Conan: Science Cartoonist Kudo Yuji

"I can't get through on the phone."

Kazami slammed his phone on the table and gulped down the liquor in a fit of rage. His face was flushed red, whether from the other person ignoring him or from being drunk, was unclear.

"Tayura is nothing but a regular policeman in the Tokyo Public Security Bureau. He doesn't even talk to me anymore. See? These guys really dare to look down on us elites."

Aoyama listened without saying a word. From the moment they started drinking until now, he hadn't gotten any useful information from Kazami. Compared to the Department of Life and Safety, which controlled all of Osaka and had subordinates in various regions, the Department of Transportation had far too few people at its disposal, which forced him to visit Kazami's office from time to time like this.

Fortunately, the two still had a friendship from their time at the University of Tokyo, so even if they came over often, it wouldn't arouse suspicion. Thanks to this, they were able to support their police colleagues in Osaka and plan their operations.

With a loud "bang," not only was Kazami jolted out of her slightly tipsy state, but Aoyama also dropped his wine glass to the ground.

"Ok?"

The two bent over and rolled to the ground. After three seconds of no further movement, they slowly got up, holding onto the coffee table, and peeked out the window.

"It's the West District." Qingshan crouched down and approached the window. He slowly stood up, looked at the red light, and gasped.

"It's still the most densely populated place."

"My God, a lot of people are going to die." Unlike Aoyama's worries, Kazami was overjoyed when he saw the fire from the explosion and the red that filled the sky.

Under Hattori's rule, such a horrific incident occurred in Osaka. Doesn't this mean that the time has finally come for those exiled to seize power?!
"I'll call my dad right now and wait for his instructions."

Kazami rushed to the sofa, trying to reach for her phone that had just fallen to the floor, only to find that the signal had completely disappeared.

"How could this happen, Aoyama, where's your phone!" Aoyama raised his hand to look at it, but just shook his head.

"I'm afraid that Osaka's electronic signals were cut off immediately after the explosion, and the people at headquarters are probably using their internal radio to communicate right now."

"Damn it! Was that guy's first reaction to be wary of us?!"

Of course, it turned out that being wary of them was the right thing to do. Aoyama certainly thought so in his heart. If Kazami had actually made the call, Osaka, already in chaos, would have been in serious trouble. So he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"I'll go back to the Ministry of Transportation and arrange for traffic police to go to the vicinity of the explosion site to control the situation. We can't be completely ignorant."

“That’s right!” Kazami affirmed. “I’ll also send people out to various places. Remember to send our own people to the key points, otherwise we’ll definitely be fooled by these Osaka people.”

"I see."

Aoyama ran quickly out of Kazami's office without looking at the document he had deliberately left behind. After notifying several police officers who could control the situation, he drove himself to Osaka Shinsei Hospital near the West Ward.

At first, there weren't many people around, just a few people peeking out of their homes to look at the fire. But once he entered the western district, he finally realized how serious the explosion was. Black ash filled the streets, and the closer he got to the blast site, the more he could see people with wounds on their bodies.

"We can't get through this..."

He was stopped by a cluster of houses engulfed in flames. (End of Chapter)