"Quick! We have to get out of sight before anyone sees us," called Ranran. She sprinted across the street and took cover behind a parked van. The others then followed and crouched beside her.

Michio then tapped Ranran on the shoulder. "We should ring Genzo now," he suggested.

"Technically, we haven't found anything to report yet." Takuma inserted.

"Moreover, we haven't found Watanabe," added Shinichi.

They were transfixed by the long, black automobile. It was parked in front of a metal door on the side of an old building overlooking the harbour. Outside the old building, they could see two henchmen standing between the entrance side by side. Observing from a distance, the automobile is the Jaguar that Michio saw the night before.

But it was a car unlike any over, as the sound continues to persist the 'wrrrr' sound when a stray dog walks past the car ."Damn it! Why must his car be damn noisy!? The system is too damn faulty!"Ranran could hear one of the men groaning in frustration."I might as well shoot the damn car off!"

"If you did, The Snake will kill you! After all, he was kind enough to lend us that car after what that girl did to our Toyota 2000GT!" the other man hissed.

"Wait, Toyota?"Takuma muttered as Michio couldn't help but be bewildered by their conversation. Ranran and Shinichi were exchanging gazes with each other, before Ranran recalled, "The Toyota was driven by The Snake, right?"

"That is according to what he claims. But we don't even know whether that is the case."Shinichi frowned."Are we dealing with The Snake's men then? If that is the case, does that mean he ordered Rupert to kidnap Fuyuko? It would make sense, given that they did question Junko whether they knew of the crows."

"But it is unusual, ain't it? For a criminal mastermind to lend their henchmen their car?"Ranran is scepticism."Also, something isn't right with this theory. Junko lied to her kidnappers and confronted them that they raided our office, and they genuinely seem to have no clue about it. That isn't like Echis to not notify them in advance of their criminal endeavours. So there are two reasons why this is conflicting. Either Junko's kidnappers lied, or Watanabe lied."

"Why would one wanna lie about one's kidnapper's identity?"Takuma scowled at that thought.

"That's right, Watanabe has nothing to gain out of this."Michio sides Takuma.

"In the criminal world- everyone is not your friend. Everyone has motives, even if they aren't as obvious. Watanabe is no different."They stared as Ranran scowled bitterly to no one. Heavy words, Shinichi thought of this.

"Wait till I find which bloody kid did this to the car as shown on the dashcam, I am going to dispose of that idiot's corpse!"The kids' attention turned back to the two men, "Everyone had to deal with bloody pay cuts all thanks to that brat!"The man declared.

"Huh! Who knew that car had a dashcam! Also, pay cuts?"Ranran pouted her red lips at the two angry men, "They could've just committed a series of robberies to make up for it."

Shinichi glared at Ranran, whose expression is wearing a proud smug, "This is why you shouldn't puncture tires, Ranran! Now someone is going to kill you!" he chastised her.

"Put it this way, at least I was right that they were in fact following us!"Ranran shrugs as her smile grew wider. If they were not in the situation they were in right now, Shinichi swore he is going to smack her in the head.

"Guys, no bickering for now, alright?!"Michio hissed at the two, before he adds, "Anyway, can anyone tell what type of Jaguar is it?"

With a soft sigh, Ranran puts aside her fears before getting a good look at the car. It was then it dawn on her what that car was as her eyes grew big while she froze. "There's no way," Ranran tried to convince herself, but the closer she tries to look at it, the colder and emptier she felt inside."That's a...Jaguar I-Pace..."Ranran found herself a slip of a tongue.

"Eh? Ranran-san can recognize what model the car is?"The boys froze at her knowledge of cars.

Of course, she would; no matter how hard she tries, it's nearly impossible to forget this car model.

........

Back in the U.K, Why is this car always make the wrrrr sound every time we walked by your mom's place?" 4-year-old Ranran winced, blocking her ears with her hands as she and The Boy were walking past a Jaguar I-Pace parked outside his mother's house.

