Phantom Thief of Heart!but conan

Chapter 763 "Trigger"

"——There are less than 20 minutes left before the explosion time predicted by the criminals! The children and police officers trapped by the bomb have not been rescued yet!"

The reporter standing in front of the camera spoke with great emotion, his expression anxious and urgent, as if the people trapped in the iron tower were his own relatives and friends.

Motobashi Yoji, sweating profusely, raised his head and glared fiercely at the red iron tower in the background of the woman on the screen.

He threw aside the eavesdropping headphones that kept emitting sharp noises. He couldn't stand any more noises to distract him as he had to deal with the matters at hand.

These 20 minutes were the automatic countdown he had set long ago, and the bomb would be detonated at noon today. This was a preparation he had made during the installation.

However, now, this time has also become his own death warrant.

After several hours of effort, he was able to dismantle most of the circuits that could detonate the bomb and was about to gain access to it.

As long as the bomb is consistent with his design or has a similar structure, it is only a matter of time to dismantle it.

However, now, sitting on this small space on the floor that he had finally cleared, Yoji Motobashi felt as if he was the one sitting on top, among the messy and tangled cables.

Could it be that they, like me, had set some final code on the bomb?
Or maybe it was a more despicable method, using the design he had been using for many years, but changing some small details in it, causing him to mistakenly disconnect the circuit that should not be disconnected...

Sitting in front of the bomb, Yoji Motobashi finally felt the torment he brought to the victims. This feeling was particularly painful because he was the founder of this design and the culprit who created this predicament.

The feeling of a boomerang is always unpleasant.

"The explosion is getting closer and closer. Time is ticking by. What will be the fate of the trapped people? Will they be destroyed along with the landmark that symbolizes Tokyo? Mr. Gangster, no matter who you are, the people trapped are young policemen and elementary school children. If you can watch TV and have a conscience, turn off the timer quickly...!"

With his sweaty hands trembling slightly, Yoji Motobashi turned around and glanced in the direction of the TV with disdain.

Conscience, what conscience?
Didn't that guy foolishly fall into the police's trap after getting the ransom and lose his life for his conscience?
With a sneer, Yoji Motobashi took a deep breath and reached out his hand towards the bomb in front of him.

He was so focused that he couldn't pay attention to the noise coming from the headphones gradually becoming quieter.

----

"...Anyway, that's what happened. What happened seven years ago can only be described as a misunderstanding and accident caused by chance." In response to Conan's questioning, Takagi Wataru told Conan everything he knew, feeling helpless as well, "Maybe it was a delay caused by the TV broadcast, or maybe it was an accident during the pursuit, causing the prisoner to die under the wheels..."

"…It's all because of their own stupidity." Tang Ze took over his words smoothly and answered calmly.

"Hey, Joker..." Conan lowered his voice and whispered a warning, "He can hear you now."

After rubbing the bug for an hour, Conan, who felt that the eavesdropper would not be able to keep wearing it, finally found a chance to rest for a while, but was left speechless by this outrageous remark. He had no choice but to continue working hard to destroy the bug.

"It's best if he can hear it, because he's the one being scolded." Looking down at the bomb whose countdown was still moving, Tang Ze curled his lips, "Come on, they planted the bomb themselves, no one forced them to commit a crime. And let alone seven years ago, even in today's TV shows, there is a very high delay in communication between the studio and the on-camera reporter when they are live-streamed. This is common sense, right? I don't know which side is on the side of common sense."

Live TV broadcasts require a lot of signal transmission. Even for various events that are said to be broadcast in real time, there is still a time difference of dozens of seconds in actual viewing. Even for important occasions such as the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the delay can sometimes reach several minutes due to the need to add commentary, switch shots, etc.

Ignoring the delay, the people standing in front of the camera reporting the information to the public are TV station staff, not police officers. It is also impossible for the police to ask the front-line police officers responsible for bomb disposal to report to each TV station after they have defusing the bomb. Therefore, the information and images broadcast by the TV stations are very different from the situation on the scene. This is something that can be understood with a little bit of thinking.

"Well, there's nothing we can do. It's impossible for TV reporters to go to the bomb disposal site in person and broadcast the specific countdown footage to the outside world." Takagi Shige touched his head and said uncertainly, "The criminal just relaxed when he received the news that the countdown was still going on..."

"Yeah, that's why I say they are stupid." Tang Ze rolled his eyes. "Don't they know when the bomb they planted will explode? Why would they misunderstand the information on the screen? Don't they know how to count? Guess what the reporters outside are doing now. They will report all the time with excitement on their faces, as if they are counting down to the New Year. They will probably be even more excited when it's 12 noon, and they may even want to count down with the audience."

"Pfft..." Matsuda Jinpei, who was feeling a little depressed when looking at the bomb, was amused by Tang Ze's analogy, "Hey, your statement is too exaggerated."

"There's nothing I can do, this is the media." Tang Ze shrugged casually.

"You seem to dislike reporters." Conan, who had been observing the two of them for a while, suddenly said.

