Detective Conan: The Ultimate Growth Space

“Officer, it wasn’t a person that was hit, it was a soccer ball,” Jinzi replied.

"Soccer?" Inspector Megure asked, puzzled.

Kaneko explained, “I followed their instructions and found a kid wearing a blue hat in the Tokyo Souls fans’ stands. Right in front of them, a soccer ball suddenly bounced up and then went flat. I think it must have been shot.”

"If that's all there is to it, maybe it's just a prank played by someone using an air gun?" Inspector Megure asked, puzzled.

“Inspector Megure, that wasn’t a prank,” Tomoyu said as he walked over.

Conan chimed in, "Yes, they weren't using an air gun, but a Tokarev pistol."

"It's you? What are you doing here?" Inspector Megure asked in confusion.

"The Junior Detective League makes its appearance."

Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, and Genta said loudly.

No one paid much attention to the three children.

Zhi Yong replied, "I brought them to watch the game today."

"Did you discover something when you made that phone call?" Inspector Megure asked.

"The one Uncle saw on the screen must be her," Conan said, pointing at Ai.

Kaneko looked at Ai carefully and said, "Yes, it's him."

"So, you saw it too?" Inspector Megure asked hastily.

"Yes, the soccer ball bounced out and immediately deflated. Later, I jumped onto the field and found this on the field."

Conan then took out the bullet.

Inspector Megure took the bullet and said, "It's a 7.62mm bullet; it should be a Russian-made pistol bullet."

Zhi Yong replied, "This is a very powerful pistol. However, the effective range of a pistol is limited. It should not have been far from us at the time, but we did not hear any gunshots. The other party must have installed a silencer on the pistol."

Just now.

Zhiyong didn't want to meddle in other people's business.

Therefore, I didn't pay any attention to it.

After all, what if the other side were to shoot at them?

The space's protective function will be activated immediately to safeguard their safety.

But Conan jumped onto the court and found the bullet.

Zhiyong knew that even if he didn't want to get involved, the Junior Detective League would definitely get involved.

Therefore, Zhiyong immediately activated the map function.

It's a real shame.

Perhaps it was just a little bit of time that was wasted.

Within the spatial range, he could no longer find anyone carrying a gun.

Upon hearing what Tomoyuki and Conan said, Inspector Megure immediately said, "Having discovered this, we must stop the match immediately and evacuate the spectators and athletes so that they can leave the stadium safely."

"Yes"

The police officer responded immediately upon hearing the order.

"Officer, this won't do," Jinzi immediately stopped him.

"What's wrong?" Inspector Megure asked, somewhat puzzled.

Jinzi explained, "Just now, the other party said on the phone that if he found out that we had stopped the match and evacuated the crowd, he would open fire on the crowd, firing indiscriminately."

"What? What did you say?" Inspector Megure was taken aback, then asked, "What are the criminals' demands?"

Jinzi explained, "The other party told us to prepare 50 million in cash during halftime and put it in a bag. They will inform us where to put the money later."

"So, he's trying to extort you?" Inspector Megure asked.

Kaneko nodded and said, "That's right, he's targeting our Nichiri TV station."

Inspector Megure pondered, "It seems that the other party either has a grudge against Nichiuri TV or is a terrorist."

Zhiyong asked, "Do you remember the other person's voice? Or is the other person's voice familiar to you?"

Jinzi shook her head and said, "The other person's voice is muffled; it's hard to tell who it is."

Inspector Megure guessed, "Then the other person either covered the phone receiver with a cloth, or was wearing a mask, or was wearing a face mask."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Have you prepared the 50 million yuan in cash yet?"

Jinzi replied, "It's all ready now; the company has already sent the money."

Inspector Megure ordered, "Everyone change into plainclothes and spread out on the stands. We'll wait for the criminals to make a call before we act. You all need to be observant. At that time, arrest anyone who makes a call."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, the numerous police officers all left to prepare their own tasks.

Inspector Megure then said to Tomoyuki and the others, "Brother Sato, it's too dangerous here. You should take the children and go back."

