Seeing this, Harrison had a look on his face like everything was going exactly as expected.
Subier only wanted Kaitō Kid's autograph. And as far as competition went, Bruce and Harrison were clearly his rivals.
So there was no way Subier would let them get involved.
"Damn it! Did Subier really get an invitation to the competition? Is he actually planning to join?"
Victor was furious. Last night's failure, plus all the chatter online, had him completely on edge. He was frustrated and restless.
Now with Subier stepping in, and the dark web competition getting dragged into this, things were spiraling out of control. They weren't just losing control—they weren't even allowed to be part of the game anymore.
Bruce's expression turned serious as he gave his advice. "Director Victor, you'd better go talk to Subier in person. This dark web competition is going to attract people we can't even imagine."
"Right now, Kaitō Kid is basically walking around with six hundred million dollars on his head. More people who got those invitations will definitely show up soon!"
If they let things keep unfolding on their own, more and more opportunists would come out of the woodwork. It would be total chaos.
Victor nodded immediately and left with a team of agents.
Neither the Enforcement Bureau nor the French government wanted this dark web event to go through—especially not with France as the host stage.
Victor didn't bother trying to call. He went straight to Subier's estate with his agents to speak face to face.
As the Enforcement Bureau's representative, he wasn't turned away. Subier let them in.
But inside the estate, everything had already been arranged.
Every key area had guards posted. Patrols moved constantly through the grounds.
These weren't agents or law enforcement officers. They were all private security hired by Subier.
When Subier heard Victor had arrived, he came out to greet him personally.
"Director Victor, welcome!"
The moment Victor saw the setup at the estate, he more or less knew how this would go.
Even with a full team from the Enforcement Bureau, there was no real room for them to step in.
Still, he forced himself to make his case. They couldn't afford to let things keep spiraling.
"Mr. Subier, your challenge to Kaitō Kid has already caused quite a stir."
"I understand your admiration for Kaitō Kid, but both France and the Enforcement Bureau can't allow the situation to grow any worse."
"So I'm asking you to cooperate with our bureau and let us run a capture operation here at the estate."
Subier looked troubled after hearing Victor out. He didn't respond right away—just stayed silent.
But one thing was absolutely clear to Subier—there was no way he'd let the bureau interfere.
Whether it was Bruce, Harrison, or Zhang Yang, none of them had guessed wrong.
Subier had received an invitation. As the number one ranked player, how could he not get one when even Holmeska, who ranked second, had one?
Subier truly was a fan of Kaitō Kid. He didn't just admire him—he was genuinely curious.
It came from deep inside. He really wanted to challenge Kaitō Kid.
Zhang Yang hadn't lost a single time. No matter how bad things looked, he always escaped. He always survived the worst odds.
That made Subier incredibly curious about him. And impressed.
"Director Victor, my challenge to Kaitō Kid is entirely my personal decision."
"Besides, you already know I'm a huge fan of detective games. Challenging Kaitō Kid is also a way for me to challenge myself."
"As for the greater impact you're worried about, I promise it won't happen."
Subier gave his guarantee without hesitation.
In France, no matter how serious the consequences, he was confident he could handle it.
Unless it was all-out war or a terrorist attack, with his wealth and connections, nothing was truly a problem.
Victor stared at him, speechless for a long time. He wanted badly to ask if Subier was really joining the dark web competition.
But if he asked that out loud, it would mean the Enforcement Bureau already knew about it—and that could lead to an even bigger mess.
"Mr. Subier, if anything serious happens within France, will you take responsibility for it?"
Victor deliberately raised the stakes, trying to pressure Subier into backing down.
But Subier had been through storms before. With his status, even the highest-ranking officials in the Enforcement Bureau would have to sit down and talk with him face-to-face.
"Of course, Director Victor. I'll take full responsibility for this challenge."
"If anything negative comes from it afterward, I'll take responsibility as well."
Seeing how firm Subier's stance was, Victor knew that pressing further would only make a fool of himself.
He wasn't going to change Subier's mind.
But as soon as Victor left the estate, he found that media and reporters had already gathered outside.
Under the livestream cameras and microphones, his expression darkened even more.
Before the reporters could ask anything, viewers in the livestream chat had already picked up on the situation.
[Tsk tsk tsk, Director Victor doesn't look too happy. Looks like Subier turned him down!]
[Oh my god! Is this gonna be another challenge without any official involvement?]
[Subier's a fan of Kaitō Kid. Of course he won't let Victor's team get involved. If they really caught him, Subier would probably feel guilty!]
[Poor Director Victor—it's only Kaitō Kid's second day in France!]
[Hahaha! Serves him right for going all out the moment Kaitō Kid got off the plane!]
The comments flooded in, full of mocking sarcasm.
Then the reporters started asking, and their questions only made Victor's face darker.
"Director Victor, will the Enforcement Bureau be involved in this challenge?"
"Excuse me, were you here to coordinate with Mr. Subier on catching Kaitō Kid?"
"Director Victor, did the Enforcement Bureau spot Kaitō Kid at the museum last night?"
"And what about the two Class A fugitives—why were they at the Musée Guimet? Did the Bureau interrogate them?"
Question after question came like hammer blows. Victor felt like his head was about to explode.
He had come to negotiate a capture plan with Subier, but got flatly rejected.
As for the museum operation last night, Zhang Yang had played them like a fiddle. They didn't even catch a glimpse of Kaitō Kid.
They had gotten the truth about the two Class A fugitives' purpose during interrogation.
But if they revealed anything about the dark web competition, it would cause panic and massive blowback.
No matter which question it was, Victor couldn't answer. He didn't dare answer. And frankly, he had no face left to answer.
"Sorry, we can't disclose anything right now."
"Thanks for your concern. If there are any updates, we'll make an official announcement."