But the strange part was—things kept getting weirder.
Harrison had searched every corner of the castle, and still couldn't find any trace of Kaitō Kid.
"Could it be... Kaitō Kid hasn't made his move yet?"
He started doubting himself.
They were in the light, while Zhang Yang was in the shadows.
Even with all his experience and sharp instincts, this time Harrison didn't have a single clue. No direction, no trail—he hated the feeling of being this passive.
[Why hasn't Kaitō Kid shown himself yet? He already knocked out Allen's entire team!]
[Such a tricky opponent. Kaitō Kid always shows up out of nowhere and turns everything upside down!]
[Hold up, wasn't MI5 all proud and confident earlier?]
[Stick to the code: admit defeat early—it'll hurt less later.]
Harrison's face grew darker with every passing second he couldn't find Kaitō Kid.
He could feel the threat closing in, but no matter how hard he looked, he just couldn't locate the phantom thief.
At that moment, Zhang Yang was still up on the castle roof. He knew Harrison was a seasoned MI5 agent—not the type to be underestimated.
That's why he was playing it smart from the shadows, letting Harrison wear himself out.
After the search came up empty, Harrison had no choice but to instruct the others to remain on high alert.
[Haha! So this is what "elite MI5" looks like? All this gear, and they're just running in circles!]
[They've been making a fuss this whole time—I thought they might actually catch him. Turns out they're just livestreaming their own failure!]
[God, where is Kaitō Kid?! Show yourself already!]
At this point, everyone watching already agreed on one thing—Kaitō Kid had to be inside the castle.
Harrison just hadn't realized it yet.
"Time to start the show."
Zhang Yang watched from above as Harrison and a few agents moved back toward their vehicles.
He knew the moment had come.
Harrison had already searched the entire castle once.
Chances were, he wouldn't go through the trouble again so soon.
The castle was old, and age had left the walls full of footholds and handholds.
Zhang Yang began his descent, climbing down until he found an open window and slipped inside.
Once back in the building, he emerged again looking exactly like Harrison.
In a castle like this, even butlers and guards weren't allowed into rooms uninvited. The Earl's place was strictly off-limits.
Which meant Zhang Yang needed a proper identity—like Harrison's—to gain access.
The ruby ring had been gifted by Earl Lawrence to his wife, so it was 80% likely to be somewhere in their suite.
As he passed by a mirror, Zhang Yang straightened his tie and smoothed his hair, adjusting his collar before striding confidently to the Earl's door.
He knocked, adopting a tense tone.
"Earl Lawrence, apologies for the disturbance. I believe Kaitō Kid may have entered your room!"
The door opened moments later.
Lawrence looked surprised. "What did you say? Kaitō Kid—in my room? That's impossible!!"
Zhang Yang glanced past him into the room. It was indeed a large suite.
"Yes, Earl Lawrence. Just moments ago, we spotted Kaitō Kid's silhouette, but it disappeared near your window!"
"That can't be! I've been in here the whole time. There's no way he slipped in!"
The Earl quickly turned and checked around the room himself.
Zhang Yang pushed him gently, voice still urgent. "Earl, for your safety—and your wife's—I need permission to search the room immediately."
"Fine! Go ahead—check everything!"
Lawrence didn't hesitate at all and stepped aside to let him in.
Whether from an official or personal standpoint, he had no reason to refuse.
Once Zhang Yang entered the room, he looked like he was thoroughly checking every nook and cranny, but in reality, his eyes were scanning for the ruby ring.
He figured there was a good chance the ring was tucked away in a drawer or stashed somewhere out of sight. If that was the case, he'd have to put Lawrence and his wife to sleep for a little nap.
But clearly, the Earl and his wife were way too confident.
The ruby ring wasn't hidden at all. It was sitting right there on the vanity.
Bertha was reading a book, and when she saw "Harrison" come in, she froze for a moment.
Lawrence shrugged helplessly and said in a low voice, "Director Harrison said they spotted Kaitō Kid. He suspects he might've slipped into our room."
"Darling, don't worry."
And right as Lawrence turned to explain things to his wife, Zhang Yang casually reached over and swiped the ruby ring off the vanity.
By the time they looked back, he had already moved away from the vanity—completely natural.
But since he was putting on a show, he had to commit to the role.
Zhang Yang went around the room, inspecting everything from top to bottom. He even pulled back the curtains and checked that the window was properly locked.
"Earl Lawrence, sorry for the disturbance," he said. "It seems Kaitō Kid may have failed to enter your room. I'll go organize another sweep."
"For now, please get some rest. Unless there's an emergency, it's best not to leave your room."
Lawrence nodded with a smile.
"No problem, Director Harrison. Thank you for your hard work!"
Just like that, Zhang Yang walked out of the Earl's suite with the ruby ring in hand.
At that moment, Harrison was still sitting in the SUV, lost in thought about how to capture Kaitō Kid.
Suddenly, smoke began to rise from a corner of the castle, quickly spreading outward.
Though the smoke wasn't dense, it expanded with surprising speed.
A human figure appeared in the mist, flickering in and out of view as it moved.
This was Zhang Yang's Prank Flash Bomb at work.
The ruby ring was secured—it was time to retreat.
He'd dropped the smoke bomb right across from the point where the Shadowline Zipcord was set up.
Harrison jumped out of the SUV, grabbing his radio.
"All units, eyes up! Move in and close the perimeter—slow and steady!"
The agents moved fast, popping open the tactical goggles from the rear compartment.
These goggles were equipped with both night vision and thermal imaging.
But once the agents activated all systems and aimed at the smoke... they didn't see anyone.
"What the hell? Where is he?"
Even Harrison was stumped. Kaitō Kid had to be in there.
"You two, get in the smoke and flush him out! Everyone else, cover the perimeter!"
Despite advancing with caution, Harrison still miscalculated—he'd left a hole in the net.
While they swarmed the smoke, Zhang Yang was already clipped onto the Shadowline Zipcord and zipping right over the castle roof, disappearing into the night.
[I saw it! That white top hat in the smoke—that was definitely Kaitō Kid!]
[Yes! He finally showed himself!]
[What's he thinking? Tossing a smoke bomb like that just gives away his position!]
[Classic misdirection. A great hunter always moves like prey.]
[No way he's getting out now... right?]
But when the patrol units and two agents burst into the smoke cloud—they found nothing.
Harrison even rebooted his tactical goggles. Every other person in the smoke showed up clearly.
Except for Kaitō Kid.
On infrared... his signature simply didn't exist.