"Well, okay." Zhiyong hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Jinzi then exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, is that girl wearing the blue hat?"

"That's so rude! Look at Haibara's clothes, can't you tell?" Ayumi replied.

Jinzi asked in confusion, "That's strange. I remember on the phone, the other party said that among the five children, the one wearing the hat was a little boy."

"Did they really say that?" Zhiyong asked.

Jinzi nodded and said, "Yes, that's definitely what they said."

……

Chapter 249 The Thug's Extortionate Phone Call

Upon hearing Jinzi's words, Zhiyong immediately thought of a possibility.

"Inspector Megure, please wait."

"What brings you here, Brother Sato?"

Zhiyong replied, "Inspector Megure, we can't just arrest criminals like that."

"What do you mean?" Inspector Megure asked, puzzled.

"Because the perpetrator was not a single person, but possibly two or more people."

"What? The perpetrator wasn't a single person?"

Conan explained, "The soccer ball is not far in front of us, so the assailant must have fired the shot from not far next to us."

Inspector Megure nodded and said, "That's true. The effective firing range of a pistol isn't very far. If the other side wants to hit you accurately, they shouldn't be too far away."

Zhiyong also spoke up: "Since the criminals are not far from us, how could they mistake Xiao Ai for a boy? Just by looking at Xiao Ai's clothes, we can tell that Xiao Ai is a girl."

Conan nodded and said, "Yes, isn't that strange?"

"So, the assailant only saw Ai's upper body and not her skirt. The wall must have been covering her skirt," Inspector Megure pondered.

Zhiyong explained, "If the wall blocked our view, it means the other party was directly in front of us, in the Osaka Gamba stands. In that case, the person making the call and the person who fired the shot were not the same person. Therefore, there were at least two perpetrators."

After listening to Zhiyong and Conan's explanation.

Inspector Megure immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and loudly ordered, "Listen up, everyone. There are likely two or more criminals. No one is to make any move until I give the order. Even if you spot someone suspicious, do not act."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Until I give the order, just keep an eye on things to prevent the other criminal from becoming desperate and doing something crazy. Everyone be careful to conceal your identities and don't let the criminals find out that you are police officers."

Inspector Megure glanced at his watch and added, "The next time the criminals contact us should be before halftime to inform us of the ransom's location. At that time, we must monitor everyone using mobile phones in the stadium."

Zhiyong said, "We also need to be careful about the people using binoculars."

"What?" Inspector Megure asked, puzzled.

"The assailant was in the stands opposite us, instructing his accomplice to fire. He wanted to clearly observe our situation and be able to clearly point out that one of the five children was wearing a blue hat and could see the soccer ball on the field below our stands. It's definitely not possible with the naked eye," Zhiyong explained.

Conan chimed in, "That's right, besides using a mobile phone, the perpetrator must also have had binoculars, or perhaps..."

"Handheld camera."

"A camera with zoom capabilities."

"..."

The members of the Junior Detective League also spoke up.

Inspector Megure chuckled awkwardly and said, "There's a high chance that one of the criminals used a telescope; everyone has been aware of that."

"Drip drip drip."

Right at this moment.

Director Jinzi's phone rang.

"Officer... the phone is ringing again. Could it be the criminals calling?" Jinzi said nervously.

"Calm down first." Inspector Megure then spoke into the walkie-talkie, "It could be a call from criminals. Everyone be on alert. Immediately search the stadium for anyone using a phone and report their location."

"Drip drip drip."

Jinzi's phone was still ringing.

Inspector Megure said to Kaneko, "If it's a criminal, you must try to talk to them as much as possible and prolong the conversation."

"I see."

Director Jinzi answered the phone and said, "Hello, this is Director Jinzi. Please speak to me."

"Why did it take you so long to answer the phone? Did you call the police?"

"No, no, I was dealing with money matters just now, so I didn't notice the phone ringing," Jinzi explained.

"Is the money ready?"

"Yes, everything has been prepared according to your requirements."

"During halftime, put the money at the entrance of Gate 18. Do you understand? Don't make a mistake, or you know what will happen."