Ke Xue: The thief Cao is actually myself

Chapter 719 As expected of a righteous Kamen Rider! (Seeking monthly votes!)

"Ta Tata..."

After finally retreating to a relatively secluded corner, Conan leaned against the wall and raised his hand to signal everyone to stop for the time being.

At this moment, his brain was like a high-speed, precision instrument, rapidly considering how to proceed.

"We have to find a completely safe hiding place, and we absolutely cannot let those robbers find us. We also need to contact the police as soon as possible, but my phone isn't with me..."

Conan's brows furrowed tightly as he muttered to himself, his voice filled with anxiety and seriousness.

Mitsuhiko's eyes lit up, and he quickly suggested, "Why don't we look around more carefully? Maybe we can find other communication devices nearby?"

"But it's pitch black here, how are we supposed to find it? Besides, what if they find us while we're looking? Then we're all doomed!"

Yuan Tai said with a sob in his voice, fear like an invisible net tightly enveloping him, clearly still trapped in the terror he had just experienced.

Ayumi looked at everyone with worry and fear in her eyes: "Will we be trapped in this terrible place forever?"

Conan pondered for a moment, then calmly said, "We can't just search blindly; that's too risky. Everyone, calm down and try to recall if there might be any other communication devices on this floor."

Upon hearing this, the group fell into deep thought, trying to visualize the layout of the second basement level in their minds.

Suddenly, Mitsuhiko's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "I remember now! I think there's a public phone booth near the toy store on the first floor. Maybe the phone there still works."

Conan nodded slightly, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "Alright, let's go over and take a look carefully. Everyone must stick close to me and absolutely, absolutely do not make a sound."

So, the group cautiously made their way towards the toy store on the first floor once again.

In the darkness, their figures moved slowly through the passage like ghosts.

With each step, one must be extremely vigilant in observing one's surroundings to ensure there are no hidden dangers.

Just as they were about to reach the toy store, a clear sound of footsteps suddenly came from behind.

Conan's heart tightened suddenly, and he made a quick decision, signaling everyone to hide immediately.

Like frightened little animals, they nimbly hid behind a nearby shelf, barely daring to breathe, as if the slightest sound would engulf them in danger.

The footsteps grew closer, and Conan peeked through the gaps in the shelves, discovering that one of the robbers was walking towards them.

His heart leaped into his throat, pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. Instinctively, he clenched his fists, his muscles tensing, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

As the robber walked, he muttered curses under his breath, his words filled with complaints about the many setbacks of the operation.

Conan and the others hid behind the shelves, barely daring to breathe. In the silence, the sound of their heartbeats seemed exceptionally loud, making their ears ring.

Yuan Tai was so nervous that his forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and large beads of sweat kept sliding down his cheeks. He covered his mouth tightly, afraid that he might make a sound and reveal everyone's location.

Ayumi gripped Mitsuhiko's clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, her eyes filled with deep fear, but she held back her tears.

The robber lingered near the shelf for a while, seemingly searching for something.

His footsteps moved incessantly between the shelves, each step feeling like a heavy blow to Conan and his friends' hearts, making them tremble.

Conan silently prayed that the robber would leave quickly and that they would not be discovered.

Fortunately, after a while, the robber seemed to have gained nothing, and turned away cursing under his breath.

Conan and the others listened intently until the footsteps completely disappeared into the silent darkness before they breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was close, we almost got discovered," Mitsuhiko said in a low voice, still shaken.

Conan nodded gravely: "Yes, the situation is critical. We need to get to that public phone booth and call the police right away!"

"Yes," the group responded softly, their voices carrying a hint of tension and determination.

The group continued cautiously toward the public phone booth and finally arrived at their destination.

Conan gently pushed open the door, and the hinges made a soft "creak" sound, which sounded particularly jarring in the eerily quiet environment.

Conan was startled and his body froze instantly. He held his breath and waited for a while. After confirming that there was no unusual movement, he slowly walked in.

The public phone booth was surrounded by all sorts of odds and ends, and the lighting was very dim, as if a thick black veil was covering the place.

They groped their way forward in the darkness, their eyes struggling to adjust to the dim light, searching for a telephone.

Suddenly, Genta accidentally kicked a stool, which fell to the ground with a crisp sound that echoed in the quiet space.

"Oh no!" Conan thought to himself, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

Sure enough, not long after, they heard hurried footsteps rapidly approaching the public phone booth.

Conan reacted quickly and led everyone to hide under the table.

"Who's in there?" A rough, hoarse voice rang out from the doorway of the public phone booth, followed by a beam of flashlight shining in and instantly illuminating the entire room.

Conan and the others hid under the table, so tense they almost stopped breathing, feeling as if time had frozen.

The robber looked around warily, then slowly and heavily walked toward the table.

Conan and the others hid under the table, barely daring to breathe, their hearts pounding in their throats.

Just as the robber was about to reach the table, suddenly, another robber shouted from outside: "What are you doing? Come here, let's discuss our next move."

"Coming!" the robber replied, then reluctantly glanced around before turning and leaving the public phone booth.

Conan and the others crawled out from under the table, each still shaken, their faces bearing the lingering fear.

Taking advantage of the robbers' departure, they quickly went to the telephone and tried to call for help.

However, after inserting the coin, Conan didn't hear the voice he wanted to hear on the phone for a long time.

"Strange? Why is there no sound of a message being sent?"

Conan looked puzzled and fiddled with the phone repeatedly.

Mitsuhiko leaned closer and his face darkened: "The telephone line has been cut..."

Ayumi checked the phone next to her and said with equal frustration, "This one too!" Genta checked all the phones around him and shouted anxiously, "They've all been cut off!"

