Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 255 The Hijacked Bus
"boom--!"

A gunshot rang out on the bus, instantly causing a commotion.

Two thugs dressed in ski gear blocked the exit and forced the driver to shout, "Put up a sign that says 'Back to Station' and keep driving around the city!"

"No one else is allowed to move. Anyone who does will be killed!"

"Very good, now everyone hand over your cell phones. If you dare to hide them, you can forget about ever making a phone call again!"

"Call your bus company when we get to the intersection!"

Gao Mo hung up his backup phone and glanced at the message that Gao Mu had sent him.

Jewelry bomber... the news came way too late.

Gao Mo turned off his phone and began to observe the two thugs who had split up ahead of him.

There should be one more person.

Hidden among the passengers?
As Gao Mo handed the phone to the thief, he glanced at the passengers in the car out of the corner of his eye.

Finally, Shuichi Akai was ruled out, along with an elderly man wearing a hearing aid and a square-faced woman who kept chewing gum.

"Hey, it's you!" The thug pointed his gun at the square-faced woman. "You're making so much noise with your mouth moving around!"

"Of course, because I'm chewing gum."

The square-faced woman rolled her eyes, not taking the thug seriously.

"What you've done will eventually get you arrested. For your own safety, you'd better stop and run for your lives..."

"boom--!"

Another gunshot rang out, this time the assailant grinned and fired a shot at the seat next to the woman.

"I...I understand," the square-faced woman stammered, "I'll be a good girl..."

"Wouldn't it have been better to do it this way from the beginning?"

"Wow!"

With Eagle Eye Vision and Mind Network deployed simultaneously, the entire bus appeared to Gao Mo as if it were mired in a quagmire of time, and a massive amount of information flooded into his mind in an instant.

The calm Shuichi Akai, the three startled children, the fake Akihito who pretends to be scared but has sharp eyes, and Jodie who deliberately trips the thug because of the reflection in her glasses—pretending to be foreigners who don't understand Japanese, they take the opportunity to tamper with the gun in the thug's hand.

There was also another thug who was loudly threatening the bus company from ahead.

Gao Mo's ears returned to calm, leaving only a large amount of useful information filtered out.

Logically, when the criminals were on the move, one person should have been responsible for keeping watch to prevent any unusual behavior from the hostages. However, one of the criminals contacted the bus company, and the other collected their cell phones according to the seating order.

While their actions appeared professional, they also revealed a crucial piece of information—there was indeed a third person hidden among the passengers, and most likely sitting in the back row with the best view.

Almost simultaneously, the "Ye Caisan's Guide to Criminal Planning" projected in the notes completely vanished as a stream of light.

With the projected books fully in hand, the actions of the robbers became even more quantifiable and vividly presented to Gao Mo.

What seemed like a fierce and violent act suddenly became quite childish.

Gao Mo first glanced at the ski bag that the robbers had put on the ground, then his gaze returned to the back of the carriage, locking onto the square-faced woman who was blowing bubbles.

I was threatened by the thugs just now, but I still did what I wanted, and the thugs seemed completely unconcerned.

He thought this ruthless bandit would kill someone as a show of force, but it turned out to be just a formality... Did he think he couldn't tell it was all an act?
This woman's acting was terrible, and her gaze never left the passengers on the bus—she was actually the third criminal responsible for monitoring the hostages.

"call!"

The digital watch on the square-faced woman's wrist was magnified in the field of vision; the screen displayed a fixed time that never changed, and the woman frequently and cautiously checked her watch...

Level 4 bomb disposal combined with the Mind Network makes Gao Mo's thinking clearer.

It was as if one could see through the ski bag to the bombs planted inside, or even see through the internal structure and functions of the electronic watch.

He retracted his previous thought; bomb disposal skills were too useful.

The watch was probably the bomb remote control.

The group's plan was not only to take hostages to rescue their leader, but also to eliminate everyone on the vehicle.

Why go through all that trouble?

And why this particular car of all?

"They..." Xiao Ai tried to suppress her trembling body and remind Gao Mo of the thugs' purpose, but when she looked up, she saw Gao Mo gently shaking his head.

She was very familiar with that calm look in her eyes.

It is a reaction of knowing everything.

But does she really know everything? Kido is different from her; after all, he has no memories of the future and doesn't know about the bomb. If he acts recklessly...

When Xiao Ai noticed Gao Mo's gaze fixed on the thug's ski bag, she swallowed the words she was about to say, and her heart felt inexplicably at peace. Even though Vermouth was sitting in the front row, she didn't seem so scared.

