Anime, but the Phantom Thieves of Heart

While several people were discussing Lan Ke, Shirou Emiya on the other side also made an appointment with Lan Ke.

Although he had temporarily stopped working because of his sister, he couldn't give up everything immediately.

It's not that he thinks the job of the 'Phantom Thief' is less important than his own 'part-time job', but because he is capable and works seriously. In fact, in recent times, many jobs have been calling him, hoping that he can come back to help as soon as possible.

Shirou Emiya considered that if he "mysteriously disappeared", his colleagues or boss might find him at home. If he and Lan Ke happened to be in the "cognitive world" at that time, it might cause them unexpected trouble and even lead to exposure.

Therefore, Shirou Emiya planned to stop some of the part-time jobs that had just started or where he had average relationships with his boss and colleagues, and then slowly shift his focus to the 'Phantom Thief Work'.

Lan Ke naturally would not refuse this, after all, Shirou Emiya did this for their "Phantom Thief Activities".

What's more, he himself also needs to work.

That's right!

Although Shirou Emiya's family is quite wealthy and he even expressed his willingness to donate part of his assets to support the "Phantom Thief Activities", Lan Ke directly refused.

One reason is that as the 'leader', he also has dignity!

At worst, he can just work to support the Phantom Thieves!

Another reason is that Lan Ke hopes that the "Phantom Thieves" can be more pure and not be involved in other things.

So Lan Ke looked particularly serious when he went to work at the "Dokujima Dojo" today.

Originally, Busujima Saeko was quite helpless when Lan Ke asked for leave on the weekend. After all, in her opinion, Lan Ke had good talent. As long as he studied hard, he would be able to join the "Bukujima Dojo" and obtain the "Menkyo Kaiden" of the dojo sooner or later. By then, he could open a dojo of his own and would not have to worry about wealth at all.

But when looking at Lan Ke, who seemed to be two points stronger than Friday, Busujima Saeko's eyes lit up.

"How did Ming Shangxue do it? What happened in the past two days?"

Busujima Saeko is not a very curious person, but the 'possibility of improving strength' is an exception!

What Busujima Saeko didn't even know at this time was that Lan Ke was actually suppressing her own strength. After all, the two new "personality masks" directly pushed Lan Ke's strength up a lot, which naturally included the panel attributes. In order to prevent his strength from growing too fast and being noticed as abnormal, Lan Ke specially changed his mask before coming to the dojo.

For Lan Ke, Shirou Emiya, and even Saeko Busujima and Shinichi Kudo, their lives have returned to normal.

But for some people today is another 'overtime frenzy'.

After all, Lan Ke had basically not carried out any "stealing of hearts" in the early days because of "intelligence collection" and "preventing alerting the enemy".

But with the heart-stealing of 'Lianren', it seemed as if a strange door was opened. After that, more than 20 consecutive 'heart-stealing cases' instantly brought huge pressure to the police.

Moreover, they also had to face another problem.

"Director White Horse Alert, will the previous news control regarding the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' continue?"

The person in charge of the "Information Monitoring" department within the police was standing in front of the "White Horse Warning Director" with a grim expression.

It was obvious that the recent "two-way blockage" in his life had almost driven him to collapse...

Chapter 2: 'Scraping the Bone to Cure the Poison' (5K)

"Phantom thieves" have become a serious problem that countries around the world have had to face in recent years.

After all, there are only thieves in this world, so there is no reason to guard against thieves all the time.

Even though the "Phantom Thieves" often issue "warning letters", in the final analysis, "the enemy is in the open and we are in the dark". In this unequal situation, it is extremely difficult for the police to catch the "Phantom Thieves".

As for those who were 'caught'?

This kind of "idiot" who has no skills and yet imitates others in sending preview letters is naturally labeled as a "fake".

Those who are eventually given the title of "Phantom Thief" are all top-notch masters, and it is extremely difficult to catch them.

The reason why the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts', a 'newcomer' who just debuted for less than a month, can be directly registered within the police is not only because the thing they 'stole' is very strange - human hearts!

According to the notice left by the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts', they will steal the 'twisted desires' of their targets. As the 'twisted desires' are stolen, the moral standards of these 'targets' will rise rapidly, and under the influence of this rapidly rising moral value, they will choose to surrender themselves.

If he didn't have enough trust in his subordinates and hadn't personally seen the suspect whose heart was stolen, the 'White Horse Warning Director' would definitely think that the person who wrote the report was not in his right mind.

These alone are enough to make people entangled, but what is even more frustrating is that the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts" are involved in another case.

Or rather... in the midst of a scandal.

