Most of the time, Conan trusted his own judgment.
And as far as he knew, ten seconds after that button was pressed, the bomb would go off. Meaning: if he didn't act now, everyone here was toast.
Conan flicked the switch on his high-powered sneakers, gritted his teeth, and sprinted toward the briefcase, ready to kick it straight out the window.
Gin had mentioned that the bomb would go off if subjected to a violent shock—like being kicked, or smashing into a window. But there was no time to get creative. All he could do now was gamble.
However, Conan's foot swung forward… and met nothing but air.
—A figure had slipped through the corridor. As they passed the briefcase, they bent slightly, picked it up like it was nothing, and walked off.
The whole motion was so smooth, so elegant, and, frankly, so full of self-righteous flair that the crowd instinctively parted to let her through.
It took two full seconds for the train attendant to realize—someone had just stolen the bag in broad daylight.
They jumped up and chased after the Anonymous figure. "Please put down the bag!"
The briefcase hadn't been far from the door.
By the time the flight attendants caught up, Jangxia Tongzhi was already piloting his puppet toward the exit.
He held the briefcase in one hand and pushed the door open with the other. A gust of wind rushed in, sending the puppet's long black dress fluttering dramatically.
Luckily, as a seasoned bank robber, Akemi Miyano had considered practicality when designing this outfit. Despite its flair, the dress had some engineering tricks to keep it from flying higher than the knees—infinitely more maddening than just wearing safety shorts.
…
Back in this era, Shinkansen automatic doors had emergency stopcocks. If activated, the electrical circuits would disengage, letting people open the doors manually.
Jangxia remembered the bomb's ten-second countdown.
So he'd acted before the short-haired woman could even finish dialing.
By the time his puppet stood dramatically in the doorway and the others crowded around, there were still seven or eight seconds left before boom time.
Jangxia looked at the crowd—eager to help but too scared to move—and was extremely pleased with the situation..
This way, if anyone got dragged in later for questioning, they'd all remember the mysterious figure who stole the bomb and sacrificed themselves, not some innocent passersby who just happened to be on board.
And honestly, "jumping with a bomb" was on the bucket list. Like "being there when it goes off," it was one of those romantic achievements you had to check off when the chance arose.
Unfortunately, not everyone shared Jangxia's poetic sensibilities. In the crowd, the short-haired woman—who'd just lost her precious briefcase—was in full panic mode. In her mind, that bag was full of high-priced, irreplaceable info.
She shouted, thoroughly losing her cool, "Give me the bag! We can negotiate anything else you want!"
Conan had climbed onto the back of a chair by now and was yelling too: "Throw it away! It's going to explode!"
Jangxia had originally scripted an anonymous one-liner for this moment.
But alas, no time.
If those two hadn't butted in, he might've had a shot at a cool quote. But now? No way he could break character by talking to them. That'd ruin the whole vibe.
So, silently, with zero dialogue, Jangxia let go at the perfect moment—just as the door hit its cue.
He'd adjusted the puppet's weight, and with a well-timed swish of the skirt, angled the fall perfectly. The puppet soared off the bridge like a black kite, wobbling artistically in the wind, before vanishing out of sight.
Inside the train, everyone just stared in stunned silence.
A second later, a fiery explosion bloomed beneath the bridge.
…
The blast triggered an emergency stop on the Shinkansen.
During the abrupt halt, Jangxia mentally replayed the scene—and regretted just one thing.
…The "dance" hadn't been perfect.
If only he'd managed to deliver his line before the short-haired woman interrupted.
Or if Conan had just stayed locked in the toilet a little longer, one fewer line-snatcher to worry about. Tsk. Must be more vigilant next time.
Jangxia sighed silently to himself.
Suzuki Sonoko and Ran Mouri were looking at him with worry written all over their faces.
After a moment, they exchanged glances and lowered their heads, clearly disheartened.
Originally, they'd invited Jangxia along to unwind and have fun. Who'd have guessed they'd run into yet another murder-bomb situation before even arriving at their destination?
Though they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, they'd heard the story: someone had jumped from the train with a bomb, no protection, no parachute. The police couldn't find a body—there was a river beneath the crash site. Most likely, the explosion had scattered the remains, and the current had swept them away.
Ran was especially downcast.
Not many passengers had seen the jump itself. Still, the tale spread rapidly through the train like wildfire, laced with sorrowful whispers and collective grief.
Soon enough, Ran overheard someone say that the person who jumped wore a black dress, matching sunhat, and radiated saintly kindness. When she wasn't smiling, she looked like a flawless marble sculpture; when she was smiling, she shone like an angel.
Okay, maybe the last few lines were a little abstract…
But the mention of the black dress and hat immediately brought one person to Ran's mind—the beautiful lady who'd helped her earlier with that bear child.
To think someone so good-hearted had vanished just like that… Ran's nose began to sting. She pulled out a handkerchief and covered her face.
Others in the car were also silently mourning the mysterious savior.
Some couldn't help but wonder: "Why didn't she just toss the bomb and stay on the train?" But any time someone got that far, it felt like blasphemy to say it aloud—so no one ever did. The mood was too solemn.
The police arrived quickly and took the short-haired woman into custody.
Before she left, she tearfully begged them to keep searching the river. Even if they only found a body, it deserved a proper burial. She even offered to pay the funeral costs, in case the jumper had no family.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 25/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS*