Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"And once the decision is made to send the Terracotta Warriors back to China,"

Ono Yoshiko spoke calmly, but every word struck a chord deep within the hearts of those around her.

"This requires a professional team for transporting cultural relics. Transporting national treasures like the Terracotta Warriors is extremely complex, requiring custom-made shockproof boxes, a constant temperature and humidity environment, professional handling personnel, and armed escort..."

"How many steps in this entire process could potentially be compromised?"

Lin Xiuyi walked to the window and looked at the delivery trucks unloading goods outside.

"The transportation company may be a trustworthy enterprise that has long cooperated with the museum, but who can guarantee that there is no mole among them?"

"If any link in the chain—the porters, drivers, escorts, or even the accompanying cultural relics experts—is bribed, theft can occur during transport."

“What’s even more frightening,” Hattori Heizo said in a low voice, “is that if something is ‘stolen’ during transport, the responsibility will be spread among multiple parties: the transport company, the security company, and even the road management department.”

"The museum and the city government can be partially absolved of responsibility. We have taken the highest level of security measures, and it was an unforeseen accident that occurred during transportation."

"By then, the accountability process will become a long and drawn-out wrangling, while the real thieves will have already disappeared into the vast sea of ​​people with the Terracotta Warriors."

Kawada Yuko gasped, "So what should we do now? Warn the government not to send the Terracotta Warriors away prematurely? But what if they get stolen if we don't send them away?"

Commander Konoe frowned and said, "This is a real dilemma. Sending them away might play right into the thief's hands; not sending them away risks theft. Whichever path we choose, we might fall into their trap."

Maeda Yoto suddenly thought of a question: "But if the Terracotta Army is really hijacked during transport, wouldn't the commotion be huge? An attack on an armed escort convoy is no small matter; it will definitely cause a nationwide uproar."

“So the theft won’t happen during transport,” Lin Xiuyi turned around, her eyes sharp, “but rather during the handover process. Imagine: the Terracotta Warriors are transported from the museum, packed into special transport boxes, and sent to an airport or port.”

“During this process, there will be several handovers, from the museum to the transport vehicle, from the transport vehicle to the airport warehouse, and from the warehouse to the cabin or ship’s hold. Each handover is the most vulnerable moment.”

Yoko Ono added, "Moreover, if the thieves have already infiltrated the transportation team, they don't even need to rob them."

"By simply replacing the genuine product with a carefully crafted counterfeit at a certain stage, the switch can be completed without anyone noticing."

"When the genuine product arrived in China and was unpacked and inspected, it turned out to be a fake. By then, it was impossible to pinpoint where the problem occurred."

"Japan will insist that it sent genuine artifacts, while China will insist that it received fakes. An international dispute will be inevitable, and the real terracotta warriors have already been secretly hidden away."

Kawada Haeko felt a chill: "So the real purpose of the notice is to trigger this chain reaction. It's not a declaration of theft, but a catalyst to force the government to initiate the transportation process."

“That’s right,” Hattori Heizo nodded, “That’s why the announcement letter has to imitate the style of the Phantom Thief Lady.”

"The Lady Thief is renowned, and her advance notices are intimidating enough to keep the police and government on their toes."

"At the same time, her mysterious identity and her unbroken record will give officials the psychological suggestion that we cannot guard against her, thus making them more inclined to adopt a conservative strategy and send the Terracotta Warriors away ahead of time."

"Moreover, after stealing the Terracotta Warriors, the Lady Thief can take the blame, killing two birds with one stone."

After Lin Xiuyi finished speaking, he looked up and glanced at Tomizawa Chikage not far away without making a sound.

The girl was standing next to Ikenami Shizuka, keeping an eye on the tourists watching the Terracotta Warriors while occasionally stealing glances over, clearly paying close attention to their conversation. Hattori Heizo followed his gaze and assumed that Lin Xiuyi was looking at Ikenami Shizuka.

He looked away, his brow furrowed, and asked with some concern, "Is Miss Chibo's uncle trustworthy?"

He knew the matter was of utmost importance; the Terracotta Army was a significant symbol of cultural exchange between China and Japan, and the consequences of its theft would be unimaginable.

"If that's really their plan, there must be a meticulous plan and strong support behind it. We can't solve it by ourselves; the police have to get involved."

Hattori Heizo paused, then added,

"Inspector Takeuchi thinks it's a prank and doesn't take it seriously at all. Now we can only rely on Chief Ikenami."

"Minister Chi Bo is currently seeking a promotion. If he can successfully crack this premeditated theft of national treasures and prevent a crisis that could trigger an international dispute, it will obviously be of great help to his promotion. This is a reward that comes to him without asking."

Lin Xiuyi spoke casually, yet with absolute confidence.
"I believe he has no reason to refuse such an opportunity."

Hattori Heizo pondered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons, and then slowly nodded.

"In that case, I'll take a gamble too."

After a brief discussion, Lin Xiuyi turned and walked towards Tomizawa Chikage and Ikenami Shizuka.

……

Upon learning of Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo's deductions, Tomizawa Chikage instantly flew into a rage.
"Damn it, these bastards actually tried to pin such a huge blame on me..."

Before she could finish speaking, she met Lin Xiuyi's warning gaze.

Tomizawa Chikage's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly changed her words.

"My idol, the Phantom Thief Lady! These guys are despicable! How dare they impersonate the Phantom Thief Lady to do such a vile thing! It's unforgivable!"

As she spoke, she deliberately adopted an indignant demeanor, attempting to conceal her true identity.

Ikenami Shizuka was not fooled by her acting skills. Her eyes flickered slightly as she glanced thoughtfully at Tomizawa Chikage.

That gaze seemed to pierce through one's heart, causing Tomizawa Chikage to subconsciously avoid her eyes, feeling a little flustered.

After a moment, Ikeba Shizuka withdrew her gaze, turned to Lin Xiuyi, and asked calmly, "Do you want me to tell Uncle Ikebashi all this?"

“Yes,” Lin Xiuyi said without beating around the bush, “This is a big matter, involving the safety of national treasures and international influence. A few of us young people are far from enough in terms of connections and authority. We need the intervention of high-ranking police officers to mobilize enough resources to investigate potential dangers and stop the other side’s plan.”

Ikeba Shizuka gently shook her head: "I can only promise to tell him everything you said exactly as it is. As for whether Uncle Gangsi agrees to get involved or whether he will believe your speculations, that is not something I can decide."

"Given his high position, he is always cautious and wouldn't act rashly based on just a few speculations." (End of Chapter)