Hayashi Yoshiki smiled and raised both hands, signaling he wouldn't do anything.
Lupin, holding a gun to the hostage's head, raised an eyebrow.
His somewhat comical monkey-like face twisted into a sly grin as he loudly said,
"Sorry, I still don't quite trust you... Hey, kid, could you stop aiming that watch at me?"
He said this to Conan, who was beside him with a serious expression, aiming at him with the cover of his wristwatch.
Conan didn't flinch.
Lupin then said,
"Give that handsome guy over there a shot, or else maybe I'll shoot this hostage here."
Conan narrowed his eyes and looked at Hayashi Yoshiki.
Hayashi Yoshiki met his gaze and smiled,
"You wouldn't really use a tranquilizer dart on me, right? The dose that could take down an elephant? I couldn't handle that."
"No way."
Conan immediately denied it and looked back at Lupin.
"Don't sound so confident, Lupin."
That's where the trouble was.
Everyone thought he wouldn't shoot the hostage, so his threats carried no weight, Lupin complained inwardly.
Still, the situation didn't make him nervous.
After all, he had the ore in hand, and the hostage wasn't really the type to use as leverage...
"It's getting late. How about everyone takes a step back, I leave with the goods, and everyone goes their separate ways?"
He cautiously took a step back.
But Amuro Toru and the other Public Security officers immediately stepped forward.
"You may leave," Amuro said, eyes fixed on the suitcase held under Lupin's arm,
"But the goods stay here."
"Are you kidding? This is still unregistered contraband. Does the Japanese Public Security have the right to stretch so far?"
"You're standing on our national soil. Bringing dangerous items that threaten international peace without permission means we have every right to regulate and seize them!"
Amuro pressed forward even more.
The Vespanian ore was a must-have for them.
Lupin immediately showed a helpless expression.
Meanwhile, Hayashi Yoshiki, still holding up his hands in surrender, glanced at his watch.
Lupin noticed and immediately grew alert...
At that moment, in the hangar, the blond man, Aron Smithy, who had been watching the drama for a long time, finally lost patience.
He quietly gave the order to act.
Soon, several searchlights lit up the empty maintenance area, flooding the scene with daylight-like brightness.
Multiple armored vehicles, each with machine guns mounted on top, fiercely charged in and began indiscriminate firing.
Hayashi Yoshiki quickly retreated and took cover.
Lupin angrily shoved the hostage aside and rolled away.
Amuro, his Public Security team, Jodie, and the others returned fire and scattered.
Bang! Bang!
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
Bullets hitting the windshields of the armored vehicles caused frosted cracks immediately.
But the machine guns on top unleashed a chain-gun-like barrage, ripping through the asphalt and sending terrifying shockwaves around.
Daisuke Jigen also fired twice while dodging.
Amid the gunfire, two gunners atop separate armored vehicles were shot in the forehead and died on the spot, causing the intense assault to momentarily falter.
As Jigen prepared to fire at another armored vehicle's gunner, his target was suddenly shot in the back of the head by a bullet.
"Whoa, pretty skilled."
He looked toward Amuro.
But Aron Smithy's men were more than just that.
Next moment, an armed thug pulled out a rocket launcher from a vehicle and fired at the hangar entrance.
The rocket soared with a terrifying roar, unstoppable, and slammed into the vintage car parked there.
Boom!
Orange flames and deafening shockwaves surged outward, scattering chunks of asphalt in all directions.
Even Hayashi Yoshiki, hiding behind cover, felt the heat and shockwaves in the air, with many shards hitting near his feet...
He looked around quietly, then noticed two more armored vehicles rushing toward the scene.
But one of Lupin's partners, watching from high above—the hangar's upper level—Goemon Ishikawa finally took action.
With several jumps, he leapt down from the dizzying height, drew his shining katana, and faced the armored vehicles and hail of bullets.
Then came a scene that shattered everyone's worldview.
