Chapter 27 Twenty-six, four o'clock in the afternoon

The children of the Detective Boys continued their investigation with tenacious perseverance during their spare time from Sunday to Wednesday.But no effective clues were found.This must not be blamed on the incompetence of the child, because this is a difficult case that even the adult patrols who dispatched a total of thousands of people in Tokyo were helpless.What's more, these brave teenagers don't know what kind of credit they will make in the future. The Wise Detective has been missing, and the dreaded December 10th is approaching day by day.The police officers in the Metropolitan Police Department are simply sitting on pins and needles.Because the thing the robber announced to steal was a national treasure, the head of the investigation section and Nakamura Police Department, who directly investigated the Twenty Faces incident, lost a lot of weight due to excessive worry.

Unexpectedly, just two days before the agreed date, that is, on December 8th, another big event that caused a sensation in the society happened again.In the social edition of the "Tokyo Mainichi Shimbun" that day, Twenty Faces actually published a contribution in black and white. Although "Tokyo Mainichi Shimbun" is not the exclusive newspaper of Phantom Thief, it is naturally impossible not to pay attention to the personal contribution of Twenty Faces, the core figure who caused the commotion.The newspaper immediately held an editorial meeting, and finally decided to publish the full text.

It was a very long article, and the meaning was roughly as follows: I have previously announced that the date of attacking the museum will be December 10th, but I think it will be more heroic if the agreement is more precise, so I solemnly declare in front of all Tokyo citizens: The time of the theft is "four o'clock in the afternoon on December 10". The curator of the museum and the chief police officer are requested to do a good job of vigilance as much as possible. The tighter the defense, the more splendor it will add to my adventure. Ah, how could such a thing happen!It was appalling audacity to announce the date, and now to advertise the exact moment, even insultingly provoking the museum curator and the police chief himself!

It goes without saying that the citizens were terrified after reading the report.In the past, people who always laughed at the absurdity of Twenty Faces and scoffed at their actions could not laugh anymore. At that time, the curator of the museum was Kita Koji, a great senior in the field of history, with a doctorate in literature. Even this great old scholar couldn’t help but take the monster thief’s notice seriously, so he made a special trip to the Metropolitan Police Department to discuss the precautionary measures with the chief inspector for a long time. . No, it's more than that.The twenty-face matter even became a topic of cabinet meetings among the ministers of state.Among them, the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Justice were particularly concerned, and even specially called the chief of police to him to encourage them again and again.

Therefore, in the panic of the citizens of the city, December 10 finally came. In the Imperial Museum, this day started early in the morning. Headed by the curator, Dr. Bei Xiaolu, three section chiefs, ten secretaries, fifteen guards and workers, no one was left, and all dispatched. According to the prepared deployment, each Stick to your post. Of course, the gate of the museum is closed on this day, and visitors are not allowed to visit. On the Metropolitan Police Department, under the leadership of the Nakamura Police Department, 50 police officers were carefully selected to guard the main entrance, the back entrance, the walls around the museum, and various important points in the museum. Ants can drill seamlessly.

After the arrangement was completed, it was already 3:30 in the afternoon, and there were only 30 minutes left before the scheduled time. The security aspect was like a big enemy, and the sword was on the verge of breaking out.At this time, the large caravan of the Metropolitan Police Department arrived, and the chief of police came to the scene with the Minister of Criminal Affairs.It turned out that the director was too worried and couldn't sit still, so he had to go out and guard the museum himself. After inspecting the security situation in the museum, the director and his team went to the director's room to meet with Dr. Kitaoji.

"I didn't expect you to come here on a special trip. I'm really sorry." The old doctor greeted him, and the director smiled awkwardly. "No, it's embarrassing. I really can't sit still. It's a shame for the police to think that there is such a big commotion because of a mere thief. It's the first time I have suffered such a big commotion since I entered the Metropolitan Police Department. shame." "Ahaha..." The old doctor smiled weakly, "Me too. Because of that little thief, I have suffered from insomnia for a whole week."

"However, there are only 20 minutes left. Uh, Mr. Kitakoji, if you want to break through such strict security and steal a large amount of artwork in just 20 minutes, even a magician may not be easy to succeed." ?” "I don't know. I don't know any magic tricks. I just hope that four o'clock will pass as soon as possible." The old doctor was a little sullen.Probably because of the seriousness of the situation, even the mention of "Twenty Faces" would annoy him. The three people in the room fell silent, just staring at the clock on the wall. Wearing a majestic uniform inlaid with gold silk, the police chief with a burly body like a wrestler, the criminal minister with a medium build and a beautiful mustache, and Dr. Kitaoji, who is as thin as a white crane in a suit and has white hair and white beard, are three people. Each seated in an easy chair, looking at the hands of the clock constantly, is not so much dignified as it is a wonderful scene that seems to be disordered in time and space.

After more than ten minutes like this, the criminal minister finally couldn't stand the embarrassing silence, and suddenly said: "Ah, what the hell is Akechi doing? I know him very well, this time it's really incredible. Judging from past experience, he shouldn't be someone who would make such a mistake." Hearing these words, the director turned his strong body, glanced at his subordinates and said: "You talk about your wisdom all the time, as if you admire him. I really can't agree with that. No matter how great you are, you are just a private detective. How capable can you be? I heard he seems to be talking too much. He made a bold statement that he would capture Twenty Faces, which is overblown. This failure is the best lesson for him."

"However, judging from Akechi's achievements in the past, we can't speak so decisively. I talked with Nakamura outside just now. At this juncture, it would be great if he was there." Before the Minister of Criminal Affairs could finish his sentence, the door of the director's room suddenly opened silently, and there was a person standing at the door. "Wisdom is here to teach you." The man said with a clear voice, smiling. "Oh, wise!" exclaimed the Minister of Criminal Affairs, jumping up from his chair. Wearing a handsome black suit and tousled hair, this person is exactly Kogoro Akechi himself.

"Sensible, how could you..." "I'll talk about this later, there are more important things now." "Of course, we must protect the artwork to prevent it from being stolen..." "It's too late. You see, the appointed time has passed." After being reminded by Zhizhi, the curator, director, and criminal minister all looked up at the electronic clock on the wall.Sure enough, the long needle has passed twelve. "Oh, so, in the end, Twenty Faces didn't dare to do anything. It doesn't look different in the museum..." "Yes, that's right. The agreed four o'clock has passed. That guy, after all, still failed." The Minister of Criminal Affairs yelled as if he was about to sing a triumphant song. "No, the thieves do what they say. In fact, this museum is only an empty shell." Zhizhi said in a dignified tone.