The Accidental Witness
Conan Edogawa's suspicions about the "General's ghost army" had not faded. He was still trying to reconcile the elaborate PSB mirage with the existence of the lethal, silent figure he had encountered on the rooftop (Agent 47). He needed solid proof of the "Hound."
The opportunity arose near the Teitan High campus, where Ran was participating in a late-night karate practice. Conan was waiting outside when a seemingly minor incident escalated with terrifying speed.
A local gang, looking to vandalize a rival's car in a deserted, dimly lit parking garage across the street, provided the perfect backdrop for chaos.
Caine's Intervention
Unbeknownst to Conan, the parking garage contained a critical Tier 3 Black Organization surveillance repeater that the gang was about to accidentally expose. Captain Caine (The Blade), leading Division IV, was on site to quietly dismantle the repeater before its signal could be traced by the NPA.
Caine, utilizing the unique silence his blindness afforded him, was already inside the garage when the gang arrived. He needed to clear the area without alerting the police or causing traceable trauma.
Conan, watching from across the street, saw Caine first: a blind man walking calmly into the dark, echoing garage, his white cane tapping rhythmically.
The gang surrounded Caine, amused by the sight. "Look what we have here, a blind ghost!" one of them jeered, reaching out to grab Caine's arm.
What happened next defied everything Conan knew about conventional fighting.
Caine did not dodge; he listened. He heard the shift in weight, the rustle of clothing, and the precise velocity of the attack.
Caine's white cane became a terrifying extension of his will. He didn't use power; he used impossible physics. He slipped around the first punch and, with a subtle snap of the cane, used the leverage to instantly lock the attacker's wrist and dislocate his shoulder joint. The attacker went down silently, immobilized by a wave of white-hot pain.
The other gang members charged, shouting. Caine used the echoes of their shouts as a sonar map. He used a discarded tire to trip one, sent another sprawling by striking a strategically placed pillar, causing a reverberation that briefly stunned the attacker, and neutralized the final two with simultaneous, precise strikes to the median nerve and the knee joint—instant, non-lethal incapacitation.
Conan watched, his mouth slightly open. The fight was over in five seconds. There was no sound of a gun, only the thwack of the cane and the muted gasps of agony. The men were not simply beaten; they were perfectly disabled, lying in anatomically precise positions that indicated professional, unconventional attack.
The Confession of The Blade
Conan, fueled by sheer, reckless curiosity, darted across the street, using the shadows to approach the aftermath.
He found Caine standing amidst the moaning men, calmly tapping his cane on the ground to ensure the area was clear.
"You're not police," Conan stated, his voice tight. "You're a professional. And you were waiting for those men, weren't you?"
Caine turned his sightless eyes toward the sound of Conan's voice. He smiled, that cold, unnerving expression.
"The police are too slow," Caine replied, his voice soft, almost musical. "I was merely making sure these gentlemen didn't damage any sensitive equipment. They were walking into a mess they didn't understand."
Conan pressed him. "Who sent you? That man I saw on the rooftop, was he with you? The man connected to General Tenryuu Kaito?"
Caine laughed, a short, dry sound. He reached down and retrieved a pair of specialized, titanium-alloy throwing darts that he had deliberately scattered during the fight.
"The 'electrician' was meticulous, Detective Kudo," Caine said, using Shinichi's name—the ultimate confirmation of his identity. "But the General runs many divisions. And you, Detective, are standing in the middle of a conflict far above your pay grade. Your detective work is appreciated, but the General doesn't need interference."
He tapped his cane on the ground once more. "I run Division IV. The Blade. We clean up the messes before they stain the General's uniform. Now, go home. The police will be here in three minutes to find these thugs exactly as they are."
The Growing Dread
Caine turned and melted into the shadow of the parking garage stairwell. When the first police sirens wailed in the distance, Conan was alone with the perfectly disabled gang members.
Conan didn't chase Caine. He stood there, trembling not from fear, but from the horrifying realization:
Kaito Tenryuu, the high-profile General and his school acquaintance, did not just hire bodyguards. He commanded a perfect, invisible army of tactical masters, each with a unique and terrifying skill set, operating under a divisional code. And they knew exactly who Conan was.
The General isn't just protecting me, Conan realized, dread washing over him. He is controlling every variable around me. I am trapped in his perfect, golden cage.