Yes, Kido can handle someone like Rum, so what can Vermouth do?
As for these bombers... even if Kido doesn't act, the others on the bus won't just sit idly by and wait to die.

The FBI has already taken action.

There will definitely be no problem.

That being said...

Ai gripped her fingers even tighter.

After all, it involves bombs.

There are still many variables. For example, Conan is not here this time. He said he went to the countryside with the Mori father and daughter to run some business.

"Excuse me," Gao Mo suddenly called out to the thug, pointing to the square-faced woman, "Could I switch places with her? My sister isn't feeling well..."

"What's with all this nonsense?" the thug yelled. "Behave yourself or I'll shoot you!"

Now, not only Gao Mo, but the others also noticed the problem, and their gazes toward the square-faced woman changed slightly.

They're all like super agents; nobody's stupid.

Judy, who was about to take another step, suddenly stopped.

Shuichi Akai, sitting in the last row, was slightly surprised. He also noticed the square-faced woman's unusual behavior, but he hadn't had a chance to remind Jodie yet.

Coincidence?
……

Bus company.

Megure led his team to control the situation, keeping the criminals calm while maintaining communication with Takagi and others on the front lines.

"The hijacked bus is currently heading towards Takaido at a speed of approximately 50 kilometers per hour..."

"This is Takagi from point E. I can see the bus!" Takagi observed through binoculars. "There are two criminals, both wearing ski suits, hats, and goggles, so I can't see their faces. And it looks like they both have handguns... Officer, what should we do?"

"If both of them have guns, they can't act recklessly."

Muguru's expression was grave.

"The bus is currently circling around and may pass through there again. You should stay at point E and wait!"

"Yes……"

Hearing the commands through the headset, Takagi hesitated, wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

He not only saw the criminals, but also Gao Mo with the child.

He even went to support the opening of Kido Detective Agency, and they later collaborated on several cases, so they can be considered old friends.

“Inspector Megure,” Shiratori said to Megure, “the higher-ups have made a decision. We must prioritize the hostages held by the criminals and ensure the safety of the passengers. Therefore, the higher-ups have decided to release Kunio Yajima, who has been sent for interrogation, in accordance with the criminals’ demands.”

"That's the only way."

Muguru's expression grew increasingly solemn.

"If they were part of that jewel robbery gang, there might be bomb experts among them, if..."

Then Megure turned to ask, "Still can't get in touch with Matsuda? Knowing his personality, he shouldn't hang up so easily."

Despite having spent less than a month together, Inspector Megure already had a certain "understanding" of "Shinichi Matsuda".

“If Matsuda were here, perhaps he could come up with a solution. I have a feeling that those thugs are up to something. It would be too foolish for them to just wander around the city like this. Even if we rescue Kunio Yajima, they won’t be able to escape.”

"Matsuda's phone seems to be switched off," Shiratori said, shaking his head. He hadn't realized Matsuda held such a significant place in Megure's heart.

However, this isn't about solving a case, so having Matsuda around won't make any difference.

"Shut down?" Megure stroked his beard, then suddenly asked suspiciously, "Could Matsuda have been on that bus too?"

That's certainly very possible.

Not answering calls is one thing, but not replying to messages at all, or even turning off the phone... This indicates that the situation makes it impossible to use a mobile phone.

"This……"

The white bird opened its mouth in surprise.

"It can't be such a coincidence, right?"

"Takagi, did you see Matsuda just now?"

"Huh? I didn't notice, there shouldn't be any, right? But I did see Mr. Kido and a few kids..."

“Inspector Megure,” Sato said, his fingers trembling slightly as he drove a short distance behind the bus, listening to the voice on the comms, “you think Matsuda is on the bus?”

"We don't know yet. Even if he's up there, he probably won't be of any use. In fact, it would be very dangerous for him. Who knows what those guys would do if they found out he was a policeman?"

Megure frowned as he checked the time.

"Just stick with the bus for now, and don't lose it, it might leave the current route at any time!"

"Yes!!"

Sato gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands.

Matsuda, bombs... these things always gave her some unpleasant associations.

Although Matsuda Shinichi only resembled that person in a slight way, for some reason, he always had a feeling that the other person might also leave at any time.

"Please make sure nothing happens to you, Officer Matsuda!"

Takagi also became much more nervous.

He still owes Officer Matsuda a life; if it weren't for Matsuda, he would have been a charred corpse long ago.

It was thanks to Matsuda that he had the opportunity to arrive at Sato's blind date and had the courage to pursue her.

"Officer Matsuda..."

Tokyo city center.

The bus, which displays "Returning," is still circling along the route.

