"I believe that these outstanding Sheriffs will go on to have an even more brilliant future. Let us once again give them our applause." Clap clap clap~
Enthusiastic applause rose up from below the stage, the residents of Sixth Street—Geno among them—being especially fervent.
Sheriffs like these, who got real work done and carried themselves with such integrity, naturally earned the people's affection.
Even the way Zhu Yuan had stammered from nerves during her speech just now had been utterly endearing.
She was just like the girl next door who'd grown up right down the block.
And once they had left the stage, Geno's focus began to sharpen.
Because he knew that the opportune moment Lycaon had spoken of was about to arrive.
"Next comes the most important part of this lecture—our response to the provocation from the Phantom Thief of the Mockingbird."
As Bringer spoke, a small safe was carried up onto the stage, a picture set atop it—an image of the very Beast-Specter Core that Geno and the others had confiscated earlier.
Geno raised an eyebrow. He remembered Twiggy mentioning that she'd handed this core off to someone to use as bait for fishing. How had it ended up... oh. So this was the kind of fishing she'd meant.
Only then did it dawn on Geno—he wasn't the only bait on the hook today.
At once his expression turned serious.
If he himself was bait to reel in Ravenlock, then who was the fish this core was waiting to catch?
"The leader of the Phantom Thief Mockingbird organization—a mysterious figure who has long moved among the banquets of the great and powerful, deliberately targeting precious collections for theft and then making off in the most flamboyant fashion... it is nothing short of a provocation against Public Security!"
The Phantom Thief Mockingbird—an organization whose core creed was to rob the rich and give to the poor—had carried out thefts against the wealthy elite throughout the New Eridu region.
As a result, in the eyes of the general public, the Mockingbird had always carried the image of a uniquely charismatic chivalrous thief.
But Public Security saw things differently. As a dangerous figure who disrupted the peace of the city, the Mockingbird had always been a thorn in Public Security's side.
"And this time, the culprit has even openly declared that his next target for theft is this very safe behind me!"
Now that the opponent had thrown down the gauntlet once again, this lecture was the perfect chance to answer that provocation—using the collectible as bait to catch the Mockingbird on the spot and put Public Security's strength on full display.
Up on the stage, Bringer was still running his mouth, spittle flying as he went. Meanwhile, in a corner no one was paying attention to, a woman in a Sheriff's uniform suddenly vanished into the crowd.
Bringer patted the lid of the safe and carried on speaking.
"To that end, Public Security's answer to the Mockingbird's provocation is this: we will never let criminals like you go on running free. We will—hold on? What's going on?"
Bringer was only halfway through when thick plumes of smoke suddenly billowed up across the venue, blotting out everyone's field of vision.
The residents below the stage were choking on the smoke, unable even to keep their eyes open.
Soon the smoke had spread through the entire hall, setting every Sheriff present on edge.
"It's the Mockingbird! Stay alert! Protect the target item!"
At the shout, the Sheriffs crowded in front of the safe, guarding it with all their might—yet none of them noticed a blond Sheriff let slip a triumphant smile.
Before long the smoke gradually cleared. Seeing the Sheriffs still on guard on the stage and the safe still sitting on its display stand, Bringer let out a sigh of relief.
"You see that, citizens?! This is the strength of our Lumina Precinct! A mere Mockingbird is nothing but a paper tiger—not worth mentioning!"
"Oh? Is that so? Funny, I hadn't heard."
A tall, masked male figure stood atop the canopy erected over the venue, looking down upon the crowd from on high—none other than the leader of the Phantom Thief Mockingbird, Hugo Vlad.
Down below, Zhu Yuan and the other Sheriffs who had just received their commendations stared fixedly at him, not daring to let their guard down in the slightest.
And up on the podium, Bringer was still holding his microphone, spouting off at the Hugo above his head.
"Phantom Thief Mockingbird! You're under arrest!"
"Why's that? Did I bruise your fragile little heart?"
Faced with Hugo's contemptuous, mocking smile, Bringer's face instantly flushed red.
"Don't you get cocky! Your little scheme has already been exposed! You've lost any chance of stealing the precious exhibit!"
"Oh, really? Then... what's this?"
With relish, Hugo lifted the gemstone in his hand, holding it up for everyone present to see.
The Sheriffs stared dumbfounded at the gem—the one that should have been inside the safe—now sitting in Hugo's hand, their faces full of disbelief.
"Impossible! It has to be a fake! That safe was specially made! There's no way to open it without its dedicated key!"
One of the Sheriffs cried out in alarm, and hearing this, Zhu Yuan instinctively patted the pouch at her waist—she was the one keeping that very key.
"It's gone?! When did—could it be?!"
Zhu Yuan discovered that the key in her keeping was missing, and she quickly recalled the unfamiliar Sheriff she'd run into outside the restroom earlier. Comparing his build carefully, it was identical to Hugo's.
Hearing Zhu Yuan's cry of alarm, the other Sheriffs realized too that the treasure in Hugo's hand was the real thing.
Meanwhile, Hugo's performance was still going on in grand, ostentatious fashion.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you all for coming to witness the Mockingbird's splendid performance! We shall present this hypocritical, dark, and chaotic city with a most generous gift!"
An elegant smile spread across Hugo's lips as he recited his pre-prepared lines, gesturing all the while.
"But before that, do forgive me—for borrowing the starlight you carry, here in the gloom of night."
Having finished his lines, Hugo leapt into the air, springing up from the canopy roof and catching hold of a hang glider he'd prepared in advance, soaring off into the distance.
"Damn it! Don't even think about running! After him! Bring that Phantom Thief Mockingbird back to me!"
Bringer glared furiously after the debonair, departing Hugo, rallying the Sheriffs to give chase.
"Senior Qingyi! Let's hurry after them too!"
"Mm."
Face full of urgency, Zhu Yuan called to Qingyi and hurried to catch up with the main force ahead—though before that, they didn't forget to arrange for the remaining personnel to soothe the citizens' nerves.
Meanwhile, in the crowd, the siblings Wise and Belle watched the chaotic scene without the slightest trace of panic.
"He even prepared a hang glider ahead of time! This Mister Phantom Thief really is quite the thoughtful one."
Belle raised a hand to shade her eyes, watching Hugo fly off into the distance, her gaze lighting up with little stars.
This kind of dashing phantom thief was exactly the most popular type of character in the comics!
"Hold on, Belle—don't you get the feeling something's missing?"
"Missing what? Wait—Geno! Where's Geno gone?!"
Only then did the two siblings realize that at some unknown point, Geno had vanished from right in front of them.
"You two, be at ease. As for Mister Geno—I know his whereabouts."
A tall Wolf Thirren approached the pair, bringing news of Geno.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan on Pa+reon for more!🔥👻
🔥 New history: Zenless Zone Zero: Rewriting Fate in New Eridu — over on The_Mikudayo
📚 Walnut-chan = +40 chapters of early access, and every bit of it funds the translation work
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone