As soon as the photo of the Angel's Tear necklace appeared on Kaitō Kid's social feed, the outcome of tonight's challenge was officially made public.
Zhang Yang's comment count skyrocketed, climbing by the hundreds of thousands per minute, but he stayed calm and unfazed.
Many people in France were heartbroken. After all, the Angel's Tear necklace had once been worn by the Queen of France, giving it deep national significance.
"This whole thing started with Subier's challenge. He's about to be dragged through the mud by public opinion," Zhang Yang sighed, shaking his head. This outcome was entirely Subier's doing.
The only thing in the entire manor that truly surprised Zhang Yang was Subier's hidden chamber.
[They didn't even see Kaitō Kid from start to finish. Can it get more pathetic than that?]
[Fuck! Subier is such a clown. No self-awareness at all. He actually thought he could challenge Kaitō Kid with skills like that?]
[And that idiot Victor actually called off the operation at the last second, letting Kaitō Kid take the necklace without a hitch!]
[Anyone trying to make excuses for the failure is clearly a fake fan. Real fans know Kaitō Kid wins because he's just that good!]
[Subier lost the Queen's Angel's Tear necklace. He should absolutely be held accountable!]
Because the item stolen this time was the Angel's Tear—a necklace once worn by the Queen of France—many locals were deeply shaken.
The biggest targets of backlash were Victor and Subier.
Victor, as the Enforcement Bureau's top officer, had led the operation.
Subier, as the one who initiated the challenge, had drawn Kaitō Kid in.
[Shit! Just because Subier's rich, he thinks he can do whatever he wants? That was the Angel's Tear!]
[Victor's even worse. He didn't just fail to secure the manor—he actually pulled his men out at the worst possible time!]
[Oh my god! Mr. Kaitō Kid, I'm willing to buy the necklace. Name your price!]
[Hahaha, looks like France has its share of keyboard warriors too. This is hilarious!]
[Hope next time Kaitō Kid shows up, Victor actually catches him and gets the necklace back!]
The outrage wasn't limited to comment sections. Media outlets all over the world were covering every angle of the event.
"Shocking! Angel's Tear Stolen from French Queen!"
"Subier's Challenge Ends in Disaster as Kaitō Kid Escapes with Priceless Necklace!"
"Explosives Found Near Manor—French Enforcement Bureau Orders Emergency Evacuation and Lockdown!"
"Victor Pulled His Team at the Last Minute—Should He Be Held Responsible for the Failure?"
The flashy headlines were drawing major attention. The comment sections were buzzing, filled with all kinds of unfiltered opinions and emotional takes.
[It's not just Victor—Subier should take responsibility too!]
[Fuck! If Subier hadn't been so arrogant and tried to challenge Kaitō Kid, the necklace wouldn't be missing right now!]
[Oh my god! You can't fix this kind of loss with money alone!]
[So did they really find explosives near the manor or not? Why aren't the media saying anything about it?]
[If there really were bombs, why haven't they gone off? Even if they exist, no way Kaitō Kid planted them!]
At that moment, Bruce and Victor were standing in front of seventeen bundles of explosives, completely stunned.
Harrison was the first to speak.
"Fuck! That bastard Maket—was he trying to blow us all up?"
Unlike Maket, Jeff and Daweika weren't that insane. They just showed up at the operation site hoping to get close to Kaitō Kid.
But Maket was different. He was a complete lunatic.
All this dynamite was proof that he wanted to go down in flames—and take everyone with him.
"Harrison, you should ask Maket yourself back at the Enforcement Bureau," Victor snapped.
Victor already hated Maket's guts. Since they failed to catch Kaitō Kid, he pinned the whole blame on Maket.
And now, after finding all that dynamite, it was obvious the guy had meant to wipe out Victor and the hundreds of agents around the manor.
Just then, an Enforcement Bureau officer ran over and handed Victor Zhang Yang's latest post and some related media coverage.
Victor's face was already stormy. The moment he saw the articles and comments, he was so furious he smashed the phone to the ground.
The phone shattered on impact.
"Director Victor… that was my personal phone…"
Now it wasn't just Victor looking upset—the agent looked miserable too.
Bruce glanced down at the destroyed phone and sighed.
"That damn Kaitō Kid, he's getting way too cocky."
"Do we seriously just have to wait for him to show up before we can catch him?"
Victor was fuming. His mind was racing, trying to figure out how to take the initiative.
All the dynamite recovered around the manor was handed over to the bomb disposal squad for safe destruction.
Victor, still burning with rage, led his team back to base.
He wanted to investigate Zhang Yang's movements and settle the score with Maket. He needed somewhere to vent all this anger.
As soon as he returned to the Bureau, he ordered his men to track Kaitō Kid.
"I don't care what method you use. I don't care how dirty it is."
"Before sunrise, I want to know where Kaitō Kid is and how the hell he escaped that manor!"
"And Subier—if he won't cooperate, then you're authorized to apply some pressure."
Victor had totally lost it. He didn't care about procedure anymore.
Then he stormed into the interrogation room and had Maket brought in.
As soon as Maket stepped inside, Victor kicked him to the ground and started pounding on him.
"Fuck! You goddamn lunatic! You complete psycho!"
Maket curled up on the floor, protecting his head.
He probably wasn't even close to Victor's match. After all, the Enforcement Bureau Director wasn't just some desk jockey.
But after all that beating, Maket still managed to sneer and laugh.
"Hahaha! Victor, you're never gonna catch Kaitō Kid. Not in a million years!"
"Even with the three of you working together, you're no match for him. Just like you can't beat me now. You should just give up!"
Hearing that, Victor lunged at him again, but Harrison stepped in and held him back.
From the moment Maket got arrested, he already knew what was coming.
A life sentence. In some backwater prison.
He had nothing left to lose. A man with nothing to protect doesn't fear a beating. He'd grit his teeth and take it.
"Maket, how much do you know about the dark web competition?"
"How many invitations like yours were sent out?"
That was the one thing Harrison really wanted to know right now.