Kaito Kid Appears! / Kaito Kid's Retreat ...

"Kaito Kid?" Conan froze for a moment. It seemed he had some impression of this guy.

He frowned slightly. "Before I got shrunk down, I was handling another case with Inspector Megure when he dragged me into solving a puzzle that guy had left behind. We didn't catch him in the end, but he really was an interesting thief."

He seemed to recall their brief clash last time and the life he had before being shrunk down. Then he looked at Jiang Hang. "I saw an ad on TV before saying your museum was holding a jewelry exhibition. Does that mean you want to catch Kaito Kid too?"

Kaito Kuroba was seventeen years old, a high school student who was anything but ordinary.

His father had once been the renowned magician Toichi Kuroba. His hidden identity, however, was Kaito Kid, the master thief who had been appearing around the world for the past eighteen years, committing crimes through magical tricks.

However, his father had mysteriously disappeared eight years ago, and Kaito Kuroba had only discovered his father's true identity half a year ago.

In order to investigate his father's whereabouts, he had chosen to become the second Kaito Kid.

And tonight was the time for him to make another move.

Beika Art Museum was his target this time.

Over the past few days, he had already investigated the museum and its owner.

A private detective who had only recently made a name for himself, whose family was rich enough to have just bought Beika Art Museum, and an old man from the wealthy Suzuki family who, for some reason, had set his sights on him.

To be honest, when he first learned about those two, he had wondered whether they might set some impressive trap if they worked together.

However, after eavesdropping on and observing them over the past few days, he felt that this operation probably would not run into much trouble.

That detective named Jiang Hang seemed to have a reputation far greater than his abilities. Over the past few days, whenever Kaito Kuroba watched him, he was either playing on his computer in his office or handling all sorts of trivial commissions. He showed none of the bearing of a great detective.

As for the Beika Art Museum he had bought, it was not particularly small, but it was still only a neighborhood museum. If it had not changed owners and gained a wealthy one, this jewelry exhibition never would have been held there.

To Kaito Kuroba, that old museum had far too many weak points. He could even move freely through it without being discovered.

As for that old man named Jirokichi Suzuki, he was even more arrogant. He clearly knew Kaito Kuroba was coming to steal the Suzuki family heirloom, yet he had no intention of calling the police. It was as if he planned to rely on the power of the Suzuki Conglomerate to stop him.

Moreover, Kaito Kuroba knew perfectly well that even if the old man did not report it to the police, Inspector Nakamori, who had pursued Kaito Kid for more than a decade, would definitely bring people here.

Therefore, to be safe, he had made quite a few additional preparations for this operation.

He even felt that if everything could be resolved too easily, it would be rather boring.

He checked the time. It was almost the moment stated in his notice, and he was ready to begin.

Beika Art Museum had originally been open from nine in the morning to six in the evening. However, because of the jewelry exhibition over the past few days and Kaito Kid's notice, the museum's popularity had been thoroughly stirred up, causing its visitor flow to reach an all-time high.

Because of that, Beika Art Museum had extended its closing time into the evening during this period.

Of course, since Kaito Kid was coming today, visitors had no longer been allowed into Beika Art Museum after eight o'clock in the evening, and all the staff inside had become especially vigilant.

It was now nine in the evening, yet quite a few onlookers still waited outside the museum for Kaito Kid's arrival.

As time slowly passed, the atmosphere inside Beika Art Museum became somewhat tense.

At Jiang Hang's instruction, everyone had to exchange a password whenever they met, and anyone who discovered Kaito Kid's whereabouts would receive an additional bonus afterward.

Jirokichi Suzuki was now guarding the exhibition hall where the Suzuki family heirloom, the world's largest black pearl, Dark Star, was displayed, waiting for Kaito Kid's arrival.

Under the pressure of his powerful presence, almost no one dared approach him to speak.

If Jiang Hang had been there, perhaps he could have said something to him at such a critical moment. However, Jiang Hang was checking the security of the other routes and was not there.

"The time is almost here. If Kaito Kid doesn't show up soon, then he'll have failed," Jirokichi Suzuki muttered to himself as he looked at Dark Star.

Jirokichi Suzuki glanced again at the security nearby. They were all professional guards hired by the Suzuki Conglomerate.

If Kaito Kid dared show himself before him, he would make sure the thief never left!

"Search more carefully! Don't let any stranger enter this exhibition hall!"

He had barely finished speaking when the lights throughout the exhibition hall suddenly went out!

"It's Kaito Kid!" someone shouted in panic from the darkness, and the people present immediately grew restless.

Unable to see anyone around them, Jirokichi Suzuki shouted, "Don't panic! The museum has backup power, and someone will activate it soon. Take out your lighting equipment and exchange passwords with the people beside you. Don't let Kaito Kid succeed!"

Under Jirokichi Suzuki's orders, the chaos was quickly suppressed, and the guards nearby took out their lighting equipment and began checking the area.

