Conan carefully dismantled the second bomb. After all that intense movement, his small body was totally exhausted and drenched in sweat.
CAT-2 and CAT-3 were closing in, pistols in hand. Conan knew he couldn't face them head-on. All he could do was hide.
"No more bombs?" CAT-2 reported in. "Boss, the kid and Kaitou Kid dismantled our bombs."
"What? Go check all of them!"
"Yes!"
Conan thought, 'Perfect. Now I'll know how many bombs there actually are.' Turned out there were just five. He already disarmed two, which meant three remained.
"The rest of the explosives are still intact."
"Good. Get back here," the boss said.
"Understood."
Once everyone left, Conan got back to work. Now that he knew where all the bombs were, he hoped he could take them all out in time.
Still, they thought he was working with Kaitou Kid. Probably because they found the unconscious guy in the bathroom and assumed it was Kid's doing. Totally wrong. When had a detective ever needed help from a thief?
"Gotcha!" Just as Conan was focused on the next bomb, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"What?" Conan was shocked. He'd fallen right into the boss's trap.
The boss had deliberately sent his men to "check" the bombs just to lure Conan out. Then he waited behind to ambush him. These international criminals weren't idiots. Though surprised that a kid had done it, he wasn't letting him go. "Step away from my bomb."
Three guns were aimed at him. Conan didn't dare move. Then came a brutal slap across his face. The boss hit him hard enough to leave his cheek swollen.
"Trying to play hero?" the boss sneered at him. "Take him downstairs."
"Yes!"
In front of the hostages, they threw Conan to the floor. "Brat, tell me where Kaitou Kid is!"
Conan stood up and glared at him stubbornly. "It's just me."
The fact that a kid had this much guts was impressive, but the boss wasn't impressed. He pointed the gun at Conan's head. "Speak, or die."
"I told you. It's just me!" His face was swollen, but his courage hadn't budged.
'Still talking tough?' The boss wasn't in the mood to waste time. He grabbed Conan by the collar, dragged him to the window, opened it, and threw the tiny body out into the sky.
They were flying at an altitude of 1,000 meters. Conan, now just a wingless bird, watched the cold, ruthless expression on the boss's face as he fell. The guy didn't hesitate at all. Conan had underestimated him. There wasn't even a second to make a dramatic move—this man just killed him on the spot.
These international criminals were cold-blooded. They didn't care if you were a kid.
"If anyone else dares act up, they can go skydiving without a parachute like that brat!" the boss barked.
"Conan?!!" Ran rushed to the window, ready to jump out, but what could she do? She couldn't fly.
Someone had to step up.
"Here, take this!" Suddenly, Sonoko stood up and shoved something into the boss's hands. "Ran, move. Let the professional handle it!"
With that, Sonoko dashed forward and launched herself out the narrow window.
"Sonoko?!" Ran was stunned. First Conan was thrown out, and now Sonoko jumped too? What the hell was going on?
The boss looked down at the random object Sonoko had shoved into his hands. It was making a constant whirring noise. It was a spool—thread trailing from it, leading out the window, and still unspooling fast.
The other end of the line was connected to that strange girl? The boss's face twisted in shock. If the rope reached its full length, wouldn't he be yanked out too? He quickly tried to toss the spool away, only to discover it was securely locked to his wrist—with a handcuff.
To complete such a complex setup in such a short time, that girl was definitely not normal. No, she wasn't a girl at all—she was something far more dangerous.
Kaitou Kid.
That name flashed through the boss's mind. But by then, the rope had already run its full length, and the force yanked him hard toward the window.
He braced his legs against the floor to resist being dragged out. "Help me, you idiots!" he yelled. He was about to get pulled out of the ship, and his lackeys were just standing there like fools.
Once the order was out, his men rushed over and grabbed him, trying to stop him from getting dragged out and smashed like roadkill.
The tension on the rope was insane. His whole arm felt like it was about to pop out of its socket. It hurt like hell. "Idiots, cut the rope! Now, damn it!"
Yeah, right. His goons were completely brain-dead. They waited for the boss to give the order for everything. Not a single one thought for themselves.
'Unbelievable…' the boss cursed internally. But survival came first. He needed to get rid of this thing tied to his wrist, or he was going to die.
Bang! The intense force slammed the boss straight into the wall. He clung to the rope with everything he had. This way, the Kaitou Kid who had jumped out wouldn't fall straight to his death.
Meanwhile, the airborne "Sonoko" rocketed down like a missile, diving straight after Conan. Conan spread his body wide to increase air resistance and slow himself down. But the "Sonoko" behind him tucked her limbs in, keeping a streamlined form and diving even faster. Up in the clouds, the two of them were locked in a terrifying, high-speed chase.
She had to catch Conan before the rope ran out of length. That was the essence of a perfect dramatic entrance—dangerous, but just right.
Right as the boss was being dragged to the window, the "Sonoko" managed to grab Conan in midair and pulled him into her arms.
"Sonoko?" Conan's eyes widened in total disbelief. His face said it all. Since when was Sonoko this badass? Then it hit him. "No… you're Kaitou Kid."
"Hello, little guy," Kaitou Kid replied, his voice a smooth blend of female looks and male tone—completely off-putting.
Conan finally realized how he had been tricked. "Don't you feel gross?"
"All for the job. Sacrifice is part of the game," Kid grinned. "Ready? We're going back up!"
"Aren't you afraid the boss'll cut the rope?"
"You really underestimate my skill," Kid smirked. The rope was reinforced with adamantium alloy. No way it could be cut that easily.
Sure enough, the terrorists slashed and hacked at the rope with knives. Useless. Not only did the rope remain unscathed, but their blades started chipping.
The boss fumed. No results. Only rage. His own arm was about to snap off, and these idiots still couldn't come up with anything.
"Bastards, shoot them! Kill them!"
Immediately, the henchmen rushed to the observation windows and opened fire, bullets ripping through the air below.
Of course they missed. Conan looked up at the raging terrorists and finally felt a bit relieved. It was beyond satisfying to watch. Now the criminals had to keep hanging there with their lives on the line, supporting both Kaitou Kid and Conan. Let's see if they ever dared mess with the God of Death again.
Kid figured they'd had enough fun. If this dragged out any longer, the boss's arm might actually tear off, and then they'd fall too. "Time to go!"
The rope retracted, lifting the two of them—one big, one small—back up into the airship.