Pain—just one word, but the boss's forehead was covered in cold sweat. His arm no longer felt like it belonged to him. He couldn't even feel his fingers anymore.
The pain shot deep into his bones. It was unbearable. "Damn bastards, kill them already!"
But the terrorists couldn't land a shot. Even though they were firing from above, the airship was moving, the rope was swaying, and the bullets were flying off in random directions.
Every time the rope jerked, it tugged violently on the boss's shoulder. The force was so brutal, he was almost in tears.
"Kill them! Kill them now!" His arm was bearing all that pulling and twisting. His shoulder joint was almost wrecked, and his wrist was going completely numb under the pressure.
Thankfully, Kaitou Kid decided it was time to go up.
Up they went, as Kid gained upward momentum. And the speed just kept building.
"The counterattack starts now. First, we take back the control room. Only then can we fight back against the terrorists," Kaitou Kid said.
"What are you thinking? They still have hostages!"
"I know. That's why we need to move fast," Kid replied. "The real fight's just getting started."
Whoosh! Like a rocket, they shot upward. But they'd still need to decelerate—and that last bit of momentum would give them a bit of a glide. Using just that speed, Kaitou Kid carried Conan in the most over-the-top way possible. Showtime wasn't over yet.
Let the thief fly just a little longer.
With no support, only raw momentum, Kid and Conan soared into the sky above the airship—like whales breaking through the sea's surface.
Ran stared blankly at the stunning scene, lifting her head until the ship's body blocked her view.
This was way more thrilling than any extreme sport. Sure, Conan had gone anti-gravity plenty of times in the movies, but this time someone else was flying him through the air. It felt totally different.
Their ascent slowed, finally reaching a halt midair. They were now at the highest point—still some distance away from the top of the airship.
"Ahhh!" Conan realized they were about to fall.
But Kid wasn't about to let them crash. He swiftly fired off a new grappling line toward the top, and it latched on.
Success. The two of them landed safely on the wide upper deck of the airship. "This here is the maintenance hatch. You can enter the control room from here. Careful, though. The terrorists must absolutely hate us by now. They probably want to bury us alive."
"I know." He'd just seen the boss's face—it was practically green.
"I'll go protect the hostages." Kaitou Kid removed his disguise, revealing his true form.
Sonoko's face and dress flew off, and Conan asked, "Where's the real Sonoko?"
"She's probably still at home snoring away," Kid replied, then jumped off the side of the ship.
This guy really had no regard for his own life. Conan would never dare jump like that.
"Boss, it's the thief!" Everyone saw him dangling outside. Kid had nothing beneath his feet, but it looked like he was standing solid.
The boss clutched his arm, which was now completely useless. His right arm hung limp, and he was furious. "Shoot! What are you waiting for?"
Gunfire exploded, but it was too late. Kid threw out several roses, which puffed out sleeping gas, knocking out a bunch of terrorists.
Only the boss was left—still fumbling awkwardly with his left hand. Kid gave a slight swing and slipped back through the observation window into the ship.
"Safe landing!"
Kaitou Kid had entered the scene!
Inside the ship, among the terrorists now slumped all over the floor, the thief and the boss finally faced each other.
Cold sweat dripped down the boss's forehead. This thief was too strong. "Kaitou Kid…" The numbness in his arm told him everything—he wasn't even in the same league. Against Kid, he had zero chance of fighting back.
"Hello, fellow professionals." These guys had no skills beyond pulling a trigger—and even that was terrible. Kid had taken them all down in one move. He almost felt bad about it. "You might be international criminals, but this is just embarrassing."
The boss's forehead glistened with another drop of sweat. Truth was, they were just a bunch of hired actors. The whole "threatening the government" thing was a cover. The real plan was to stir up panic with the virus and force an evacuation of Osaka. That way, they could loot every major cultural site in the city. That was the Red Siamese Cat's true objective.
Lately, Japanese artifacts were worth a fortune on the international market. The real target this time was cultural treasures. Once they loaded them up, they'd flee Japan immediately. And the boss? He wasn't even the real leader. The true mastermind of the Red Siamese Cat was still hidden among the crowd.
As everyone stood stunned, one of the attendants casually picked up a weapon dropped by a guard and pointed it at Kaitou Kid.
So the Red Siamese Cat had already infiltrated the crew. Some of them were working on the airship the whole time.
Bang! Bang!
Bullets flew past Kid, slamming into the wall.
"…" Kid was speechless. 'What kind of aim is that? I didn't even move. And you're barely 6 meters away.'
"Girl, your arms are too weak. You didn't brace the barrel, so the recoil sent the shots way off. Just… stop."
But the female attendant didn't give up. She kept pulling the trigger—but she was out of bullets.
These criminals didn't even bother learning how to shoot. With all this fancy gear, they still couldn't do anything right. Kid didn't even know how to roast them anymore. "I know there are more Red Siamese Cat members among you. Better come out now."
The cops looked at each other, unsure whether to believe Kaitou Kid.
"What a joke. One mole's enough," the boss said. No way he was letting Kid flush out more of them.
Kid walked slowly over to the boss. Without hesitation, he pulled a vial from the man's body. "This is the virus you stole, right? I'm going to release it now."
Megure's face turned pale. So it was true—Kaitou Kid was insane. A murderer! Did he even know how dangerous that virus was? "Stop! Do you want to add more crimes to your name?!"
Kid understood Megure's panic, but first—this virus was fake. Second, he wasn't actually planning to open it. He was just watching everyone's reactions.
Normal people would panic if a virus was opened. Only those who knew it was fake would stay calm.
And just like that, Kid spotted three people who didn't even flinch.
The Red Siamese Cat had really gone all in. But if they managed to loot all of Osaka's cultural treasures, they'd make a fortune—easily rivaling a high-stakes bank heist.
No need to rush. It was already getting dark outside. Might as well wait a bit longer.
"Inspector Megure, don't worry. This virus is fake."
"What?" Megure was shocked.
But the Red Siamese Cat members froze. How did Kid know that? The real virus wasn't even on the ship, but they had kept that a strict secret—it was their last resort, their get-out plan if everything else failed. If the mission collapsed, they'd use the real virus as leverage to escape.