The night after Jiangxia called the police.
Conan led the other three "bear children" through the treasure map, all the way to the building with the ominous words "Ghost Cherry" written on it.
By this point, even the three first-graders were losing their minds with excitement.
Honestly, even Conan was a bit hyped up at the thought of all those gold coins—enough to take a proper bath in. After all, let's not forget, he's a 17-year-old plus-sized kid trapped in a kid's body.
The group cheered, and Conan, with all the elegance of a slightly more mature child, took the lead and ran into the building with a big grin.
However, as soon as he stepped inside, Conan caught a glimpse of something off. He whipped his head around and froze in horror.
A few tall, sneaky figures were standing right by the door, blending into the wall.
Conan's heart skipped a beat. He immediately thought of the Italian robbers who had been on the run.
He stopped in his tracks, about to warn the others to run. But before he could say anything, Sneaky Figure #1 reached out, grabbed Conan, and slapped a hand over his mouth.
It was dark outside—perfect for shady dealings. The other three children had no idea what was going on, and blindly followed Conan right into the trap.
One by one, they were caught by the ambushers.
Conan watched in horror as this unfolded. It must be the robbers, lying in wait at the end of the treasure hunt.
Conan gritted his teeth, looking up at the so-called "robbers." According to the usual script, these crooks would start cackling maniacally, whip out their pistols, click them ominously, and press the barrel to their heads, demanding to know where the treasure was hidden.
But instead, the figure in the suit who had grabbed him didn't smirk or laugh. His face remained stone cold.
The big guy reached into his pocket, pulled something out, and—
A police badge.
"Children," the officer said, his voice trying to sound reassuring despite his heavy dark circles from overtime, "Don't be afraid, we're the police."
Conan blinked. "...?"
He squinted, his brain still trying to catch up. He stared at the badge for a moment, then realized that it looked... genuine.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and it finally hit him. This group really was the police. The officer who was holding Ayumi behind him was none other than Takagi, a familiar face.
Conan wiped some cold sweat off his forehead, feeling completely confused. "Why do you...?"
"Shh—" Sato Miwako suddenly emerged from the shadows, putting a finger to her lips as she gestured for them to follow her.
She instructed the children to step aside, then crouched at the door, preparing to ambush the robbers—who, based on the "anonymous" tip, were likely to follow the kids into the building.
Three robbers appeared, as predicted.
Despite their imposing height and the fact they were packing heat, they were surprisingly easy to take down.
Sato kicked over two of them with ease, and Takagi pushed the third one down with barely any effort. The robbers were handcuffed and carted off to the police station before they even knew what hit them.
Sato exhaled in relief.
She turned to the four bewildered children and started to lead them back to the station.
But the kids refused to go with her.
One of the kids, the little boy with glasses, said something that completely stunned everyone: "The 15,000 gold coins that were stolen should be hidden here!"
Sato's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
But Conan, in terms of surprise, wasn't shocked by "there's a treasure on the roof." Instead, he was wondering how the kids knew about it.
Sato knelt down and ruffled the children's heads gently. "Thanks for the info, but the gold coins aren't here anymore. Let's head back to the police station first, and we can talk about this later."
—After the anonymous tip was received, the police rushed to the building without hesitation. The location was incredibly specific, and the tip had mentioned an internationally wanted criminal. The police conducted a thorough search inside and out.
But when it came to the gold coins? Nothing. The only thing they found were a few empty bags tossed aside on the top floor.
...
Sato led the confused bear children back to the police station, while the robbers were taken to the other side.
The treatment was... slightly different. The kids were seated in a comfortable office, munching on biscuits and sipping hot tea.
But Conan wasn't in the mood for biscuits. He was way more concerned about why the police had set up an ambush in the building and how the robbers had followed them there.
His questions were quickly answered.
Takagi flipped through his notes and asked the kids, "By the way, has anyone met a person who calls themselves 'Anonymous'?"
Now that the robbers were caught, the stolen goods were gone, and the name "Anonymous" was starting to feel a little suspicious.
"No," Conan said after thinking about it. "But... did 'Anonymous' tell you the robbers were going to the Sakura Building? And mention us?"
Takagi blinked in surprise.
He'd expected the kids to have trouble remembering details. Instead, after just one question, Conan pieced everything together like it was nothing.
Wait—no, upon further reflection, it probably made more sense that the kids had already been in contact with "Anonymous," so they immediately connected the dots!
Takagi's spirits lifted. This could be a big break.
He grabbed his recording pen and played an anonymous tip to the children.
"That's the sound. Have you heard it before?"
But instead of the recognition he expected, all four kids shook their heads.
The voice on the recording was smooth, hypnotic even, with a rhythm that stuck in your head. It was incredibly distinctive.
Conan had a sharp memory, and even he was sure—he hadn't heard that voice in a long time, if ever.
He'd never met "Anonymous." At least, not directly. And definitely not over the phone.
From what Takagi had said about the anonymous call, Conan speculated that "Anonymous" must have simply seen the treasure map in the kids' hands, then put two and two together. "The kids are looking for treasure, they're going to the building, and they're probably being followed by robbers," was the most logical guess. And that's when they'd made the call.
This realization gave Conan an idea of how to track down "Anonymous."
Conan was an observant kid, always paying attention to the time.
If he could figure out when the anonymous call came in, he could compare it to when and where they were on the treasure hunt. That would help narrow down where "Anonymous" might have been during that time and possibly lead to some surveillance footage or witnesses in the area.
He was certain this approach would work.
Conan pushed his glasses up and asked urgently, "What time did she call?"
"Hold on, let me check."
Takagi flipped through his notes and answered quickly, "Yesterday at 9:17 AM."
Conan froze.
His eyes narrowed in disbelief.
He blinked twice, sure he hadn't heard correctly. "Yesterday??"
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 20/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS*
Glossary:
Bear children: A playful term for mischievous or troublesome children.
Anonymous: The mysterious, unnamed tipster who has been helping the police with inside information. This will be the MC's own organisation and have loads of funny interactions with the cast, and even the Black Org.