Chapter 35: No time, not seeing anyone, not interested.

Back in Tokyo, Chi Feichi, still wearing the face of Ninzaburo Shiratori, bound his captive tightly and placed her into a courier delivery box. To ensure she wouldn't wake up prematurely, he pressed a handkerchief soaked in ether against her face. Avoiding surveillance cameras, he drove to a patch of bushes near the back gate of the National Police Agency and left the package there.

He wondered if this world was simply peculiar; the placement of surveillance cameras was far sparser than in his previous life. Even near the Metropolitan Police Department, there were numerous blind spots and unmonitored roads.

While handing "Scorpion" over for a private bounty would have yielded a higher reward, the identity of the client was unknown, the duration of the transaction was uncertain, and the risks were significantly higher. Who knew who the other party was? Would they try to kill him as soon as the deal was done? Furthermore, a high-value private bounty was not necessarily from an enemy; it could easily be a trap. For instance, he could have Kaito Kuroba post a high bounty on him, and if he were ever captured, he could have Kaito pose as the bounty poster to retrieve him. If Kaito were a ruthless person, they could even team up to eliminate the captor.

He wasn't short on money, nor was he in a rush to use it, so handing her over to the National Police Agency was the most straightforward path.

Upon reaching a secluded spot, Chi Feichi swapped vehicles, borrowing the driver’s license and face of the "new" car's owner. After changing his disguise and returning home to stash the trophy gun in the ceiling of his bathroom, he headed to the airport at top speed and took a flight directly to Osaka.

Two hours later, the plane landed in Osaka. Three hours after that, Chi Feichi was a guest at Heiji Hattori's house, taking the opportunity to send an email to the contact address he had previously provided to the police.

【You have an express delivery; please sign for it at the bushes near the back gate of the National Police Agency.】

Two minutes later, a group of officers rushed out of the back gate and found the large cardboard box by the bushes. Attached to the box was another printed note, which read:

【Contains a live, vicious pet. Keep away from fire and water. Beware of injury. Forcible opening is prohibited.】

The team leader, Noboru Kinbara, turned solemn. After observing the surroundings to ensure the box hadn't been tampered with and that nothing had escaped, he nodded and commanded, "Open it!"

Nearby, Yuya Kazami secretly reported the situation through his earpiece. Turning to see Kinbara acting so ceremoniously, he felt a vein pulse in his forehead. Although the package had indeed been sent by that "July" and was likely a wanted criminal, requiring caution was one thing—but watching a group of public security officers surrounding a courier box with such grave, cautious expressions was like... was there a ritual for opening mail now? The atmosphere was surreal.

Taking advantage of the time his subordinates spent opening the box, Kinbara explained to Kazami, "We’ve discovered that everything July sends comes with a label on the printout. 'Files' means files, and 'live courier' means a person. This time, it’s labeled 'vicious pet' with a warning to 'beware of injury,' which means it’s a very dangerous criminal!"

Kazami nodded, then asked, "Why a 'vicious pet'? Does 'pet' signify something?"

Kinbara was stumped. How would he know that? "Ahem, well..."

The box was opened, revealing Seiran Pusu—also known as Scorpion—bound and masked with a white handkerchief, along with a large printout:

【I, Seiran Pusu, Scorpion.】

Kinbara assumed the air of an expert. "This is also July's standard practice; he always labels exactly what or who is inside the box." He didn't really need to explain this to Kazami, but since this guy seemed to be in contact with "Zero," he had to put on a good performance.

A public security officer picked up the white handkerchief, sniffed it, quickly held his breath, and then checked for a pulse. "It's ether. The subject is unconscious."

"It seems she really is a very dangerous wanted criminal..." Kinbara said to Kazami, then his expression shifted as he saw the "Scorpion" label. "Scorpion? July captured Scorpion?"

"That should be correct," Kazami said, relaying information from his earpiece. "We just received word that the First Investigative Division of the Metropolitan Police Department discovered Scorpion is in the country. Just last night, Scorpion shot and killed someone. The Metropolitan Police Department hasn't released the news yet..."

"Send her to the Metropolitan Police Department to confirm her identity!" Kinbara ordered his men. "Fortunately, we were prepared. Using the excuse of adjusting business operations, we had the courier company implement a digital cipher on the boxes that combines the date and location. Looking at the code, this box was produced within the last two days and assigned to the Cheetah Courier packaging center in Edogawa Ward. Immediately pull the surveillance footage from near that center for the past two days. To deliver the person, July must have driven a vehicle. He might have thought to avoid surveillance near the Police Agency, but he definitely wouldn't expect us to have strengthened surveillance at the courier packaging centers!"

A young officer had a sudden brainstorm. "Mr. Kinbara, we could actually have the courier companies keep a closer eye on their boxes. That way, if July steals one, we’ll know immediately..."

Kinbara looked at his subordinate with a strange expression, suspecting that the standards for public security officers weren't as strict as they used to be. "If he doesn't have the chance to steal a courier box, he can use other boxes, or none at all. Our goal isn't to stop July from stealing boxes; theft cases aren't our jurisdiction, and the value of a cardboard box doesn't constitute a crime. We only need to confirm July's identity."

