With the Kensei Crystal almost securely pushed deep into Fujiko’s coat pocket, the adventures of Lupin III were far from over. Smoke filled the air as they made their escape to another rooftop. ‘What now, Master Thief?’ Jigen asked sarcastically, brushing off his coat, trying to catch his breath. ‘If Zenigata doesn’t get us, Antonio will!’ Fujiko chimed in, worry creeping into her voice. ‘Look over there!’ Goemon pointed towards a distant construction site glowing under the moonlit sky. ‘We can lose them amongst the cranes.’ The trio dashed towards the site, the sounds of sirens echoing behind them like a relentless chorus. As they leaped onto the platform, Goemon couldn’t shake the unease that crept up on him. Surprisingly, he turned to his companions. ‘If we remain together, we stand a chance. But separate, and it’s over for us.’ ‘Not like we planned for this,’ Lupin quipped with a wink. It wasn’t long before they entered the towering skeleton of the building, an architectural jungle of beams and platforms. Suddenly, a twisted laugh echoed through the structure. ‘Lost, Lupin?’ Antonio teased from above, expertly perched on a girder, his crew close behind. ‘Rats often scurry in the dark.’ ‘We have the high ground… for now,’ Lupin smirked defiantly. ‘Doesn’t take much to pluck a thief, does it?’ A dispute ignited with Antonio’s cronies. With Goemon holding the rear, a raucous fight broke out. Jigen fired off warning shots, assuring that any fool who tried to knock him down would think twice, while Lupin vaulted between platforms, displaying his agile prowess. Just when the crew finally gained a foot in their favor, something unexpected happened. An unexpected flash from below threw everyone momentarily into confusion. ‘Grenades!’ Fujiko shrieked, pulling Lupin back. ‘We need to get out of here, now!’ They sprinted down temporary stairs as explosions of dust erupted above.– It was Zenigata, cutting off their escape! Running into him, the inspector beamed, all theatrics, ‘I told you that you couldn’t escape this time, Lupin. Going to crawl your way into yet another mess?’ ‘Trying to break our hearts, Inspector?’ Lupin smirked, clearly enjoying the diversion to banter. ‘We’ll just have to make sure to break the escape barrier instead.’ But truth be told, the adventurers were trapped between Zenigata’s charging squad and Antonio’s gang. In a desperate move, Fujiko threw a smoke bomb, obscuring the air like a winter storm. ‘Go! Go!’ she lured, grabbing two shields in unexpected places. Amidst chaos, Jigen pulled on his lucky charm, an ancient amulet. He shouted, ‘This ought to create a path!’ As if on cue, everything seemed to fall still — time, gravity, and tension alike — when in an intensified moment they used the distraction to climb to new heights on the framer’s platforms. Lupin laughed, ‘See? Nothing stands to defy a curious thief!’ The next adrenaline-laden leap widened the venue of their flight as they broke left, racing from danger. ‘It’s not over, not yet!’ lupin laughed with reckless abandon. As they roared through the city night, their eyes now set not just on escape, but on a fresh question. ‘Can escape turn into chase mode?!’ Against the swishing lights, threads of plans rambled in the air between conspiratorial laughter and thrill. Antonio swore he’d never step back, nor surrender to an equally brash Lupin. Likewise, they entwined themselves rumoiled over amber inserts to forgotten bustled street lanes parer in footsteps galvanizing over eased survival cheers. One important thing hinged, the truths of ties, mischief cloaking as starward reflections suggesting life unwound amongst stolen brawn. Antique wars were never to bleed through; behind every falling fragment discussed success won for another night summarized into stories yet told beneath the neon skies.