Chapter 265: We Were Deceived

"Amuro-san, step aside."

Toru Amuro heard Conan's voice and immediately moved to the side to avoid what was coming.

A football wrapped in an electric current shot past him at high speed.

Seeing this, Kaito Kuroba quickly pulled out his poker gun and fired at the ball flying toward him.

Bang! A loud noise echoed as the ball exploded right in front of Kaito Kuroba.

The force of the explosion sent him flying several meters back.

His right hand clutched his left arm as a sharp pain coursed through him.

Kaito Kuroba's left shoulder and arm had already been injured in the earlier explosion while deciphering the code. The impact from the football explosion had only worsened the wounds.

But Kaito Kuroba couldn't let the Metropolitan Police get a hold of his blood.

What if Ginzo Nakamori got curious and decided to compare the DNA of "Phantom Thief Kidd" to his own?

That would risk exposing him as Kaitou Kidd.

Conan noticed Kaito Kuroba's worsening condition and refrained from making any sudden moves.

At that moment, a police officer from the Second Investigation Section shouted at Kaito Kuroba:

"Kaitou Kidd, this time you've completely lost!"

"Hand over Yuehua and the Scarlet Shadow Heart willingly, and surrender quietly!"

Hearing this, Kaito Kuroba's expression turned slightly helpless.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace made of strung pearls and a gradient-colored ruby.

Placing the pearl necklace, Yuehua, on a display cushion, he gently pushed it forward. The necklace slid diagonally across the floor, stopping just in front of the officer.

Seeing this, the officer hurriedly ran toward the cushion, ready to grab it.

At the same time, Kaito Kuroba forcefully threw another item—the Scarlet Shadow Gem—off in another direction.

This shocked everyone.

Kaito Kuroba had thrown such a precious gem with reckless abandon?!

Conan noticed this and quickly ran toward the direction the gem had been thrown.

If the gem was damaged, the loss would be immeasurable.

While Conan and the officer ran in opposite directions, Kaito Kuroba made his move, darting forward.

However, Toru Amuro had been closely watching him.

Kaitou Kidd's small tricks were obvious to someone like Amuro.

There was no way he would allow Kidd the chance to clean up the traces of blood.

Amuro pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, crouched down, and wiped the blood from the floor.

The pristine handkerchief was instantly stained red.

Seeing this, Kaito Kuroba's eyes narrowed as he swiftly launched two playing cards toward Amuro's wrist and reached out to snatch the handkerchief.

Unfortunately for Kaito Kuroba, Amuro's skills were exceptional.

Not only did he dodge the cards with ease, but he also took the initiative, stepping forward and delivering a punch to Kaito Kuroba's cheek.

Kaito Kuroba had no choice but to block with his arm.

Even so, the impact caused intense pain to surge through the arm that had been struck.

Meanwhile, Conan was racing toward the spot where the gem had landed.

He extended his hands, ready to catch the Scarlet Shadow Heart.

Just as the gem traced a beautiful arc in the air, its trajectory suddenly shifted.

It began flying rapidly back toward Kaito Kuroba.

Conan squinted, focusing on the scene.

Only then did he notice the gem was attached to a thin, transparent fishing line.

The fishing line was connected to a mechanism inside Kaito Kuroba's bracelet.

Although Conan couldn't see the exact mechanism, he figured it was something simple—like a retractable tape measure.

"No wonder Kaitou Kidd dared to throw the gem like that. Turns out, he could retrieve it anytime," Conan thought to himself.

The ruby flew back into Kaitou Kidd's hand.

Kaito Kuroba grasped the gem and turned his gaze to the handkerchief in Toru Amuro's grasp.

He knew it was now impossible to retrieve the handkerchief.

Moreover, there were still bloodstains on the floor that hadn't been cleaned.

Reluctantly, Kaito Kuroba discarded the wet towel he had used earlier to clean the blood.

Conan approached the towel, immediately catching a pungent chemical scent.

"Chlorine. It seems Kaitou Kidd found bleach or a cleaning agent containing chlorine nearby."

Conan quickly deduced the components on the towel.

Using bleach or chlorine-based cleaners destroys DNA in blood. Clearly, Kaitou Kidd knew this and had prepared accordingly.

"Kaitou Kidd, stop resisting!"

"Hand over the Scarlet Shadow Heart now!"

Conan shouted at Kaitou Kidd.

Hearing this, Kaito Kuroba's lips curled into a faint smile.

He grabbed his outfit and pulled it off in one motion.

The iconic white suit, cape, top hat, and monocle of the elegant Kaitou Kidd appeared once more.

Holding the ruby in one hand and his grappling hook in the other, he aimed upward and pulled the trigger.

The grappling hook latched onto the ceiling, and Kaito Kuroba's body swiftly ascended.

"For once, I'll say something: we've all been deceived."

Kaito Kuroba's voice echoed confidently as he looked down.

"What? What do you mean?"

Conan asked, perplexed.

"This is actually the real treasure," Kaito Kuroba began.

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of shattering glass rang out.

At the same time, both Conan and Toru Amuro saw a bullet pierce through Kaito Kuroba's brow.

Kaito Kuroba's expression froze in an instant, and his body, suspended in the air, fell like a sack of sand.

Conan stared in shock as Kaitou Kidd plummeted, his mind going blank.

What just happened?!

Yet, the expected spray of blood never appeared.

As Kaito Kuroba's seemingly lifeless body hit the ground, a pink smoke bomb exploded upon impact.

When the smoke cleared, Kaito Kuroba had vanished.

It was as if the entire scene had been nothing more than an elaborate magician's performance.

At the spot where Kaito Kuroba had fallen, a gradient-colored ruby now lay quietly on the ground.

Toru Amuro's eyes widened as he noticed a piece of glass behind where Kaitou Kidd had been.

Bullet holes from a sniper rifle pierced the glass.

In a building opposite the bullet hole, Korn, the silver-haired sniper from the Organization, lay prone with a rifle in hand.

(End of the Chapter)