"The car is designed to warn those who are blind to get out of the way."

"Really?"

"Yes, "The Boy stared at the black Jaguar, "At that time, Harvey's mom was run over by a car, so my father bought him this car when Harvey started working for the family as a gift."The two kids look at the car in silence."But since the car is still a prototype, one of the bugs included anyone walking past near the car while it is silently parked."

Harvey is The Boy's mother's secretary, he worked for her for a while.

"What!?"She folded her arms and frowned, "What a useless car!"

"That's why only 2 of them are made worldwide. There won't be more till 6 years later on as the bugs ain't fixed."

"Screw it! I am going to turn it off!"Ranran's recollections were shattered by the annoyed man's words.

"What!?"The other who opposed this warned in a loud voice, "You will be killed!"

"I won't, my dad is a mechanic! I know how to handle it with care. Hand me the keys!"He reassures in confidence.

The guy sighs and tosses him the keys, which he later catches in response. The second guy then stormed up to the Jaguar and opened the door before fiddling with it. "It's pitch black in here!" He could be heard grumbling.

"What do you expect when the Snake has his car windows tinted?"

In a gruff, he switches on the car's light, displaying the interior to the outside world.

Ranran was left paralyzed in an instant. To the other kids, the automobile with the beige leather seats is all they see. But, unlike other Jaguars, this one had a unique plushie hanging from the ceiling between the driver and the passenger seat as her memories emerged.

"What exactly is this?" four-year-old Ranran asked, shaking the box experimentally. When he presented it to her, they were at his father's house, in The Boy's bedroom.

"A present." The dirty blonde hair boy answered, scarcely able to suppress his excitement.

Before reaching in, the 4-year-old removed the wrapping paper and peeled the tape off the box seam. As soon as she realised what it was, she dropped the box on the floor at her feet, her expression transforming to absolute happiness. She carried an overstuffed white deer plushie in her hands. "It's a deer!"

"Do you like it?" The Boy asked anxiously, his green eyes shining as she held the Deer plushie to her chest and nodded her head in response to the question.

"Yes, I do! This is great!  Why does that look familiar, though?" Ranran remarked before putting the plushie against her cheek and humming a contented sound before pulling the plush deer away from her face and looking at it.

"I was able to get a company that turns drawings into plushies and I thought the drawing you created of this Deer was wonderful," The Boy stated. " You may now hang it in your father's car."

"Thank you very much!" she said sincerely, hugging him before letting him go, as she vowed, "I will look after this forever and ever!"

"Yeah....look after it, even with your own life no matter what."The Boy's smile faltered a little, as he unconsciously give a conflicted expression.

"What's the matter?" Ranran asked, concerned by the boy's expression.

"Nothing, Ranran," He quickly grinned again, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

That boy promised to mend the deer plushie he had given her when both of its button eyes fell out after her mother washed it for the nth time in the washing machine. He informed her over the phone that he had no option but to work with what he had because he didn't have a black coloured button at the time. A green button and a blue button with a red X were used as substitutes for eyes, and he agreed to pass it over to her from his father's house.

However, after 'that incident', that plushie went missing and she never knew why.

Ranran's familiar sensations of rage, irritation, despair, and melancholy all surfaced at the same time. What if it was her missing plushie? And if it is, will it validate her long-held suspicions? The 'Snake' in question is none other than...Harvey.

This made Ranran tremble, as the notion of her lost plushie hanging in The Snake's car made her feel ill as if The Snake had hung her treasured gift like some meat dangling at a butcher shop.

"Majima, may I use your phone?" she turned to Michio with determination in her eyes.

"Hah!? Why would I? We can't make any phone calls here!" Michio, like the other boys, worries about what she's going to do with his phone.

"Just lend me for a while, will you?"Ranran demanded.

