This study was huge, and directly opposite the door were four rows of bookshelves.
Judging by the sounds earlier, it didn't take a genius to figure out where the hidden entrance was.
"Hiding a secret room behind the bookshelves? Come on, Imperial Palace—try something original for once."
This kind of setup was already a cliché known to just about everyone.
If there's a secret room in a study, it's almost always behind the bookshelves.
Nakajima Misaki had already been through here, so no one else would be showing up anytime soon.
That meant Zhang Yang could act more boldly and freely. But after trying to move the shelves, they didn't budge an inch.
"So what's the trigger?"
The bookshelves were locked. He needed to find the mechanism.
Zhang Yang stood in front of them, carefully inspecting the books on the shelves and the decorations around the room.
If they were going to hide a secret room in the study, the trigger wouldn't be anything clever either.
Before long, Zhang Yang noticed a single book placed just a little too perfectly upright on the shelf.
"You standing guard here? Then you must be the one watching the door."
He stepped forward, pressed the book with two fingers, and with a soft click, a gap opened between the middle two shelves.
Behind the bookshelves was a smaller hidden study.
But the shelves here didn't hold books. They were filled with documents, and a computer sat on the desk.
None of that interested Zhang Yang.
What did catch his eye was the safe in the corner.
It was a sizable safe—well over one meter tall and about half a meter wide.
Zhang Yang walked over and effortlessly cracked the mechanical lock.
Just as he expected, one of the Twelve Bronze Zodiac heads was inside.
The safe had three sections. One shelf held various documents.
Another contained a handgun and some bullets.
"The last of the Twelve Bronze Zodiac heads—the Rabbit Head!"
Zhang Yang flipped his hand and stored the Rabbit Head inside the magical space, ready to make his exit.
Outside, the search efforts were getting frantic.
Even Sent couldn't hold back anymore. Frustrated, he cursed out loud.
"Shit! Is Kaitō Kid really inside the Imperial Palace? How can so many people search for so long and still not see him?!"
With non-stop patrols and sweeps going on, they hadn't even glimpsed a shadow.
Sent was starting to doubt whether Kaitō Kid was really there at all.
If Nakajima Misaki hadn't just visited the hidden room and confirmed the Rabbit Head was still in the safe, he would've questioned it too.
But Nakajima had checked, and he knew Kaitō Kid hadn't gotten it yet—which meant he was definitely still in the palace.
[What the hell? Where did Kaitō Kid go? So many people, searching so long, and still no sign of him?!]
[Okay, theft is one thing, but this level of stealth is basically sorcery!]
[Didn't you see the fireworks earlier? Kaitō Kid probably already escaped!]
[NONONO! If he had escaped with the loot, Nakajima wouldn't still have everyone searching.]
[Exactly! The fireworks might've just been a decoy from Kaitō Kid!]
Just as the livestream chat exploded in speculation, the Imperial Palace's power system came back online.
In an instant, every light flickered on.
[Hiss—power's back. Now it's game over!]
[If Kaitō Kid is really still inside, he better be ready for a serious fight!]
[Oh my god! Kaitō Kid might actually be done for this time!]
[This isn't just a headwind—it's a full-on tornado. If he gets spotted now, there's no way he's escaping!]
At that moment, the Imperial Palace was crawling with guards and agents patrolling every corner. Posts that normally had three guards were now manned by just two.
The rest had all joined the search teams.
Even with such a large-scale operation underway, the radio remained eerily silent. Nakajima Misaki couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
"Baka… The Rabbit Head is still in the hidden room. Could it be that Kaitō Kid gave up?"
Nakajima knew this didn't match Kaitō Kid's style at all. But compared to the fact that not a single trace of him had been found, giving up almost seemed more reasonable.
Zhang Yang had just stepped out of the study when he noticed the lights were back on.
"They got the power up again that fast?"
Originally, Zhang Yang had planned to use his stealth suit to slip out silently. Now it was clear that wouldn't work.
He already had a good sense of how many guards and agents were in the Imperial Palace from his scouting earlier in the day.
So, he changed into the white tux of Kaitō Kid and decided to head straight for the second floor.
But after noticing the height of the surrounding trees, Zhang Yang made a quick purchase from the points shop—a grappling hook and rope.
At this height, using the Silver-Winged Cape would've been a mistake. The surrounding greenery would become obstacles during glide, making takeoff dangerous.
So instead, Zhang Yang used the rope to reach the rooftop, planning to escape from above.
But just as he arrived at the rooftop, two ninjas sprang up.
They had covered themselves with tarps painted to blend perfectly with the roof. Without a close look, it would've been nearly impossible to notice the two hidden figures.
Zhang Yang hadn't even gotten the chance to scan the rooftop properly before the ambush.
"So this is what they call ninja arts?"
He couldn't help but laugh a little bitterly.
Using camo tarps to blend into the environment—such a tactic was both clever and crude at the same time.
The two ninjas drew their blades in unison, locking eyes on Zhang Yang like hungry wolves.
Itō Chūji had stationed them there in advance. And it wasn't just these two—dozens of other ninjas were hiding on rooftops all around the Imperial Palace.
"Kaitō Kid, give it up!"
"You're not getting out of here!"
The house only had two floors, so it wasn't very tall. It didn't take long before others spotted the standoff on the roof.
"Director Nakajima! We've spotted Kaitō Kid! He's on the roof, facing off with the Itō clan's ninjas!"
Zhang Yang noticed the guards and agents below had already locked on to his position. And they were armed.
If that many people opened fire all at once, he might survive a hundred lucky dodges—but it would only take one unlucky hit to end it all.
For now, the two ninjas on the roof kept them from pulling the trigger.
[Holy crap, Kaitō Kid was hiding on the roof this whole time?! No wonder no one could find him!]
[So those are the Itō clan's ninjas? How the hell did they spot him?]
[Yōshi! There's no way Kaitō Kid gets away this time!]
[Oh my god! Lord, please protect him—amen...]
[Hiss… this really might be it for Kaitō Kid!]
More and more guards and agents were flooding in below. It was a sea of bodies, dense and unrelenting.
Zhang Yang didn't hesitate anymore. With a flick of his wrist, he released a flurry of red playing cards into the air.
The cards flew out in every direction—so many that they completely filled the sky.
For a moment, everyone froze in disbelief.
The livestream chat exploded.
[What the heck?! Where did Kaitō Kid get so many cards?!]
[What kind of magic trick is this?! How can anyone conjure that many in an instant?!]
[Oh my god! He's not just a thief—he's a world-class magician!]
[Magic is just his side hustle. Being a master thief is his real job!]