The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 249 Wait, which day exactly is "a certain day"?
Three days before Conan went to school, on a certain day after Beika Town was locked down.

The sky was eerily clear, like an over-polished pane of glass.

The streets were almost deserted, and those who were there hurried by, all wearing the same style of hat.

Those standard sun hats, neither bright nor plain, with extremely long brims, almost completely obscure everyone's expression.

Even so, they all kept their heads down, as if they wished they could bury their heads in the ground.

Shoji Sato sat in the driver's seat, his hands on the steering wheel, his gaze fixed between the front of the car and the rearview mirror.

They are going to the police station to pick someone up.

Because of the new regulations that limit each vehicle to no more than two people, he was in charge of driving this time.

In the passenger seat, Ms. Maria was talking on the phone with Heiji Hattori.

"Yes, Chief, the lockdown has begun."

Maria looked at the shops on the street, all of which had a sign that read, "No three people allowed together."

Almost all the restaurants were closed. The few that were open had neon signs that spelled out words like "Absolutely Fast Food Products" and "Chefless Restaurant".

All these strange and unusual signs were completely inconspicuous in the bright sunlight.

The air was unusually quiet, an unnatural silence, carrying with it an extraordinary sense of "cleanliness" or "orderliness"—

Everyone's actions were methodical and orderly. People walked rationally on the streets, taking logical steps with a firm goal, without any surprises.

It was as if the whole city was holding its breath, as if everyone was afraid of inviting some kind of misfortune or abnormality.

"So far, the measures we mentioned have had some effect. The funeral home just sent us the data, and the mortality rate and police response rate have been suppressed."

Numbers never lie, at least not on the surface.

With the thirty-third crematorium forced to open, GSSRA finally succumbed to this "force".

After all, the director has repeatedly emphasized to the council that this is very helpful in preventing the situation from worsening.

And facts have proven him right.

But clearly, what the GSSRA Strategic Command needs to do is not just "yield".

"Should the security forces continue to tighten restrictions at the city's entrances and exits?"

Maria frowned again at Hattori Heiji's words on the phone; she didn't think it made any sense.

"But the data from the city hall no longer proves that the number of people flooding into Beika Town will not decrease..."

"Okay, I understand. It's just an experiment over there."

She held the phone to her ear, took out her second phone, and began composing a text message.

"I will instruct the 7th Special Operations Group to coordinate with the deployment of defenses along the evacuation route as much as possible."

"Now that the Signals Intelligence Service has confirmed it, what about the distribution of the Survival Manual?"

Maria was taken aback by the voice on the other end of the phone. She first frowned, then relaxed her brows slightly, and immediately began composing a second text message.

"Okay, I will inform the air force base to wait for the network tactics department to set up the local area network before proceeding with the next step."

"Yes, we will speed things up here and try to get the target out of the city as quickly as possible."

The call ended, Maria put away her two phones, and looked at Sato Shoji. "Sato, we need to hurry."

"I see."

Sato spoke briefly, his gaze fixed on the road ahead.

The police station was right across the intersection, but he still turned the steering wheel to the left and chose to take a detour.

Two police cars came into view through the windshield, driving side by side toward the road they were supposed to take.

Although data shows that those anomalies only appear in probability fields triggered by "certain numbers".

But he would rather not gamble on whether today is that "probability-dependent" day.

“Those two cars are police cars.” Maria tilted her head slightly, feeling that Sato Shoji was being a little too nervous. “You can actually just drive over there.”

She paused and added.

“We are pressed for time. The entire GSSRA is waiting for us, and we have several important joint meetings to attend later.”

"Moreover, the troops from the 'Quick Reaction' that were deployed to that island have also sent back some news today, and the situation is already very serious."

"I'm just... a little unaccustomed to it," Sato Shōji explained.

He eventually straightened the steering wheel and drove back onto the main road.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maria writing and drawing on the map, as if nothing had happened.

“I think you’re getting used to it much faster than I am,” he suddenly said, a hint of curiosity in his voice. “I remember this is only day 1.”

"Actually—"

She shrugged, sent the third text message she had already edited, and then looked at the building plaque in front of her—Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Beika Police Station.

"It feels like several years have passed."

We've arrived at the Mihana Police Station.

Shoji Sato let out a soft breath and brought the car to a steady stop.

