Akai Shuichi's hand rested on Conan's shoulder. The pressure wasn't heavy, but it made Conan's body tense up again, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Why? Did he recognize me? Impossible…"
Conan's heart pounded, and his mind raced, considering all possibilities.
But on the surface, he forced himself to show a puzzled expression and turned around.
"Big Brother, is there anything else? If I don't hide quickly, the other kids who are it will find me…"
Akai Shuichi didn't answer, merely scrutinizing Conan with his gaze.
Even Jodie, standing nearby, was somewhat bewildered, looking at Akai Shuichi with a hint of confusion.
Just as Conan was about to buckle under the pressure, Akai Shuichi suddenly released his hand and offered a kind smile.
He reached out and gently patted Conan's left cheek.
"Little one," Akai Shuichi's voice was gentle, "your glasses fell off."
With that, he bent down, picked up the black-rimmed glasses from the grass at Conan's feet, unfolded them, and put them back on Conan's face.
As the frames settled back on his nose, Conan realized with a start that, due to his nervousness, he hadn't even noticed his glasses slipping off. A wave of lingering fear washed over him.
"Th-thank you, Big Brother!"
Conan quickly thanked him, adjusted his glasses, turned around again, and darted out of the bushes as if fleeing, his heart pounding.
Only after running a certain distance and ensuring he was out of the FBI's sight did Conan lean against a tree, panting heavily, feeling as if he had just escaped the jaws of death.
Inside the bushes, Jodie watched Akai Shuichi still looking in the direction Conan had left and couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
"Shu, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with that child?"
Akai Shuichi slowly retracted his gaze, remained silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Nothing, I just feel that little boy resembles someone."
"Someone?" Jodie was even more puzzled.
"An old acquaintance who has been missing for a long time," Akai Shuichi said, "Kudo Shinichi."
"Kudo Shinichi?"
Jodie was momentarily stunned. She remembered that name; he was a very famous high school detective in Japan.
"How could that child resemble him? There's such a big age difference…"
"It's not just the appearance, but also the feeling."
Akai Shuichi shook his head, finding his own fanciful idea incredible. He then asked,
"Jodie, do you know this child named Conan? Does he have any particular traits?"
Jodie thought for a moment and nodded.
"Yes, he's a child staying at Detective Mouri's house. He's incredibly smart, so smart he doesn't seem like an elementary school student at all.
And, it's a bit strange to say, but wherever he goes, cases tend to happen, as if…"
She searched for the right words,
"As if he's attracted to cases."
"Wherever he goes, cases happen…" Akai Shuichi repeated the phrase in a low voice, "That's interesting."
He didn't continue speaking but refocused his attention on the fountain plaza.
Seeing this, Jodie also suppressed the questions in her heart and concentrated fully on the mission.
At this moment, in the fountain plaza, Nichuri TV staff had already set up the initial interview equipment.
Mizunashi Rena held the microphone, engaging in final communication and casual chat with Hoshimi Miyabi before the interview, and everything appeared normal.
On a distant tall building, within the sniper's nest.
Korn, looking through the high-powered sniper scope, firmly locked onto Hoshimi Miyabi in the plaza and reported in a low voice via walkie-talkie.
"Target is within my range. Wind speed is three meters per second from the east, humidity is moderate. Requesting instructions, should I fire?"
Gin's cold voice came through his earpiece.
"Stand by. There are too many unrelated people on site. Proceed as planned. Wait until Kir guides her near that bench on the southeast side of the fountain before acting. The angle there is optimal, and it facilitates your crossfire coverage."
"Understood." Korn responded concisely, his finger resting steadily on the trigger guard, waiting patiently.
Almost simultaneously, Gin's voice also reached Mizunashi Rena's ear through her earpiece. "Kir, take her to the designated position."
Mizunashi Rena's smile remained unchanged, and she naturally made a please gesture towards Hoshimi Miyabi.
"Section Chief Hoshimi, the lighting is better over here. Why don't we go sit and chat over there? We can also rest a bit."
Hoshimi Miyabi expressed no objection, calmly followed Mizunashi Rena, and walked towards the wooden bench next to the fountain.
Just as Hoshimi Miyabi sat down as instructed—
"Now!" Gin gave the order to fire.
Bang! Bang!
Almost simultaneously, two muffled gunshots, processed by silencers, came from different high vantage points.
Chianti and Korn, two top snipers, pulled their triggers at the same time.
Two high-velocity spinning sniper rifle bullets tore through the air, at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, heading respectively for Hoshimi Miyabi's head and heart.
In the bushes, Jodie and Akai Shuichi's hearts were in their throats, their fingers tightly on the triggers, ready to respond to any sudden situation.
However, what happened next completely defied everyone's understanding.
Just in the flash of lightning before the bullets were about to hit their target, Hoshimi Miyabi, who had been sitting on the bench, stood up and made a motion as if she was sheathing a sword.
No one saw the flash of a blade, it was as if a frame had been skipped in a film.
The next second, only a few soft clinking sounds were heard.
The two deadly sniper bullets, inexplicably, broke cleanly in half vertically and fell to the ground at Hoshimi Miyabi's feet.
"What?!" Jodie couldn't help but exclaim, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.
Akai Shuichi's pupils contracted, and his face also showed shock.
In the sniper's nests on the tall buildings, Chianti and Korn, witnessing this bizarre scene through their scopes, were both stunned.
"How is that possible?! What happened?!" Chianti's voice came through the communication channel, filled with astonishment.
Vodka, standing nearby, was also dumbfounded, stammering, "A-Aniki! Wh-what's going on?! Wh-what did she do?!"
Gin, looking through his binoculars at Hoshimi Miyabi, who remained unharmed in the plaza and whose expression hadn't even changed, a flicker of annoyance crossed his eyes, but it immediately turned into an even colder killing intent.
"Hmph, she's not an ordinary character after all." He sneered, his tone chilling, "I had a backup plan ready. She can dodge bullets, but can she dodge this?"
He ordered into the microphone: "Kir, find an excuse to retreat!"
In the plaza, Mizunashi Rena received the order through her earpiece. Her expression subtly changed, and she immediately said to Hoshimi Miyabi.
"Excuse me, Section Chief Hoshimi, I think I left something in the car. I'll be right back."
With that, she quickly stood up and rapidly retreated into the distance.
Almost the instant Mizunashi Rena retreated to a safe distance, Gin pulled out a cell phone, quickly dialed a number, and made the call.
"Goodbye, mysterious Section Chief."