget it."

No matter how righteous the player is, he will still feel guilty about his true inner thoughts being publicly exposed, so he is actually quite receptive to the artistically processed comics.

The tragedy is over, he can bear it!

Matsue Shigure finished reading the comic and then realized belatedly - why did Akai Shuichi not seem surprised at all about his condition?

System: "Oh, that's what I wanted to tell you, but you didn't want to listen."

During the two years when the system was stuck with a bug, Shuichi Akai told Matsue Shigure about how he took care of him while he was AFK.

"..." Xianyu looked dazed after hearing what he said.

The system comforted him: "So don't be too shy. Akai Shuichi has seen everything he should have seen and touched everything he should have touched. He was the one who did all the eating, drinking and bathing."

Matsue Shigure: “!!”

System: "Oh, that guy is really good to you. He even bought you a lot of clothes. I have to say Miracle Songjiang is quite fun to watch. I also want to..."

Matsue Shigure: "!!!"

"If you want to retaliate, I support you, baby. We will always stand by you." The system nags, "By the way, do you want to check out the comments section? See what the readers say?"

Songjiang Shigure: "Sugar-free whole wheat bread screams.jpg"

Who can accept this! Who can accept this!

Look at the readers! It's the comments of those weird readers that make him unable to bear to look at these things, okay!

The players, who had their worldviews shattered and the world's malice spread one after another, finally couldn't help but utter a sob.

Songjiang Shigure turned his head and buried himself in the darkness, trying to pretend to be dead.

He shut himself up!!

The system added: "... To be honest, you have your hand on her neck, so her chest muscles are pretty good, right?"

Matsue Shigure buried his head in his strong chest muscles: “Wuwuwu!”

*******

Shuichi Akai heard the entire plan of the criminals and naturally acted without any hesitation, but he never expected that when he broke open the warehouse door, what he would see would be such a scene.

It was as if the nightmare from two years ago was happening again. The blond young man knelt in front of the bomb with his hands on the ground, sweat dripping down his face, his blond hair disheveled, and he could not hear his voice at all.

It was not until Shuichi Akai walked over and supported the cold and thin body that he saw the pair of blue eyes that were completely in chaos.

——Matsujiang Xun once again fell into the same catatonic state as two years ago.

Akai Shuichi's heart suddenly shrank, his breathing became disordered, and he almost lost his grip on the other person's shoulders.

He supported Songjiang Xunye and quickly looked around, only to realize how dangerous the environment here was.

The bombs all over the ground gave off a strong smell of gunpowder, mixed with blood, like a sulfur hell. Not far away, there was a tool pliers dangling, stained with blood.

Most of the bombs' wiring had been sorted out, and the bombs responsible for detonating had been dismantled and placed aside. The only one that was jumping was right in front of them.

Shuichi Akai could fully imagine what a difficult and painful environment it was for Matsue Xun, who was performing bomb disposal while dragging his legs with no mobility.

This is the area that Matsue Shigure is most proud of, but... he failed in the end.

Is this a collapse caused by remembering too many things all at once?

Or is it that, because of past experience, Songjiang Shigure was a failure, even if he had the ability to demolish it now, he would be completely unable to do it because of the nightmares of the past?

"Bomb..."

The young man's weak and harsh voice sounded, Akai Shuichi lowered his head and met those misty eyes.

Song Jiangxun also looked at him without blinking, as if he trusted him as always, but also as if he was looking at another person through him.

——Two minutes left.

The one who knows how to defuse bombs is Subaru Akabane, but Shuichi Akai doesn't. Or rather, he is more skilled at installing bombs.

Unable to describe the feeling, Akai Shuichi touched his hair and raised his hand to cover Matsue Shunya's eyes.

Don't look at him.

"Ah...bomb..."

The young man's fragmented murmurs repeated over and over again, like a program stuck in an endless loop, which reminded Shuichi Akai of the "system error" two years ago.

At that time, he still didn't understand why Song Jiangxun would be in such a state, but now, once he connected it with A's experience...

The blank seven years were filled, and the means used by the organization can be imagined.

They simply completely destroyed Matsue Shigure's personality and turned him into a tool named "A".

As a result, not only were the tools damaged and thrown away without mercy, but even an ordinary person could leave some permanent scars on them.

Shuichi Akai felt powerless again. He listened helplessly to the whole process of Matsue Shunya being injured, but in the end he was still a step late.

"Sorry..." The always rational and arrogant FBI agent finally admitted his fault, "I'm too late."

He leaned over, put his hands through his legs, and gently held the blond young man in his arms.

Song Jiangxun also did not move, and was as obedient as a life-size doll. Only when he walked to the door did he slowly raise his hand and touch his cheek.

Shuichi Akai felt a chill on his face. The young man whose eyes he had covered seemed to be confirming something. His fingers stroked along his chin and finally and slowly landed on the collarbone.

——He didn't dare touch his eyebrows.

"It's OK……"

The blond young man seemed to want to prove that he was in good condition, but he didn't realize that such bravado made him look particularly arrogant.

Shuichi Akai didn't know what his identity was in the eyes of Shunya Matsue, but at this moment, it was no longer important.

"I will take responsibility," he said softly, "and it won't happen again."

The pink-haired man carried Songjiang Xun out of the warehouse and crossed the tangled weeds and bushes. A loud explosion sounded behind them, followed by flames shooting up into the sky.

Shuichi Akai felt his clothes on his chest suddenly being pulled tight, and Matsue Xun also suddenly became excited. He buried his face deeply in his arms and let out a short but extremely desperate sob from his throat.

The young man, immersed in the gap between the past and the present, seemed to finally realize that no one would defuse this last bomb.

——If Akabane Subaru was here, it would definitely be solved, right?

Shuichi Akai froze in place, and his hand, which was originally on the other person's eyes, slid to the other person's neck as Matsue Shunya changed his position.

He took the young man's pulse and felt his heartbeat more and more rapidly.

Song Jiangxun also buried himself tightly in his arms, leaving no gap at all, as if he wanted to suffocate himself to death.

Shuichi Akai hadn't felt so helpless for a long time. Guilt mixed with countless other emotions made him helpless against Matsue Xun for a while.

Obviously, I just need to use a little more force, be a little tougher, like I usually do...

Akai Shuichi sighed.

The FBI agent, who was in disguise and looked exceptionally gentle and docile, gently hooked his fingers under the chin of the blond young man curled in his arms, trying to pull him out from his chest muscles bit by bit.

He lowered his head and whispered in his ear as if to coax a child: "Songjiang, you first..."

"Akai Shuichi!!!"

The white Mazda came to a stop with a swish, and Toru Amuro's particularly recognizable cold sneer came from not far away. After the car door was opened, an inexplicably familiar configuration rushed out.

Conan Edogawa was short. After getting off the car, he looked forward and was so scared that he took a step back.

The pink-haired man was seen holding Songjiang Xun in the woods. His right hand, which was holding the latter's neck, was now around the front, twisting the young man's chin.

He lowered his head slightly, as if he was going to kiss her in the next moment.

Song Jiangxun, who was lying in his arms, also closed his eyes, wearing a black coat that obviously did not belong to him. There was a strange flush on his pale face, and he was breathing heavily.

He did not close his eyes when he heard their voices, but instead let out a low sobbing sound.

Conan Edogawa felt dizzy. This didn't make sense. This... Mr. Akai...

Wait... does this scene look familiar?

"Ahh! You beast!!"

Haibara Ai's voice was even sharper than last time, and the murderous intent in it made Conan Edogawa feel cold all over.

This time, both of them rushed forward.