Chapter 53, Chapter 52: A Test of Black and Red: Slowly Turning...
What is all that babbling nonsense about?
Why is there no response when I copy it to Pinduoduo?
While Curaçao was undecided about what to do next, Zhuge Tongzhi was closely watching the three police officers who were discussing the matter.
The bomber's cryptic message to the Metropolitan Police Department was quite long, but she couldn't be bothered to deduce it. She grabbed Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji's sleeves and said, "It's that Ferris wheel in Beika Department Store, the biggest in Japan, right!"
The Ferris wheel with the most seats in Japan, which could satisfy the bomber's riddle because of its large number of seats, was also guessed by Matsuda Jinpei after hearing the riddle once.
She already knew, but she absolutely couldn't let Matsuda Jinpei go up! Zhuge Tongzhi clenched the sleeve of his shirt, opened his mouth to continue on this conclusion, but was interrupted by Date Kou patting his head.
“No, kid.” Date Wataru, who habitually thought with a toothpick in his mouth, laughed, the toothpick bobbing up and down as he explained.
The police officer, who had reviewed countless cases on the front lines, explained clearly: "The Knights of the Round Table here refers to the Ferris wheel in this amusement park, and seat number 36 probably refers to the place where the criminal planted the bomb."
Number 36? Zhuge Tongzhi, who hadn't carefully deciphered the riddle, was taken aback and loosened her grip on the sleeve. She remembered it was seat number 72. It was precisely because Ferris wheels with more than seventy-two seats were rare that the target location could be quickly located.
While wondering, Matsuda Jinpei, his fingers flying across the keyboard of his phone, directed his colleagues in the bomb disposal team to deliver the equipment as quickly as possible. Following the little girl's reasoning, he casually remarked, "If Beika's Ferris wheel is repaired, then perhaps it is indeed possible."
"It's fixed?" Zhuge Tongzhi asked, puzzled. What happened? She didn't remember this happening in the original storyline. "Was the Ferris wheel broken?"
Conan, standing next to her, also immediately saw the answer, but noticed that the boy, who had his hands in his pockets and was standing aside without needing any prompting this time, explained, "The Beika Ferris Wheel was blown up by someone a month ago. It was just repaired recently and is currently in trial operation."
Zhuge Tongzhi revealed a pair of round, beady eyes. The great detective beside her simply found the news page and showed her a picture of a charred Ferris wheel base, saying, "It was bombed about a month ago. Fortunately, it wasn't during operating hours, so there were no casualties."
“You had just arrived in Japan at that time, so you probably didn’t know this.”
Moreover, the culprit has never been identified. Logically speaking, the surveillance around that Ferris wheel is very tight, and it would be difficult for an adult to leave no trace. However, since no injuries or property damage occurred, the matter was dropped without further investigation.
After listening to Conan finish speaking, Zhuge Tongzhi had a thoughtful expression on his face.
At this time, it shouldn't be... She looked up at the empty space in front of her, brought up the history path below the search box, and after scrolling down, she indeed found a history path for Beihu Square among a bunch of daily destinations such as supermarkets, fruit and vegetable stores, and hospitals.
The remaining navigation time is exactly one day different from the time of the news report on Conan's phone.
Hmm... Zhuge Tongzhi's eyes darted around for a moment, but after a brief moment of guilt, she suddenly realized—she hadn't even transmigrated yet back then.
What does what Ale did have to do with me, Zhuge Tongzhi?
The girl, suddenly emboldened, straightened her back, grabbed the arms of the two police officers again, and forcefully joined their discussion, listening to the two bomb disposal officers who were present at the scene discussing their operational route.
"Judging from the riddle, he set up two bombs, one of which is on the Ferris wheel right next to us." Matsuda Jinpei tapped the words on his phone screen lightly, looking up at the Ferris wheel that was slowly moving.
"There's another hint that's rather vague." Kenji Hagiwara had been frowning ever since the text message arrived. He quickly tapped out a map of the area and zoomed out, saying, "I'm not sure which hospital it is, or rather, the Red Cross."
