Bruce's confident tone caught his superior off guard for a moment.
But they still had to address the CIA operation first, not Harrison.
"So the Qing Nang Shu was stolen?"
Bruce nodded without the slightest emotion.
Compared to the CIA's database, the Qing Nang Shu didn't seem that important.
Bruce was confident he hadn't guessed wrong—Kaitō Kid's true target was the Qing Nang Shu, not the database itself.
As for the virus drive Kaitō Kid left behind in the database, that was just a decoy.
"My dear Bruce, I believe in your skills, but you've already let Kaitō Kid get away twice!"
"Have you seen what people are saying online? They're even guessing that Kaitō Kid's next move might be at the White House!"
"Your failures have already caused serious damage to Eagle Nation's reputation!"
Bruce took a deep breath and made a solemn promise.
"I'll go see Harrison first thing tomorrow morning."
"As long as Kaitō Kid shows up again, no matter where he is, I'll make sure to catch him!"
If it had been any other agent, the superior would've blown up in rage and kicked them out immediately.
But this was Bruce—the man who had completed countless difficult and dangerous missions, a decorated operative.
Even though his recent two failures had caused major embarrassment for Eagle Nation, his superior still saw him as a key asset.
"I'll arrange someone to reach out to Harrison. You go get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow morning!"
Meanwhile, Zhang Yang didn't return to the hotel until past ten at night. He'd stopped for a late-night meal on the way back.
After sitting down on the couch, the first thing he did was upload a photo of the Qing Nang Shu to his feed.
"The meaning of the Qing Nang Shu... could only be described as Hua Tuo reborn."
Because Bruce had refused to answer any reporter questions after leaving the CIA building, millions of people around the world were now camping on Kaitō Kid's profile, waiting for his next post.
[What the heck? Qing Nang Shu? What is that supposed to be?]
[Holy crap, Qing Nang Shu—that's Hua Tuo's original handwritten work! That's what Kaitō Kid stole from the CIA?!]
[These foreigners clearly have no idea what Qing Nang Shu is. It's been lost for ages! Why was it inside Eagle Nation's CIA in the first place?]
[Shameless! The Qing Nang Shu holds the essence of traditional medicine. What is Eagle Nation trying to do—steal our entire medical heritage?!]
[Oh my god! The Qing Nang Shu is actually a traditional medicine textbook? Are you serious?]
Traditional medicine from the Dragon Nation had always carried an air of mystery around the world, and now the Qing Nang Shu had reappeared—but in this kind of situation.
The original handwritten Qing Nang Shu by Hua Tuo himself had been hidden inside Eagle Nation's CIA.
This alone made people highly suspicious of Eagle Nation's ambitions.
[Damn it! Eagle Nation was about to pull off something major in secret. If they'd fully cracked traditional medicine, who knows what kind of weird schemes they'd be cooking up next!]
[I say we honor Kaitō Kid with an ancestral shrine! He stole the Qing Nang Shu right out of the CIA—this is something that should go down in history!]
[We nearly lost our entire system of traditional medicine. That was way too close!]
[If it weren't for Kaitō Kid, the scheme might've succeeded!]
[Tsk tsk tsk... just thinking about it gives me chills. Didn't they say the Qing Nang Shu was lost? Where the hell did the CIA get their hands on it?!]
After Zhang Yang posted his update, media outlets all over the world quickly followed up with their reports.
They dug deep into the history and significance of the Qing Nang Shu and laid everything out in detail.
Zhang Yang saw the coverage coming out worldwide and couldn't help but laugh.
"Eagle Nation is in trouble now. All their dirt from ten years ago is getting dragged back into the spotlight!"
Because the CIA had secretly hidden away the Qing Nang Shu, it sparked widespread suspicion and investigative reports around the world.
That set off a chain reaction, digging up all the shady things Eagle Nation had done in secret over the years and exposing them to the public again.
The Qing Nang Shu was just the fuse. The comment sections were flooded with criticism of Eagle Nation.
[Their imperialist ambitions couldn't be more obvious. They want everything and don't even try to save face!]
[What century is this? And they're still setting up military bases all over the world? They're always preparing for war!]
[Eagle Nation claims to be a global superpower, but they don't act like one at all!]
[Superpower? They don't even have a shred of dignity left!]
[Eagle Nation doesn't just have military bases everywhere. Weren't they also exposed last time for running secret genetic labs?]
One by one, the awful things Eagle Nation had done in recent years were dragged into the open again and publicly condemned.
Netizens from Eagle Nation couldn't defend themselves. Even if they wanted to act patriotic, the criticism was all based on hard facts. There was nothing they could say.
[Shit! I won't be able to sleep tonight!]
[You shouldn't. Go pray for the Lord's forgiveness while you're at it!]
[Next time, Kaitō Kid's target will be the White House. Just wait for your national embarrassment!]
[Hahaha, let Eagle Nation become the next country to get its "ancestral home" looted!]
[The White House is way more heavily guarded than the Imperial Palace in the Island Nation. Everyone, stop adding fuel to the fire!]
After reading through a few of the most popular articles, Zhang Yang got ready for bed.
As the person at the center of all this, he wasn't interested in the speculation swirling through the media.
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world, Harrison was staring at the latest reports about Kaitō Kid, his heart still unsettled.
"Kaitō Kid never ceases to amaze me... he actually pulled off a heist inside the CIA!"
"And even Bruce wasn't a match for him!"
Harrison could completely relate to Bruce's current embarrassment—he'd been through the exact same thing, more than once.
"Stepping down and admitting defeat... maybe that really was the right call."
Harrison took a deep breath. Even though he had resigned, he had never stopped following Kaitō Kid's activities.
Every time Zhang Yang made a move recently, Harrison either watched the livestream or caught up through news reports.
He hadn't missed a single one.
In fact, the moment he heard the CIA alarm go off that night, he had already guessed it was just a distraction.
He knew that Kaitō Kid always planned each heist with flawless precision.
Setting off the CIA alarm? That kind of rookie mistake wasn't something Kaitō Kid would ever make.
The only logical explanation was that it was bait—to lure Bruce in.
"If only Bruce had faced Kaitō Kid more times, he might've seen through it."
Bruce was still Eagle Nation's top agent, and Harrison had full confidence in his intellect and skills.
Just as Harrison put down his phone and got ready for bed, it suddenly rang.
When he saw the incoming number, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up.
"Harrison, how've you been lately?"
The caller was none other than Harrison's former superior.
Ever since Harrison had resigned and left MI5's investigative division, they hadn't spoken at all.
Getting a call now gave Harrison a bad feeling.
"I'm fine. Just get to the point."
Harrison didn't bother with small talk. After all, this was the same man who once slammed the table and told him to go home and raise pigs.