After receiving a reply from the police, the criminals' laughter became even more arrogant: "Really? You're going to release them? Very well, have Yajima call me later. After I confirm with him personally, I will release the three hostages first."

"Clang!"

Another assailant placed two ski bags in the aisle.

Not long after, seemingly having contacted the leader who had been released by the police and confirmed his safety, the thugs controlling the driver shouted again: "Take the Capital Expressway onto the Central Road, hurry up! Slow down when you get to the Little Buddha Tunnel..."

Gao Mo calmly withdrew his gaze.

He was fully aware of the thugs' retreat plan.

They have great ideas and are quite professional.

The tunnel wasn't long, so why slow down to avoid the police's sight? It was probably to use the tunnel as cover to pretend to be a released passenger.

The bomb was used to buy time or to make the police think the perpetrator had committed suicide by mistake.

That's ruthless; they used a whole busload of passengers as sacrifices.

This is the real ruthless bandit.

Relatively speaking, Ye Caisan has a higher IQ, but he wouldn't make such a plan.

"Hey you guys with glasses over there!" the assailant brandished his gun. "And you guys in the back wearing masks, come to the front! Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you!"

Shuichi Akai got up and left his seat. As he passed Gao Mo, he caught a glimpse of Gao Mo holding Ai's finger.

Vermouth, who was under FBI surveillance, was in the car. He couldn't reveal his identity, nor could he personally protect Shiho. He could only hope that this Mr. Kido was worthy of Shiho's trust.

Seeing that the fake Shinichi was also heading towards the thugs, Shuichi Akai quietly gave Jodie a wink.

As the bus slowed down and entered the Little Buddha Tunnel, visibility became dim.

The two thugs took off their ski gear and handed it to the fake Shinichi and Shuichi Akai: "You two put on your ski gear and sit on the floor. Don't forget to wear your goggles and hats!"

"Hehe, having you take our place will buy us some time. We'll pretend to be released passengers... Don't worry, when the police arrive, others will vouch for you..."

One of the assailants continued to threaten the driver: "After we get off the bus, you speed up and drive away to distract the police... Of course, we'll also take a hostage."

The thug looked around, then sneered and pointed at the square-faced woman in the back row: "It's you. Come here, you'll be a hostage. If they don't cooperate, you're dead!"

A square-faced woman chewed gum as she passed by Gao Mo.

In the darkness, the woman barely continued acting; she was suddenly grabbed by Gao Mo just before she stepped over the ski bag.

“I’ll be the hostage,” Gao Mo’s magic hand silently swept across the digital watch. “There’s no need to bully a woman.”

"You brat, are you looking for death?" The thugs looked at Gao Mo with suspicion, fearing that Gao Mo had seen through their plan.

"Kirouto-nii-san!"

Ayumi and the others were so frightened they could barely make a sound.

"Is that not allowed?" Gao Mo picked up a ski bag. "Or are you not taking hostages? After all, if we just see your faces like this, wouldn't they kill you on TV?"

"You guy..."

The thugs aimed their guns at Gao Mo but dared not fire, fearing that Gao Mo might accidentally detonate the bomb.

"Who are you? A police officer?!"

"How could that be? I'm just a small-time actor."

Gao Mo glanced at the obedient fake Shinichi and Akai Shuichi out of the corner of his eye.

These two are really good at enduring things.

It's estimated that no bomb was found.

If this continues, the bus safety will be fine, as he has already dealt with the detonation device, but these criminals will be able to escape without a trace.

"Is there a bomb in here?" Gao Mo asked, feigning nervousness. "Are you planning to blow us up after you get out of the car? That's how it's always shown on TV!"

"This bastard..."

The assailant was sweating profusely when he immediately noticed the passengers' expressions change.

The passengers, who had been incredibly cooperative because they were about to escape danger, all became suspicious.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll shoot you first!"

"Don't be impulsive!" The thug beside him anxiously pulled his companion back. "What if you hit that..."

"Hmph, don't overthink it," the thug forced himself to calm down and lowered his gun. "We're just looking for a chance to escape. As long as you cooperate, everything will be fine!"

Then, she glared coldly at Gao Mo: "You want to be a hostage, huh? You come with me!"

This kid almost ruined everything.

However, we can't let this kid stay in the car any longer; we'll find another opportunity to deal with him.

I'll give them a good beating then.

"Don't do anything reckless!"

Gao Mo glanced again at the fake Shinichi and the others who were holding their breath.

He could easily deal with these minor characters, but he also didn't want to expose himself.

We'll have to trouble these few people.

We all know the criminals are going to use a bomb to silence us, so we can't just do nothing, can we?
(End of this chapter)