He grudgingly handed her his smartphone, which she promptly switched to camera mode and pointed towards the car. She used the zoom-in option up to 20X resolution to aim at the dangling plushie's eyes. As soon as the plushie's eyes were revealed to have a red X on both green and blue buttons as its eyes, Ranran never felt sicker than ever.

The proof was right in front of her. This monster, the one who had wronged her mentor, had done so many dreadful things, and yet he is still alive and breathing among them! When Ranran closed her eyes, she could still see nothing but darkness and the cries of that night, as well as the feeling of 'his' wet limp corpse, which she had once touched with her little hands.

"No way..."

That meant Ranran wasn't wrong with her deduction. That the entire time, this was the man she has been looking for, the devil behind her mentor's death.

The more Ranran think of this, the more disgusted she felt.

"Hey Ranran, are you done with my phone yet?"Michio questioned her.

Shinichi turned the corner just in time to watch Ranran disappear at a corner after returning Michio's phone after the two men were able to cut off the obnoxious sounds the car was generating. Ranran leaned against the van, her gaze fixated on the ground. "What's with you?" Shinichi inquired, his voice quiet.

"Nothing," Ranran muttered, gritting her teeth. Her chest was constricted. Like a tightly wrapped spring, her limbs twisted inward.

"This is not unimportant, Ranran," he confronted her. "What exactly is going on?"

The metal door suddenly opened, and a guy stepped onto the street. Recognizing a problem, he turned to the two guys and said, "Why isn't the car making noises anymore?!"

"It continued making noise because a dog walked past it, so I turned it off."

"Man...if The Snake were about, he would've put a bullet in your head, yeah?"The man warned one of them.

He then left the two before crossing to the car, whistling loudly, and getting something out. Then he went back inside, and the door shut behind him.

"I don't think they know anyone's watching them," said Shinichi. "If he knew we were here, he wouldn't have made all that noise."

"He didn't even lock the door properly," Michio exclaimed, surprised.

The two were right. A crack of light shone along one edge of the metal front door. Shinichi edged forward. "Let's go, this is our chance to take a closer look..."

"Wait."Ranran stopped him.

"What Ranran?"Shinichi ask.

"I don't think all of us should go. We need backup to call for help if somebody is captured. I mean what if this is a trap?" Ranran brought it up.

"You have a valid point. Alright, so out of everyone, who is the fastest in rushing for help?" Shinichi clasped his hand glancing at the other three other kids.

......

"Takuma's decision to sit out is understandable given his athletic ability to run fast for help. But why does Ranran have to dump things on me?"

Shinichi mutters to himself as he and Michio cross the street. "Well, you're her apprentice, therefore you have to do things you don't like." Michio continues, "Also, Takuma told me that you continued failing to pursue Ranran when you wanted to be a part of this case. That displays her speed, doesn't it?"

Shinichi remained silent in response at this point.

Shinichi pushed the door. It swung open soundlessly and they stepped into grimy hall lit by a single bulb in the ceiling. A flight of stairs led up to the floor above. Another descended onto the basement from where they could hear muffled noises.

Shinichi held a finger to his lips and began to make his way down the old stone steps. The noises grew louder. Someone was dragging heavy boxes around. They were halfway down when a beam of bright light swept over them. That's when Michio screamed and clutched Shinichi's arm.

"It was a trap!" He cried.

A voice behind them laughed softly. "indeed it was, and you walked right into it."

Shinichi looked back, but the torchlight dazzled his eyes. All he could see was a black, hooded figure at the top of the stairs."Are you The Snake?" Michio blurted out.

"Sorry to disappoint you, little boy," smirked the hooded man. "You're a gust of the crows. Now, all of you, keep going down to the basement. We're wasting time."

"Where is Ikeda?!" Shinichi called back over his shoulder.

"So many questions," chided the hooded man. "Watanabe has been taken care of."

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, but hulking thug called Finlay pulled open a heavy wooden door and pushed them through into the basement. The man in the hood followed, the gun in his hand."Now don't try anything funny, as we bring you more guests to join the both of you."

