"Phantom Thief Kid steals the 'Deep Sea Blue', replacing it with a fake." Suddenly, such news occupied the headlines of all major media outlets.
By the time Liu A'dou saw the report, the internet had gone wild. Fans swore that their idol had definitely returned the real gem, while others argued that a thief was still a thief, and now Phantom Thief Kid was merely showing his true colors.
Liu A'dou was certain he had given the gem to Spider-Man. The only other people who had handled the gem were the police chief, the appraiser, and Mrs. Roberts herself.
Spider-Man wouldn't switch the gem, but who among the other three could it be? Liu A'dou had a nagging feeling that things weren't as simple as they seemed. The media, with their endless critiques of Phantom Thief Kid, seemed to insist that Kid had swapped the real gem for a fake, but they had no proof. With so much public pressure, even Kid's fans were starting to feel the strain.
Time was running out. Liu A'dou had to figure out who was framing him, the upright thief. It was a bit awkward—how could a thief be upright? But Phantom Thief Kid was no ordinary thief.
In the dead of night, Phantom Thief Kid set off in full gear. But he wasn't in a rush to capture anyone for interrogation; instead, he planted listening devices in several locations. As a thief, patience was essential, especially in such a special situation. He didn't care about his reputation—after all, he was a thief. What kind of reputation did a thief need? But he couldn't tolerate being falsely accused. If he had switched the gems, he'd admit it. But if he hadn't, no one would pin a baseless crime on him.
Hidden in the night, the hunter waited patiently for the right moment. After several days of surveillance, Liu A'dou finally understood the situation. It was all a farce caused by greed.
The highly reputable Mrs. Roberts had become blinded by profit. This was all part of a plan she had carefully crafted. From the moment the Boundless Exhibition started, it was a series of schemes.
The gem was displayed, then stolen. Behind the scenes, she controlled a group of thieves to sell fake gems under the guise of selling stolen goods. It was a complete fraud. Unfortunately for Mrs. Roberts, her thief group never got a chance to act—Phantom Thief Kid had beat her to the punch, forcing her to change plans. She had to smear Phantom Thief Kid, claiming the returned gem was fake. That way, the gem was still "stolen" and could still be sold as 'stolen goods,' but needed a larger publicity campaign.
That's why, all of a sudden, there were countless reports spreading everywhere, making it clear that the real gem had been stolen. If anyone contacted you to sell it, the gem they were selling was the "real" one. But in fact, the "stolen goods" being sold were fake. Since dealing with stolen goods was illegal, those buying the "stolen goods" couldn't speak out. They could only swallow their anger. That was the original plan.
The reason Mrs. Roberts had come up with this plan was because she had spent huge amounts of money, even embezzling company funds, to support environmental organizations and activities. The bottomless pit of environmental causes had drained her of a fortune, forcing her to take desperate measures and resort to crime.
After learning all this, Liu A'dou cursed under his breath. "Idiot. If you want to support the environment, you should study clean energy or recycling systems. Even supporting environmental groups doesn't mean you have to act like a big shot. You can't even live within your means. No wonder people say Mrs. Roberts has changed since she started supporting environmental causes."
Mrs. Roberts wasn't a fool. If she were, she wouldn't have such a high status in New York. But since she started supporting environmental causes, she had first worked to protect wildlife in Africa, then launched bird conservation activities, and now was focusing on protecting the oceans. Nearly every environmental initiative worldwide had her fingerprints on it. She had poured out one sum after another. As for the effectiveness of the environmental efforts, that was another story—her own assets were being drained. But when faced with this issue, instead of turning away the chaotic green organizations knocking on her door, she found ways to make money, even resorting to crime.
Liu A'dou could ignore his own involvement in the crime, but when they tried to pin the blame on Phantom Thief Kid, he was very displeased. He even suspected that this woman had completely lost her mind and was acting without any logic.
Since you claim that the "Deep Sea Blue" was stolen by Phantom Thief Kid, then Kid would not hold back.
At the New York TV station, today, Mrs. Roberts was scheduled for an interview on a talk show. She arrived early in the morning to do makeup and prepare to go on stage. The topic for the talk show was environmental issues, and they had specially invited her, a passionate environmental advocate, to participate.
"Good morning, Mrs. Roberts," the host greeted politely as she ushered her into the studio. "Please, have a seat."
Mrs. Roberts frequently appeared on talk shows, so she was used to it. She comfortably took her seat in front of the camera. "Mary, long time no see."
The host, also a woman, and Mrs. Roberts were able to speak freely with each other. Both of them were passionate about environmental issues, but one cared solely about the environment, while the other had actually dedicated herself to the cause.
During the interview, Mrs. Roberts showed an unusual urgency, as if the Earth could be destroyed by humanity at any moment. However, Liu A'dou saw it differently—he believed she was simply exaggerating the severity of the situation.
Listening in from behind the scenes, Liu A'dou felt that this woman was incredibly foolish. Where did she get all these terrifying statistics? Now, Liu A'dou was beginning to understand why she had been throwing so much money into environmental activities.
It was paranoia. Yes, Mrs. Roberts had a baseless fear that the Earth was in great danger, and she felt she had to act to prevent humanity from destroying it. She told herself that she was engaged in the greatest mission of all—saving the Earth. Moreover, the environmental organizations, in their efforts to raise funds, had exaggerated certain figures, making Mrs. Roberts overly anxious about environmental issues. Since she had no other way to spend her money, this combination of factors led her down this path.
"Mrs. Roberts, it seems that you don't care at all about the loss of the Deep Sea Blue," an unexpected voice suddenly came from the direction of the host.
"?" Mrs. Roberts frowned and looked at the host, wondering why Mary had suddenly brought up such a question.
The staff below also froze. This question wasn't on the script. Even the host herself was startled, because she hadn't spoken, but the voice had indeed come from her.
It was Liu A'dou, using a button microphone placed on the host, allowing him to transmit his voice to her. It was the same trick that little detective Conan often played on Mouri Kogoro.
"Everyone, don't be surprised. I am Phantom Thief Kid. Someone said I stole the real Deep Sea Blue and left behind a fake gem. Well, I won't deny it…"
"Quick, find him!" The director immediately ordered the cameras to start moving, searching for Phantom Thief Kid or any suspicious individuals.
This was Phantom Thief Kid. Although they were not responsible for the news, it was a must to get footage.
"Tonight at eight, I will come to your villa and take the real Deep Sea Blue. This time, I won't be returning it."
The voice disappeared, and the entire time it was only the host's voice, though her lips had not moved. A white card floated down from the ceiling and landed in Mrs. Roberts' hand, causing her expression to drastically change.
The director, who had been frowning, suddenly smiled, sensing that something big was about to happen. The reports had claimed that Phantom Thief Kid had returned a fake gem, but now, Kid had sent a warning, saying that he would steal all of Roberts' real gems tonight. Who was telling the truth?
This was getting interesting. The show's director immediately pulled out his phone and called the station manager. It seemed that luck had finally come his way.