Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
No one knew who started it, but suddenly, applause erupted, followed by thunderous clapping across the rooftop.
Though the crowd knew it might not be the most appropriate moment, Chen Feng’s mesmerizing sleight of hand had left them in awe.
The roaring applause only darkened the expressions of the pursuit team on the scene.
Especially their captain, Lin Chuanxiong—his already dark face turned as black as a burnt pot.
With over twenty years as a detective, he had captured at least eighty criminals, if not a hundred. Yet this was the first time someone had dared to mock him so openly.
And worst of all—it was all being broadcast live!
Xixi, the show’s host, quickly picked up on the tense atmosphere. Smoothly adjusting her expression, she turned toward the camera.
"It seems our pursuit team’s first operation didn’t go as smoothly as expected. But this doesn’t mean anything—the chase is still on! Let’s wait and see what happens next."
With a playful wink to the live audience, she exchanged a glance with Lin Chuanxiong before leading the cameraman away.
With Chen Feng gone, there was no reason for the pursuit team to stay. Under Lin Chuanxiong’s orders, most of them withdrew, leaving only two behind to handle the aftermath.
Once the crowd dispersed, the lively rooftop party lost its spark. One by one, the guests left, until only Zhou Wanning remained, standing frozen in place.
She lifted her left hand, clutching a small square card. On it were the words Chen Feng had left for her:
"I hope this beautiful night hasn’t left you with unpleasant memories.
—Kaito Kid."
"Kaito Kid? Chen Feng?"
Zhou Wanning murmured to herself before slowly raising her gaze toward the direction Chen Feng had vanished, lost in thought.
……
"What do you mean Chen Feng is missing?!"
At the headquarters of Thief Game’s production team in China’s District 3, Director Wu was in a rage.
"There are only ten contestants, and the show hasn’t even been on for two hours! Are you telling me one of them just disappeared into thin air? Or are you all just useless?! With all the surveillance, you can’t even keep track of one man?!"
"He… might actually know how to disappear into thin air…"
A staff member muttered weakly, but one glare from Director Wu shut him up immediately.
Click-clack!
The sound of high heels echoed as the door to the control room swung open. Xixi walked in.
Taking in Director Wu’s furious expression and the cowering staff, she paused. Then, noticing the live feed of Chen Feng’s channel—still stuck on the rooftop with no sign of him—she understood.
With a smile, she approached. "Director Wu, why so angry? It’s just one missing contestant—no big deal."
Director Wu shot her a look. "Easy for you to say! How do we explain this to the audience?"
Xixi chuckled. "Director, you’re overthinking it. Our show is about crime awareness—real-life criminals don’t exactly announce their moves, do they? Chen Feng’s sudden disappearance just adds to the realism! I say we announce it publicly. It’ll make the show more exciting."
Director Wu stared at her in silence before finally sighing. "Fine… I guess we have no choice."
Once the announcement went out, the already buzzworthy Thief Game became an instant media sensation.
Opportunistic netizens quickly clipped Chen Feng’s vanishing act and uploaded it to platforms like Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili, where it exploded in popularity.
[Shocking! Contestant from District 3 of the globally produced Thief Game disappears on the first day of filming!]
[Chen Feng vanishes in plain sight—magic or sorcery? Stay tuned for updates!]
[Unbelievable! Contestant from District 3 pulls off the impossible on Day 1!]
The internet spread the news at lightning speed, fueling public curiosity.
"Disappearing in a flurry of white doves—is this magic? When did humans evolve like this? Why wasn’t I informed?"
"A real-life vanishing act! How come no one in the magic world has heard of this guy before?"
"Am I the only one noticing his outfit? White suit, white pants, and a white top hat—this dude’s got style!"
"Chen Feng, you’re so hot! I want to have your babies!!!"
……
At a café in City H, a slightly disguised Chen Feng sipped his coffee leisurely.
Unaware of the online frenzy he’d caused—not that he’d care much even if he knew—he simply enjoyed the moment.
[Ding! Mission 1: Escape pursuit under public scrutiny—completed.
System calculating rewards…]
[Rating: Excellent!
Rewards: Kaito Kid card fusion +5%, System Points x500]
[Kaito Kid card fusion reaches 20%: Reward unlocked—Voice Mimicry (Beginner)!]
[Mission 2: Increase live stream viewership to 100,000—in progress.
Current viewership: 80,000+
Reward: Ability Upgrade Card x1]
Every 10% increase in card fusion unlocked a new skill. At 10%, he’d received Beginner Disguise. Now, it was Voice Mimicry—two of Kaito Kid’s most essential abilities.
Chen Feng was more than satisfied.
But the viewership for Mission 2…
Already over 80,000, even with fluctuations. And this was after he’d ditched the live stream.
If he reappeared soon, hitting 100,000 would be a breeze.
As for why he’d shaken off the live feed?
Kaito Kid was a phantom—always appearing and disappearing at will.
No one, not even a live stream, could keep up with him.
Nearby, two young waitresses at the café counter giggled, their cheeks slightly flushed as they stole glances at him.
Noticing his empty cup, the younger one mustered her courage and approached.
"U-um, sir… would you like a refill? O-on the house…"
Chen Feng smiled warmly. "That would be lovely. Thank you."
"N-no problem!"
Blushing harder, she hurried off with his cup.
Unfazed, Chen Feng turned his attention to the café’s TV, where the news played.
"Recently, Lorqing Country in Western Europe announced that, in celebration of its 100th anniversary and the world’s hard-won peace, it will host a global cultural exhibition—the first in ten years."
"This exhibition is funded by the royal family of Lorqing Country, with its first stop being our very own City H."
"Among the dazzling array of exhibits, the most eye-catching is the necklace known as the 'Heart of the Ocean,' famed as the world's largest blue sapphire. Crafted by over a dozen master artisans, it was once worn by..."
"An antique exhibition?" Chen Feng's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Gems and phantom thieves—always a perfect match, don't you think?"
...
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
