Satou wanted revenge for her first love. Just one bullet, and she could erase that piece of scum, bringing peace to the world.
Her rigid finger slowly tightened on the trigger. In her heart, there was nothing but rage.
"No, Satou-keiji!" Conan knew this was bad. Satou really was about to fire, so he jumped out. "You can't shoot." Conan always believed criminals had to be judged by the law, no matter how vile they were.
"Satou-keiji, it's already over. Please, don't do something foolish." He feared more than anything that Satou might kill the suspect.
Satou's eyes locked on him. "Why? Why did you do all this?"
The filthy criminal stammered out his reason. A few years ago, he had been a reporter covering a bomb extortion case. But the police had forbidden him from airing the story before the case was resolved. Believing they were suppressing his freedom of the press, he defied their orders and broadcast the news. Because of that, the criminals learned all of the police deployment plans, ruined the operation, and had time to set traps, causing massive police casualties.
Afterward, the TV station fired him. From that day on, he hated the police. Three years ago, he struck out in revenge. But because of Matsuda's sacrifice, the hospital bomb never detonated, robbing him of his chance to smear the police. So he waited three more years, learned advanced bomb-making skills, and returned, fully prepared.
He wanted to turn the police who'd cost him his job into rats hated by all. He wanted to justify himself, to prove to everyone that the police were corrupt, selfish men who abused their power and cared nothing for others' lives.
A complete madman. The truth was his life hadn't been destroyed by the police—it had been destroyed by his own arrogance and selfishness.
The police had warned him again and again not to air that broadcast. He ignored them, ignoring the safety of Tokyo's citizens, and reported anyway. He, as a journalist, had abused his own power.
After causing enormous losses, he bore the consequences. But instead of owning up to his mistake, he twisted it into "police persecution." He never once admitted his fault, and worse, he repeated mistake after mistake—choosing to take revenge on the police and harm innocent people.
Scum like this. The more Satou listened, the angrier she got. Matsuda had died for such a ridiculous reason? This shameless man deserved death.
Conan even heard Satou's teeth grinding. He was furious too, but he would never let her pull the trigger. "Don't—!"
Bang!
Conan froze. The flash, the bullet, the blood—all of it happened in an instant. He hadn't expected it. Satou had fired.
The burning bullet tore through the bomber's chest.
Satou's face was twisted. The scum before her didn't deserve to live. For Matsuda, for herself, she fired. She didn't give Conan the chance to argue, to reason with her.
The bomber himself hadn't believed the police would actually shoot. Even as red blossomed across his chest, he couldn't accept it. His consciousness blurred.
"…" This was beyond anything Conan had imagined. Satou-keiji had actually become a killer??!!
Tears finally broke free from Satou's eyes. 'Matsuda, I've avenged you.'
"Satou-keiji!" Conan took a deep breath. The deed was done, and now justice had to follow. "The bomber is dead. By criminal law, you can't escape punishment. Turn yourself in."
In broad daylight, a police officer had shot and killed a criminal. Conan could never just stand by. "Please show the last honor of being a police officer—turn yourself in!"
Satou's tears finally brought her back to her senses. Lying before her was not only a dead criminal, but one who had already been subdued and posed no threat. Regret struck her suddenly, but regret was useless now. The man was dead—killed by her police gun.
This was absolutely not what a police officer should do. As an enforcer of the law, Satou herself had destroyed justice. For the first time in years, someone other than Matsuda appeared in her mind—her father. He had died pushing a criminal out of the way during an escape attempt, giving his own life to protect that criminal.
Sometimes people are forced to face questions like this: one policeman's life versus one criminal's life; one brilliant scholar's life versus one mischievous child's life. A policeman dies to save a criminal. A scholar dies to save a kid. Is one life always equal to another?
Life is equal, but is the value of each life the same?
Like in that serial murder case—his younger sister stepped forward to save seven people, but the killer claimed that seven lives still weren't as important as his sister's one life. So what is the standard for weighing life?
A life that harms society and a life that benefits society—are they equal?
Everyone has their own answer. Satou's father probably never thought that deeply when he saved someone. And when Kudou Shinichi, in New York, first met Vermouth disguised as a killer, he too stepped in without hesitation. That selfless act earned Vermouth's admiration. Kudou once said: when humans save each other, there is no need for a reason.
So in Conan's view, every life was equally important. Now that a suspect had been killed by police, he would not cover for Satou. He demanded she turn herself in.
This was impulsive murder. She probably wouldn't face the maximum sentence—maybe less than 10 years.
Satou's mind was a complete mess. Three years of longing had suddenly snapped today. She had chosen the simplest way to end her pain, but at the same time had destroyed her promising future. She had once taken her father as her role model, aiming to be a cop with honor and duty. But today, that dream was finished.
Clatter. The gun slipped from her hand and hit the ground. The anger faded, and unlike many criminals, Satou did not try to run. "Mn, I understand. I will turn myself in—for the last honor of being a police officer. Dad, I really couldn't be like you, respecting human rights no matter the situation." For someone with Satou's fiery nature, the fact that it took this long before she broke and shot someone was already remarkable.
It was clear now that Matsuda's case had haunted her all these years. She couldn't let it go. And now, Satou had nothing more to say. Maybe this way, she could finally let go of Matsuda.
Conan stood nearby and sighed heavily. His heart was heavy. He had witnessed a police officer's fall. He blamed himself for not stopping Satou. If only he had tried harder, maybe this tragedy wouldn't have happened.
Dead? Liu A'dou hadn't expected this. He had only come over after handling a few things, only to find the suspect had been shot dead. Judging by the situation, it was Satou Miwako who pulled the trigger. It seemed the worst had indeed happened.
Is every life equal? Liu A'dou believed yes. But is every life of equal value? He believed no. Humans are subjective creatures. The life of family is naturally more precious than the life of a stranger. That was normal. So Liu A'dou would never hypocritically claim that everyone's life was as important to him as his family's.
So Liu A'dou made up his mind—this matter, he would handle himself.