"Boss, the place is on fire. Are we still doing this job? Taking care of the target is easy, but escaping will be tricky."
A group of nearly ten assailants climbed to the upper floors via the fire escape.
They saw the fire raging, thick black smoke everywhere, with three floors already engulfed in flames.
Although they had made it to a higher floor and didn't need to worry about the fire below, stirring up trouble here made retreat more complicated.
The dark, thin leader's eyes gleamed with killing intent. He said coldly, "Reputation is everything in our business. If we don't finish the job, who'll hire us again?"
"Over 100 million yen isn't pocket change. Killing an ordinary girl is nothing, so we take the risk."
"Alright, let's do it. Make it loud. Find the target, take her out, then get out fast."
The thin man licked his lips. Two claw blades appeared in his hands. He twirled them stylishly, then suddenly stabbed a young woman nearby who had just escaped the fire and was feeling relieved.
The blades were razor-sharp. In an instant, a massive gash tore through the woman's abdomen and chest before she could even react.
Her wounds were so deep you could see bone. Blood sprayed everywhere. The thin man's eyes were filled with cruelty and pleasure. After one kill, his bloodshot eyes moved to the next target.
The others followed their leader like wolves into a flock of sheep, hacking down everyone in sight.
The people who had just escaped the fire and were catching their breath were stunned at first, then immediately screamed and fled.
"Murder! They're killing people!"
Countless people had poured out of the library. The upper floors of the building were jam-packed, noisy like a chaotic marketplace.
Some were shouting into their phones, cursing, demanding the fire department hurry up with rescue efforts.
Others, not afraid of making things worse, pulled out their phones to livestream the carnage.
Conan, hiding among the crowd with his group of kids, perked up when he heard someone shouting about murder from below.
Instead of panicking, his expression lit up.
A murder scene? Isn't this a perfect chance for me, the great detective, to shine?
Uncle Mouri wasn't around this time, and it'd be hard to use him as a decoy again. But he could just pick someone else at the scene.
With that in mind, Conan squeezed through the crowd and rushed downstairs.
There was a fire below, and the culprit had to be among the people here. No way they could escape!
Seeing Conan run off, the others were confused and quickly followed him.
"Conan, where are you going?"
Seeing the whole gang following him, Conan was exasperated. "I heard someone shout 'murder' downstairs. I think a homicide just happened."
Hearing that, instead of being scared, the kids got excited. "Awesome! Time for the Junior Detective League to shine! Let's go!"
"Heh heh..."
Conan twitched, but seeing the kids all following him, he had no choice but to take them along.
Hmph. Even with so many people around, the culprit can't hide from me!
Conan adjusted his glasses confidently, ready to track down the killer from clues.
Then, he regretted it.
There was no need to find the culprit.
Because this wasn't a murder case.
This was an all-out, open massacre.
Nearly ten men, wielding strange knives, were chasing down the fleeing crowd, slashing at anyone they caught with crazed laughter.
The moment they got close, they'd strike.
The knives weren't large, and rarely caused instant death, but they didn't care. As long as they saw blood, it was enough.
Conan's limbs turned cold.
He... he shouldn't have run here like a fool!
He thought it would be just like before. Once he pointed out the culprit, they'd quietly get arrested by the police.
But this time, the people here were actual killing machines.
"Yo, look at this. A group of little kids. Come on, don't be scared. Uncle'll make sure you won't suffer..."
One of the thin men laughed and charged at Conan and the others, licking his lips with a twisted grin.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko screamed. At the last second, Conan kicked a nearby decorative object hard.
The object flew like a missile, hitting the man in the stomach and knocking him back a few steps.
Conan looked confident. He thought the kick would knock him out.
But the thin man just clicked his tongue, stood up, held his stomach, and glared. "What the hell was that? You brats are dead. I'm gonna skin you alive!"
Conan froze.
His signature kick... had almost no effect?
The killers he faced before were just ordinary people, no resistance to attacks. But these were hardened thugs. A stomach shot didn't even faze them.
Conan backed away, face pale with fear. He hissed at the others, "Run! Now!"
The kids turned and bolted, crying loudly.
Forget the Junior Detective League! We don't want to get skinned! Kamen Rider, save us!
...
"Yukino, this way!"
Haruno pulled her sister along, following the panicked crowd up to the fourth floor, just above where the fire had started.
Here, the heat had faded. Though the floors below still burned, they were no longer in immediate danger.
"Where's Toru?"
Haruno noticed Toru was no longer with them and scanned the crowd anxiously.
Yukino, still shaken and pale, bit her lip and said softly, "We probably got separated earlier. There were too many people."
Haruno nodded. It was chaos. She had only been holding Yukino's hand. With the crowd pushing from all directions, it was easy to get separated.
