Commissioner Stonberg had a dream—he was promoted, got rich, and even ran for president. But dreams always end, and he woke up with a jolt from an electric shock.
"Ah!" The chubby Stonberg bounced up like a roly-poly toy. He looked around at the unfamiliar ceiling.
"Awake?"
"Kaitou Kid?!" Stonberg was stunned to find himself 'kidnapped' by Kid. "What do you want?"
"Don't ask questions. You can look around, but don't ask anything," Kid said. "Just listen to me."
The commissioner realized he was on an aircraft. "Is this your plane?"
"Quiet. I said no questions," Kid replied.
Stonberg was still in his full-body pajamas, wearing a pair of fluffy white bunny slippers. It didn't match his status at all—but his daughter had bought the set, and if he didn't wear it, she'd be upset.
The flight wasn't long before they arrived. "Let's go. We're here."
Stonberg didn't want to move, but at this point, he had no choice. After seeing the Archimedes plane up close, he almost coughed up blood. That owl-headed thing could actually fly? Still, the fact that Kid had this kind of tech—he had to admit, the man was something else.
The buildings and the glowing neon signs looked very familiar. Stonberg realized they were in Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps.
Kid had brought the New York commissioner here to reveal the truth behind The Four Horsemen' tricks.
An empty stage stood before them. Kid said, "The essence of magic lies in the performance. No matter what happens, a magician must never let the audience see what he's thinking. Stay calm under pressure."
Stonberg nodded.
"Now I'll reveal the secret behind the 'space teleportation.'" Kid said.
"You're helping the police?" Stonberg was surprised.
Kid had him stand in the center of the stage. The original portal had been removed and the mechanism locked, but that didn't stop Liu A'dou. "I don't need any props to send you to New York. Keep your eyes open."
Before the commissioner could understand what was going on, the floor dropped out beneath him, and he fell. After a rough landing, he steadied himself and looked around—he was inside a vault.
"What the hell?" He looked up and down and started to piece it together. He had fallen. So back then, the audience member didn't teleport—they'd just dropped below the stage.
"A double-layer security door. Even if you dismantled the stage, you wouldn't find the hidden vault underneath. The ventilation system connects to the venue and blows the money into the theater," Kid explained, landing beside him. "But the drop is steep. The Four Horsemen didn't consider their assistant's safety at all. If it's just a stumble, they could brush it off as part of the illusion. But what if someone broke a leg? I'd love to see how they'd handle that."
'You just threw me down without warning too,' Stonberg grumbled in his mind. But he had another question. "Then why did the money in the vault vanish?"
"No questions. I'll expose every one of their tricks. But only if you stay quiet."
'Damn this guy,' Stonberg thought. 'Next time I'm locking you up for sure.' But for now, he stayed quiet—because rumor had it The Four Horsemen were already in New York. If they weren't arrested soon, his job was on the line.
"If I blend magic into my thefts, The Four Horsemen separate the two. Their magic is just magic, and their theft is just theft. So why not assume they stole the money first, and then performed afterward?" Kid said. "There are four members. I've seen their performance footage. Each one has a role—one plans the show, one handles the escape, one handles tech, and one is a master hypnotist."
"Hypnosis," Kid said. "It made the bank staff and cash inspectors believe the money in the vault was still real. They never actually entered the vault. They were just hypnotized into thinking everything was normal."
"Hypnosis is that powerful? I thought it just made people lie down and fall asleep, like on TV."
"Why not? A true hypnosis master is almost like a psychic. If they implant a suggestion in your mind, you'll act totally normal—until the trigger comes. Then the subject loses control and becomes a puppet."
It sounded fake, but it was real. And this kind of hypnosis was permanent, like having a switch installed in your body that could be flipped at any moment to send you into another world.
For example, The Four Horsemen once performed a routine where the entire audience believed they were members of a symphony orchestra. When they heard the trigger word, they froze and started playing invisible instruments in the air. If that happened while someone was driving or working later in life, it could be deadly.
"I watched their trial footage. I remember their leader, Daniel, said the ultimate secret of magic is to 'be the smartest person in the room.' But that's just arrogant talk from a smug young guy. A true magician should be humble. They should bring a sense of wonder and happiness to the audience. That's why I'll help you catch The Four Horsemen."
"Every suspect's interrogation record is classified. How do you know what he said? Did you hack our system?"
"No questions. Just listen." Kid wasn't going to answer that—because yes, he did hack the police database. "Commissioner Stonberg, do you want me to keep explaining how they pulled it off?"
Kid was annoying, but Stonberg needed to catch The Four Horsemen in New York. "Go on."
"They stole the money ahead of time. The reason the bank didn't notice was because they swapped the real cash for fake bills made from magician's flash paper. Just coat it with a special chemical agent, and the fake bills will burn up at a specific time—no fire, no smoke, no ash. Only the signed playing card and ticket they tucked inside the fake money are left behind. That's how they pulled off the perfect heist."
"I wouldn't call that a magic trick. That's hypnosis theft," the commissioner muttered. "To have such powerful hypnosis skills that you can turn people into accomplices without them even knowing—that's terrifying."
Stonberg had a sharp take, but Liu A'dou had to keep his image, so no high-fives. "Now let's look at the final part of the trick. The part everyone missed..."
What was it? The commissioner was curious, but this time he stayed quiet.
"It's how the 'helper from the audience' escaped from the underground vault," Kid said as he walked over to the vault door. "The Four Horsemen each have a specialty. To escape, they used Henley's escape skills. What looks solid is often the weakest spot. It's right here."
Liu A'dou gently pushed the vault door. What looked like a heavy, solid vault door swung open easily. It wasn't solid metal at all—just iron wrapped around wood. Behind it was a hidden passage leading beneath the audience seats. A vertical ladder at the end led up behind the crowd, allowing someone to slip back unnoticed.
The commissioner said nothing for a long time. It was all so calculated. If Kid hadn't brought him here, he would've never figured it out. The FBI had been just as clueless as he was before tonight. Watching Kid stare out at the stage, the commissioner suddenly understood why so many people hoped Kid would show up.
Because only Kid could see through The Four Horsemen.