Conan frowned, reluctantly leading his friends to a nearby staff office, still clinging to a sliver of hope: "The phone here should be..."

Unfortunately, after trying, Genta exclaimed in frustration, "It doesn't work! We can't get through here either!"

Conan suddenly realized and said with annoyance, "Oh right, the phone for the store's employees has been blocked by the security system. Unless the security is lifted, it's impossible to get through..."

Upon hearing this, Ayumi's eyes reddened, and she asked in a tearful voice, "Then, won't anyone come to save us?"

Genta cried out in despair, "Thank goodness I ate a lot of eel bento boxes before I was killed!"

Conan glared at Genta, annoyed, and said firmly, "Giving up now is a bit too early!"

As he spoke, he quickly walked to a corner, picked up a brush and a paint bucket, and then went to the window.

Genta asked with a puzzled look, "Conan, what are you planning to do?"

While skillfully mixing the paint, Conan replied, "Ask for help! As long as we draw an SOS signal on the window, someone will definitely find it and come to rescue us!"

Mitsuhiko's eyes lit up, and he said, "That's right, that's a good idea! Maybe a passerby or a patrolling policeman will see it."

Ayumi perked up and said, "Then let's get started drawing!"

With Genta's help, Conan picked up a brush, dipped it in paint, and began to carefully draw the SOS signal on the window.

Mitsuhiko and Ayumi watched nervously from the side, constantly keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, fearing that the robbers might reappear...

"Please, find us quickly!"

After Conan finished drawing the distress signal, Ayumi clasped her hands together, stared intently out the window, and muttered to herself, her eyes filled with anticipation and anxiety.

"Save us!" Genta cried out, his voice trembling with despair, as if trying to convey his fear and longing for help through his shout.

"Look here!" Mitsuhiko also looked anxiously out the window, hoping for a miracle and that someone would notice their distress signal.

However, as time ticked by, the streets remained deserted, and no one noticed the distress signal.

Conan looked out the window and sighed helplessly, "Looks like this won't work."

"Boom bang..."

Yuan Tai was unwilling to sit and wait for his death. His eyes turned red, like an angry bull. He grabbed a stool and smashed it against the glass with all his might, as if he wanted to vent all the fear and despair in his heart through this smash.

Startled by this sudden action, Ayumi's face turned deathly pale. Her eyes widened, and she cried out in a shrill voice, "Genta..."

Mitsuhiko anxiously tried to dissuade him, saying, "No... don't do this! The bandit group will find out if we do this!"

But at this moment, Genta was blinded by anxiety and despair and wouldn't listen to any advice. Undeterred, he picked up the chair and swung it at the glass again, muttering, "I refuse to believe I can't break you!"

"Damn it, it's impossible to break!"

After smashing it for a long time, the glass didn't budge. Instead, he was exhausted and panting heavily. Yuan Tai couldn't help but feel discouraged. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped onto the ground.

Conan shook his head helplessly and said, "It won't work. The glass in places like this is made of extra-thick glass; it's impossible to break it."

In fact, if the glass could be broken so easily, Conan would have already come up with a way to escape this dangerous place with his friends. Why would it be Genta, who usually only thinks about food and solving problems with violence, who would act rashly?

Unfortunately, in places like department stores, where people are densely packed and many valuable goods are stored, the glass used is usually high-strength, thickened glass that has undergone special treatment to ensure safety. It is simply a pipe dream for an ordinary person to break it by themselves.

"Well, if that's the case..."

Yuan Tai took a deep breath, suppressing his frustration, and then decisively walked to the side and used all his strength to lift a slightly cumbersome round table.

His face turned bright red from the exertion, and the veins on his arms bulged.

"Genta, don't be impulsive!" Ayumi cried out worriedly, afraid that Genta's actions would endanger her and attract robbers.

Mitsuhiko quickly ran over, trying to stop Genta: "Genta, calm down, this is too dangerous!"

But Yuan Tai gritted his teeth and said firmly, "I must find a way out; I can't just wait to die here!"

As he spoke, he lifted the round table high and then smashed it against the glass again...

……

Meanwhile, on the other side of the department store—the jewelry section on the sixth floor.

"Alright! We've arrived! Quickly, turn off the protective measures!"

The man in the Kamen Rider costume that Conan and the others had seen before was now standing in the center of the jewelry section, his eyes gleaming with greed as he scanned the dazzling array of jewelry around him like a hungry vulture.

As he looked around, he lowered his head slightly, looked at the communicator in his hand, and issued the order in an unquestionable tone.

"Understood!" Upon hearing the order, the man in the guard room pressed the button decisively without hesitation, his eyes not even blinking.

The next moment, accompanied by a slight hum of electronic equipment, all the security systems on the counters instantly failed.

The sturdy glass cases that had originally kept the jewelry from the outside world were now completely exposed to the bandits, offering no protection whatsoever.

"This is so exciting!"

The man dressed in a Kamen Rider costume rubbed his hands together excitedly, a ferocious and greedy smile spreading across his face.

"Great! We're about to become millionaires!" His companion beside him excitedly echoed, his eyes also filled with a desire and madness for wealth.

The two exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with a sinister understanding, and then without hesitation, they reached out their sinful hands to the jewelry counter.

The gold and silver jewelry and dazzling jewels in the jewelry counters were looted one by one during their frenzied looting and were casually stuffed into bags they had prepared beforehand.

"Boom bang..."

However, just as they were immersed in the frenzy of looting, suddenly, a dull and powerful sound, like a heavy hammer blow, came from above them, instantly shattering the sinful "carnival" atmosphere...

(End of this chapter)