Before turning off the engine, he confirmed with Maria that a police officer would indeed be driving a police car behind them as they left the city.

Heiji Hattori had specifically emphasized this to him before.

Then, he instinctively picked up the hat.

That hat has become a standard item in Beika Town.

Maria had already opened the car door and gotten out. Standing in the sunlight, she looked at the metal sign hanging in front of the police station, and her expression subtly relaxed.

It seems she's not as used to it as she claims.

Then she turned around and noticed Sato's actions, and said calmly:
"You don't need to take this to the police station. There's no safer place in the entire Beika Town right now."

She found the whole thing absurd; some people had even called her just for the title of "police officer."

Even if it's just as an "unofficial consultant".

The well-informed bigwigs in Tokyo couldn't be more worried and afraid of this.

She dared say they were all so worried they couldn't sleep, especially in the areas near Beika Town, where the powerful and wealthy practically fled.

"but……"

But those guys are almost finished too.

Maria couldn't help but laugh when she thought of their humble attitude when they begged for her help.

……

More images appeared before Dr. Agasa's eyes, including those from the night the Harbor Case ended.

Now, the [Loop Computer] is connecting the causal relationships in his mind.

Dr. Agasa frowned, but he let the [Loop Computer] continue playing the images. Watching them a second time gave him some thoughts—some subtle truths were hidden in these images.

At the GSSRA Council meeting, Heiji Hattori, representing the Asia-Pacific Command, and the Strategic Command had a frank exchange of views.

After all, the analysis and decryption of the information left behind by Yusaku Kudo proceeded very smoothly in a sense—so smoothly that even though it seemed that Yusaku Kudo did not make any attempt to conceal anything, the GSSRA Strategic Command could not obtain any useful information at all.

"Heiji Hattori, the GSSRA Strategic Command is still willing to give you the corresponding trust, even though you have done many violations."

"Of course, I have always stood on the side of humanity."

In the end, Heiji Hattori gave headquarters a way out.

After all, sometimes those who know more must consider the bigger picture. Moreover, it's clear to everyone that this is essentially the council yielding to the Asia-Pacific Command.

After all, the "trust" they were talking about was something that Yusaku Kudo left behind in the U.S. Command office.

He has already instructed Gehrman to send people to collect those items.

What followed was a meeting planned and arranged by the various factions themselves, which became the starting point of that tragedy.

Because the European and American command decided to take down all the important targets that Hattori Heiji mentioned first.

"We will first send three brigades to Moonshadow Island to establish a base, while submarines and naval support forces will attempt to blockade the island."

They stubbornly believed that as long as they avoided the possible location of the submarine base, the army could land on the island and, in conjunction with the naval forces conducting a grid search around the island, quickly eliminate the "Black Organization's" stronghold.

"We will employ out-of-line-of-sight attacks and launch a saturation attack the moment any anomaly occurs."

It must be said that even with their "eagerness for quick success and instant benefits," these strategic elites from various countries still managed to come up with a detailed plan in a very short time that even Hattori Heiji could not refute.

After all, his only reason for refuting was a flimsy "intuition," while the other side presented complex blueprints, calculations, and detailed plans.

However, the final result was obvious: they were completely wiped out.

"Lucky Heiji" proved him right once again.

However, the important thing was that phone call. Around dawn the next day, a stack of freshly printed documents was delivered to Hattori Heiji.

"Director, the analysis department has already conducted a second round of trace extraction on those devices, and the corresponding confirmation results will be available soon."

Maria, who was standing nearby, told Heiji about the previous progress of GSSRA, "They believe the most important thing is about that phone number. Mr. Yusaku may have contacted that organization before."

Yusaku Kudo's office was unusually simple, which made it much easier to target important objects, other than papers and records, such as the private phone number that wasn't in the GSSRA's records.

Moreover, the investigators found the telephone in the bottom drawer of that desk, and the call log showed a number that should have been completely unreachable.

More importantly, aside from function keys such as power on/off, only three numbers on the keypad were pressed – which indeed proves that Yusaku Kudo did make the call himself.

Hattori Heiji turned to the second page of the document in his hand, frowning. "Did they make this call?"

"We can't get through. We've tried every country and region."

Hattori Heiji nodded, indicating that he understood.

