After receiving Bruce’s notification, FBI headquarters sprang into action, speeding up the interrogation of Pritt and the process of cracking open the safe.
Bruce’s clarification video had a big impact.
At the very least, even by midnight, people all over the world were still speculating whether Kaitō Kid would show up.
Very few were claiming that Kaitō Kid had already succeeded while Bruce and Harrison were completely unaware.
[Oh my god! It’s already midnight. Is Kaitō Kid really still going to show up?]
[Didn’t they say Kaitō Kid never breaks his word? Can soone explain what’s going on right now?]
[Damn, this is nuts. Bruce said everything’s normal in his video, but Kaitō Kid still hasn’t shown up. What’s going on?]
[When things get weird, there’s always sothing shady behind it. Sothing’s being kept from us!]
[Bruce is definitely hiding the truth. Maybe this whole act is just a cover-up. Kaitō Kid probably stole the thing ages ago!]
Harrison was closely monitoring the dia and public opinion online. He didn’t want to go through the sa kind of pressure he’d experienced before.
He was also keeping a constant eye on Kaitō Kid’s updates, waiting to see if anything new would drop.
"Director Bruce, any updates from headquarters?"
"Kaitō Kid has never broken a promise. Sothing must have gone wrong sowhere!"
It had already been an hour since Bruce told headquarters to speed things up.
But so far, there had been no response.
Bruce was the one under the most pressure now. He had already gone all-in with the clarification video.
If this turned out to be another loss to Kaitō Kid, it wouldn’t just be embarrassing—it would be a complete slap in the face.
Just as Bruce was about to send a follow-up ssage, a call ca in from headquarters.
"Bruce, there’s one item missing from the safe. It’s sothing Pritt bought at an overseas auction six months ago."
"They say it’s the Heshibi from the Dragon Nation. Worth a fortune."
"Pritt said it was kept in the safe, but now it’s gone!"
Hearing that was like being struck by lightning. Bruce felt like the sky was crashing down on him.
"Shit! Are you sure?"
The voice on the phone was firm.
"No doubt about it. We opened the safe with Pritt and confird it right in front of him!"
Bruce was completely stunned, mind blank.
He couldn’t figure out how the item had disappeared, or when Kaitō Kid had managed to steal it.
At that mont, Harrison patted Bruce on the shoulder and showed him his phone screen.
On it was a brand-new post from Kaitō Kid.
"Harrison, Bruce, maybe you two should go get so rest. No need to stay up so late!"
Below that ssage was a photo of the Heshibi.
The mystery they’d been afraid to confirm was now crystal clear.
The capture operation had failed. Kaitō Kid had pulled off the heist and gotten away clean, and they hadn’t noticed a thing.
The confirmation from headquarters and Kaitō Kid’s new post left no doubt about what had happened.
Bruce hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and sat heavily on the steps in defeat.
That crushing feeling—Harrison knew it all too well.
"Bruce, that’s just who Kaitō Kid is. No matter when, he always finds a way to surprise you."
"He’s the greatest master thief of all ti."
Now Bruce finally understood why Harrison had resigned back then, and why he’d co back under a secret identity to continue the chase.
"Harrison, do you think we’ll ever catch Kaitō Kid?"
Faced with Bruce’s soul-searching question, Harrison didn’t know how to respond for a mont. At a ti like this, maybe he should have said sothing encouraging.
But when it ca to catching Kaitō Kid, Harrison didn’t even have half a shred of confidence.
After a long pause, Harrison finally answered in a deep voice, "I don’t know, Bruce. In my entire career as an agent, Kaitō Kid is the only opponent who’s ever made doubt myself."
Bruce gave a bitter smile.
What Harrison said was exactly what he’d been thinking too.
Bruce looked up at the agents still on alert. They didn’t yet know the operation had completely failed.
"Harrison, Kaitō Kid’s right. Let’s call it a night."
Bruce stood up from the steps and signaled everyone to pack it in.
A loss was a loss.
Bruce understood that clearly. As for the reports and public backlash—he’d just have to take it.
Zhang Yang’s new post hit like a bombshell, causing a massive stir across the globe.
Bruce’s clarification video instantly beca the butt of countless jokes.
[Wait, what? So Kaitō Kid had already succeeded, and Bruce still posted that video? He and Harrison really didn’t notice a thing!]
[Oh my god! Hard to believe. So those fireworks across from the villa weren’t a coincidence!]
[Tsk tsk, this is the so-called top agent in Eagle Nation?]
[Ridiculous. Kaitō Kid had already stolen the thing, and Bruce was still making clarification videos like a fool!]
[Pritt wasn’t the only one who got played tonight. Bruce took a hit too!]
The flood of coverage and criticism surged like a tidal wave, dragging Bruce and Harrison right into the middle of it.
Their worst fear had co true.
[No one saw this coming. When exactly did Kaitō Kid pull it off?]
[If Kaitō Kid sends a calling card, he always shows up!]
[Bruce is a joke. Didn’t even see Kaitō Kid’s shadow, and the item’s already gone!]
[This was one hell of a performance tonight. Kaitō Kid’s incredible!]
[Now that Bruce and Harrison have stood down, they probably still have no clue how Kaitō Kid did it!]
Even though it was past midnight, newsrooms around the world were working overti to report the story.
After Zhang Yang posted his update, he took a shower and went straight to bed.
Bruce and Harrison, anwhile, returned to headquarters only to face a harsh interrogation from their superiors.
A baffling failure, and not even a glimpse of the culprit.
"Our plan should’ve been airtight. This is all because of that bastard Pritt, refusing to cooperate!"
Bruce went over everything in his mind and concluded that the only opening Kaitō Kid could have exploited was during the transfer of Pritt.
He wasn’t entirely wrong, but Bruce was just trying to shift the bla. And with only a few words, that wasn’t going to cut it.
The result was what mattered most—not the process.
"Bruce, you’ve let us down again. Just how many more tis are you going to fail?"
"The whole internet is mocking us. You might not care about losing face, but what about FBI headquarters?"
The superior slamd the desk and shouted. Bruce was fuming inside.
He blad it all on Pritt. As soon as he left the office, Bruce made a beeline to confront Pritt.
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