So much had happened in just half a month. There was even a second person who had crossed over. Liu A'dou thought to himself, this world really is insane.
At the same time, he agreed to Ada Wong's request to steal the virus. The virus had been bought by a collector. Villagers who found the vial that had fallen from the sky mistook it for some alien artifact and sold it at a high price to a gullible rich guy.
"The virus is in Gotham City?" Liu A'dou couldn't help but wonder, could things really be this coincidental?
Of course they could. That's why they say life's stranger than fiction.
Ada pulled out a newspaper and pointed at a photo. "This is it. This is the modified G-virus raw solution. That single vial of blue liquid is enough to turn all of Gotham into a graveyard."
Sure enough, in this world, you could find anything in a newspaper. "I know this rich guy. No problem, it's been a while since I've had a job anyway. So, are you willing to be my assistant and help me with this mission?"
Ada had no reason to refuse, and just like that, a temporary thief duo was formed. Their target: the zombie virus.
Since the plan was set, there was no time to waste. The longer the virus was out there, the more dangerous it became. Liu A'dou decided to hit the rich guy's house that very day.
According to the paper, the rich guy considered the vial to be a liquid gemstone and was planning to exhibit it in two days. That meant it was most likely still in his home for now, because people usually like to admire their treasures in private before showing them off.
As a thief, he never went into a job without being sure. He had to confirm the target's location first. But rich guys don't just show off their treasures to strangers, so Liu A'dou had to come up with a plan.
He got to work right away. His plan was to impersonate Bruce Wayne. He remembered seeing this rich guy at Bruce's party before, and they'd even chatted a bit. They seemed to get along.
"Bruce?" As someone who hadn't been in this world as long as Liu A'dou, Ada didn't know much about Bruce, other than that he was a playboy. The gossip about him in the papers never stopped. "You know the playboy?"
"Met him a few times," Liu A'dou replied. The Bruce Wayne mask he'd used before was about to come in handy again.
Being a pro thief, Liu A'dou had great hands-on skills. After getting his costume and mask ready, he started making a fake virus vial.
"You're going to switch them?"
"Exactly. I'll pose as Bruce, trick the guy into showing me the virus, then swap it for the fake one. It's a perfect plan."
It sounded pretty solid, and Ada thought, this is exactly what a thief would come up with. "So what do you need me to do?"
"You'll drive and wait outside for me. If anything goes wrong, you'll back me up. I trust your skills—you'll know what to do."
Ada felt a flicker of doubt. It wasn't strange that he knew her name—she knew his too. And it wasn't strange that he knew she was a spy. But he'd never seen her in action. Where did this trust come from? It was like he already knew everything about her.
"You seem to know me pretty well." Ada rested her pale hand on the table, leaning forward into Liu A'dou's line of sight.
That slender waist looked like it could snap at any moment, making Liu A'dou's heart skip a beat. Compared to Iselin's allure, Ada's beauty felt more natural, more effortless.
But the way she looked at him now left Liu A'dou unsure how to respond. Was he supposed to tell her he knew her from a video game? That would hurt. So he quickly shoved the blame onto Pandora. "Pandora told me everything about you, so, you know."
This feeling of having no secrets wasn't great, but Ada had already decided to start fresh in this new world, so she let it go. "You've got some skill," she said, admiring the fake virus vial that looked almost real.
"No big deal," Liu A'dou said modestly, though inside he was pretty pleased with himself. "With this, tonight's plan is foolproof." Being praised by a beautiful woman definitely had him feeling a little smug.
Ada swayed her hips as she stood straight, walking over to Kaitou Kid's signature white outfit. The Moonlight Magician, the Gentleman Thief—who would've thought that behind the mask was just a seventeen or eighteen-year-old kid? Ada didn't have much of an opinion on Liu A'dou. Based on what she'd learned so far, he definitely wasn't a bad guy—just a capable, mischievous kid who liked to stir things up.
"So, what do you think of my uniform?" Liu A'dou asked, finally done with preparations. Tonight, everything was on schedule.
"It's hard to believe someone would actually run around at night in a cape," Ada said honestly.
Liu A'dou thought, people with capes in this world were all pretty powerful. "You really should watch more news. This world isn't like yours. We may not have zombies, but we've got aliens, interdimensional monsters, demons from underground, magicians, mad scientists… way scarier stuff than zombies."
"You're trying to say wearing a cape isn't weird in this world?" Ada smirked, holding back a laugh as she looked at Liu A'dou. She didn't know much about this world yet, but one thing was clear—Liu A'dou was definitely weird. "This world seems way more interesting than mine. At least it's not just gross zombies and parasites, or disgusting cults. I think I might actually like a world full of freaks."
"Hey, hey, not freaks—superheroes! You should really learn about how great they are. Their stories inspire tons of ordinary people. They use their powers to protect Earth and humanity from alien invasions. They're not freaks at all."
"Sounds like you're a big fan of superheroes. But why didn't you become one yourself? Why choose to be a thief instead?" Ada asked curiously.
Liu A'dou grinned, showing his teeth. "Because I'm not as noble and selfless as them. At best, I can be a thief. Superheroes have too much pressure. If they screw up, everyone blames them. Totally thankless job. Being a phantom thief's way easier. Show off a bit now and then, and people love it. Being a thief is way more chill."
"Fair enough," Ada nodded. She could see the logic in that.
"Alright, now we should go over the details for tonight's operation. I'll handle the main part, you stay outside for backup. We'll keep in touch via radio."
"No problem."
But before the mission, they still needed a car. Liu A'dou knew exactly where to get one. Most of the smuggled cars in the city were gathered in one place—anything you wanted could be found there. All he needed to do was steal one.
"This is Gotham City's most notorious black market. If you've got money, you can buy anything here. It also has the biggest smuggled car market. But those cars are well hidden. Normally, the only way to get one is to pay."
"But you know where they're hidden, don't you?" Ada had only known Liu A'dou for a few hours, but she already saw right through him. She couldn't understand how he'd managed to keep his identity as Kaitou Kid a secret.
"Ada-jie, you really get me." Liu A'dou shamelessly started calling her "sister." Of course, calling her "jie" made him seem a bit like he was playing younger than he was, since in reality, he and Ada were probably about the same age. But if you went by the age difference when he'd played her game, he could've called her "auntie" and it wouldn't have been wrong. Luckily, this wasn't a game, so Ada was probably around twenty-four, and Liu A'dou figured himself to be about eighteen. Calling her "jie" worked just fine.