Before the boys know it, the two henchmen who were arguing earlier pushed a recently caught Ranran and Takuma towards the boys' direction."Ranran! Takuma!"Michio cried in shock, and so did Shinichi.

"Now, before we say our goodbyes permanently, I need some answers," he said. "Why are you all helping Watanabe?"

Shinichi stared at the gun as Takuma confronted, "Because he asked us to. Because you tried to kill him. Why do you want to get rid of him!?"

"That's none of your business," the hooded man said and gave the gun a menacing jerk. "What did he promise you all for helping him? Did he offer you, kids, a cut in his share of the money?"

"You're wrong," Michio insisted. "Watanabe doesn't want to do any more robberies. He was forced to escape from jail."

The hooded man laughed. "He's played you out, my friends. When we found out that he was meeting The Snake at Kekaru Pier, we got there first. And you're lucky we did. If Watanabe had handed you over to The Snake as planned, you'd all be floating in the harbour by now."

"That's not true!" Takuma shouted. "Watanabe would never do that to us!"

Ranran folded her arms and eyed the hooded man defiantly. "What about the circus?" She asked. "The ones you had with Mr Rupert?"

The hooded man took a step towards her and levelled his gun. "How do you know about that?"

"Ranran!"Shinichi called out to her, but she remained defiant of the gunmen.

"What was that trip for? To play house guests?" Ranran told him calmly.

"You're clever, girl, very clever," the hooded man said. "Well, let me tell you something. Let's just say it is a common interest between, The Snake, me and us crows." The hooded man backed away and moved towards the door. "And you kids are never going to figure out..."

"All for a freaking tiger," sounded Ranran as she rolled her eyes, much to the hooded man's surprise. His face turned into a more menacing one as he gazed angrily at the red lip girl," Or, should I say, Operation White Tiger?"

"What?!"All the boys froze at Ranran's revelation. What is she talking about!? The only thing Watanabe mentioned was Operation Tiger, but no mention of the word 'white'.

The hooded man laughed out in hysteria. "Nice. VERY NICE, girl. Unfortunately, that means we really will have to leave all of you here... to die." He smiled especially wickedly upon spitting out that word that stung the ears of the kids as he beckoned Finlay to follow him. "This is a very old building and the basement is carved out of solid rock. That's why smartphones don't work down here. It's also below sea level and sometimes, the high tide comes in. So, you can make as much noise as you like, no one will ever hear you."

The wooden door slammed shut and they heard bolts sliding into place on the other side. An eerie silence filled the basement, broken only by the muffled sound of the tide washing against the wall outside. An old, cobwebbed light flickered from the ceiling.

Michio tried his smartphone, but there was no signal. "What are we going to do?" He moaned.

Everyone tested their phone without success. Takuma paced around the walls. "There's not even a window in here!"

Shinichi sat down on a broken packing case."What I don't understand is how did the Crows know we were going to meet Watanabe at Ikkaku Pier!?"

"You wouldn't think that Watanabe told them, would you, Ranran?" Michio asked her with a frown.

"He would for motives of his own, however, "Ranran shook her head."Both sides have been trying to kill him. The only people who knew about this were Watanabe, the police, and us."

"So what?" pressed Michio. "The police wouldn't have told him! Wasn't there a corruption raid last year?!"

"There was, but not everyone is completely wiped out. However, I did look into the files of those officers who were going to be part of this operation. They were incapable of committing criminal activity within the station," said Ranran. "So that leaves only one thing."

"So you are suggesting the black crows could've bugged our headquarters, right Ranran?"Ranran nodded to Shinichi's deduction.

"That explains why they were one jump ahead of us. They knew everything we were doing."Michio thought about it.

"But I was surprised you didn't tell the cops about the tiger smuggling theory till you told everyone back not to because you suspect Watanabe could've been double-crossing us, so you forbid us for saying a word as it may tip them off on their tiger operation," Shinichi deeply frowned.

