Bruce had repeatedly emphasized the importance of safety at the gas plant, showing just how much he cared.
The agents and law enforcement officers also understood the risks. They followed his orders without question, pulling out their batons and preparing for action.
At that moment, Zhang Yang stood hidden behind a pipeline, watching as the agents and officers took the bait. A smug grin appeared on his face.
"Hope your stamina and patience can hold out."
Zhang Yang had prepared 15 Illusion Dummies inside the gas plant. Every single one was placed in a high, hard-to-reach location.
As long as he activated them in a carefully planned order, he could keep the agents running back and forth nonstop.
Roughly two minutes later, agents and officers on both the left and right carefully moved in.
But the dummy remained completely still, raising suspicion among the FBI agents.
The squad leader raised his baton first and struck the dummy hard.
In the next second, the dummy burst open, scattering countless red petals in every direction. It was a spectacular sight.
"Shit! I knew it was fake!"
The squad leader gritted his teeth, cursing angrily.
Bruce rushed over with a team, but all he saw were the falling red petals drifting through the air. The dummy was long gone.
"Fuck! A dummy?"
The squad leader above nodded in confirmation.
"Director Bruce, it was just a dummy. We got tricked!"
These dummies had been set up even before Zhang Yang went to the Rensa Group building.
From front to back, left to right, the placement and activation order of every dummy had been carefully mapped out.
To make sure Bruce and the others fully bought it, Zhang Yang even appeared on one of the pipes himself.
The moment a finger snap echoed through the air, everyone went dead silent and turned to look in unison.
Zhang Yang stood casually atop a pipeline, hands in his pockets, looking down on Bruce and the others.
"Kaitō Kid?"
A dozen flashlight beams instantly locked onto him, but no one made a move.
No one could tell whether it was really Kaitō Kid or just another dummy.
They didn't move, and neither did Zhang Yang.
This was now a battle of patience.
After a silent half minute, Bruce clenched his teeth and gave the order.
"Go up and get him. Even if it's another dummy, we're not letting it go!"
With Bruce's command, the agents and officers sprang into action, climbing up from both sides toward the high pipeline.
Just as they reached it, Zhang Yang leapt from a height of over three or four meters, gracefully flipping over several thick pipes before vanishing into the darkness.
The gas plant was filled with equipment and transfer pipes. The layout was complicated and easy to get lost in.
"Fuck! What are you standing around for? Go after him!"
Seeing but failing to catch—that was the most maddening part.
Because of the security guard's earlier livestream, the media had already locked onto Bruce and Zhang Yang's location.
Now media vans were arriving outside the plant one after another.
But the entire area was surrounded by Bruce's men. The plant was sealed tight.
[Oh my god! Is Bruce planning a fight to the death with Kaitō Kid at the gas plant?]
[Where's Harrison? Why didn't he come too?]
[There must be at least two or three hundred people in and around the plant by now, right?]
[Still can't understand why Kaitō Kid would choose a place like this.]
[If they keep sweeping like this, they're bound to find him eventually!]
After escaping their line of sight, Zhang Yang no longer tangled with Bruce and the others.
From here on, he could just let the dummies play with them instead.
Inside the gas plant, Zhang Yang had placed hidden cameras near each dummy's location.
As long as Bruce's people approached a dummy, Zhang Yang could see it through his monocle, allowing him to trigger the appearances in an orderly and strategic way.
"I bet you don't dare ignore what's happening at the gas plant."
"Trigger the incendiary bomb!"
In the next second, an explosion erupted from the northeast corner of the plant, off to Zhang Yang's right.
Flames burst into the air, surrounding thick gas pipes scattered in every direction.
Zhang Yang had already studied the place thoroughly. These pipes weren't in use and had no gas flowing through them.
So even if they were engulfed in fire, there was no real danger.
The massive explosion startled not only the agents and officers outside but also Bruce and the others inside, who instinctively covered their heads.
A gas plant explosion wasn't a joke. If something really went wrong, they'd all be wiped out.
In that instant, everyone—inside and outside—rushed like mad toward the explosion site. Zhang Yang had already left firefighting equipment there for them in advance.
The previously pitch-black corner was now lit by the blaze. From Bruce's point of view, the exposed pipes looked terrifying, twisted and menacing, like they could explode at any moment.
Media cameras followed the chaos closely, broadcasting the roaring flames that now gripped everyone's hearts.
[What the hell? Did Kaitō Kid really strike the gas plant?]
[Oh my god! This is terrifying! Why hasn't Bruce evacuated yet?]
[Holy crap, the plant is on fire! That's a ticking time bomb!]
[Okay! Kaitō Kid's really turned up the heat for Bruce and the team!]
[Could it be that Eagle Nation's top agent will meet his end at the hands of the great thief?]
The livestream comments exploded.
No one had expected an explosion or fire at the gas plant. Even though no one had seen how it started, everyone could guess who was behind it.
And they were right.
Zhang Yang hadn't crossed the line though. The explosion and fire posed no real threat to the plant's safety.
If Bruce's team traced the pipeline carefully, they would realize that those specific pipes weren't connected to the main line.
But in a place like this, with fire blazing like that, Bruce didn't have the luxury to sit down and think things through.
He grabbed the extinguishers Zhang Yang had left and led the charge to put out the fire.
While Bruce and his men were busy with that, Zhang Yang slipped over the wall. Once he was a good distance away, he picked up a motorcycle and sped off.
"Bruce, good luck."
Zhang Yang smirked, heading straight back toward the Rensa Group.
He'd predicted that Harrison wouldn't chase him.
Zhang Yang understood the man's style and methods well. A diversion like this wasn't something Harrison would fall for.
So now Zhang Yang had to go deal with him. With most of the manpower shifted to the gas plant, the Rensa Group building wouldn't be a challenge anymore.
Since the fire had been caused by an incendiary bomb, it wasn't something that could be easily extinguished.
Luckily, Zhang Yang had left plenty of firefighting gear behind, so the flames were shrinking visibly fast.
Just as one of the agents grabbed the last fire extinguisher, they spotted a white card beneath it.
"Director Bruce, take a look at this…"