Detective Conan: Shadow Legion Office

75: Chapter 75 Boss Lin Long rewarded me with a thermobaric bombIn the surveillance room of the Lin Family Manor, Lin Long watched as Akai Shuichi, under the leadership of the FBI, was about to break out of the dock.

”Want to leave?”

”The show has only just begun. You, the protagonist, want to leave? It’s not that easy.” Lin Long muttered to himself.

He snapped his fingers and summoned the Ghost.

”Go make a call to Akai Shuichi. Tell him that his mother, Akai Mary, is hidden in one of the containers at the dock. Tell him that if he leaves, we won’t care whether his mother lives or dies.” Lin Long ordered the Ghost.

”Understood, Boss.” The Ghost retreated to the side and called Akai Shuichi.

Listening to the voice of the Ghost on the other end of the phone, Akai Shuichi clenched his fists, then suddenly relaxed them.

”Shuichi, we finally managed to break through the encirclement with great difficulty. Going back now is no different from seeking death. Those armed forces and Public Security officers have already listed you as a high-priority wanted criminal; they might even shoot you on sight without warning.”

Jodie and the FBI Agents also heard the Ghost’s threat over the phone. She tried to persuade him earnestly, hoping that Akai Shuichi would give up the idea of returning.

”Jodie, everyone. I am very grateful that you could come to rescue me. But let’s end this here. I can handle the rest by myself.” Akai Shuichi looked at Jodie, then at the dozen or so FBI Agents around him who were all carrying minor injuries, let out a long sigh, and said slowly.

”My mother is in there; she is my family. I cannot turn a blind eye.”

After saying this, Akai Shuichi replenished some weapons and ammunition from a few FBI Agents, turned around, and rushed back toward the dock.

Lin Long watched the back of Akai Shuichi as he turned and rushed toward the dock on the screen, a cold curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He knew that Akai Shuichi would never give up on Akai Mary—family affection was precisely this man’s most fatal weakness.

”Want to leave? It’s not that easy.”

Lin Long picked up his teacup, his fingertips tapping lightly against the cup wall, ”Since you’ve come, enjoy this feast properly.”

On the screen, Akai Shuichi’s figure wove between the containers, moving as fast as black lightning.

He had taken an M4A1 rifle and several grenades from the FBI Agents, his eyes determined without a trace of wavering.

The gunfire at the dock had become sparse, but the smell of gunpowder and blood permeating the air had become heavier, signaling that an even greater storm was approaching.

...

At the edge of the dock, Jodie watched Akai Shuichi’s back disappear around the corner of the warehouse, her heart gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

She knew Akai Shuichi’s temper; once he made a decision, not even ten cows could pull him back.

”Agents,” Jodie turned abruptly, her eyes as sharp as knives. ”Split into two groups. Group one will guard the perimeter and be ready to provide cover at any time; group two, follow me. We are going to provide backup for Shuichi!”

”But Officer Jodie,” the young Agent hesitated, ”The island nation’s armed forces have already issued an indiscriminate attack order. If we go in, we’re just throwing our lives away!”

”Are we supposed to watch Shuichi die in there?” Jodie retorted sharply, a flash of determination in her eyes. ”He is our comrade-in-arms! Even if it is a den of tigers and dragons, we must charge in!”

With that, she no longer hesitated and raised her gun, chasing in the direction where Akai Shuichi had disappeared. Several loyal Agents exchanged glances and gritted their teeth as they followed.

...

Deep inside the dock, in an abandoned factory, Gin leaned against a broken steel bar, panting heavily.

His black coat was charred by gunpowder smoke, and his left arm was still bleeding—he had been grazed by a stray bullet while breaking out just moments ago.

Outside the factory, the assault of the armed forces became increasingly fierce. The walls were rocked by artillery shells, and debris and dust fell continuously.

Vodka and the few remaining members of the Black Organization huddled behind cover, their faces pale, the guns in their hands trembling slightly.

”Big Brother, we can’t hold on!” Vodka’s voice was choked with tears, ”They are about to rush in!”

Gin stared fixedly at the door, his eyes filled with unwillingness. He had roamed the dark world for so many years; he never thought he would fall in a place like this.

