Chapter 363: The Jet-Black Bell Tree Express 5
"I can not believe a system like this actually exists on the train." After listening to Cointreau's detailed introduction, Bourbon stared at him, his expression completely unreadable. "Cointreau, I am exceedingly curious as to how you managed to get your hands on this. If memory serves me right, the collaboration with Ningguang's company was assigned to someone else entirely by the Boss. You and Ningguang should not have any connection whatsoever, right?"
"Who said we do not have a connection?" Cointreau leaned back against the corridor wall, a highly amused smirk playing on his lips. "I know Kaeya. Since Kaeya and Ningguang belong to the same organization, getting a hold of her contact information was not exactly a difficult task. Knowing he had certain arrangements on the Bell Tree Express, I simply asked him about the situation. Ningguang knew our organization was planning an operation on this very train, so she just sent me this software. What is the matter? Could it be that our resident intelligence expert, Bourbon, neither has Ningguang's contact information nor knows that she maintains a rather good relationship with the Suzuki family?"
Bourbon took a slow, deep breath, his jaw tightening slightly as he found himself completely unable to form a retort. Could he really admit out loud that not only did he lack Ningguang's contact information, but even Kaeya had completely cut off all communication with him after leaving Japan recently?
Deciding to cut his losses, Bourbon quickly changed the subject. He lowered his head to study the digital schematic of the train once more, tapping a finger against the screen right over the location of Car No. 8. "What is the meaning of these yellow dots clustered in this area? They do not even have names attached to them."
"Bourbon, your social skills are truly terrible," Cointreau casually mocked, his tone dripping with dry humor. He then shifted his gaze to follow Bourbon's finger on the illuminated screen map. "Oh, those. Those are just a few people I encountered while observing the environment on the train earlier. In my personal experience, passengers who know each other, have complex emotional entanglements, and stay in the exact same carriage are, nine times out of ten, going to cause some sort of massive trouble. I fully expect something chaotic will happen before long. I marked them simply to remind you to be careful during your operation. Ensure you do not let any unexpected incidents disrupt your plans."
"Heh." Bourbon rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "You actually believe in such baseless superstitions."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud, frantic commotion broke out from the corridor just a short distance away.
Cointreau offered a lazy shrug, a knowing glint in his eye. "Judging by the sound of those screams, it seems to be coming from Car No. 8. Maybe I was right after all, and a murder really did just happen." He turned his head to look directly at Bourbon. "Are you not going to go over and check out the situation?"
Bourbon stared at him, utterly speechless. A muscle feathered in his cheek as he looked down the long, carpeted hallway. Could it really be that Cointreau was right on the money?
Their covert conversation was mostly over anyway, and since Kogoro Mouri and his family happened to be staying in that exact area, Bourbon was indeed planning to head over. It was the perfect excuse to make contact and understand the developing situation firsthand without raising any undue suspicion.
Just before stepping away, Bourbon paused, turning back to confirm one last crucial detail with Cointreau. "Did you send this tracking software to Gin and Vodka? They are currently waiting at the terminal."
Cointreau smiled, shaking his head slightly. "No. They are not on the train, so having it would be entirely useless for them. I only gave access to you and Vermouth. I handed it over to Vermouth when I ran into her just before we boarded."
"Oh, that is right." Cointreau suddenly remembered something else, raising a hand to offer a final reminder just as Bourbon turned his back to leave. "Ningguang told me that Jirokichi Suzuki set up a few small traps throughout the train specifically meant for Kaitou Kid. Keep an eye out for those so you do not accidentally trigger anything."
Amuro simply waved a hand behind his back, a silent signal acknowledging that he had heard the warning loud and clear.
Slipping back into his friendly, approachable persona, Amuro walked briskly toward the direction of the noise. After slowly approaching the gathering crowd, he discovered that the incident really was centered entirely around Car No. 8.
Spotting Ran Mouri and the others standing just a short distance away from the carriage door, Amuro approached and greeted them with a warm, practiced smile. "I certainly did not expect you all to have boarded this train, too. How come I do not see Mr. Mouri around?"
Seeing Amuro suddenly appear, Ran Mouri looked pleasantly surprised. She offered a polite smile and quickly introduced her surrounding friends to the blonde man. Hearing his question, she gestured vaguely down the hall. "Dad is currently in the dining car. A case just happened right here, so he should be coming over very soon to investigate."
"What a coincidence." Shikanoin Heizou looked at Amuro with a bright, easygoing smile, remarking in a tone that seemed entirely unintentional. "This Bell Tree Express is truly interesting. I have been running into friends one after another all day. I met Miss Masumi Sera before boarding, and after getting on, I ran into Mr. Morikawa and now Mr. Amuro."
Heizou rubbed his chin, his eyes sparkling with great interest. "This makes me look forward to seeing if I will meet any other familiar friends along the way." As he spoke, Heizou's peripheral vision subtly flicked toward the carriage door right beside them. It had just opened a tiny crack moments ago, only to be swiftly and quietly pulled shut.
If his memory served him correctly, the people currently hiding inside that specific carriage should be Shuichi Akai, who was currently disguised as Subaru Okiya, and Shinichi Kudo's mother, Yukiko Kudo.
Listening to Heizou's casual remark, Amuro's sharp gaze briefly swept over the glowing Vision secured at the young detective's waist. A cheerful yet slightly distant smile appeared on his face. "Maybe. Some of the detectives on this train are quite famous for their deductive reasoning. As detectives ourselves, we naturally want to see them in action. Is that not what you were thinking too, Shikanoin?"
"You make a very good point." Heizou nodded in easy agreement, his expression perfectly pleasant.
At that exact moment, Kogoro Mouri, having finally heard the loud commotion regarding the incident, arrived at the scene, pushing his way through the gathering onlookers.
The people present quickly split into two distinct groups. Ran Mouri and Sonoko Suzuki, following Conan Edogawa's serious instructions, gathered up the Detective Boys and escorted them safely back to Room B of Car No. 6. Meanwhile, the remaining group—Natsume, Heizou, Amuro, and Conan—followed Kogoro directly into the crime scene to begin their investigation.
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