In Detective Conan: Intercepting Miwako Sato at the Start

Page 133

A burst of good-natured laughter rang out around him, and Yuuki Takada could only nod helplessly.

While checking in, Yuki Takada noticed an elderly woman arguing heatedly with ground staff at the check-in counter.

The old woman was well-dressed, but the Louis Vuitton suitcase in her hand had a noticeable scratch.

"This was definitely caused during transport! You must take responsibility!" the old woman said excitedly.

Yuuki Takada instinctively stopped to observe, and Miwako Sato, seeing this, gently tugged at his arm: "Takada-senpai, the section chief just finished speaking, don't forget we are tourists now."

Yuki Takada hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to continue with the group.

After passing through security, the Metropolitan Police Department staff gathered in the waiting area.

With some time to spare before boarding, colleagues chatted in small groups, discussing their travel plans for Paris.

"I absolutely must go see the Eiffel Tower!"

"The Louvre is the must-see, especially the Mona Lisa!"

"I'd much rather try some authentic French red wine..."

Yuki Takada sat alone on a chair a little further away, took out a French beginner's book from his bag, and silently reviewed basic conversations.

For some reason, he felt uneasy, as if he had overlooked some detail.

"Takada-senpai, you're still so dedicated." Sato Miwako leaned closer, looking at his book with curiosity.

"It's essential to know some basic greetings and how to ask for directions, otherwise how can you communicate in France and Paris?" Takada Yuki said softly without looking up, "You should learn a few too."

Sato Miwako waved her hand with a grin: "Don't worry, the tour guide is here."

Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeaker in the waiting area: "Dear passengers, we regret to inform you that due to technical reasons, boarding for flight JL123 to Paris will be delayed by one hour."

A sigh of disappointment came from the crowd.

Section Chief Matsumoto immediately gathered everyone together: "Since we have an extra hour, don't spread out too much, and pay attention to the boarding announcement."

Yuuki Takada got tired of sitting and took the opportunity to get up: "I'm going to the restroom."

Walking through the bustling crowd, Yuuki Takada headed towards the restroom located at the end of the waiting area.

There is a bookstore near the restroom, with books and magazines in various languages ​​displayed in the window.

Just as he was about to push open the door to the restroom, he caught a glimpse of a familiar suitcase out of the corner of his eye—the same Louis Vuitton suitcase as the one the old woman had argued with, standing alone in the corner of the bookstore.

Yuuki Takada stopped and observed carefully.

The box was half-open, and it seemed to be filled with clothes, but a corner of a metal device could be vaguely seen peeking out from under the clothes.

Years of experience and intuition immediately alerted him—the shape was unlike any ordinary object.

He looked around; no one was lingering nearby.

After a moment's hesitation, Takada walked to the suitcase and carefully opened the lid. Pushing aside the clothing, his pupils suddenly contracted—the metal device was a sophisticated timer, the red numbers relentlessly ticking:

00:07:36

00:07:35

00:07:34

"Damn it." Yuki Takada cursed under his breath and immediately took out his phone to contact Section Chief Matsumoto.

"Section Chief, a suspicious suitcase has been found in the bookstore in the waiting area. It contains what appears to be an explosive device. The countdown is about seven and a half minutes."

Yuki Takada spoke very quickly, while simultaneously evacuating nearby passengers, "Please immediately notify airport security and evacuate this area!"

Matsumoto Kiyonaga reacted just as quickly: "Understood. I'll notify security immediately. You'll be in charge of the initial evacuation. Be careful!"

Chapter 169 Airport Explosion

Yuki Takada hung up the phone and quickly but calmly told the passengers around him, "Everyone, due to an emergency, please evacuate to the central waiting area immediately. Do not run and avoid panic."

Although most passengers were confused, they obediently left.

Yuki Takada then approached the bookstore staff, briefly explained the situation, and ensured that the area was quickly cleared.

Less than two minutes later, airport security personnel rushed over, followed by Section Chief Matsumoto and several colleagues from the First Investigation Division.

"How is the situation?" Matsumoto Kiyonaga asked, his expression grave.

Upon seeing this, Yuuki Takada immediately gave him a brief report on the situation: "There is a timer in the suitcase, and there are less than six minutes left on the countdown. I have not touched or moved any other parts."

The security chief urgently contacted the bomb disposal team via radio.

However, it would take at least ten minutes for the dedicated bomb disposal team at Haneda Airport to arrive at the scene.

Time ticked by, and the countdown was down to less than five minutes.

“It’s too late.” Section Chief Matsumoto gritted his teeth. “We must consider manually relocating or dismantling it.”

Yuuki Takada stared at the device inside the suitcase, then suddenly noticed something: "Wait, I remember the design of this device... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

He took out a special tool from his pocket and quickly accessed the Metropolitan Police Department's database: "The bombing suspect we arrested last year, Harada Ichiro, used a homemade bomb with a structure that is extremely similar to this."

“Harada Ichiro, isn’t he still in prison?” Section Chief Matsumoto asked, frowning.

“Yes, but he may have accomplices.” Yuki Takada continued to look through the files and said, “Ichiro Harada’s younger brother, Jiro Harada, has a criminal record. He recently finished serving his sentence and was released not long ago. His whereabouts are currently unknown.”

The countdown shows less than four minutes remaining.

Yuuki Takada suddenly looked up, looking slightly anxious, and said, "Section Chief Matsumoto, there's no time..."