Because almost everyone's attention was focused on the "shooting of the president of the Zeyue Group," no one noticed that Zeyue Zhi was actually a suspect in the "serial kidnapping case." Behind this seemingly "ordinary kidnapping case" was an extremely large and exaggerated group of victims, and the political and business figures involved in these victims...

Looking at the aggrieved look on his subordinate's face, 'Superintendent Hakuba' really wanted to throw up his hands.

But he knew very well that this incident was like a 'bomb detonator'.

Although everything seems normal when it is not detonated, once it is detonated, it may even cause turmoil in the entire country.

After all, this detonator is connected to more than one bomb!

He didn't intend to pay dividends to these people, but it would take enough time to deal with them.

He had no guarantee that the detonators would not explode while he was cleaning up these 'bombs'.

That's why he had his subordinates block the news related to the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' to minimize the impact in case of any accidents, while at the same time he had other subordinates work hard to collect evidence for the arrest.

However, as the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' committed crimes again and again, especially this time involving more than one congressman and wealthy businessman, 'Superintendent Hakuba' gradually realized that things might be more complicated than he had imagined.

This country has long been riddled with holes. Even if the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' did not press the 'detonator', the shock generated by detonating these bombs one by one would be shocking enough.

What is more crucial is that with the release of "advance letters" again and again.

Even if it is blocked on the Internet and traditional media, it is still almost uncontrollable.

After all, this is no longer the era where information can be arbitrarily controlled.

As for increasing efforts, such as directly arresting those who post messages on the Internet?

He is just old, not confused. This behavior, which is like pouring oil on the fire, is simply seeking death. After all, even if it is really possible to control the people in the country, what about the "enthusiastic netizens" abroad?

If things get out of hand, wouldn't it be like detonating the bomb prematurely?

At present, making it something like an 'urban legend' is already the limit of the police's ability!

Thinking of this, the eyes of the 'White Horse Superintendent', which had originally been lazy due to age, gradually became sharper.

Since it is impossible to prevent the 'bomb' from being detonated, at least let them decide when and where the 'bomb' will be detonated!

Thinking of this, he looked at his subordinates.

"The blockade has been tightened recently, and we, along with the newspapers and TV stations, are reiterating our demands..."

Although the 'Superintendent of Police Hakuba' looked even more oppressive than usual, the officer still had to bite the bullet and interrupt him, because he... couldn't do it!!

If you fail to complete the task now, at most you will be transferred to another position to retire, but if you agree to it and fail to complete it, you may be able to retire early.

"But now that spontaneous video uploading by the public is becoming more and more common, we can't really completely block this matter, or in other words, we can no longer prevent the spread of the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' among the public."

After saying this, the man breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously. After all, he had wanted to say this for a long time.

"Phantom Thief" is already a hot topic in Japan, and with it also involving the murder of the president of a large conglomerate, how can this popularity be suppressed so easily?

He didn't know that the 'White Horse Police Chief' was actually as conflicted as he was, but he was the first to make it clear.

Now that he had said it, he had given up and would just wait for the verdict from the 'White Horse Police Chief'.

But to his surprise, the 'White Horse Police Chief' did not seem angry, but just shook his head.

"I know this is very difficult, but you must at least suppress the topic of the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' for half a month. Half a month! Can you do it?"

It was obvious that the 'White Horse Police Chief' no longer intended to help those bastards conceal the news. He planned to talk to people from several political parties and ask them whether they planned to 'abandon the car to save the driver' or say goodbye to their votes.

Facing the unusually sharp gaze of 'Superintendent Hakuba', the man finally gritted his teeth and nodded.

Anyway, half a month... should be fine, right?

Watching his subordinates leave, 'Superintendent Hakuba' rubbed his brows helplessly.

True, he didn't deny the full power and status of the 'Warning Director', but the pressure it brought was beyond the imagination of most people. He was only fifty years old, but he looked almost sixty...

Thinking of this, he felt even more unhappy, and decided to teach those 'scum' who caused his hair to fall out a lesson!

Thinking of this, he picked up the phone on the desk again.

"Connect me to 'Director of the Imperial Sword Procuratorate'."

Maybe the 'White Horse Superintendent' always has a smiling face and seems harmless, but facts have proven that the person who can sit in the position of 'Warning Superintendent' is definitely decisive.

Since I'm going to take action, I won't show any mercy.

First, conduct an investigation based on the list to identify the evidence of guilt of those "scum"; then contact the "superiors" of those "scum" and have a good talk with them to make them lose the support of the party; during this period, communicate well with the "Prosecutor's Office" in order to make the final decision and nail these people to the pillar of shame!

This way, even if the Phantom Thieves of Hearts expose this matter later, they can minimize the impact!

