Phantom Thief Luming, Make Your Appearance!

Dark environments often breed evil.

But beneath the glittering Sky Dome City lurks a dark underbelly. The greedy exploit loopholes in the law, the lustful indulge in debauchery, and where there is evil, there is...

"We, the police, will come and arrest those criminals!"

In a classroom at Sky Dome City's No. 1 High School, a rookie police officer was giving a legal education lecture to the students. He coughed a few times sternly, "Students, the long arm of the law will eventually catch you all. I don't want any of you to end up in handcuffs someday!"

His name is Casey, a newly appointed police officer in Sky Dome City Police Department. He has a strong sense of justice, and the passion in his heart has not been extinguished by the cold world.

The men and women in the audience were buzzing with discussion:

Are the police really useful?

"Exactly, they call it justice, that justice will never be absent, only delayed. Can justice that is delayed be called justice?"

"Don't say that. The police officers work really hard, especially those anti-drug heroes who are willing to remain anonymous..."

"Damn it, I hate them the most! It's all because of those damned bastards who ruined my drug lord brothers..."

Smack!

The white-haired girl sitting in the last row of the classroom suddenly stepped forward and slapped the unknown creature, who looked like an Earth woman and was engrossed in some disgusting novel, across the face. The crisp sound echoed in the classroom, reflecting the astonished expressions of everyone.

After slapping her, the girl quickly sat back down in her seat and raised her hand, "Police officer, I want to report this!"

"Well done... Ahem, classmates should value harmony, and gentlemen use words, not fists. Do you have anything to report?"

The girl blinked her heterochromatic red and blue eyes. "I just found a suspect who might be an accomplice in drug trafficking. Can we arrest her and detain her for a few days?"

"Uh..." Casey scratched his smooth, short white hair helplessly. "This joke isn't funny..."

The unknown creature that had been beaten glared fiercely at the innocent-looking girl, daring not to speak out. Don't underestimate this new transfer student just because she has no background. Anyone who dares to provoke her will not have a good ending, and there are quite a few of them who have backgrounds even more powerful than hers.

"Ahem, the student who hit someone, come out with me for a moment. I need to give you a lecture."

"Okay, officer~♪"

"It's a police officer, I'm not that old..."

"Okay, officer, no problem, officer~♪"

"You did this on purpose, didn't you..."

—Kane Luming—

"Oh dear, I should have hit him a few more times. I hate those shameless scumbags the most!" After leading the girl to a secluded corner, Casey finally let go and launched into a long, rambling lecture on her moral lessons.

"...(ten thousand words omitted here) In short, hitting someone is wrong. Also, when reporting a case to the police station, you must follow the procedures. Are you listening, classmate?"

"Z~Z~Z..." The girl almost fell asleep standing up, until Casey shook her shoulder and she was suddenly awakened from her dream. She yawned boredly, "Ha~ Is there anything else you want to say, officer? I have something to do tonight."

"Ah, nothing else, go back now. Remember to get along well with your classmates."

Casey watched the girl walk back to her classroom. Recalling her behavior, he couldn't help but think of himself when he applied to the police academy. If there were more young people with such positive values as her, society wouldn't be so chaotic, right?

From an angle unseen by the rookie police officer, a subtle smile curved the corners of Beth Eliza's lips. "Heh, I didn't expect there to be such a silly young man among the police. But I quite like him. He was wrong about one thing just now: Where there is evil, there is—"

"A phantom thief who walks among sin."

Beth pulled a playing card from her pocket; the back of the card had a cute portrait printed on it. She tossed the card into the air, and the chibi-style portrait of a girl wearing a top hat and a monocle filled the entire screen. The opening sequence began—

Skip the OP —

The Rise of Phantom Thief Luming, Episode 1: The Sin Beneath the Jewels

(The scene here shows a letter with that chibi-style design printed on it, placed on the curator's desk.)

Inside Sky Dome City's largest gem museum, the curator has been looking worried these past few days because the museum received a peculiar pre-announcement letter, the contents of which are as follows:

O you who remain obstinate in the mire, I will arrive here at eight o'clock in the evening three days from now. Offer me your treasures, gleaming in the light. If, when I come, I find not the treasures I desire, I will punish your sins.

—Phantom Thief Luming

At first glance, it seems like just a joking threatening letter. But the problem is, the curator found the letter in his wife's underwear while they were making a baby in bed, which terrified him so much that he immediately called the police.

Um, in this situation, shouldn't you investigate your wife first?