"I was surprised you still doubted him, even though he protected Takuma from being shot weeks ago."Michio comments.

"I didn't believe a word that Watanabe didn't know a thing the moment he mention someone wrote him a note, and he just willingly followed it."Ranran explains to the boys as she goes, "He had been in and out of prison for his entire life, used to an environment where trust barely exists. If one writes you a note on how to break out of prison, knowing you have 3 months left to your release, would you blindly trust as the letter tells you to? Especially with no name and no guarantee? "

All the boys shook their heads at her.

"Exactly, which is where this comes in"Ranran then brought up, "You recall the records of Watanabe's past I told Takuma to hand it over to us leading up to his arrest?"

"You mean the one you told me to recheck, right?"Shinichi turned to her.

"Watanabe's last case he was convicted of was stealing a couple of historical documents letters from a safe he cracked in this pawn shop, mainly documents between the U.K and Japan."Michio and Takuma were confused as Ranran sighed, "Some documents from historical figures, celebrities or even royal families can fetch tons of money. It's like the famous Mono Lisa painting, it's worth millions."The two boys nodded as she went on, "Now, according to the news, it was through this robbery they found out the letters were fake."

"Fake!?"Michio and Takuma reacted in shock.

"Fake," Shinichi confirmed, before continuing, "A police investigation was later carried out, it turns out the person who had been selling the letters to the pawnshop had been scamming them for over a year. Long story short, they figured out a syndicate was involved, allegedly the criminal mastermind behind it suffered millions of yens because of Watanabe following police raids. Guess who was the said mastermind behind this syndicate?"

At that moment of realization, the two boys' jaws dropped, "No way...."

"Are you saying...that Watanabe cost The Snake money!?" Takuma found himself saying before probing Ranran further, "If Watanabe hadn't targeted the shop The Snake have been scamming from, this forge letter wouldn't have come to surface, making him lose tons of money, am I wrong?!"

"If this isn't a reason to make Watanabe pay, I don't know what is."Ranran chuckled darkly before adding, "Watanabe could've inspected those letters' value by checking the handwriting in the attempt of selling them in the black market before his arrest, that's why he recognize The Snake's handwriting on the note handed to him and knew he had to follow. After all, he just accidentally cost The Snake millions of yens for his empire. "

"But do you think Watanabe is aware that he sabotage Snake's plans?" Shinichi wonders.

"Whether he did or not, one thing makes it clear: He cost The Snake millions in yen, and that won't sit well with anyone. Whether intentional or not." Ranran commented.

"Damn...he just crossed a criminal mastermind, what an idiot."Michio facepalmed himself.

"He probably didn't realize it till it was too late."Takuma pointed out, "I mean not everyone would know that one would steal something belonging to a Criminal would expose all of this mess. What I don't understand is...how is it he recognised the letter belonged to The Snake?"

"Who knows? Ikeda could've gotten intel through his former associates in the same jail Watanabe was locked up."Shinichi let out an exhale, "That is what I call an idiot move."

"The second thing that made me doubt was Takuma's recent findings of Watanabe through his only living childhood friend."

"What? The one where he said he is very protective of his nephew when he punched several kids for bullying Botan? What about it?"Takuma asks.

"I don't know if all of you have forgotten, but you have to remember Watanabe is a criminal. When one family member is one, the kids won't live a nice life as others will perceive him as a criminal as well."Ranran sank in deep thought, "Perhaps his motive to protect Tak-san was to trick us into thinking we now owe him so that we could help protect Botan."

"Really? I don't know."Michio doubted, "He could've killed Takuma at that riverbank for contacting anyone since he broke out of prison at that time.

"Perhaps, "Ranran shrugs, "But if we use that Trolley situation between the lives of 7 of us and Botan's life, I won't be surprised if he is willing to let the trolley run us over for his sake. Also probably the real reason he wanted us involved is to kill two birds with one stone since both sides wanted Watanabe dead for whatever mess he created involving the tiger."