The 'Superintendent of White Horse', with his hands folded in front of his mouth, was filled with a strange sense of oppression.

Just as the top police officers were ready to "scrape the bone to cure the poison", the people who were actually in charge were also under great pressure.

"Inspector Higashigata, you're the only officer in our police force who has come into contact with all the members of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. What are your thoughts on them?"

Outside the interrogation room, Ginzo Nakamori was watching the interrogation through the one-way glass while talking to Josuke Higashikata beside him.

"Inspector Nakamori, I think it's more appropriate to call them 'known members,' but... my opinions are probably... contradictory, right?"

The person sitting in the interrogation room was 'Z'. It took a lot of effort to get him over this time. After all, generally speaking, Japan has a 'territorial responsibility system'. 'Z' or 'Z's' family basically committed crimes in Hokkaido, so in theory they should stay in Hokkaido.

But Nakamori Ginzo forcibly snatched it away by using the title of 'Warning Director', which put him under considerable pressure.

After all, his pressure does not come from his superiors, but from himself.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have pulled Josuke Higashikata and the others into the interrogation room to chat as soon as they returned.

But he didn't expect that Josuke Higashikata would give such an evaluation.

"contradiction?"

"That's right!"

Higashikata Josuke gave an affirmative answer and changed his posture.

In fact, ever since he returned to Tokyo and handed over the escort mission of Z to other colleagues, he couldn't help but start thinking about the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

Regarding the method of 'stealing hearts', Josuke Higashikata felt that it would be impossible to confirm it before collecting enough information. After all, the 'Doctor' of the Phantom Thieves had been alone with 'Z' for a period of time. Who knew what happened during that time?

In this case, let's analyze it based on the two "Phantom Thieves" who have already appeared.

As Josuke Higashikata said this, he took out his notebook and placed it in front of Ginzo Nakamori.

"Although we still can't confirm the specific situation of the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts', we can gather some information. For example, the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' do have a 'leader,' and that 'leader' is none other than the 'Doctor.' He also holds a very high reputation within the Phantom Thieves. After all, when the 'Rider' was beating up 'Z,' he once said, 'If it weren't for the leader's orders,' which means he has full command authority."

"But at the same time, the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' are quite different from the previous 'Cat's Eyes'. Although they act towards the same goal, their methods of operation are very different..."

After all, compared to the mystery of the 'Doctor', the words and actions of the 'Rider' were really too outrageous.

Whether it's the motorcycle he's riding, or the act of "beating someone up because he's unhappy."

"Personally, I think the 'Doctor' should be a more mature adult, while the 'Rider' should be a younger person."

"And based on that 'Rider's' performance, I think the code names of the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts' members are probably related to their individual abilities. For example, that 'Rider' is clearly quite skilled at riding a motorcycle, and he even led the 'Doctor' to the evacuation. I think he's primarily serving as the 'pilot' within the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'"

"After all, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts originally operated in Tokyo. Apparently, they were able to track down 'Z' through the case of 'Ren Ren', and that's why they tracked them all the way to Hokkaido."

"Based on the distance between Tokyo and Hokkaido, if you drive at full speed, it will take about..."

While pointing at the formula in the notebook, Josuke Higashikata turned to the page with the conclusion.

"So, I think we can check the vehicles that left 'Tokyo' during this period, and the vehicles that arrived in 'Hokkaido' during this period."

"So is it possible that the Phantom Thieves of Hearts use public transportation?"

Ginzo Nakamori initially just made routine inquiries, but he didn't expect Josuke Higashikata to give so much information.

"It would be great if I could get it from Megure~"

It's a pity that Josuke Higashikata didn't know how much his direct superior appreciated him. He just carried out the report meticulously.

"I can't rule out this possibility, but I think it's less likely. After all, the motorcycle driven by the last 'Rider' was obviously specially modified."

"I asked relevant experts, and they said that theoretically it's not possible to drive a motorcycle up a wall, but it would be best to use specially customized special tires and a powerful enough engine!"

"So it's unlikely that they prepared such a special motorcycle specifically in Hokkaido. It's more likely that it was transported from 'Tokyo' to Hokkaido!"

"Based on these clues, I believe they either drove the motorcycle to Hokkaido or drove it directly to Hokkaido. However, the latter case would have been disguised, so I personally recommend a thorough inspection of the vehicle."

After listening to Josuke Higashikata's analysis, Ginzo Nakamori nodded seriously.

It was obvious that he fully agreed with Higashikata Josuke's reasoning.

At the same time, I felt a little surprised that the other party could deduce so many things based on just one word "motorcycle"!

But these were not the only surprises that Higashikata Josuke brought him.