Detective Conan: Death Note

The red sedan roared forward at full throttle. The afternoon streets were crowded, and as Camel wildly weaved through traffic, Jodie had to

The red sedan roared forward at full throttle.

The afternoon streets were crowded, and as Camel wildly weaved through traffic, Jodie had to grip the car's handle tightly to keep her balance.

But there was hope to shake them off!

Camel's car had more power than the vintage black car behind them. Although the result wasn't visible yet, Jodie realized it wouldn't be easy for Gin and the others to catch up.

And reinforcements were almost here—

Listening to her teammates' voices in the earpiece, confirming they'd meet the backup agents after two more intersections, Jodie finally relaxed her tense nerves.

Hard.

Only then did she have the presence of mind to check the identity of the person beside her.

"Shu... it's really you, right? Please tell me it's you!"

"..."

Faced with a gun pointed at him, Shuichi Akai gave no response.

His face was utterly expressionless, cold and unmoving, and Jodie's anxious gaze soon stiffened.

Why?

Why didn't he answer?

While wavering, Jodie carefully examined his face.

The burn scars on one side looked hideous—were they really from that fire disaster?

Recalling carefully, ever since the FBI started tracking him, he hadn't spoken a single word... Not at the department store, not even at the restaurant. According to the agents following him, he'd been silent like a puppet.

Could it be that he couldn't speak?

Had he lost his voice or even his memory after escaping that disaster?

Jodie's face tightened.

No matter what, she had to grab his face and confirm if he was the real deal!

Just as she moved to do so, Akai seemed to sense something, swiftly drawing his gun and firing out the window.

BANG! BANG!

Jodie clearly saw the bullets. A woman on a motorcycle approached from the side, secretly pulling out a gun from her chest. Before she could aim, Akai's bullets drove her back.

At the same time, Camel shouted:

"Watch out! Duck!"

In front of his line of sight, near a corner, a purple Harley motorcycle was parked.

The woman on the bike had blonde hair visible beneath her helmet—and her gun was already aimed at them.

At this instant, the city streets, racing past at nearly a hundred miles per hour, suddenly seemed to slow down in Camel's eyes.

The rushing scenery on both sides crawled to a crawl, and he could clearly see the woman's hand, her purple-painted nails resting on the trigger.

TATA..

The woman under the reflective visor greeted him—right as muzzle flashes burst forth from her gun.

Brass casings flew out with the fiery shots.

In that split second, Camel's brain acted faster than his body—jerking the steering wheel sharply. The front of the car shuddered violently, and bullets pierced the glass, lodging in his shoulder.

"Camel!?"

The burly man didn't speak, cold sweat pouring down his face as he watched the car veer dangerously toward the guardrail—only to whip the wheel back at the last moment and narrowly scrape past the shooting woman.

BANG! BANG!

More bullets flew.

This time, they only hit the car's exterior, leaving dents.

"Just a shoulder wound. I'm fine!"

Camel yelled as he slammed the gas.

Sweat dripped from Jodie's brow.

That hair—it was Vermouth!?

Jodie glanced at Vermouth closing in from behind, then sharply looked back at Akai.

So he wasn't impersonated by that woman after all?

In the crisis, Jodie couldn't think much more.

Her eyes locked onto the intersection ahead. When she spotted her comrades' cars finally arriving, she rolled down the window and stuck her gun out without hesitation.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three shots rang out. Two hit Vermouth's path, forcing her to violently swerve her bike.

"So capable..."

She chuckled beneath her helmet.

Glancing back to see Gin and the others still tailing closely, Vermouth twisted the throttle and the Harley roared forward.

The red sedan sped through the intersection.

Vermouth immediately noticed an SUV swiftly closing in on the red car as if signaled.

"Shinjuku 417 15-05, black Toyota."

Her voice came clearly into Gin's earpiece.

Gin didn't respond.

The distillery men were tightly tailing the FBI vehicles, but compared to cars, the agility of Vermouth and Rena Mizunashi on motorcycles gave them the advantage—they recklessly overtook cars to close in on Camel's vehicle.

But Jodie and the others weren't alone now.

As Vermouth and Rena fired shots at the car's rear, the black Toyota suddenly swerved beside the red sedan and two guns appeared from the lowered windows, spraying bullets wildly.

Gin watched the clock carefully from behind.

Seeing the two women slow down to dodge bullets, the agents inside the Toyota quickly retracted their weapons and began reloading. The driver watched the road carefully and accelerated alongside Camel.

Despite his shoulder wound, Camel's exceptional driving skill remained unimpaired.

He smoothly overtook the Hummer ahead.

The Toyota driver attempted the same maneuver, moving parallel with the Hummer—but just as he prepared to steer back, the Hummer suddenly swerved violently and crashed into the Toyota.

"What—!?"

CRASH!!!

Like a calculated strike, the speeding vehicles collided. The Toyota immediately spun out sideways and overturned under the force.

Inside, FBI agents struggled as the car rolled.

The driver of the Hummer was a tall man in black with a fierce expression.

BOOM! BOOM!

Two motorcycles closed in fast.

Before the agents inside could act, two guns fired at their heads.

Blood flowed from the car.

Having finished the job, Vermouth and Rena Mizunashi didn't stop—they twisted their throttles and sped off again.

"Three down. Continue."

Gin's emotionless voice echoed through the earpiece.