Only now did Leo remember the fake Kaitō Kid. He immediately asked through the earpiece where he was being held.
"He's in the detention van, Director Leo. Do you want us to bring him over to you?"
There was only one detention van prepared for this operation, intended specifically for Kaitō Kid.
They hadn't caught the real one, but the fake one ended up locked inside instead.
With no hope of catching Kaitō Kid anymore, Leo didn't ask his men to bring Rubio over. Instead, he and Holmeska headed for the detention van.
Tyron was still performing onstage, and the crowd was as wild as ever, cheering nonstop.
After Zhang Yang left, the number of people at the venue dropped slightly. It was barely passable now.
Leo and Holmeska pushed through the crowd and headed straight for the van.
This van had been specially modified. The bars inside were welded from solid steel.
"Director Leo!"
Two agents were guarding inside the van. Rubio was slumped on the ground, both arms cuffed to the bars.
"Your name's Rubio?" Leo asked in a low, cold voice.
"Why were you impersonating Kaitō Kid?"
"What were you trying to do at the concert?"
Before Rubio could reply, one of the agents handed Leo a tablet. Leo began reviewing the data carefully.
Rubio's full information, criminal background, and list of charges were all displayed in extreme detail.
Rubio let out a cold snort. He didn't argue or say a word.
From the moment Leo called him by name, he knew the game was up. No more false hope.
Guys like him—on the international most-wanted list—usually had multiple fake identities.
Before Leo showed up, Rubio had still been considering which identity to use to talk his way out. After all, posing as a die-hard fan dressed like his idol was a perfectly reasonable excuse.
But now that Leo had called him out by his real name, trying to bluff would've been plain stupid.
"Rubio, why impersonate Kaitō Kid? Why show up here?"
"You've got this long rap sheet and you still make a flashy entrance like this. Did you piss off the wrong person?"
Leo racked his brain, trying to make sense of Rubio's reckless move.
Holmeska carefully watched Rubio's facial expressions, also trying to read something from him.
But Rubio leaned against the bars with his eyes shut, looking like a man who had nothing left to lose.
"Fuck! I'm talking to you! Look me in the eyes, you bastard!"
Leo stormed forward, grabbed him by the collar, and yanked him upright.
Rubio still didn't open his eyes or show the slightest intent to cooperate.
Neither Leo nor Holmeska could figure out what Rubio's plan was. Impersonating Kaitō Kid and showing up at a concert like this—it was suicide.
The place was crawling with agents. The whole thing was being broadcast live. He had to know that. This was walking right into a trap.
Meanwhile, Zhang Yang, as always, took a photo of the painting of Wang Zhaojun, then immediately returned it to the Dragon Nation embassy to complete the task.
Tyron was still performing and had no time to go backstage and check on the painting anyway.
Back in the detention van, Leo and Holmeska kept pressing Rubio, but still got nothing. He was all out of fight. No matter what they asked, he said nothing.
"Rubio, even if you don't say a word, your international warrant's already enough to bury you in prison for life."
"If you cooperate, maybe I'll help you land in a better facility."
Leo's offer didn't move Rubio in the slightest. Instead, he gave a cold sneer in response.
Even though Casey ditched him and fled, in that situation, it had definitely been the right call.
Rubio firmly believed Casey would find a way to rescue him. If he talked now, he'd be cutting off his only chance of survival.
Seeing how stubborn he was—more stubborn than a rock in an outhouse—Holmeska gave up entirely and dragged Leo out of the van.
"Director Leo, let's stop wasting time on him."
"Kaitō Kid won't rest until he succeeds. We should be checking what he took."
Holmeska looked up at Tyron still performing on stage, his eyes sharp and thoughtful.
From the moment Kaitō Kid appeared to when he vanished, they hadn't been able to make a single move.
Holmeska had mentally prepared for failure, but he hadn't expected it to be this thorough.
"Before the concert started, I asked Tyron. At the end of the show, he planned to auction off a scroll painting—supposedly one of Dragon Nation's Four Great Beauties."
"So Kaitō Kid's target this time was likely that painting."
Holmeska frowned. Tyron was still on stage, and the venue was packed. They'd have to wait until the concert ended to go check.
But Zhang Yang's latest post instantly cleared up Holmeska's doubts.
A photo of an ancient scroll. A stunningly beautiful woman.
[Whoa, a painting of Wang Zhaojun! Now that's a treasure!]
[One of Dragon Nation's Four Great Beauties. She really is gorgeous—is this what Wang Zhaojun looked like?]
[I've followed Kaitō Kid for so long, and this is the first time I've seen something that really made my heart race!]
[Haha, you're not into the artifact. You're into the woman!]
[She was one of the Four Beauties back then, and she'd still be a knockout today!]
No one really cared how valuable the painting was.
All the attention was on the portrait of Wang Zhaojun, one of the legendary beauties. The comments were full of praise.
When Leo and Holmeska saw the post, their first reaction was also awe at her breathtaking looks.
"Shit! Kaitō Kid actually managed to steal a piece this valuable?"
Leo was gutted.
"Director Leo, by the time we saw this photo, that scroll was probably already at the Dragon Nation embassy."
"I've looked into it. Every time Kaitō Kid steals something, it ends up back in Dragon Nation. I don't think that's a coincidence or just the work of some generous donor."
Holmeska wasn't naïve. And neither were the other international players—they all knew what was really going on.
But without any proof—and with Dragon Nation ignoring all complaints and protests—they had no choice but to accept the "donation" explanation.
"Fuck! That damned Kaitō Kid! We have no authority to touch the Dragon Nation embassy!"
"How much do you actually know about him? Do you know where he came from? Is he really a secret agent sent by Dragon Nation to recover stolen artifacts?"
All the rumors and theories online couldn't be confirmed.
Kaitō Kid's identity and background had always been a mystery. Leo couldn't tell fact from fiction anymore.
Holmeska was no better. He shook his head gravely.
"No idea."
"Director Leo, we can't take action against the Dragon Nation embassy. But someone else can—someone like…"
He trailed off, glancing back toward the detention van.
BND didn't have the authority to pressure a foreign embassy. But a lawless criminal? They had one sitting right there.