As the fireworks exploded, Zhang Yang quickly got back into his car and sped off.
The media and reporters gathered at the villa gate heard the fireworks behind them. Bright colors lit up the night sky, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"Oh my god! Look over there—fireworks just went off!"
"Anyone familiar with Kaitō Kid knows that sometimes he sets off fireworks after pulling off a heist!"
"Guys, take a guess—could those fireworks have been set off by Kaitō Kid?"
The livestream chat blew up with excitement.
[Damn, who's even setting off fireworks in Eagle Nation? And at this time?]
[Oh my god! Bruce and Harrison haven't even noticed anything, and Kaitō Kid already pulled it off and escaped?]
[Oh shit! What the hell are Bruce and Harrison doing? Don't tell me they didn't even notice Kaitō Kid slipped in?]
[This is wild, seriously getting more fun by the minute!]
[Not even a ripple inside the villa, and Kaitō Kid's already done?]
The chat exploded. Everyone was shocked.
Harrison's heart sank the moment he saw the fireworks. His face turned dark.
Bruce also sensed something was off. The two of them exchanged a glance, then immediately turned and sprinted back into the villa.
"Shit! Those fireworks—could they really be from Kaitō Kid?"
Bruce was on the verge of losing it.
They hadn't even taken a single step away from the scene, and the safe had been swapped right on time.
Harrison didn't say a word. The fireworks had instantly shattered all of his confidence.
They rushed to the safe without pause. It looked completely untouched.
Harrison quickly put the pieces together and muttered, "Director Bruce, maybe we were wrong."
"What if what Kaitō Kid wanted... wasn't in the safe at all?"
But that explanation wasn't enough for Bruce. The real issue wasn't even the safe anymore.
It was the fact that they'd been guarding the place the whole time. So how the hell had Kaitō Kid gotten in and stolen something?
"Director Harrison, are we sure the fireworks were from Kaitō Kid?"
"What if it was just some prank to throw us off?"
Harrison's face was grim. He couldn't say for sure.
Either guess could be right at this point.
Just then, Bruce's phone rang. It was his superior at FBI headquarters.
Even though Bruce didn't put it on speaker, Harrison could clearly hear the yelling on the other end.
"Fuck! Bruce? What the hell are you doing?"
"You've got all those people guarding that villa, and not a damn thing happened until Kaitō Kid walked out with the prize?"
"You bastard! You'd better give me a damn good explanation!"
Bruce's face twisted as he tried to explain.
"We didn't detect anything abnormal on our end. The decoy safe is still in place."
"My guess is the fireworks weren't from Kaitō Kid. It might've been some of Pritt's men trying to cause a distraction."
That explanation did nothing to calm his boss down.
"Oh really?"
"Then do me a favor, Director Bruce. Open your phone and take a look at the livestreams and news headlines."
"Tell me, Bruce—what now? How am I supposed to explain this to the higher-ups?"
Hearing that, Harrison pulled out his phone and randomly tapped into a few livestreams and news articles.
"Kaitō Kid scores right under Bruce and Harrison's noses!"
"Kaitō Kid, the biggest winner!"
"The world-class master thief humiliates Eagle Nation's top agent!"
"Flawless and quiet—Kaitō Kid wins again!"
The comments below hit Bruce and Harrison right in the face, dragging them through the mud with ruthless mockery.
[Bruce could only take it out on Pritt. There's no way he'll ever catch Kaitō Kid!]
[This has to be the most ridiculous capture attempt since Kaitō Kid first appeared, right?]
[Ridiculous doesn't even cut it! They didn't even notice Kaitō Kid stole the thing. Not a single move!]
[Oh my god! The legendary Kaitō Kid. He really is one of a kind!]
[Poor Harrison, he was supposed to be relaxing on a beach right now!]
After reading the reports and comments, Harrison shut his phone with trembling hands.
Even though they still had their own theories, the public didn't. Everyone was already convinced that Kaitō Kid had succeeded.
Bruce, for a moment, didn't know how to explain anything to his superior.
After an awkward silence, Harrison made a big decision.
"Director Bruce, we can make a public statement, say that Kaitō Kid didn't succeed. Let people know what really happened here."
Bruce frowned, clearly unsure.
"Director Harrison, will that even work?"
"What if…"
Harrison didn't dare to imagine the "what if." If that turned out to be true, they'd be utterly humiliated.
"If you've got a better way to clarify things to the public, we'll go with yours."
With that, Harrison left.
Bruce took a deep breath and followed Harrison's suggestion.
Soon after, Bruce recorded a video and posted it online.
In the video, Bruce confidently stated that Kaitō Kid hadn't succeeded. He hadn't even shown up at the villa yet. The capture operation was still ongoing.
As soon as the clarification video dropped, it grabbed everyone's attention.
[Wait, what? Kaitō Kid didn't succeed? Then who set off the fireworks?]
[Bruce had the guts to post a video like this—maybe the fireworks really were just a coincidence?]
[Shit! We got excited for nothing. But why hasn't Kaitō Kid shown up yet?]
[Oh my god! What's going on inside the villa that's actually keeping Kaitō Kid out?]
[Is Kaitō Kid still coming tonight or not?]
Bruce's video did its job. For the moment, the suspicions and noise online all died down.
But by the time the public was pacified, it was already past eleven at night.
And still, no sign of Kaitō Kid.
Bruce couldn't help but start thinking about the worst-case scenario.
"Director Harrison, maybe…"
As soon as Bruce opened his mouth, Harrison knew exactly what he was about to say. He raised his hand and cut him off.
"I've been keeping an eye on Kaitō Kid's updates. He hasn't posted anything new."
"Things might've changed, Director Bruce. Maybe Kaitō Kid found out we switched the safe."
Bruce frowned. If the thing was really in the safe, Kaitō Kid would've gone for it—not walked into a trap inside the villa.
"Shit! What the hell is Kaitō Kid trying to steal?"
"Damn that Pritt. He still won't cooperate with us!"
Cursing under his breath, Bruce pulled out his phone and contacted FBI headquarters.
"Put the place on high alert. Kaitō Kid might head there next—his target could be Pritt's safe."
"And get that safe open, now. We're out of time!"
"Also, start interrogating Pritt. We need to know what Kaitō Kid's after!"