Avoiding the light, speeding through.
A dark green Jeep rushed swiftly through the streets of Asakusa.
"[Jack Walz will pass by the entrance of the Nanairo Kimono Shop in about three minutes. Your time is tight.]"
Kevin Yoshino listened to the voice on the phone inside the car, his heavy hiking boots pressing firmly on the accelerator.
The Jeep began to swerve wildly through the streets.
Every lane change and overtake caused panic and curses from other drivers, with horns blaring incessantly as Kevin forced a path through the congested traffic.
Less than three minutes...
His hands gripping the steering wheel were slightly sweating; he glanced at the sniper rifle placed beside him, his resolve strengthening.
This man on the phone was suspicious from every angle.
He said all of this was what Hunter wanted — but was it true?
Kevin's mind was a bit confused, but right now, the most important thing was to kill Jack Walz... The rest could wait.
He followed the instructions and hurried toward the target location.
Asakusa was still a relatively famous tourist district in Tokyo, and even at night, the traffic was still heavy... After a fierce left-right dodge to reach the front of the traffic, Kevin found himself blocked by a long line of cars stopped at a red light.
Damn, too many cars ahead — no way to crash through!
After assessing the number of cars in front, Kevin looked toward the nearby sidewalk...
He saw families chatting happily, children walking hand in hand with their parents at a leisurely pace.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, he gave up on the idea of rushing through the sidewalk.
The Nanairo Kimono Shop was right in front of him—
Beep! Beep!
Beep!!
When the traffic light finally turned green and cars began moving, Kevin furiously honked the horn.
"Don't rush, it's already too late. Look to your right, the white Mazda over there."
He instinctively turned his head.
On the opposite lane to his right, a white Mazda sped forward, and through the windshield was unmistakably Jack Walz's face!
Seeing this guy swagger right past him, Kevin instinctively reached to unbuckle his seatbelt and grab his gun—but the impatient honking from the car behind snapped him back to reality...
He bit his lip in anger, trapped in traffic, stepping hard on the gas in jerks through the intersection.
But by the time he crossed the stop line and tried to turn around onto the opposite lane to chase, Jack Walz's car had already disappeared.
"Lost his trail?"
The voice on the phone carried a hint of amusement.
"Cut the crap. Just tell me where he is now!"
"Ah, sure, I can tell you... But how do you plan to catch and kill him? Trying to shoot him with the sniper rifle while driving? Or catch up and pull the trigger with a handgun pressed to his forehead?"
"Though this guy did fall into vice and excess after leaving the service, gaining weight like that..."
"He's still a good shot at heart. Not to mention, right now, he's like a frightened rabbit — panicked and alert."
"So if you want to kill him, you'd better listen to me."
How to kill him — that was the real question.
Kevin forced himself to calm down and started following the instructions from the phone.
In the hotel, Hayashi Yoshiki smiled softly.
He gently stroked the head of Seiran Hoshi, who knelt below him, and his palm tenderly caressed her face.
The woman's dreamy eyes glistened with moisture.
She was diligently doing her part, the pearl earrings on her ears swinging rhythmically.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling window of the hotel suite, the top of the Suzuki Tower was visible.
A helicopter approached the observation deck swiftly under the cover of night — probably to guard against any remaining snipers at the Skytree Pavilion. The helicopter came from the other side of the observation deck.
Hayashi Yoshiki saw the helicopter linger for less than two minutes before ascending rapidly and leaving. It seemed to have picked up Chianti and left immediately.
His smile grew wider at this.
Knowing Gin's personality, he probably wouldn't mention how he had endangered Chianti, nor would he bother explaining...
So the frustration and anger Chianti felt from being exposed to sniper scopes during the mission would likely be blamed on Gin.
He could still keep smiling and playing the good guy.
...
He even felt a little embarrassed.
Unaware of what Hayashi Yoshiki was thinking, Seiran Hoshi only noticed his smile growing wider and her spirits rising as she devoted herself more.
Kevin glanced at her in slight surprise but didn't pay much attention, instead checking his watch.
The time was 20:17.
Kevin had already driven out of Asakusa, speeding toward Bunkyo Ward.
After some detours, he quickly reached the city's ring expressway.
On this highway, pressing hard on the accelerator for a long stretch, Kevin finally spotted the white Mazda sedan ahead.
His reckless approach soon made Hayashi Yoshiki realize something was wrong.
The former Navy SEAL captain, who had sunk into decadence after his discharge, seemed to have regained his battlefield instincts amid this life-or-death crisis.
He knew the sniper who missed the shot earlier wouldn't let him go easily.
So from the moment he started running, he stayed on high alert.
His gaze locked tightly on the Jeep in his rearview mirror.
When he recognized Kevin Yoshino in the car, his pupils constricted involuntarily.
It was this guy!
At this moment, Jack Walz was filled with pure hatred.
"Damn Hunter... How come his ghost still haunts me to this day?"
As long as he escaped, he could catch his flight back to the U.S. tomorrow... No one would be able to kill him then!
He shifted gears smoothly and accelerated.
The white sedan roared forward.
