Conan: I'm really not the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 56 Behind the Scenes ([-]-in-[-])

11:23am.

Matsuda Jinpei and other police officers who came from the Metropolitan Police Department checked the inside of the Ark and made sure there were no other bombs before leaving.

His clothes below his chest were basically wet, but he didn't care about this little thing. As soon as he got out of the ark, he saw Toru Amuro standing there.

"..."

For a while, Matsuda Jinpei was not sure whether he could communicate casually with this man who was working as an undercover agent. On the way here, they basically didn't talk much.

So he pretended not to know each other for a while, looked away and walked aside, wanting to smoke a cigarette to refresh himself - he hadn't slept since he was on duty last night - but when he took out the cigarette, he discovered that his cigarette had been there for a long time. Everything was ruined during the search just now.

At this time, a hand was put in front of him, offering cigarettes and lighter.

Matsuda Jinpei looked over his hand, and Amuro Toru said to him: "This is what one of your juniors left before he left. I said you would definitely smoke when you come out."

Seeing him taking the initiative to talk to him, Matsuda Jinpei breathed a sigh of relief, which proved that there was no danger nearby.

"What about that kid?"

The policeman with a somewhat vicious temperament was the first to care about the unfortunate child.

"Kudo-kun has been put into the ambulance, and the doctor accompanying him said he is fine."

Matsuda Jinpei relaxed a little more, and then asked: "So how are you doing recently?"

"It's still the same."

Faced with his absolutely trustworthy friend, Toru Amuro still did not reveal any information. He just told him that he was fine, and the other person who went undercover was fine too.They are all alive and well.

Matsuda Jinpei was accustomed to this kind of answer. He bit the cigarette in his mouth and looked up at the blue sky.

The wet clothes clung to him uncomfortably, and he took a hard puff. The rich and familiar smell did not dispel the heaviness in his heart.

He knew that since a few years ago, the two former friends had been walking in the dark night without any sunlight.

He believed in their abilities, but he still worried about them - especially after the case in early July.

"...It's okay, Matsuda."

As if Toru Amuro saw what he was thinking, he smiled lightly: "Don't worry about us, we won't be affected by that matter."

He paused for a moment: "Stop talking about me, what's going on inside the Ark? Is there anything suspicious?"

Mentioning this, Matsuda Jinpei took off the cigarette from his mouth.

"The bomb in the hoist room is very similar to the bomb in the school's music classroom. It is very likely that it was made by the same person."

Both bombs were powerful but crudely made. Compared with the ones made by Koichi Koshiba three years ago, the circuits were similar, but they were far different.

Of these twin brothers, the elder brother is not only good at music, but he who never went to school is even better at making bombs than his younger brother who has studied professionally.

"As for the winch and rock trap...except for that bastard four years ago, this is the first time I have seen such a bad prisoner."

Matsuda Jinpei gritted his teeth and said.

Either they die together, or one dies and the other lives. The person who made this trap is definitely a person who likes to provoke.

Not everyone is willing to sacrifice. At this critical moment of life and death, most people will not rush to stay as shown in the TV series. They will only start internal strife over who can escape and who is forced to stay.

...I just didn't expect that one of the students would actually stay voluntarily without any complaints.

Matsuda Jinpei remembered the name Kudo Shinichi.

He had a hunch that this kid was definitely not simple.

"There's one more thing I don't understand." He continued, his brows gradually frowning.

"From the production of the bomb, I can roughly tell that Koji Koji is a careless, impatient and impulsive person. How did he design such a trap?"

When arriving at the blocked room, Matsuda Jinpei observed the boulder.

The size and position of the stone must have been carefully calculated. If there was a slight deviation, it would not be blocked in front of the door.

For the music teacher in the school, Koji Koji simply put a bomb to kill him; for this student, he first locked him in a flooded underground ark, then forced him to make a choice between two, and finally let him face the bomb before he died...

This difference is too great.

The level of hatred is different. His main target of attack is Kudo Shinichi, so the teacher is just incidental?
...Or is there a second prisoner in this case?
"The last thing is the music teacher. He is definitely not an ordinary person, right?"

