"What's this?" On the third morning after driving home, Maggie finally noticed a paper bag in her coat pocket.
Inside was a card that read: Use this when you need it. Your good friend, Kaitou Kid. Alongside it was a firework stamped with a sketch of Kid's face. "Phantom Fireworks? Must be one of the ones Kid set off that night." Maggie still remembered how dazzling those fireworks had been. She couldn't believe Kid had gifted her one. It meant he acknowledged her faith in him at the end.
Overwhelmed with joy, Maggie rushed online to show her support. From this day forward, Kaitou Kid would be her eternal idol—loyal to the end, unwavering to the grave.
It seemed the case was over, but people still wanted to know: where was the 200 million dollars?
Where had it gone? Everyone knew the money hadn't been returned to the bank yet. It had to still be somewhere in Queens. So for the past two days, countless people had been combing the area, hoping to find it.
200 million in cash stacked together? It had to be massive. No way it wouldn't be found.
Even the police joined the search. Commissioner Stonberg recalled something Kid had told him: You'll find the lost thing where fire meets water.
Stonberg remembered there was an old abandoned power plant in Queens. Power plants burn water for energy—fire and water, right? That had to be the place.
He headed out immediately. If he found the money, it'd be a huge win. Fighting through the greedy crowds, Stonberg and his team made it to the plant. Many locals had already shown up, but so far, no one had found anything.
Stonberg ordered the officers to search every corner of the facility.
With the police involved, people were even more convinced the money was there. More and more people gathered at the plant.
Then finally, someone found it—200 million dollars. Stacked in a giant pyramid, right inside the furnace. So much money. My God. That much?
It was as tall as a person. And it was all real. But the furnace door wouldn't open. No matter how they tried, it was sealed tight. It didn't make sense.
The police tried to push people back, but faced with 200 million, everyone had lost their minds.
"Chief, should we draw our weapons?"
"Idiot! Look at how many people are here!" Stonberg was going insane. How many people were there? Hundreds? Thousands? It was impossible to count. They were using anything they could to try and pry open the furnace door, but nothing worked. "How many bullets do you have? You want to get torn apart by a mob?"
This wasn't the time for violence. They needed backup. "Call for reinforcements!" Stonberg shouted, but deep down he was cursing Kid. 'If you're gonna return the money, just return it. Why the drama?'
Just then, as he was making the call, a spark shot out from inside the furnace. The moment it touched the paper bills—whoosh.
Boom—
In seconds, the pyramid of cash was engulfed in flames. People started banging even harder on the door, but it was useless. All they could do was watch through the glass as 200 million dollars burned to ash.
"Shit!" Stonberg dropped his phone. It was horrifying. What the hell just happened? That was real money! His heart ached.
Not just his. Others were crying, some even sobbing out loud. That money was never theirs, but the pain hit just the same.
It all burned. Every last bill. Nothing left but ashes swirling in the furnace.
It felt like getting stabbed in the heart—not once, but over and over. The kind of pain that made you want to die.
It was like mourning the dead—just look at the ugly faces of those greedy people. Not until evening did the crowd finally disperse, giving the police enough space to pry open the furnace door.
The cops looked frustrated as they cleaned up the mess. Stonberg cursed under his breath. 'This isn't how it was supposed to go.'
"You guys clean this up. Make sure you gather every bit of the 200 million in ash. I need to take a call," Stonberg said, stepping outside.
"Hello, who is this?" After losing 200 million, the chief was in no mood for pleasantries.
"You've really let me down, Chief. Still haven't found the money?"
Kaitou Kid?! Stonberg nearly lost it. "You bastard! How could you do this?! That was 200 million! You… you... F**K ME!" He couldn't even find the words. All he could do was curse.
"Looks like you're still too slow. I told you—where fire meets water. But you only found fire and forgot about water. How did you even become commissioner?" Kid laughed. "Check the reservoir. I always keep my word."
Stonberg froze. Could it be? Could the money have survived? He immediately sent some trusted officers to check the reservoir. Sure enough, under the water—they found the money. Loads of it.
Of course Kid didn't burn the real 200 million. He burned fake bills. The whole thing was meant to teach those money-hungry people a lesson. And it worked. Kid was satisfied. If this bunch didn't get a taste of humility, then all the scolding thrown at Kaitou Kid in the past would've been pointless. Liu A'dou believed in returning insult with honesty.
Every last dollar of the 200 million was recovered. Once the team from New York Bank verified it, they let out a sigh of relief. Their gratitude toward Commissioner Stonberg was beyond words.
The Four Horsemen incident officially came to a close. Liu A'dou's movie was finally finished too. It was time to begin the promotional campaign. Last time the mutant controversy had interfered, so marketing was weak. But this time, they planned to go all-in, launching a full-scale media blitz even before the movie's release.
Promotion in New York would be handled by Stark Industries. Meanwhile, Liu A'dou had to take the core production team to Metropolis to attend the annual Superhero Expo. It was basically a huge cosplay gathering of heroes and villains, a geek festival that attracted countless fans—an ideal chance to promote the film.
Liu A'dou planned to premiere the first teaser trailer at the event, launching the opening wave of his promo campaign.
Once the plane tickets were booked, Liu A'dou left with the lead actors, editor, and producer. Still, he had some worries. Flights to Metropolis had the highest mechanical failure rate in the world—though ironically, the lowest accident rate. That was thanks to Superman. He always showed up to lift the plane and keep everyone safe.
"I wonder if we'll get to see Superman?" someone asked excitedly.
Liu A'dou, however, hoped not. If Superman had to show up, it meant something had gone wrong. Safety came first.
Elsa, Kailan, and Ben were all on board. Kailan could speak a fair bit of English now, but it was her first time flying, so she was a little nervous. She stuck close to Ben the whole time.
But Ben only had eyes for Elsa. As for these two alien disciples, Liu A'dou could only shake his head. They never listened. He'd told them to avoid early romance and focus on training, but here they were, tangled in a secret crush.
The plane took off. Liu A'dou silently prayed nothing would happen. But life rarely goes according to plan. The more you don't want something to happen, the more likely it is to happen.
Just as everyone was dozing off on the flight, a commotion broke out at the back of the plane. A man holding a weapon came down the aisle.
"Nobody move! This is a hijacking!"
Unbelievable.