Conan: I've been linked to the tech tree system.

The police actually had no information about the robbers at all; they only knew from Kunio Yajima, who had been arrested, that he had a few accomplices.

"The two robbers still have guns..." Takagi observed from a high vantage point, holding up his binoculars. "What should we do now, Inspector Megure?!"

If the robbers have guns, it means the passengers on the bus are in extreme danger.

Even in the world of Detective Conan, this situation would be considered extremely difficult to handle.

"The bus might still pass by there, so you stay there and wait." Inspector Megure remotely directed Takagi from the police station.

"Yes!" Takagi turned off the walkie-talkie.

"Damn it, if the robbers all have guns, we can't act on our own." Inspector Megure didn't dare to take the risk of losing one or two hostages due to a police operation.

Although it's based on the Russian-style rescue concept, if you actually did that, you'd probably be so ashamed by public opinion that you'd commit suicide.

"police officer."

While he was struggling with this decision, Officer Shiratori behind him had already finished his phone call.

"The higher-ups have indicated that the safety of the hostages is currently the top priority..."

Inspector Megure nodded upon hearing this, realizing that his superiors indeed dared not take such a risk.

"However, it's impossible to release Kunio Yajima, who is currently serving his sentence, as the criminals demanded—that would only make us police officers look weak and incompetent."

Shiratori repeated, in the same tone, what the man next to Superintendent Moroboshi Toshio, who called himself "Shinji Tachibana," had said in the phone call.

"What? How are we supposed to keep those kidnappers in check and ensure the safety of the hostages?!"

Inspector Megure was completely bewildered.

How can they want both? Are the leaders serious? Don't wait until something really happens and it's this lowly police inspector who gets dismissed.

"Didn't you ask him specifically how to do it?"

Inspector Megure, sweating profusely, turned to look at Shiratori.

“Uh…” Shiratori felt that what he was about to say was a bit absurd, and answered Inspector Megure while sweating, “He said… he said to send a small number of police officers to assist in the evacuation, and then wait for the passengers on the bus to save themselves.”

"What? Self-rescue?!"

......

Toshio Moroboshi looked at Shinji Tachibana, who had just hung up the phone, with a serious expression: "Do you know what you're saying?"

Public opinion is no joke. The old saying "water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it" perfectly illustrates this point. Since ancient times, the voice of the people has been the most powerful force.

"Although if things develop as you say, I will do my best to help you get promoted in the short term... but if something really goes wrong, I can't guarantee you anything."

Moroboshi Toshio frowned as he looked at his most promising junior.

“I know exactly what I’m doing.” Shinji Tachibana nodded calmly. “The footage from the bus sent back by the team of officers Inspector Megure sent to investigate clearly shows the situation of the passengers, doesn’t it?”

"Do you think the robber made a fatal mistake and was caught by the passenger?"

Moroboshi Toshio turned his head to look at the fleeting footage of the bus's interior transmitted from the scene, but found nothing amiss.

"On the contrary, the robbers were very well prepared and made almost no mistakes," Shinji Tachibana replied calmly.

"Then why..." Toshio Moroboshi asked, increasingly puzzled.

But he trusted Shinji Tachibana's judgment.

"If we really have to say, those robbers were just really unlucky."

Shinji Tachibana watched the fleeting figures of Shuichi Akai and Toru Tohno on the bus and found it somewhat amusing.

......

"What?! You mean Yajima won't be released for now?" The blue-hatted hijacker in charge of communications shouted angrily into the walkie-talkie, "I'm telling you, killing a passenger every hour is no joke!!"

The robber's sudden outburst made the passengers present tense.

Why didn't the police immediately agree to the robbers' demands?

Even Toru Tono hadn't anticipated this situation.

He really didn't know that the police in island nations were so brave.

"What do you mean you can't contact the prison police temporarily because of line repairs... I'm telling you, you have one more hour. Even if you have to drive, you'd better get to the prison! Otherwise, you can expect me to kill all these hostages!"

The robber angrily pressed the phone button.

The two robbers exchanged a glance, both sensing the murderous intent in each other's eyes.

So they untied what appeared to be ski bags containing skis and laid them flat in the middle of the bus.

'bomb.'

Tohru Tono drew his conclusion with just one glance.

The two robbers had no intention of releasing any of the hostages. Instead, they planned to disguise themselves as the hostages released by the robbers and then mislead the police into believing that a bomb was accidentally triggered during a fight between the hostages and the robbers, which destroyed the entire bus.

