Chapter 763 "Trigger"
"——There are less than 20 minutes left before the explosion time predicted by the gangsters! The children and police trapped with the bomb have not been rescued yet!"
The reporter standing in front of the camera spoke passionately, with an anxious and urgent expression, as if the people trapped in the tower were his relatives and friends.
Motohashi Yoji, who was sweating like rain, raised his head and glared viciously at the red iron tower in the background of the woman on the screen.
He put aside the eavesdropping headphones that kept making sharp noises. He still had to deal with the matters in front of him and couldn't bear the distraction caused by more noise.
These 20 minutes were an automatic countdown that he had set long ago. Detonating the bomb at noon today was a preparation he had made when it was installed.
However, now, this time has also become his own reminder.
After several hours of hard work, he finally disassembled most of the circuits that might detonate the bomb, and he was able to access the bomb immediately.
As long as the bomb is consistent with his design or of a similar structure, then dismantling it is just a matter of time.
However, now, sitting on the small open space on the floor that was finally opened up, Motohashi Yoji almost felt that the person sitting on the top, sitting among the messy and coiled cables, was himself.
Could they, like themselves, have set some final code on the bomb?
Or, maybe it was a more despicable method, using a design he had continued for many years, but changing some small details, allowing him to mistakenly disconnect circuits that should not be disconnected...
Sitting in front of the bomb, Yoji Motohashi finally felt the torture he had caused to the victims. This feeling was even more special because he was the founder of this design and the culprit of this predicament. pain.
The taste of boomerang is always unpleasant.
“The time of the explosion is getting closer and closer, and time is passing by. What will be the fate of the trapped people? Will they be destroyed together with the landmark that symbolizes Tokyo? Mr. Gangster, No matter who you are, the people trapped here are young policemen and children who have just entered elementary school. If you can watch the TV and have any conscience, please turn off the timer..."
Motohashi Yoji, whose hands were trembling with sweat, turned back and glanced disdainfully in the direction of the TV.
Conscience, what conscience?
Didn’t that guy foolishly fall into the police trap and die for his own conscience after getting the ransom?
With a scoff, Motohashi Yoji took a deep breath and reached out his hand towards the bomb in front of him.
With his high concentration, he could not distract himself from the sound of the headphones gradually getting quieter.
————
"...Anyway, that's what happened. What happened seven years ago can only be said to be a misunderstanding and accident caused by chance." Under Conan's inquiry, he told the news he knew After Takagi Wataru finished speaking, he felt equally helpless, "Whether it was due to the delay caused by the television broadcast, or whether there was an accident during the pursuit and the prisoner died under the wheel..."
"...It's all caused by their own stupidity." Tang Ze took his words smoothly and replied calmly.
"Hey, joker..." Conan lowered his voice and whispered as a warning, "He can hear it now."
After rubbing the bug for an hour, I realized that the eavesdropper should not Conan, who probably kept wearing it, finally found an opportunity to rest for a while, but was left speechless by this outrageous argument, and had no choice but to continue working hard to destroy the bug.
"He hears the best, and he is the one who is scolding." Looking down at the bomb that was still moving with the countdown, Tang Ze tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Please, they planted the bomb themselves, no one forced him to commit a crime. And don't say 7 Years ago, even for current TV shows, there is a very high delay in communication between the studio and the reporters on the scene. I don’t know where the common sense lies. ”
< br>Live TV requires a large amount of signal transmission. Even for various events that are said to be broadcast in real time, there is still a time difference ranging from ten to tens of seconds during actual viewing. Even for important occasions such as the Olympic Games opening ceremony, due to Due to the need to add commentary, switch lenses, etc., the delay can sometimes reach several minutes...
Ignoring the delay, the people standing in front of the camera to report information to the public are TV staff, not the police. It is impossible for the police to ask the front-line police officers in charge of bomb disposal to report to various TV stations after the bomb disposal. Then the information and pictures broadcast by the TV stations are very different from the situation at the scene. This is something that can be understood with a little effort of the brain.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. It's impossible for TV reporters to visit the bomb disposal site in person and broadcast the countdown details to the outside world." Takagi Wataru touched his head and said uncertainly, "The prisoner just relaxed When I got down, I received the news that the countdown was still going on..."
"Yes, that's why I said they were stupid." Tangze rolled his eyelids, "I don't know when the bomb I planted will explode. Why do you misunderstand the information on the screen? Can’t read? Guess what the reporters outside are doing now. They will be broadcasting with excitement as if counting the New Year countdown. I’m afraid they will be even more excited at 12 noon. Let’s count down to nineteen eighty-seven with the audience.”
"Pfft..." Matsuda Jinpei, who felt a little gloomy when looking at the bomb, was amused by Karasawa's metaphor, "Hey, your statement is too exaggerated."
"There is no way, this is the media. "Tangze shrugged casually.
"You seem to dislike reporters very much." Conan, who had been observing the two of them for a while, said suddenly.
“I really don’t like him very much.” Tangze said frankly, “How should I put it? It’s hard to like a guy who is aloof and does bad things, but every qualified reporter is this kind of person.”
