The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

Chapter 1103 I don’t know what’s burning

Judy's expression changed immediately.

Kusuda Rikumichi, this was the name of the cannon fodder from the organization who was confirmed dead yesterday and registered when he was admitted to the hospital.

The malicious intent of this package is obvious; it is a provocation to announce that their information is known.

"Leave it to me." Judy remained calm as she took the hot package and smiled at the nurse as naturally as possible. "It might have been sent by a friend who didn't know the ward number."

The thing feels very heavy in the hand. The lower part can be felt to be made of a hard material, while the upper part is wrapped in opaque plastic. It can be felt that it seems to be some kind of plant, but its specific structure cannot be determined.

Judy, who didn't dare to act on her own, took it down to the parking lot and handed it directly to James himself.

——After today's operation began, James moved into the car that had been prepared long ago and used it as a command center.

"Is this considered a provocation from the organization?"

Holding the opened flowerpot, James looked at the plant in his hand, frowning in thought.

It's not a dangerous species, just a columbine. The delicate purple and white flowers adorned the branches look gentle and harmless.

"Didn't you open the package and check the contents in advance?" Shuichi Akai focused on the package that was intact when it was delivered.

It would be unwise to bring something to the command center when you already know the source is unsafe.

"All packages entering the hospital should have been inspected by the guards. And it feels like a plant... I opened it and examined it." Judy squeezed her palms, instinctively nervous about Akai Shuichi's question. "Does it need to be sent for re-inspection?"

"We must win."

"Huh?" James, who was still paying attention to their conversation, turned his head and saw Conan following behind Shuichi Akai.

"I mean, the meaning of this flower." Conan pointed to the flowerpot in his hand. "It also means 'oath of victory'."

"So, this is a declaration of war." Akai Shuichi nodded. "That's indeed his style."

He did not elaborate on who he was referring to, but several people present understood what he meant.

"A declaration of war from Gin? Now I suddenly feel that it carries a lot more weight." James pulled the corners of his mouth but couldn't force a smile.

Being able to accurately know his name means that the organization has learned of his superior-subordinate relationship with Shuichi Akai, and they have even confirmed that he is the main person in charge of this operation.

It is not an easy task to become a colleague of Shuichi Akai who is targeted by Gin.

"It may be heavier than you think, Mr. James." Conan raised his finger again, this time pointing very clearly at the bottom of the flowerpot. "The 'drip' sound is getting louder and louder."

----

Watching the red dot on the screen moving on the 3D image drawn by Vodka and finally stopping at the location of the underground garage, Gin curled up a cruel smile at the corner of his mouth.

Rather than using direct violence to eliminate these guys, he prefers to play like a cat playing with mouse, constantly stimulating their nerves and watching them lose their composure.

Isn't this what mice deserve?

He flicked the cigarette between his fingers and was about to instruct Vodka Yuan to turn on the signals of the other transmitters when a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Sending a bomb to a hospital? Not very creative."

Gin lowered the corner of his mouth that was raised, turned his head, and looked coldly at Kumail who was leaning over to observe their actions from the gap between the seats.

"Even if they really blew it up, how many people could it kill or injure? It would be better to just send it to the hospital." Tang Ze curled his lips, and the word "bored" was almost written on his face.

"This isn't an attack intended to kill," Gin replied coldly, with a hint of undisguised annoyance. "Make enough noise, and the frightened mice will just hide in a place they think is safe..."

"And so, Kiel's location was revealed?" Tang Ze said softly, "I clearly told you the specific ward number."

"They'll likely move again after discovering our actions," Gin replied indifferently, before reluctantly offering an additional explanation. "Our targets are Kiel and Akai Shuichi. The bombs are merely intended to increase their fear. Compared to actual death itself, the fear of a clear awareness of impending death is the true threat."

At that point, the FBI, realizing they had fallen into an organization's trap, would naturally become anxious and take the risk of transferring the hostages.

At that time, their goal will shift from breaking out of a guarded hospital to intercepting a limited number of targets, and the difficulty will naturally be incomparable.

and……

"Once they find those explosives, they will have to send someone to deal with them. No matter who sent it out, it will be much more interesting to shoot the head of the overconfident person right under their noses than to simply kill these annoying rats." Gin showed a cruel smile again.

He had been planning Shuichi Akai's death in his mind for a long time.

Compared to any so-called confrontation or defeat, Gin always believed that only death itself could symbolize undoubted annihilation and victory.

"Under ideal circumstances," Tang Ze nodded, and once again began to sarcastically comment, "However, based on my understanding of the United States, with a team of more than 20 or 30 people, don't they have anyone who can defuse a bomb?"

The smile on Gin's lips disappeared again.

Kumail's speculation is full of suspicion of exaggeration, but it must be said that what he said is indeed possible.

Bomb disposal is a complex professional skill, but since the people who came here are FBI agents...

"They'll also need to screen all the packages the hospital received today. As I said, my goal isn't to actually kill anyone with explosives."

"I'm just offering a rigorous guess..."

"Shut up, work on your own plans, and don't bother with what others do."

"Yes Yes--"

----

Are there any FBI agents who can defuse bombs?

Not really.

Now, in the entire Beihu Central Hospital, from inside to outside, the only person who has experience in bomb disposal is Conan, who has dismantled half a bomb according to the instruction manual.

Fortunately, the guy who had defused the other half of the bomb and another guy with similar skills were also there.

"...I didn't expect to find such professionals in this hospital." James watched as someone easily fiddled with the bomb he had dug out of the flowerpot. The corners of his mouth, hidden by his beard, twitched slightly. "Where did you find this person to help? Could it be..."

