I'm in Detective Conan, and I start with the Grand Theft Auto system.

The warehouse was silent for a full five seconds, with only the suppressed sobs of Gu Jingzi bouncing back and forth between the walls.

Conan, Ran, and Kogoro Mouri all froze in place, as if a pause button had been pressed.

Their gaze fell on the still-warm body on the ground, blood still seeping from the bullet hole in its forehead, staining a small patch of cement red.

A faint smell of gunpowder and blood filled the air, a mixture that made one feel nauseous.

They never expected that this man wearing a motorcycle helmet would actually dare to fire a gun.

This is not a threat! This is not a bluff!

Without hesitation, without a second's delay, he pulled the trigger.

A living human life was lost just like that.

Xiaolan's face was as white as a sheet of paper, her lips were trembling, and her body was shaking.

She instinctively took half a step back, her legs going weak. If it weren't for the wall behind her, she probably would have already sat down on the ground.

She lived for seventeen years and never witnessed a murder firsthand.

The impact was like a heavy hammer blow to her chest, making it difficult for her to even breathe.

Kogoro Mouri's expression wasn't much better.

He had been a policeman before, and he had seen corpses and blood, but that was all at the crime scene, and all afterward.

Watching someone get blown out of the head right in front of you, with the gunshot ringing in your ear—that's a completely different story.

Cold sweat streamed down his face, and his throat was dry, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up straight.

He's the only adult here; he can't fall!

He wanted to protect Ran, Conan, and the little girl who was cowering in the corner in fear.

Akiko Tani was completely terrified.

She huddled in the corner, covering her mouth tightly with both hands, not daring to even cry out loud.

Her eyes were full of tears, and her shoulders were shaking like a leaf, but she managed to stifle her sobs, only letting out some faint, suppressed gasps.

She was afraid that if she made a sound, the helmeted man would turn around and point his gun at her.

Conan clenched his fist so tightly that his nails almost dug into his palm.

His gaze was fixed on the black helmet, his brain working at an unprecedented speed.

He was afraid. How could he not be afraid?

A ruthless madman stood before him.

But at the same time, he also felt a strange excitement!

Adrenaline surged through my veins, every nerve was stretched to its limit, and all my attention was focused on one point.

He had never encountered such an opponent before. This was no ordinary criminal, not the kind of opponent who would be fooled by his status as a primary school student and fall into his trap.

This person was calm, decisive, and fired without warning, and didn't even change his tone after killing the person!

This is a truly dangerous person.

Conan's gaze swept quickly across the surroundings.

How many exits does the warehouse have? Where is the nearest bunker? Can the wooden planks on the ground be used as weapons?

But he quickly realized that with the other party armed, any rash action would be suicidal.

He needs to observe, he needs to wait, he needs a flaw.

Lin Shen looked at the four people, who were both scared and afraid to move, and a slight smile appeared on the corner of his mouth under his helmet. The effect was good.

He deliberately kept that masked man around as a warning to others.

This kind of person is weak, brainless, and can't control their hands. Keeping them around is just a hindrance; it's better to make use of them.

He said in a relaxed tone, "You don't need to be so afraid. Under normal circumstances, I won't kill people indiscriminately."

He pointed the gun at the corpse on the ground: "I hate people who don't follow orders. They're the ones who cause the most trouble."

Kogoro Mouri took a deep breath, suppressed his fear, and took half a step forward.

His legs were still trembling slightly, but he stubbornly shielded Xiaolan behind him, using his own body to separate his daughter from the gun barrel.

He raised his hands, his voice a little hoarse but still steady: "I...we will cooperate with you."

"I'll do anything if you just let us go."

Lin Shen looked at Kogoro Mouri's face, which was trying hard to maintain its composure, and nodded in satisfaction.

He said, "You're quite perceptive. Then could you please make a call for me?"

He directed Kogoro Mouri to pick up the masked man's phone from the ground, find President Tani's number—that is, Akiko Tani's father's number—and dial it.

After the call connected, Lin Shen stood beside him and gestured for him to speak.

Kogoro Mori swallowed hard and said into the phone, "Mr. Tani... we found your daughter, but... we've also been captured by the kidnappers."

