32: Chapter 32: Nobody Knows Bomb Defusal Better Than Me

"Give me the briefcase! Now!"

Fujino ignored the judgmental stares of the other passengers, his voice sharp and demanding as he confronted the woman.

"No! Leave me alone!"

The woman continued her charade, playing the victim.

"I already told you, I'm not interested in you! What more do you want?!"

Okay, the soft approach didn't work. Time for plan B.

Fujino frowned, activated his system enhancement, grabbed the woman's arms firmly, and executed a clean shoulder throw.

The briefcase flew from her grasp, tumbling through the air.

"Conan! Catch the case!"

"Got it!"

Like a determined terrier, Conan leaped, catching the briefcase mid-air and cushioning its fall with his own body as he hit the floor, protecting the deadly contents.

"Hey! How dare you treat a lady like that!"

A man nearby, clearly disapproving of Fujino's methods, stood up and swung a punch at him.

Fujino's eyes snapped towards the attacker, his gaze piercing.

The next instant, a swift roundhouse kick connected squarely with the man's side.

"Ugh!"

The man crumpled onto a nearby seat, clutching his ribs and groaning.

But taking down one only emboldened others.

Seeing the rising tide of righteous indignation among the 'good citizens' filling the carriage, Fujino realized this could get ugly fast.

If he didn't de-escalate quickly, he'd be overwhelmed.

Thinking fast, before more people jumped in, he yelled at the top of his lungs:

"There's a BOMB in that woman's briefcase! Do you all want to DIE?!"

"A bomb?!"

Panic erupted.

The carriage instantly filled with screams and shoving as passengers scrambled towards the exits.

The man Fujino had just kicked down was trampled in the stampede, footprints marking his back, before he too managed to crawl away.

Within seconds, the first-class carriage was empty, save for Fujino and Conan.

"Alright, can you open this thing?"

Fujino walked over to Conan, examining the briefcase.

"No luck,"

Conan reported, having tried the latches.

"It's locked..."

With a single, well-aimed punch, he shattered the combination lock.

"Whoa! Fujino, what are you doing?!"

Conan yelped, startled by the forceful entry.

"Aren't you afraid it'll explode?!"

"A bomb like this won't detonate that easily,"

Fujino stated calmly, opening the now-unlocked case.

Inside lay several blocks of plastic explosive wired to a detonator.

He took a deep breath.

"It's C4,"

he explained.

"A very stable explosive... It won't even go off if exposed to open flame."

"And based on what you overheard, the people who planted it wouldn't install a trigger that activates upon opening. Too risky for them if something went wrong."

"So, what do we do now?"

Conan stared nervously at the bomb, swallowing hard.

We absolutely cannot let this explode in here!

A blast of this magnitude, on a speeding train... everyone on board would be killed instantly! Ran too...

"Looks like there's only one option,"

Fujino murmured, pulling out the Large Nail Clippers from his pocket dimension.

"Are you going to try and defuse it?!"

Conan grabbed Fujino's arm frantically.

"Don't be crazy!"

"If you make one mistake, everyone on this train dies!"

"I don't know how to defuse it, but do you?"

Fujino shot back, his gaze cold and intense.

"Right now, besides defusal, what other choice do we have?"

Conan hesitated, searching Fujino's face.

"Are you sure you can do this?"

"Nobody knows bomb defusal better than me."

Fujino stated with unwavering confidence, gently pushing Conan aside.

"Kids shouldn't be near this. Go on, get out..."

Conan looked at him, a flicker of grudging respect replacing his usual annoyance.

Maybe I misjudged this guy...

"We're all going to die anyway if this thing goes off,"

Conan said, his own expression hardening with resolve.

"If it blows, no one escapes. I'll stay here with you."

Fujino glanced at Conan but didn't argue further...

Honestly, I just wanted him out of the way so I could work without distractions. Whatever he's thinking...

Gripping the special clippers capable of cutting any wire, Fujino carefully examined the bomb.

Blocks of C4, enough to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠obliterate the entire carriage, tangled with a mess of colored wires connected to the detonator.

A faint smile touched Fujino's lips.

Thanks to the Compendium of Bomb Knowledge he'd absorbed the night he got the Bomb Expert class, the intricate structure of the device became crystal clear.

The correct defusal sequence instantly materialized in his mind.

Combined with the Defusal Expert skill's 20% success boost, he felt surprisingly confident.

And if I fail... well, worst case, I toss it out the window. Or maybe shove it into my pocket dimension...

Though that might raise awkward questions later.

Best to just succeed...

He carefully snipped the final red wire.

[Bomb Defused Successfully...]

[System Reward: +50 Bomb Expert Proficiency]

The system notification confirmed his success.

Fujino let out a long breath, relief washing over him.

He slumped onto the carriage floor, wiping sweat from his brow, and popped a piece of gum into his mouth.

Seeing Fujino relax, Conan asked anxiously,

"Well? Did you do it?!"

"Bomb defused."

"Phew..."

Conan sagged with relief, realizing his own back was soaked with cold sweat.

But... how does he know how to defuse bombs? He's just a high school student...

"Fujino,"

Conan asked, puzzled,

"where did you learn to do that?"

"Ahem."

Fujino cleared his throat.

He quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway, Conan-kun, remember to use polite language when addressing your elders!"

Oops!

Conan stiffened.

In the heat of the moment, he'd completely forgotten his child persona!

He quickly plastered on an innocent, sheepish grin.

"Right! Sorry, Fujino-oniichan!"

"Conan-kun...? Fujino-senpai?"

A familiar voice called from the end of the carriage.

Fujino looked up.

Ran stood there, dressed in a white turtleneck sweater and black velvet over-the-knee socks, looking concerned.

Hmm, quite the looker,

Fujino thought idly.

Almost a waste on that Kudo kid.

"Are you two okay?!"

Ran rushed over, seeing them both sitting on the floor looking drained.

"Was there really a bomb in here?!"

"Yeah, there was..."

Fujino scratched the back of his head.

"But I took care of it."