Overnight, the world was in shock.
The Serpent Head of the Twelve Bronze Zodiac from the Dragon Nation, missing for nearly a century, had resurfaced!
And it ended up in the hands of a world-famous phantom thief!
At four o'clock in the morning, a black business van, flanked by two black SUVs, pulled up to the gates of Swan Lake Castle and was stopped by the elite security team.
A man in his thirties stepped out of the business van and took out his identification.
"We're from MI5. We're here to see Charles."
"M… MI5?"
The elite security guard who checked the credentials was instantly stunned.
MI5!
The highest investigative agency in Britain—its authority and jurisdiction report directly to top-level leadership!
"P-Please… please come in!"
The security team scrambled to clear the way.
Charles might be rich and well-connected, but in front of MI5, all that meant nothing.
As the convoy drove inside, the security guard quickly called Stanley.
When he heard that MI5 had arrived, Stanley was so shaken that he rushed to wake up Charles in his pajamas.
By the time the convoy stopped at the entrance of the castle, Charles and Stanley had already hurried outside.
The man stepped out of the vehicle again, showed his badge, and introduced himself.
"MI5 Investigations. My name is Harrison."
"We've received orders to apprehend Kaitō Kid immediately and recover the Serpent Head."
"Mr. Charles, we need your full cooperation in this investigation."
From the two SUVs, several dozen agents dressed in black and wearing sunglasses filed out.
Each of them carried a sleek black case, which housed the most cutting-edge investigative gear available today.
Charles had seen many things in his life, but this kind of full-blown MI5 operation—this was a first.
Whatever drowsiness remained in him was instantly gone.
"No problem!"
"Director Harrison, tell me what you need from me—I'll cooperate fully."
He'd been bold enough to brush off the Enforcement Bureau, but there was no way he dared show disrespect to MI5.
The two agencies operated on completely different levels.
"Where exactly was the Serpent Head stolen?"
Charles stepped aside, inviting Harrison and the agents inside, then personally led them down to the underground vault.
"In the bunker. Please follow me."
When they arrived at the scene, eight agents immediately knelt and opened their black cases, each pulling out different types of scanning devices.
Once they began working, beams of multi-colored laser light swept across the floor and walls in a synchronized scan.
These scanners were capable of detecting even the slightest clue—from footprints and fingerprints to a single strand of hair, or even a drop of dried saliva.
As long as it carried biological traces, the scanners would find it.
But this time, even the most advanced equipment couldn't turn up anything.
Their tools were designed for normal crime scenes, not against someone like Kaitō Kid.
By the time morning arrived, Harrison and his team still hadn't found a single clue.
Not even a usable fingerprint.
While they came up empty-handed in Britain, news broke thousands of miles away in the Dragon Nation.
The National Museum in the capital had just released a groundbreaking announcement:
The Serpent Head, one of the Twelve Bronze Zodiac, had officially entered the museum's collection.
As for where it came from?
The statement only said it was donated anonymously—with heartfelt thanks.
Everything was handled overnight, escorted by private aircraft.
[Finally, the Serpent Head has been recovered. The Twelve Bronze Zodiac will be reunited at last!]
[Holy hell?! Kaitō Kid really acted righteously!]
[That fast? So he donated the Serpent Head to the Dragon Nation right after posting the photo?]
[Hey, don't jump to conclusions. It says it was an anonymous donation. Did the announcement ever name Kaitō Kid?]
[Exactly. Don't talk nonsense and bring trouble on the guy!]
[Right. For all we know, the one stolen overseas might be a fake.]
Back in the Dragon Nation, the internet was exploding. Even though Zhang Yang hadn't made a public appearance there, almost every discussion was about Kaitō Kid.
And not for nothing—just by returning the Serpent Head, Zhang Yang had already earned the title of a national hero.
Meanwhile in Britain, the moment the news broke, panic spread like wildfire.
Soon after, an official statement was released, claiming the Serpent Head was a piece from Charles's private collection, stolen from Swan Lake Castle, and demanding the Dragon Nation return it immediately.
But how could that possibly happen?
The Dragon Nation's response was simple and sharp:
First, the Serpent Head was donated anonymously. It had absolutely nothing to do with Charles or Swan Lake Castle.
Second, the Serpent Head was a cultural relic belonging to the Dragon Nation in the first place—there was nothing to "return" in the first place.
Third, the authenticity of Charles's so-called "private collection" remained unverified!
[Hahaha, exactly right. They don't even know if what they lost was real, and now they're trying to scam us!]
[Shameless. The Serpent Head was ours to begin with. Back when they looted it, they sure weren't asking if we wanted it returned!]
[I'm dying. They actually have the guts to demand the Serpent Head back?]
[If Charles's Serpent Head was a fake, what's that got to do with our real one?]
In just one night, the name Kaitō Kid had gone viral—not just in Britain, but across the entire world. Now everyone knew of the legendary phantom thief: Kaitō Kid.
Honestly, everyone could pretty much guess that the Serpent Head returned to the Dragon Nation had been donated by Kaitō Kid.
But with no direct evidence—and given how sharp the Dragon Nation's statement had been—there was nothing they could do about it.
As for Britain, they were like clowns putting on a show.
They released not one, not two, but three consecutive statements regarding the Serpent Head. And the Dragon Nation?
They responded only to the first one.
The other two were completely ignored.
[Damn it, that bastard! The Serpent Head was clearly stolen by Kaitō Kid from Swan Lake Castle, and Dragon Nation won't even acknowledge it!]
[F*ck, Kaitō Kid should be locked up for life!]
[Unforgivable. He gave the Serpent Head to the Dragon Nation?!]
[Watch your mouth. That was ours to begin with. And where's your proof the one in your museum was even real?]
[There's a saying that fits perfectly: when the upper beam is crooked, the lower beams collapse. If even your government has no shame, it's no wonder the rest of you are the same.]
By midday, Zhang Yang dropped another bombshell on his account.
"An inside job—what kind of sentence does that deserve?"
Attached were photos of all the documents and forms proving Brant's misconduct.
He even made a point of tagging the Enforcement Bureau.
[What the hell? Brant? That Night-Luminescent Pearl was supposed to be in the British Museum?!]
[Well, well, look at that. Turns out Brant's a thief too!]
[No wonder he didn't call the Bureau when the museum was robbed!]
[Damn good! Brant committed grand larceny on his own turf!]
When Brant saw Zhang Yang's post, he felt utterly crushed.
The Night-Luminescent Pearl wasn't even the worst of it—he'd done plenty of shady deals behind the scenes.
Once the Bureau started investigating, they'd find everything, piece by piece.
At this rate, Brant was going to be arrested long before Zhang Yang ever was.
"Kaitō Kid!!!"
Brant ground his teeth in rage, face twisted with hate.