Victor didn't dare leave the museum, but Zhang Yang was moving freely.
After finishing the artifact return at the Dragon Nation Embassy, he circled back to the museum entrance.
The crowd outside was still massive, noisy as ever.
Two Kaitō Kids had shown up tonight, though no one had realized one of them was fake.
Victor had rushed off chasing someone and only came back much later.
Then when Stubbled Man and his partner were escorted out in cuffs, everyone assumed there were moles inside the Enforcement Bureau working with Kaitō Kid.
As a result, no one wanted to leave. They were all waiting for Victor to come out and explain.
"Victor's in real trouble this time. A little pressure might push him to catch the rest of those accomplices."
Zhang Yang stood in the crowd, grinning to himself.
Those guys had tried to rob the museum tonight and pin everything on him.
But to cut the weeds, you have to pull the roots.
If he didn't wipe them out completely, Zhang Yang feared they'd come after him again someday.
He kept an eye out for any suspicious movement around him, but nothing seemed off. Fomorka hadn't shown up either.
Now, the only one losing sleep was Victor inside the museum.
Just then, Victor finally stepped out with his team.
Harrison had just come out of the tranquilizer's effect and was being supported by others.
The media at the front surged forward, and the crowd behind followed like a wave.
Victor quickly had agents escort Harrison away while he stayed behind to deal with the press.
Even though they didn't catch Kaitō Kid tonight, at least they nabbed two people.
After hiding inside for so long, Victor had thought through how to spin it for the public.
"Director Victor, where were you when Kaitō Kid appeared?"
"What happened to Director Harrison? Was he injured?"
"Director Victor, who were those two people just taken away? Why were they wearing Enforcement Bureau tactical gear?"
"Director Victor, what exactly was the 'gift' Kaitō Kid left in the vault?"
Faced with a barrage of questions, Victor couldn't possibly give straight answers.
Instead, he launched into the speech he'd prepared, sticking to his version of events.
"Tonight's operation didn't capture Kaitō Kid, but we did discover some key leads. Kaitō Kid has accomplices!"
"The two people taken away earlier—we suspect they're connected to him. Details will come after interrogation."
"As for the rest, I can't disclose anything more. Please make way!"
With that, Victor tried to slip away.
But his story wasn't fooling anyone.
Since Kaitō Kid's first appearance, he'd always worked solo.
Now Victor was suddenly claiming he had accomplices? No one around the world was buying it.
"Kaitō Kid has accomplices? Is Victor out of his mind?"
"Shit! Kaitō Kid never needed a team. What the hell is Victor even saying?"
"Seriously? Those two were his accomplices? What a joke!"
"This excuse is so lazy. Director Victor, could you at least try?"
"So what was the gift in the vault, huh?!"
Watching Victor lie through his teeth again, Zhang Yang couldn't hide his disappointment.
He had actually felt bad for Victor earlier, thinking his situation was pitiful. Clearly, that was a waste of sympathy.
Once Victor drove off with his team, the angry crowd began to scatter too.
Later that night, back at his hotel, Zhang Yang saw Victor's press statement plastered across global news outlets and front pages of major platforms.
"Victor is nothing but a clown. If Kaitō Kid really had accomplices helping him, then Victor would never stand a chance!"
"What a joke. This is the first time I've ever heard that Kaitō Kid had a team!"
"Is he just talking nonsense for attention now? Spouting garbage on camera like that!"
"Oh my god! What's wrong with all of you? Can't Kaitō Kid have accomplices? He's still just a thief!"
"What the hell? Kaitō Kid deserves to be honored at the ancestral temple and you dare call him 'just a thief'?"
As soon as Victor's claims were reported, backlash exploded. Netizens from the Dragon Nation quickly spoke out in support, and fans from around the world firmly believed that Kaitō Kid didn't need any partners.
Of course, there were some opposing views, saying it wouldn't be strange for him to have help.
While opinions clashed fiercely on whether Kaitō Kid had accomplices, the consensus on Victor was universal.
"I'm dying laughing. How the hell is someone like Victor the head of Enforcement in France? And he's the one chasing Kaitō Kid?!"
"Fuck! I strongly demand the Enforcement Bureau remove Victor. France has embarrassed itself enough already!"
"If Kaitō Kid never showed up, we'd never know fools like Victor could even land that kind of job!"
"It's like watching a pig-faced teammate go up against a god-tier opponent. There's just no winning!"
Zhang Yang skimmed through a few headlines, then put down his phone.
"Victor's even worse than I thought. Pulling this kind of dirty trick to force me out."
"But I gave him a shot, and he still couldn't make it work."
Zhang Yang let out a helpless laugh.
Victor was like the poster boy for blind confidence. He embodied that phrase perfectly.
When Victor returned to the Enforcement Bureau, his superior immediately called him into the office.
"The latest review found the Bureau's system had been hacked. Those two people aren't with us at all. One of our helicopters was stolen too!"
"Here—these five profiles. They're all members of a globally wanted theft ring!"
Victor picked up the files from the desk and carefully flipped through them page by page.
'The one who wronged you usually knows better than anyone how wronged you really are.'
Truth was, Victor had already guessed those two in the vault weren't really with Kaitō Kid.
His suspicions were based purely on instinct—and now, he had solid proof.
"They have nothing to do with Kaitō Kid. Victor, just look at the headlines and the public backlash."
"The higher-ups have decided that starting tomorrow, another officer will be assigned to take over the pursuit. You've let us down."
Hearing that, Victor lifted his head in shock.
Taking him off the Kaitō Kid case was as good as a death sentence for him.
"Sir, I figured it all out! I only spread false info to provoke Kaitō Kid into showing up!"
"He's a top-level thief and ridiculously arrogant. Slandering him would absolutely piss him off enough to make a move!"
"Sir, I'm completely confident I can catch him!"
Victor's tone was full of conviction. His superior took a long breath, silent for a moment.
Truth was, they were just angry at how badly tonight's operation went. Victor had been missing in action the whole time and couldn't even recognize the real Kaitō Kid.
But replacing him? That might not help at all.
The odds of catching Kaitō Kid were already slim. And now that Victor had taken all the heat, if they replaced him and still failed, France would only end up looking even more ridiculous.