"No way...."Takuma felt betrayed by that thought.

"Now that Ranran talks about it, it makes tons of sense."Shinichi rubbed his chin, "He kept telling us not to get involved with the police. To top it off, I found it odd he was able to escape quickly through the trapdoor at the pier. Cause we barely knew there was even a trap door when we went to look for him. It's like he knew ahead of us."

"Exactly, he claims The Snake had set it up to catch him, "Ranran remarked. "But what if that trapdoor wasn't meant for Watanabe at all? What if it was meant for us?"

"Eh?"Michio became perplexed.

"You guys recalled when Junko mentioned she was kidnapped by a group of men who seemingly has no idea about the mess they had caused at our Hq? What if the situation is like this: both criminal groups A and B had decided to pull a rather interesting heist. However, both groups have a self-interest of their own. so they decided to make use of the other's plans to get them to their tiger first. One of the included the door trap meant for us."Ranran lifted an index finger to explain it.

"That's right! It's just like the hooded man said. Maybe the Crows figured out The Snake already planned to take the tiger ahead of the Crows, going against their deal, so as soon as word got out that The Snake planned to use the trap door to capture us using Watanabe, the crows got there first and they used the trapdoor to catch Watanabe!"Michio suddenly gets it."That's why the crows were able to obtain his Jaguar, cause they were collaborating!"

"It also explains why the kidnappers have no idea about The Snake's men paying our association a visit, "Michio learns of this, "Maybe Watanabe is aware of their double backstabbing situation, so he plans to make use of this for his self-interest as well."

"So in other words, Watanabe was willing to be the bait...thought he was that clever, only to end up getting captured in his trap."Shinichi whistles in amusement, "He became from predator to prey overnight. What an idiot."

