9:59 AM!
Ai stood quietly on the observation deck.
Her hands were clenched into fists, her pretty eyes showing a trace of nervousness.
Heiji was no longer beside her. As for where he went, she didn't know.
The elevator was located in the middle of the tower.
The walls were very thick, and the elevator car wasn't transparent. It was hard to open from the inside without a special key.
From the ground to the observation deck, and from the deck to the restricted top floor, every entrance was guarded.
To get into the elevator shaft silently, one would usually only have a chance at night.
And yet, Heiji was now inside that elevator shaft.
Below him was an unfathomable bottom, dark as a black hole.
At a height of over 200 meters with no light, he couldn't see the elevator car coming up. He could only rely on the movement of the cables to judge its ascent or descent.
"Is that guy planning to blow up Tokyo Tower?"
Five bombs were stuck to the shaft wall with strong adhesive.
The indicator lights weren't on yet. Each one was attached to a cell phone and a mercury trigger.
10:05 AM!
Heiji took a light breath and slowly approached the first bomb.
Each bomb could have a listening device. If the bomber detected anything unusual, it would be dangerous.
One minute!
The first bomb was defused.
Ai stood quietly outside, her fists clenched tightly, staring motionlessly at the elevator.
Outside, the Metropolitan Police were in a frenzy.
Miwako Sato was driving, the warning note resting on her steering wheel, her brow furrowed.
She was hesitating, wondering if she should call Heiji.
Whenever she ran into trouble, she always thought of that amazing high school student. It seemed like no problem was unsolvable when he was around.
In the end, she couldn't resist and dialed his phone.
"Hello."
However, the voice that answered was a clear female one.
[Could Heiji have gone back to Osaka already?]
Miwako Sato assumed it was Kazuha. "Hello, is this Kazuha? This is Miwako. Is Heiji available to talk?"
The person who answered was definitely not Kazuha, who was far away in Nagoya.
Before entering the elevator shaft, Heiji had naturally left his phone behind.
He had even given Ai all the metal objects on him for safekeeping.
Some bombs are even triggered by magnets. Better safe than sorry.
Hearing the voice, Ai's expression turned cool. "This is Haibara. Is there something you need, Officer Sato?"
[Haibara?]
Miwako Sato was stunned, then recognized the name. "You're Conan's classmate, Haibara, right? Is Heiji there?"
"He's not."
Ai glanced at the elevator and said coolly.
"Is that so?" Miwako felt a wave of disappointment. "Sorry to bother you."
She was about to hang up.
But Ai's hesitant voice came from the phone.
"Is there something else, Haibara?" Miwako asked, composing herself.
"Are you alone right now?"
"Turn off your police siren, change into athletic clothes, and come to Tokyo Tower."
"Remember, come alone. Otherwise, Heiji could be in great danger."
"Haibara, are you saying..."
"The bomb is in Tokyo Tower."
Hearing this, Miwako Sato's mind reeled, and she slammed on the brakes.
"The bomb is inside Tokyo Tower?"
Miwako Sato's eyes were wide with horror. If this was true, the consequences of an explosion would be catastrophic.
"Heiji said so. Remember, don't alert anyone. If you do, not only will Heiji die, but so will everyone else in this tower," Ai said icily.
Miwako Sato immediately turned off all her police equipment, retracted her siren, and drove to a nearby sportswear store.
A short time later, a tall, athletic woman with long legs appeared on the street, got into her car, and sped away.
10:09 AM!
Ai hung up. The reason she told Miwako Sato was because this officer had the skills to help Heiji.
Ten minutes had passed since Heiji entered the elevator shaft.
10:12 AM!
[The elevator is coming up. Damn it, why is someone coming up now?]
Heiji was exasperated. With the elevator car rising, he had to stop defusing.
[Good, only three left.]
Three bombs. One minute each, plus moving... it would take two minutes per bomb. Enough time.
The elevator car slowly rose...
Suddenly, Heiji's pupils shrank. On top of the elevator car itself, there was another bomb.
Just then, the elevator stopped. The bomb was right in front of him.
[System, if the reward for this is useless, I swear I'll dismantle you.]
It was clear he had to race against time now.
No time to think. Heiji dropped directly onto the roof of the elevator car, quickly moved to the spot of the bomb he'd just defused, and rapidly began to defuse the next one.
10:15 AM!
Heiji was defusing the fifth bomb.
Suddenly, the elevator moved. It was slowly descending.
His expression changed instantly.
He was only halfway through the fifth one. If the elevator went down, he would never have time to defuse the bomb on its roof.
He quickly made a choice.
He couldn't save the people in the elevator.
If he quickly defused this bomb, he could still escape the elevator shaft before the explosion's flames reached him.
A hero is not a saint.
A hero does the right thing while ensuring their own safety. A saint... is just a synonym for an idiot. Not worth discussing.
Just then, a sound came from above him.
Miwako Sato, dressed in sportswear, appeared beside Heiji and gave him a hand signal.
Heiji had no time to wonder why she was there. He pulled her close and spoke quickly in her ear.
Then, he leaped, jumping back onto the roof of the elevator.
Miwako Sato's appearance was the prerequisite he needed to be a hero.
10:19 AM!
Miwako Sato had no time to think. She followed Heiji's instructions and quickly cut the wires on the bomb.
The dark, narrow space was oppressive.
After she finished, she looked nervously into the darkness below, a sense of panic rising in her.
Outside, Ai nervously clutched the two cell phones, staring intently at the elevator shaft.
10:20 AM!
The sky was still blue. The air was still filled with laughter.
Inside the elevator shaft, a figure was slowly climbing up from below.
Miwako Sato cried out with joy.
Heiji looked helpless. Extremely helpless. Utterly helpless.
"Heiji, are you okay?"
Miwako Sato looked at him nervously, thinking he might be injured.
"I'm fine. Miss Miwako, what are you doing here?"
Heiji let out a breath, trying not to think about that frustrating development.
"It was Haibara..."
Miwako Sato explained how she got here.
"I see. Let's get out of here first. We'll have someone retrieve these bombs later."
The two of them silently returned to the observation deck.
Seeing them, a flash of relief crossed Ai's eyes, and she ran over.
"Was it a success?"
"It failed!"
---
Hay 130 capítulos avanzados en Patreon, que estoy reescribiendo y puliendo para una mejor experiencia de lectura. Gracias por su apoyo y paciencia.
https://www.patreon.com/c/LEYI396