Who was targeting him? Liu A'dou had no clue. Could it be a competitor from Toyland? That didn't make sense. It was just the toy market, after all. The market was massive, and all he'd developed were two products—Transformers and lightsabers. Compared to the big players, he was still crawling like a baby.
Maybe it was some extremist group who'd seen his movies and decided to frame him? Liu A'dou really couldn't figure it out, so he decided to wait and see.
But still—after being locked up in the holding room, no one had come to interrogate him. He wasn't allowed to call a lawyer either. What the hell was going on? And what was with that damn flashing light outside the window? It wasn't like he needed mood lighting in jail. He'd been framed, dammit!
The whole thing reeked of something shady. Way too unusual.
Whatever, sleep. Liu A'dou wasn't the type to overthink. He didn't believe the person trying to set him up could stay in the shadows forever. When he woke up, it was already the middle of the night. Same place. That flashing light outside was still going strong.
It was starting to get on his nerves. He wanted to smash it.
Wait. Liu A'dou took a breath. The flashes… were strange. There was a pattern. How did he not notice it before falling asleep? Long and short blinks. It was Morse code.
…Liu A'dou froze. Then he started translating.
"I. Know. Who. You. Are!" he decoded from the flashing light. A prank?
But then, the pattern changed again. The light blinked another message.
"I. Am. Disappointed." Liu A'dou translated again, frowning. 'Who the hell is this?' "You. Actually. Took. This. Long. To. Notice. The. Message. I. Am. Very. Disappointed."
Whoever it was, they were definitely watching him. Liu A'dou immediately looked up at the cell's surveillance camera. "You can see me?"
The flashing replied: "Of course!"
"Who are you?!" Liu A'dou asked.
"I'm like you. I know this world is fake," the flashing answered in Morse.
A transmigrator? That was Liu A'dou's first thought. "You're the one who framed me?"
"That's right. I need you to find me."
"I don't have time to play games."
Then the light repeated its first message: "I know who you are!"
"...?" Was that really so important it had to be said twice?
But just as Liu A'dou was clicking his tongue, a new signal flashed: "Kaitou Kid!"
Now Liu A'dou was genuinely shocked. His identity had been exposed? Sure enough, this world of superheroes was full of hidden dangers. But who was this person, and what did they want? Were they really a transmigrator?
For the first time, Kid was caught in a web of mystery—and completely on the defensive.
Another flash came just before Liu A'dou heard the sound of metal smashing outside the window. Something was coming.
Boom!
Liu A'dou had braced himself just in time. A crane from the opposite side had smashed straight through the cell wall. An escape route?
He let out a low chuckle. Interesting. This was the first real trouble he'd faced since transmigrating. This kind of hostility, coming out of nowhere, really did feel like how villains operated in this world.
Fine, I'll play your game. Hearing police footsteps approaching, Liu A'dou didn't hesitate. He jumped out through the hole.
'You'd better hope I never find you,' Liu A'dou thought.
The last message from the flashing light had told him to check the Thief Network. The person had left something there.
Where black and white blur, where origins begin, I've hidden the card in the space between shadow and light—To Kaitou Kid.
The Thief Network exploded. It had been a whole year since Kaitou Kid last appeared. Most people had nearly forgotten him. And now, someone had issued a challenge?
Fans of the Thief were fired up. Would Kid respond?
This was the second bold challenger since the Four Horsemen. Would Kid take the bait?
Of course he'd take the challenge. This wasn't just some casual dare—it was a blatant trap. Liu A'dou wasn't afraid, but seriously, why did the invitation have to be so hard to decode?
Time to switch back into detective mode. Liu A'dou figured "place of origin" probably meant Gotham City. It really was the place where the lines between black and white blurred. In Gotham, good could turn bad, and bad could get even worse. That part made sense. The real question was—what did "between light and shadow" mean?
Meanwhile, Neo was still in his tiny room, where he could control any online system or device in all of America. Even military missiles were just a few clicks away. "Kid, let's see how you go up against the entire country."
He tapped a few keys, and just like that, Liu A'dou became a nationally wanted terrorist. Of course, this particular warrant was only visible to frontline FBI agents. Neo had thoroughly researched Liu A'dou. He knew Liu A'dou's wife was the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He knew Kid was part of the Justice League. That's why he carefully made sure none of Kid's allies would catch wind of the bounty—at least not right away.
As for Liu A'dou asking for help? Neo wasn't worried in the slightest. He believed when it came to stealing things, Liu A'dou would never back down.
Neo was sure Liu A'dou would go alone to the designated place. The only question was when. "Don't let me down again." This was a head-to-head battle between him and Kaitou Kid.
Liu A'dou didn't disappoint him. Just a few hours later, a notice appeared on the official site. It was a calling card from the Thief himself:
"The challenge has been received. At dawn the day after tomorrow, I will steal the Stranger's business card from the rooftop of the World Trade Building in Gotham City — Kaitou Kid."
After a full year, Kaitou Kid was finally back in the spotlight. And in Gotham, no less. The thief's fans in the city were absolutely thrilled.
"I knew 'place of origin' meant Gotham! It's where Kaitou Kid first showed up!"
"Pfft, yeah right. Where were you when everyone else was decoding? But why the World Trade Building rooftop?"
Some of the fans were clever and broke it down: "I didn't get it at first either. But after seeing the calling card, it made sense. Combine the clue from the challenge—'between light and shadow'—with the card's 'at dawn,' and there's your answer. Think about it—when the sun rises, the first light hits the tallest building. At that moment, the city is still in shadow, but the rooftop is bathed in sunlight. That's what 'between light and shadow' means."
"Ohh, that makes so much sense. Kid is brilliant! He even figured out that riddle!" The praise was endless.
"The World Trade Building just finished construction last month. It's now taller and more advanced than Wayne Tower. Looks like Kid's been keeping an eye on Gotham. I'm touched."
"And this time, his opponent's no joke either. Gotham is full of hidden talents. This showdown's gonna be wild!"
Wild, indeed. Liu A'dou was on the back foot now. But he would treat every mission like his best one ever. He wouldn't let his fans down.
Neo's goal was just as clear: force Kid to reveal his true self. He believed that Kid's true identity wasn't human—but a program bug from another world. Somehow, he'd gotten a wildly wrong idea about Liu A'dou.