Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 718 Your Incompetent Teammate is Online! (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
"Beep...beep..."

Just as everyone was overjoyed and immersed in the happiness of successfully helping Genta retrieve the Kamen Rider autographed photo, without warning, a sharp and piercing alarm sounded like a blade, suddenly shattering the joy and tranquility.

"What is this sound?"

Mitsuhiko was the first to react, a look of confusion and unease appearing on his face.

"Oh no, the security system has been activated!"

Conan's pupils contracted sharply, his eyes instantly becoming sharp and wary, and at the same time, his face turned extremely ugly in an instant.

Because that sharp sound was clearly the alarm sounding when the department store's security system was activated.

Once the security system is fully activated, all entrances and exits of the department store will be closed, and the group will undoubtedly be trapped in this dark and empty building, which is like a giant cage!
Thinking of this, Conan couldn't help but groan inwardly. He didn't want to spend the whole night in this gloomy place!
Mitsuhiko also realized the seriousness of the situation and anxiously shouted, "We have to leave quickly, or it will be too late!"

"Go, go, go!"

Genta and Ayumi were terrified by this sudden turn of events. Without a second thought, they turned and ran.

Unfortunately, although they rushed towards the department store exit as fast as they could after hearing the alarm, they were still a step too late.

When they arrived at the exit, panting, they saw that the sturdy gates had already slowly closed, and the department store's security system had been fully activated.

The cold gate was like an insurmountable wall, ruthlessly blocking their way out.

"What should we do, Conan? We're trapped!" Ayumi said, her eyes red and trembling with tears, her voice filled with deep fear and helplessness.

Yuan Tai was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, stamping his feet incessantly on the ground, blaming himself in frustration: "It's all my fault, if only I hadn't been so impulsive..."

His voice was filled with regret, wishing he could turn back time and take back his rash actions.

Conan frowned deeply, knowing he had to remain calm to lead everyone out of this predicament. He quickly scanned the dim and unfamiliar surroundings while trying to reassure everyone, "Don't panic, we'll definitely find a way out."

Although she wanted to give Genta, this naughty and unruly kid, a good beating, this was not the time to scold him.

"Conan, can we really get out of here?" Ayumi asked softly, her voice trembling slightly.

Conan gently patted Ayumi's shoulder and said in a firm and powerful tone, "Don't worry, we'll definitely get out. I'll find a way to contact the people outside and have them open the door for us."

But how do we contact people outside?
Conan fell into deep thought. He subconsciously touched his pocket, only to realize with annoyance that he had left his phone with Professor Agasa.

Even if he wanted to make a phone call to contact others for help, he would be completely helpless at this moment.

Just when he was at his wit's end, Conan suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He remembered that the department store should have an internal communication system, and perhaps he could use it to contact the security personnel who were on duty in the security room.

“Genta, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, I’ve got an idea. The department store should have internal communication equipment. We can try to find it and then contact the security personnel in the security room to ask them to let us out.”

"Okay, we'll listen to you!"

Genta, Mitsuhiko, and Ayumi all nodded firmly without hesitation, indicating their willingness to follow Conan's arrangements.

So the group carefully made their way down the corridor, their eyes straining to make out their surroundings in the dim light.

However, with the activation of the security system, the layout of the mall's first floor appeared particularly unfamiliar under the darkness. They felt as if they were in a huge maze, somewhat disoriented, unable to find the location of the service desk.

Yuan Tai was so anxious that his forehead was covered with large beads of sweat, which slid down his cheeks and soaked his collar.

Ayumi clung tightly to Conan's clothes, her eyes revealing a hint of barely concealed fear.

"Conan, have we gone the wrong way?" Ayumi asked softly, her voice filled with worry and confusion.

"Don't worry, Ayumi, let's look again."

Although Conan wasn't sure himself, he tried his best to remain calm and reassure Ayumi, attempting to calm her down.

Just when they were at a loss and almost fell into despair, Mitsuhiko's eyes suddenly lit up. He pointed excitedly at a faintly glowing sign in front of him and said, "Conan, Genta, look at that sign. Doesn't it point in the direction of the service desk?"

Conan looked in the direction Mitsuhiko pointed and indeed saw a sign that read "Service Desk".
Although the light was as faint as a candle flickering in the wind, those few words were like a beacon of hope in the darkness, instantly illuminating everyone's eyes.

The group immediately perked up and quickly walked towards the sign.

Upon arriving at the office, I found the door tightly closed.

Conan gently pushed the door and found it wasn't locked.

The group tiptoed into the office, which was filled with various office equipment. On a table, they saw a communication device that looked like a walkie-talkie.

Conan was immediately delighted and quickly walked over to pick up the device, eagerly trying to press the call button.

"Hello, hello, this is a person trapped in the mall, can you hear me?" Conan shouted into the device, his voice echoing in the eerily quiet room.

However, there was only a hissing sound from the walkie-talkie, and no response came as expected.

Conan frowned, carefully inspected the device, and found that the power indicator light was flashing faintly, indicating that the battery was low.

"Mitsuhiko, quickly find a charger, this device is running low on power," Conan said anxiously, his tone carrying an undeniable urgency.

Genta and Mitsuhiko immediately searched the room for a charger. They turned every drawer in the table upside down, leaving no corner unchecked, and searched the cabinets thoroughly, wishing they could turn them upside down.

Unfortunately, after all that effort, nothing was gained.

Genta looked at Conan with a hint of despair in his eyes, his voice trembling with a sob, his eyes filled with fear and helplessness. "I can't find it! Conan, are we going to be trapped here?"