Then, he cleverly realized Kudo Yusaku's hint to him, and at exactly 3 a.m. that day, the telephone that should have been kept in the evidence room appeared on his desk.

Immediately afterwards, Hattori Heiji pressed the four-digit phone number one by one: "8", "9", "5", "9", and he pressed it three times.

It was through this opportunity that "Scientific Frontiers," as a true "grey side," made its first direct contact with GSSRA, which was the "red side."

—Heiji Hattori made a phone call to Professor Agasa.

……

The scene that followed was all too familiar to Professor Agasa.

However, the Loop Computer still faithfully transmitted the images previously recorded by the "Lens Group" to Dr. Agasa's mind in great detail.

At the time, disguised as a liaison officer for "Science Frontier," he revealed to Heiji Hattori the working logic of the "consciousness-modifying weapon" and the possible actions of the "Black Organization."

At the same time, she subtly revealed to him the behavioral logic of the machine in identifying its targets, as well as the importance and risks of Moonshadow Island.

Of course, by the time he revealed the relevant information to Hattori Heiji, Karasuma Renya had already completed his actions.

In a sense, this was Karasuma Renya's "remedy" or "steal," and Professor Agasa even had a certain tacit understanding about it and did not interfere with his actions.

For the entire GSSRA, all the abnormalities exhibited by Conan Edogawa can be attributed to the consciousness attack weapon known within GSSRA as "crime rate manipulation," which was completely destroyed during the handover of the Maritime Security Force to GSSRA headquarters due to a fierce firefight with the Black Organization.

Whether it's for the purpose of providing a "reasonable" and "scientific explanation" in case Conan Edogawa discovers these anomalies in the future.

Or perhaps this is an opportunity to further enhance Hattori Heiji's influence and prestige within GSSRA.

It would be necessary to leave that thing, which has been "confirmed" to be a "mind-modifying weapon," somewhere in Beika Town where no one can find it.

Conan's RSI value is just too high, and given that those "anomalies" are hard to conceal in front of three parties, this is the least bad option.

Therefore, what finally appeared in the GSSRA task summary was—

"The effects of its activation have spiraled out of control, requiring action to be taken in Beika Town..."

Professor Agasa, however, made a brilliant move by exploiting a time difference.

Hattori Heiji's warning to Tokyo after receiving the news and the "crime rate manipulation" spiraling out of control occurred almost simultaneously.

The information he provided to Hattori Heiji gave Hattori Heiji an excellent reason to strongly urge GSSRA to adopt a blockade and to try to alleviate or even resolve the current situation in Beika Town.

Faced with the absurd "solution" proposed by the GSSRA Strategic Command, Hattori Heiji argued his case forcefully.

"This is utterly stupid!" He called the executive director for the day directly.

“I will absolutely not allow Beika Town to be razed to the ground. Any action that does not confirm its scale and the effects it will have will likely make things worse.”

"Furthermore, I have already decoded some important information from Mr. Yusaku's diary."

Heiji Hattori directly used his "reasoning" to persuade the other party.

"What is certain at present is that Mr. Yusaku has solved this case twice before, and he has been in contact with 'Science Frontier'."

For a "detective" who knows the "truth," it's incredibly easy to weave a "reasoning process" that everyone can believe.

By precisely weaving together the sequence of events and the cause-and-effect relationship, Dr. Agasa achieved a simple "miracle"—

Even though the situation has become so chaotic and serious, for Conan Edogawa and those around him...

Everything was as normal as any other day.

Furthermore, through a "deal" with Heiji Hattori, Dr. Agasa "obtained" some authority to mobilize troops and personnel in Beika Town.

They even planted a lot of people in the Beika Town police force—those were the members of [Eternal First Strike].

You have to understand, this is no easy task. As Maria said, now "police" means "safety".

At the same time, the power of the police system expanded to a frightening degree in just a few days.

Heiji Hattori reacted quickly, and at the GSSRA meeting, he essentially took over the personnel authority of the entire Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

"I will arrange for Heizo Hattori to lead a dedicated qualification review team, specifically responsible for the mobilization and support of police officers throughout Japan. Anyone who refuses an operational order without a legitimate reason will be considered a traitor to humanity."

—This arrangement seems very targeted.

It sounds as if any "ghost employee" who tries to use the title of "police officer" without doing any real work will be transferred to the front line.

