As soon as he was out of Ran and Shinichi's sight, Shiraishi E began to run.
While running, he pulled out his phone to check the location he was tracking. His earlier act of getting close to the police car to speak with Officer Takagi was just a ruse. His real intention was to secretly plant a tracking device.
Shiraishi E could tell at a glance that the two criminals were the type to hold a grudge. He knew that once they were released from prison, they would undoubtedly seek revenge. He wasn't afraid for himself, but he couldn't risk them going after his friends and family. He didn't dare gamble their safety on the conscience of two convicts.
Soon, the phone successfully pinpointed the location of Takagi's vehicle.
Shiraishi E looked at the route they were taking and quickly determined the path Takagi intended to use to return to the Metropolitan Police Department.
He darted into an alley, taking a shortcut to intercept the car. As he ran, he started shedding his clothes, feeling like a DC superhero in that moment.
"High school students these days are something else," Takagi said, chatting with his partner Chiba as he drove back to the police headquarters. "Starting to catch criminals at this age, and dangerous ones with guns, no less!"
"When I was their age, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life," he added.
Chiba nodded in agreement. "You're telling me. I loved anime so much, I thought I'd end up working in the industry. I never in a million years imagined I'd become a police detective!"
"Man, seeing how capable they are really shows you the gap between people!"
As they were chatting, they suddenly heard a loud "BANG!" and the car spun out of control.
"What was that?" Takagi instinctively slammed on the brakes, forcing the car to a halt.
Before he could even process what had happened, he heard the sound of shattering glass.
"What's going on?" Chiba turned around and froze, completely stunned.
A hole had been blown through the chests of the two criminals. Blood was pouring out as their bodies twitched. (They were handcuffed to the front seats, so they couldn't lie down and were slumped forward.)
When Takagi turned and saw the scene, his scalp tingled with fear. Realizing what must have happened, he quickly looked out the window and spotted a man in a mask on the roof of a four-story building.
"I see him!" Takagi shouted, unbuckling his seatbelt. He threw open the door and ran across the traffic-filled street toward the building.
"Hey! Takagi! Don't go, it's dangerous!" Chiba yelled after him, snapping back to reality. But it was no use; he could only watch as Takagi got further away.
He quickly pulled out his phone, his hands trembling as he called Inspector Megure. "Inspector! We're in trouble!"
"You think you can offend the abbot and just walk away?" Shiraishi E smirked and pulled the trigger.
One shot blew out the tire, forcing the car to stop.
Another shot.
A 12.7mm sniper bullet pierced straight through the two kidnappers. Not even Jesus could save them now.
"Job done!" Just as Shiraishi E was about to leave, he saw Officer Takagi getting out of the car and running towards him.
Is Officer Takagi always this brave? He's coming at me even after seeing I have a sniper rifle? He was surprised, but also felt a sense of admiration. There weren't many police officers this dedicated in the world. Most cops in this situation would choose to hide rather than charge straight in. For such a small salary, why risk your life?
Brave, but not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Shiraishi E thought for a moment and decided against leaving immediately. If he just left, Officer Takagi would have no leads and would surely be blamed for failing to protect the suspects. Someone had to take the fall for this. Since they died at his hands, who else could it be? Surely not his superiors.
Shiraishi E wasn't worried about being recognized. The "Azu Mask" he was wearing only covered the top half of his face, but it had an appearance-altering feature.
He calmly packed up his sniper rifle and started walking down the stairs, one step at a time. Soon, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps from below. The sharp clack-clack of leather shoes echoed on the staircase.
Shiraishi E waited at a corner, listening as the sound grew closer. He timed it perfectly, stepping out to collide squarely with Takagi.
"Ah!" Takagi was knocked to the ground with a cry of surprise. The young detective was about to say something when he saw the familiar masked man. He immediately shouted, "Freeze! Police!"
Only after shouting did he hastily draw his pistol.
Shiraishi E could tell from the man's fumbling that he lacked real combat experience. He swung his sniper rifle like a club, knocking Takagi's gun aside.
Takagi cried out in pain but immediately grabbed onto the sniper rifle, staring intently at the man. "Why did you kill them?" he yelled.
"You police are funny, always asking pointless questions," Shiraishi E chuckled. "If I told you I didn't know them and just killed them because I felt like it, would you believe me?"
"You're one of them, aren't you?!" Takagi finally realized.
"What do you think?" Seeing that Takagi was catching on, Shiraishi E didn't waste any more words. He kicked Takagi in the stomach, let go of the rifle, and turned to run down the stairs.
"Ugh..." Takagi tried to give chase, but the sharp pain in his abdomen stopped him. It took him several minutes to catch his breath.
"Da...dammit!" Takagi was frustrated, but seeing the abandoned sniper rifle in his hands, he knew he at least had something. He quickly found his service pistol and went back to find Chiba.
Chiba was helping the patrol officers block off the road when he saw Takagi return carrying a sniper rifle. He was shocked.
He rushed over. "Officer Takagi, did you catch the killer?"
"No... he knocked me down," Takagi said helplessly. "But I managed to grab his sniper rifle."
"Whew... as long as you're okay. Don't be so reckless next time!" Chiba chided. "He clearly didn't want to kill you! If he did, you would've been shot dead the moment you ran over."
Now that he had calmed down, Takagi realized how reckless he had been. He scratched his head and said with a bitter smile, "You're right, I was too impulsive... By the way, what about the two criminals? Are they okay?"
"How could they be okay?" Chiba said, exasperated. "They had massive holes in their chests. They were gone not long after you ran off."
"...Right," Takagi sighed, his face troubled. "Ah, this is a mess. The criminals died on my watch."
"There was nothing we could do. I'm sure Inspector Megure will understand," Chiba said, not too worried. The same thing would have happened no matter who was in charge. Who could have expected a sniper to be waiting for them?
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