Gordon, who had been the first to charge toward Kaitou Kid, was also the first to discover the truth about these "Kids."
They were not real people at all, but realistic-looking inflatable dummies.
The only reason they were moving was that electric roller skates had been fitted to their feet.
No wonder their movements had seemed unnatural.
These inflatable dummies were extremely fragile. Gordon poked one, and it burst immediately.
The moment it ruptured, the Kid dummy released a plume of acrid smoke that made him cough uncontrollably.
Realizing something was wrong, Gordon shouted at once, trying to stop the GCPD officers from firing at the dummies.
Unfortunately, he was still one step too late.
By the time Gordon managed to get out his first word, gunfire was already echoing through the hall.
By the time he finished his sentence, the shooting had already stopped.
In its place came the sound of balloons bursting.
Thick smoke spread throughout the entire hall in an instant.
"Cough, cough… what is this stuff? It's so pungent. Cough, cough, cough—"
"Damn it. Those idiots from the GCPD must have triggered some kind of trap by firing randomly. They always know how to mess things up!"
"Cough, cough, cough. I can't take this anymore. If I stay here, I'll get lung disease. Hey, move aside, I need to get out of here!"
The guests in the seating area could no longer endure the environment. They scrambled in panic, pushing and shoving as they rushed toward the exits.
In the blink of an eye, the banquet hall descended into complete chaos.
That chaos quickly spread and reached Samantha, who was positioned behind the guest seating.
William covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve, scanning his surroundings vigilantly, though it was almost useless.
Although the lights in the hall had gone out earlier, there had still been candlelight on the tables and moonlight from outside to provide some illumination, so it had not been completely dark.
But now, thick smoke blanketed the entire hall, plunging it into true darkness.
It was no exaggeration to say that you could not even see your own hand in front of your face.
At this moment, William could only rely on his hearing to judge what was happening around him.
"Hm? Someone's coming!"
Soon, William heard the rapid sound of footsteps nearby, the noise drawing closer and more distinct by the second.
He held his breath and focused all his attention on the direction the sound was coming from.
Swish!
A white figure darted out of the smoke.
It was Kaitou Kid.
William instinctively reached for his pistol to fire.
But just as he raised the gun, a second Kaitou Kid suddenly burst out of the smoke from the right and kicked William's gun hand.
Completely caught off guard, the pistol flew from his grip and fell somewhere out of sight.
The Kaitou Kid in front had been nothing but a decoy. The one on the right was the real one.
William swung his fist angrily at Kaitou Kid.
But the thief had no intention of fighting. After disarming him, he immediately retreated and vanished back into the smoke.
William chased forward a short distance, but he could not find any trace of Kaitou Kid.
Not even the sound of footsteps.
"Cough, cough. The smoke is too thick, I can't see anything anymore, William. Where are you?"
Suddenly, Samantha's voice rang out nearby, calling for William again and again.
"I'm here, Miss. Please don't move around. I'm coming to you right now!"
William immediately ran toward the sound of her voice.
Just then, he vaguely caught sight of another white shadow flashing through the smoke in the direction he was heading.
The next instant, Samantha screamed.
"Ah! William!"
Damn it!
Hearing that cry, William was seized by panic and rushed headlong into the smoke.
There, he saw Samantha lying unconscious on the ground, her clothes slightly disheveled.
"Miss!"
William hurried over and lifted her, anxiously checking her condition.
Psssh!
At that very moment, Samantha suddenly raised her hand and pressed something toward William's face, releasing a burst of spray.
"Ah.. what the.." Thud!
Caught completely off guard, William inhaled it and collapsed instantly.
"My special sleeping spray. The effect is pretty good, wouldn't you say?"
Samantha smiled strangely at William, then stood up, brushed herself off, and reached for her neck, peeling away her entire face and hair as if removing a mask.
What appeared was a mysterious, handsome face framed by a monocle.
The Samantha standing there was, in fact, Kaitou Kid in disguise.
After removing the mask, Kaitou Kid grasped the collar of the woman's dress with one hand, gave his body a slight twist, and the gown instantly transformed into his signature outfit.
When he was done, Kaitou Kid turned around, removed his top hat, and bowed elegantly to the newcomer.
"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Samantha."
Unbeknownst to him, the real Samantha had already arrived.
She looked at Kaitou Kid calmly.
"Every time I see you change outfits just by turning around, I can't help wondering how you manage to do it."
"It's just a small trick."
Kaitou Kid replied with a smile.
"I didn't realize Kaitou Kid was such a modest person."
Samantha removed the necklace from her neck and held it out to him.
"This is what you wanted, isn't it?"
"Oh? Isn't that a priceless treasure of immense significance to the Vanafor Family? Ms. Samantha, you're handing it over to me so generously?"
Kaitou Kid asked, a hint of surprise in his tone.
"What else can I do?"
Samantha replied.
"My personal bodyguard has been knocked out by you, the GCPD is busy trying to contain the chaos in the hall, and now no one is left to protect me. Even if I didn't give it to you willingly, you could easily knock me out and take the necklace anyway, couldn't you?"
"Besides, I should warn you, Kaitou Kid. This necklace carries a curse. Taking it will only bring you misfortune."
When she said this, Samantha's expression was calm, with no trace of intimidation.
It was as if she were simply stating a fact.
Whether it truly was a fact or not, Kaitou Kid did not know. But according to rumors, very few people who had worn this emerald necklace had died of natural causes. Most had met violent ends in fits of madness.
"If this necklace is really that dangerous, why would you keep it so close to yourself?"
Unbothered by the curse Samantha mentioned, Kaitou Kid calmly took the necklace from her hand.
Swoosh!
The moment Kaitou Kid reached out, a sharp whooshing sound struck from behind.
Kaitou Kid reacted instantly, dropping low. A dark shadow swept past him from above.
After rushing by, the figure landed in front of him, facing him head-on.
"Don't think you can escape, Kaitou Kid!"
Standing before him was a young man holding a long staff, dressed in a costume of red, green, and black, with a yellow-and-black cape and a green mask over his eyes.
A bold capital letter R was emblazoned on the right side of his chest.
It was Robin's unmistakable emblem.
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