The three of them slipped back into the Enforcement Bureau headquarters, heads down, while netizens from around the world flooded the livestream with mockery.
"So that's it, huh? Those agents in movies were just overhyped. In reality, they're totally average!"
"They run the moment something happens—what a joke!"
"You can hide for a while, but not forever. The Bureau really needs to take a hard look at itself!"
"Oh shit! You want to know what real class looks like? That's Kaitō Kid—showing grace even when wronged!"
"But let's be honest, the day they catch Kaitō Kid, they won't show him any mercy at all."
Sherrson used to be an agent. Whether it was skill or reflexes, he was far beyond the average person.
If they had waited for Victor's team to set up a proper operation, chances were high Sherrson would've slipped away.
Zhang Yang wasn't about to let someone that dangerous lurk in the shadows watching his every move.
"Tomorrow, the competition officially starts. That means only Holmeska is left as a contestant?"
"How should I deal with this guy?"
On the way back, Zhang Yang even swapped out his car—just in case Victor's team decided to follow him.
All the while, he was thinking hard about how to handle Holmeska. In the end, he'd probably have to take care of it himself.
According to the date on the invitation, the contest was scheduled to begin tomorrow.
If everything went as expected, Holmeska would take action too. He wouldn't just sit around outside the Dragon Nation Embassy waiting for something to happen.
Back at the Enforcement Bureau HQ, Sherrson was only briefly interrogated before the FBI from the Eagle Nation sent people to collect him and escort him back.
They also handed Bruce a new mission, requesting that he return to the Eagle Nation with the team.
"Director Victor, Harrison, see you next time."
After escorting Sherrson into the car, Bruce turned and said goodbye to the other two.
Victor, still frustrated before, actually felt a bit better now that Bruce was leaving.
This was his turf, after all. But too often, Harrison and Bruce went against his decisions, leaving him annoyed yet unable to lash out.
"Director Bruce, have a safe trip!"
"Safe travels!"
Once Bruce was gone, Victor pulled Harrison aside into the office to discuss their next steps.
"Director Harrison, the competition starts tomorrow. Things might get even messier than they already are."
"Up to now, we still don't know how many people got Kaitō Kid's signature and can officially enter the contest."
Hearing this, Harrison smiled and shook his head.
"Director Victor, you're worrying too much."
"As long as Kaitō Kid doesn't want it, those who received invitations won't get his signature."
Harrison still held onto a bit of wishful thinking. If no one managed to get the signature, then there wouldn't be any official contestants. This whole mess would just fizzle out.
Victor frowned and lowered his head, clearly deep in thought.
Harrison added, "Director Victor, have you found out who's running the contest? And why they're targeting Kaitō Kid?"
The dark web might be hard to trace, but not impossible. With enough effort, there had to be some kind of lead.
Victor had already told the tech department to investigate the day they found out about the competition.
But facing Harrison's question now, he could only sigh and shake his head.
"The clues we've found are very limited—almost nothing at all."
"Director Harrison, Kaitō Kid is now a global sensation. The number one super thief, with tons of fans!"
"So far, all we know is that the person hosting this contest on the dark web is specifically targeting Kaitō Kid. That's why they put up a six hundred million dollar bounty."
Harrison took a deep breath. The enemy was hiding in the shadows—using the most anonymous platform in the world. It made sense they couldn't trace anything.
Just then, Victor got a call from his superior.
Even though he didn't put it on speaker, the room was so quiet that Harrison could still hear the angry shouting on the other end.
Victor's face turned pale as he nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, got it! I'll look into it right away!"
After hanging up, Victor looked straight at Harrison.
"How many Kaitō Kids are there in the world?"
Harrison blinked, totally confused, and shrugged.
"The private vault at the French National Bank has been robbed. Director Harrison, our boss wants us there immediately!"
The French National Bank is one of the world's systemically important banks. This time, though, it was the private vault that was hit.
They offer private vault services where valuables can be stored in ultra-secure conditions.
As one of the safest banks in the world, hearing it had been robbed left Harrison completely stunned.
Victor quickly pulled together a squad of agents and headed straight for the scene.
By the time they arrived, a police cordon was already up. The local law enforcement had been first to respond and locked down the area.
But a case this serious was beyond their capacity—they were waiting for the Bureau to take over.
Besides law enforcement, a crowd of reporters had also gathered.
As soon as Victor and Harrison stepped out of their vehicle, they were surrounded.
"Director Victor, was it Kaitō Kid who robbed the National Bank?"
"Sir, is it true that it was the private vault that was targeted?"
"Director, what's your take on the robbery?"
Victor's face was grim as he pushed through the reporters and ducked under the police tape.
Though he didn't say a word, the livestream chat lit up instantly.
"You've gotta be kidding—this robbery clearly has nothing to do with Kaitō Kid!"
"Kaitō Kid always sends a warning letter first. The guy's got a code—he wouldn't do something like this!"
"Poor Victor. Still hasn't caught Kaitō Kid, and now this happens!"
"Hahaha, France is on fire right now. Victor's probably ready to explode!"
"With world-class fugitives showing up non-stop, they should've been more alert days ago!"
Victor entered the main hall of the bank. Everything looked normal—no signs of a struggle anywhere.
An officer from the local department led over the bank's representative.
"Director Victor, this is Mr. Kafu, the person in charge. You can direct your questions to him."
Victor gave him a brief handshake.
"Mr. Kafu, when did you first realize the vault had been robbed?"
"Wasn't there anything unusual before you found out?"
Kafu spoke quickly, clearly stressed.
"Director Victor, we check the private vault every two hours. It must have happened in the last two!"
"Our staff said there was a five-minute power outage during that time. But aside from that, nothing seemed off!"
Hearing this, Harrison raised an eyebrow.
"Mr. Kafu, could you take us to the vault, please?"
Kafu nodded rapidly and led them down the hall. When they reached the private vault, they found every safety deposit box inside had been opened.
The entire vault had been completely cleaned out—not a single item was left behind.