The cargo elevator shot upward through the steel shaft of the Aphrodite Cruise Ship.
Inside it—
Two detectives stood in tense silence.
Haruki Akizawa.
And Conan Edogawa.
The bomb in the cargo hold had been neutralized.
But the system had already confirmed something worse.
Another explosive.
Upper passenger deck.
Timer:
Less than twenty minutes.
Elevator — Rising
Conan pressed the elevator button repeatedly.
"Hurry up…"
Haruki stood still, eyes closed.
His mind was moving rapidly.
Strategic Foresight activated again.
[ STRATEGIC FORESIGHT ]
Possible Bomb Placement — Upper Deck
• Stage platform — 46%
• Lighting rig above stage — 21%
• Sound system cabinet — 17%
• Decorative statues / furniture — 9%
• Hidden inside ventilation — 7%
Haruki opened his eyes.
"Stage."
Conan immediately understood.
"The center of the party."
Which meant—
Hundreds of passengers were standing directly above it.
If the bomb exploded…
The deck floor itself could collapse.
Upper Deck Party Hall
The elevator doors opened.
Music blasted through the hall.
A luxurious gala event was happening.
Passengers laughed.
Champagne glasses clinked.
A band played jazz music on a large decorated stage.
None of them knew they were standing above a bomb.
Conan scanned the crowd quickly.
"Too many people."
Haruki replied calmly.
"We can't cause panic."
If they shouted "bomb"—
A stampede could kill people before the explosion even happened.
Timer:
00:17:41
Under the Stage
Haruki crouched near the stage edge.
Observation Boost activated.
He examined the wooden base carefully.
Then—
A faint vibration.
A ticking sound.
Haruki whispered.
"Found it."
Conan quickly slipped under the stage through a maintenance gap.
Darkness.
Cables.
Speakers.
Lighting wires.
And in the center—
A metal case attached to the main support beam.
The digital timer glowed in the dark.
00:16:22
Conan inhaled slowly.
"This one is bigger."
Haruki crawled inside beside him.
The bomb casing was heavy.
Industrial-grade explosive.
Much stronger than the cargo bomb.
If this detonated—
The entire dance floor would collapse.
System Scan
Haruki activated analysis.
[ SYSTEM ANALYSIS ]
Explosive Device Type: Structural Demolition Charge
Purpose:
Collapse support beams.
Estimated Casualties:
400 – 700
Conan clenched his fists.
"That bastard…"
Haruki remained calm.
Anger wouldn't solve the puzzle.
He studied the device carefully.
Different design.
Different circuits.
This bomb had two separate detonators.
Timer trigger.
And motion trigger.
If the device moved—
Detonation.
Conan realized the same thing.
"So we can't remove it."
Haruki nodded.
"Correct."
Which meant—
They had to disarm it in place.
Timer:
00:14:55
Unknown Observer
From the balcony above—
A man in a black suit watched the stage quietly.
His eyes moved toward the edge of the platform.
He knew exactly where the detectives were.
He whispered softly.
"You're doing well."
Then he checked his watch.
"Ten minutes until my favorite part."
Under the Stage
Haruki activated Logic Acceleration again.
His mind reconstructed the bomb structure.
Wire mapping.
Detonator circuits.
Trigger dependencies.
Conan leaned closer.
"What do you see?"
Haruki answered quietly.
"Two main circuits."
"Primary timer."
"Secondary vibration trigger."
Conan nodded.
"So if we cut the wrong wire…"
Haruki finished.
"The motion trigger activates."
And the bomb explodes instantly.
Timer:
00:12:33
Sweat rolled down Conan's forehead.
But Haruki's face remained calm.
He checked the system again.
[ PROBABILITY ANALYSIS ]
Cut Red Wire — Detonation (92%)
Cut Yellow Wire — Timer reset (unknown outcome)
Cut Black Wire — Motion trigger activation (87%)
Alternate Method:
Detonator isolation — 61% success
Conan whispered.
