On live TV, a high schooler suddenly appeared, making the tense bomb disposal scene feel bizarre.
"A'dou, don't mess around!" Takagi shouted.
But Liu A'dou pointed straight at the camera. "I know you're watching too, Bomber…"
"What are you trying to do?" The cameraman wanted to push him away, but the reporter stopped him, curious about what this student was planning.
"I know you hate the police, but what do you think you are?" Liu A'dou asked into the lens. "A coward hiding in the shadows. You hate cops, so you want to force them into a painful choice—either guard their duty with courage and sacrifice their lives to save more people, or defuse the bomb and give up the clue to the next one. I know your game. You want the police humiliated, looking pathetic. But as a high school student, I won't let you succeed. I'm standing right here beside the bomb squad. For me, an innocent civilian, they'll defuse this bomb even if it costs them the clue. Bomber, you filthy, shameless, vile, disgusting criminal—your plan won't work!"
With that, Liu A'dou stood beside the bomb like a martyr ready to die.
Takagi wouldn't let him stay in danger, though. He might not be as smart as a detective, and sometimes he was clumsy, but he was a dedicated cop. A cop would never let an innocent risk his life.
He jumped over too. "Get back! Even if we die, we won't let a civilian be dragged into danger!"
"Takagi's right," one of the bomb squad members said. "Kid, thank you for believing in us. With citizens like you, our sacrifice is worth it. Now go, it's too dangerous here."
Takagi grabbed Liu A'dou to pull him away.
"No. When facing evil, you either sit by and end up standing with the wicked, or you sacrifice yourself and fight against it. I can die, but I won't let the police be slandered by some petty bomber." His tone carried the air of a martyr, like 'Since ancient times, who has not died? Better to leave behind a loyal heart shining in history.'
Conan was stunned. Was this really the same Liu A'dou who usually schemed to make criminals kill each other? Now he looked like a martyr, a hero, a warrior. A high schooler standing firm for justice and truth, fighting against evil—nothing could inspire people more.
Takagi and the bomb squad were deeply moved. How could someone so upright exist in this world?
But Conan couldn't understand why Liu A'dou would act this way. He knew A'dou was dangerous, and bravery wasn't really his style. So what was he really after?
Meanwhile, someone else was furious. While viewers were touched by A'dou and worried for the police, the Bomber was livid. He was now the only villain, when all this blame should have fallen on those damned cops.
He remembered how the police had humiliated him. He hated them, wished he could kill them all. Since he couldn't, he wanted to destroy their credibility, make every citizen in Tokyo hate them.
But now, a single high schooler had ruined everything. Damn it! Damn it all! That kid was wearing a Teitan High School uniform?? Fine then. If you trust the police so much, let them save you. The next bombs will be planted at your school. After all, the new term is about to start.
The bomb was defused. Because Liu A'dou stood firm beside the bomb squad, in the end they chose to disarm it immediately. But that meant they lost the clue to the next one.
"What the hell are you trying to do?" Conan demanded sharply.
"Little guy, I just did what a citizen should do—upholding the credibility of the police," Liu A'dou replied.
"That's it?"
"Of course not." Liu A'dou's answer made Conan tense up, but then he continued, "I just really hate sneaky criminals. When I meet scum like that, I can't help but go against them. Tell me, isn't that a sickness?" He was basically saying he loved showing off in front of criminals—that was his illness, and it needed treatment.
"So, back on the bus, when you made those robbers turn on each other, that was also because you couldn't stand them?"
"Of course. And besides, I was sure they were just amateurs acting on greed. Their aim was so bad, even if they did shoot each other, it wouldn't kill anyone." Liu A'dou grinned. "That's just the kind of guy I am—someone who can't stand evil. You really ought to learn from me."
"…" Conan was speechless. He couldn't say Liu A'dou was completely wrong, and the guy had been confident enough in his judgment. Still, Conan hated those kinds of methods.
"The bomb's defused for now, but there are more out there. You've provoked the bomber. He won't give any more hints," Conan said.
"No." Liu A'dou shook his head. "The bomber clearly despises the police. He wants to make them look guilty, scapegoats. He wants to shift all his sins onto them. If he stops giving hints, then he alone takes the blame, and the public's anger will fall squarely on him. That's why I'm certain he'll keep sending hints—he needs to prove the police are incompetent."
'This guy really is terrifying…' Conan thought. Liu A'dou could see straight through people. The more Conan considered it, the more it made sense.
"Conan, the hardest thing in this world to understand is the human heart. When you finally do, you'll become the greatest detective. On that point, you could learn a lot from Detective Mouri," Liu A'dou added.
Conan actually found himself being lectured by him.
By now, Takagi saw Liu A'dou almost as another high school detective. "So what do we do next?"
"Wait, of course. Tokyo's huge—who knows where the bomber hid them."
Takagi deflated. And that disappointment dragged on for two days. Peaceful days, as if all the bomber's explosives had already been found.
But just when the police thought they could breathe, the bomber's next message came. This time it was blunt: the bomb was on Tokyo Tower. And one more line—if they didn't find it, all the remaining bombs would explode by 3:00 p.m., with no more warnings.
Tokyo Tower really was cursed. It hadn't even finished repairs, and now it was the target again.
But no one knew which part of Tokyo Tower the bomb was on.
All workers were evacuated. A huge force of police moved in, sweeping the structure top to bottom. Every available officer was dispatched. Inspector Megure even promised his superiors he would not allow further damage to Tokyo Tower—that they would find every bomb and guarantee the public's safety.
But the bombs were hidden too well. No matter how hard they searched, the police came up empty.
In this duel between bomber and police, the bomber once again had the upper hand. If the bombs weren't found, they'd explode, and that failure would be branded as police incompetence.
'The humiliation you gave me, I'll return it double. Damn cops. Cling to your thin thread of hope and keep searching. In the end, you'll be nothing but pitiful worms hated by everyone.'
The bomber laughed.