The moment the collection room plunged into darkness, Conan reacted quickly. He whispered to Ran, "Ran, be careful, there might be danger." As he spoke, Conan fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a small flashlight. The faint light shone in the darkness, barely illuminating a small area around them.
Ran Mouri clung tightly to Conan, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily in the darkness, ready to respond to any potential attack. "Conan, do you think this is related to the person who sent the threatening letter?"
Conan didn't answer immediately. He shone his flashlight around the collection room, trying to find something unusual. When the light swept across the painting, he noticed it seemed to shake slightly. A thought struck Conan: Could there be some kind of mechanism in this painting?
Just then, a soft footstep sounded from the depths of the collection room, exceptionally clear in the silent darkness. Conan and Ran exchanged a glance, and the two silently moved closer to the direction of the footsteps.
As they drew closer, Conan shone his flashlight and saw a dark figure standing at the far end of the collection room, seemingly holding something in his hand. The figure paused briefly when illuminated by the flashlight, then quickly ran towards a door to the side.
"Don't run!" Ran shouted, immediately giving chase. Conan followed closely behind. The two passed through the door and found themselves in a narrow corridor. Ancient portraits hung on the walls on both sides of the corridor, appearing particularly eerie in the flickering light of the flashlight.
The shadowy figure ran swiftly down the corridor, with Conan and Ran in hot pursuit. However, the figure seemed to know the layout very well, always managing to slip into hidden passages at crucial moments.
"This guy knows this place too well, we can't lose him," Conan said, quickening his pace.
After chasing for a while, they arrived at a large hall. The hall was furnished with various antique pieces of furniture, and in the center stood a huge fireplace. Suddenly, the dark figure vanished, as if it had evaporated into thin air.
"Where is everyone?" Ran Mouri looked around in confusion.
Conan carefully observed the hall's surroundings and noticed that a floor tile next to the fireplace had been disturbed. Conan walked over and stomped on the tile. With a "crack," the fireplace slowly moved to one side, revealing a hidden passage.
“So this is where it is,” Conan said, then led the way into the passage. The passage was filled with an old smell, and some stones embedded in the walls emitted a faint light, barely illuminating the path ahead.
As they descended the passage, they heard whispers. Conan and Ran cautiously approached and discovered that the passage led to a secret room. Inside were several figures, one of whom was holding the mysterious oil painting and examining it closely.
"What is the secret of this painting? Why is someone sending me threatening letters because of it?" Conan was startled when he heard David's voice; David was here too.
"Hmph, David, do you think you can get your hands on this painting so easily? The secret behind it is enough to change the world, and this world should be under our control," a strange voice said.
Conan and Ran Mouri quietly entered the secret room and hid behind a huge box to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Who are you? What do you want?" David asked angrily.
“Who we are doesn’t matter; what matters is that you hand over this painting,” another voice said.
Conan peeked through the gap in the box and saw that the people speaking were two men in black suits. They had fierce eyes and were clearly not good people.
“I will not give the painting to you; I bought it at a high price,” David said firmly.
“Then don’t blame us for being impolite.” One of the men said, pulling a pistol from his waist and pointing it at David.
Seeing this, Conan knew he couldn't wait any longer. He gave Ran a wink, and the two of them rushed out from behind the box at the same time.
"What are you doing!" Conan shouted.
The two men were slightly taken aback when they saw Conan and Ran Mouri. "It's you two brats again, ruining our plans!" said the man holding the pistol.
“You’re pointing guns at people, that’s illegal,” Ran Mouri said, assuming a karate stance.
"Hmph, in this place, my word is law," the man sneered, then pulled the trigger, firing at Conan and Ran Mouri.
Conan quickly pulled Ran Mouri aside, and bullets hit a nearby box, sending wood chips flying.
"Ran, you attack from the side, I'll draw his attention," Conan said.
Ran Mouri nodded, then used the surrounding obstacles to quietly circle around to the man's side. Conan, on the other hand, drew the man's attention from the front, constantly changing positions to make it difficult for the man to aim.
"You brat, let's see how long you can hide!" the man said angrily, firing repeatedly at Conan.
Just as the men's attention was focused on Conan, Ran Mouri seized the opportunity, rushed forward, and kicked the pistol out of the man's hand. The pistol fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Seeing this, another man pulled a dagger from his waist and lunged at Ran Mouri. Conan, seeing this, picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at the man. The rock struck the man's arm, and he cried out in pain, dropping the dagger.
Conan and Ran Mouri took the opportunity to subdue the two men.
"Why do you want this painting?" Conan pressed one of the men.
The man snorted coldly and refused to speak. At this moment, David walked over: "Mr. Conan, I'd also like to know why they're so obsessed with this painting."
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