However, no one interrupted him or refuted him.

Even in the final vote, Hattori Heiji's proposal passed unanimously.

While some people feel that this young man is much more daring than Yusaku Kudo, many others believe that GSSRA needs a person with the courage to lead it forward.

In the end, everything went exactly as Professor Agasa had predicted.

Those special agents who used to have to worry about their timelines collapsing or disappearing all the time, had their timelines stabilize immediately after they put on that police uniform and pinned on that badge.

……

The "video" continues to rewind, revealing more details, down to the smallest detail.

Almost every detail of the entire police department, and every related "thread" afterward, whether it was that department of GSSRA, or every move Hattori Heiji made, or the actions of the Maritime Security Force...

All this information was pouring into Professor Agasa.

Yes, and then he cleverly manipulated those analysis rooms, allowing [Panoramic Monitoring] and [Time Trace Weaver] to infiltrate those locations, embedding the analytical conclusions belonging to "Yusaku Kudo," and then reasoning with Heiji Hattori himself—

They are completely inseparable.

First, the alliance took control of everything related to the deceased, including crematoriums, funeral homes, and cemeteries.

That's right.

After all, those rapidly rising "numbers" indicate that things "have already happened," but Dr. Agasa wants them to never happen, so they only happen "in terms of data."

Then there were those specially constructed hats, and the ubiquitous "Meihana Town Life Guide".

Aside from neighborhoods near Conan Edogawa and related characters, it's best to follow the advice above in other places and with other people—for example, always wear that hat when you go out.

Its function is simple: to prove that your emotions are "rational." That strange pattern, which adopts the "ordinary" pattern that the "murderer" is least likely to accept, is an emotion testing design given by the [loop computer], not to mention the signal devices hidden in the brim of the hat.

The "Outing Guide" section of the "Mihana Town Life Guide" clearly states:

"Please do not act alone, nor in multiples of three. The best number to go out is two, which represents safety and stability."

"Be wary of anything in multiples of three, and try to avoid eating or drinking it unless you are sure it is unopened or safe."

"In case of an emergency, take an emergency capsule (cyanide) and call the police immediately."

The trains and routes to Beika Town have always been open, despite GSSRA’s attempts to close them. But the people who have fallen in the city always return in some other way, in all sorts of “weird” ways, such as by car, by yacht, or even by smuggling themselves into Beika Town.

And it's absolutely voluntary.

All of this can be attributed to that piece of equipment that was damaged in the fierce battle and then "disappeared".

Nobody knows how it works, and all GSSRA can do is maintain the status quo, especially given the several “suspected” effects spreading.

Therefore, GSSRA and the alliance are not stingy in announcing the relevant details to all residents of Beika Town and increasing their survival rate in daily life.

after all--

In most cases now, there's no need for the people around [Conan Edogawa] to contribute to "Conan's World." Wherever that child's gaze falls, everything will "come true" in accordance with the logic of his worldview.

Frankly, this has made the operations of the coalition task force much easier.

However, this situation is certainly unsustainable.

Even if Professor Agasa weaves enough "truths" to temporarily deceive the "detectives," their subtle actions will always bring the truth closer to them.

Therefore, the key is to get Conan to Moonshadow Island as quickly as possible.

For example, let's start with the "disappearance" of those soldiers.

They are destined never to appear in any news or even newspapers.

The families of these soldiers will never know the truth, and those soldiers don't even deserve to be "mourned" now.

All of this is due to the direction of those who are "eager for quick success and instant benefits".

Thinking of this, Professor Agasa felt a pang of sadness for the 15,000 people who had "disappeared"—even though he had to admit that this was very beneficial in "urging" Conan to take action.

……

So I made those hints.

Therefore, I focused Hattori Heiji and Kudo Shinichi's attention more on "Moon Shadow Island".

So, just like in the video I'm seeing now, the seemingly normal yet strange "Kento Ooi" was taken away by Shoji Sato and Maria a few days ago.

The "videotape" continued to show Dr. Agasa the previous recordings of the "lens group".

With increasingly strange feelings swirling within him, Dr. Agasa continued reading.

After all, because of this coincidence, he discovered that Kento Oi might be hiding some information about Tsukikage Island.

In the analysis of the Narrative Department recorded by the [Loop Computer], this is likely a clue that the "world" throws to the "three parties".