Upon hearing this, Ayumi couldn't help but burst into tears: "Waaah... I don't want to, Conan, please think of something!"

Her cries sounded particularly jarring in the quiet office, gripping everyone's hearts.

Conan quickly comforted her, "Ayumi, don't cry..." Ayumi sobbed and asked, "Really?"

Although Mitsuhiko was also a little nervous and scared, he still tried to remain calm and said, "That's right, Ayumi, we have to trust Conan. He will definitely come up with a solution."

Conan stroked his chin, lost in thought once again.

Once the security system is activated, all exits of the mall will be completely sealed off, making it extremely difficult to leave safely.

Unless they can contact the security personnel on night watch and get them to let them leave.

Unfortunately, although they had found the service desk on the first floor of the mall and a spare communication device, the device was out of power and they couldn't contact the security personnel in the guard room, let alone get them to activate the security system and leave the department store.

Wait a minute... It seems that you don't necessarily have to use a communication device to contact the security personnel who are on duty. In fact, there is another way.

That means we should go directly to the guardhouse to find them!
Thinking of this, Conan's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "I've got a plan! Let's all go straight to the guard room in the store and tell them the truth. I'm sure they'll let us out!"

Upon hearing this, Genta was overjoyed: "Great! I knew Conan would have a solution!"

Ayumi asked with some concern, "But where is the guardhouse?"

Conan narrowed his eyes slightly, trying hard to recall: "I remember seeing the location of the guardhouse on a sign when I was shopping at the mall during the day..."

He paused for a moment, then said with certainty, "If I remember correctly, the guard room should be on the second basement floor!"

Genta and Mitsuhiko exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go to the second basement level!"

The group quickly left the office and headed towards the second basement level.

In the dark corridor, their footsteps were exceptionally clear, each step carrying a desire to escape their predicament.

After some stumbling and fumbling, they finally reached the second basement level. The light here was even dimmer and denser than on the upper levels, like a heavy black curtain enveloping everything.

They slowly made their way forward along the narrow passage, their eyes straining in the darkness to find every possible clue, searching for any sign of the guardhouse.

Just then, a faint light suddenly appeared ahead, flickering in the darkness like a will-o'-the-wisp in the night. At the same time, they could faintly hear conversations, as if drifting from afar, yet clearly reaching their ears.

"Could it be the guard room?" Mitsuhiko couldn't help but lower his voice, his tone filled with a hint of nervousness and anticipation.

Conan immediately raised his finger to signal everyone to be quiet, and then tiptoed slowly toward the light.

As they drew closer, they finally saw clearly that it was indeed the guardhouse ahead. Through the half-open door, they saw two figures standing at a table, seemingly engaged in a heated discussion. Upon closer inspection, they recognized them as the man they had seen during the day dressed as Kamen Rider, and the actor playing the monster.

Upon seeing this, Ayumi couldn't help but exclaim softly, "Ah... Kamen Rider!"

"Shh..." Conan reacted quickly, reaching out to gently cover her mouth, signaling her not to make a sound.

Because at this moment, the situation in the room was far more complicated than they had imagined.

Besides Kamen Rider and the monster, there were also several people wearing security uniforms.

However, these security personnel were all tied up and lay unconscious in the corner, lifeless.

Upon seeing this scene, Conan's heart skipped a beat, and a strong sense of foreboding surged into his mind.

Because, no matter how you look at it, the scene before you exudes an indescribable eeriness and danger.

What's even more dangerous is that Ayumi just made a sound.

Fortunately, the two men in the guard room seemed completely absorbed in their plan and didn't notice the subtle movements outside the door. They continued their conversation: "The gemstone counter is on the sixth floor."

"There are also quite a few antiques in the special sales area on the seventh floor..."

"It's that older sister from the elevator!"

Hearing this conversation, Conan's unease intensified. Just as he was about to take action, Genta suddenly pointed a finger at the corner of the room.

There, the woman they had seen during the day who was in charge of pressing the elevator buttons for guests was now bound tightly with ropes, just like the group of security personnel.

"Shh!"

Mitsuhiko reacted quickly, swiftly covering Genta's mouth with his hand, thus preventing them from being exposed to danger.

Meanwhile, the conversation in the room continued: "Alright, let's slowly loot until dawn and try to get our hands on everything of value."

Upon hearing this, Conan couldn't help but gasp. His eyes widened, and he instinctively lowered his voice, his tone filled with shock: "A...a gang of robbers?"

If, after hearing all this, he still doesn't understand what happened at this department store, then his title as a high school detective is truly undeserved.

There is no doubt that this department store has been targeted by a gang of robbers, who have successfully subdued all the security personnel and are preparing to carry out their heinous robbery plan.

Mitsuhiko's expression was grave, and he replied in a low voice, "It seems so. If they find out, it will be terrible!"

Genta was completely overwhelmed by fear, utterly disoriented, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He cried out, "They'll kill us, Conan! Let's go!"

Ayumi's eyes were full of worry as she asked softly, "But what about that elevator lady?"

Conan narrowed his eyes slightly, a resolute glint in them, and calmly said, "In short, we absolutely cannot let them find us. Make sure we're safe first, then we'll find a way to notify the police, understand?"

In fact, Conan also wanted to rush in immediately to rescue the innocent elevator girl and the subdued department store security personnel.
But the reality is that they are barely able to save themselves, let alone escape safely, let alone rescue others.

"Ok!"

Then, the group tiptoed back along the passage they had come from, careful not to make the slightest sound and alert the dangerous bandits in the guardhouse...

(End of this chapter)