“…I have studied the design of Harada Ichiro’s bombs. His bombs have a characteristic—if they are moved while remaining horizontal, they will not trigger immediately. We can try to transfer them into a blast-proof container.”

The security chief hesitated, "This is too risky! What if we misjudge..."

"There's no time to hesitate." Section Chief Matsumoto made a decisive decision. "Do as Inspector Takada suggested: use the blast chambers. Everyone, retreat to a safe distance!"

Security personnel quickly pushed over the explosion-proof barrel, but Yuki Takada stopped them, saying, "I'll carry it. I'm familiar with this structure and know how to keep it balanced."

Sato Miwako looked at him and grabbed his arm: "Takada-senpai, this is too dangerous!"

Yuuki Takada gently broke free and said coldly, "You should step back immediately; it's my duty."

Under the tense gazes of everyone, Yuuki Takada carefully picked up the suitcase, his movements extremely steady and slow.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, but his hands did not tremble at all.

Every step was taken with extreme caution, as if one were holding the most fragile glass in their hands.

Twenty meters apart felt like a thousand miles.

When Yuki Takada finally gently placed the suitcase into the explosion-proof container, the countdown showed only 01:47 remaining.

The explosion-proof cover was closed, and they were quickly moved to an isolated area on the edge of the airport. Everyone held their breath and waited.

The moment the countdown reached zero, a muffled thud came from inside the explosion-proof container, and then everything returned to calm.

A sigh of relief and a few scattered claps erupted from the crowd.

Section Chief Matsumoto strode over to Yuuki Takada and patted him hard on the shoulder: "Well done, Takada, you did a great job this time!"

However, Yuuki Takada's expression remained serious: "Section Chief, this can't be a coincidence. Someone deliberately placed the bomb in the departure lounge of a flight to Paris; it was a meticulously planned act. I suspect..."

His words were interrupted by the airport security supervisor who rushed over: "Section Chief Matsumoto, Department Head Takada, we found a suspicious person on the surveillance footage who left the airport quickly after putting down his suitcase."

The two of them then went with the security supervisor to the monitoring room, where a screenshot of the surveillance footage was displayed—a man wearing a baseball cap and a mask, whose face was not visible, but the scorpion tattoo on the web of his right hand was clearly visible.

“Harada Jiro.” Takada Yuki looked at the blurry figure, but could still clearly make out the person, and immediately confirmed, “There is a record of this tattoo in his file.”

Section Chief Matsumoto's face darkened: "In other words, this is very likely an attack targeting our Metropolitan Police Department personnel."

Yuki Takada nodded: "The number of people who know about the Metropolitan Police Department's group trip is limited. Section Chief Matsumoto, I suggest that this trip be canceled or postponed immediately, and at the same time, an internal investigation should be conducted to determine if there has been any information leak."

Matsumoto pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "No, that would play right into the attackers' hands. We'll proceed to Paris as planned. It's a rare opportunity for a retreat, and it wouldn't be good if these people ruined the officers' enjoyment. I'll have to discuss this with the others and make sure they're careful."

"Perhaps we can find more clues in Paris."

The announcement came on again, informing passengers that boarding for flight JL123 was beginning.

Yuuki Takada looked toward the boarding gate, then turned back to look at the direction where the explosion-proof barrels had been placed.

Sunlight streamed through the huge glass window, casting a long, slender shadow of him.

“Takada-senpai, you’ve lost your book.” Sato Miwako handed over the French beginner’s book that Takada Yuuki had left behind.

Yuki Takada took it, casually flipped to a page, and his gaze lingered on a short phrase: "'Méfiez-vous du danger'"—Beware of danger.

He closed the book, took a deep breath, and followed his colleagues toward the boarding gate.

What was supposed to be a relaxing trip has now been shrouded in gloom.

Flights to Paris are no longer just leisure trips, but may be the start of a chase and counter-chase.

On the boarding bridge, Yuki Takada took one last look back at the Tokyo sky.

Then he turned around, steadily stepped into the cabin, and his expression returned to its usual calm and determination.

Whatever awaits him ahead, he is ready.

Fortunately, after Yuki Takada and his group boarded the plane, the journey was relatively peaceful, and no accidents occurred.

The massive Airbus A350 smoothly climbed through the clouds and entered the stratosphere.

Outside the window, the dazzling sunlight and the boundless sea of ​​clouds resemble a pure snowfield, temporarily isolating the turmoil and danger on the ground.

Inside the cabin, the lights were dimmed to a soft, warm yellow, and the air was filled with the faint aroma of food being heated, along with the steady hum of the aircraft engines—all of which fostered a sense of tranquility and drowsiness.

After the harrowing scene before boarding, the Metropolitan Police Department colleagues were initially silent, many still shaken and whispering about the attempted bombing.

But as the plane reached a stable flight state, the flight attendants began to distribute meals and drinks, and the atmosphere gradually eased.

After all, they were experienced police officers with psychological qualities far exceeding those of ordinary people, and they quickly adjusted their mindset.

Chapter 170 The Louvre Museum in Paris

Some of them turned on the entertainment system in front of their seats and started selecting movies.

Some people also put on eye masks to catch up on sleep; others huddled together, quietly discussing their itinerary after arriving in Paris.

Miwako Sato and Yumi Miyamoto sat diagonally in front of Yuki Takada.

Right now, Sato Miwako seems to have completely recovered from her nervousness and is enthusiastically flipping through a Paris travel guide, occasionally exchanging a few words with Miyamoto Yumi, discussing which attractions to visit.