"I really don't like him." Tang Ze admitted, "How should I put it? It's hard to like a guy who is high and mighty and does bad things, but every qualified reporter is this kind of person."

Although he was away from the country for a long period of time in his previous life, he had more time to surf after he retired.

There were several colleagues from different units who were sacrificed because the media failed to fulfill their confidentiality obligations, or in other words, in order to attract attention and so-called authenticity, they exposed too many details that should not be made public.

He did not die in the most dangerous confrontation, but died at the hands of his own people's stupidity and contempt. It is difficult for Tang Ze to have a good impression of reporters.

"He reactivated the bomb immediately after his accomplice died, which means he was near the death scene. In other words, he knew the circumstances of the other party's death very well, and knew that the police did not kill him intentionally, and that the death was an accident. But he still felt resentful and immediately activated the bomb, killing people." Tang Ze changed the subject and did not continue to talk about himself. His voice was very flat, "So, if you really want me to summarize this criminal..."

"He is an immature criminal who enjoys violence, is greedy, lacks moral values, and is selfish." Jinpei Matsuda, who was sitting in front of the bomb, took the initiative to speak. "His attack, on the surface, was to vent personal grudges, but in essence, he just enjoys the pain of others, enjoys manipulating fate, and enjoys hurting others."

"You seem to know this guy quite well." Tang Ze tilted his head and looked at Jinpei Matsuda who seemed to be making a statement about the case.

"Nonsense, I've been following this case for a long time." Matsuda Jinpei snorted, "It's not just the structure of the bomb. I also took this information to many psychology experts, including some criminal psychology experts who are very good at profiling."

"It seems that it was unnecessary for me to take you to get to know the prisoner for a whole day yesterday because I was worried that you had other ideas." Tang Ze shrugged.

"You can't say that. I still have to thank you for leaving me enough time to summarize and draw conclusions." Jinpei Matsuda

Yoji Motobashi, although he failed in the end and failed to catch the real identity of this person, he was the one who killed Kenji Hagiwara.

Since the case happened seven years ago, Jinpei Matsuda has been working on it day and night, trying to find a breakthrough, and he has been trying for a long time.

However, because the sample only consists of one case from seven years ago, it is extremely difficult to find the person based on limited information and clues.

So in the end, Jinpei Matsuda came to a slightly cruel yet helpless conclusion.

——He has to wait for this person to commit another crime.

"Relax." Noticing Matsuda Jinpei's emotional fluctuations, Tang Ze suddenly said, "In fact, even without our intervention, that guy can be caught smoothly."

Jinpei Matsuda looked up and looked at Tang Ze's determined expression in surprise, then turned his head to look at Conan's dazed face, who was a little dazed from wiping the bug, and the elevator car under his feet.

Imagine if they hadn't intervened...

"Just a rookie policeman and an elementary school student?" Jinpei Matsuda asked in surprise.

He didn't mean to mock. He knew that Joker had special abilities and in some aspects he could predict the future.

That's why he found it so unbelievable.

"They can indeed resolve this crisis, but not just by the two of them." Tang Ze shrugged his shoulders. "They rely on Officer Hagiwara, who fell in front of the bomb seven years ago without flinching and fulfilled his promise. Officer Matsuda, who resolutely stopped the bomb disposal process three years ago, knowing that his life was only a hair's breadth away... and the detectives in the Investigation Section who have not forgotten every detail of this case..."

There are many more people who have devoted their efforts to this case.

Under these prerequisites, Conan and Takagi Wataru in the original plot received full support from the police, obtained the complete structure of the bomb and the steps for defusing it, and were able to communicate smoothly with the outside world...

It was never a heroic thing.

This is what Tang Ze truly admires about these people.

"Your code name may sound a bit nonsensical at first, but I think it's a good one." Tang Ze smiled and finished his previous comment, "You are indeed the trigger that set off all this, the switch and the trigger."

Matsuda Jinpei was stunned when he unexpectedly received such a high evaluation.

Tang Ze, smiling, did not wait for his reaction, but lowered his eyes and read the words that began to play on the LCD screen.

"Brave policeman, I want to commend your courage and praise you..."

————"Takagi! Oh my god, I finally got through to you! There are only ten minutes left. What's the situation over there?"

"'Brave police officer, I commend your courage and praise you...'"

Before Sato Miwako could understand the situation over there, Takagi Wataru's words interrupted the question she was about to ask, making her whole body stiff and unable to move.

"'3 seconds before the bomb explodes, I will display a prompt to tell you the location of another, larger, fireworks to celebrate the end of the game. I wish you endless struggle...'"

Sato Miwako's lips began to tremble.

"Well, this is the text displayed on the LCD distribution panel. Sato, you should be very familiar with it." Takagi Wataru's voice was steady and calm, with a rumbling echo caused by the small space, and it sounded as if it was in another world.

"Takagi..." She called the name on the other side tremblingly, wanting to say something, but in the end she felt her throat dry and couldn't speak.

Should I let him give up and let him save himself first?

Let him not give up and complete his mission as a police officer...

