A flurry of playing cards filled the sky like a storm of red butterflies.
In the next moment, Zhang Yang snapped his fingers, and the red cards burst apart into a shower of petals.
Even the guards and agents on the scene couldn't hold back their gasps—cries of surprise rang out.
[Oh my god! That's beautiful!]
[Wow, what a romantic scene... too bad the palace guards ruined the shot!]
[Holy crap, I'm blown away. That magic was stunning!]
[Oh god! A charming, romantic master thief—how can anyone not fall for him?!]
[Hahaha, it's always Kaitō Kid. Steals your treasures and your heart—with a free magic show!]
The cloud of rose petals completely blocked the line of sight of the guards and agents, leaving them momentarily blind.
Zhang Yang tossed a Prank Flash Bomb—at the exact moment the smoke exploded upward, he launched himself into the air, spread the Silver-Winged Cape, and soared gracefully across the flower-shrouded rooftops.
By the time the smoke cleared and the petals drifted down, Kaitō Kid had vanished.
"Where is he?!"
"Baka! He was right here just now!"
"Damn it! There he is! After him!"
A white silhouette danced nimbly across the treetops under the moonlight.
By the time Nakajima Misaki and Itō Chūji arrived, the guards and agents had already gone off in pursuit of Zhang Yang.
Two ninjas dropped from the rooftop and bowed before Itō Chūji.
"Clan Leader, Kaitō Kid got away."
This house was where the Twelve Bronze Zodiac heads were stored—letting Kaitō Kid get away was one thing, but the fact that he had been spotted here was a total disaster.
Nakajima Misaki pressed urgently.
"Where exactly did you spot him?"
One of the ninjas reported without hesitation.
"Sir, we were stationed on the rooftop as per Clan Leader Itō's orders, waiting to provide backup."
"Suddenly, a grappling hook flew up, and Kaitō Kid climbed onto the roof…"
Nakajima's face twisted in frustration.
"Baka! And you let him escape?!"
The two ninjas lowered their heads in shame. Truthfully, they had also been distracted by Zhang Yang's magic show and lost focus.
The ninjas of the Itō clan were all family, and of course Itō Chūji wouldn't just stand by while his people got scolded.
"Director Nakajima, didn't your guards and agents also watch Kaitō Kid escape with their eyes wide open?"
"You had hundreds of men and guns—and not a single bullet was fired!"
Nakajima was speechless.
Over a hundred guards and agents had their vision completely blocked by the storm of red petals. Not one of them saw Kaitō Kid fly above them.
[Hahaha, now the blame game starts!]
[Instead of self-reflection, let's just throw each other under the bus—classic. Honestly, I respect the commitment!]
[I'm more curious whether Kaitō Kid got what he came for. What exactly was hidden in the palace?]
[Hold up. We'll know soon. Kaitō Kid always posts what he took not long after!]
[Oh my god! I can't wait. The Imperial Palace of the Island Nation got robbed by Kaitō Kid!]
This was destined to become a global joke.
The Imperial Palace—the most secure place in the entire country—had been broken into and out of, and one of the Twelve Bronze Zodiac heads was gone.
Worse still, despite all those guards and agents, not a single shot had been fired. Kaitō Kid had walked right out from under their noses.
The more Nakajima Misaki thought about it, the more enraged he became.
If Britain had been embarrassed, then the Island Nation had just had its face smeared across a toilet bowl by Kaitō Kid.
"Baka yarō! We cannot let Kaitō Kid escape the Island Nation!"
"Mobilize every guard, agent, and the entire Enforcement Bureau—find Kaitō Kid at all costs!"
Hearing Nakajima Misaki's command, Sente and the others exchanged stunned glances.
[Holy crap, they're really mobilizing the whole country to catch Kaitō Kid?]
[Hahaha! Nakajima Misaki's really going all in. If they still can't catch him, the Island Nation's done for!]
[No way! The Island Nation never feels shame. Their skin's thicker than tank armor!]
[Nakajima Misaki's burning all bridges behind him. Any friends over there—keep the stream running tonight!]
[A single Kaitō Kid is enough to throw the whole country into chaos. Now that's impressive!]
Nakajima Misaki wasn't acting out of blind rage. He knew exactly what he was doing.
If Kaitō Kid escaped, the Imperial Palace would become a global joke.
This wasn't about "no retreat"—there simply was no retreat.
Even if he deployed the entire national police force and still failed to catch him, the result would only be the difference between scoring two points or zero on a test. Either way, it was a failure.
After leaving the Imperial Palace, Zhang Yang got into a car and drove off at full speed.
This heist had been his most dangerous yet.
Everything had gone smoothly up until he reached the roof.
But those two ninjas jumping out had completely blindsided him.
"Good thing they were all show and no bite. If both were as competent as Itō Tōji, things would've gone sideways."
It hadn't just been those two on the rooftop—there were also dozens of heavily armed guards and agents below.
As Zhang Yang drove back to the hotel, he noticed flashing police lights all over the streets. He instantly realized what was going on.
"So Nakajima Misaki's gone nuts? All this just to catch me?"
Zhang Yang had expected some serious backlash after stealing the Rabbit Head from the Imperial Palace.
But he hadn't expected this level of madness—mobilizing the entire country's law enforcement to hunt him down.
Keeping calm, Zhang Yang drove past them like nothing was wrong. Then he pulled over in a quiet alley and quickly changed out of the white tux.
They had no idea what Kaitō Kid actually looked like.
But they did know what he wore.
Meanwhile, the Island Nation's news outlets were still working overtime, broadcasting live from the streets.
"As you can see, all police and law enforcement units have joined the search for Kaitō Kid!"
"With so many resources deployed, we believe Kaitō Kid will soon have nowhere left to run!"
Police cruisers lined the streets, sirens blaring.
Anyone who seemed remotely suspicious was stopped, questioned, and had their ID checked.
[Wait, do they even know what Kaitō Kid looks like?]
[Hahaha! Who cares if they've seen him—just act like you mean business!]
[Oh shit! Stopping random people on the street like that—doesn't seem very polite, does it?]
[They don't know what Kaitō Kid looks like, but they're somehow running a full-scale national manhunt?]
[The Island Nation's not even that big. A "national operation" there is like two provinces coordinating in the Dragon Nation—not exactly a huge effort.]
The livestream chat was filled with biting sarcasm.
Low damage, but maximum humiliation.
From the moment Nakajima Misaki launched the national hunt for Kaitō Kid, it had already turned into a global joke.