Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Seeing that Officer Furukawa was still being harassed by three women, Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo shook their heads helplessly and walked out of the meeting room together in tacit understanding.

The corridor was much quieter, with only the faint sounds of tourists chatting and laughing in the distance.

As soon as they stepped outside, they saw the other members of the detective agency gathered by the corridor window, talking in hushed tones.

Seeing the two come out, Kawada Yuko quickly went up to them and asked about the results: "How was it? Any clues?"

Hattori Heizo shook his head silently, and the others immediately understood what he meant.

“This is troublesome,” Maeda Yoto said, scratching his head in frustration. “If we can’t even find out who placed the notice, there’s no way we can predict or stop the next theft. Security at the Terracotta Army has been increased, but if the other party really has the skills of the Phantom Thief Lady…”

Konoe Daishi added, "Moreover, time is of the essence. According to the usual practice of the Phantom Thief Lady, she or her imitator will most likely choose to commit the crime on the night of three days from now."

Kawada Yuko said with concern, "The exhibition hall closes at night and the security system is fully activated. But the Phantom Thief Lady is best at taking her target under seemingly impossible circumstances."

"In the case in Kyoto a year ago, she took the screen from a heavily guarded display case right under the noses of twenty security guards, leaving only a camellia flower. To this day, no one has figured out how she did it."

“Perhaps we could try a different approach to the investigation,” Yoshiko Ono suddenly suggested.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Before the others fully understood her meaning, Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo exchanged a glance, and both of them were moved.

Yes, since we can't find out who sent the notice, why not try a different approach and think about what the other party plans to do next in order to steal the Terracotta Warriors!
Hattori Heizo's eyes lit up again: "Kayoko is right. We've been fixated on 'who sent the notice,' but perhaps more important is 'how they intend to commit the crime.'"

"If we can predict the modus operandi and make arrangements in advance, we can wait for the criminals to come to us."

Lin Xiu nodded in agreement: "The Terracotta Army is different from ordinary antiquities. It weighs hundreds of kilograms. If the criminals want to move it without anyone noticing, they must plan their actions and routes in advance."

Maeda Yoto took out a map of the exhibition hall: "The Terracotta Warriors exhibition area is on the first floor, east wing, near the side door. But that side door is usually locked and is only used in emergencies or when goods are moving in or out."

The Imperial Guard Commander pondered, "Side entrance...goods coming and going...how were the Terracotta Warriors transported to the exhibition hall in the first place?"

Yoshida Aoi's eyes lit up: "Large cultural relics usually require special handling equipment and passageways to enter the exhibition hall. If the other party plans to steal the Terracotta Warriors, they will likely use the same route to do the opposite."

“The Terracotta Army is no ordinary cultural relic,” Lin Xiuyi shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the endless stream of tourists in the museum hall. “It is enormous in size, incredibly heavy, and under tight security. Trying to smuggle it out of the museum via the same route would be an almost impossible task.”

"Even if we can break through layers of security and move it to the exhibition platform after closing time, how do we get it through the various checkpoints inside the museum? How do we avoid nighttime patrols? How do we transport it out of the building without being detected?"

He paused, his fingers tapping lightly on the corridor railing.

"unless……"

Hattori Heizo, standing nearby, brightened up and chimed in, “They can do it openly and honestly. They don’t steal it secretly, but transport the Terracotta Warriors out of the museum in full view of everyone, in a legal and compliant manner.”

"Hey, what kind of riddles are you two playing at again?" Kawada Yuko pouted, looking quite annoyed.

"Can you please be more explicit? This guessing game is exhausting!"

She turned to look at Ono Kayoko beside her and found her smiling at Hattori Heizo, seemingly understanding the unspoken meaning behind her words.

Kawada Yuko immediately started tickling her friend: "Okay, Kayoko, you got it, didn't you? Tell me!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Ono Yoshiko quickly begged for mercy, dodging and nodding with a smile.

"Alright! I'll tell you! Actually, you can guess it just by thinking about the actions of the police and the government before..."

Seeing that she was about to explain, Kawada Yuko quickly put her hand down and leaned closer with an expectant look on her face.

Yoko Ono straightened her disheveled hair and said seriously, "After the previous attempted sabotage, what was the police's reaction? They increased security, but more importantly, the government has privately discussed the possibility of terminating the exhibition early."

She looked around at everyone and continued,

"Upon discovering that someone intends to steal the Terracotta Warriors, regardless of whether it's a real threat or not, what is the government's instinctive reaction? Is it to close the exhibition hall? No, that would cause public panic and international attention. More likely, it would be..."

Yoko Ono took a deep breath.

"It's a way of quietly transferring the risk. Because the Terracotta Army was borrowed from China by the Osaka government for exhibition, if it were stolen, the Osaka government wouldn't be able to explain it to China."

"This is not only about hundreds of millions of yen in deposits and compensation, but also about the city's reputation, diplomatic relations, and even the country's image."

Maeda Yoto suddenly realized: "So if the theft threat continues to escalate, or even if some minor incidents actually occur after the notice, such as a security system malfunctioning inexplicably, or some suspicious items being discovered, the safest thing for the government to do in order to mitigate the risk is..."

"End the exhibition early and send the Terracotta Warriors back to China!"

Commander Konoe continued, his voice filled with shock.

"In this way, all the problems are solved! It's a bit of a shame that the exhibition ended early, but it's much better than the theft of cultural relics."

"To the public, it can be explained as 'the tour has ended as planned,' or a technical reason can be given, such as 'it needs to return to China for routine maintenance.'"

Kawada Yuko's eyes widened: "Wait, you mean... the real purpose of that notice wasn't to steal the Terracotta Warriors, but to create enough panic and pressure to force the government to move the Terracotta Warriors out on its own initiative?"

Lin Xiu nodded: "This is the most ingenious theft plan. Think about it, if someone causes a few more attempted thefts after the notice is issued, such as trying to sabotage the security system and being discovered in time, or finding suspicious people near the museum, the police and the government will be on edge."

Hattori Heizo picked up the thread: "When the pressure builds up to a certain point, an official will definitely ask: 'For the absolute safety of the Terracotta Warriors, shouldn't we consider ending the exhibition early?'"

"This proposal will surely gain support quickly, because no one wants to take responsibility for the theft of the Terracotta Army." (End of Chapter)