"Karazawa-kun should be heading in your direction." Takagi Wataru said this, and suddenly changed the subject, "He just called me and said that he took advantage of the time when the tower staff was transferred to go to the monitoring room and retrieved all the surveillance footage from the past 48 hours for comparison. He may have found something."

Sato Miwako, whose emotions had fallen to the bottom, suddenly raised her head with such force that she almost hit the crossbar of the car door.

"Let's catch that guy. The detonation line has been cut off. We have to find a way to reconnect the power to the switchboard. We can't leave here for the time being. We are about to end the wiretapping of him. Conan and I need to stay here and stabilize the criminal. There is not much time left for the next bomb."

"You, you mean, you have already dismantled the bomb?! Yes, yes..." Sato Miwako repeated the connecting words two or three times, but still couldn't say the name directly.

Takagi Wataru took a deep breath and said carefully: "...It's a man called Trigger. Anyway, I'm counting on you, Sato!"

Without giving the other party a chance to continue asking questions, he hung up the phone and sighed.

"That sounds terrible, Officer Takagi." Conan, who was sitting opposite him, supported his head and looked at the somewhat gloomy look on his face.

Maybe it was because of Takagi Wataru's presence, Joker kept avoiding the question until he left, and did not give any definite answer about the true identity of the man in black.

Although he looks like Jinpei Matsuda, sounds like Jinpei Matsuda, and acts even more like Jinpei Matsuda...but theoretically, it cannot be concluded that he is Jinpei Matsuda.

However, this might cause Sato Miwako's idea of ​​letting go, which she had finally managed to let go of, to be shelved again, and then Takagi Wataru's feelings might be completely hopeless.

"Catching that person is what Sato wants to do." Takagi Shigeru shook his head and straightened up again. "Actually, this is good. It's a fair competition, right? It prevents people who think like Yumi from misunderstanding that Sato is just transferring his feelings because I look a bit like him."

If he really was dead, we might not be able to compete. The current situation is not bad.

Conan shook his head and wanted to say something, then he looked down at his arms and legs and felt bored and deflated.

I haven't even settled the lawsuit on my end yet, so don't try to be someone else's relationship mentor. This kind of problem should be left to Tang Ze.

Conan, who had suddenly let go of his psychological burden, said seriously: "Okay, are you ready? I'm letting go."

"Well, let's get started."

"Ahem! Officer Takagi, there are only three threads left, but I have discovered something that I want to tell you..."

----

While they were discussing the contents of the LCD screen, Yoji Motobashi, who had put on his headphones again and was listening intermittently, was experiencing an almost simultaneous horror experience.

"You cowardly criminal, you are such a pretentious guy. The fact that you can see these words means that you are kneeling here trembling with fear with your little scissors in your hand, not daring to make the final choice."

Yoji Motobashi gasped twice as he pressed the wire cutters on the mercury switch wiring.

As if mocking, these sentences used a lot of complex sentence structures, and they just popped out one word at a time, forcing him to huddle here in embarrassment, full of anger, but with no choice but to wait patiently.

He could almost imagine the tone of voice that arrogant person would use to say such words to him, and therefore, his anger was particularly intense.

"I have good news and bad news to tell you. Of course, it's up to you whether you believe it or not."

"The good news is that it wasn't a real bomb, it was just a little prank. Thanks for complimenting my sense of humor."

"Who the hell praised you!" Even though he knew his words had no way of getting across to the person concerned, Yoji Motobashi still roared at the smug self-talk.

"The bad news is that the choice is not yours."

"Never."

"You don't have time."

After the period of this sentence slowly flashed across the screen, the text above the LCD screen and the countdown below it suddenly became synchronized.

"10"

[00: 00: 10]
"9"

[00: 00: 09]
Yoji Motobashi's fingertips kept trembling.

This message may be true or false, or more likely it is bluffing in another sense.

But just like he imagined when he was playing tricks on the police, did he dare to gamble?

He stared at the countdown on the screen with bloodshot eyes, until the glaring red number reached the last second, he finally gritted his teeth and cut the wire connected to the switch.

"boom--"

"boom--"

Two loud noises were heard.

The first was a bomb in front of him.

As the thief's message mentioned, this was not a real bomb, so his action of cutting off the switch triggered it instead. A large bunch of ribbons and glitter instantly filled Yoji Motobashi's vision, making him cough in fear.

The second sound came from the main door of the house behind him.

That was the sound of the device the police had prepared breaking open the flimsy wooden door.

"Motobashi Yoji! You're under arrest!"

"Don't move, raise your hands!"

After shivering, Yoji Motobashi stood up without hesitation and, as he had rehearsed many times, he stepped over the mess of golden powder on the ground and rushed to the safety stairs on the balcony, ready to escape before the police rushed into the bedroom.

Before leaving the room completely, he saw a flashing red dot among the wreckage of the "bomb".

It was an old-fashioned cell phone, the same model he liked to put in his bombs as triggers.

The screen that lit up showed a call to the police, which was the "gift" given to him by the Phantom Thieves.

The police followed it and found his exact location!
(End of this chapter)