"The person who called in the alarm on the phone didn't mention where the bomb was placed, which makes it even more suspicious."
During the meeting, Inspector Megure frowned, "I even suspect that this might be the bomber making the alarm call himself."
"Indeed, if it was an ordinary citizen calling in, even if they were panicked, they would at least mention a general location."
Shiratori nodded, "Moreover, after the call, they hung up directly and he used a public phone. After that, there was no way to contact them. Typically, a person reporting a crime would wait for the police to arrive. And given the special nature of today, we can't take it lightly."
Upon hearing Shiratori's words, everyone nodded in agreement, endorsing Shiratori's viewpoint.
"Now, let me assign tasks." Inspector Megure declared authoritatively.
"Wait a minute, I want to stay in the car." After Inspector Megure finished assigning tasks, Senichi immediately spoke up with what seemed like a boldly lazy remark.
"What's the matter, Senichi-kun?"
Hearing Senichi's seemingly defiant words, Inspector Megure wasn't angry. Instead, his gaze focused. "Is there something worth noting?"
"Yes." Senichi nodded, "Since we suspect that the person who made the call is the same as the serial bomber, we have to consider his motive."
"And what do you think his motive is?" Inspector Megure asked.
"To announce his comeback."
Without hesitation, Senichi said, "For the past three years, he hasn't sent any faxes with numbers to the Metropolitan Police Department. Now, in the fourth year, if he wants to prove he's the real deal, he naturally has to prove it to us."
"Prove it?" The others looked serious, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.
"With my understanding of that guy, I think he'll come back with a bomb carrying a warning letter."
While Senichi presented his analysis with a serious demeanor, in reality, he was unleashing a crazy spoiler mode. "If that's the case, then his move to call us and lure us to the shopping street is suspicious.
If he just wants to prove his comeback, he could stick to the original method—send a warning letter with a puzzle, then place a bomb somewhere else to make it explode.
This way, he could make us believe it's not a prank. In fact, it would further prove his identity."
"But he's not doing that now..."
Upon hearing Senichi's words, Inspector Megure and the others frowned, their faces filled with confusion.
"So, I have reason to suspect that he's planning to intimidate us."
Seeing that everyone was being led in the direction he wanted with his words, Senichi slowly revealed the truth, "In other words, that guy has marked us as targets."
"What?!"
Upon hearing Senichi's words, everyone was shocked by this idea.
However, upon closer consideration, they couldn't deny it. After all, the person in question was a serial bomber, and such individuals usually wouldn't easily change their "patterns." Since this different from his usual actions, there might be a hidden motive different from before.
Since the thought had occurred and the possibility existed, it couldn't be ignored.
"This criminal is very dangerous, or rather, his methods are very dangerous."
Senichi said with a serious expression, "His despicable 'either-or' tactics have resulted in several sacrifices in the past. So, even if there's a slight chance of arresting him on the spot, we need to be fully prepared."
"I understand."
After hearing Senichi's words, Inspector Megure didn't inquire about Senichi's level of certainty. Instead, he made a decision directly, "Dispatch another group of plainclothes officers to blend in as tourists on the shopping street. Detective Senichi, you'll be in charge."
While mobilizing so many detectives for information that might be false raised suspicions of wasting police resources, it was as Senichi said: even with a tiny chance, if there was an opportunity to arrest the culprit, it might prevent further sacrifices.
For Inspector Megure, who had experienced the case three years ago, this alone was enough to motivate him!
Moreover, it was Senichi who had deduced this result!
Just based on the results he verbally laid out, even if he couldn't guarantee the probability himself, it was worth taking a gamble.
Because this man, from his performance since joining to the present, was worthy of such trust!
This was also one of the invisible advantages brought by his reputation.
If Senichi were an ordinary detective, no one would be willing to believe and act upon his words.
Senichi naturally understood this point, which is why he planned to solve the case in this way.
First, raise doubts, then step by step analyze, stating the apparent possibility but actually presenting the answer. Afterward, he used the credibility brought by his own reputation to drive Inspector Megure to make a decision.
The process was like a well-executed plan, with no room for suspicion.
After making this decision, everyone started to take action.
Since Senichi's car was quite conspicuous, he directly drove an unmarked public vehicle, leading another team and tailing Inspector Megure's group.
Although Inspector Megure and the others agreed to Senichi's plan, when they arrived at the commercial street, they still diligently conducted bomb inspections.
However, the afternoon search turned out to be ineffective, and they achieved nothing.
During this period, Senichi and the others were also each guarding the vehicles they were responsible for protecting.
He was watching over the car driven by Detective Shiratori.
Just as the inspection was concluding, and Inspector Megure was returning disappointedly, preparing to wrap up the operation, Senichi suddenly noticed a man wearing a hat and a mask, carrying a single-shoulder bag, looking around discreetly. The man was quietly approaching in Senichi's direction.
"Attention, we have a situation. There's a suspicious person at 10 o'clock." Senichi whispered as he quietly lowered the car window.
Activate Super sense of smell!
Taking a deep breath, Senichi closed his eyes and began analyzing various smells emanating from the air.
Many people think that if the nose can smell it, you can identify the smell. However, this is a misconception.
What a sensitive nose smells and what an ordinary nose smells are different realms.
Ordinary people smell "concepts," while super olfaction detects "categories."
It's like a person has a floral scent on them, which is easy to detect, but to discern if the floral scent carries the fragrance of grass, bees, or other notes, you need to examine it carefully.
To distinguish and accurately identify each scent within and match it with the appropriate knowledge requires careful discernment.