The difficulty level of this contest spoke for itself. The number of people who received an invitation—let alone globally—was extremely limited.
For a full two days, Holmeska still hadn't found any trace of Zhang Yang.
The fact that they'd bumped into each other on the plane was mostly just luck.
The contest hadn't officially begun yet. These five days were only the preliminary round. Only by getting Zhang Yang's signature could one qualify to enter.
After reaching his goal, Holmeska didn't disturb him further and politely returned to his seat.
Once he was gone, Zhang Yang took a deep breath. "Six hundred million USD? That's how much I'm worth now?"
With such a huge reward, anyone who got the invitation would be tempted to join.
Holmeska's appearance made Zhang Yang even more alert. If any bastard managed to track him down and leaked it to Bruce or Harrison, it'd be a real mess.
Zhang Yang had no interest in sleeping with one eye open for the rest of his life.
By the time the plane landed, the French Enforcement Bureau had already locked down the entire airport.
It wasn't an exaggeration—every inconspicuous corner of the airport had agents stationed.
"Throwing such a big welcome for me?"
The surprises on this trip just kept piling up. First Holmeska showed up, and now there was a contest trying to catch him.
And now the French Enforcement Bureau was pulling a stunt like this at the airport.
Fortunately, Zhang Yang's identity checked out. The only possible leak was Holmeska—he was the only one who knew the truth.
But Holmeska had kept his word. Or maybe he still wanted that six hundred million. Either way, he didn't expose Zhang Yang's fake identity to the French agents.
After clearing all the layers of security, Zhang Yang left the airport without issue. From afar, Holmeska gave him a courteous wave goodbye.
"Let's see what kind of charm France has to offer."
Zhang Yang glanced at the Enforcement Bureau agents nearby and quietly made a mental note to pay them back.
It was clear France wasn't thrilled about his arrival. Putting on this kind of show at the airport was a bit much.
Zhang Yang wasn't someone who held grudges—because he never waited to settle them.
The French Enforcement Bureau was already taking action. Zhang Yang didn't risk stealing a car from the parking lot to avoid being tracked.
Instead, he hailed a taxi and temporarily checked into a nearby hotel.
"I wonder how Bruce and Harrison are doing?"
Even now in France, Zhang Yang hadn't forgotten his two old friends.
It wasn't hard to find out, though. There were news reports everywhere, and some media outlets were streaming live.
Zhang Yang saw in the stream that they were still leading FBI agents to screen passengers—especially those boarding flights to France.
"Tsk, tsk. These two, they just refuse to give up even the tiniest sliver of hope. Gotta admire their persistence."
Zhang Yang was already in France. Even if Bruce and Harrison searched until nightfall back in the Eagle Nation airport, they were bound to come up empty.
To spare his old friends the extra trouble, Zhang Yang posted a new update to let them know he'd already arrived.
"Truly honored to receive such a grand welcome from the French Enforcement Bureau. I promise, I won't disappoint you!"
Since they were reacting so quickly and moving so efficiently, Zhang Yang figured it was time to return the favor.
He immediately drafted a new notice and posted it online.
"Tonight, I'll be paying a visit to the Musée Guimet in France to collect an item of faith. Enforcement Bureau agents are more than welcome to come witness it!"
These two back-to-back posts instantly stirred up a storm online.
"I knew Bruce and the others wouldn't find Kaitō Kid at the airport—he'd already flown to France!"
"Oh my god! Kaitō Kid just arrived and he's already going after the Musée Guimet?"
"Hahaha, looks like France's Enforcement Bureau made a move that pissed him off!"
"Shit! Why is Bruce always one step behind?"
"The French Enforcement Bureau is basically their version of the FBI. Looks like they know better than to underestimate Kaitō Kid!"
While everything seemed calm on Zhang Yang's end, France was starting to panic.
The moment they saw his post about heading to France, they called an emergency meeting.
They went from spectators to potential victims in seconds.
Zhang Yang had stirred up chaos in the Eagle Nation for so long, and not even Bruce and Harrison combined could catch him. That alone proved how dangerous Kaitō Kid was.
France wasn't just on alert—they were treating him like a national threat the moment that post went live.
They immediately sent Enforcement Bureau agents to lock down the airport area.
Then, after communication with both the Eagle Nation and Britain, the French authorities didn't hesitate to agree to Bruce and Harrison joining the operation.
First, there was strength in numbers. Second, Bruce and Harrison clearly knew more about Kaitō Kid than they did.
Back in the Eagle Nation, Bruce and Harrison weren't surprised when they saw Zhang Yang's new post.
They'd already known this operation was a long shot—more like a last-ditch gamble.
"Bruce, let's head to France now."
"I told you this was never going to work."
Soon after, Bruce ordered the FBI agents to pull back.
"Poor Bruce and Harrison. Running around all day for nothing, hahaha..."
"Are they really going to France? Kaitō Kid already posted his next calling card. Can the French Enforcement Bureau handle it?"
"Whether they can or not, one thing's for sure—France is in for a rough time."
"That new post clearly shows Kaitō Kid's pissed. No way the Enforcement Bureau comes out of this looking good!"
"Musée Guimet is one of the largest royal palaces in France and already got hit once before. With Kaitō Kid going back, this is gonna be too easy!"
Actually, the Musée Guimet was one of the most famous museums in the world—more well-known than many national museums.
First, it housed a large number of relics from the Dragon Nation's Old Summer Palace.
Second, national museums rarely ever got robbed.
Musée Guimet was one of the few exceptions, and it had lost a total of fifteen priceless items during the last heist.
"They pissed off Kaitō Kid. Now they'll have to deal with the consequences."
"If Kaitō Kid pulls this off, that'll make it the second time Musée Guimet gets robbed. What other national museum has a record like that?"
"Hahaha, France is stepping onto the stage already under pressure. Rough start!"
"And it's more than just pressure—Kaitō Kid has never failed. A second heist here is almost a guarantee!"
"Unless France can throw someone even better than Bruce and Harrison into the mix, this is going to be another international headline!"