A pang of regret hit her. She should have held onto Toru too. She could only blame her own hesitance.
But Haruno quickly calmed herself and shook her head. "Toru should be fine. He escaped the fire with us. No matter which floor he's on now, he's probably safe."
Yukino nodded slightly. She also believed Toru would be fine. Even if they were separated, he had gotten out of the library too.
Haruno took out her phone and typed quickly.
A few seconds later, she received a message and smiled. "Toru's downstairs. He's fine. He says not to move around or look for him. Just wait for rescue."
Haruno looked around. The crowd here was still too dense. Finding Toru in this chaos would be tough. Waiting quietly for rescue was indeed the best move.
"To think we'd run into something like this just from going shopping."
Haruno joked with a laugh, now more relaxed.
She glanced at Yukino. Her pale, fair face had a bit of soot from the smoke earlier, which made her look oddly cute. Haruno couldn't help but chuckle.
Yukino snorted softly. "You too. Your nose is all smudged."
The two sisters moved closer as they spoke.
The experience of escaping danger together had brought them closer.
Then, terrified screams erupted from the crowd.
"Murder! There's a group of maniacs killing everyone!"
...
"What? A brutal murder incident at the State Library? A group of people slashing everyone with knives?"
"Alright, we're on the way now. By the way, they're not using automatic rifles like M16s, are they?"
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police's Violent Crimes Division 3 officers were still reeling from the last large-scale incident in the suburbs.
Hearing another massive attack had occurred, they instinctively feared another helicopter shootout or bombing.
"No gunshots heard? Got it!"
"Move, everyone! Let's go!"
...
Police officers rushed to gear up and set out.
Since the suburban research facility disaster, the department had equipped them with better bulletproof vests.
Even if they wouldn't help much in extreme situations, they were better than nothing.
Police cars roared into action.
But unlike what Inspector Megure expected, the scene wasn't just murder. It was a massive fire.
The fire department was on site, deploying ladder trucks and high-pressure water jets, trying desperately to contain the blaze.
But with three floors burning and the fire spreading fast, it would take time.
Inspector Megure found the fire department supervisor to ask when the fire would be controlled.
Just then, Officer Sato stepped up in a panic. "Inspector, people are posting videos online. They're calling for help!"
Megure took her phone. What he saw made his face darken in fury.
The video was taken by a girl hiding in a corner.
In it, a group of attackers wielded strange blades, slaughtering indiscriminately.
The camera showed over twenty people lying on the ground. Some were already dead, others bleeding and screaming in pain.
The girl, crying, whispered into the camera, "Who… who's going to save us? There's a group of lunatics killing everyone. Please… I don't want to die…"
The short clip, barely over ten seconds, went viral on X. It ignited a national firestorm across Japan's internet.
"Where are the police? Where's the government? People are dying, and the killers are still loose!"
"These useless leeches wasting taxpayer money should all be jailed! Every one of them is a parasite!"
"So many dead already!"
"I'm on the scene. The building's on fire. Police can't get in."
"Excuses! Always excuses!"
...
Megure's face was grim with guilt as he read the raging comments.
Because they were true.
He was here, doing nothing.
Then his phone rang. It was a call from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Superintendent General, Hakuba.
The moment he picked up, Hakuba's furious voice exploded.
"What the hell are you idiots doing just standing there?!"
"When did the Japan police become such a bunch of useless garbage? You should all be fired!"
"The netizens are right. You people are just leeches on public money who do nothing!"
Megure didn't dare talk back. He bowed his head, apologizing quickly.
Hakuba barked again,
"Move your damn feet! The whole thing is being broadcast live! Mr. Fujiwara already called me. The Commission is taking this very seriously!"
"If you still want your jobs, get moving now!"
Megure froze.
The Superintendent General might hold the highest rank in the police force, but he still needed approval from the Prime Minister, Cabinet Minister, and the Public Safety Commission to be appointed.
Which meant, the Public Safety Commission was the real top authority.
If this case had reached them, then it was officially a national crisis.
The suburban research lab incident was more deadly and intense, but it wasn't streamed live. It was in the outskirts, and the public didn't know the details. So backlash was minimal.
But this? This was central Tokyo. Broadcast live. The uproar was incomparable.
Megure turned, eyes fierce, and shouted, "Who's coming with me?"
More than a dozen officers raised their hands. He picked a few, including Takagi and Sato, and charged into the building, guns drawn.
The fire chief shouted, "It's too dangerous upstairs! The fire's still spreading!"
Megure ignored him.
This wasn't just a fire. It was a test of police duty.
Even if they couldn't reach the top, they had to try. Standing around doing nothing was not an option.
This horrific case instantly became the focus of the entire nation.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)