All the cards were on the table now. The piece that was supposed to be in his hand had somehow ended up at the Dragon Nation Embassy.
How was he supposed to explain that?
Now Leo wasn't just facing public backlash online—he was also being chewed out by the BND higher-ups.
"Leo, you'd better tell me you already know how to respond to the public!"
Before Leo could even come up with an excuse, his superior came to him directly.
Leo's face was dark. He didn't say a word.
Seeing his reaction, the superior instantly realized Leo wasn't prepared at all.
From the moment he let Rubio go last night, Leo never expected the plan to backfire.
At worst, he figured Rubio might run, and he'd just have to capture him again.
But now Rubio had been arrested, and Kaitō Kid had posted about it, completely blowing the situation out of Leo's control.
"Leo, you idiot. This isn't something you can just stay silent about and hope it goes away!"
"Starting now, you are no longer the BND Chief. You've been removed from your position!"
"The reason: dereliction of duty and releasing a world-class A-rank fugitive!"
Leo's eyes turned sharp. He looked up in disbelief.
Failing once or twice to catch Kaitō Kid was nothing. But this time, he had acted without authorization and made a mistake that couldn't be undone.
To protect its reputation, BND had to sacrifice him.
They had no choice but to throw Leo under the bus to save the agency.
His superior slammed the dismissal papers on the table and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
"Damn it. Fuck! Damn that Kaitō Kid!"
Leo pounded the table, rage boiling over.
From the moment things blew up to being kicked out of BND, it had all happened too fast.
He hadn't even had time to mentally prepare—he never imagined he'd actually get thrown out.
Like it or not, BND immediately issued a public statement.
Due to severe dereliction of duty by Chief Leo, which led to the escape of a world-class A-rank fugitive, he has now been officially dismissed.
The moment that statement went live, it stirred a massive uproar.
While many applauded the move, others reacted with shock and sympathy.
"Poor Leo. In the end, he still went down at the hands of Kaitō Kid!"
"BND made the right decision. Unlike the French Enforcement Bureau, who kept that idiot Victor till the bitter end!"
"Victor got so stressed he had a stroke. Dismissing Leo now might actually be doing him a favor!"
"He was never on the same level as Kaitō Kid. Leo never should've stepped up to be embarrassed like that…"
"Kaitō Kid's still in Country D. Who's BND going to send next?"
When Zhang Yang saw BND's statement, he scoffed in disdain.
"Such obvious damage control. Leo let Rubio go on purpose, and now BND's trying to sacrifice him to save their reputation. Fast reflexes, I'll give them that."
"Wonder if Holmeska will stay involved in the hunt?"
To this day, Zhang Yang still didn't understand why Holmeska was cooperating with Leo—who was technically his competition.
They were supposed to be rivals, yet somehow ended up working together.
Ding!
You have received a new theft mission: Steal the auction item 'Portraits of the Emperors' from the Nago Auction!
Mission reward: Max out any one skill!
Zhang Yang's eyes lit up. This was the representative masterpiece of Yan Liben, the famous painter from the Tang Dynasty. The painting vividly depicted the lifestyles of 13 emperors from various dynasties!
The scroll contained 46 figures in total, each drawn with meticulous detail. It was a gem among historical portrait works, with immense artistic value.
Compared to the Painting of Wang Zhaojun, this one held even greater significance. If it was auctioned off and vanished into private hands, it might never be seen again.
Zhang Yang put on his monocle and immediately entered work mode.
"Pull up everything about the Nago Auction—location, catalog, and the full list of items."
Very quickly, he had everything he needed.
The auction wasn't just offering cultural artifacts. There were also rare gemstones and luxury jewelry—28 lots in total.
While many pieces were valuable, the Portraits of the Emperors stood out by far. Its importance and rarity were unmatched.
"The auction will be held in Stutgart, Country D. That's not far."
"But the real issue is the security. Nago Auction hired Scorpio Security Group. Their guards are all retired special forces or mercenaries."
"And if BND agents get involved too, that's going to form a pretty airtight security system."
After gathering all the key intel, Zhang Yang let out a low whistle. Things were definitely going to be tricky.
Still, he wasted no time. He immediately drafted a calling card and tucked it into the beak of a white dove, sending it straight to the Nago Auction site in Stutgart.
Just an hour earlier, BND had announced Leo's dismissal. They hadn't even named his replacement or assigned someone new to lead the capture mission. And now Zhang Yang's next notice had already arrived.
"Tonight, I will be attending the Nago Auction and will be bidding on an item of interest. I wish everyone good luck and may you all win the treasures you desire!"
[Whoa! Kaitō Kid's going to show up at the auction? For real?]
[Hahaha! Everyone else has to bid with money. Kaitō Kid just takes whatever he likes!]
[Oh my god! Leo's already been fired. Is Holmeska the new BND chief?]
[Nago's being secured by Scorpio Security. Even without BND, it won't be that easy for Kaitō Kid to pull it off!]
[Scorpio Security's people are all ex-special ops and mercs. They're no weaker than BND's agents!]
Scorpio Security had a solid reputation in Country D. Most people only hired them for major events.
They provided high-grade protection—but came at a steep price. Still, their track record made them one of the most respected private security firms around.
But to Zhang Yang, whether it was Scorpio or BND made little difference.
The only real difference was just a few more pairs of eyes.
While Zhang Yang's calling card was flying out, Leo was already packing up his things, asking Holmeska to drive him home.
He had let Rubio go without authorization. If that hadn't gone public, maybe the higher-ups would've covered for him.
But Zhang Yang's card—basically spelling out that Leo had released Rubio—left no room to maneuver.
Under the weight of public outrage, BND had no choice but to toss Leo out to protect themselves.
Holmeska had stayed silent the whole ride. At Leo's doorstep, just as he was about to get out of the car, Leo finally spoke in a low, grim voice.
"Fuck! I'm going to catch Kaitō Kid myself!"
"He's the reason I got screwed over like this. I'll make sure I'm the one to lock him up!"
"I know the head of Scorpio Security. I can get into the Nago Auction venue."
His eyes burned with resolve. Even Holmeska was slightly stunned by the intensity in Leo's gaze.
This former BND chief was truly furious.
Holmeska didn't try to talk him down. In Leo's current state, he wouldn't listen to reason anyway.
Besides, Holmeska was also thinking about how to get into the auction. Now, with Leo's connections, things would be much easier.