Inside and outside the glass window stood the police and the armed robber.
Earlier, this robber had held up a bank, but the police arrived in time to block him. He stole a car and fled all the way from Beika Town to Haido Town. When he ran out of gas, he ditched the car and escaped on foot, eventually running into Liu A'dou and Ada.
Ada was taken hostage, but Liu A'dou was already thinking about how this criminal would eventually die.
The truth was, even without those big evil villains, in a world that looked peaceful there were still plenty of criminals. Humans really didn't treasure their world at all. Honestly, sometimes Liu A'dou didn't have much faith in humanity. It was impressive that Superman and the others could keep believing in people's good side.
"Get me a car, and make the cops back off, or I'll kill the hostage!"
'How could something like this happen?' Conan cursed in his heart. 'What the hell are Takagi and the others doing, letting such a dangerous criminal rush into the streets like this?'
"Damn it," Sato muttered, clenching her teeth. But in the end, she and the others backed away. "Please ensure the hostage's safety."
"Shut up and stop the nonsense! Get me a car and 30 million yen, or I'll start a massacre!"
Detectives hated brainless criminals like this the most. There was no room for deduction, no challenge. Still, Conan wasn't limited to reasoning. He had his tranquilizer darts, and if he got the chance, he could sneak close as a kid and knock the criminal out.
"Kid, don't get any closer." Liu A'dou suddenly grabbed Conan's arm. "It's too dangerous. Stay back."
"Big brother, aren't you scared?"
"I'm not afraid. You and Haibara take care of Nono." A'dou handed his daughter over to Conan for protection.
Conan glanced at the baby in the stroller and could only retreat.
"She won't get hurt, right?" Haibara asked nervously.
Liu A'dou smiled at her. "With me here, I won't let Ada-jie get hurt. You two kids step back and watch over Nono."
Conan eyed Liu A'dou warily. Just what was this dangerous guy planning to do now?
Under everyone's stunned gaze, a high school student walked out and stepped into the no-man's-land at the shop's entrance.
"Hey, kid, it's dangerous, get back here!" Takagi shouted. At the same time, he thought Liu A'dou looked familiar.
Sato had already recognized him. Back in the bus hijacking, he had helped the hostages escape, but also manipulated the robbers into killing each other. That memory was still sharp. "Don't act rashly," she warned. She was afraid Liu A'dou might provoke the robber and endanger the hostage.
But Liu A'dou ignored the criminal completely. Instead, he exchanged affectionate looks with Ada, sending her flirty signals, as if the robber didn't even exist.
Seeing him flirt openly while she had a gun pressed to her temple, Ada was speechless. 'Seriously? I'm the one being held hostage here. The gun is right against my head. This is way too thrilling!'
Of course, normally with Ada's fiery temper, she would've already snatched the gun and taken the guy down. But A'dou had told her to stay calm and let him handle it. If anyone was going to show off here, it was going to be him.
"What the hell are you doing?" The robber noticed the high schooler but didn't get too wary. Compared to the police, a high school kid didn't seem dangerous. What he forgot was that this was Japan, where high school students were monsters.
"Brother, the world is such a beautiful place. Why are you being so violent? Whatever it is, we can talk it out."
"Shut up! Get lost!" the robber barked. He was the straightforward type, with more brawn than brains. Why rob a bank? Because he needed money. Why use a gun? Because guns beat knives. Why take a hostage? Because the police were chasing him.
All he wanted was money and a car. If the cops refused, he'd kill someone. That simple.
"You hear me out…"
Before Liu A'dou could finish, the answer came in the form of a bullet. It shattered the glass door, whistling past his ear and sending the crowd ducking in panic.
This was like a scholar meeting a soldier—no point arguing logic. The criminal had no intention of talking, not even giving Liu A'dou a chance to speak.
Watching A'dou get cut off, Ada couldn't help but laugh at him mercilessly.
'Tch, turns out he's just a fool. With guys like this, the only option is to take him down.'
"Get back here, you're crazy! He'll shoot you dead!" Sato shouted.
"Then let him shoot me. You all move back, bullet shells don't have eyes." Looks like talking it out was useless—time to fight.
Liu A'dou didn't retreat, instead he stepped forward firmly.
"He's insane, insane! Facing a gunman and even the police won't dare approach, yet this high schooler dares to walk closer?!" Sato yelled. "Madman, call in backup! Snipers, assault team, now!"
But it was already too late. Liu A'dou took another step forward. "I hate guys like you the most. Robbery with no skill at all."
"You're asking for death!" The robber didn't expect his target to be this fearless. He raised the gun again, this time aiming properly. "Die!"
Bang!
That single gunshot made everyone shiver, cold sweat breaking out across the police. Their hearts clenched. 'This lunatic! How could he provoke the robber like this? Damn it, now an innocent civilian's involved!'
The onlookers thought they were about to see blood and a corpse, but that wasn't the case.
"He dodged it?!" Conan's face froze in shock. He couldn't believe it. A human actually dodged a bullet?! But it was real—Liu A'dou shifted his body sideways in a clear evasive move, faster than the bullet. Just where were this transfer student's limits?
Even the police thought their eyes were tricking them, but no, the high schooler really was unharmed.
"Impossible…" Sato gasped.
At that moment, the robber lost it and fired several more shots at Liu A'dou.
Dodge. Dodge. Dodge again!
Click.
"Idiot. No bullets left," Liu A'dou said with a smile. By then, he had already stepped inside the shop. "Give it up and surrender."
Thud!
Ada suddenly swung her fist backward, slamming it right into the robber's face. She shook her head. "Your problem is you talk too damn much. Why waste so many words on someone like this?"
The robber collapsed to the ground as the police rushed inside.
And with that, Conan finally understood. He realized why he had always felt something was off. Ada and A'dou's relationship wasn't new at all. They must have known each other for a long time—or more likely, they were already a family. Liu A'dou was the husband that Professor Agasa and Haibara had been hiding.
The way Liu A'dou and Ada acted was far too intimate. Even Shinichi and Ran, with their strong feelings, weren't this close. This was intimacy beyond lovers—this was what only a married couple shared.
But there was no time to savor the satisfaction of solving that riddle. Because the robber Ada had punched… was dead.
Yes. Dead. With one hit, Ada had killed him.
"Ada-jie, how could you be so heavy-handed?" Even Liu A'dou hadn't expected Ada to kill someone.
Ada looked wronged. "How was I supposed to know? I only tapped him lightly!"
The truth was, the man had severe osteoporosis. One blow from Ada cracked his entire skull. Either way, he was dead, and now Ada had to go down to the police station. Even if it was legitimate self-defense, the procedure still had to be followed.
"Don't worry, Ada-jie. I'll hire the best lawyer for you," Liu A'dou called out.