With only his katana, Goemon broke through the enemy's machine-gun fire and fiercely sliced the armored vehicles and the enemies inside as if cutting cloth.
"You really are more reliable than Jigen, Goemon!"
Lupin, who had fallen to the ground, quickly got up and laughed.
"Cutting away all the unnecessary stuff again."
Goemon lowered his eyes, as if sighing.
Hayashi Yoshiki stared at Goemon seriously.
This guy, once he had a sword in hand, was a real glitch.
Even Kyogoku Makoto, considered a glitch-level prodigy in the world of "Conan," couldn't compare.
His swordsmanship was a miracle no one could replicate... to compare it with Goemon's ability to slice through iron like mud, even planes and satellites, Kyogoku would need to have trained so much as to emit energy waves from bare hands.
Unfortunately, this guy was on Lupin's side.
With Lupin around, Hayashi Yoshiki had basically no chance of recruiting him as an ally.
Most importantly, Hayashi Yoshiki didn't know Lupin's real name or true appearance—his comical monkey face was just a mask.
Just as everyone exhaled in relief,
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, followed by Conan's cry of pain.
Everyone immediately turned.
Conan's arm was hit by a bullet; he cried out, sweating profusely as he clutched the wound.
A figure quickly approached and scooped him up.
"Bastard!"
Daisuke Jigen raised his gun immediately, but was stopped by a shout:
"Don't move!"
The blond man in a suit, Aron Smithy, pressed his gun against Conan's head.
"If you want to shoot me, then go ahead. Even if my head gets pierced by a bullet, I'll still pull the trigger..."
He glanced around.
Whether it was the angry Jigen, the clearly tense Hayashi Yoshiki, or the FBI and Lupin's group, Aron Smithy observed their reactions and smiled.
He had been secretly watching all along.
Among everyone here, this kid who looked nothing like a child was undoubtedly the most special.
Not only did he have ties with the FBI, but Lupin's group also seemed to be playing along with him.
As for this detective called Hayashi Yoshiki, who arrived later, Aron Smithy didn't know much about him, but judging by Lupin's wariness, he was no ordinary person.
No matter.
They were also nervous about the hostage in their hands.
Japanese Public Security...
Aron Smithy looked toward the man whose face was completely covered—the apparent leader of this operation—silently waiting for his signal.
"Put the guns down first."
Amuro frowned, looking at the kidnapped Conan, but finally ordered his armed men to lower their weapons.
Though the Vespanian ore was a must-have, if possible, there was no need to sacrifice a child's life.
Especially since this child seemed somewhat special...
Amuro's eyes, hidden behind his helmet, carefully studied the hostage Conan, full of curiosity.
Ever since the incident at the villa at dusk, he had noticed Conan was different from an ordinary child.
And today, his behavior didn't seem like a kid's at all, even involving the FBI...
"Give me back the suitcase."
Seeing everyone hesitant, Aron Smithy smiled and looked directly at Lupin.
Without a word, Lupin put the suitcase down and pushed it forward.
"And you'd better stay away from me."
Aron Smithy didn't pick up the suitcase but held Conan and slowly stood up.
Noticing the others were only moving back slowly, he shouted fiercely,
"Don't force me to kill this kid!!"
"Alright, alright, calm down!"
"Everyone, step back."
After Lupin and the Public Security officers quickly moved aside, Aron Smithy glanced around and urged his men to hurry over.
A man in a black suit rushed over anxiously.
Aron Smithy looked toward the plane parked far away in the hangar, spoke into his earpiece,
"Pilot, can you hear me? Start the engines, we're taking off immediately."
"Roger."
"Grab the suitcase and bring the car."
"Yes!"
The men picked up the suitcase and ran to the car.
Seeing Aron Smithy swaggering toward the car with Conan in tow, Hayashi Yoshiki glanced at Luciano Carnevale lying in a pool of blood inside the hangar and smiled faintly.
