"You do realize this is a crime, don't you?"
"I know. Why do you think I wear a mask?"
"…The law will punish you!"
"I know that too. That's why I stay out of the police's way."
"You've killed so many people. Doesn't your conscience hurt?"
"I'm cleaning up the filth of society. Why would my conscience hurt?"
"That's the police's job!"
"Then why aren't they doing it?"
"…"
Inside the Humvee, Conan — the self-proclaimed defender of justice — tried to talk some sense into the masked outlaw, Ren Kuroda.
After a long, heated "discussion," Conan realized something that left him deflated: everything Ren said… was true.
Even the boy genius had no rebuttal for hard reality.
He slumped back in his seat with a sigh. "These police officers are really something… what on earth are they even doing?"
Ren chuckled. If the cops could handle their jobs, kid, you detectives would be out of work.
They kept chatting idly until the Humvee reached the outskirts of the Kuroiwa estate.
Ren parked a short distance away — close enough to see, far enough not to alert anyone inside.
He got out of the vehicle, then turned to the small figure following him. "All right, go home and get some sleep. What's about to happen isn't for minors to watch — it's going to get bloody."
Conan's eyes narrowed. "You're going to kill again, aren't you?"
"If they weren't criminals, would I be here?" Ren replied flatly, waving him off. "This is no place for you. Go."
Conan didn't argue. He just turned and walked away silently.
Ren watched him leave, his brow furrowing.
Something felt… off.
No — very off.
That brat left way too easily.
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
As Lu Xun once said, "When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains — no matter how improbable — must be the truth."
A thought clicked into place in Ren's mind. He smirked and started moving forward.
Then — whoosh!
The sound of air being sliced came from behind him.
Without even turning, Ren spun his body and whipped his hand around in one smooth motion.
Smack!
He caught the high-speed soccer ball clean in his palm. Even through his glove, he could feel the heat from the friction.
Sliding down his night-vision goggles, he turned around leisurely.
There in the distance stood Conan, jaw dropped, eyes wide with disbelief.
Ren smirked.
Ha. Knew it. The little brat wouldn't just walk away.
Couldn't win with words, so he tried to knock me out instead?
I've been expecting that trick.
"Game's over, kid. Go home," Ren said, ready to toss the soccer ball back — but when he noticed the air hissing out of it, he just dropped it to the ground.
Conan sighed heavily and turned away, shoulders slumped in defeat.
Ren tossed the half-deflated ball aside and continued down the moonlit path.
After a while, he slipped into the shadows where the light couldn't reach, activated his night vision, and waited.
A few minutes later, a small figure crept into view.
Conan — shoes in hand, tiptoeing barefoot like a cartoon burglar.
Not a single sound.
Ren grinned. Knew it. The kid never quits.
Trying to sneak up for a surprise attack? Too green for that.
With that thought, he opened the System's Life tab and quietly purchased a stainless-steel pipe.
Then — thunk!
The pipe came down hard.
Conan barely had time to glance back before the world spun — the metal pipe filled his vision, growing larger and larger until—
Wham!
Stars exploded in his eyes. He blacked out instantly, collapsing to the ground.
Damn it… this move again… was his last, bitter thought before everything went dark.
"Done and dusted," Ren said cheerfully, tossing the pipe away.
With the meddlesome detective handled, he picked up his pace and headed toward the Kuroiwa estate.
But even from afar, he could see crowds of people gathered near the gates.
Ren frowned. "What the hell…?"
A rustle came from the forest beside him. He turned and saw Narumi Asai step out from the trees.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"They're… townsfolk," Asai said helplessly. "I… I can't bring myself to do it."
"Townsfolk? Really?" Ren scoffed. "Since when do ordinary villagers carry guns? Since when do small towns support drug traffickers?"
He crossed his arms. "Face it — these aren't citizens. They're on the other side. Every one of them is a criminal."
"You can't do it? Fine. I'll handle it."
Before Asai could react, Ren snatched the detonator from her hands.
"Wait—!" she started to say.
Too late.
Click.
The button was pressed.
BOOM!!!
The island shook violently as dozens of buried C4 charges detonated all at once.
The shockwaves rippled through the earth — rumble, roar, crack! — like a monster clawing its way out from the depths.
The ground heaved, fire and dust bursting skyward, a thunderous roar ripping the air apart. Even with his ears covered, Ren was left momentarily deafened.
When the rumbling faded, the crowd that had been at the gate… was gone. Completely gone. Not a trace of them — not even scraps of clothing.
"Clean work," Ren muttered, impressed.
But then he frowned as droplets began to fall from above.
Wait — not rain.
Chunks of dirt and rock.
"Oh," he murmured, realization dawning.
They hadn't been vaporized — they'd been launched sky-high with the debris.
As the "mud rain" fell, the night ahead turned pitch-black, the Kuroiwa estate disappearing entirely in the storm of earth and smoke.
Ren let out a low whistle. "Now that's a spectacle."
Asai, meanwhile, stood frozen.
Her brain had short-circuited — she had never seen anything like this.
When she finally regained her senses and looked at the massive crater before them, her face went pale with guilt.
Her voice trembled. "I… I've done something unforgivable…"
Ren's hearing was slowly returning. He turned to her and said with an easy smile, "You kidding? Look at it this way — half the parasites infesting your hometown just got wiped out!"
He gestured toward the smoking crater. "Once we take down the rest of their base and put a decent leader in charge, this island will finally have a future. Fresh, alive — reborn."
He clapped her on the shoulder. "Your father's spirit would be proud. If he could see this, he'd tell everyone, 'That's my daughter — she's no coward!'"
Asai wasn't exactly a saint to begin with — she was a woman driven by revenge.
And as Ren's words sank in, they started to make sense.
He was right.
Why should she feel guilty?
Half the scum were dead. She should be relieved.
Without those people, how many families would be spared the poison of drugs? How many homes would still be whole?
The guilt melted away, replaced by something else — a fierce, burning excitement.
The thought of vengeance finally within reach made her pulse quicken.
For the first time that night, Narumi Asai smiled.