Conan: Death is Watching Me

Chapter 264 Explosion Forecast
With the national high school mock exams approaching, Tokyo has enjoyed a rare period of peace, with fewer police sirens in Beika Town, much like the calm before a storm.

Gao Mo didn't encounter any more murder cases, but he did manage to catch a few more wanted criminals.

His deep understanding of criminal psychology made it easier for him to locate these people's hideouts than that of ordinary police officers.

He was still one step away from becoming a criminal investigator, and in his spare time, he finally started a new profession at the martial arts gym—a sparring partner.

Only now has he realized that not all professions can be upgraded to level 5, including the supermarket cashier who has been gathering dust all along. There is no room for upgrading; they can only serve as a stepping stone for changing professions.

Just like a sparring partner can become a coach, or a supermarket cashier can become a manager.

However, it is clearly not worthwhile to promote these ordinary professions at present.

"Officer Matsuda!"

Metropolitan Police Department.

As Gao Mo and Qian Ye returned from their duty, police officers greeted them along the way.

He has now become a big celebrity in the Metropolitan Police Department, and the higher-ups are paying close attention to him. Even after many years... and many days later, he saw Yuya Kazami, Rei Furuya's sidekick.

He used to be nothing more than a cannon fodder informant in the public security system, but now even Kazami Yuya looks at him with a certain degree of respect.

"This wanted criminal needs to be handed over to us. Thank you for your hard work!"

Kazami Yuya led his team past Gao Mo, habitually adjusting his glasses.

Despite valuing it, he still has his own pride.

This new detective is only good at solving cases; his overall abilities may not be that great, and he is far inferior to Mr. Furuya.

Even he himself... as an elite public security officer, his combat skills are certainly far superior to those of ordinary criminal police officers.

“He’s Kazami Yuya from the Public Security Bureau,” Chiba whispered a reminder. “He’s a difficult guy to get along with.”

The First Investigation Division doesn't seem to get along well with the elite public security officers, and Chiba's words clearly carried a hint of resentment.

That kind of superiority that emanates from the bone is indeed very unpleasant, but Kazami Yuya becomes a goofy fanboy in front of Furuya Rei, which can only be said to be a problem of identity system.

"Ok?"

Gao Mo's heart suddenly skipped a beat, sensing that someone was watching him. He turned around and saw a middle-aged man with glasses who looked malnourished and had sparse, oily hair.

After returning a smile, the middle-aged man with glasses got into a taxi parked on the side of the road.

“Oh, right, Officer Matsuda,” Chiba suddenly remembered, “everyone’s going to karaoke tonight at nine. Do you want to come? Officer Sato and Yumi are going too.”

"I won't go." Gao Mo withdrew his gaze.

He definitely wouldn't attend a party like this. What if a female police officer made a move on him and accidentally ruined his disguise?
Besides, almost all the pretty female police officers in the Metropolitan Police Department have a boyfriend/girlfriend, and the rest... well, let's not even talk about them.

"Matsuda, Chiba!"

I ran into Megure as soon as I arrived at the office area.

"You've come at the right time. We have an urgent mission. Someone called to say there's a bomb in a restaurant near the intersection where the explosion happened."

Another bomber?

"This time is different."

Megure's expression was not good.

"Today is that special day. Three years ago and seven years ago, the explosions happened on the same day... Anyway, you two be careful. If the news is confirmed, contact the nearest explosives disposal team immediately."

Is this for real this time?

Gao Mo frowned, thinking of the middle-aged man with glasses from earlier.

I had a vague sense of danger, but it wasn't obvious.

There aren't many things that can threaten him now, but bombs are undoubtedly one of them.

"Also," Inspector Megure said with a strange expression, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, "Matsuda, our group has lost several police cars in a row, we can't afford to act recklessly anymore."

"..."

After making some quick preparations, Gao Mo and Qianye returned to the parking lot.

Unlike before, they were reassigned a black and white police car, a cheap patrol car, which instantly lowered their status.

Even so, Megure is still worried, it's really...

Are you really that worried about him?

He is no longer the same Shinichi Matsuda he once was.

He'd even try out a helicopter, let alone a car.

New talents aren't limited to cars; they just require some time to learn.

……

crossroads.

The sky was overcast, but there was no sign of rain.

Gao Mo and Chiba drove their patrol car to the restaurant that Inspector Megure had mentioned.

It is not far from where the explosion occurred, and is even closer to the station.

It must be said that the Mihana people are very adaptable; passersby seem to have forgotten about the previous explosion.

"Officer Matsuda, let's evacuate first, just in case."

Before Gao Mo could act, Chiba had already spontaneously thrown himself into his work.

Because he was almost killed in a bombing during the parade, Chiba's expression was extremely tense, and his chubby face trembled slightly, but he still performed his duties as usual.