At this moment, it should have been this Italian Mafia man rushing to ask Aron Smithy about the money, then carrying the suitcase and boarding the plane with him.
But now he was already dead.
After all, Hayashi Yoshiki needed to confirm the timing of the staged act by him wearing the gas mask.
[Luciano Carnevale]
[Cause of death: Gunshot]
[September 23rd, 7:45 PM, at an old maintenance hangar near Haneda Airport, preparing for a deal.]
[At 8:17 PM, affected by tear gas, lost consciousness inside the hangar.]
[At 8:31 PM, struck by stray bullets, including three to the forehead, causing instant death.]
Recalling the writing on the now-burnt paper, Hayashi Yoshiki quietly smiled, unnoticed.
"Destroy all their cars."
Aron Smithy ordered.
At his command, his men immediately drew their guns and opened fire on the nearby vehicles.
"Where are your cars?"
Standing a little further away watching the cars get destroyed, Lupin turned to Jodie and the others.
"You thought we'd drive here to sneak up?" Jodie replied coldly.
"What now? If we call a helicopter now, they'll be long gone."
James Black also said.
"Then we can only rely on those Public Security guys..."
Lupin glanced warily at Amuro's team and muttered, then suddenly looked at Hayashi Yoshiki.
"Hey, you must have some backup plan, right?"
"Don't expect too much from me. I do, but it's useless in this situation."
Hayashi Yoshiki said as he looked at his E-210W, riddled with bullet holes, without regret.
At this moment, after confirming all the cars were disabled, Aron Smithy decisively forced Conan into the car.
The car immediately headed for the plane already started at a distance.
"What now? Run after them?" Judy asked anxiously.
"How would I know? Just pray that smart kid figures something out~"
Lupin shrugged.
"Don't worry so much. Did you forget someone?"
"Who? Oh! You mean Fujiko-chan~"
Mentioning Mine Fujiko, Lupin's whole expression brightened.
Indeed, that woman wouldn't stand being toyed with by men. Lupin knew her well enough to guess she'd appear soon.
"No, don't act like you know Fujiko better than me!"
"Heh heh."
Hayashi Yoshiki ignored him.
Sure enough, after a few seconds, the sound of motorcycles reached them.
Accompanied by Fujiko's shout,
"Lupin~"
A Harley motorcycle swiftly approached and dramatically slid to a stop in front of them.
"All done?"
Fujiko smiled happily as she looked at the scene.
Hayashi Yoshiki noticed Ai Haibara sitting in her arms, surprised.
"Ai?"
"Hmph."
Seeing Hayashi Yoshiki also there, Ai scowled and made a little sound.
Hayashi Yoshiki was a bit surprised.
"No way, the real show is just getting started."
Lupin answered Fujiko's question.
After a brief explanation of the situation, Lupin cheerfully jumped onto Fujiko's back.
She didn't refuse, chuckled, and twisted the throttle hard.
They could already see the plane speeding down the runway.
The rear door opened and lowered, and Aron Smithy's car quickly approached and drove inside.
The plane's door was closed.
While the Harley raced forward, Fujiko suddenly looked down at Ai in her arms.
"Can you hold the handlebars for me?"
"Why should I do that?"
"Then you shoot?"
Without waiting for Ai's reply, Fujiko pulled out a rocket launcher from her weapon bag.
"No worries, just one shot and it's over."
"W-wait! Fujiko, that kid's on the plane too!" Lupin shouted.
"Not my problem~"
"If you do that, I'll turn the bike around and smash you to bits."
"Then will you tell me the secret of that drug...?"
This woman really never gives up.
Ai Haibara looked helpless as she glanced at Fujiko's joyful face in the rearview mirror.
"Fine, just because you took me for a drive to cheer me up."
"Ha, men... here's a tip: don't take them too seriously, just keep an eye on them."
Fujiko smiled and casually tossed aside the rocket launcher, pulling out two submachine guns instead.
Ai didn't bother replying, just helped her shift gears while revving the throttle hard.