They were dressed in ski suits, not showing any skin, intending to "disguise themselves as passengers without being detected."

Conan also noticed that the so-called "skis" didn't seem to be real at all, so he subconsciously lay down and reached out to check the "skis" on the ground.

Tohno Toru was speechless at Tohno's fearless attitude.

These robbers are clearly desperate criminals, and you know they have accomplices behind them, how did they dare to do that?

Seeing that Conan was about to do something that could very likely provoke the robbers, Tohru Tohno swiftly kicked out with lightning speed, controlling his strength perfectly, and kicked him back into his seat.

"Hey! What are you two doing?!"

The robbers did indeed receive a warning from their accomplice.

"This kid tried to play a prank by untying my shoelaces, and I kicked him."

Toru Tono answered "honestly".

"Ah... I'm sorry."

Conan rubbed his aching chest, realizing he had acted too impulsively, and replied somewhat sullenly.

"Kid, this is the second time! You better behave yourself!"

The pink-hatted man gave Conan a fierce warning, but he didn't pay much attention and continued to walk back to the front of the car, holding the gun with the safety engaged.

Tohru Tohno turned back and did not engage in further conversation with Conan.

Just now, he felt his black cell phone, which he was in charge of communications, vibrate.

He glanced at Shiho Miyano, who seemed to have calmed down, and slowly released his right hand, which had been gripping him until it was sweaty and sticky, pulling it out of his grasp.

Then, with his back to the woman behind him and the robbers in front of him, he unlocked his phone in a corner and opened the emails he had received.

"Self-help".

The message contained two simple yet nonsensical words. The sender was Tachibana Maya's undercover younger brother, Tachibana Shinji.

Tohno Toru, considering the previous puzzling situation of "police delaying the release of prisoners," roughly understood what he meant.

What's wrong with this guy? He'd better get a reasonable explanation later...

He looked up at Jodie and Shuichi Akai, who hadn't made any further moves except for activating the safety mechanism.

How can we deal with these robbers right under their noses without revealing our own abnormalities?

This is a topic worth considering.

Chapter 191 Fraud and Anti-Fraud

The bus was full of skilled fighters, but they all kept each other in check, and no one was willing to expose themselves for the sake of a few robbers.

The only person here who seems to have both the interest and the ability to break the deadlock is...

Tohru glanced at the ski bag that Conan was still staring at on the ground, trying to find out what was inside.

It seems he's the key to breaking the deadlock... but the problem is how to make Conan realize that the woman constantly chewing gum is an accomplice of the robbers, so that he, the least hesitant person on the bus, will boldly step forward...

"Hey, what should we do now?"

While they were thinking, Toru Tono, who was not far from the front of the car where the robbers were, heard their conversation.

"Wait a little longer. If it really doesn't work out, we'll proceed with the original plan... Tch, I didn't expect those police to be so clever." The pink-hatted robber used his gun to push down his snow goggles, speaking through gritted teeth.

Original plan?

The original plan of the two robbers was probably to take off their ski suits, call their accomplices to pose as hostages, get off the bus together, and then detonate the bomb on the bus to destroy the evidence.

Logically, they should have done this after receiving a call from their boss, Kunio Yajima, but the police surprisingly didn't release Yajima immediately, leaving their mission objective unfinished. So they must be in a panic right now.

When people encounter unexpected events, all sorts of backup plans gradually emerge in their minds, making them more hesitant and uncertain.

This will only deter the robbers from making any rash moves.

Under normal circumstances, this is a good thing, as it gives the police more time to plan a rescue operation.

However, the current stalemate will only delay their chance to save themselves.

Tohru Tono thought for a moment, then took out his phone again and blindly typed a long string of text in a corner where no one could see him, and sent it to Shinji Tachibana via email.

......

As the bus passed an intersection, a pink balloon escaped from the little girl's hand and floated crookedly into the air.

Conan, who was gazing out the window and pondering "how the robbers transmitted information," happened to witness this scene.

Then, a flash of inspiration struck.

I see! I get it now!

Conan suddenly realized.

Just then, the pager on the front of the car unexpectedly went off.

The pink-hatted robber answered the phone first: "Boss Yajima?"

"Ah, it's me."

The voice on the other end was that of a middle-aged man, sounding somewhat furtive.

"You finally called." The robber breathed a sigh of relief. "Those damn cops said they couldn't get in touch with the prison... How's the situation on your end?"

"Anyway, everything went smoothly, the cops have all left." The tone on the other end became more relaxed. "Then let's meet at the usual place in three days, as agreed."