Safely concealed in the shadows a short distance away, Conan makes his move when he sees the glint of the knife. If he was reading Pepper correctly, she as more than capable of dealing with the lurker she was confronting. But it wouldn't do any harm to take care of the other one before he could do anything.

With the whisper of an inflating soccer ball and soft thud, the second criminal falls to the ground. Conan quickly checks to make sure he was securely unconscious, then moves on towards the alley.