"The hospital, that guy definitely wants to choose a crowded place." Date Wataru was on the phone with Inspector Megure, and he chimed in during a break in the action team being quickly arranged on the other end of the line. "After all, in that case, we have no choice but to act according to his orders."
"Ah, still just as annoying as ever." Matsuda Jinpei agreed with Date Wataru's deduction. When he thought of the bomb that had inexplicably restarted on the Harukawa Tower, the lazy smile that always played on his lips completely disappeared.
That damn scumbag.
But the safety of the public must be ensured first. The curly-haired officer, now fully focused on his work, removed his sunglasses, looked at the tense-faced Kenji Hagiwara beside him, and said, "We need at least two bomb disposal experts. Hagi, you wait for me under the Ferris wheel..."
"No!" / "Absolutely not!"
A clear child's voice and a man's voice tinged with anger rang out simultaneously. Hagiwara Kenji gripped his childhood friend's wrist tightly, and together with Zhuge Tongzhi, under the astonished gazes of those around them, they repeated in unison:
"Officer Matsuda/Jinpei Kojinhei, you can't go up there!"
Zhuge... what did you know in advance this time? Conan looked at the determined black-haired girl, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"I know where the second bomb site is." Zhuge Tongzhi tugged at Matsuda Jinpei's sleeve and shouted, "It's at Beika Central Hospital. It's the most densely populated and mixed area there, which perfectly fits the criteria!"
“Without clear information indicating where it is, we can’t take the risk.” Officer Curly shook his head, denying this purely luck-based deduction. “The remaining clues are in carriage 36; we have to go up there to get them.”
Yes, that's right. Unable to refute it, Zhuge Tongzhi bit her lip, thinking that because the location of the first bomb had changed, she couldn't even be sure if the second bomb was still planted at Mika Central Hospital.
Matsuda Jinpei's wrist was tightly gripped by Hagiwara Kenji, whose strength prevented him from breaking free for a moment. Just as he was struggling, he suddenly felt a weight on his leg and looked down to see Zhuge Tongzhi hugging his leg like a koala.
Matsuda Jinpei, who had been repeatedly stopped by the two men all day, fell silent for a moment: What's going on with you two?
“Hagi, you know what I mean.” Matsuda Jinpei sighed, glancing at Hagiwara Kenji, whose face was grim, during the brief moment while waiting for the toolbox. “Matsukawa and Daigo have both gone home to visit their families. Only the two of us here have the ability to defuse complex bombs.”
“Then let me go up.” Kenji Hagiwara’s deep purple eyes deepened even more. He gripped his friend’s wrist tightly and took a few steps forward. His usually lighthearted and playful tone now carried an indescribable heaviness as he repeated, “Jinpei, let me go to the Ferris wheel to defuse the bomb.”
His height, already nearly a head taller than his childhood friend, cast a thick shadow in Matsuda Jinpei's eyes as he approached, and the curly-haired police officer, who always exuded the aura of a yakuza boss, seemed to be subtly suppressed.
However, Matsuda Jinpei glanced at Hagiwara Kenji, then raised his other hand and twisted the hand that his childhood friend was holding him, slowly prying the other person apart.
“No.” He rejected the suggestion of replacing Hagiwara without hesitation, his bright eyes looking at the more flustered Kenji Hagiwara, and he said with a smirk, “After all, you messed up last time. I told you, Hagi, I don’t trust you.”
“I’m serious.” Kenji Hagiwara knew that Jinpei Matsuda’s strategy was reasonable, but ever since he narrowly escaped death in the explosion at Harukawa Tower, he felt an inexplicable panic and shortness of breath whenever he tried to combine the words “Jinpei Matsuda” and “Ferris wheel”.
"Let me defuse the bomb on the Ferris wheel." The man with medium-length hair also used his other hand, his muscles bulging as he and his childhood friend strained against each other, his words laced with gritted teeth due to the force: "You, wait, down, down!"
"I said, I don't agree."
Two equally strong gorillas were locked in a fierce battle over defusing a bomb, their arms clenched so tightly that veins bulged. Just as their arm-wrestling was about to escalate into a full-blown fight, Date Wataru, having finished his phone call and arranged everything, tackled them to the ground, one with each hand.