However, in the next moment, a museum employee suddenly pointed at the display stand where Dark Star had been placed, looking panicked. "Dark Star! Dark Star is gone!"

"What?" Jirokichi Suzuki's expression changed drastically. "How did Kaito Kid... do that?"

From the sudden blackout to the restoration of order, the whole process had taken no more than half a minute. That display stand had been made from special materials by the Suzuki Conglomerate. How had Kaito Kid stolen the jewel in such a short time?

Just then, another employee spotted a white figure flashing past near another exit with his flashlight and immediately shouted to Jirokichi Suzuki, "I saw Kaito Kid! He's over there!"

Almost instantly, four or five well-trained guards lunged at the figure!

But in the next moment, Jiang Hang's voice came from the figure's mouth.

"You've got the wrong person! It's me! I rushed over as soon as I saw the power go out to see what was happening. Has Kaito Kid appeared!?"

Under the flashlight beams, it was obvious that the person was Jiang Hang.

It was just that he happened to be wearing white today, which was why he had been mistaken for Kaito Kid.

At that moment, Jirokichi Suzuki walked over and looked at Jiang Hang, who was still being held by several people.

His expression was stern. "Kaito Kid can easily disguise himself as someone else. You can only prove your identity by telling me the password that only you and I know."

Jiang Hang nodded at him, indicating that he had no problem with that.

Jirokichi Suzuki leaned closer, and Jiang Hang softly whispered the password they had agreed upon into his ear.

"1412, Kaito Kid's criminal code assigned by Interpol."

Hearing the password, Jirokichi Suzuki seemed to let out a breath of relief.

Jiang Hang also gasped for breath before saying, "Hurry up and have them let go of me. I ran all the way here, and now you people are holding me down like this. I can barely breathe."

"How is Dark Star? I heard some commotion over here. Did Kaito Kid already make his move? Don't waste time searching!"

However, after hearing that password, Jirokichi Suzuki, who had just relaxed, suddenly burst into laughter.

While Jiang Hang was still wondering what was going on, Jirokichi Suzuki took out a pair of handcuffs from behind him and directly cuffed "Jiang Hang's" hands!

"What are you—?" "Jiang Hang" looked at him in disbelief.

"Jiang Hang told me long ago that with Kaito Kid's personality, he might very well use the password known only to Jiang Hang and me to gain our trust by disguising himself as either one of us."

"I didn't quite believe it before, but now it seems every move you made was predicted by Jiang Hang." Jirokichi Suzuki revealed a smug look before loudly declaring to him.

"Your thief's game is over. Surrender quietly, Kaito Kid!"

Kaito Kid's Retreat

Even Jirokichi Suzuki himself had not expected that the famous Kaito Kid would be caught so easily.

This was world-class news!

For eighteen years, countless police officers from all over the world had wanted to capture Kaito Kid, but until now, not a single one had accomplished that feat.

But he, Jirokichi Suzuki, had successfully captured Kaito Kid!

He could already imagine the newspaper and television reporters swarming in to interview him later.

Then, first thing tomorrow morning, when everyone woke up and saw the newspapers or news broadcasts, the first thing they would see would be the headline: "Jirokichi Suzuki Captures Kaito Kid on the Spot!"

Although most of this plan had only been possible with Jiang Hang's help, and the methods he had prepared in advance had not even had time to come into play before Kaito Kid was caught, Jirokichi Suzuki found that somewhat regrettable.

But it did not matter. After all, he was still the one who had carried out the "Kid Capture Plan," so he definitely would not miss out on this headline!

There were also quite a few Kaito Kid fans waiting outside the museum for his appearance. Soon, he would personally shatter those people's beautiful fantasies about Kaito Kid and tell those Kid lovers that he, Jirokichi Suzuki, was the man truly worthy of admiration.

Thinking of that, Jirokichi Suzuki, already over seventy years old, grinned like a seven-year-old child.

Of course, laughing was one thing, but they absolutely could not let their guard down around Kid. He ordered the guards, "Without my command, none of you are to let go of Kaito Kid! If he shows any intention of resisting, use force immediately! Do you hear me!?"

Looking at Kaito Kid, who still wore Jiang Hang's face, he could not help rubbing his hands together. "I hear that in eighteen years, no one has ever known Kaito Kid's true appearance. It looks like today, I'll be the first."

However, what displeased him slightly was that although Kaito Kid had already been captured, there was not the slightest fluctuation in the thief's expression.

Jirokichi Suzuki's smile faded. He reached out, intending to tear away the disguise on Kid's face and see what this legendary phantom thief truly looked like!

However, the moment his hand touched "Jiang Hang's" face, "Jiang Hang" made his move. He tapped his left heel with the toe of his right shoe.

Then, almost instantly, smoke with a strong, irritating odor sprayed out from his heel and spread through the surrounding space!

The guards restraining him had not expected that move at all. After suddenly inhaling the pungent smoke, they began coughing violently.

