"Ran, my Ran."
Outside, Mouri Kogoro shouted in horror, trying to rush toward the area where thick smoke was rolling out.
"Mouri, don't do anything stupid!"
Inspector Megure held Mouri Kogoro tightly.
"There are still explosions going off. If you go in now, you'll get blown apart too."
"That's right. Better pray your daughter is lucky enough. Otherwise, even if Kudo Shinichi shows up, it'll be useless." Moriya Teiji sneered from the side.
"You bastard!"
Mouri Kogoro lunged at Moriya Teiji.
"Mouri, don't lose it!"
Inspector Megure dragged him back again.
Another loud bang came from the City Hall. Thick smoke poured out, while chunks of rubble and shards of glass kept raining down.
"Move back! Don't come close!"
"Nobody stays here! Move back now!"
The police kept pushing the crowd away. Explosions, loudspeakers, and shouting filled the entire area.
[Ran… please be safe.]
Conan was sprinting up the emergency stairs, drenched in sweat, his face pale.
Tired.
But he was even more scared—his lips had gone white.
Suddenly, the floor shook again. Caught off guard, Conan lost his balance and slammed hard into the wall.
His ankle twisted.
The pain hit so fast that cold sweat broke out instantly. He stared at the last half flight of stairs, clenched his teeth, and dragged his leg upward step by step: Almost there… almost there. Ran, wait for me…
The fire door was right in front of him.
[Finally.]
Conan's heart jumped. He reached out to push the fire door open.
It didn't move.
Conan's pupils shrank. "Blocked?"
"Ran, can you hear me? Ran!"
A thick fire door, a pile of rubble jammed in front of it, and people screaming on both sides—his voice couldn't get through at all.
On the other side of the wall!
Cold sweat beaded on Heiji's forehead.
Sato Miwako had been watching him the whole time. She noticed the sweat on his forehead was getting worse and worse.
Heiji shook his head.
"I'm fine."
"Heiji, are you hurt?"
Ran asked, frowning.
"It's nothing. Miwako, Ran—look around. See if there's a big bag, or some big object."
Sato Miwako and Ran exchanged glances and started searching nearby.
Watching the two of them move, Heiji lowered his head and thought: If we can find the bomb quickly, this will end fast. But…
[That Moriya Teiji… you've lived long enough.]
"Special B-rank mission triggered: Use the law to judge Moriya Teiji's crimes, then take his life using a killer's method. Time limit: two days."
The system's cold voice sounded in his head.
[Special B-rank mission?]
Heiji frowned. You damn system—you disappear forever, and when you finally show up, you dump this on me? If you want him dead, then why make me 'judge' him first?
"This is a mission. Execute it, Host. Failure penalty: Three times the Evil Value of a B-rank mission."
[Three times?]
Heiji's mouth twitched.
"Heiji, are you feeling worse?"
Sato Miwako was still worried. Seeing his expression, she hurried back.
"I found it, Heiji. I found it!"
At that moment, Ran called out.
"Ran, don't touch anything. I'll come take a look."
The moment Heiji moved, his back burned with pain. He could endure it, but it wasn't pleasant.
Sato Miwako followed behind him, worry plain on her face. His shirt was stuck tight to his back—it had to hurt badly.
It was a large bag, placed behind a counter.
Heiji walked over, took one look, and his brows pulled together.
"Miwako, Ran—move back a little."
"I'll stay here with you."
Sato Miwako shook her head.
"Is it dangerous?"
Ran didn't move either.
Seeing Sato Miwako's expression, Heiji gave a faint smile, his face softening a bit.
"It won't matter how far you stand. I just need space. This bomb is big."
Sato Miwako's face reddened slightly, and she quickly stepped aside.
Heiji grabbed the large bag. The weight made his face change.
"Heiji… is that the bomb?"
Ran still looked shaken.
Heiji shook his head and pulled the bag away, revealing what was inside.
"More accurately, it's a high-explosive bomb. If it goes off, it can bring down this whole building."
Sato Miwako and Ran's hearts sank: Bring down the whole building?
"Sir, is that true?"
A shocked voice came from not far away.
Heiji didn't even look at them.
"True or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you all stay quiet. Miwako, help me find scissors. Small ones."
Sato Miwako nodded.
"Heiji, will these work?"
Ran dug out a small pair of scissors from her bag and handed them to him.
"Good enough."
Heiji took them. On the bomb's display, there were still ten minutes.
"What are you going to do?" someone shouted.
Heiji's expression stayed flat.
"Disarm it."
"Wait—who said you can mess with it like that?"
"Are you even trained? If you set it off, we all die with you!"
"That's right! We should just wait for the rescue team!"
"It's not going off right this second. We're not risking our lives on you!"
The trapped crowd grew angry. No one trusted a person who looked like a high school student to disarm a bomb.
"What about you two?"
Heiji looked at Sato Miwako and Ran.
Sato Miwako paused, then gave a small smile.
"I believe in Heiji."
Ran glanced at him.
"I believe in Heiji too."
"You two don't speak for everyone!"
"We're not taking risks with you. Don't touch that thing—you can't handle the consequences!"
"Exactly!"
"We don't agree!"
One shout turned into a chorus. No one wanted to bet their life on a stranger.
Heiji gave a faint smile, picked up the bomb, and walked straight toward the crowd.
Then he set it down right in the middle of them.
"What are you doing?!" someone yelled in panic.
"Since you won't let me disarm it, then we'll wait for the professionals."
Heiji smiled, turned around, and walked back toward the two women.
Tick-tock!
Of course, the timer made no sound. But as the numbers on the screen kept dropping, everyone's mind filled in the sound anyway.
00:07:25!
00:07:24!
"Heiji?" Sato Miwako frowned slightly. "Isn't this… too much?"
As a police officer, she should be calming people down. What Heiji did would only make them panic.
Ran nodded beside her.
Heiji smiled faintly.
"Right now, the police can't do anything. In their eyes, only rescue feels safe. Unless they get pushed into a corner—only then will they think of me."
Sato Miwako wanted to say something, then stopped. After a moment, she let out a small sigh. This went completely against police rules.
[Just once… I'll be selfish.]
At this moment!
00:03:53!
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