Kento Ooi will be valued because of the vanished fleet and his status as the only "resident of Tsukikage Island".

Dr. Agasa doesn't know how the other two sides will "interpret" it, but for himself, he will compare the entire "history" with all the information that has happened in the past three days.

The strange actions and insane words of those Kento Oi in their attempt to escape punishment.

He was taken from the police station to that bunker interrogation room, from the moment he was taken there until his death.

So the "videotape" continued to rewind.

……

In the scene, Sato Shoji only glanced at the hat before gently placing it back on the dashboard, and then went to pick up the pathetic madman.

Takagi Wataru was already waiting at the police station entrance.

He nodded to the two of them, then immediately turned and led the way.

The entire police station was empty; almost all the police officers had been sent out to "maintain order."

Takagi Wataru led Sato Shoji and Maria through the police station's front hall and into the interior corridor, which looked excessively clean, empty, and cold.

He led the two men toward the room where Kento Oi was being held.

"He is usually very quiet now."

Takagi Wataru handed Sato Natashiro the information he had already read many times.

"This is his statement and transcript, which he has already signed."

Sato turned a page, then stopped; this was somewhat different from what he had seen before.

The descriptions of the case were covered with a dense, jumbled mess of numbers, from one to seven, but the signatures at the end were quite neat and orderly.

"He requested it, saying that he would sign it at the end, and we removed those marks from the scanned copy."

Sato showed the transcript to Maria, and the two exchanged a glance.

Maria immediately took out her phone. "I'll take the photos and send them to the chief. Then I'll stay and review the other statements and evidence. You go and pick him up."

The two parted ways with Maria in the middle of the corridor.

Clearly, the police's account of Kento Oi's "madness" was an understatement.

Immediately afterwards, Sato realized another layer of meaning in Takagi Wataru's words.

He frowned: "It's usually very quiet now?"

“Yes.” Takagi’s voice was slightly hesitant. “When he first arrived at the police station, he was terrified and kept denying that he did it.”

Takagi Wataru wore an indescribable expression, a hint of disgust and revulsion, as he explained.

"He would yell, cry, and refuse to see a lawyer, refuse a medical examination, and refuse to eat. Even other prisoners getting close to him would completely break him down."

"In short, it's like refusing to see anyone or anything, and even... uh... even some physiological reactions."

He pointed to the room at the very end of the corridor, or rather, the heavy iron door at the end of the corridor.

A sudden gust of cold wind, seemingly without any wind, sent a chill through Sato Shoji.

He glanced at Takagi Wataru, who knew nothing, and felt to himself that he knew far too much.

“We later moved him to that cell,” Takagi Wataru explained. “Probably because there were empty rooms around him, he got much better after that.”

"And all those crazy things he said?"

Takagi Wataru was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure. He'll say some sentences, mostly unrelated to the case...like some kind of numerical code, or strange verses, sometimes like some kind of nursery rhyme—"

"...And sometimes, he'll call out names."

"what name?"

"It's the victim's name, and then it's Akimoto Kazuta, or his family members, and so on."

"What about the numbers and the poems?"

“The numbers ranged from one to seven, and there were all sorts of things,” Takagi Wataru recalled. “As for the poem, it seemed to be in Chinese? Because he shouted it very vaguely, we didn’t pay much attention to it.”

As they spoke, they had already reached the door.

Sato Shoji glanced at the documents in his hand, then looked up at the door. He took a deep breath and took the key from Takagi.

The lighting was dim, with an unstable overhead light flickering like a blinking eye.

Kento Ooi sat in the corner, and to be honest, he looked great—if you ignored the various strange graffiti on the walls.

"I will cooperate."

His eyes were unfocused, yet his face held a strange calm.

"But before I leave this room, may I ask you a question?"

Shoji Sato even felt that this person seemed to have foreseen this day would come, knew that the two of them were standing at the door, and knew their motives.

But he silently mourned for him, because he felt that this man's calmness stemmed from a complete lack of understanding of what he was about to face.

Being interrogated by the GSSRA is no easy task.

If this will make him cooperate a little more.

With that in mind, Sato asked, "What's the problem?"

He slowly raised his head, his gaze instantly focusing on Shoji Sato.

Do you know what day of the week it is today?

(End of this chapter)