Chapter 205: A Cuckoo in the Nest
The next day dawned, casting a sterile, grey light over Beika Central Hospital.
Inside, James Black was finalizing his contingency plans. Three empty stretchers were being prepped for transport, a grim worst-case scenario for moving Mizunashi Rena. At the same time, he issued a strict directive to his agents: all mobile phones and radios were to be switched off within the hospital walls. The risk of interfering with critical medical equipment was too high, and it was a precaution they couldn't afford to ignore.
Just before the briefing concluded, Andre Camel, a recently transferred agent, stepped forward. "Sir," he addressed James, his voice steady, "I'm a good driver. Let me handle the transport vehicle when we move her."
Jodie Starling gave him a nod of approval, and James acquiesced. They would need a steady hand at the wheel.
Soon after, just as the FBI had anticipated, the Black Organization made its move.
It began as a trickle, then became a flood. In what felt like a matter of minutes, Beika Central Hospital was swamped by a deluge of new patients, all complaining of food poisoning from a local restaurant or suffering from burns and smoke inhalation from a small, conveniently-timed fire nearby. The sheer volume of people was overwhelming, and the FBI agents scattered throughout the hospital found it impossible to vet each one.
The chaos was a perfect cover. Next came the deliveries: bouquets, fruit baskets, and get-well-soon packages addressed to dozens of patients, all sent in the name of one Rikumichi Kusuda. Tucked within the colorful wrapping and cheerful ribbons were bombs. Dozens of them. If they weren't found and disarmed in time, they would tear the entire hospital apart.
James had no choice. "Find them!" he barked into his comms before remembering his own order and switching to runners. "Disperse! Check every delivery, retrieve every package! Now!"
His agents scrambled, caught in a frantic race against an unknown clock. Just as the last of the explosives was being secured, a new crisis erupted. The televisions in the patient wards, previously tuned to morning news, flickered to life. A video began to play, showing a seemingly recovered Mizunashi Rena. The background was unmistakably a room in this very hospital.
A wave of shock rippled through the agents. The colleague assigned to monitor Mizunashi Rena's room was silent, his radio unresponsive. The agents closest to her location broke into a run, their hearts pounding in their chests.
By the time Shuichi Akai and Conan realized Gin's true objective—that the bombs weren't just a diversion but were equipped with signal transmitters—it was already too late. The FBI agents, now carrying the devices they had so diligently collected, had become unwitting homing beacons.
Miles away, Gin watched the data stream in. On the 3D projection hovering above the terminal in his hand, dozens of signal points converged on a single location. A slow, cruel smile stretched across his lips.
"Found you," he purred. "Building Four, Room 305."
Vodka, driving beside him, couldn't help but glance at the glowing map on his boss's device. No matter how many times he saw it, the technology was astounding. 'Has it really advanced this far?' he wondered.
"Boss, what's the plan?" Vodka asked, his eyes back on the road. "Do we send in a team to grab her?"
"That was not my original intention. A direct confrontation on FBI turf would put us at a disadvantage," Gin replied, his smile sharpening into a predatory grin. "But now... now that we have an extra pair of hands, it's the perfect opportunity to test his abilities."
With a flick of his thumb, he dismissed the 3D map and placed a call to Chianti and Korn. "You two, keep your eyes on the hospital gates. If any van leaves the premises, record its details and report to me immediately."
He ended the call and sent a simple text message. You may proceed.
The reply came almost instantly from the Wanderer, who had already slipped into the hospital amidst the orchestrated chaos.
Understood.
Vodka scowled at the curt, single-word response on Gin's screen. "Boss, this kid is way too arrogant. What kind of attitude is that?"
Gin let out a cold huff of air, a sound devoid of any humor. "His abilities had better match his attitude," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous murmur.
Meanwhile, back at Beika Central Hospital, the air in the command post next to Mizunashi Rena's ward was thick with tension. James Black and his senior agents had just finished their discussion, confirming Camel as the driver for the transfer.
Suddenly, a sharp knock echoed from the door. The agent posted outside leaned in, his face grim. "We have an emergency."
James and Shuichi Akai exchanged a look, both instantly on high alert. A new development at this exact moment could only mean one thing: the Organization was making its play.
"What is it?" James asked, his voice low and steady.
The agent's brow was furrowed in confusion. "A boy just came to the front desk. He says his older brother was taken. The people who took him told him not to call the police, but to come here instead. They said… they said we could save his brother."
'What kind of game is this?'James wondered.'Is this another one of their tricks? What's the purpose?'
He strode past a contemplative Shuichi Akai. "Where is the child now? Bring him here. We need to understand what's going on."
A few moments later, a boy who looked no older than thirteen or fourteen was escorted into the room. He had delicate features and a slender build, and he was scrubbing at his red-rimmed eyes with the back of his hand, his small frame trembling.
Seeing his frightened, worried state, Jodie Starling's heart went out to him. She cursed the Organization's inhumanity under her breath.
Softening her expression, she put on a gentle smile and approached the boy. She knelt down, patting his head comfortingly. "It's okay, little brother. You're safe now. Just tell us everything that happened, and we'll bring your brother back."
She didn't notice the way the boy's body went rigid for a fraction of a second at her touch.
Her comforting words seemed to work. The boy's trembling lessened, and in response to her gentle questions, he began to haltingly piece together his story.
From what everyone could gather, he and his brother had been eating when his brother suddenly felt unwell. They had come to the hospital for a check-up, but the place was packed. After a long wait, a doctor gave his brother some medicine, and they decided to go home to rest.
Before they could leave, the boy had needed to use the restroom. On his way, he passed a stairwell and heard voices inside. His curiosity got the better of him, and he'd leaned in to listen, only to be discovered.
The men who caught him learned he had a brother in the hospital. They used him as a hostage, forcing his older brother to come to the stairwell. Then, they handed his brother a bag. The boy didn't know what was inside, only that the men ordered his brother to place one of "them" on every floor inside the stairwell.
Afterward, one of the men had brought the boy here, to the third floor, telling him to find someone near Room 305 to save his brother.
"S-So… so I came here," the boy sobbed, finishing his story. He looked up at Jodie, his eyes wide with a desperate, pleading hope. "Big Sister, you'll help me save my brother, right?"
"Yes," Jodie nodded firmly, her voice full of conviction. "Don't worry. You'll be reunited with your brother soon."
Conan, who had been listening silently, lowered his head in thought. He ran over to the boy's side and tugged on his sleeve. Looking up with his most innocent, childish expression, he asked, "Big Brother, you said you heard voices in the stairwell. What did you hear them say?"
The boy, whose emotions seemed to have calmed slightly, looked down at the small child tugging at his clothes. The sight of someone even smaller than him seemed to ease his tension. He frowned, pretending to think hard.
"It was something like… 'Arrival'… 'Attraction'… 'Diversion'… and 'Bomb'…"
Hearing those words, Conan's mind instantly connected the dots. This wasn't just a story. It was the Organization's entire plan, laid out for them like a script.
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