On the urban expressway from Bunkyo Ward to Chiyoda Ward, a large number of police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances had gathered at some unknown time, their sirens blaring loudly.
A massive blaze spread across the gray asphalt road.
Under the streams of water sprayed by the fire trucks, a gigantic column of thick black smoke soared straight into the sky.
News helicopters circled the smoke, faithfully recording the scene with their cameras.
Kevin Yoshino had already slipped away unnoticed.
The traffic conditions at the time did not allow him to escape in the green jeep, so he packed up his gear and fled on foot, blending into the panicked crowd.
Damn it, what exactly had he done?
Just a single bomb had triggered such catastrophic consequences—
A domino effect, where a tiny initial force could cause a chain reaction...
Recalling the hellish scene before his escape, the overwhelming guilt made Kevin Yoshino almost vomit.
As for the joy of killing Jack Walz and successfully avenging Hunter, he no longer felt anything at all.
He just left the place in a daze.
Ring, ring, ring!
The sudden ringing of his phone pierced his eardrums. He picked up, grimacing as he answered, "You bastard! It's all because of you... Do you even know how huge the consequences are!?"
"Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Huh!?"
"Listen carefully, Mr. Kevin."
"I know you distrust me now, and probably think that what I said about the identities of the passengers and drivers on those vehicles is all made up. But it doesn't matter. I will send you more detailed information, and you can verify it yourself. Then you can decide whether to believe me or not."
"I'll contact you again later."
"But no matter what, thank you for making such a great contribution to justice in this world."
—
The call was abruptly cut off here.
Almost at the same moment, Kevin Yoshino received a new email notification on his phone.
The fish was already biting, but whether it could be reeled in remained to be seen.
Timothy Hunter.
Although Hayashi Yoshiki sympathized with his plight, he would not hesitate to exploit this poor soul.
Outside the hotel suite, the door opened.
Putting down his phone, Hayashi Yoshiki looked up to see Reiko Shimizu, wearing high heels, briskly approaching.
"Is everything done?"
"Yes, very smoothly. They took down all the surveillance cameras on that stretch."
"Well done."
"After all, it was a task assigned by Mr. Hayashi..."
Reiko Shimizu smiled brightly as she glanced at Seiran Hoshi, who completely ignored her presence, making her feel an itch deep in her heart.
However, Hayashi Yoshiki was preparing to leave at that moment.
He headed toward the bathroom. Reiko Shimizu quickly approached, trying to curry favor, but he just smiled and patted her head.
"Behave."
"Y-Yes..."
Though somewhat unwilling, Reiko Shimizu lowered her head obediently.
After freshening up in the bathroom, Hayashi Yoshiki left the hotel and drove toward the site of the car accident.
By the time he arrived, the fire had been completely extinguished, with only some black smoke still rising. The scene felt like a sauna with its intense heat.
"Brother Hayashi!"
Detective Megure Juzo immediately looked toward Hayashi Yoshiki.
"Detective Megure! How's the situation?"
"...Eight people are dead."
Megure Juuzou's expression was heavy as he looked at the charred wreckage of cars and the chaotic scene of overturned vehicles and crashed roads.
"We are urgently verifying the identities of the deceased and collecting surveillance footage from this road segment."
Just as he finished speaking, a police officer came running over with a grim look:
"Report, Detective Megure! The surveillance cameras on this expressway were damaged! Upon inspection, we found bullet holes and traces of gunpowder on the equipment. We highly suspect someone used a sniper rifle to destroy these cameras beforehand!"
"What!?"
Megure Juzo's expression changed instantly.
He hurried after the officer to investigate.
Meanwhile, Hayashi Yoshiki stayed behind to observe the scene. At this moment, the FBI and Conan hurriedly arrived.
Jodie, running ahead, anxiously asked Hayashi Yoshiki:
"Mr. Hayashi! We received a notification from the police confirming that Jack Walz died in this accident, right!?"
"Sorry, I just got here, I'm not sure yet."
"So this accident was caused by Hunter's deceased companion?"
James Black wore a doubtful expression.
Thanks to the friendly cooperation between the FBI and Japanese police in this case, when they wanted to confirm Jack Walz's death, the police immediately took them to see—
The overturned heavy truck had crushed Jack Walz alongside the car he was driving. Although his body was gruesome, some belongings allowed them to identify him.
Conan quietly approached to take a look.
Hayashi Yoshiki noticed Conan's solemn face, as if he were pondering something.
After a while, Detective Megure Juzo returned.
He grabbed Hayashi Yoshiki aside and whispered to avoid others hearing:
"Brother Hayashi, this case is a bit strange. We questioned survivors at the accident scene and found that the heavy truck that crushed Jack Walz seemed to have slammed the brakes suddenly to avoid crashing into a collapsed overpass and then inexplicably skidded..."
"Although the full picture is still unclear, it feels like 'that guy' was involved."
"I'll report this to Minister Odagiri."
"What about the situation at the Suzuki Tower?"
"The fire there was put out a while ago, but earlier, a suspicious helicopter approached the Suzuki Tower. We don't know what it did. When the police helicopter arrived, the place was empty, but we found seven-millimeter spent shells there."
"I see."
Hayashi Yoshiki nodded.
"Detective Megure, you handle the scene first."
Megure Juzo just patted Hayashi Yoshiki on the arm and left with a heavy expression.
At this moment, Conan approached with a serious look.
