Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Lin Xiuyi quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, stop arguing. Jinghua and Qianying had no choice but to do this; her intentions were good."

"Qianying, Jinghua makes a good point. In the future, we should try to resolve issues through legal channels and avoid resorting to such risky methods."

Although Tomizawa Chikage was unconvinced, she knew that Lin Xiuyi was trying to ease the tension, so she didn't argue anymore. She just snorted and turned her head back to look out the window.

Ikenami Shizuka understood Tomizawa Chikage's predicament and didn't continue lecturing him. She simply sighed softly and focused on driving.

Before long, the two vehicles arrived at the Osaka Police Headquarters.

Everyone got out of the car, gathered together, and walked towards the gate of the police headquarters.

Shizuka Ikenami led the way, guiding everyone to Takeshi Ikenami's office.

Along the way, many police officers recognized Ikeba Shizuka and greeted her with smiles.

They looked at the group of people behind Ikeba Shizuka with curiosity on their faces, but did not ask any questions and simply politely made way for them.

Arriving at the door of Takeshi Ikenami's office, Shizuka Ikenami gently knocked, and Takeshi Ikenami's calm voice came from inside: "Come in."

The group pushed open the door and went inside. They saw Takeshi Ikeba sitting behind his desk. When he saw them come in, he put down the documents in his hand, looked up, and said with a gentle expression, "You've come. Please have a seat."

“Uncle Gangsi,” Ikeba Shizuka stepped forward, “I’ve brought everyone with me.”

Ikenami Tsuyoshi nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Hattori Heizo and Hayashi Shuichi. He said in a serious tone, "I've learned pretty much everything about the Terracotta Army. Takeuchi was too stubborn; thankfully, you guys discovered the problem in time."

"Now, let's discuss the specific investigation plan. We must ensure the safety of the Terracotta Warriors and not allow anyone to take advantage of the situation."

……

In the following days, the situation developed in a strange yet orderly manner, just as Lin Xiuyi and Hattori Heizo had predicted.

As news of the "Phantom Thief Lady's plan to steal the Terracotta Warriors" spread rapidly through the media, it quickly reached every corner of Osaka and even made the front page of national newspapers. The originally lively 400th anniversary celebration of Osaka was gradually shrouded in a layer of unease.

Meanwhile, the exhibition hall was hit by a series of serious security scandals, pushing the situation to an even more tense point.

The first scandal occurred the morning after the news broke.

According to the exhibition hall's cleaning staff, late the previous night, four thugs took advantage of a gap in the security patrol, climbed over the low fence on the back wall of the exhibition hall, and wandered around several exhibition areas. They even scratched the display cases of two modern cultural relics with hard objects.

If the patrolling security guards hadn't happened to turn back and promptly discovered and subdued the individuals, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

What's even more infuriating is that subsequent interrogation revealed that these thugs had been wandering around the exhibition hall for nearly forty minutes without being noticed by any security guards.

The patrols, originally scheduled for every fifteen minutes, were arbitrarily extended to an hour by security personnel, with some even sleeping or listening to the radio in the break room during their shifts. Once the news was exposed by the media, it immediately sparked strong public outrage.

The public criticized the exhibition hall for its ineffective security, saying that even ordinary thugs could easily break in, making it impossible to guarantee the safety of precious cultural relics.

The Osaka municipal government received numerous complaints and was forced to issue a public apology and promise to immediately rectify security measures and replace the negligent security personnel.

But before the storm had subsided, a second scandal followed.

On the afternoon of the incident, thick smoke suddenly billowed from the side hall of the exhibition hall, and the fire spread rapidly, destroying two folk exhibits that were temporarily on display.

Fortunately, the nearby fire hydrants responded quickly, and firefighters arrived at the scene within ten minutes, managing to bring the fire under control and preventing it from spreading to other exhibition areas.

According to the fire department's investigation, the fire was caused by a short circuit due to aging electrical circuits in the side hall. The exhibition hall had already been identified as having potential electrical hazards during a safety inspection six months prior, but due to the busy preparations for the celebration, no repairs had been arranged.

The fire ignited public anger and brought media scrutiny of the exhibition hall to a fever pitch.

Television news, newspapers, and magazines reported on the event with headlines such as "Security loopholes abound, Osaka exhibition hall is ill-suited for the task" and "The safety of cultural relics is in jeopardy, who will take responsibility?" The cameras repeatedly panned across the burned exhibits and the chaotic scene inside the exhibition hall.

Experts and scholars have also spoken out, criticizing the Osaka municipal government for its negligence and slackness in the protection of cultural relics.

There have been growing doubts in society about whether the museum can properly protect the Terracotta Warriors. Many people have even spontaneously gathered at the entrance of the museum, holding up signs to protest and demanding that the Terracotta Warriors be returned to China immediately.

It's important to know that this terracotta warrior is not a private collection of the Osaka Municipal Government. Rather, it is a national treasure that Osaka City specifically borrowed from the Chinese cultural relics department to enrich the festival's content. The exhibition period is one month, with the initial intention of promoting cultural exchange between the two countries.

To prevent the Terracotta Warriors from being lost or damaged, the Osaka City government held an emergency meeting overnight and ultimately decided to terminate the exhibition of the Terracotta Warriors.

After the exhibition ended on the last day, the Terracotta Warriors were packed up and transported back to China overnight, where they were handed over to Chinese staff in an effort to quell public opinion and salvage their reputation.

After the news broke, although some cultural relic enthusiasts and scholars expressed regret and hoped to enjoy the Terracotta Warriors for a few more days, more people expressed their support, believing that this was the best option to ensure the safety of the Terracotta Warriors.

However, Lin Xiuyi, Hattori Heizo, and others dared not relax at all after learning the news.

They knew very well that if the other party truly coveted the Terracotta Army, they would not give up easily, and the transportation route would be the best opportunity for the other party to strike.

……

That evening marked the last day of the Terracotta Army exhibition in Osaka.

The exhibition hall was still packed with visitors, all eager to take the last chance to see the Terracotta Warriors.

It wasn't until closing time that staff managed to evacuate all the visitors, and then immediately began packing up the Terracotta Warriors. (End of Chapter)