Generally speaking, most of the news is fake, but the probability of a real bomb is also quite high.

"Chiba, go outside and maintain order. I'll go find the bomb." Gao Mo noticed the sweat on Chiba's face.

"But……"

"Don't worry, I know more about bombs than you do."

Chiba watched with emotion as Gao Mo walked towards the restroom: "Officer Matsuda, let me look again. It'll save time if two people go together."

Gao Mo did not respond further.

With his extraordinary eyesight, he immediately scanned every corner, carefully checking every possible hiding place for bombs.

The claim that there was a bomb in the store was undoubtedly false information.

However, even if the intelligence is false, it is not without meaning.

The lack of information about the person who reported the incident, coupled with the false information, already speaks volumes.

As for whether it was a prank or something else...

Gao Mo returned to the lobby from the restroom, his gaze sweeping over the small crowd outside.

After the examination, Chiba felt both helpless and relieved.

"Anyway, it's good that there was no bomb. I guess the person who called the police was being too sensitive."

Chiba reached out to open the car door, but Gao Mo grabbed her wrist.

"Officer Matsuda?"

"Wait a moment."

Gao Mo walked around the police car.

He had found it strange earlier, and now it seems that someone was taking advantage of the chaos to sabotage the police.

"Contact the explosives disposal team. Something's not right with this vehicle. The person who called the police might have deliberately led us here."

"What?" Chiba's chubby face tightened again.

"Look inside," Gao Mo said, pointing to the interior of the car.

From another angle, you can see a note stuck in front of the driver's seat, which you can see when you look up while driving.

[I'm a top slam ace in the Major Leagues, and extra time has begun!]

"This is……"

Chiba broke out in a cold sweat.

"Someone went in after we left... Is there a bomb inside?"

"might have."

Gao Mo sensed the danger and led Qianye away from the police car.

Although he knew he was likely to attract malice, he never expected to be targeted by a bomber from three years ago. Even though the other party was far away, he could still feel the malevolent gaze.

"The note inside is on fax paper; it seems that Mr. Bomb is going to make a comeback."

Gao Mo fully activated his mental network, and his expression became even calmer.

I don't sense the presence of a bomber, but if it's related to that middle-aged bespectacled man from today, it'll probably resurface.

He had specifically studied the bombings that occurred 3 and 7 years ago.

The bombing seven years ago involved bombs planted in two luxury apartment buildings. The perpetrators demanded 1 billion yen and threatened police that they would detonate the bombs if the residents were evacuated.

Police attempted to defuse one bomb, but another was more complex and could not be defused within the deadline, so they had to give in to the perpetrators' demands.

Initially, the perpetrators used a remote control to stop the timer on the detonator, and the residents were successfully evacuated, giving the police ample time to defuse the bomb...

But 30 minutes later, the perpetrators, seeing the replay on TV, suddenly called the police in a panic, asking why the bomb timer was still ticking.

The police saw this as a good opportunity to arrest the criminals, so they deliberately delayed the call to find out the location where the other party was making the call.

Unfortunately, an accident occurred at the end. During the chase, the criminal panicked and ran over by a car, killing him.

The worst part is that the perpetrators had accomplices.

The timer, which had stopped, suddenly restarted and detonated the bomb, killing the explosives disposal team who were defusing it.

"The other criminal probably misunderstood and thought that our police deliberately broadcast false information on TV to set a trap and kill his accomplice."

Sato, who was on duty nearby, rushed to the scene. After the explosives disposal team dismantled the police car bomb, he turned to Gao Mo in his recollection, his expression becoming increasingly complicated.

"It seems this time it's for real. The tragedy of three years ago is about to repeat itself. It's not just the note on this car; just now, all police stations in the Metropolitan Police Department's jurisdiction received the fax."

"I'm a power hitter in the MLB, extra time has begun!"

Sato gripped the fax paper tightly with his fingers.

"The signal to start the match is at noon tomorrow, and it will end at 3 p.m. Even if you prepare high-quality brakes, it won't be of any use, because I will still turn the tide in the end. If you want to stop the match, come to me..."

I await you police officers as you ascend the blood-stained pitcher's mound in the steel batter's box..."

Sato read the fax content word by word with his head down.

"Same style as three years ago, without a doubt, it's definitely that bomber. The police haven't released the complete fax content, so it's impossible for anyone to imitate it so perfectly, and..."

Sato's expression was complicated.

"That guy is probably targeting you, Matsuda. You'd better not get involved in this..."

"I actually hope he's really targeting me, so I'll have a chance to catch him, right?"

Gao Mo remained calm and took the fax paper from Sato's hand. Instead of being afraid, he showed a rare smile.

Isn't this the big case he needs?

