April had arrived in New York. Time really flew.
Liu A'dou was hiding out at the Antarctic base, escaping the increasingly warm New York weather. He had cleared off an entire wall just to pin up clippings about Kaitou Kid. It was completely covered with news articles from major newspapers—even one from the Daily Planet.
"Moonlight Magician or Kaitou Kid?" That was the headline, written by a reporter named Jimmy. The piece wasn't long, nor was it placed in a prominent section, but making it into the Daily Planet at all was already a big deal—especially while Kaitou Kid was still in New York.
This Jimmy was clearly a Kid fan. The whole article was filled with admiration for the magician thief's skills, basically a puff piece defending him. It was just short of asking, "What drives a brilliant magician to walk the path of thievery?"
Then Liu A'dou received an email—it was from the Daily Planet. For a second he wondered when he'd ever get on the front page of such a legendary paper. He hadn't expected them to reach out so soon. Of course, they weren't contacting him because they knew who he really was. They wanted to do a special feature interview—with Elsa.
With Frozen released worldwide, Elsa had undoubtedly become a symbol for mutants. It made sense for the media to pursue an interview with her. What surprised Liu A'dou was that the first to reach out was none other than the world-famous Daily Planet. It seemed Elsa would be his future rival when it came to fighting for the headlines.
Of course he agreed. But the meeting location still needed to be discussed with Professor X. They were allies, after all, and he couldn't just make the call on his own. He had to respect the professor.
When Professor X received the message, he was pleased. The fact that Liu A'dou reached out proved he really did have the mutant cause in his heart and wasn't just in it for money. He decided to have Jean accompany Elsa to the interview. Jean, with her doctorate and poise, was one of his most trusted students and definitely knew how to handle these situations.
They chose to hold the interview at the hotel where the Daily Planet reporter was staying. The Planet was a world-class news organization, welcomed wherever it went. And they had money to spare—even business trips were spent in five-star hotels.
Liu A'dou had hoped he might run into Lois, or Clark, or at the very least Jimmy. The three of them were the Planet's famous trio. Jimmy was the first to ever capture Superman on camera, which had skyrocketed his reputation. Lois had won the Pulitzer Prize for her interviews with Superman. And Clark? He was her right hand—and Superman himself. Naturally, they were all incredibly busy. Compared to mutant affairs, they were off chasing global headlines.
Still, the reporter sent this time was no lightweight. Around fifty years old, with silver hair, a hawk-like nose, and deep brown eyes, he had interviewed heads of state and even served as a diplomat for several countries in his younger years. As a full-time journalist, he was known for his razor-sharp writing and had exposed many major scandals. He had even roasted the U.S. Secretary of State in his pieces more than once. People called him "Piranha Bob"—someone you couldn't let your guard down around.
This time, Bob had been assigned to interview Elsa. Not for some light entertainment fluff, but to spotlight her identity as a mutant. This was the kind of sensitive, high-profile reporting he excelled at.
The interview was scheduled for 5:30 p.m., set by Bob himself. When Liu A'dou drove Elsa and Jean to the venue, Bob was still in the middle of dinner.
It was pretty rude. They had agreed on a time, and yet the other party was casually enjoying dinner. It was a blatant show of disrespect. None of the three showed it on their faces, but both Liu A'dou and Jean instantly lost any favorable impression of Bob. As for Elsa, no one could tell what she was thinking—maybe after living for thousands of years, things like this simply didn't matter to her.
When the server led them to Bob's table, he didn't greet them right away. He just slowly finished the last bite of his steak, wiped his mouth, then stood up without even offering them anything. "Hello, I'm Bob. Sorry, I was a little hungry, so I came down for a meal. Hope you don't mind." Though his words were apologetic, there wasn't a shred of apology in his eyes.
That was the moment the battle began. Both sides started sizing each other up.
Liu A'dou smiled and said, "No need to mind, we should've gotten here before your stomach did. I'm Liu A'dou. This is Dr. Jean, a biologist, and this is the focus of the interview, renowned actress Elsa."
Bob raised his eyebrows slightly. He had done some background research on Liu A'dou—screenwriter, director, and Elsa's agent. Clearly not someone to be underestimated. The man had an assertive presence, no wonder he could move so freely among mutants as an ordinary human. And from the way things looked, Liu A'dou was the one holding the reins in this group. Interesting. A human representing mutants.
Judging by their calm reactions earlier, all three of them had good composure. They hadn't shown any annoyance, even though Bob had purposely laid a trap at the start. "Piranha Bob" wasn't just a nickname—he was a pro at digging into the true nature of those he interviewed. But this time, it seemed he'd met his match.
"It's an honor to meet you," Bob said. "All three of you, please follow me. We'll do the interview in my room."
Chairs were already arranged, and Bob had the server bring in some snacks and hot coffee, creating a cozy setting. The journalist sat on one side, the interviewees on the other.
In front of them, Bob calmly set up his voice recorder on the coffee table. Then he pulled out a black leather notebook with a list of prepared questions—plus a few spontaneous ones.
"Ready? Let's begin the interview." Bob's tone shifted slightly, sounding more relaxed. "No need to feel pressured. Just answer the questions honestly."
Liu A'dou looked to the others. Seeing that they were ready, he said, "Go ahead."
"First question—among the three of you, who are the mutants, and what are your abilities?" It was a basic opening to understand his subjects.
Liu A'dou didn't answer, leaving it to the others. Jean, clearly briefed by the professor, had no intention of hiding anything. "My ability is telepathy." As she spoke, she demonstrated it. She stared at a cookie on the plate and slowly levitated it into her hand.
"Incredible," Bob said, eyes wide as he watched the cookie move on its own. Then he turned to Elsa. "I already know the Snow Queen's powers well. Honestly, both my kids are huge fans of yours. But if you don't mind, could you please give a demonstration too?"
After receiving Liu A'dou's nod, Elsa casually flicked her hand, like Spider-Man shooting a web. A snowflake shot out effortlessly.
"Absolutely beautiful," Bob clapped, then turned his gaze toward Liu A'dou.
"I'm not a mutant," Liu A'dou said plainly.
"I looked into that," Bob replied. "But may I ask you something, Mr. Liu?"
Liu A'dou nodded. "Go ahead."
"I want to ask—is Elsa your puppet?" As expected, Bob bared his teeth.