Conan sped along the gravel road of the abandoned pier on his solar-powered skateboard.
Faster! A little faster!
Listening to the conversation through his earphones, Conan knew that Gin and Vodka had already left, and Victoria Housekeeping was preparing to take Miyano Akemi away, which filled him with anxiety.
The outline of the warehouse district was already in sight, but the entrance ahead was completely blocked by the burning wreckage of several cars.
Thick black smoke, mixed with the pungent smell of burnt metal, billowed from the intertwined and stacked frames, forming an obstacle nearly two meters high.
"Damn it!"
Conan slammed on the brakes of his skateboard, looking up at the burning wall of fire.
With his height, it was impossible for him to climb over.
He anxiously scanned other areas next to the entrance.
The side was a tall, moss-covered wall with no windows.
"No choice, I'll have to crawl through!"
Conan looked at the gap under the chassis of the overturned car, gritted his teeth, squatted down, and prepared to crawl through the gap under the car.
Just then—
"Sizzle—buzz buzz buzz—!!!"
A piercing sound of a chainsaw rang out.
The metallic cutting sound, which was hard to pinpoint, exploded above his head.
The high-speed rotating saw blade almost grazed his scalp.
Conan was scared out of his wits, his face pale, and he fell directly to the ground.
Along with the high-speed rotating saw blade, dazzling sparks shot out from the violent cutting of the car wreckage.
They fell like raindrops, pattering on the ground in front of him.
A few scorching sparks even splattered onto his shoes.
Conan was about to stand up.
But suddenly, the piercing sound of the chainsaw grew louder.
He didn't have time to think, his body stiffened, and he instinctively rolled backward.
The next second, a high-speed rotating chainsaw emerged from under the car, cutting vertically from bottom to top.
The end of the frantically spinning saw chain narrowly scraped the air a few millimeters in front of his crotch!
"Whoa!" Conan broke out in a cold sweat, scrambling back a few steps, filled with lingering fear.
If he hadn't reacted quickly, he probably wouldn't be worrying about cases anymore, no matter what body he returned to.
"Heave-ho—! Done! Good, didn't ruin the apron... Hmm?"
The cutting sound abruptly stopped, and a timid girl's voice came from behind the car.
With a loud crash, the burning car wreckage was cut in half by the chainsaw and collapsed with a roar.
From the smoke and dust, a petite figure emerged, carrying a chainsaw.
It was a girl dressed in a housekeeping uniform and a maid's apron, with black hair ties in her emerald green twin ponytails.
She tilted her head, and when her gaze swept over Conan, who was sitting on the ground, still shaken, she obviously paused.
"Ah...?"
Corin blinked, a look of apology on her face, and frantically supported herself on her knees, bowing at a 90-degree angle.
"Sorry, sorry! Little friend, are you alright? Corin didn't realize there was someone behind, and almost hurt you! I'm really sorry!"
Conan's mouth twitched. "...You call that 'almost'?" If that had been just a little more off, his happiness for the rest of his life would have been completely ruined!
Conan was still breathing heavily, his heart still pounding.
Before he could respond, his gaze was drawn to the people emerging from the cut opening behind Corin.
Lycaon came out, carrying Miyano Akemi in his arms, and Miss Esme bounced along behind him.
"Akemi-san!"
Conan immediately struggled to his feet, ignoring his recent fright, and pointed at Akemi, anxiously shouting to Lycaon,
"She's injured, you can't just take her away like this! You must take her to the hospital immediately! Such a serious gunshot wound, if not treated in time, will be life-threatening!"
"No need." Lycaon stopped, looking down at Conan, "Thank you for your concern, little friend. But Miyano Akemi has been taken over by Victoria Housekeeping, and we will be responsible for her life and safety. Victoria Housekeeping possesses medical technology far beyond what ordinary hospitals can provide in emergencies."
He nodded slightly, his posture elegant, "Please make way."
Conan looked at Akemi Miyano and found that her complexion was indeed much better than he expected, and the bloodstains on her chest had already stopped.
How is this possible? The wound was clearly near her heart... Conan was intimidated by Lycaon's aura, but still stubbornly blocked the passage.
"Even if... even if you can cure her, you shouldn't take her away privately! She is still an important suspect in the one billion yen bank robbery case!
What you are doing is obstructing justice! You should call the police and hand her over to them. I know Akemi-san has her reasons, but..."
At this moment, Miyano Akemi, held by Lycaon, weakly opened her eyes.
She looked at the persistent little boy with glasses in front of her, her eyes complex, carrying an apology and a hint of tenderness.
"Little friend, thank you for worrying about me. But please listen to this gentleman." She paused, gave a wry smile, and with difficulty raised a hand, fumbling in her pocket for a small metal key, which she handed to Conan.
"Some things shouldn't be meddled with. Even if you call the police, they can't protect me... or my sister."
"I know you're not an ordinary child, but please don't pursue this further... This is the real key to the safe. I beg you, give it to the police. The money is hidden in locker number 27 at Beika Station's coin locker."
After Miyano Akemi finished speaking, she said no more, as if she had exhausted her strength, closed her eyes, and leaned against Lycaon's firm chest.
Conan froze in place after taking the key.
Because Miyano Akemi had handed him not just the safe key... but also the tracking bug he had secretly placed in her pocket earlier.
Miss Akemi knew!
A flash of lightning struck Conan's mind.
That's right, it was exposed when he called Miyano Akemi "Akemi-san."
If he hadn't been eavesdropping, he should have only known her alias, Hirota Masami!
Conan's heart was filled with mixed emotions for a moment, and he silently moved aside.
He didn't know how much Akemi-san had guessed, or if she knew he was Kudo Shinichi.
Or, if she had guessed, would she be willing to keep his secret?
But at this moment, it was clearly impossible to press further.
"Farewell."
Lycaon nodded gentlemanly, holding Akemi, and strode further and further away.
Corin smiled apologetically at Conan and followed closely behind, carrying the chainsaw.
Miss Esme made two "um-hmm, um-hmm" sounds and floated away after them.
Conan watched Lycaon and his group disappear around the street corner.
Then he looked down at the key in his hand.
Using his voice changer to switch back to his adult voice, he dialed Inspector Megure's number.
"Hello, Inspector Megure? This is Kudo Shinichi. I've found Miss Hirota Masami and obtained the safe key containing 1 billion yen in cash from her. The location is... It's just a pity, Miss Hirota Masami eventually jumped into the sea and disappeared..."