"She was someone involved in the case and was sent here for medical treatment." Akai Hideo lied calmly, "Rena Mizunashi was caught in the explosion because the perpetrator that day was an internationally renowned bomber."

"Oh. So, he is..."

"A former bomb disposal officer. He also helped dispose of the C4 left behind by Kusuda Rikumichi."

So he said he could defuse a bomb, and they actually let him do it...?

James opened his mouth, looked at Akai Shuichi's calm expression, and stopped talking without saying anything.

Never mind, it might be that some of Akai's connections here are unwilling to introduce it in detail for some reason, which is understandable...

"nailed it."

Kenji Hagiwara stood up and showed them the bomb that had been dealt with but was still covered in mud, and winked at Conan who had a speechless expression.

Conan pursed his lips and glanced at Shuichi Akai, vaguely understanding how he was related to Joker.

Kenji Hagiwara and Jinpei Matsuda were both excellent police officers with outstanding performance in explosives disposal. It was normal for such professional talents to come into contact with Shuichi Akai.

After careful calculation, it seems that the Phantom Thieves of Hearts can negotiate terms with any department.

Even if we ignore their extraordinary powers and only discuss the abilities of their members, they cannot be underestimated.

Coupled with Huiyuan's full support and the epoch-making artificial intelligence product like Noah's Ark...

Hmm? Why is it that after going through all this, there's this inexplicable feeling of familiarity?

Conan fell into thought for a moment, while James took the processed bomb, looked at its current state, and frowned deeply.

The countdown clock on the dial has stopped, and the mechanical structure inside has obviously been damaged.

"There are nearly thirty minutes left..." James stared at the number indicated by the pointer above, thinking, and looked at Hagiwara Kenji, "You are a professional in this field. What do you think about this bomb?"

"It's indeed a bomb," Hagiwara Kenji said, seemingly rambling, before continuing, "The structure isn't complicated, but it can't be easily destroyed. It's not large, but because it's a plastic bomb, its actual power is greater than you might think."

The opening sentence seemed meaningless, but the people present could understand what he meant.

It's a bomb and it will explode, so this overly long countdown suddenly becomes meaningful.

"It's almost like they deliberately wanted it taken away and disposed of..." Judy also realized it, her expression darkening. "Even if they were worried about the time limit, leaving a gap of nearly an hour is a bit too much."

"And the other party chose a clock, which is very unusual. Wouldn't normal bomb designs choose electronic screens? It's like they deliberately wanted to be discovered." Conan took over the conversation.

"What on earth are they planning to do..."

"Well, if I hadn't come to help, how would you have dealt with this bomb?" Feeling somewhat ignored, Hagiwara Kenji raised his hand to indicate that he was still present. "I'm hospitalized here, and the previous accident just happened to be an accident. They probably wouldn't consider the factor of someone helping to defuse the bomb, right? So..."

"So, they want to force us to leave with the bomb." James raised his head, his tone gradually becoming more determined. "With so many accidents happening at the last minute, we have very few options. Now that patients are pouring in, the nearby roads must be very congested..."

"We have limited manpower here, and we can't allow something so destructive to remain in the hospital, so..."

"So we should check for other similar packages!" Judy stood up suddenly. "They will definitely keep sending similar items to test our bottom line. Mr. Police Officer, I'm sorry to bother you again!"

"He's a former police officer," Hagiwara Kenji gently reminded them. "Don't worry. Even if they're high-powered plastic bombs, any bombs that pass inspection and are delivered to the designated location will have limited destructive power. If you really can't deal with them in time, you can just find an empty space and dump them there."

"Eh? But..."

"As long as no one is killed, it's fine, right? Don't worry, it's just a bombing. I think people in Tokyo are used to this kind of thing."

Conan felt that this sentence was a bit hellish and wanted to refute it, but the only counterexample in his mind was: "..."

----

"Oh, it's been dealt with." Tang Ze, who knew exactly what happened at the hospital, patted Gin's chair and said hypocritically, "The effect was not as expected, Gin-senpai."

Although Tang Ze knew that the FBI would deal with the bombs even if they ignored them, he still arranged in advance for Kenji Hagiwara to find a reason to help them solve these small problems.

After all, according to the original plot, after discovering the bomb, the FBI fell into an inexplicably tense atmosphere, staged a car racing and drifting drama, and even played a last-minute drama, and ended up throwing the fist-sized bomb into the river.

It's not that it's not possible, and it's quite reasonable to handle the bomb this way, but with the reputation of Teiji Moriya, and this case happening right after Pramya went crazy, Tang Ze felt it was weird to see these FBI guys so nervous about solving a bomb, and even creating some suspense because of the traffic congestion.

Isn't it just a bomb? Even if it's powerful, if it's placed in an empty area with no one around, it's just going to explode, right?

This is a hospital, not a residential building, where most structures are made of wood. Wouldn't it be easier to just use some flame retardant? The core concept of bomb disposal is to render it harmless, to avoid serious consequences, but it doesn't necessarily have to disappear silently.

Finally, it was thrown into the river and exploded. Wouldn't it make any movement?

How should I put it? If you ask him to comment, I don’t know what he is so angry about.

"...It's as expected." Gin glanced at Tang Ze, who was obviously gloating, without changing his expression. "It's just an extra step."

"I knew it. How many bombs have you arranged to send over?" Tang Ze looked at the flashing red dot on his screen and raised his eyebrows.

It should be said or not, the explosive style is still very much in place.

"That depends on how efficient the people below are in one night." Gin said something ambiguous and a little intimidating.

"Wow, that's a pretty impressive statement. So, if they're all dealt with..."

"That's even better. It'll be easy to catch everything in one fell swoop. Instead of worrying about mine, you should deal with your own problems first, Kumail."