Could it be that today, he would die in this broken factory with these losers?

Just then, several dazzling white lights suddenly streaked across the sky, dragging long tails of flame, falling toward the dock.

”What is that?” A Black Organization member looked up subconsciously, his eyes filled with terror.

Outside the factory, the commander of the armed forces directing the attack also saw this scene, his expression changing drastically: ”It’s missiles! Take cover, quickly!”

In the helicopter cockpit, the pilot watched the three red dots rapidly approaching on the radar screen, his voice trembling: ”Report to the Chief! Three hypersonic missiles detected! They are flying toward the dock!”

Inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department command center, Police Superintendent General Hakuba looked at the image on the radar, his heart stopping. Missiles? Who would use missiles here?!

”Quick! Signal all units at the dock! Take cover immediately! Quickly!” Chief of Police Hakuba roared into the walkie-talkie, his voice distorted by fear.

But it was already too late.

”Boom—!!!”

Three missiles landed on the dock almost simultaneously. The massive explosion was deafening, as if the sky had been torn apart.

The dazzling white light instantly swallowed the entire dock, followed by soaring flames mixed with thick black smoke rising into the sky, forming three small mushroom clouds.

The shockwave swept out like a tsunami; the factory windows were instantly shattered, and the walls swayed violently, as if they would collapse at any moment.

The armored vehicles of the armed forces were flipped by the air blast, and the helicopters rocked unsteadily in the air like they were drunk, nearly crashing to the ground.

The soldiers attacking the factory were knocked over by the air blast, lying on the ground groaning in pain, many suffering burns from the high temperature generated by the explosion, screaming continuously.

”Cough, cough...” Gin was choked by the thick smoke, but a flash of crazy excitement appeared in his eyes. ”It’s The Boss! He sent reinforcements to save us!”

He stood up abruptly and shouted at Vodka: ”Now! Break out!”

The members of the Black Organization seemed to have grabbed the last straw of hope, roaring as they rushed out of the factory.

The armed forces outside were still disoriented by the shock of the explosion and couldn’t react in time, allowing them to tear open a gap and flee in a panic toward the perimeter of the dock.

...

In the surveillance room of the Lin Family Manor, Lin Long looked at the mushroom clouds on the screen, raised his eyebrows, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

”Oh? I didn’t expect The Boss to have such power, to be able to use even missiles.”

He chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness, ”However, this little ’gift’ isn’t lively enough.”

He picked up the encrypted phone and dialed a number. After the call connected, he said only one sentence: ”Send the ’surprise’ we prepared over there.”

After speaking, he hung up the phone.

Inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department command center, Chief of Police Hakuba had not yet recovered from the previous missile attack when the radar operator suddenly let out a shrill scream: ”Chief! Another missile! The speed is even faster! The target is still the dock!”

”What?!” Chief of Police Hakuba’s vision went black, and he nearly fainted. The previous three missiles had already turned the dock into purgatory; another one...

He shouted into the walkie-talkie like a madman: ”Everyone! Evacuate the dock immediately! Quickly!!!”

But the speed of this missile far exceeded the previous three. Almost at the moment it was detected by radar, it had already arrived over the dock.

This was a US military standard thermobaric missile, secretly mobilized by Lin Long through a pawn he had planted in the US military high command.

Unlike ordinary missiles, a thermobaric missile consumes all surrounding oxygen upon explosion, generating high temperatures of thousands of degrees. Known as a ”mini-nuke,” it is enough to turn an area into scorched earth.

”Boom—!!!”

A roar more violent than any of the previous explosions rang out, and all of Tokyo seemed to tremble.

A huge mushroom cloud slowly rose, the searing white light illuminating half the night sky, clearly visible even from Beika Town.

At the center of the explosion, the air was instantly ignited; containers were torn apart like toys, and the reinforced concrete warehouses melted under the high heat, turning into pools of scalding liquid.

The soldiers, Public Security officers, and even the Black Organization members who hadn’t managed to escape, who had luckily survived earlier, were instantly vaporized, leaving not even a trace.

The shockwave spread outward; the glass of buildings around the dock shattered, fishing boats in the distance were capsized, and raging fires ignited on the sea surface.

