"That really is strange." A voice came from nearby, clearly articulating the reason Officer Sato had felt something was off:
"Bombs being placed in travel bags and briefcases happens all the time, but the killers... the bombers do that precisely to hide the bombs and delay their discovery and disposal. That's why they deliberately put them in bags."
Vodka's ears twitched. "?" Killer? What killer? Could it be that a murder was about to occur on the train, and the person who had left this bomb bag was the real culprit?
As he was thinking that, Jiang Xia pointed from afar at the briefcase in the restroom again. "Deliberately sticking paper on the bag like this, stating that there's a bomb inside, obviously conflicts with the purpose of putting a bomb in a bag.
"On the other hand, if the bomber's purpose was to show us the bomb and intimidate us, then instead of leaving it in this briefcase, he should have taken it out and displayed it directly in front of us, with his demands posted beside it."
Officer Sato understood, and her eyes lit up. "No wonder it kept feeling strange. None of the bombs I dealt with before were first put in bags and then specifically labeled 'this is a bomb'—in other words, the person who left this briefcase was just bluffing. This isn't a bomb at all!"
Jiang Xia nodded.
The onlookers behind them erupted at this explanation. Some heaved enormous sighs of relief, while others were naturally suspicious. "But listen carefully—the bag is making clicking sounds!"
Others, having just watched a hero movie, pondered aloud, "Could someone have found the bomb but not wanted the bomber to retaliate, so they deliberately made that collage to warn us?"
Vodka gloomily studied them, firmly memorizing their faces.