I was worried about how to upgrade my detective profession to level 5, since level 5 is too special and ordinary small cases are not suitable for upgrading.

"Matsuda, you..."

Sato hurriedly grabbed Gao Mo.

"This is no joke; one wrong move and you could be dead!"

"Then be careful. Don't worry, I'm an expert at handling these kinds of things."

"expert?"

Sato stared blankly as Gao Mo got into another police car, his mind completely overlapping with the image of Matsuda Jinpei, as if he had returned to 3 years ago when Matsuda Jinpei boarded the Ferris wheel of death.

"Stop joking!" Sato shouted angrily, pounding on the rolled-up car window. "What kind of expert are you? Even the real experts died at that guy's hands! Matsuda, you can't always be this lucky! I'm begging you, you have no idea what really happened three years ago!"

"I think I should know."

While driving in Chiba, Gao Mo pondered the contents of the fax.

Perhaps because he was touched, the name "Matsuda Jinpei" appeared even brighter in the projected notes.

This soul, which came from three years ago, was very different from ordinary spirits. It possessed exceptionally strong spiritual power, yet it did not become an evil spirit.

He felt similarly to Rei Furuya?

Huh?
Gao Mo noticed Furuya Rei's figure in the nearby crowd.

Said that Cao Cao Cao Cao arrived.

This guy has taken leave again in the last few days, saying he's visiting a friend's grave, and it seems he's also paying attention to the bombing.

Even the police can't find the bomber?
"Emergency situation!"

The police car's loudspeaker was blaring, and the Matsumoto supervisor's booming voice was deafening.

"Attention all units of the Metropolitan Police Department! We have received a warning of a bomb planted by criminals. The exact location is currently unknown, but we know there are two bombs! The detonation time is expected to be between 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM tomorrow!!"

"In addition to being on high alert, any suspicious individuals must be searched! No matter what the circumstances, they must be reported immediately!"

"Listen carefully, everyone! That guy's goal is revenge against our Metropolitan Police Department! All the citizens of Tokyo are hostages! All units are to conduct a search overnight!!"

It was getting dark.

After only a few days of peace, sirens blared across Tokyo once again, and police forces were fully mobilized.

"Officer Matsuda," Chiba asked, unsure of what to do, "where should we go to investigate now?"

“Let’s find a place to switch cars first,” Gao Mowei closed his eyes. “How could our adversary be so kind as to warn us about the bomb’s location? That guy just wants to play with the police, like playing a death game and enjoying the moment when the prey struggles.”

"Then shouldn't we look for the bomb?"

"We still need to look for them, but we can't do it openly."

Gao Mo quickly analyzes the information in his mind.

"Judging from the bombing case three years ago, the first bomb was a trap, which is why the perpetrators specifically sent a coded fax to the Metropolitan Police Department. I guess they're going to pull some trick of giving a hint about the second bomb in the last few seconds."

"What do we do?" Chiba asked, his face filled with fear, feeling as if a pair of giant, dark hands were enveloping Tokyo. "Are we going to have to sacrifice someone else? What is that bastard trying to do?"

“Don’t worry, it’s just a simple trick,” Gao Mo put down the fax paper in his hand. “Our opponent is just an ordinary person who possesses dangerous goods. He’s not as scary as you think.”

Bombers are ruthless, but not necessarily intelligent.

Showing him malice was the first huge mistake.

"An ordinary person?" Chiba forced a smile.

Are there such ordinary people?
Just from what the veteran detective said, one can sense the cruelty and horror of bomb criminals.

A madman who plays with the lives of police officers.

"call!"

Sato stood at the intersection, watching the police car drive away. Time seemed to stand still in the cold wind. Then, as if he had made a decision, he resolutely drove off with tears in his eyes.

“If we have to settle this once and for all, let me do it,” Sato gripped the steering wheel and slammed on the gas. “I’m going to find that guy! We can’t let anyone else get hurt this time!”

the other side.

Maori Detective Agency.

The man with the mustache, drunk, watched Yoko Okino's video: "Strange, are there too many police cars outside today?"

"It seems like something has happened," Conan said, looking out the window.

The fact that it elicited such a strong reaction from the police means it must be a serious matter.

My heart is itching...

"Hasn't Xiaolan come back yet?" the man with the mustache asked before taking another sip of his drink.

"Sister Xiaolan has an exam tomorrow, so she's probably still taking extra classes."

Tutoring? Who should I get tutoring from?

The man with the mustache let out a burp.

He didn't enroll his daughter in any classes either.

"Alright, pour me some more wine. It's perfect since Xiaolan isn't here, I can drink my fill..."

Conan was speechless.

They treated him like a servant.

Xiaolan was right not to come back.

That drunkard, after his medical checkup came back normal, started getting cocky again.

(End of this chapter)