Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Hearing his companion's groan, the thug on the right was about to turn around to check when Tomizawa Chikage rushed in front of him, wielding a mop handle and smashing it hard against the thug's wrist holding the iron rod.

With a muffled thud, the sound of the mop handle colliding with the bone was particularly jarring.

"what!"

The bandit screamed in pain, and the iron rod in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, his wrist twisted at an unnatural angle.

Before he could recover from the excruciating pain, Tomizawa Chikage immediately raised her leg and kicked the bandit hard in the back of the knee.

The bandit's knees buckled, and he fell to his knees with a thud, losing his balance and lurching forward.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Tomizawa Chikage stepped forward, pressed her left knee against the bandit's back, grabbed his arms with both hands, and forcefully twisted them backward.

With a soft "crack," the bandit felt a dislocated pain in his shoulder.

He struggled to resist, but was held down firmly by Tomizawa Chikage and could not move.

"Don't make a sound!"

Lin Xiuyi lowered his voice and warned the thug whose neck he was strangling.

His arm was incredibly strong, and the thug was choked so hard he could barely breathe. His face turned red, and he could only make "ooh" sounds. His feet futilely kicked at the ground, and his body gradually went limp, as he completely gave up resisting.

Tomizawa Chikage also pinned the thug on the right to the ground, pulled off the belt from his waist, and quickly tied his wrists and ankles tightly, even making a knot that was difficult to untie.

"What a useless fellow! You dare to be a thief with such meager skills?"

The girl pouted, and as she spoke, she kicked the bandit in the butt.

It was both a way to vent the tension of almost being discovered and a sign of disdain for these bandits.

Lin Xiu released her hand from the bandit's mouth, but didn't loosen her grip, still holding him by the neck, her eyes icy.
"Tell me! Where is your accomplice? What about the girl who lost the necklace?"

The thug, who was being strangled, was panting heavily, but still tried to deny it: "I...I don't know..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Xiuyi suddenly covered his mouth again, pressed his knee against his back, and bent his upper body backward with his arm.

The bandit's body was instantly pulled back like a bow.

A sharp pain shot through his spine, causing him to break out in a cold sweat, large beads of sweat streaming down his face. He made a painful "groaning" sound in his throat, and his body trembled violently.

"So loyal? Even after all this, you still won't tell?"

Lin Xiuyi sneered.
“If you bend any further, even if your spine doesn’t break, it will be permanently damaged, and you’ll spend the rest of your life in a hospital bed.”

"Think it through. Do you want to tell the truth, or lie in bed for the rest of your life?"

As he spoke, he applied even more force. The bandit's body immediately bent into an unnatural arc, and his joints made a faint "crackling" sound.

In the blink of an eye, the bandit's face turned deathly pale. The pain made his vision go black, and his consciousness began to blur.

"Hey, cover his mouth, even if he wants to say something, he won't be able to."

Seeing that the bandit was about to faint, Tomizawa Chikage couldn't help but speak up to remind him.

Although she felt the bandits deserved it, she didn't want anyone to actually die.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot."

Lin Xiuyi spoke calmly, without the slightest apology, and slowly released her hand from the bandit's mouth.

But as soon as he let go, the bandit was overcome by intense pain, his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Lin Xiu kicked him, but seeing that he didn't react, she looked up at the bandits being controlled by Tomizawa Chikage.

The bandit had witnessed his companion being tortured until he fainted, and he was trembling with fear, his teeth chattering. "You..."

As soon as Lin Xiuyi opened his mouth, the bandit immediately started crying and shouting.
"I say! I say! I say anything!"

The bandit's voice was trembling with fear, terrified that Lin Xiuyi would also harm him.

"We couldn't find the girl on the second floor, so the boss told the two of us to go downstairs and guard the entrance on the first floor to prevent her from running out. He went to the fourth and fifth floors to look for her!"

"That's all I know, please don't hit me!"

Lin Xiuyi and Tomizawa Chikage exchanged a glance. Judging from the bandit's eyes and tone, he probably wasn't lying.

The two men worked together to drag the two thugs behind the shelf, tied them up tightly with rope, and stuffed two pieces of cloth into their mouths to prevent them from shouting for help when they woke up.

"Hide them here first, and come back to deal with them after we've dealt with their leader."

After Lin Xiuyi finished speaking, he picked up the flashlight and the iron bar from the ground, handing the latter to Tomizawa Chikage.

"Let's go upstairs and find their boss. Remember, prioritize the girl's safety and avoid direct confrontation."

Tomizawa Chikage nodded, took the iron rod, and followed Lin Xiuyi toward the stairwell.

As soon as she stepped onto the stairs, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Hey, your acting was so convincing! You actually scared that thug into fainting. I thought you were really going to break his spine!"

Where did I act?

Lin Xiuyi looked at her with a puzzled expression, her tone serious.

"He fainted from the pain. What I just said is true. If you had used any more force, his spine would definitely have been injured."

"Really, really?"

Tomizawa Chikage gave a dry laugh, subconsciously taking a few steps to the side to increase the distance between herself and Hayashi Hideichi.
"Don't you think this is a bit too harsh? After all, it's just a question."

"ruthless?"

Lin Xiuyi chuckled, stopped, turned to look at her, and his eyes were serious.
"How come you've become so saintly too?"

"Holy Mother?" Tomizawa Chikage was taken aback, not understanding the meaning of the word.

"It means being soft-hearted towards those you shouldn't be soft-hearted towards, and showing mercy to bad people." Lin Xiuyi explained casually, "Think about it, right now an innocent girl is being chased by thugs in a shopping mall, and her life or death is unknown."

"Every second we delay increases the chances of that girl being in danger."

Do you think these thugs will treat the girl well after they find her?

Lin Xiu paused, her tone becoming even more serious.
"Compared to the safety of an innocent girl, what do it matter if these thugs get injured? Being merciful to bad people is being cruel to good people."

“That’s true.” Tomizawa Chikage was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

She wasn't a child raised in a greenhouse; she became a phantom thief at a young age and witnessed too much darkness, so she naturally understood Lin Xiuyi's principles.

"You wouldn't be because of..."

Seeing the atmosphere become somewhat silent, Lin Xiuyi made a joke.
"They and you are both 'thieves,' so you felt sorry for them, didn't you?"

"Don't talk nonsense! How can these petty thieves compare to me!"

Tomizawa Chikage immediately puffed out her chest proudly in rebuttal.
"I am the thief Lady, who robs the rich to help the poor and punishes the wicked, specializing in stealing from those who are rich but heartless!"

"I'm very popular among the people! These are just pure thieves, they're not even in my league!" (End of Chapter)