Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The roads were sparsely populated in the night, and Hattori Heizo pressed the accelerator hard, the SUV speeding along the empty road.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Hattori Heizo gripped the steering wheel tightly, his face so dark it seemed to drip water, his eyes fixed on the road illuminated by the headlights, without uttering a single word.

Chief Konoe sat in the passenger seat, feeling uneasy and restless.

He stole a glance at Hattori Heizo's dark profile, then quickly looked away.

The scenery outside the car window rushed past, getting closer and closer to the private hospital where Mito Shinzo was. The red cross on the top of the hospital building could already be seen flashing in the night sky.

Konoe Daisuke's heart was pounding faster and faster, almost bursting out of his chest.

Yoshiko's instructions, Hattori Heizo's roar, the note that said "Goodbye"... all sorts of images intertwined wildly in his mind.

He had promised to help her and to stop anyone from interfering with her "revenge"...

Just as the SUV was about to enter the intersection of the main road leading to the hospital, a struggle flashed in Konoe Daiji's eyes, which was then replaced by a kind of desperate madness.

He bit his lip hard, tasting a hint of blood, and then, as if using all his strength, he suddenly stretched out his hands and lunged at the steering wheel in Hattori Heizo's hands, pulling it forcefully to the side!

"I'm sorry, Hattori! I promised Kayoko! I absolutely couldn't let you stop her!!"

The Imperial Guard Commander shouted hoarsely.

The incident happened suddenly. Although Hattori Heizo reacted very quickly, his muscles tensed up immediately, and he tried to steer the wheel back onto the right track.

However, after a brief struggle between the two men, the SUV suddenly veered violently to the right!
"Squeak—crunch—!!"

The ear-piercing sound of tires screeching through the night sky!
The car went out of control and crashed directly onto the concrete curb. The chassis scraped violently against the curb, making a teeth-grinding scraping sound!

Then, due to inertia, the front of the car inevitably crashed hard into a thick sycamore tree on the side of the road!
A loud bang!
The hood of the car twisted and deformed instantly, and the windshield shattered in a spiderweb pattern!

Inside the car, the driver's and passenger's airbags deployed simultaneously upon impact, like two giant white pillows, slamming Hattori Heizo and Konoe Taiji hard into their respective seats with a "thud"!
The powerful impact left the two of them dizzy, with a tightness in their chests and a ringing in their ears.

The smell of gunpowder and dust from the airbag trigger filled the cramped carriage.

After a brief silence, the Imperial Guardian was the first to struggle slightly free from the pressure of the airbags.

He felt a burning pain in his forehead, probably from the impact, and his vision was also somewhat blurred.

He looked at Hattori Heizo beside him, his voice trembling with sobs and guilt: "I...I'm sorry, Hattori...I...I had to do it...I promised her..."

"idiot!"

Hattori Heizo was also knocked senseless by the airbags, but with his superior physique and willpower, he pushed the airbags off his face while sternly stopping Konoe Taiji's apology.
"You think you're doing this for Kayoko's own good?! If she succeeds, regardless of whether Mito Shinzo deserves his punishment, Kayoko will spend the rest of her life in a cold prison! You're pushing her into a fire pit with your own hands!"

"I...I know..."

Commander Konoe muttered to himself, tears mingling with the blood on his forehead, his expression pained and confused.
“But… Kayoko begged me, crying… She asked me to help her, to help her get revenge… She said it was the only goal she had ever had in her life… Mito Shinzo destroyed everything she had…” His voice grew softer and softer, filled with helplessness.

"As long as Hattori doesn't tell anyone... Kayoko is so smart, she can definitely arrange everything, and then pretend it was an accident or another suicide... The Osaka police will definitely not be able to find anything! That scumbag Mito Shinzo deserved to die!"

Konoe Daishi seemed to be convincing himself, or perhaps seeking Hattori Heizo's approval, his tone carrying a hint of naive hope.

"Can't find anything?!"

Hattori Heizo chuckled, his laughter filled with sarcasm and anger.

"Are you treating Lin Xiuyi like he doesn't exist?! This afternoon, when we left the hospital, he already privately reminded me to pay attention to Jia Shizi's unusual behavior!"

"You think I'm the only one who noticed that something was wrong with Jia Shizi? Lin Xiuyi's observation and reasoning abilities far exceed your imagination!"

"what?!"

The Imperial Guard Commander was struck dumb, abruptly raising his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
"How could he?! Prince Jia concealed it so well... How could Lin... how could he possibly..."

"Don't treat everyone else like fools!"

Hattori Heizo, his face full of anger, shouted at them while struggling even harder to break free from the airbags and the deformed car door.

“That’s not right… Kayoko clearly told me that her plan was flawless. As long as I helped her conceal her whereabouts and stall those who might notice, she could complete her revenge without anyone knowing, and then… then no one would find out, and no one would connect her with Mito Shinzo…”

Konoe Daishi shook his head, seemingly still trying to believe the perfect revenge plan that Kayoko had drawn for him, unwilling to accept reality.

"Do you think this is possible?!"

Hattori Heizo was almost amused by Konoe Taishi's naivety and stubbornness, but then, an even more terrifying thought, more in line with Ono Kayoko's personality and current situation, struck his mind like a cold lightning bolt!
His anger was instantly replaced by horror, and he let out a scream.
"Oops!"

The commander of the Imperial Guard was startled by his sudden exclamation: "W-what's wrong?"

Hattori Heizo's face turned extremely pale, and his voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

"Young Master Jia... After taking her revenge, Young Master Jia probably has no intention of escaping! She... she wants to commit suicide!!"

"what?!"

Commander Konoe's face was filled with disbelief, his eyes wide open as if he had heard the most absurd thing in the world.
"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! How could Yoshiko... She clearly said that she would come back after everything was over, and then we would all... How could she want to commit suicide?! She still has us as her friends!"

"Fool! Jia Shizi is so smart and perceptive, how could she not have noticed that Lin Xiu and I had already noticed her problem?"

Hattori Heizo's voice grew even more urgent with anxiety.

"That's why she left that note in the room that said 'Goodbye'! It wasn't just a message of temporary departure; it was a suicide note! A final farewell!" (End of Chapter)