The news about Phantom Thief Kid sending a warning letter on TV quickly spread across the internet. Fans were naturally excited. They knew Phantom Thief wouldn't do such a silly thing. Since he had returned a fake gem, it didn't make any sense. But this time, Phantom Thief declared that he wouldn't return the gem after stealing it—what a relief!
However, some fans thought that the reason Phantom Thief Kid was who he was was because he had principles. If he really stole the gem and didn't return it, then he would be no different from a common thief. It was hard to tell when they started thinking that Phantom Thief would always steal and return things. Today, Liu A'dou was going to show them that reality wasn't as perfect as a fairy tale, and Phantom Thief Kid had times when he didn't return what he stole.
Regardless of opinions, Phantom Thief Kid's warning letter once again made him the hottest topic in the public eye. Then there was Mrs. Roberts. She was now in the frying pan. Reporters flocked to her, interviewing her about the stolen gem. Phantom Thief Kid had said the real gem was returned, but she claimed it was fake. The media was eager to find out who was lying.
Unable to get an interview with Kid, Roberts had closed her doors to the press. Reporters could only crowd outside her villa.
The police arrived as well, with Commissioner Stonberg leading a team of skilled detectives. This time, he was determined to catch Phantom Thief Kid and redeem his earlier failure. But even with the police chief present, they were only allowed to enter the villa's outer walls, not the villa itself, because Roberts insisted that the Deep Sea Blue had already been stolen by Phantom Thief and that she had no gem left to protect.
But she didn't drive the police away, which suggested she still had her doubts.
Being allowed to stay outside the villa meant they could set up defenses. After all, even a thief couldn't just appear inside the villa: "Keep your eyes open, no mice should get in."
The commissioner wasn't going to let Phantom Thief slip past him again, twice under his watch. As for the gem's location, he didn't care. Even if Roberts lied, lying wasn't a crime. However, Phantom Thief Kid had already broken the law.
By the afternoon, there was a crowd outside the villa, with reporters still occupying the best spots. Unfortunately, the villa's size was large, and they could only watch as the police walked around the perimeter.
With a lawn, swimming pool, and walking paths, this villa in New York represented Roberts' status. Her husband had passed away, and she inherited his business. She had fought through many challenges to get where she was today.
Roberts had three children. Her eldest son, Hunter, was a lazy, reckless man who lived off dividends from company shares. Her daughter, Marlene, was a lawyer who also worked at the company. Her youngest son, Henry, was in college, studying geography, and dreamed of traveling the world.
That afternoon, unexpectedly, all three children, who usually didn't come home, returned to the villa at the same time, giving their mother an unexpected surprise.
"Mrs. Roberts, I would like to check your three children. I suspect Phantom Thief Kid might be disguised as one of them," said Commissioner Stonberg.
"What do you mean? Are you saying we would steal from our own mother?" Hunter snapped, glaring. He was a wild man, always out of control, and the last thing he wanted was to be confined. At over thirty, he had no real achievements. His clothes were a mess—jacket, beach shorts, and running shoes. Who knows what he was thinking?
"Hunter, don't say it like that. They're police officers, and they have the right to ask for our cooperation. I've heard that Phantom Thief Kid can disguise himself as anyone, so the officer is just being cautious," Henry, the youngest, interjected. He was quite handsome with a short haircut that made him look sharp. His tanned skin showed he spent a lot of time outdoors, always preparing for his future travels around the world.
"This is where you're wrong, my dear Henry. This man is not just an officer; he's the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department," said Marlene, her tone rather proud, causing the Commissioner to frown slightly.
"Alright, Commissioner Stonberg, how do you plan to prove this?" Finally, it was the head of the family who spoke up, agreeing with the Commissioner.
"It's simple, just a little push on the disguise. If it's Kid in disguise, we'll easily spot it once we start checking the makeup."
"Then hurry up. Don't delay my reunion with my children."
The police immediately stepped forward to inspect. There was no disguise, and none of them were Phantom Thief Kid.
Hunter glared at the awkward-looking Commissioner before turning and walking off.
"Mother, I've prepared a gift for you," Marlene said. As expected of a daughter, although her temper was bad, she was still very considerate toward her mother.
The two sons exchanged a glance and awkwardly smiled, thinking to themselves, 'What could we possibly have to offer as a gift?'
The police continued to keep watch. Although Phantom Thief Kid might not appear until the evening, he could still disguise himself and sneak into the villa at any time, so they had to stay alert.
"Commissioner Stonberg?"
The Commissioner turned to see Roberts' youngest son holding two cups of coffee.
"Commissioner, thank you for your hard work. Have a cup of coffee."
The Commissioner was indeed thirsty, having not rested since he left in the morning. "Thank you."
"I also watched the footage of my mother's gem being stolen by Phantom Thief Kid. It was incredible—the glass case wasn't even opened, and the gem just disappeared. Do you know how he did it?"
"That's classified, I'm afraid I can't share that information," the Commissioner said firmly, not about to be swayed by a cup of coffee.
"Just tell me. I'm really curious."
The Commissioner glanced around, noticing no one was near, so he lowered his voice and said, "Actually, last time, Phantom Thief Kid disguised himself as the head of security. While placing the gem, he managed to steal it. His later appearance was just for show."
"But didn't everyone see the gem locked in the case? And after the gem disappeared, wasn't it replaced with a Phantom Thief card?" Henry, who was still young, was genuinely interested in Phantom Thief Kid. Many of his friends were fans of the thief, and they had discussed various possible methods, but they still couldn't figure out how Kid had done it.
"The fake gem was actually a crystalline form of some liquid. The card was hidden in the ice. After Phantom Thief Kid appeared, he used equipment to melt the fake gem, which made it seem like the gem disappeared. This was what we found out later."
"I see," Henry said, impressed with Kid's skill. He'd definitely have something to talk about at school now. His classmates had never guessed that method. "No wonder you suspected that Phantom Thief Kid disguised himself as someone else again," he added, finally understanding.
"Ugh, Henry, you're too interested in Phantom Thief Kid! This is going to upset our mother. He stole our family's priceless treasure, and you still want to defend him?" Hunter, his older brother, stepped forward and said, "Do you even know the value of the Deep Sea Blue? It's a gem that could buy all of New York. And now this Phantom Thief is slandering our mother, it's disgusting."
Henry stayed silent, though he had a faint feeling that perhaps their mother was the one lying.
"Whatever Phantom Thief Kid wants, I'll catch him. He'll have to confess everything he's done," Commissioner Stonberg said firmly. "New York is no place for someone like Phantom Thief Kid to run wild."