Kevin followed closely behind.
"The fleeing rat will never understand the determination people have to get rid of it."
"Consider this place Jack Walz's grave, Mr. Yoshino."
The distorted, unsettling voice came through the phone again.
"But don't focus all your attention on the damn rat. Look carefully around you."
Around.
Kevin was confused but glanced around as instructed.
Besides cars, there was nothing unusual on the road.
"What are you trying to say?"
"You must have heard of the domino effect, right?"
"Then you should know that a domino effect means pulling one piece triggers a chain reaction throughout the entire system."
"Sometimes, just a little breath can cause the whole thing to collapse, maybe even bring down a whole building."
What on earth was he talking about?
His enemy was right in front of him, and Kevin's anxious heart made him restless.
"What I want to say is, Mr. Yoshino, you are the one who will start this domino game — and it ends with Jack Walz's death."
"See the chemical truck driving ahead of you?"
"The driver's name is Tajiri Hayato, 47 years old."
"As you see, he's a special vehicle driver. But besides that, he's just a hot-tempered gambling addict."
"Not only does he frequently abuse his wife and children after losing money, but during his career, he often abused his status. Once, he even ran over and killed two recent high school graduates while speeding on a highway late at night."
"But luckily, he escaped punishment."
Kevin was silent, not understanding what the man on the phone was trying to do.
"Next is the Volkswagen beside the chemical truck."
"The driver's name is Yoshino Akio."
"Outwardly, he might seem a loving husband trying hard to live well, but behind the scenes, he has been embezzling company funds to buy private cars. When caught, he planned to insure his wife for 100 million yen. Recently, he has been spraying formaldehyde into her car's air conditioner to cause her to faint while driving and crash."
...
A long list of names followed — all drivers and passengers of surrounding vehicles.
Kevin found it absurd.
Were all these people really villains and scumbags? What a ridiculous coincidence!
He stopped paying attention to the phone, focusing only on how to kill Jack Walz...
But it wasn't so easy. The Jeep was heavy and less agile than the sedan Walz drove, and the speed difference became obvious on straight roads.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're carrying a bomb, right? When I tell you, throw it out — on the lane to your left."
"Are you crazy?!"
"Do as you please, but you should understand that if you let him escape here, you'll never get another chance to avenge Hunter."
"What does throwing a bomb have to do with me killing Walz?!"
"You have 10 seconds to decide... 10..."
The phone began a ruthless countdown.
The green Jeep steadily approached the chemical truck.
When it was alongside and starting to pass, Kevin's previously firm resolve inexplicably wavered.
He thought of Hunter, who died by his hand.
He remembered the hopeful, relieved smile he saw through the sniper scope just before Hunt died.
He wouldn't let anything stand in the way of avenging Hunter, just like Conan, who never hesitated to strike at children when necessary.
But what good would tossing a bomb on the highway do?
Would it blow up the cars behind, sending debris to crush the fleeing Jack Walz ahead? Ridiculous!
The countdown continued.
Cold sweat dripped from Kevin's forehead.
He looked ahead, imagining Jack Walz laughing loudly, walking away free in America while he ended up in jail unable to avenge Hunter.
But aside from causing innocent deaths, what else would this do?
As the countdown reached zero, expressionless, Kevin grabbed the bomb and threw it out the window.
The chemical truck driver Tajiri Hayato, gloomy-faced, was gripping the steering wheel with one hand and raising a cup to drink with the other.
Last night he had finally won some money, but lost it all again this afternoon.
"Damn it all!"
He was replaying the afternoon's gambling in his mind when he suddenly noticed something thrown from the Jeep's window.
What the hell was that?
He didn't pay much attention; that small object was no obstacle for his vehicle. After all, when he accidentally ran over two young people, his truck felt no difference.
The chemical truck drove over the two bombs.
Then—
BOOM!!!!!!!
An unprecedented roar erupted along the entire lane.
A massive wave of heat and light swept out in all directions.
Kevin, who had been focused on the road ahead, shuddered.
He witnessed flames engulf several surrounding cars, and even saw the elevated highway collapse under the blast.
That scene gripped his entire being, filling him with immense terror.
As the crushing pressure and guilt nearly made him vomit, he saw not only the road behind turn into hellish chaos but also the opposite lane thrown into disorder.
Beep! Beep!!!
Sharp sounds of braking and honking pierced the air.
From the opposite lane, the drivers' perspective, the massive explosion and the collapsed overpass completely blocked their path.
Terrified by the blazing fire and crumbling road, they slammed on their brakes in panic.
[5... 4... 3... 2... 1—]
An ominous voice came through the phone.
Shaken and speechless, Kevin passively absorbed the chaos before his eyes.
He saw a heavy truck crashing into their lane after breaking through the guardrail in panic.
He saw...
Under the overturned truck, the car driven by Jack Walz was crushed into a wreck.
The sniper's keen eyesight even caught the fresh blood seeping from beneath.
"Congratulations, Mr. Yoshino."
The voice on the phone distorted slightly.
In that fleeting moment, Kevin thought he even heard a woman's delighted sob...