The FBI personnel were still gathered near Jack Walz's crushed car, while Masumi Sera stood nearby, chin in hand, looking around idly. Hayashi Yoshiki looked at Conan, who happened to raise his head:
"Brother Yoshiki, what did Detective Megure just tell you?"
"The expressway cameras were destroyed beforehand by a sniper, so there is no footage of the accident. We can only try to reconstruct the truth from eyewitness accounts," Hayashi Yoshiki said, pausing.
"We now strongly suspect it's 'that guy's' doing."
"'That guy'? You mean the culprit who causes accidents to kill people!"
Conan's pupils shrank.
He immediately lowered his head and organized the information swirling in his mind. His thoughts grew clearer, and some pieces seemed to connect.
"Brother Yoshiki, I also discovered that the sniper on Suzuki Tower was—Chianti from the Black Organization!"
"You saw that?"
"Yes, thanks to Dr. Agasa's criminal-tracking glasses, I spotted her on a rooftop of another building. It's definitely Chianti!"
Conan adjusted the frame of his left eye, now equipped with telescopic signal tracking, bulletproof, and thermal imaging functions.
A slight, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Hayashi Yoshiki's lips.
Having Chianti replace Seiran Hoshi on the Suzuki Tower sniper job served two purposes: to protect Seiran Hoshi from risk and to guard against Conan's glasses...
Moreover, once Conan confirmed that the sniper avenging Hunter was connected to the Black Organization, Conan and the FBI's attention would be completely drawn to the Black Organization, allowing Kevin Yoshino to escape unnoticed.
A win-win-win situation.
After examining Jack Walz's body and discussing their conclusions, James Black and the others approached. Hearing Hayashi Yoshiki and Conan's conversation, James Black pinched his brow:
"I never would have imagined that the sniper avenging Hunter would be linked to the Organization. Could a former Navy SEAL really be connected to the Black Organization?"
"Maybe after Hunter retired, the Organization came after him. After all, he was a world-famous sniper before his injury," Carmel said.
"Although he could hardly hold a gun, why would the Organization seek revenge on his behalf?" Jodie crossed her arms, her ample chest accentuated as she did so.
"Though he could barely hold a gun, his world-class marksmanship and eyesight remain intact."
Hayashi Yoshiki said:
"You mean he might be training snipers for the Organization?"
"That's uncertain."
"Anyway, I'll report this matter."
James Black said.
The group stayed at the accident scene for a long time until the police finished their investigation, and then gradually prepared to leave.
Hayashi Yoshiki got into his car.
Just as he started the engine, Jodie came over and tapped on his window.
"Is there something you need, Miss Jodie?"
"I have something I want to discuss with you, Mr. Hayashi. I want to hear your thoughts."
She smiled calmly.
"Could you give me a ride back on your way?"
"Sure."
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled and unlocked the door, and Jodie quickly got in on the passenger side.
Behind the white Mercedes E-W201, Carmichael, who had been with James Black, started his car. He looked somewhat puzzled as he watched Jodie get into Hayashi Yoshiki's car:
"Does Jodie still have some business to attend to?"
"I don't know either. Let her handle her own affairs. Let's head back first," James Black said, eyes drifting toward Conan, who had been pulled away on a motorcycle by Masumi Sera, seeming lost in thought.
I, APTX4869...
Rejuvenation, what a wonderful word.
As an ordinary man, James Black's early fifties was not old.
However, his beard and hair had turned white long ago.
The energy of a man in his fifties was incomparable to that of a man in his twenties.
Even though he continued to train and take proper nutrition, his vitality was significantly less than before.
Once he could chase down criminals until he captured them, but now he was simply a middle-aged man on the decline.
James Black thought of the woman codenamed Vermouth.
That seemingly ageless woman...
That was the state James Black desired.
Hence, he had cooperated with Rum.
Because he recognized Rum as a man unwilling to be inferior, who also craved the power of APTX4869—the same desire as him.
That man had longed to restore the abilities of his injured left eye using APTX4869.
Interestingly, Renya Karasuma seemed unwilling to let him succeed. Rum was under constant surveillance from Karasuma in many aspects.
Though second in command,
(Is this accident also connected to the person who killed Shuichi Akai?)
James Black pondered while watching the scene as the vehicle departed.
Meanwhile, Hayashi Yoshiki drove away with Jodie along a different route.
On the way, he listened to what Jodie said about the diary.
"So that's it, the 'A' in the diary refers to Shuichi Akai."
Holding the steering wheel and looking ahead, he spoke while driving:
"Though I have never met that FBI agent, the diary reveals he was probably an excellent and formidable guy... What a pity, we might have gotten along well."
"Yeah..."
Jodie's tone was heavy as her pale blue eyes stared at the diary resting on her lap.
Only when Hayashi Yoshiki stopped at a traffic light did she hand him the notebook:
"I want you to see if you can find anything in this diary, like how we examined Hunter's notebook that day."
"...Okay, but don't expect too much. I wasn't very sure about my guesses regarding Hunter's diary."
Hayashi Yoshiki smiled.
He took the notebook and examined it carefully. When the light turned green, he quickly pulled over to the roadside to look closely.
Taking out a flashlight from the car, he flipped through the pages from the first to the last, even going through the blank pages at the back.
But he found nothing unusual beyond the recorded contents.
"This diary has quite some time on it, no obvious traces... but I guess the content might just be this..."
He spoke lightly but suddenly stopped when flipping to the last blank page.
Jodie also froze for a moment.
Under the flashlight's beam, on the last page of the notebook, there appeared some somewhat unnatural traces.