Two muffled thuds made the boy detectives, who were helping Curaçao solve the mystery, turn around. They saw Officer Date, who was usually burly but gentle, pressing one hand on each head. His already somewhat fierce face became even more menacing after his expression turned cold.
Zhuge Tongzhi silently stepped back, giving the stage to the three gorillas who were 'fighting amongst themselves'.
"You two, can't you calm down a bit?" Ida Kou pinned his two colleagues to the ground, spat out the toothpicks in his mouth, and said in a serious voice, "The situation is still unclear. Let's investigate the Ferris wheel first."
Knowing they had lost their composure, Matsuda Jinpei and Hagiwara Kenji did not resist. They simply nodded sullenly before the class president pulled them up. They looked at each other and confirmed that the other's thoughts had not changed at all.
Ida patted the two men heavily on the back and suggested, "Let's go find the management and ask them for some tools. It will take them some time to get here."
Just then, Conan, who had left sometime earlier, returned with two small toolboxes in his hands. He handed them to the two officers and said, "I've found as many tools as I can. Let's go check the Ferris wheel as soon as possible."
"Hmm." Zhuge Tongzhi glanced at the O-D navigation in the void. The blue and white navigation arrow below the prompt box was pointing all the way to the giant Ferris wheel that was in operation.
"Then let's hurry up and set off!" The three members of the Junior Detective League became excited at the sight of such a big event, and pulled Curaçao along, cheering in unison, "Junior Detective League! Let's go!"
“No.” Ai Haibara, standing to the side, crossed her arms and coldly refused, “You know nothing about bombs. Now, leave with the Doctor.”
“But we don’t necessarily have to go defuse the bomb.” Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya, the most quick-witted of them all, offered a very constructive suggestion: “The riddle says he will ‘await’ our arrival, so the bomber is very likely on the scene.”
"Yeah, in that case, let our Junior Detective Club catch him!" Genta Kojima rolled up his sleeves, swung his muscular arms, and boasted arrogantly without any real threat, "Let him see how powerful Genta is."
Genta, you're way too confident. Ai Haibara, Conan, and Zhuge Tongzhi all gave him half-moon eyes at the same time. Professor Agasa stood behind these brave but reckless kids, scratching his head helplessly.
“Besides, we have an older sister.” Ayumi Yoshida pulled up Curaçao from behind. The silver-haired woman subconsciously bent down slightly, making it easier for the shorter girl to swing her arm gently like on a swing. She smiled sweetly at her and said, “Big sister is amazing! She hit the bullseye every time she shot just now!”
"No means no." Ai Haibara was not swayed by these naive reasons. She grabbed Professor Agasa's hand and pulled him in front of the three children. Pointing at the children, she said to the overly gentle professor, "Professor, take them away now."
“Alright, I’ll leave with you.” Ai Haibara gestured for the three children who were about to fight for themselves to stop. Her icy blue eyes swept over the three children and one adult with a parental air, and she said, “The Doctor can’t keep an eye on you, but I can’t.”
Seeing no room for negotiation in their friends' resolute attitude, the boy detectives started talking all at once about Curaçao's amnesia, trying to use their unfinished mission of helping the older sister find her memories to buy themselves a chance to stay.
“Edogawa has already called the police.” Ai Haibara nodded slightly to Curaçao, whose expression remained blank. “Madam, we can accompany you at the police station while you wait for news of your friend.”
My friend? Curaçao's gaze swept across a crowd not far away, and she spotted the figure of a woman wearing a wide-brimmed sun hat. She had actually arrived.
The phone and other communication devices were destroyed in the car accident, and Curaçao, who was initially troubled by the inability to contact the organization, now felt a sense of gratitude and relief at this 'forced' disconnection.
The crowd was too chaotic and crowded, and there were three Japanese policemen around her, so Vermouth was probably waiting for another opportunity to get closer to her.
Curaçao exhaled, looked away, and gazed at Zhuge Tongzhi, who was instructing the three children to go home safely. A fierce struggle flashed in her sea-blue eyes, but ultimately, after being warmly pulled back by the three laughing children, she gave way to compromise and determination.
