Deep down, Landon was more excited than anyone. He hoped tonight's event would give him plenty of memories to cherish for a long time.
By a little after eight o'clock, the sky was completely dark.
Zhang Yang checked the time, then stepped out of his car and headed to the spot he had planned in advance.
The location was perfect—everyone inside Landon's mansion would have an unobstructed view of what he was about to do.
Standing next to his car, Zhang Yang looked up as the first Hypnotic Firework burst in the sky. At first glance, it looked no different from any ordinary firework.
But as the sequence of fireworks continued, the swirling, shifting colors formed a spinning rainbow-colored wheel that seemed to hypnotize anyone who stared too long.
"Not bad. Looks like this thing is worth one hundred twenty thousand points."
There were nine fireworks in total, launching one after another at ten-second intervals.
Inside the mansion, the sudden burst of fireworks instantly caught everyone's attention.
"Nani?! Kaitō Kid is here! Stay sharp, everyone!" Nakajima Misaki shouted as he looked up at the sky.
Sente and his team also snapped to high alert.
"What the hell? Kaitō Kid's fireworks are this crazy?" Ivan muttered in disbelief.
Landon, on the other hand, was practically trembling with excitement. The moment he had dreamed of was finally happening—Kaitō Kid had arrived!
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now watching Kaitō Kid's firework display live! He'll be here any moment!" Landon announced to the livestream audience with visible excitement.
Everyone in the mansion stood staring at the sky until all nine fireworks had finished.
"Shit… My head feels kinda fuzzy after staring up so long," Ivan grumbled, shaking his head to clear it.
The rest of the team felt the same—lightheaded, a little dazed—but none of them realized anything was seriously wrong.
[Damn! Missed seeing Kaitō Kid's fireworks live again!]
[Hahaha! Looks like only the people at the mansion got to enjoy that show. Nothing we can do about it!]
[Wait, doesn't Kaitō Kid usually set off fireworks after he gets the treasure? Why'd he do it early this time?]
[Oh my god! There have been a lot of master thieves in history, but none as entertaining as Kaitō Kid!]
With the fireworks show complete, Zhang Yang casually strolled right up to the front gate of the mansion. He took out a black magnetic card, swiped it, and walked straight in.
The guards at the entrance immediately noticed him, but for a moment, they were too stunned to react.
Dressed in a crisp white tuxedo, wearing a white top hat and a single monocle—who else could it be but Kaitō Kid?
Since Landon's livestream covered every inch of the mansion, viewers around the world saw Zhang Yang step through the front gate in real time.
[What the hell?! Kaitō Kid just walked right in?!]
[Oh my god! What's he thinking? What's going on?!]
[Nani?! He's just strolling in like he owns the place? Isn't he worried about getting caught?]
[Holy crap! The guards are totally frozen! Kaitō Kid is insane—he's just casually walking into the mansion!]
[This is crazy! What's he planning to do next?!]
It wasn't until a moment later that the guards finally snapped out of their shock and lunged toward Zhang Yang.
Tonight, catching Kaitō Kid would earn each of them a twenty thousand dollar bonus.
Four or five burly men charged at him, making Zhang Yang look small by comparison.
But just as they were about to tackle him, Zhang Yang calmly raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
In an instant, all four or five men collapsed to the floor like puppets with their strings cut.
[Holy crap, the Snap God? Some kind of magic trick?]
[What the hell? Is this some kind of staged performance?]
[How did they all collapse? I didn't catch it. Can someone explain this?]
[Performance? Did Landon invite Kaitō Kid as a guest star? Don't make me laugh!]
[Do you really think this is some variety show? Get real!]
The one and a half minutes of Hypnotic Fireworks had already implanted the hypnotic suggestion. The snap of Zhang Yang's fingers was the trigger command.
Seeing the effect in action, Zhang Yang confidently continued walking deeper into the mansion.
"Kaitō Kid has entered the estate, but Sente and Nakajima haven't noticed yet!"
Landon stood on the mansion steps, excitedly providing live commentary.
He had no intention of joining the chase. Instead, he held a tablet in hand, fully focused on narrating the scene for the live viewers.
As Zhang Yang walked further inside, more and more guards noticed him. Sente, Nakajima, and the others quickly realized something was off and rushed over.
"Kaitō Kid?"
Sente frowned when he saw Zhang Yang striding toward them in broad daylight, completely unbothered. He couldn't help but feel something was off.
Zhang Yang glanced over the crowd of more than twenty people blocking his way.
His monocle scanned them quickly, confirming that Sente and his team were, indeed, unarmed.
That immediately put Zhang Yang at ease. The final risk had been eliminated.
"Good evening, Chief Sente."
Zhang Yang greeted them politely and with perfect manners, leaving everyone momentarily speechless.
[Hahaha! That's our Kaitō Kid—calm and classy as ever!]
[Oh my god! That gentlemanly charm is impossible not to love!]
[Sente and his team must be totally confused. Kaitō Kid really knows how to put on a show!]
[Isn't he worried about getting caught? What's his plan? I seriously don't get it!]
[Watch out! What if Sente and the others collapse when he snaps again?]
Even Landon was curious about the bizarre situation and couldn't help but walk over.
"Kaitō Kid, what's the meaning of this? Weren't you here to steal the Yongle Encyclopedia?"
Zhang Yang nodded calmly, admitting it without hesitation.
"Mr. Landon, I've already sent you my notice in advance."
"Now, please, lead me to the Yongle Encyclopedia."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yang snapped his fingers again.
Landon's guards dropped to the ground one by one.
Sente and Nakajima, despite their training and strong willpower, wobbled for a few seconds before collapsing as well.
[What the hell? How is Kaitō Kid pulling this off? What kind of magic is this?]
[Holy crap, this looks like hypnosis! Is Kaitō Kid a hypnotist too?]
[Oh my god! This is unbelievable!]
[Hypnosis? When did he set it up? Did he really hypnotize all of them at once?]
[Hypnosis usually takes preparation. He just walked in, didn't he?]
The live chat exploded in shock and confusion, but what happened next stunned them even more.
On-screen, Landon dropped his tablet, his eyes going blank.
Without saying a word, he turned and began walking deeper into the mansion.
Zhang Yang stepped over the collapsed bodies of Sente and the others, following Landon inside.
[Holy crap! This is insane! The hypnosis is real!]
[Landon is really doing whatever Kaitō Kid tells him to. This proves it's hypnosis!]
[I swear, what else is Kaitō Kid hiding from us? This is next-level stuff!]
[Oh shit! When did he even hypnotize them?!]
[To hypnotize this many people at once… has any hypnotist in history ever done that?]
The comments flooded the chat nonstop as the viewers kept debating in disbelief.