"That's why I said earlier, criminals ain't your friends."Ranran looked around urgently, and sweat beaded her forehead. "We've got to get out of here and get signal, warn the girls through the phone. Cause if they go back to headquarters, the Crows might be waiting for them!"

~~~

Meanwhile, the girls were told to leave the circus while Amelia dragged her colleagues to confront Mr Rupert, as there were on the bus back to headquarters. Under Ranran's orders, they were told to do so if they don't return the phone call.

"Still no answer," noted Emiko, glaring at her phone.

Junko massaged with her fingers. "I know the signal is bad there, so they ain't texting back. I just hope everything's okay with them."

"Don't worry, Ranran always knows what to do," Ran grinned faintly, settling back in her seat.

"Wait till he hears about that missing tiger, Fifi."Before Junko realizes, "Hey girls, did anyone ask what sort of tiger Fifi is?"

"I think before we left, Amelia said it was a white tiger." Emiko gave a loud sigh. "Wow, guess that Amelia wasn't too bad after all despite her harsh words about the both of you."

Junko and Ran had nothing to say.

.......

Meanwhile, Ranran examined the heavy wooden door. "The hinges are on the other side," she announced. "We can't remove the pins or do anything like that, and there's no way we can break it down - it's too thick."

"If only there was a window," Shinichi moaned. "I could climb out and swim to the jetty."

"Forget it, "Takuma told him. "Though the distance between here and the jetty is short, the harbour around here is full of sharks according to my contacts."

Suddenly, Michio screamed and jumped on top of an old box. Ranran and Shinichi spun around to stare at him. He pointed to the floor where a dark, furry shape scuttled around in the gloom. "Help!" he screamed again.

The Kudo twins couldn't contain their giggle within their lips as they stared at the silly sight. "It's only a rat," noted Shinichi.

Michio was trembling with shock. "It's not funny! It's disgusting!"

"So what did we learn about Majima so far? Allergic to furry animals, can't swim due to astrology beliefs, as well as fear rats."Takuma snickered.

"I ain't that useless, alright?!"

Shinichi then scooped up a piece of broken wood and hurled it at the rat. It went scurrying off into a corner. "Those things are a little bit creepy. We're trapped like rats, with rats."

Ranran stopped laughing, and realizes something, "We should follow the rat and see where it goes. If a rat can get out of here, we may be able to do the same!"

Michio shuddered, and he looked like he was going to throw up. "Ranran, please no!" he whined.

"Ranran is right," informed Shinichi."Rats always know how to get in and out of places."

They watched the huge rat darting around the floor, its nose twitching as it explored the shadowy corners. Its fat body moved with amazing speed. Suddenly, it raced across the floor into the furthest corner and disappeared.

Shinichi followed it. He knelt and let out a shout. "Guys! There's a drain here! A big one!"

Ranran and Takuma joined him, leaving Michio shivering on top of his crate. Ranran then examined the large, round hole at the base of the wall. An old metal grating covered it. The bars were sticky with slime. Takuma then tugged on the bars. The grating shifted and squeaked. Soon, his hands were thick with black, oily sludge. It was impossible to grip the bars firmly. He leapt up, ripped off his shirt and wrapped it around the bars. Ranran then got behind him and put her arms around his waist. Takuma counted to three and hauled on the bars. His muscles rippled. Behind him, Ranran pulled and grunted.

"It ain't enough! Need all of you here!"Takuma yelled.

Soon, Michio was calm enough to step down from his box and joined them. Takuma soon had a chain of kids circling their arms on each of them to pull it as hard as they could. Behind Takuma in order are Shinichi, Michio, and Ranran.

Again and again, Takuma counted to three and they pulled back with all their strength. The metal grating groaned and shook. Suddenly, it came away from the wall and rolled across the floor.

They stared into the black depths of the drain. The sounds of rats and the slosh of water echoed in the mysterious tunnel.

"I'll go in first," offered Ranran. She placed her hand on Shinichi's shoulder in an assuring manner. "Don't worry, I'll be alright."

"I don't think it's such a good idea," Michio said in a trembling voice. "I mean, if there are sharks in the harbour, there might be sharks in the drains, too."

Takuma stifled his giggle of amusement. "Baka, there are no sharks in drains, Majima."

"True, but high tide might wash one in," Shinichi added, "the man in the hood said that water comes into the basement when it's high tide, so there has to be a way for the water to drain out somewhere else. Anyhow, we have to do something. If we don't die of starvation, we'll be drowned when the tide comes in."

Michio nodded doubtfully, watching in horror as Ranran lowered herself through the black hole into the drain. Suddenly, she vanished from sight and they heard splashing sounds in the darkness.

"Ooi Ranran! How deep is it?" called Michio nervously.

"My feet can touch the bottom, "Ranran answered from somewhere inside the drain. She gave a sudden squeal. "It's alright," she called a moment later. "I just touched something! That's all!"

"Is this even reassuring!?"Michio doubts his eyes.

