Zhang Yang heard footsteps from the guards coming up the stairs and quickly locked the door. This was Subier's place, and these guards were from a security company, so they shouldn't break in by force.
As expected, just like Zhang Yang had guessed, after the guards failed to turn the doorknob, they immediately went elsewhere.
Maket stood next to Subier with the barrel of his gun pressed tightly against him.
"You… who are you? You're not with the security company. What do you want?"
Even though Subier was smart and had sharp reasoning skills, Maket's sudden appearance left him completely baffled. He wasn't robbing the place or trying to hurt him. He snuck into the manor only to open fire at Kaitō Kid right away.
Maket chuckled coldly. "Mr. Subier, I'm just like you. I want to join the contest to catch Kaitō Kid."
As he spoke, he pulled out the invitation he brought with him and showed it to Subier.
"You haven't gotten Kaitō Kid's signature yet, have you?"
That eased Subier's nerves a little. It's the unknown that's most terrifying. Now that he knew what Maket was after, the tension eased up a bit.
Firing the gun had been Maket's last resort. If Subier had already gotten Kaitō Kid's signature, Maket's plan was to rob him of the invitation and use it to enter the six hundred million prize competition.
Robbery was old business to Maket. He was confident he could take something off Subier.
"Mr. Subier, you're seriously rich. You actually used the Angel's Tear necklace to bait Kaitō Kid."
"I thought you'd be able to get his signature. What a shame you lost."
Subier looked helpless. He hadn't expected so many things to go wrong. He'd already gone to great lengths to prepare everything, but once the rubber dummies appeared, things spiraled out of control.
Things ended up completely off track, even his carefully hidden secret room was found by Kaitō Kid. Then Maket suddenly showed up, catching him off guard again.
"Since we both want the same thing, there's no need to keep pointing that gun at me, right?"
"I'll help you catch that damn Kaitō Kid as best I can."
Subier was clever and knew how to negotiate.
But Maket wasn't holding him at gunpoint just to use his guards.
"Mr. Subier, I'm afraid that won't work. There are too many Enforcement Bureau agents outside."
"I need your help to get out of here. Otherwise, there's nothing I can do."
His tone sounded helpless, but there was clear threat in his words. Whether it was the controller in his hand or the gun pointed at Subier, those were Maket's bargaining chips to escape the manor.
Meanwhile, Bruce and Harrison had snuck up to the flowerbeds in front of the villa and finally got a clear look at what was going on.
Harrison recognized Maket right away. He'd seen his wanted poster months ago.
"Shit! It's Maket!"
"Bruce, he's the guy Kaitō Kid wanted us to catch. An armed robber who escaped from prison and fled to Britain."
"Never thought we'd see him here!"
What Maket had done wasn't as outrageous as Jeff and Daweika's crimes from last night, but this guy wasn't easy to deal with either. Very few people could break out of prison. Maket was definitely in a league of his own.
Bruce's eyes scanned the area around the villa, trying to spot Kaitō Kid. But there was no sign of him anywhere. He was so focused, he completely forgot why they had even come here in the first place.
Harrison's attention was locked on the detonator in Maket's hand. It confirmed that Zhang Yang's private message wasn't just a bluff.
And Harrison was absolutely sure—someone like Maket was more than capable of doing something this insane.
"Bruce, forget about Kaitō Kid for now."
"Look at Maket's other hand—is that a bomb detonator?"
Bruce finally noticed the device and felt a jolt of panic. Outside, the Enforcement Bureau agents were all stationed around the manor.
If Maket had really planted explosives nearby and set them off, it would cause heavy casualties.
"Fuck! That bastard!"
"Harrison, I'm texting Victor right now. He needs to pull everyone back and start sweeping for explosives immediately!"
Outside, Victor was still focused on clearing the crowd when Bruce's message came through.
Bruce didn't hold anything back. He laid out Maket's identity and background in full, just in case Victor didn't take it seriously.
Victor read the message, his face stiff. As much as he hated to do it, Bruce had already sounded the alarm—he had no choice.
If the explosives really did go off, the results would be catastrophic.
The Enforcement Bureau had a lot of agents, but they couldn't just throw their lives away. Victor couldn't take that risk.
"Damn it!"
He grabbed his radio and gave new orders to pull back all surveillance teams and get ready to start a full sweep for explosives around the manor.
Inside the manor, Bruce and Harrison were figuring out how to neutralize Maket—either take him down or shoot to kill.
But at their current distance, neither of them had a clean shot. They couldn't guarantee a one-hit takedown.
With a guy like Maket, even a second of consciousness after the first shot could mean he'd press the detonator.
Problem was, there was no more cover between them. They were stuck.
Harrison leaned in and spoke quietly.
"Bruce, I'll go out and talk to him. Try to swap places with Subier, get close enough to take him down."
"You stay alert. If I give you a clear shot, take it."
Bruce nodded in agreement. The plan made sense. With Harrison up close, even if Bruce missed the first shot, Harrison could act fast and minimize the risk.
Harrison stepped out from the bushes and walked toward the front of the villa in plain view.
Maket spotted him immediately. He pulled Subier closer, locking his arm around his neck and pressing the gun to his head.
One hand held the pistol, the other clutched the detonator. He ducked behind Subier like a human shield, tense and alert.
"Harrison?"
"Fuck! Who let you in?"
"Stop! Don't take another step!"
They were still more than ten meters apart when Maket shouted for him to stop, eyes full of suspicion.
Harrison complied, slowly taking the pistol from his waist and tossing it to the ground. He raised both hands.
"Maket, I'm not armed."
"Whatever you want, whatever your demands are, I'm sure we can talk it out."
"If I'm not wrong, all you want is for Kaitō Kid to sign your invitation."