"He didn't show up for the protection mission last time, which shows he is very concerned about exposing his identity," Kazami reminded him. "Don't push him too far."

Kinbara had Scorpion taken away and led the others to check the surveillance footage. Being prepared naturally led to high efficiency. The public security team quickly locked onto the face of Ninzaburo Shiratori and retrieved his police file. By questioning the Metropolitan Police Department, they confirmed that Shiratori had suddenly and voluntarily joined a police operation, presumably to capture Scorpion. It was highly suspicious, yet also a pity...

After further investigation, the team confirmed that Shiratori had indeed gone on vacation and never returned to Tokyo. The abandoned car was found, but it seemed to have been casually "borrowed," and all traces inside had been wiped clean.

The investigation hit a dead end again, but one thing was certain: July was a master of disguise!

Kazami made another secret call, reporting that this "July" was capable, meticulous, and skilled in disguise—he had to be taken seriously.

The voice on the other end of the earpiece analyzed, "July doesn't seem to mind us investigating him. His attitude is that he doesn't want us to find him, but if we do, it doesn't matter..."

Kazami: "..." Forgive him for not understanding this mindset; it was too twisted!

"Have Kinbara contact him. I want to meet him. I can reveal the identity of Zero."

"You're going yourself?"

"Yes. He can choose to come in disguise. I have an important, high-value bounty mission to discuss with him. I will go alone. Tell him exactly that."

"I understand."

Kazami responded sternly and relayed the message to Kinbara. Kinbara immediately sent an email: 【July, our superior wants to meet you.】

Ding~

The reply came quickly:

【Busy.】

【It’s a member of Zero. You should know what Zero represents in Japan, right? We are very sincere.】

【No.】

【You can come in disguise. We just have an important, high-value bounty mission to discuss in person. He will come alone.】

【Not interested.】

The triple rejection left Kinbara speechless. Kazami watched from the side and relayed to the earpiece, "...That’s how it is. He is very wary of us."

"Is he being tracked?"

"We are tracking, but he used Noah's relay site to send the emails. We can't lock down his location."

"Then take it slow. Give me his email address."

"Yes!"

...

Osaka.

Chi Feichi cleared his inbox, logged out, and switched to his public-facing email account before putting his phone away. The public security forces had already discovered he had disguised himself as Ninzaburo Shiratori; this didn't surprise him, though they had acted faster than he anticipated. They must have made preparations in advance.

Requesting a meeting meant they didn't know his true identity yet, and their level of concern had increased. As for the "important, high-value bounty mission" involving Zero, it was bound to be a troublesome, high-risk job...

Don't meet. Absolutely do not meet!

Heiji Hattori returned after making a call and explained the situation to Chi Feichi. "I can't get through to Conan or Mr. Mouri. They must have gone somewhere with poor signal. But don't worry, Kaito Kid has never hurt anyone, and Conan will surely see through him."

Chi Feichi stood up. "Thank you for helping look after Feichi, and thank you for your hospitality. I've already booked my ticket, so I’m heading back to Tokyo."

"It's nothing, you helped treat my injury too!" Heiji grinned. "The hospital checked my bones, and there’s no problem at all. The swelling in my ankle has gone down much faster—it’s truly miraculous! But aren't you planning to stay in Osaka for a few more days?"

"No." Chi Feichi refused.

Heiji knew Chi Feichi wasn't the chatty type and didn't mind his attitude. "Alright. By the time you visit next, the injury on my foot should be fully healed. Then I'll show you the sights of Osaka and take you to taste all the local delicacies! Of course, I won't lose if we spar again!"

As a host, Heiji was quite competent, personally arranging for a police car to take Chi Feichi to the airport, drawing the attention of many passersby. Chi Feichi didn't care much about the stares—riding in a police car was an experience in itself. He got out at the airport, checked Feichi in as a live animal, and returned to Tokyo.

That day, Conan and the others discovered the castle gates had been pried open. With their guards up, they explored the place with trepidation, but by the time they finished the adventure in the evening, they hadn't found a trace of Scorpion.

Kaito Kuroba, disguised as Shinichi Kudo, met with Ran Mouri, dispelling her suspicions about Conan and buying Conan some more time.

White pigeons flew into the night sky in formation, and the man who had been surrounded by them was gone.

Ran Mouri walked downstairs, seeing only the distant pigeons and Conan standing below.

Kaito Kuroba took advantage of the night to flash into an alleyway and disappear.

At the end of the alley, a dark shadow stood in the shade cast by the wall. "Using a flamboyant scene to attract the audience's attention while lowering your own presence, and utilizing the visual blind spots created by the environment to escape—achieving such an astonishing magical effect... A brilliant 'transformation into a bird'."

Kaito’s footsteps faltered in caution, but then he chuckled and continued walking forward.

"If you were to study magic, you would surely become an excellent magician. In simple magic performances, there is a technique where two people hide in a box, each showing a head and feet to perform a 'sawing in half' trick..."

"Conversely, there is also magic that makes one person appear as two, usually using acting to mislead and then making the scene more complex or chaotic."