Full of doubts, Matsuda Jinpei asked directly. After asking, he realized that his question was too straightforward: "...can you tell me?"

Toru Amuro said calmly: "Hikaru Aoyagi is from the American office."

Matsuda was stunned.

"The marathon bombing in October last year, the bombing in the street near Central Park in March this year, and the bombing of a large number of hostages in the hospital at the end of May... He was a front-line anti-terrorism and rescue worker involved."

"..."

Matsuda Jinpei was speechless for a long time because of the excitement on the other side of the Pacific. He put the cigarette into his mouth again: "No wonder that guy is so familiar with bombs..."

He didn't ask in detail why such a person would come to Japan to be a teacher, nor did he ask what his friends were investigating in the school - he told him the other person's identity, which was the limit.

"Hey, Matsuda!... Strange, where did he go?"

They heard Sato Miwako from the Search Section [-] calling someone.

Shortly after they arrived, the policewoman arrived soon, and her drag racing skills were equally impressive.

"Hurry over there." Toru Amuro said.

Matsuda Jinpei took a few steps forward without looking back, and finally reminded: "Send me here today. The Metropolitan Police Department may contact you to take notes...be careful."

"I'll pay attention."

Toru Amuro watched Matsuda Jinpei leave, then looked around, and the smile on his face gradually faded away.

The innocent student was rescued safely, and he reunited with his close friends from the same period and reported each other's safety... This should have been a happy thing, but somewhere in his heart, there was always an inexplicable uneasiness.

He also thought of what Matsuda Jinpei suspected.

Is Koji Koji really the only prisoner in this case?

Could there be another person... behind the scenes?
Seeing that there was no one around, Toru Amuro quickly took out his mobile phone.His subordinate called a few minutes ago, but he didn't answer it for the time being. He quickly called back.

"Hey?"

"Mr. Fukitani!" Kazami Yuya's voice was urgent, and he said in a panic: "We have successfully found Xiaochai's address! But he..."

Toru Amuro's heart sank: "What happened to him?"

"He...has drowned in his own home..."

"?!"

……

Matsuda Jinpei knew nothing about what happened to Toru Amuro behind him.He came to Miwako Sato and was scanned up and down by the flower of the Metropolitan Police. She handed him the blanket in her hand.

"It's true, underwater search work is very hard. Everyone else is taking a good rest after coming up, but you actually ran to the side to smoke..."

Matsuda Jinpei took the blanket and did not cover it immediately. Instead, he looked at his colleagues in the explosive ordnance disposal squad next to him.

I saw these male compatriots who usually boast about how good their bodies are in the office. At this time, they were all delicate and frail, wearing blankets. When Sato Miwako looked over, they were all coughing and sneezing. Out.

"........."

He didn't even bother to expose their thoughts...

Matsuda Jinpei complained silently in his heart, Sato Miwako turned around and brought him a cup of hot water. He took it with one hand and said thank you.

A colleague who was responsible for the explosive disposal work on the upper floor and whose clothes did not get wet suddenly said: "How did you move that stone?"

"It must be a machine. How can it be moved by manpower?" said another.

The colleague who brought up the topic frowned.

"The Ark has only one exit. The prisoner had to lock the two students into the second underground floor first. After he left, he moved rocks to block the exit... That's what happened between last night and this morning."

Matsuda Jinpei turned around sharply.

After the stone fell to the second floor, a hole appeared in the ceiling of the first floor. He looked at the land and lawn next to the hole.

"There are no traces of any heavy object moving on the ground from the exit to the original position of the stone. It can be seen that the stone was not dragged over, but more like it was lifted by something, broke the ceiling from a high place, and placed it in that position. "

"The only ones that can do this kind of thing are hoists or cranes on construction sites, right? ... But if that kind of equipment passes by, it will definitely leave deep marks on the mud that will not fade for several days."

Not only Matsuda Jinpei, but also everyone else gradually realized the problem.

Together they looked at the land near the hole.

The police car was parked elsewhere, and there were no traces of any human machinery passing by. Instead, there were strange traces, as if some animal had crawled over.

