If all the other contestants were people like that, then Zhang Yang would need to seriously prepare.
"Bruce and Harrison are gonna have their hands full from now on..."
Zhang Yang didn't plan to confront those people directly. He was going to let Bruce and Harrison handle it.
As top agents from different countries, it was only right for them to uphold peace and justice.
With them around, Zhang Yang had no reason to risk himself.
The media and fans didn't know what Jeff and Daweika were really there for. All they knew was that the two were Class A wanted criminals, so they assumed they were after the Louvre Museum.
As for the underground competition, they had no clue.
Because Zhang Yang was the one who discovered them and even posted a warning online, the media and netizens from around the world were quick to praise him.
[Even though Kaitō Kid is a super thief, at least he has his own code. Bruce and Harrison should really thank him!]
[Hahaha, Kaitō Kid totally deserves a medal for being a model citizen!]
[Reporting Class A fugitives—does that kind of achievement only get a "Good Samaritan" award?]
[Shit! A super thief helping catch Class A criminals—this world really is wild!]
[Didn't those two gang bosses from the Eagle Nation also get taken down by Kaitō Kid? He's basically a modern-day superhero!]
Comments like these were like little needles stabbing Victor and Bruce in the chest. Their faces burned with embarrassment.
They really hadn't noticed Jeff and Daweika. But after the interrogation, they realized why Zhang Yang had posted the warning.
'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'
They knew they had been used. Those two were clearly after Kaitō Kid.
Victor was fuming.
"Damn it! They don't even know what's actually going on!"
"And they're calling Kaitō Kid a hero? Saying they should give him some Good Samaritan award?"
This was just the beginning of the public backlash. Victor didn't have much experience handling this, and it was already too much for him.
Bruce tried to calm him down.
"Director Victor, you can't control what people say online. Don't take it too seriously."
"If everything you said is true, then this is just the beginning of our troubles."
Jeff and Daweika were just the start. If more people came after this, they'd end up being used again.
Bruce had already thought about that.
Given their positions, once Kaitō Kid issued a warning, they had no choice but to respond.
There was no way to refuse or pretend they didn't see it.
Harrison nodded, agreeing with Bruce's assessment.
"Exactly. It's one thing if we can't catch Kaitō Kid—people won't blame us for that. In fact, most would be happy to just watch the show."
"But if we let those fugitives and criminals slip away, we'll get roasted alive!"
Harrison understood this part clearly. Kaitō Kid was already a public figure.
Even though he was a super thief, for various reasons, people didn't really see him as a villain.
And every failed attempt to catch him only made his fanbase grow.
So if they couldn't catch Kaitō Kid, people would actually enjoy it. They'd talk about it endlessly.
But if they failed to catch a wanted criminal, that was a whole different story.
Victor took a deep breath, his expression dark. He'd already gotten a taste of it during last night's crowd screening.
The people were angry. Really angry.
"You're both right," he said. "From now on, we can't just focus on catching Kaitō Kid—we've also got to watch out for desperate criminals showing up!"
Just like that, all the pressure fell squarely on the three of them.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yang had already thought of a plan. With nothing to stress about, he slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, he was woken up by nonstop phone notifications. Dozens of articles and comments were tagging his account.
Zhang Yang frowned and opened one. The moment he saw it, his sleepiness vanished.
It was only his second day in France, and someone had already challenged him.
And not just anyone—it was one of France's top ultra-wealthy elites!
"This guy's got way too much free time. What's he even trying to prove by challenging me?"
Zhang Yang couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
This guy, named Subier, was a big name in France. Calling him filthy rich would be an understatement—it was practically an insult.
"Wait... Subier's also into detective stuff?"
Zhang Yang quickly caught a key detail in the comment section.
[Oh my god! Subier is actually a fan of Kaitō Kid too?]
[What the heck? So Kaitō Kid's got fans all over the world? And they're all insanely influential?!]
[Now I feel embarrassed to call myself a fan. The gap is just too wide!]
[Subier's ranked number one in some detective puzzle game. It actually makes sense that he's a fan of Kaitō Kid!]
[Shit! Subier's using a necklace worth several hundred million dollars—Angel's Tear—to challenge Kaitō Kid?!]
As soon as Subier's challenge video went live, it made huge waves.
The video dropped a little after 8 a.m., and in just over an hour, it had already hit the top of the trending charts.
In the video, Subier made things very clear—he wanted to see Kaitō Kid's real face.
Even if the Angel's Tear necklace got stolen, he wouldn't hold Kaitō Kid responsible.
All he wanted was an autograph.
If he was just a fan asking for an autograph, Zhang Yang would be happy to oblige.
But Subier was also ranked number one in a detective puzzle game. His request for an autograph, paired with his clear intentions, made Zhang Yang instantly think about the competition.
Curious, Zhang Yang looked up the detective game mentioned in the comments.
"This game's actually that intense?"
He hadn't known, but after just a bit of digging, he was shocked.
The game wasn't exclusive to France—it had a global server.
It wasn't really a "game" in the usual sense. It was more like a private detective forum.
What really stunned Zhang Yang was that Subier held the number one spot, and right behind him at number two was Holmeska.
Their score difference? Just three points.
"This is a game? Seriously?"
The more Zhang Yang learned, the more he realized how unusual it was.
Not just anyone could compete for rankings. Players had to pass several tests just to register.
And the first test alone knocked out over half of the applicants.
According to online comments, most of the game's challenges were based on real unsolved cases.
Some of the levels even used actual crime scene photos.
There was a popular theory that the game's developers were actually law enforcement agencies from around the world.
They uploaded unsolved cases to gather fresh leads.
"Honestly, that's a brilliant idea. Crowd-sourcing clues. And everyone on that leaderboard seems seriously capable."
Right now, Subier was ranked number one. Holmeska was in second.