As the saying goes, the arrow is already nocked and must be released.
Now that he was standing right in front of the Shang Dynasty twin-ram zun vessels, there was no way Zhang Yang was backing down.
He hadn't even flinched at the White House in the Eagle Nation—why would he fear someone like Davis?
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Master Lockpicking skill has successfully leveled up to Level 4!]
Zhang Yang reached out and began turning the mechanical dials on the lock. The sound of the steel pins shifting inside rang clearly in his ears.
Meanwhile, the monocle displayed real-time feedback, guiding him through each movement like he already knew the code. He turned the dials one by one with complete ease.
Davis stood to the side, watching wide-eyed, completely stunned.
He was the only one who knew the combination, and yet every turn Zhang Yang made felt like it was twisting a blade into his chest.
"How is this possible? This guy's getting every number right!"
Davis was utterly dumbfounded.
Everything he had read online about Kaitō Kid was now playing out before his eyes—none of it exaggerated.
Outside the factory, the media crew and millions of viewers in the livestream were losing it.
[Shit! What the hell is Davis doing?]
[Kaitō Kid is cracking the safe—why is Davis just standing there doing nothing?]
[Is he seriously planning to hand the twin-ram zun over to Kaitō Kid? Was he really doubting the Phantom Thief's lockpicking skills?!]
[Oh my god! Davis went through all this trouble just to gift Kaitō Kid a priceless artifact?]
[Isn't this guy a major boss in the California Eighteenth Street gang? He's acting way too generous!]
In less than 30 seconds, Zhang Yang opened the safe.
With a crisp click, the door popped open just a sliver.
As he reached to pull it open, he was surprised by how heavy it was.
Nearly two-thirds of the safe's interior space was taken up by the intricate mechanical locking system behind the door.
Zhang Yang reached in and pulled out a key hanging inside, casually waving it in front of Davis's face.
Davis was still frozen in disbelief. Even with the combination memorized, it would take him more than half a minute to unlock it himself.
Yet Zhang Yang had done it in less than that—without knowing the combination.
"Oh my god! Kaitō Kid, did you know the safe's combination?"
Davis realized how dumb the question sounded the moment he asked it, but he genuinely couldn't think of another explanation.
To open the safe that cleanly and efficiently—unless he already knew the code—Davis couldn't believe anyone alive could do that.
A triple-layered, interlocking mechanical lock, opened in under 30 seconds.
When Davis told Zhang Yang to go ahead and open it, he hadn't set any time limits. In fact, his own expectations, based on internet legends, estimated it would take at least 10 minutes, maybe even 30 minutes, or 3 hours.
He did believe Zhang Yang could open it—he just didn't believe it could happen this fast.
"Kaitō Kid, answer me!"
"Did you know the combination? How else did you open it so quickly?!"
Zhang Yang chuckled lightly.
"Davis, was this custom-built safe of yours supposed to be hard to crack?"
That response hit Davis like a lightning bolt. He stood there, stunned, speechless.
At the entrance to the factory, the livestream cameras zoomed in as much as possible. But without microphones, they couldn't capture the conversation between Davis and Zhang Yang.
[What did Kaitō Kid just pull out of the safe? Was that a key?]
[This is hilarious—Davis's precious safe was cracked open in no time. Wasn't he acting all confident just a moment ago?]
[Lockpicking is just basic skill for a master thief. Davis actually thought a safe would be enough to stump Kaitō Kid? What a joke!]
[So that key opens the glass display case? Does that mean the twin-ram zun now belongs to Kaitō Kid?]
[Oh my god! Davis is such a pompous idiot!]
Elsewhere, Harrison and Bruce were watching the scene unfold, just as shocked and confused.
"Harrison, what the hell is Davis trying to do?"
"He challenged Kaitō Kid, but it doesn't look like he's actually trying to catch him."
Harrison had the same suspicion.
If Davis really wanted to arrest him, he definitely wouldn't have arranged a face-to-face like this.
And this was the Eagle Nation, where carrying firearms legally wasn't an issue. Yet none of Davis's people were armed.
Calling it a "challenge" was generous—it looked more like a private meeting.
"I don't know, Bruce. I don't know Davis well," Harrison said calmly. "But judging by his behavior right now, it looks like he just wanted to meet Kaitō Kid in person. He must have another agenda."
Bruce frowned hard, eyes locked on the livestream feed.
Back inside, Zhang Yang inserted the key into the lock beneath the glass case. With a soft click, the display opened.
He reached in, took out the twin-ram zun, and casually slipped it into his magic space.
Davis's eyes widened even more.
He had just watched Zhang Yang retrieve the artifact, but in the blink of an eye—it was gone from his hand.
He'd prepared himself for Kaitō Kid's reputation to live up to the stories. But even witnessing it with his own eyes, it still felt surreal.
"What the hell? Kaitō Kid, where did you hide the twin-ram zun?!"
Zhang Yang gave a small smile. With a flick of his other hand, the zun reappeared in his palm.
Davis stared in shock.
A moment later, Zhang Yang flipped his hand again and swapped the artifact for a deck of playing cards.
He fanned out the deck, then gave a grand wave—sending petals fluttering through the air like confetti.
The livestream chat lit up instantly with mocking praise.
[Wow! Kaitō Kid's even doing live magic for Davis now!]
[That was probably the most expensive magic show in the world!]
[A private performance by Kaitō Kid—Davis should be honored!]
[That twin-ram zun is priceless. Only two exist in the entire world. You can't even put a value on it!]
[Oh my god! Davis gave away a one-of-a-kind treasure just to watch Kaitō Kid's magic act?!]
Davis finally snapped out of his daze and clapped enthusiastically.
"Bravo! Flawless. Absolutely perfect!"
"Kaitō Kid, a bet is a bet. The twin-ram zun is yours!"
"I've read all about your legends online. Seeing it live tonight, you've proven it—you really are the undisputed number one phantom thief in the world!"
He didn't hesitate to heap on the praise like a true sycophant.
Then he got to the point.
"Kaitō Kid, that safe was custom-made for you."
"It's got a triple-interlocking mechanical lock. Make a mistake on any one of the dials, and the whole thing resets. I honestly thought it would take you a long time to crack it."
"But I have to admit—you really surprised me. The reason I lured you here tonight is because I have something else I want to discuss with you."