Zhang Yang got up and left the building, walking straight out of the Enforcement Bureau headquarters.
At that moment, Victor had already led the team into the vault at the end of the corridor. He instructed them to place the artifacts in a cabinet tucked away in the corner.
Bruce and Harrison stood at the vault's entrance. They didn't go in. The room was filled with France's top classified materials, and as foreign agents, it would've been inappropriate for them to step inside.
"Gentlemen, everything's in place now," one officer reported. "We can take the team to the estate and begin the operation."
Victor was in high spirits. They had the upper hand this time.
No matter how the operation turned out, at least the collection would be safe.
Bruce and Harrison nodded and followed Victor downstairs.
Soon after, more than ten vehicles rolled out in a convoy. Over a hundred Enforcement Bureau agents were on their way to the estate to participate in the arrest operation.
"Bruce, don't you think everything's going a little too smoothly this time?"
Harrison's sudden comment caught Bruce off guard.
"Shit! Harrison, don't overthink it. This has been the plan all along!"
"Besides, you saw the Bureau's vault yourself. Aside from a few top-level officers, no one else can even get in!"
Victor made his case with full confidence.
But both the FBI and CIA back in the Eagle Nation had been infiltrated by Kaitō Kid before. From Harrison's perspective, Victor's self-assurance was baseless.
It was the kind of confidence only someone who had never experienced Kaitō Kid's tricks could have. If Victor had, he'd be way more cautious instead of acting so smug.
Once they arrived at the estate, the first thing Victor did was lift the lockdown.
His reasoning was simple: he worried that Kaitō Kid might be deterred by the Bureau's security perimeter.
It was déjà vu for Bruce, who immediately voiced his disagreement.
"Director Victor, you're seriously underestimating Kaitō Kid."
"Your perimeter wouldn't stop him. But if we keep the lockdown in place, we might actually catch an early sign of his presence."
But Victor was on a roll and refused to listen.
There were still over a hundred agents on guard inside the estate. And the officers who'd been maintaining the perimeter could now be reassigned to patrol the surrounding areas instead.
"Director Bruce, trust my judgment."
Victor spoke with full confidence.
"Tonight, we're going to catch Kaitō Kid and show everyone who the real winner is!"
Seeing this, Bruce could only stay quiet. Victor wasn't open to advice right now.
As soon as the lockdown was lifted, fans and media swarmed in, flooding the area around the estate.
"Shit! What's Victor doing now? Why would he lift the lockdown at a time like this?"
"Oh my god! There are agents all over the estate—Victor probably wants everyone to witness Kaitō Kid getting caught!"
"Kaitō Kid has never hit the same place twice. What the hell did Subier do to get this kind of revenge?"
"Even the Yamaguchi-gumi once challenged Kaitō Kid. In the end, their jewels got smashed into dust and launched as fireworks!"
"Tsk tsk tsk. Subier, of all people, why did you have to mess with him?"
After arriving at the estate, Zhang Yang blended into the crowd. He spotted Enforcement Bureau agents stationed everywhere across the grounds.
This time, Victor was clearly feeling very confident about the arrest.
"Don't tell me Bruce and Harrison didn't notice the other threats? I don't see any Enforcement Bureau agents in the crowd."
The dark web tournament hadn't even started yet. More contestants were bound to show up.
But they had sent all their personnel into the estate. Outside, only a dozen or so people remained.
There were more than twice as many people here tonight compared to last night. Even Zhang Yang found it hard to pick out any suspicious figures in the crowd.
Still, his instincts told him someone holding an invitation was already waiting for the right moment.
[So many people tonight… If Victor lets Kaitō Kid get away again, it's gonna be real embarrassing.]
[Heh, Kaitō Kid won't disappoint—and neither will Victor!]
[WTF? Victor brought so many agents, can Kaitō Kid still find a way in?]
[I still don't get what happened last night. Kaitō Kid just vanished, and Victor claims there were explosives nearby?]
[Who knows if Victor's lying. With all the media questioning him, he still hasn't responded at all!]
Zhang Yang listened to the chatter with a calm face as he quietly backed out to the rear of the crowd.
Victor hadn't made Maket's incident public. But whether something unexpected would happen tonight was hard to say.
Zhang Yang's goal at the estate was to get Victor's access card to infiltrate the Bureau's vault.
So getting close to Victor at some point tonight was a must.
"Guess I'll have to wait till dark and then move during the chaos."
But the weather had other plans. Before the sun even set, dark clouds gathered fast.
A heavy downpour came roaring in, catching everyone off guard.
The rain hit hard and fast. The crowd scattered for shelter, and it almost caused a stampede.
Victor stared at the pouring rain, fuming.
"Fuck! Why now of all times!"
"With rain like this, is Kaitō Kid even still coming?"
Bruce and Harrison had never worked a stormy operation before either. They weren't sure what to expect.
And this was no ordinary rain—it was pounding hard enough to sting when it hit.
Enforcement Bureau agents pushed through the storm, still patrolling the estate. They looked like a mess.
Meanwhile, media crews grabbed umbrellas from their vans and continued livestreaming for viewers around the world.
Their dedication impressed the online audience. Aside from the reporters, there was barely anyone left at the gate.
[Oh my god! Streaming live in this rain—they deserve a medal!]
[With rain this heavy, Kaitō Kid probably won't show, right?]
[Even dogs know to get out of the rain. Yet these agents are still out patrolling!]
[LOL that's savage. Not wrong, but damn.]
[Explosives yesterday, storm tonight… If the operation fails, Victor's totally blaming the weather.]
As night fell, even the streetlights could barely illuminate a small patch of road.
Zhang Yang stepped out of his car, dressed in Kaitō Kid's iconic white tux.
No umbrella. No raincoat.
And yet, not a drop touched him. He walked through the downpour like there was a shield around him, completely dry.
As soon as the media spotted him, all the cameras swung toward him.
[Oh my god! The rain… it's avoiding Kaitō Kid?]
[WTF? How's he doing that? The rain's dodging him!]
[Holy shit, get this on Science Mysteries. That's at least a three-episode special!]
[This is insane. Literally next-level nonsense.]