< br>Although he was away from the country for a long time in his previous life, he later retired and had a lot more time to surf.
There were several colleagues from different units who were sacrificed because the media failed to fulfill their obligation of confidentiality, or in other words, in order to attract attention and so-called authenticity, they exposed more details that should not be made public.
He did not die in the most dangerous confrontation, but died in the stupidity and contempt of his own people. It is difficult for Tang Ze to have a good impression of reporters.
"The fact that he would reactivate the bomb immediately after his accomplice died means that he himself was near the death scene. In other words, he actually knew the ins and outs of the other party's death and knew that the police did not intentionally kill anyone. The death was an accident. But he still harbored resentment and immediately activated the bomb, killing people." Tangze changed his tone and stopped talking about himself. His voice was very calm. "So, I must summarize what this prisoner said. ..."
"He is a criminal who is immature, enjoys violence, is greedy and lacks moral values," Matsuda Jinpei, who was sitting in front of the bomb, spoke proactively, "His attack was superficial. It seems that he is venting his anger for personal grudges, but in essence, he just enjoys the pain of others and the joy of manipulating their fate and hurting others. "You still know this guy quite well," Tang Zeqian said. He turned his head and looked at Matsuda Jinpei who seemed to be making a case statement.
"Nonsense, I have been following this case for a long time." Matsuda Jinpei exhaled, "Not only the structure of the bomb, I also used this information to find many psychological experts, including some who are very good at profiling. Someone related to criminal psychology. "
"It seems that I was worried that you had other ideas and spent the whole day trying to get to know the prisoner." Tang Ze shrugged.
“You can’t say that. I still have to thank you for leaving me enough time to summarize and draw conclusions.” Matsuda Jinpei
Motohashi Yoji, although in the end He fell short and failed to capture this person's true identity, so he was the one who killed Hagiwara Kenji.
Since the case occurred seven years ago, Matsuda Jinpei has been working on this case day and night, trying to find a breakthrough for a long time.
Just because the sample only contains one case from seven years ago, it is still too difficult to find the person relying on limited information and clues.
So in the end, Matsuda Jinpei came to a slightly cruel and helpless conclusion.
——He must wait for this person to commit another crime.
"Relax." Sensing Matsuda Jinpei's mood swings, Karasawa suddenly said, "Actually, even without our intervention, that guy can be arrested smoothly."
Matsuda Jinpei raised his head and looked at Karasawa's determined expression in surprise, then turned his head and looked at Conanmu's blank face, where the person wiping the bug was a little dazed, and the elevator car at his feet.
Just imagine, if they didn't intervene...
"With a rookie policeman and a primary school student?" Matsuda Jinpei asked in surprise.
He didn't mean to be sarcastic. He knew that joker, due to his special abilities, did have the ability to make predictions in some respects.
Because of this, he was particularly unbelievable.
"They can indeed solve this crisis, but not just by the two of them." Tang Ze shrugged his shoulders, "By the way, they fell in front of the bomb seven years ago without flinching and fulfilled their duties. Officer Hagiwara, who kept his promise, and Officer Matsuda, who resolutely terminated the bomb disposal process three years ago, knowing that there was only a thin line between his life and death... and the detectives from the Investigation Division who have not forgotten every detail of this case..."
There are many more people who have devoted their efforts to this case.
Under these prerequisites, Conan and Takagi Wataru in the original plot received full support from the police, obtained the complete structure of the bomb and the steps to dismantle it, and were able to communicate smoothly with the outside world...
This was never a heroic thing.
This is what Tangze really appreciates about these people.
"Your code name sounds a bit nonsensical at first, but I think you did a good job." Tangze smiled and finished the evaluation he had not given before, "You are indeed, detonating The trigger of all this is the switch and trigger.”
Unexpectedly, Matsuda Jinpei, who suddenly received a high evaluation, was stunned.
The smiling Tang Ze did not wait for his reaction, he just lowered his eyes and read the text that started to play on the LCD screen.
"Brave policeman, I want to praise your courage, praise you..."
————"Takagi! Oh my God, your phone can finally be connected! Only ten left It’s been a few minutes. The situation over there is like..."
"'Brave policeman, I want to praise your courage, praise you...'"
Before Sato Miwako could ask about the situation over there, Takagi Wataru's words directly interrupted her question, letting her She was stiff and unable to move.
"'3 seconds before the bomb explodes, I will display a prompt to tell you the location of another, bigger, fireworks to celebrate the end of the game. I wish you endless struggle...'"
Miwako Sato’s lips began to tremble.
"Well, this is the text displayed on the LCD switchboard. Sato, you should be familiar with it." Takagi Wataru's voice was steady and calm, with a rumbling echo caused by the small space, which sounded as if he was far away. Another world.
"Takagi..." She called the name opposite her tremblingly, wanting to say something, but in the end she felt her throat was dry and couldn't speak.
Should he give up and save himself first?
Let him not give up and let him complete his mission as a policeman...