Taking advantage of that opportunity, Kaito Kid broke free from the guards' grasp.

He seemed to realize that it was time to retreat and stop playing around. He immediately shouted at Jirokichi Suzuki, who was still coughing violently, "I did underestimate you this time. But I've already obtained my target, so I'll be taking my leave!"

In the darkness, amidst the thick smoke, the other guards outside the smoke did not dare approach carelessly. Meanwhile, Jirokichi Suzuki's voice rang out from within the smoke as he coughed nonstop. "Kaito Kid ran toward the east entrance! Hurry and chase him! Don't let him get away!"

Some guards near the edge of the smoke, who had not been affected too badly, followed Jirokichi Suzuki's instructions. Holding their breath and closing their eyes, they rushed through the smoke to pursue the fleeing Kaito Kid.

The entire museum was instantly filled with the alarms of guards and security personnel.

At that moment, Jirokichi Suzuki, whose coughing had left his eyes watering and his nose running, finally left the smoke-covered area. Several guards who had not gone after Kid helped him sit down nearby.

"Damn it! I never expected Kid to have such a trick! I'm furious! Why aren't you chasing after him already? That's the Suzuki family heirloom! We absolutely cannot let that brat Kid steal it!" Jirokichi Suzuki said furiously.

The guards who had remained behind to look after Jirokichi Suzuki hesitated for a moment after hearing him, then still chased in the direction Kaito Kid had fled.

The entire exhibition hall became empty, leaving behind only a few guards who had been knocked unconscious by the anesthetic Kaito Kid had used in the smoke.

Of course, the handcuffs that had been used to restrain Kid had also been left behind.

Jirokichi Suzuki sat where he was for a long time before he seemed to finally catch his breath.

He wiped his face, painfully stretched his stiff limbs, then slowly got up from the floor. By the light of his flashlight, he looked at the display stand from which Kaito Kid had supposedly stolen the jewel.

He slowly walked over, seemingly intending to inspect the display stand up close and find out exactly how Kaito Kid had stolen the black pearl called Dark Star in that brief half minute.

Just as he reached the display stand, the museum's emergency power finally came online, and the entire exhibition hall became bright again.

Jirokichi Suzuki squinted slightly, momentarily unaccustomed to the sudden brightness.

Then a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Someone told me over the radio that there was activity behind the museum, so I went to check it out. Then the museum lost power... Are you all right?"

Jirokichi Suzuki turned around and saw Jiang Hang dressed in white.

"Just as you predicted, Kaito Kid disguised himself as you. We had already caught him according to the plan, but I never expected him to have tear gas on him. Not only did he get away, but we couldn't even protect Dark Star," Jirokichi Suzuki said through gritted teeth, looking furious.

"This was an accident. But next time, as long as I'm more careful... Kaito Kid, you won't be so lucky again today. Just you wait!"

As Jirokichi Suzuki spoke, he saw Jiang Hang walking toward him. He suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly stopped Jiang Hang from approaching.

"Wait. I just realized that everyone has gone to chase that brat Kid. Maybe he has disguised himself as you again and come back here. I won't make the same mistake twice. Kid doesn't know the password between us. Say the password first so I can confirm that you're really Jiang Hang before you come over!"

Jiang Hang smiled at his question, then shook his head.

"The password is that there is no password. Now you can confirm whether I'm Jiang Hang, right?"

Kaito Kid's Disguise

Hearing Jiang Hang's answer, Jirokichi Suzuki let out a breath of relief, and his whole body seemed to relax considerably. However, his expression quickly became urgent again.

"Did you see anyone suspicious on your way here? Kaito Kid somehow stole Dark Star. We have to find that jewel quickly!"

Facing Jirokichi Suzuki's anxious gaze, Jiang Hang merely shook his head slightly, then looked toward the display stand. "Isn't the jewel sitting there perfectly fine?"

"What?" Jirokichi Suzuki hurriedly turned to look at the display stand, but all he saw was the same empty stand. Disbelief filled his face. "How is that possible? Why can't I see anything?"

"It's just a simple visual trick." Jiang Hang looked at the empty display stand. "Kaito Kid merely placed a special film on it that could distort one's vision. He used the darkness to deceive the guards' eyes and create the illusion that the jewel had been stolen."

"Then, Kaito Kid quickly appeared disguised as me to draw their attention away, so no one carefully observed the display stand. I have to say, Kaito Kid is indeed very skilled in this regard."

Jirokichi Suzuki's eyes widened slightly as he listened to Jiang Hang's analysis.

He immediately turned to look at the display stand.

He had not noticed anything wrong just now, but with Jiang Hang's reminder, Jirokichi Suzuki finally seemed to feel that something about the display stand did indeed look strange.

He quickly walked over to the display stand. He had not been able to see it clearly from far away, but after getting closer, the sensation of his vision being distorted became especially obvious.

At this point, anyone could see that something was wrong.