After sunset, Zhang Yang drove to the area near the White House.
The place was absolutely packed—layer after layer of people, and that was no exaggeration.
Zhang Yang squeezed into the crowd and heard people talking about a mysterious man.
"Mysterious man? What kind of trick is Bruce trying to pull now?"
He stayed in the crowd for a bit, listening, then turned around and left.
Back inside his car, Zhang Yang released a white dove out the window, then put on his monocle. The footage captured by the dove began to stream across his lens.
"There really is a mysterious man?"
With a clear aerial view, Zhang Yang instantly spotted the man standing next to Bruce.
"Interesting... very interesting."
Zhang Yang chuckled. He didn't know who the mysterious man was yet, but the fact that Bruce had brought in someone wearing a black mask was already entertaining enough.
"If Bruce brought him in, then this guy must be something special."
"Looks like tonight's operation is going to need extra caution."
After confirming the White House's layout and defenses, Zhang Yang took a deep breath.
The interior situation matched his expectations. The guards and patrolling agents formed a seamless security network with no blind spots.
There was no way Zhang Yang could sneak in unnoticed.
Every guard and agent had a fixed patrol zone.
Even if he disguised himself as one of them, an extra person in any patrol area would be instantly spotted.
Once night fell, Zhang Yang followed his original plan and had the white dove deliver a Super Smoke Bomb into the White House.
The moment it landed, thick white smoke burst out and quickly covered a wide area.
People outside who saw the smoke immediately got excited.
"Wow! Kaitō Kid is here! That has to be his smoke bomb!"
"I've been waiting for this all day—showtime has finally begun!"
"Oh my god! Do you think Kaitō Kid knows about the masked guy Bruce brought in?"
"Hope Kaitō Kid gets lucky and doesn't get caught by Bruce and the mystery man!"
As the smoke spread, nearby agents and guards drew their guns and cautiously approached the area.
Bruce pulled out a white Desert Eagle, ready to move in and investigate.
But Harrison reached out and stopped him.
"Director Bruce, Kaitō Kid isn't in the smoke."
"Tell your men to return to their posts. Your security setup is solid."
"That smoke bomb was just a decoy to draw attention."
Bruce suddenly saw the logic and quickly gave the command through his earpiece.
"All personnel, return to your original positions. Maintain vigilance. Ignore the smoke bomb!"
The guards and agents were clearly confused by the order.
But they obeyed without hesitation and returned to their assigned zones.
This sudden shift puzzled the onlookers outside the White House.
"What the heck? What's going on? Why are they pulling back?"
"What are they doing? Are they seriously waiting for Kaitō Kid to show up before making a move?"
"Why are they hesitating? That's a massive smoke cloud—shouldn't they be checking it?"
"Oh my god! Look—it's Bruce and the mystery man!"
Following Harrison's advice, Bruce had everyone fall back to their positions.
He and Harrison then put on tactical goggles and stepped into the smoke.
Once they activated infrared imaging, they made a full sweep through the area—sure enough, there was no one inside.
"Director Bruce, this is one of Kaitō Kid's go-to tactics!"
"Oftentimes, our defense plans are solid, but Kaitō Kid throws in a bit of chaos to make us panic and mess up our own formations!"
Bruce now understood, but his first instinct had been to surround the smoke cloud with his men, fearing Kaitō Kid had used it to slip into the White House.
If Harrison hadn't stopped him, all of their meticulous arrangements could've been wasted because of that one smoke bomb.
Bruce was genuinely grateful that Harrison was present and helped him make the right call.
In the crowd, Zhang Yang noticed that they didn't take the bait. The corner of his mouth curled upward in amusement.
"That mysterious guy actually saw through my plan and didn't fall for it. Looks like tonight is going to be interesting!"
"Well then, I guess I'll just have to create an even bigger mess for you!"
Still standing in the crowd, Zhang Yang casually flipped his hand and pulled out another smoke bomb, quietly dropping it at his feet.
A second later, thick smoke exploded in the middle of the spectators. In just a blink, the whole front of the White House was engulfed.
Instead of panicking, the crowd only got more excited.
"Oh my god! Kaitō Kid threw a smoke bomb right into the crowd!"
"Oh shit! What's he thinking? Does he want us to join him in his madness?"
"This is wild! I can barely see the person in front of me. Kaitō Kid's smoke bomb is way too strong!"
"Poor Bruce... In this smoke, he probably can't even tell which way is up!"
The crowd was practically buzzing with excitement. Meanwhile, Zhang Yang, using his monocle, was almost completely unaffected by the smoke.
Inside the White House, the guards and agents were frozen, all hesitating and looking around at one another.
They didn't know whether they should move in to investigate or stick to their assigned positions.
Bruce was also deeply troubled.
"Commander Harrison, do you think Kaitō Kid is actually in the smoke this time?"
Harrison answered without hesitation.
"Yes. Kaitō Kid is definitely hiding in that crowd!"
"But there are too many people outside. We can't just rush in and hope to spot him by chance."
This was the White House of Eagle Nation, and there were easily several hundred people gathered out front.
On top of that, with the thick smoke everywhere, even if they charged in, finding Kaitō Kid would be almost impossible.
"Shit!"
Bruce cursed under his breath.
Back in the crowd, Zhang Yang noticed they still weren't making any moves and let out a soft snort.
"So they're planning to just hunker down and hold their ground?"
"Or do they have another plan?"
Zhang Yang flipped his hand again and tossed out four or five more smoke bombs, scattering them across the front lawn of the White House.
Now, half of the entire White House grounds were shrouded in white smoke, and under the night sky, the scene looked downright surreal.
Harrison furrowed his brow and spoke to Bruce in a low voice, "I think now's the time to move."
"If Kaitō Kid's setting off this many smoke bombs, it's probably a sign that he's ready to act."
Bruce trusted Harrison's judgment completely and immediately ordered agents to tighten patrols near the smoke zones. He then led a team into the smoke.
Zhang Yang watched everything clearly from outside. Seeing the guards and agents inside finally spring into action, he nodded in satisfaction and slipped away from the White House gate.
"So that mysterious guy isn't all that great after all. The only issue was that the chaos I caused earlier wasn't big enough."
One smoke bomb wasn't enough? Then toss a few more.
The whole point was to force them to react and scatter their attention.