Matsuda Jinpei stared at the lawn next to him.

Judging from the marks of the surrounding grass being crushed, that animal... no, that kind of thing, the thickest part of its body is probably over one meter.

Although it was clearly under the sun, everyone felt a chill all over their bodies.

----

At the same time, Minato Middle School.

"Excuse me, Mr. Aoyagi."

The last policeman left in the school warned Aoyagi Binguang before leaving: "Please come to the Metropolitan Police Department tomorrow to make a detailed record."

——After Tohru Amuro and the others set off, the police who stayed on campus contacted the Hojo family and confirmed that the other missing child had returned safely and was currently in the hospital.

At this point, the case of missing students and the case of campus bombs have finally come to a temporary end.

"Ok."

Aoyagi Binguang paused and then asked: "Can I bring Kudo with me? I just received a call and he said that he does not need to be hospitalized and can go there tomorrow."

"Of course." The policeman smiled.

The police left quickly, and the dean of academic affairs came over: "Teacher Qingliu, the principal has just decided that the school will have a holiday for the next few days this week to ease the students' mood, and classes will resume next Monday."

The rabbit crouched back on Qingliu Binguang's shoulder and shook his ears. Why didn't he meet such a humane principal when he was in school?

"The piano..." Qingliu Binguang looked behind him worriedly.

"The logistics department will replace you with a new one during this period," said the dean of academic affairs. "If nothing happens, go back as soon as possible. You have worked really hard today. If you feel unwell physically or mentally, you can contact me immediately."

Qingliu Binguang nodded, turned and left the music classroom.

The teaching building was completely empty at this time, even the faculty and staff had just finished leaving one after another, and he was the last few to leave.

As they walked down the stairs, Qingliu Binguang suddenly reached out and pinched his nose.

【Is your nose uncomfortable? 】Rabbit said strangely.

"...No, it just feels like someone is talking about me."

Aoyagi Binguang answered softly and pinched a few more times to relieve the discomfort in his nose.

【...It must be Shinichi. 】

Rabbit soon had his first suspect.

After Toru Amuro left, Rabbit naturally returned to Aoyagi Binguang, and he also heard Kudo Shinichi's "last words".

Think about it, I thought I was going to die, and I expressed my love and longing for my parents and the girl I liked affectionately, but in the next second, I saw the police breaking in to save people...

Good news: Life was saved.

Bad news: He's still dead, a complete social death!
"……maybe."

Qingliu Binguang smiled helplessly, and he walked down with the rabbit, crossing the floor tiles where the sunlight fell, walking only in the shadows.

"However, I really didn't expect him to make that choice. He was actually willing to sacrifice himself to save someone who bullied him just yesterday."

[I told you before, Shinichi values ​​life very much, and even saved Belmod who was disguised as a murderer and almost fell off the railing...]

Rabbit didn't find it strange at all.

"I heard you say that."

Qingliu Binguang said in a gentle tone: "But there are some things that can only be confirmed by seeing them with your own eyes, right?"

They came to the parking lot, opened the door of the black Mazda and got in. He put the rabbit in the passenger seat as usual.

Qingliu Binguang pulled up his seat belt and turned to Rabbit and said, "I'm a little tired today and don't want to cook anymore. I'll just go to the nearby supermarket to buy some cooked food for lunch and dinner. Is that okay?"

[What happened to you today is an unforeseen disaster. You should really take a good rest. 】

Rabbit didn't think much about it.

So many things happened today, he felt tired as a bystander, let alone a personal participant.

I don’t know where Koji Koba is now. He kidnapped two students, came to the school to plant bombs, and finally went to the Ark to set up such a trap... He must be paralyzed from exhaustion now, right?
Aoyagi Binguang pinched his nose again and drove away from Minato Middle School.

----

The next chapter is the reveal.

There are two ways to write about the mastermind behind the scenes. One is from the perspective of the protagonist, watching the whole process of his design, and the other is from the perspective of others, revealing some details and foreshadowing in the middle, and in the end it is revealed that the protagonist did it.

The academy chapter uses the second mode, and I will try the first mode later.

(End of this chapter)