Ah… she really couldn’t accept that these children had been tainted by the organization’s darkness. Curaçao, pulled by Ayumi Yoshida, followed several children and Professor Agasa as they walked out of the amusement park.
The woman naturally cradled the large polar bear in her arms, turning its憨憨 (simple and honest) face towards Vermouth, who was looking in their direction. Her gaze remained fixed on Vermouth without wavering, her head bowed gently as she listened to the excited girl speak.
From a distance, Vermouth watched the silver-haired woman, who was clearly acting strangely, and fell silent for a moment. Just now, she had tried several times to approach Curaçao, who had not returned to the team after the mission, but she was hindered by the fact that there were too many people surrounding her.
Children, police officers, elderly people, and her angel... Vermouth shifted her gaze from Conan, who was still discussing the case, to Curaçao, who had finally broken away from the group. Her beautiful eyes flashed, and she lowered her hat brim to follow him.
She needs to confirm the situation.
"Rum, Curaçao is acting strangely," Vermouth whispered, pressing down on the tiny earpiece in her ear.
Curaçao had seen the experimental files on drug A, and although it was unclear how much she actually knew... it was best if it wasn't a scenario she didn't want to see.
A woman in an elegant dress, carrying a bag, walked towards the exit while chuckling to the person in the earpiece, "I suspect she might have betrayed us... No hurry, let me confirm first."
Otherwise, she wouldn't mind getting rid of this so-called 'success'.
Vermouth followed from a distance, while Curaçao pondered a way to escape. Meanwhile, the three children beside her whispered amongst themselves while Ai Haibara and the Doctor went to pay the parking fee.
Before she could come up with a perfect solution, Curaçao suddenly felt a warm little hand tug at her wrist. She looked down and saw the three children giving her a playful smile, all putting their fingers up to their lips.
Huh? Curacao blinked her heterochromatic eyes, puzzled. The next second, she was pulled by three nimble children and turned to run into the depths of the amusement park, heading straight for the slowly turning Ferris wheel.
"Children?" The silver-haired assassin wasn't sure what they wanted, so he followed them inside, which startled Vermouth, who had been following behind.
"Shh—Big sister, let's go back and catch the bomber!" Ayumi Yoshida pulled Curacao along, turned around and showed a confident smile. Curacao blinked, but she wanted to take them to a safer place.
But Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya and Genta Kojima, who were running beside the girl, clenched their fists and hissed in low voices, "There are so many people in front of the Ferris wheel, Conan and Zhuge will definitely not be able to find us."
Hmm... Curaçao thought for a moment after hearing this, and suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her. It would be difficult to escape the organization's surveillance once she left the amusement park, but it might be possible to escape by taking advantage of the chaos caused by this case in the crowd.
The three children pulling her along excitedly whispered among themselves, "Now is the time for our Junior Detective Club to step in!"
"Big sister, let's go catch the bomber together!"
“Okay.” As before, Curaçao readily agreed to the children’s request without any hesitation, thinking to herself: I need to make sure you are in a safe place before I leave.
The three children and the one adult quickly darted toward the Ferris wheel.
…
At the same time, at the police station
Kazami Yuya looked at the photo of the silver-haired woman sent to the work group, glanced at the 'amnesiac missing person' message sent along with it, and suddenly stood up, supporting himself on the table.
Last night, the capable police assistant failed to intercept the intruding organization members. After being knocked to the ground by a strangulation attack, he limped out of his workstation and quickly dialed his superior's number.
"We've found Curaçao's trail, right here..."
On the computer screen behind him, a document recording the casualties on the highway opened automatically without human intervention. A retro-style giant ship sailed between the lines of data and slowly stopped in front of the record marked "died from a car fuel tank explosion," copying down the license plate number and other data that followed.
Following the origin of the scheduled emails, Noah's Ark continued its journey into the depths of the chaotic yet orderly sea of data.
-----------------------
Author's Note: (This is a reference to a previous post by Bayonetta, which is likely a slang term for padding/watering.)
Ai, Ke, and Zhuge firmly hold the position of head of the Junior Detective Agency.
But while the three little ones are wonderful and brave
They're really cheeky (facepalm and wry smile)
…
Mwah
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