Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

The boy's shout, like a thunderclap, instantly roused the stunned hostages.

"Everyone, let's attack! Deal with the robbers! Are we just going to wait to be killed by them?" A tall, middle-aged man was the first to react from the crowd.

He roared, picked up a broken steel pipe from the ground, and charged at the nearest thug.

The middle-aged man was a truck driver with astonishing strength. With one blow of a steel pipe, the thug was instantly beaten, his head bleeding profusely, and he collapsed to the ground screaming in agony.

With the first person taking the lead, the other hostages were instantly ignited with courage.

Yes, Officer Ida has already seized the robber's shotgun.

The most deadly threat is gone, and they still have thirty or forty men left. Surely they can handle four thugs?
Rather than waiting to die, we should rise up and fight back to save ourselves and those around us!

"Charge! Kill these robbers!"

"Don't let them get away!"

……

Shouts rose and fell, and people of all ages and genders sprang into action.

Young, strong men picked up steel pipes and stones from the ground and charged at the thugs.

The women tightly protected the elderly and children, while also picking up whatever was around them and throwing it at the thugs.

Even a few elderly people, trembling, picked up their canes and waved them at the thugs, resisting in their own way.

This gang of thugs was originally just a motley crew. The reason they were able to control thirty or forty hostages was entirely due to the double-barreled shotgun in the hands of their leader, who intimidated everyone with fear.

Now that Officer Ida had the shotgun firmly under her control, and the deadly threat was gone, their arrogance vanished instantly, leaving only panic and fear.

In a short while, the three thugs who were still standing were all knocked to the ground.

Meanwhile, the struggle between Officer Ida and the gang leader remains intense.

The gang leader was getting increasingly flustered by Date Wataru's harassment, and seeing his underlings being beaten down one by one, he became more and more panicked and his attacks became increasingly ruthless.

He kicked Ida Kou hard in the stomach. The little boy groaned in pain and fell heavily to the ground, tears welling up in his eyes instantly.

"Navigate!"

When Officer Ida saw his son being kicked to the ground, his eyes instantly turned red. He suddenly exerted all his strength, gripping the shotgun tightly with both hands, and yanked it violently in his direction.

The gang leader lost his balance and stumbled forward.

Officer Ida seized the opportunity to raise his knee and slam it hard into the thug leader's chest.

"what!"

The gang leader let out a painful scream, a sharp pain shooting through his chest as if his ribs were about to break.

The shotgun in his hand slipped from his grasp instantly, but Officer Ida caught it firmly in his hand.

The gang leader, now unarmed, lost all confidence and turned to run away, but was held down by several angry hostages who rushed up to him.

"That bastard just pointed a gun at my head!" "And me! He almost shot my son dead!"

The hostages, who had previously been intimidated and threatened by the gang leader with guns, finally erupted in a fit of rage, punching and kicking the gang leader.

Someone punched him in the face, someone kicked him in the stomach, and someone picked up a shard of glass from the ground and slashed it at his arm.

The gang leader let out a series of shrill screams, his face and body covered in blood. He was quickly beaten unconscious and collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, all his previous arrogance gone.

In just five or six minutes, all five thugs were brought under control.

The four henchmen were beaten black and blue, covered in injuries, and curled up on the ground trembling, too weak to even resist.
The arrogant gang leader was covered in blood and unconscious, unlikely to wake up anytime soon.

Having dealt with all the robbers, Officer Ida, without even taking a breath or checking his injured finger, rushed to the window, pulled back the heavy curtains, and opened the window.

Fresh air rushed into the enclosed third floor, and the blinding sunlight outside shone in, causing everyone to squint.

Downstairs, a dense array of police cars surrounded the entire department store, and dozens of police officers, armed with guns, stood guard at the mall entrance.

Hearing the sound of the window being pushed open, the police officers downstairs immediately looked up and saw Officer Ida by the window.

Officer Date took a deep breath and shouted downstairs, "This is Wataru Date, the chief inspector of the Kanagawa Police Department! The robbers inside have been subdued, all hostages are safe, and there have been no casualties! You can come in immediately and arrest the remaining thugs!"

Upon hearing the words "hostage safety," the police officers downstairs instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

The officer in charge immediately ordered: "Attention everyone, the hostage is safe! Rush into the mall, apprehend the remaining robbers, seal off all exits, and do not let a single person escape!"

"Yes!"

A unified response rang out, and the police immediately sprang into action. Some rushed into the mall's main entrance, while others guarded the back and side entrances, forming a tight encirclement.

On the third floor, Officer Ida gripped the double-barreled shotgun tightly in his hand, leaning slowly against the cold wall, panting heavily.

The fight had exhausted all his strength; his chest throbbed with pain from the thug leader's blows, and his right index finger was numb with pain.
Bloodstains remained under his fingernails; they were blood squeezed out by the trigger of the shotgun.

He slowly closed his eyes, his tense nerves finally relaxing, and a tired but relieved smile appeared on his face.

Just then, a pair of small hands gently tugged at the hem of his clothes.

Officer Ida slowly opened his eyes and saw his son, Ida Wataru, standing beside him. His little face still had wet tear stains, and his eyes were full of complex emotions, including heartache, grievance, and a hint of confusion.

Date Wataru pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, and finally mustered his courage to look up at his father. His voice was choked with sobs as he spoke haltingly:
"Dad, you're lying... You've always taught me to be a man, to have backbone, and not to bow down to bad people, but just now... you just knelt down before that bastard..."

Officer Ida opened his mouth, wanting to explain something, but when the words reached his lips, he didn't know how to begin.

He knew that in his son's little world, kneeling was a symbol of cowardice and a lack of backbone.

His previous teachings and his recent behavior seem contradictory and conflicting, no wonder his son feels confused and wronged.

“Hang, Dad…” Officer Ida’s voice was hoarse and tired, his eyes filled with guilt and helplessness.

He wanted to tell his son that sometimes, bowing one's head is not cowardice, but a way to better protect oneself; compromise is not incompetence, but another form of courage.

But he didn't know how to explain this heavy decision in language that an eight or nine-year-old child could understand. (End of Chapter)