BONUS CHAPTER #6
Ten minutes ago, Moriya Teiji thought he could rely on the bomb remote in his pocket—and the dozens of bombs he'd planted—to take down Jiangxia, the so-called righteous detective.
Ten minutes later, Moriya Teiji was clutching a pen and paper with trembling hands, drawing a bomb map through tears.
The brilliance and determination once shining in his eyes were gone, replaced by pain and bewilderment. Is this really a lawful society? he wondered. If so, where are the police? Why haven't they come to rescue me yet?! …Useless wage thieves!
Jiangxia Tongzhi stood nearby, idly twirling a stick, supervising the work like an indifferent foreman.
He'd thought Moriya Teiji, as an artist, would be passionate and resilient—someone who could take a few knocks for his ideals. But apparently, the man was just a pampered yinbi who broke at the first hit.
…That said, the beatings were effective. Every part that needed knocking got knocked.
After sketching out the bomb placements on the bridge, Moriya Teiji moved on to the Beika Municipal Building, sniffling as he drew.
Just then, Jiangxia's phone buzzed. Judging by the ringtone, it was his regular phone, not a burner.
He glanced at the screen. Officer Sato.
He muted it.
By now, Conan had probably taken care of the other bomb and called the police. That's why Sato was ringing.
But if he answered now, she'd ask where he was and what he was doing. Then the cops would show up fast.
And once they did...
Jiangxia glanced at Moriya Teiji, who was still hunched over his "art project."
If the police showed up now, this guy would feel safe and probably go on strike mid-sketch.
Much better to pretend he didn't hear the call. He could alert the police after Moriya Teiji completed his noble contribution to society.
…
Near Beika Station, Officer Sato frowned at her phone. "No answer."
Conan looked alarmed and tried Jiangxia himself. Same result—radio silence.
His heartbeat sped up. Don't tell me Jiangxia accidentally killed someone and is now on the run…
Then again, Jiangxia had no record of accidentally beating people to death. If you had to assume the best, maybe this was just another situation—like, the mysterious bomber was still alive, and Jiangxia was just too busy pounding him to pick up the phone.
Speaking of which...
Conan suddenly went still, a grim expression crossing his face.
What if this bomber had gone full chaos mode, tossed a bomb while fleeing, and—boom—took out a whole vehicle? If Jiangxia got hit at a weak point and disconnected from the grid (i.e., knocked out cold), he'd be totally incapacitated…
Sato was about to try calling again when the kid beside her suddenly clutched her arm.
"Jiangxia might be in danger! We have to find him!" Conan blurted.
Startled, Sato blinked. She remembered Conan had been fiddling with his phone—maybe he got through and heard something bad?
She reached for his phone. "Did you reach him?"
Conan shook his head. "He didn't pick up."
Sato: "…"
Then what was with that Oscar-worthy panic attack just now? She almost thought Jiangxia had phoned in a death cry…
She sighed. Smart as he was, Conan was still a bear child. Zero stress tolerance.
She crouched and patted his head. "Don't worry. Which direction did Jiangxia go?"
Conan bit his lip. No matter how you spun it, this didn't look good. But panicking wouldn't help.
Back in the park, he'd caught a glimpse of a shady figure on a rooftop. Could've been the bomber.
He mentally triangulated the building's location. Then, taking into account Jiangxia's exit direction, nearby roads, and Jiangxia's well-known habit of catching criminals and beating them on-site regardless of location—
Yeah. He had a good guess.
…
Officer Sato arrived at the targeted area with backup. It was a cluster of abandoned buildings, set to be demolished. Tall, obstructive structures—a great place to hide bombs or beat suspects.
Given the circumstances, the police proceeded cautiously.
As they neared one of the buildings, a desperate wail rang out:
"There's really only this! I swear I'm done! I can't remember any more!"
Definitely not Jiangxia's voice.
But it sounded so pitiful that Sato reflexively raised her gun and charged around the corner—
—and froze.
There was Jiangxia. Completely unharmed. Actually, he looked… refreshed. Like someone who just finished morning yoga.
His "companion," on the other hand—Moriya Teiji—was another story.
Upon hearing "Police! Don't move!" he lit up and staggered toward them like a drowning man toward a raft.
Sato eyed his pig-headed face and then looked back at Jiangxia.
She hesitated. Should she say "please don't do this again"?
Jiangxia casually pocketed the stick and strolled over, handing her two crumpled blueprints.
"That guy planted a bunch of bombs along the Tokyo Loop Road and in the Beika Municipal Building," he said, nodding toward Moriya Teiji. "I, uh, asked for some clarification."
He flipped the blueprints. "Can't vouch for their authenticity, but they should speed up your search."
Sato blinked and took the papers. They were covered in hastily drawn bombs. Her face went cold.
F***ing bomber…
She quickly snapped photos and forwarded them to Inspector Megure.
Then she looked between Moriya Teiji—now resembling a bruised meatball—and Jiangxia. She wanted to say "Nice work," but… she was a cop. Technically.
So all she managed was a strained, "Don't do this again."
Jiangxia answered like he'd done this a hundred times: "Right. I'll be more careful next time."
Conan and Detective Takagi, watching from the sidelines: "…"
This conversation sounds way too familiar.
Off to the side, Moriya Teiji shakily got to his feet.
He tried to duck behind Sato for protection, but she cut him a glance so sharp it stopped him cold.
There was ice in her eyes.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 31 - 90 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 3/60(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:2/10*