"Tang Zejun should be heading in your direction." When Takagi Wataru said this, his voice suddenly changed, " He called me just now and said that he went to the monitoring room while the tower staff was away, retrieved all the monitoring data within 48 hours, and compared it. There may be some gains. "
< br>Sato Miwako, who was at the bottom of her emotions, suddenly raised her head, almost hitting the crossbar of the car door with such force.
"Go and catch that guy. The detonation circuit has been cut off. We have to find a way to re-energize the switchboard. We can't leave here for the time being. We are about to end the eavesdropping shield on him. Conan and I need to stay here to ensure stability. Prisoner. There is not much time left for the next bomb."
"You, you mean, you have already defused the bomb?" Sato Miwako repeated. After two or three times of connecting words, I still couldn't say the name directly.
Takagi Wataru took a deep breath and said cautiously: "...It's a person named Trigger. Anyway, please, Sato!"
Without giving the other party a chance to continue asking, He hung up the phone and sighed.
"That sounds so miserable, Officer Takagi." Conan, who was sitting opposite him, held his head and looked at the gloomy look on his face.
Maybe it was because of Takagi Wataru's presence that Joker kept talking about him before leaving, without giving any definite answer about the true identity of the man in black.
Although he looks like Matsuda Jinpei, sounds like Matsuda Jinpei, and acts more like Matsuda Jinpei... But theoretically, it cannot be said that he is Matsuda Jinpei.
However, this may cause Sato Miwako's hard-won idea of letting go to be shelved again, and Takagi Wataru's relationship may be completely dead.
"Catching that person is what Sato wants to do." Takagi Wataru shook his head and straightened up again, "Actually, this is good. Fair competition, right, so that there will be no more people like Yumi People who think the same way misunderstand that Sato is empathic just because I am a bit like him.”
If he is really a dead person, then he may not be able to compete, and the current situation is not bad.
Conan shook his head and wanted to say something. He looked down at his little arms and legs and felt bored and deflated.
The lawsuit on your side is still unsolved. Don't be someone else's emotional mentor. This kind of problem should be left to Tang Ze.
Conan, who suddenly put aside his psychological burden, said seriously: "Okay, are you ready? I let go."
"Well, let's start."
< br>"Well! Officer Takagi, there are only the last three lines left, but I have something to tell you..."
————
While they were exchanging the contents on the LCD screen, they put on their headphones again, and Motohashi Yoji, who was listening one at a time, was experiencing an almost simultaneous horror experience.
"Cowardly criminal, you are such a pretentious guy. If you can see this line of words, it means that you are holding your little scissors, kneeling here trembling, not daring to make the final choice. "
Yoji Motohashi, who pressed the bolt cutter on the wiring of the mercury switch, let out two violent gasps.
As if to ridicule, these sentences used a lot of complicated sentence patterns, and they just jumped out word by word, so he had to stand here in embarrassment, full of anger, but he could only settle down. Waiting.
He could almost imagine the tone that arrogant voice would use to say such words to him, and because of this, his anger was particularly intense.
"I have good news and bad news for you, of course, it's up to you whether you believe it or not."
"The good news is, this is not a real bomb, this It's just a little prank. Thank you for complimenting my sense of humor."
"Who the hell complimented you!" Even though he knew that his words could not be conveyed to the person involved, Yoji Motohashi still said this. The smug self-talk roared.
"The bad news is, the power of choice is not in your hands."
"Never."
"You have no time."
After slowly flashing to the end of this sentence, the text at the top of the LCD screen and the countdown at the bottom suddenly entered synchronized status.
『10』
[00:00:10]
「9」
[00:00:09]
Motohashi Yoji’s fingertips kept trembling.
This message may be true, or it may be false, or it may be a bluff in another sense.
But just like what he imagined when he played with the police, does he dare to bet?
He watched the countdown on the screen with eyes wide open until the dazzling red number reached the last second, then he finally gritted his teeth and cut the line connected to the switch.
"Bang——"
"Bang——"
Two loud noises came.
The first sound was the bomb in front of him.
As the Kaitou's message mentioned, this was not a real bomb, so his action of cutting off the switch triggered it instead. A large cluster of ribbons and glitter instantly filled Yoji Motohashi's vision, making him scream in surprise. Choking and coughing in fear.
The second sound came from behind him, from the main entrance of the house.
That was the sound of the device prepared by the police breaking open the fragile wooden door.
"Yoji Motohashi! You are under arrest!"
"Don't move, raise your hands!"
Yoji Motohashi stood up without hesitation and, as he had rehearsed many times, jumped over the messy golden powder on the ground and rushed to the safety stairs at the balcony, preparing to escape before the police rushed into the bedroom.
Before leaving the room completely, he saw a flashing red dot among the remains of the "bomb".
It was an old-fashioned mobile phone, exactly the same model that he liked to install in bombs as triggers.
What was displayed on the screen that lit up was an alarm call, and this was the "gift" provided to him by the Phantom Thieves.
The police followed it and found his exact location!
(End of this chapter)