After Bruce answered the call, Zhang Yang deliberately added static interference to distort the voice, making it impossible for Bruce to recognize.
"Bruce, we've received intel that Kaitō Kid already got the item and escaped. What's going on over there?"
Even though the call was full of static, Bruce could still make out the message clearly.
He stood frozen, utterly shocked, unable to figure out where this information had leaked from—let alone believe that Kaitō Kid had pulled it off right under his nose.
"Go check immediately and confirm if the item is still there. I'm waiting for your report!"
Zhang Yang hung up right after saying that.
At the same time, he put on his monocle. The micro tracker he had placed on Bruce's shoulder was now visible on his monocle display.
The location data was accurate within ten centimeters, and he could even pull up a 3D model of the escort ship. Bruce was already on the move.
Right after taking the call, Bruce started cursing as he hurried toward his cabin, where the Sword of King Goujian was hidden beneath his bed.
"Fuck! I haven't even seen Kaitō Kid. How the hell did he get on board?"
"Every person was checked before boarding. Even if Kaitō Kid can fly, how could he silently steal the item?"
On the way, Bruce ran into a reporter from Global Weekly, who shoved a microphone in his face.
"Officer Bruce, we're already far from the coast. Is there any chance Kaitō Kid is still pursuing us?"
If the reporter had asked that five minutes ago, Bruce would have been eighty percent confident.
But after that phone call from Zhang Yang, his confidence had dropped to less than thirty percent.
"We're not certain at the moment."
Bruce brushed off the reporter with a grim face and quickly walked away.
[Whoa, Bruce doesn't look so good, and he seems to be in a hurry. Did Kaitō Kid already succeed?]
[Oh my god! No way. When did Kaitō Kid board the ship?]
[Bruce's reaction doesn't seem promising. Kaitō Kid hasn't shown up yet—something feels off!]
[Hehehe, I bet Kaitō Kid is already on the ship. Bruce must have discovered something—that's why he's panicking!]
[Shit! If they can't even catch Kaitō Kid on a military ship, Bruce doesn't deserve to be Eagle Nation's top agent anymore!]
Bruce stormed back to his cabin, dropped to the floor, and looked under the bed, pulling out a black rectangular box.
He twisted the mechanical lock, entered the passcode, and opened the box.
Seeing the Sword of King Goujian still lying safely inside, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Shit! Thank god it's still here!"
Bruce quickly closed the box and secured it back under the bed.
Through the monocle, Zhang Yang saw Bruce stop at the cabin, and instantly knew where the target was.
After marking the exact location, Zhang Yang exited the restroom.
Once Bruce left, Zhang Yang made his way quickly to the cabin area.
No one was around here, and based on where Bruce had stopped earlier, Zhang Yang soon found the black box under the bed.
"They seriously underestimated me!"
He had already sent out a notice letter, and yet they still dared to hide the Sword of King Goujian in such a place.
The only security measure was a four-digit mechanical lock!
This was a complete insult to a master thief!
After confirming that the Sword of King Goujian was inside, Zhang Yang casually flipped his hand and stored it in the magical storage space.
Zhang Yang made his way to the rear deck of the escort ship where there was an armed helicopter. He planned to borrow it for his getaway.
"If the helicopter goes head-to-head with the escort ship, will the firepower be enough?"
That was the only thing Zhang Yang was concerned about.
Eagle Nation would love nothing more than to kill him. The moment he took their armed helicopter, Bruce would most likely open fire without hesitation.
But Zhang Yang had no intention of going to Britain with them. Taking the helicopter was his best—and only—option.
Along the way, Zhang Yang ran into several patrolling agents on the ship, but none of them suspected him.
After all, everyone had been thoroughly checked when they boarded.
No one had even considered the possibility that Kaitō Kid had boarded with them.
Seizing a moment when no one was around, Zhang Yang attached a rubber dummy capsule to the leg of his white dove. Whether Bruce would open fire or not—there was only one way to find out.
The white dove flew over the sea and dropped the dummy capsule onto the water. The agents standing guard on deck spotted it immediately, shouted the alarm, and opened fire without hesitation.
"Shit! Kaitō Kid!"
"Nine o'clock direction! Kaitō Kid's here!"
None of them waited for Bruce's orders. They just raised their rifles and started firing.
In an instant, everyone on deck rushed toward the same direction. The crew from Global Weekly hurried over, capturing the entire scene live.
[Oh my god! Kaitō Kid just got shredded!]
[They're going all in right from the start? Opening with full firepower?]
[Holy shit, is Kaitō Kid dead?]
[These guys are insane! They started shooting without hesitation!]
[Shit! Is the world's greatest thief really gone just like that?]
After thirty seconds of relentless gunfire, the dummy started to deflate, floating motionless on the surface of the sea.
Bruce raised his binoculars. When he saw it was just a rubber dummy, his expression darkened instantly.
"Fuck! It's just a dummy!"
The moment those words left his mouth, Bruce's face changed again as if he'd suddenly realized something.
Right then, the sound of the armed helicopter's engines starting up roared behind him.
"Shit! We've been played!"
Bruce and his team rushed toward the rear deck where the helicopter was.
But Zhang Yang had already set up tear gas bombs on both sides of the deck. The moment Bruce's foot broke the trigger line, thick clouds of tear gas billowed out.
Bruce instinctively covered his nose and mouth, stepping back.
"No danger, just tear gas!"
Bruce, worthy of being Eagle Nation's top agent, quickly adapted. Pushing through the stinging smoke, he led his team forward.
[Damn, I almost had a heart attack. It was just a dummy drawing their fire. I really thought Kaitō Kid was done for!]
[Oh my god! I almost cried! What a waste of emotions!]
[I knew it! Why would Kaitō Kid just stand there and let them turn him into a target? It was clearly a distraction!]
[But come on, this is an escort ship! Can Kaitō Kid really escape with a stolen helicopter?]
[He's just here to steal something, but it feels like they're fighting a war!]
While Bruce and his team hesitated for those ten seconds, they completely missed their chance.
By the time Bruce and his men finally pushed through the smoke and reached the rear deck, Zhang Yang was already airborne in the helicopter.
Bruce wiped the tears from his eyes and immediately gave the order to intercept.
"Fire the air defense missiles! Don't let him get away!"
The escort ship's fire control radar locked onto the helicopter, and the anti-aircraft guns rotated into position, tracking the fleeing helicopter.