"He asked you to bring 50 million yen in cash and get to the entrance of Yotsubashi Junior High School within 30 minutes to make the transaction."

"If it's less than thirty minutes..." He paused, his voice lowering even further, "then tear up the ticket."

President Gu on the other end of the phone readily agreed, his voice urgent and flustered, saying that he was already raising money.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Shen nodded, indicating his satisfaction.

Then he beckoned to Xiaolan: "You—come here, use that rope over there to tie these two people up."

He pointed to a pile of discarded electrical wires in the corner, then to Conan and Kogoro Mouri, "Tie them up tight, don't let me find out you're secretly relieving yourself."

Xiaolan bit her lip, her eyes red, but she dared not resist.

She picked up the wire, walked up to Kogoro Mouri, lowered her head, and said in a tearful voice, "Daddy..."

"It's alright," Kogoro Mouri said softly. "Just do as he says."

Ran tied Kogoro Mouri's hands behind his back and then used another piece of wire to tie his ankles as well.

Then she walked up to Conan, squatted down, and with red eyes, tied Conan's hands together as well.

Conan didn't say a word the whole time, but his eyes kept darting around.

He was noting the way Xiaolan tied the knot, estimating how long it would take for her to break free, and observing every subtle movement of the helmeted man.

After both of them were tied up, Lin Shen gestured for Xiao Lan to hand over her phone.

Xiaolan obediently put her phone on the ground and took two steps back.

"Very good," Lin Shen bent down to pick up his phone. "Now you take this girl and wait at the school gate. When the club president arrives, bring her in."

He reached into his jacket and pulled out several palm-sized remote-controlled bombs.

The black cube has a small red indicator light flashing on it.

He crouched down, lifted Gu Jingzi's shirt, and stuffed two bombs into the pocket of her school uniform jacket.

Then he stood up, dusted off his hands, and said in a relaxed but slightly warning tone, "Listen to me, and you'll all live. Dare to try anything funny—"

He didn't continue speaking, but simply tapped his helmet lightly with the barrel of his gun, making two crisp "thump-thump" sounds.

Xiaolan nodded repeatedly, her voice soft and urgent, "I wouldn't! I absolutely wouldn't do anything underhanded!"

"I believe you won't do anything foolish." Lin Shen smiled, his tone even sounding somewhat kind.

Xiao Lan held Gu Jingzi's hand, and the two slowly walked out of the warehouse door.

Gu Jingzi was trembling, and Xiaolan held her hand tightly, whispering comforting words, "It's okay...it's okay...it will be okay..."

She herself didn't quite believe that statement.

Only Lin Shen, Conan (who was tied to the ground), and Kogoro Mouri (who was also tied up) remained in the warehouse.

Lin Shen took out several more remote-controlled bombs from his pocket, bent down and placed them on the open ground next to Conan and Kogoro Mouri.

He stood up, clapped his hands, and said to the two men, "Don't move—or you'll both die."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the warehouse door, his figure disappearing into the light at the doorway.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and the warehouse fell silent.

After the footsteps disappeared, Conan immediately turned his attention to the time bomb on the ground.

His eyes quickly scanned the bomb's structure—the casing, indicator lights, wiring ports… His heart pounded a little faster.

The bomb's structure is not complicated, and it doesn't require many tools to dismantle; you just need to find the correct wires and cut them.

Give him a few minutes, and he can completely dismantle it.

He lowered his voice and said to Kogoro Mouri beside him, "Uncle Mouri! Help me untie the ropes! I have a way to defuse this bomb!"

Kogoro Mouri paused for a moment, then a thought struck him.

If they could really escape... But then, his face darkened again.

He gritted his teeth, his voice low: "Don't do anything rash! Conan! Even if we both escape, Ran still has a bomb!"

"What if that helmeted man discovers we've escaped and, in a fit of rage, detonates the bomb on Xiaolan?"

These words were like a bucket of ice water, poured over Conan's head and into his heart.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.

He was silent.

Kogoro Mouri is right; Conan wouldn't dare gamble with Ran's life either.

He lowered his head, looked at the red numbers flashing on the time bomb at his feet, gritted his teeth, and ultimately remained silent.

His hands were tied behind his back, his fingers clenched into fists, his knuckles white.

Silence fell over the warehouse once again.