...

In Beika Town, at the Mouri Detective Agency.

In the living room, Mouri Kogoro, Mouri Ran, and Conan Edogawa squeezed by the window, staring fixedly at the direction of the dock.

When that huge mushroom cloud rose, all three gasped, their faces turning pale.

”W-what is that...” Mouri Ran’s voice trembled as she hugged Conan Edogawa tightly, her body unable to stop shaking. ”Is it a nuclear bomb?”

Mouri Kogoro frowned, his expression so grave it could drip water.

He had been a policeman and had seen many big scenes, but he had never seen such a terrifying explosion.

That soaring flame and mushroom cloud were like a giant beast swallowing everything, making people feel despair.

”It doesn’t look like a nuclear bomb, but the power...” Mouri Kogoro spoke with difficulty, ”It’s far stronger than ordinary bombs.”

Conan Edogawa adjusted his glasses, the look behind his lenses full of shock and doubt.

He could understand the chaotic battle at the dock, but using missiles, even missiles that were almost ”strategic weapons”... This was beyond the capability of ordinary gangs or terrorist organizations.

Who on earth was it? Manipulating all of this from behind the scenes?

Not just the Mouri family; the entire upper echelon of Tokyo was alarmed by this sudden explosion.

At the Suzuki Conglomerate headquarters, Suzuki Shiro stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the top-floor office, watching the mushroom cloud in the distance, his fingers gripping the curtain tightly, his knuckles turning white.

The butler beside him looked grave: ”Chairman, our private security team is in position, and all family members have been moved to the underground bunker.”

”Send notice down,” Suzuki Shiro’s voice was hoarse, ”Shut down all operations in Tokyo, and tell employees to stay at home and not go out. Also, contact other conglomerates; we need to unite and pressure the government. We must find out exactly what happened!”

”Yes.”

Other large conglomerates and socialites also activated their emergency plans at the first opportunity; private security teams stood guard around villas with loaded guns, and underground bunkers were crowded with people.

They watched that mushroom cloud symbolizing destruction, their hearts filled with fear—this was no longer a simple riot or gunfight; this was war!

”What is the situation? Is World War III breaking out?”

”What is going on...” someone muttered, ”Who on earth did we provoke?”

No one could answer this question. The entire Tokyo was shrouded in the shadow of the mushroom cloud, and the air was filled with despair and panic.

...

In the ruins of the dock, Akai Shuichi leaned against a container that had been twisted by the explosion, coughing violently.

When the previous thermobaric missile exploded, he happened to be hiding in a drainage pipe several meters deep, which was why he had luckily escaped, but his ears were still buzzing, and his vision was blurry.

He struggled to stand up and looked around. The former dock had turned into scorched earth, filled with melted metal and solidified magma-like substances, and the air was permeated with a pungent smell of sulfur, making even breathing feel painful.

”Akai Mary... Mother.”

Akai Shuichi called out hoarsely, walking in the direction of the ”container where Mary was being held” that the Ghost had mentioned.

Every step was extremely difficult; the ground under his feet was scorching hot, as if it would collapse at any moment.

What he didn’t know was that not far behind him, Jodie and several FBI Agents had also crawled out from behind cover, looking at the purgatory before them, their eyes filled with despair.

”Shuichi...”

Jodie muttered, chasing in the direction of Akai Shuichi.

And in the surveillance room of the Lin Family Manor, Lin Long watched the scorched dock on the screen, a satisfied smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

”This is lively enough.”

He said softly, as if admiring a perfect work of art.

Akai Shuichi, Gin, Amuro Tooru, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department... all the chess pieces had been completely disrupted in this explosion.

Outside the window, that huge mushroom cloud had not yet dissipated, like a hideous mark branded on the night sky of Tokyo.

The citizens of all Tokyo were plunged into panic.

It was fortunate that Lin Long still had a bit of conscience, letting this missile land in a place like the dock where there weren’t many people.

If Lin Long had been any more ruthless and it had landed in the city center of Tokyo...

Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Then Tokyo would probably be full of cooked people everywhere.

This ”grand play” directed by Lin Long himself had only just reached its climax.

And the suffering of Tokyo was far from over.