The red countdown on the massive screen pulsed like a dying heartbeat: [00:54:21]. The hall, once filled with New York's elite, had transformed into a glass cell suspended in the sky. Ran tried to calm the panicked guests while Togo Morris slammed his shoulder against the electronic doors to no avail.
"Damn it! These doors are reinforced with carbon fiber. They will only open with the main server's password!" Togo shouted, wiping sweat from his forehead.
In the dark corner beneath the buffet table, Conan pressed a side button on his glasses. The lenses switched to Cyber-Scan mode. He began seeing the world as threads of data, searching for the missing link.
Edward Sterling did not die of a heart attack. The liquid on his neck is the Digital Newcastle, a nano poison that reacts with wireless signals to stop the heart, Conan thought bitterly. And the killer is still controlling the countdown via a wristwatch linked to the building's network.
Conan lifted his gaze to the guests. Three suspects had been near the office when the power went out:
Marcus: the company's chief engineer, who appeared excessively worried about the server.
Elena: Edward's secretary, dabbing her tears with a silk handkerchief, but her eyes tracked the clocks carefully.
Senator Williams: who demanded to leave immediately under the pretense of national security.
"Detective Morris!" Marcus shouted, "You must find a way to disable the software bomb! If the countdown reaches zero, all Federal Bank data linked to this building will be wiped, and New York's economy will collapse!"
Togo, trying to regain composure, stood in the middle of the hall and said loudly, "I know the killer! It is the Syndicate's digital ghost! He entered through the windows and used a drone!"
Conan slapped his forehead. Oh my God, Dad, Ran needs a miracle, he thought.
Conan snuck behind Togo and retrieved the voice-altering tie, now a nano chip behind his ear. He aimed the sedation watch at Togo's neck. Tick! Togo slumped into the chair behind him in a contemplative pose.
"Listen everyone!" Togo's voice echoed from the hall speakers, but it was different, cold, sharp, and confident. "The game is over. The killer is not a ghost but someone sitting among us now, carrying the key to our deaths on their wrist."
Silence fell. Ran looked at her father in astonishment. "Dad? Are these your real deductions?"
"Yes, Ran. Look at Mr. Marcus," Conan said in Togo's voice. "Marcus, you claimed you were concerned about the server, but why didn't you try using your encrypted phone to access the emergency system? Instead, you kept sending continuous pings to the server to accelerate the countdown."
Marcus faltered. "I… I was trying to disable it!"
"Liar!" the voice continued. "The carbon thread found is a physical data conductor. It was used to kill Edward via a programmed nano shock when the power went out. But you did not act alone. You are merely a tool of the Black Syndicate."
Countdown: [00:05:12].
The walls began to shake. "Marcus is not the actual killer; he only paved the way," the voice continued. "The real killer is the one who holds the master code. Senator Williams, isn't it strange that your classic Patek Philippe watch emits high-frequency waves used only by explosive control devices?"
The senator's face went pale. He reached for his pocket, but Ran, in a flash, delivered a professional American karate kick that knocked the watch from his hand.
Conan quickly grabbed the watch. The screen flashed: [Self-Destruct Activated]. His small fingers began typing on a virtual keyboard projected from his glasses. Come on, come on, combine Agasa's code with the Syndicate protocol.
[00:00:03]
[00:00:02]
[00:00:01]
[00:00:00]
Everything stopped. The screens shifted from red to green. A clear message appeared: [Deactivation Complete – Accessed by: C.E].
The electronic doors opened automatically. FBI agents, led by Agent Andre, entered. Marcus and the senator, who turned out to be in debt to the Black Syndicate, were apprehended.
As Togo awoke, rubbing his head and pretending he solved the case in a dream, Ran looked at Conan, standing by the window, gazing at Manhattan's skyscrapers.
"Conan… how did you find the watch?" Ran asked with slight suspicion.
Conan smiled with childlike innocence. "Oh, I saw the red light flashing when the power went out! Ran-nee-chan, can we go get pizza? I'm really hungry!"
Ran laughed and hugged the little boy. "Of course, little hero. Without you and your dad, New York would be lost."
But at that moment, Conan's phone vibrated in his pocket. A message from an unknown source, encrypted with a protocol known only to members of the Syndicate:
Good performance in Manhattan, Silver Bullet. But remember, the tower is only the beginning. We are always watching you.
Shinichi's blood ran cold. He looked around, but the crowd was massive. He realized that being in the United States had not put him out of danger; it had placed him in the eye of the storm.
"I will not let you escape this time," he whispered to himself, gripping Ran's hand ti
ghtly. "New York will be the grave where I bury your Black Syndicate."
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