"What does your instinct say?"
Haruki looked at the detonator housing.
Then he noticed something unusual.
A second micro sensor.
Hidden behind the detonator casing.
Haruki spoke slowly.
"This bomb…"
"Is watching us."
Conan blinked.
"What?"
Haruki pointed.
A small camera lens hidden inside the device.
Someone was monitoring them again.
Conan groaned.
"So the mastermind wants to watch us fail."
Haruki replied calmly.
"Probably."
Above the Stage
The mysterious man watched the live feed.
The tiny bomb camera transmitted everything.
Haruki examining the wires.
Conan analyzing beside him.
The man smiled.
"Tick tock."
Under the Stage
Timer:
00:10:02
Haruki's mind raced.
Then—
Crime Scene Reconstruction activated automatically.
A vision appeared in his mind.
The bomber assembling the device.
Connecting the triggers.
Installing the camera.
Then attaching the detonator.
Haruki saw something important.
The vibration sensor wasn't directly connected to the explosive.
It was connected to the detonator casing.
Meaning—
If the detonator was removed carefully—
The vibration trigger would lose its signal.
Haruki spoke quietly.
"The detonator."
Conan looked again.
Then his eyes widened.
"You're right!"
Remove the detonator…
And the bomb loses ignition.
But—
The casing was extremely sensitive.
One mistake—
Detonation.
Timer:
00:07:11
Conan looked at Haruki.
"You do it."
Haruki glanced at him.
"You trust me?"
Conan smirked.
"You've earned it."
That was the closest thing to respect Conan would give.
Haruki slowly reached inside the bomb casing.
Millimeter by millimeter.
The detonator cylinder was small.
But incredibly delicate.
Haruki twisted it slowly.
Conan watched the timer.
00:06:02
00:05:41
00:05:20
The detonator slid out.
The timer instantly froze.
Then the screen went black.
The bomb was dead.
Silence
Under the stage—
Both detectives sat still for several seconds.
Then Conan exhaled.
"We did it."
Haruki nodded quietly.
But something still bothered him.
The mastermind.
This entire attack felt like a test.
Then—
Haruki felt it.
Danger Prediction activated again.
[ SYSTEM ALERT ]
Hostile individual nearby.
Distance: 12 meters.
Haruki slowly turned his head.
Toward the edge of the stage.
Someone was standing there.
Watching them.
The Man in Black
A tall man in a black suit stood near the stage entrance.
He clapped slowly.
"Impressive."
Conan crawled out from under the stage.
Haruki followed.
The man smiled calmly.
"I expected clever detectives."
"But not this clever."
Conan narrowed his eyes.
"You're the bomber."
The man bowed slightly.
"Correct."
Then his eyes moved to Haruki.
"But you…"
He studied Haruki carefully.
"You're the interesting one."
Haruki said nothing.
The man smiled wider.
Then turned and began walking toward the exit.
Conan shouted.
"Stop!"
But the man simply waved his hand.
"Tonight was only an introduction."
Then he disappeared into the crowd.
System Notification
Haruki's system activated again.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ]
Mission Completed
Cruise Ship Bombing Incident Resolved
Reward:
• Skill Upgrade — Observation Boost Lv.2
• Item — Evidence Scanner Lens
• Intelligence Points +6
But Haruki wasn't thinking about the rewards.
He was thinking about the man who just left.
Because something about him felt wrong.
Not just a criminal.
Something deeper.
Something dangerous.
Conan's Suspicion
Conan looked up at Haruki carefully.
Then said quietly.
"You knew there would be another bomb."
Haruki didn't answer immediately.
Conan continued.
"And earlier…"
"You predicted the cargo hold too."
His eyes narrowed.
"So tell me something."
Conan stared directly at him.
"Who exactly are you?"
Haruki met his gaze calmly.
For the first time—
The two geniuses were now investigating each other.
End of Chapter 19