Chapter 335: Car Chase
Guided by the gentle breeze and their sheer proximity to the scene, Diluc and Venti arrived at the target location a step ahead of Toru Amuro, Okiya Subaru, and the rest of the pursuit team. Diluc brought the vehicle to a smooth halt just below the building where the final robber, a woman named Tegawa, was cornered. Up ahead, Conan had just wrapped up his deduction, having successfully identified Tegawa as the culprit right after securing a promise from Kei Kenzuka that she wouldn't do anything reckless.
Through the windshield, Diluc and Venti watched the situation instantly deteriorate. The woman lurking by the parked car suddenly twisted her features into a ferocious snarl. She yanked the door open, grabbed the little boy sitting in the passenger seat by his collar, and dragged him inside. A sharp gunshot rang out, shattering the tense silence as she threatened Kei in the driver's seat, demanding she step on the gas.
Tires squealed against the asphalt, kicking up a cloud of white smoke. In the blink of an eye, the hijacked car roared past Diluc and Venti.
Time seemed to slow for a fraction of a second as the fleeing vehicle blew past. Venti, lounging in the passenger seat, glanced out the window and locked eyes directly with Conan. The young detective was currently staring down the dark, cold barrel of a pistol. Then, the car was gone, leaving only the smell of burnt rubber in its wake.
"Let's go! After them!" Venti cheered, clapping his hands together. "Let's go rescue our reckless little protagonist!"
While the bard wasn't entirely drunk, the copious amount of alcohol he had consumed earlier left him feeling more than a little high-spirited. He leaned forward, emerald eyes sparkling with the thrill of the chase.
Inside the hijacked vehicle, Conan caught sight of a familiar car in the rearview mirror. It had already merged into traffic and was steadily closing the distance.
Meanwhile, Dr. Agasa's yellow Beetle had just arrived in the vicinity. The sharp crack of the gunshot echoed down the street, drawing their immediate attention to the fleeing car. Ai Haibara stared intently at the glowing dot on her tracker's display. Her fingers tightened around the device as she hurriedly informed Dr. Agasa and Subaru that Conan was trapped inside the vehicle that had just sped past them.
Subaru narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. While it was highly suspicious that an unknown car was already tailing Conan, their absolute priority was to keep the boy in their sights. The Beetle's engine whined as Dr. Agasa slammed the pedal down.
Across town, Kogoro Mouri's phone buzzed frantically. Dr. Agasa's panicked voice fed him the color, model, and license plate number of the getaway car. Sitting beside him, Toru Amuro absorbed the details instantly. His sharp gaze scanned the oncoming traffic until he spotted the target vehicle blurring past in the opposite lane.
Amuro didn't hesitate. He yanked the steering wheel hard, executing a flawless, tire-screeching drift that whipped their car around to the opposite lane. The engine roared as he accelerated, merging aggressively into the pursuit. Masumi Sera, riding her motorcycle, leaned low over the handlebars and followed closely in his wake.
The narrow city streets transformed into a chaotic battleground. Five different vehicles were now locked in a frantic, high-speed chase, weaving dangerously through the evening traffic.
Despite the cold metal pressed against his temple, Conan's mind raced. The danger was imminent, yet his thoughts drifted back to the brief, startling eye contact he had made with the boy in the pursuing car. Those smiling, emerald-green eyes were completely devoid of fear.
'Who is he?'Conan thought, his pulse hammering in his ears.'He looked at me like he recognized me.'And if his quick glimpse hadn't deceived him, the man gripping the steering wheel next to that boy was none other than Diluc.'What are the odds of running into members of the Teyvat Organization here?'Conan gritted his teeth.'Does that mean the kid in green is one of them too?'
Before the detective could piece the puzzle together, a violent jolt rocked the cabin. Metal crunched against metal. The car trailing them had just rammed directly into their rear bumper without a shred of warning! The sheer kinetic force threw everyone forward, the chassis groaning under the impact.
The collision was so abrupt that Tegawa lost her balance. The pistol pressed against Conan's head slipped away for a fraction of a second.
Conan's hand instantly twitched toward his wrist, ready to deploy his stun-gun watch. But the golden window of opportunity slammed shut before he could even flip the sight open.
Tegawa recovered with terrifying speed. She lunged forward, her left hand clamping down viciously around Conan's slender neck. She squeezed, pinning him back against the seat and cutting off his air supply. Snapping the pistol back up, she leveled the dark muzzle directly at Kei's head.
"Drive properly!" Tegawa shrieked, her face contorted with desperate rage. "If you try any more tricks, I'll blow your brains out right here!"
Kei gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white. She threw a panicked glance at the choking boy beside her. "The car behind us just rammed into me! I'm not playing any tricks, I swear! Please, just loosen your grip a little—the boy can't breathe!"
While Kei was distracted, desperately trying to keep the car steady while pleading for Conan's life, the vehicle that had just rear-ended them surged forward, pulling up perfectly parallel to her window.
The glass rolled down. A youth with twin braids leaned casually out of the window, the rushing wind tugging at his clothes. He offered Kei a bright, entirely out-of-place smile.
"Hello there, miss!" Venti called out over the roaring engines. "It looks like you've found yourself in a bit of trouble. Do you need some help?"
"No..." Kei stammered, horrified at the thought of dragging an innocent passerby into a hostage situation. "It's dangerous! Little brother, stay back, don't come any closer—"
"Shut up! Keep your eyes on the road!" Tegawa roared at Kei, before whipping her head toward the adjacent car. "And you, mind your own business!" She jammed the gun harder against Kei's temple, demanding she floor the accelerator to shake off the meddling nuisance.
With the woman's fingers digging into his windpipe, Conan couldn't turn his head. He strained his eyes, catching only a peripheral glimpse of Venti pulling back into his seat. To the untrained eye, the youth looked like he had been scared off by the screaming woman.
But Conan knew better. Anyone riding shotgun with a high-ranking member of the Teyvat Organization wouldn't be intimidated by a common thug with a handgun.
Sure enough, the pursuing vehicle didn't back down. The engine let out a deafening roar as Diluc floored the gas pedal. The car surged forward with explosive speed, breaking the neck-and-neck formation. With a sharp, aggressive jerk of the steering wheel, Diluc executed a flawless lane change, cutting sharply in front of the hijacked car.
"Change lanes, now!" Tegawa shrieked, her chest heaving with sudden panic.
"Right, right..." Kei stammered, her hands trembling on the wheel. But the maneuver had happened too fast. Her mind was still reeling from the chaos, and her reflexes lagged.
In that fatal second of hesitation, the vehicle directly in front of them locked its tires and slammed on the brakes without a single warning.
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