After brushing the reporters off, Victor scrambled into his car and drove away from the estate, looking completely humiliated.
The media and reporters watched his car disappear into the distance, then turned back to their livestream cameras and started speculating, all trying to chase the hottest scoop.
Victor hadn't answered a single question. That kind of evasive attitude only made viewers even more doubtful about the Enforcement Bureau.
[The French reporters really don't hold back. They didn't even leave Victor a shred of dignity!]
[Hahaha! If he'd accomplished even one of those things, he wouldn't have dodged the questions!]
[Oh my god! Even with Bruce and Harrison teaming up with the French Enforcement Bureau, they still can't take down Kaitō Kid!]
[Is there even anyone in the world who can catch Kaitō Kid?]
[Bro, there's always someone better out there. Maybe there's someone who can catch him—but either he hasn't shown up yet, or he hasn't even been born!]
The livestream chat was flying nonstop. The challenge hadn't even started yet, and already the world's attention was locked in. The hype was skyrocketing.
Since Zhang Yang had already publicly accepted Subier's challenge, more and more media outlets swarmed in. A bunch of Kaitō Kid fans also showed up at the gates of the estate.
Before sunset, the entrance was completely jam-packed.
"Do people in France seriously have this much free time?"
When Zhang Yang arrived at the gates and saw the crowd, he was stunned.
Compared to last night at the Musée Guimet, there were even more people here now!
'With this many people packed together, if Maket's hiding in the crowd, Bruce and the others won't be able to do anything!'
Things were different now.
Maket was extremely dangerous. The Dragon Nation Embassy had even sent a private message warning that he was already in France.
Because of the dark web competition, they also believed Maket was here for Zhang Yang.
There was a high chance he'd show up tonight.
With so many people here, even if Zhang Yang spotted him in the crowd and told Bruce and the others, they'd still have to worry about civilian safety.
That would give Maket the chance to slip away.
"Where are Bruce and the others? Are they really not showing up?"
"That's not their style at all!"
They'd been denied access before, but in the end, they always showed up to handle arrests anyway.
"Director Victor's performance is seriously disappointing. He actually let Subier shut him out!"
Zhang Yang was clearly let down by Victor.
Earlier that afternoon, he'd already seen reports online saying Victor had walked out of Subier's estate with a grim face.
If Subier had really turned him away, then maybe the Bureau really wasn't going to take part in the arrest tonight.
But Zhang Yang didn't take it seriously. That kind of thing had happened before.
In the end, Bruce and Harrison always came through. Even if it was now France and Victor's jurisdiction, they couldn't seriously be giving up this time, could they?
Zhang Yang pulled out his phone, ready to put some pressure on them.
If they weren't nearby, even spotting Maket wouldn't solve anything. Zhang Yang couldn't eliminate the threat on his own.
The only real option was to rely on Bruce and the others to take Maket out.
"Director Victor, are you waiting for me to walk into the Enforcement Bureau and turn myself in?"
Zhang Yang posted the message at just the right time, instantly stirring up heated discussion.
[Shit! It's not just that Subier challenged Kaitō Kid—now Kaitō Kid is outright taunting Director Victor!]
[There really aren't any Enforcement Bureau agents in the livestream footage. Looks like Victor and Bruce really aren't getting involved!]
[Oh my god! This is a full-on provocation, but since Subier won't let Victor intervene, what a shame!]
[Damn, this is like an old lady crawling into bed to make me laugh. Does the French Enforcement Bureau really have so little authority?]
[Damn it, if Subier won't let the Bureau join in, can't Victor at least set up a perimeter around the estate?]
At first, the news of Victor being rejected and unable to take part in the arrest didn't stir up much backlash.
But once Zhang Yang posted that taunting message, public opinion flipped immediately.
[I already said it last night—they need to put someone else in charge of catching Kaitō Kid. Victor just isn't up to it!]
[Hahaha, Kaitō Kid is hilarious. "Are you waiting for me to turn myself in?" That's brutal!]
[Not physically harmful, but the insult cuts deep. If it were me, I'd act out of sheer pride!]
[Fuck, this is pathetic. Why did the Bureau assign Victor to arrest Kaitō Kid in the first place?]
[Let's hope Director Victor does something. Don't let the Enforcement Bureau of France become a joke!]
At that moment, Victor was sitting inside the Bureau, discussing capture plans with Bruce and Harrison. Since Subier wouldn't budge, they could only think of countermeasures from the outside.
But when one of his men dropped Zhang Yang's post on the table, Victor's face instantly darkened.
"Damn it! Kaitō Kid is openly taunting us!"
"He's definitely doing this on purpose. Fuck!"
When he scrolled through the comments, he got even more furious, practically fuming.
Harrison frowned as he tried to analyze Zhang Yang's intent.
"Kaitō Kid might've spotted another contestant. He's trying to get us to take that person out for him."
"Just like last night with Jeff and Daweika. What do you two think?"
But Victor was already blinded by anger, roaring inside the office.
"And what about Subier? Are we supposed to arrest him too?"
"That damn Kaitō Kid! He didn't think Subier might've gotten an invitation too?"
Bruce took a deep breath and gave Victor a complicated look.
With a teammate like this, Bruce couldn't help feeling helpless.
But since they were inside the French Enforcement Bureau, he could only swallow his frustration.
"Director Victor, whatever we can think of, Kaitō Kid's already ten steps ahead."
"He must have his reasons for doing this. You can doubt anyone's intelligence, but never his. Kaitō Kid's smarts are beyond question."
By now, Bruce had developed Harrison's level of clarity. After failing again and again, unless someone was completely in denial, there was no way not to respect him.
Victor saw the comments still pouring in and angrily shut off the tablet.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"Let's move!"
The arrest plan was basically ready. Since Subier wouldn't let them into the estate, their only option was to secure the perimeter.
"Damn that Kaitō Kid. I'm going to catch him no matter what!"
Half an hour after Zhang Yang's post, Victor led a large convoy of Enforcement Bureau agents to the scene.
Just like at the museum the night before, they came with full force.
Hundreds of agents drove to the estate's entrance.
But they couldn't even get close to the front gate. The road was packed with fans and spectators.
Seeing the situation, Harrison immediately sensed trouble.
"Oh shit!"
"This kind of crowd's gonna wreck our whole operation!"