Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

"It's done!"

Tomizawa Chikage proudly raised her chin, carefully placing the broken round shard of glass on the ground, as if afraid the shards on the edge would cut her hand.
"Go inside quickly. I'll keep watch outside. If any patrolling police come by, I'll cough twice to signal you."

Only after he finished speaking did the girl belatedly realize what he had said.

Lin Xiuyi is a special investigation consultant for the police, so even if he encounters the police, he can explain things clearly.

Since I'm here to help out, not to do my old job as a "phantom thief lady," I don't need to sneak around at all.

Even mice can help cats with chores now...

Tomizawa Chikage suddenly found it somewhat amusing, and was the first to bend down and squeeze through the window opening, not forgetting to turn back and remind her.

"Be careful, the glass edges are still very sharp, don't scratch your clothes."

Lin Xiuyi watched her nimble figure, shook his head helplessly, and followed her, bending down and squeezing into the mall.

The mall was pitch black inside, with only the green indicator lights for the emergency exits flashing in the distance, barely outlining the shelves and corridors, making it seem exceptionally quiet, even somewhat eerie.

"Where to now?" Tomizawa Chikage asked in a low voice, scanning her surroundings warily.

"Let's go to the security guard's office first." Lin Xiuyi didn't hesitate at all. "If something really happens in the mall, the security guards on duty will be the first to suffer. If we find them, we'll know exactly what happened inside."

The two made their way along the first-floor corridor and soon saw a guide map hanging on the wall.

Using the faint light of the emergency exit indicator, the two located the security guard room on the west side of the first floor, near the warehouse.

After determining the direction, the two tiptoed toward the duty room. Their footsteps were deliberately kept quiet in the silent mall, but they still inevitably produced a slight sound.

Tomizawa Chikage kept glancing back, showing extreme vigilance.

Lin Xiuyi focused on the road ahead, his ears listening for any unusual sounds.

As they approached the duty room, the two heard an impatient voice coming from inside.

"A necklace worth tens of millions of yen was stolen from a shopping mall, how could you not know?"

This remark caused Lin Xiuyi and Tomizawa Chikage to exchange a glance.

Sure enough, criminal activity was taking place in the mall.

"Don't play dumb with me," the bandit said threateningly. "Speak up, and it'll save you some suffering!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two crisp "slap, slap" sounds rang out, like the sound of a belt striking flesh, followed by suppressed screams from two men.

The sound echoed in the quiet mall, sending chills down one's spine.

Without realizing it, Tomizawa Chikage grabbed Hayashi Hideichi's arm, her fingers turning slightly white from the force.

"We...we really don't know!"

A man's voice, trembling with tears and filled with helplessness,
"Even if someone did lose a necklace on the fourth floor, something so valuable wouldn't be handed over to our duty room for safekeeping. We just keep patrol logs and spare keys here!"

"If it's not here, then where is it?" The torturing bandits clearly didn't believe him, and their tone became even more aggressive.

"how do I……"

The other man was about to argue when he was whipped again, the pain making him gasp. He quickly changed his story.

"The mall manager's office is on the fifth floor! There's a safe in the manager's office where valuable samples from the mall or high-priced items left behind by customers are usually temporarily stored!"

"If there really was such a valuable necklace, the manager would have put it in the safe!" "Damn it! Why didn't you say something so important sooner? You made me waste half a day talking to you guys!"

The bandit cursed angrily and kicked the man who had spoken hard.

"I...I just remembered!" The man who was hit was extremely aggrieved, his voice trembling.

Having gotten the answer he wanted, the bandit opened the door to the guard room and prepared to inform his accomplices.

But as soon as he stepped out the door, he was met with a hard fist.

Lin Xiuyi was already prepared. His punch was fast and hard, hitting the bandit directly on the nose.

"Ugh!" The bandit immediately let out a muffled groan.

Before he could react, he was kicked hard in the stomach again, this time by Tomizawa Chikage from the side.

The kick was so powerful that the thug was sent flying backward like a rag doll, crashing heavily back into the guard room and knocking over a chair next to him.

In the duty room, two real security guards, tied to chairs with their hands behind their backs, stared in disbelief at the scene.

The next second, they saw a young man and a young woman walk in. The boy was tall and had sharp eyes, while the girl was wearing denim shorts and looked very capable.

The fallen thug struggled to get up and fight back, but Tomizawa Chikage reacted quickly, stepping forward and stomping hard on his head.

With a thud, the bandit's head hit the ground, and he immediately lost consciousness.

Tomizawa Chikage withdrew her foot, curled her lip, and said with a hint of disdain, "You're really not that tough. You're not even as good as the security guard I encountered last time."

Lin Xiuyi looked down at the bandit on the ground. He was wearing a black hood, only his eyes and mouth were exposed. At this moment, his nose was soaked with blood, which flowed down his cheeks. It was hard to tell whether it was due to the punch he had just thrown or the kick from Tomizawa Chikage.

He crouched down and checked the bandit's condition, confirming that the man had lost consciousness.

"You...you are..."

The heavier man spoke hesitantly, his voice trembling with fear.

He and his companion were tied to chairs, their faces bearing obvious marks, and their uniforms were disheveled, clearly indicating that they had suffered considerable abuse.

“Police,” Lin Xiuyi glanced at the security guard photos on the wall, and after confirming that the two men were indeed real security guards, she helped them untie the ropes.

The rope was tied very tightly, leaving red marks on the wrists of both security guards, who grimaced in pain when they moved around.

"Tie that guy up, don't let him run around after he wakes up."

Lin Xiuyi casually tossed the untied rope to Tomizawa Chikage, then squatted down to check on the injuries of the two security guards.

"Tch, they really know how to order people around."

Tomizawa Chikage pursed her lips, but still obediently picked up the rope and skillfully tied the unconscious bandit behind his back, even wrapping it around his ankles a few more times.

Her method of tying people up was exceptionally professional; she was clearly "very experienced."

Lin Xiuyi then began to inquire about the situation: "What exactly happened in the department store? When did these bandits enter?"

"It was a little after 7 p.m. tonight, just after the mall closed. We were patrolling the first floor, checking if the doors and windows were locked properly."

The chubby security guard rubbed the spot on his arm where he had been whipped with the belt, recounting what had happened with lingering fear in his voice.
"Suddenly, four masked men jumped out from upstairs, carrying iron bars and belts. Before we could react, they knocked us to the ground and tied us up here..." (End of Chapter)