"If you don't want to follow, then die alone here. I am leaving."Shinichi comments before he clambered into the drain, followed by Takuma and a reluctant Michio. They splashed into the foul water. It lapped dangerously around their chests.

Michio gasped. "I touched something, too, and it... it m-m-moved!"

"Keep it down, Majima!"Shinichi scolded him.

The air was damp and cold, and the smell churned their stomachs. Their feet sank into the mud. The sinister water was thick with oil. Strange things brushed against their bodies. Rats squeaked and scurried into their secret hiding places.

"Follow me," called Ranran in the darkness. "And hold on to the person in front of you."

Step by step, they waded through the mud and stinking water. Then, at last, the drain reached a junction. Other drains opened into it, and trickles of water echoed in the gloom. On one side, a flight of worn stone steps led up into the shadows. Ranran began climbing them, treading warily so that her shoes wouldn't slip on the thick layer of green slime that coated the old stones. The others followed one by one, their shoes squelching into eerie silence.

The stairs ended at a thick wooden door. Ranran reached for the handle and then jumped at the sound of explosions from the other side. Suddenly, a hole appeared in the door and something smacked against the wall above their heads.

"Get down!" warned Ranran.

A second bullet drilled through the door.

Then, there was silence again and they looked at one another. After a while, Shinichi crawled to the door, stood up and turned the handle. The door swung open and he stepped through into the back of a familiar hallway. The ceiling light had been blasted to pieces and shadows cloaked the corners, but there was no mistaking the headquarters of the crows.

"Hey, we're back where we started," he whispered. "This is where we came in."

The others hurried into the hall. Street sounds drifted in through the open front door."There's nobody here," Ranran looked around. "I wonder what all the shouting was about?"

"Who cares?! Let's get out while we can," Michio urged.

But, before anyone could move, a groan was heard from the shadows. A bulky shape was crawling towards them. Suddenly, it collapsed and groaned again.

It was Mr Finlay, and he called out weakly in a grasping voice."They got Watanabe... It was The Snake's men... They took him away!"

Shinichi ran to his side and stared in horror at the wounded gangster in the chest. "You've been shot. I'll call an ambulance."

Finlay cried with alarm. "No!" Blood trickled between his fingers as he clutched his upper arm. "It's just a nick."

"A nick?!"Ranran pointed at his wound, "You were badly shot!"

"Where's the man in the hood?" Shinichi asked him.

"Upstairs," Finlay groaned. "They shot him, too."Finlay's eyelids fluttered and his head fell back. His lips opened and they heard him mutter one word, "Josephine".

Then, he fainted."Who the hell is Josephine? His mom? Or sister?"Takuma couldn't help but wonder.

"Probably his ex."Ranran couldn't help but guess, "I mean this guy is dying man. Who cries out the name of their mother or sister."

"Hey! That's beside the point! Now, what do we do?!" demanded Michio, who is already feeling paranoid by everything he had to go through today."Call an ambulance?! Call the cops!? Or call-"

"The girls, we need to warn them not to head to HQ," replied Ranran, gazing around her surroundings looking for a phone."Right now, we don't have much time since Watanabe and The Snake might be waiting for them."

"Right! I go call right now!"But, when Michio took a closer look at his smartphone, he saw his phone covered with water and slime."Uggh!"

"You forgotten this is a non-signal zone?"Takuma reminded him, before sighing, "Luckily all of our smartphones are waterproof, otherwise our family will kill us!"

"Still, we have no signal! How are we going to make a phone call?"Shinichi stresses out.

"Technically it ain't, or else the Crows wouldn't have built their HQ here to do their business. Shinichi, "Ranran nudged him."Use his phone."

"Eh?! Whose phone?"

"His, "Ranran's head directed at the passed out gangster.

"Right." Shinichi knelt and picked up his smartphone that was lying beside the wounded gangster while the two other boys turned pale at Ranran, "Are you serious!?"Michio and Takuma gaze at her in shock.

"Hey, the idiots caused all of this, so they owed us their phones, "Ranran suggested with a smirk. "I'm sure he won't mind."

This girl is asking for an early death! Michio and Takuma couldn't help but mutter.

While Shinichi tries to make the call, Takuma gripped Ranran's hand. "Ranran, I almost forgot to mention, since it's not safe to go to headquarters, I suggest all of us head to a bath-house my paternal aunt owns, get a new change of clothes, then go to some computer cafe and continue our research."

"Agree!" agreed Michio, looking down at his filthy state. "This is awful. Our mother is going to be pissed if they find out where we have headed to."

Shinichi finally manages to call the girls, and passed on the news. But when they told him about the missing tiger and informed Ranran about it, her eyebrows shot up.

"By the way, Ranran, earlier when you said Operation: White tiger, what do you mean by that?"Shinichi couldn't help but ask."The note specifically said Operation: Tiger, with no mention of white as you said earlier. Was it a trick to get him to admit something?"

"It is, "Ranran gave Shinichi a confident smile, "one that will blow the case wide open."