Meanwhile, the museum has been receiving strange letters for the past three days, all with that strange pattern printed on the back and very brief content.

3

2

1

They were found in different locations. The first letter was found on the notice board at the entrance on the night the notice was sent, when the cleaning staff were preparing to clean the building. The second letter was found on the door of a police car the day after the notice was received, when the police came to investigate the scene. The third letter was found in front of the house of the veteran police officer who handled the case on the third day when he was driving home.

"That's outrageous!!!"

Veteran police officer Mori Nakamori angrily knocked over an ashtray. "Regardless of whether this Phantom Thief Luming is joking or not, just for the courage she has to play pranks on the police, I'm going to lock her up in the detention center for a few days of education!"

After venting his anger, Officer Nakamori calmed himself down. Tonight was the night for the Phantom Thief Luming's teasing.

The phantom thief is a mysterious profession. He walks in the shadows, stealing the treasures he desires with dazzling skills, manipulating detectives and police at will, a character who is both righteous and evil.

However, in modern times, the profession of phantom thief has gradually become neglected.

In this technologically advanced and law-abiding era, not to mention the increasing difficulty of theft, the entry requirements for becoming a master thief have also risen rapidly. What was once simply required the ability to scale walls and roofs now demands expertise in hacking, exceptional physical fitness, the ability to crack various modern technological locks, and more...

Damn it, if I knew so many skills, why would I be a phantom thief? Wouldn't it be better to just find a proper job? Why risk my life for work?

Officer Nakamori took a deep breath and tucked his pistol into his waistband; he wouldn't fire unless absolutely necessary.

"Hey, how's the security at the museum?" he asked his subordinate.

"The Infrared Security Net is operating normally, the cameras provide 360-degree coverage, and the combat robots are ready to take position..."

"Stop! Call more people over. If the other side is a skilled hacker, those junk won't be of any use. Alright, let's go."

Officer Nakamori opened the door of the hovercar, got in, and suddenly felt a pain in his buttocks. He moved his buttocks aside and saw a familiar letter:

0.1, are you ready? Luming is coming~♪

"That's fucking arrogant!!!"

Officer Nakamori's roar startled Casey, who was getting into the car with his seniors. "What's wrong, Boss Nakamori?"

"You'll get used to it; he's a bit irritable."

—The Phantom Thief Luming is coming!♪—

Inside the heavily guarded museum, police officers stood watch at every entrance, their attention focused and not daring to relax for a moment.

In stark contrast to his seasoned seniors who were on high alert, Casey yawned casually, looking boredly at the empty back door. "It's not even eight o'clock yet, why are you all so nervous? Let's see if you'll still have the energy to catch her when she actually arrives."

His senior colleague, exasperated, gave him a sharp rap on the head. "Idiot, what if that phantom thief had arrived earlier?!"

"What if she oversleeps and comes over late?"

Senior. "..."

This new guy is great in every way, except he's a little slow on the uptake. Oh well, I'll have to be nicer to him in the future.

VIP Exhibition Area, Officer Nakamori is further verifying information with the museum director.

"19:45, only 15 minutes until the scheduled time, Director, is there anything unusual about the security system?"

"Please rest assured, our security system was built by world-class designers. Even if she brings in an army, it won't be breached in a short time! As for hacking? Ha, if she can break through this Firewall Program written by Shenzhou's top white-hat hackers, then I'll admit defeat!"

Seeing the museum director's confident demeanor, Officer Nakamori still felt uneasy and asked again, "To confirm again, has anything similar happened at your museum before?"

"No, in the twenty years since our store opened, not a single item has ever been stolen, let alone stolen."

"So what do you think this Phantom Thief Luming might be targeting?"

The curator pondered, "It's hard to say. I suspect she might be after the museum's Museum's Priceless Treasure — the Beloyar Grand Diamond! It's a one-of-a-kind treasure, invaluable beyond measure. It's highly likely she's after that."

"Where... where is the diamond now?" Officer Nakamori asked hurriedly.

The curator waved his hand. "This is the password, and I cannot disclose it. However, please rest assured that it is stored in a very secure place outside of exhibition periods, and no one except the curator knows it."

"I understand. Please rest assured that we will protect all of your museum's collections."

Officer Nakamori left the office to give his subordinates final instructions. After he left, the curator slumped into his chair, muttering repeatedly, "Oh dear, please don't lose them. There are a few things I really like; even I can't bear to part with them..."

The hands of the clock ticked forward, gradually bringing us to the agreed-upon time.

Bored, Casey started chatting with his senior. "Senior, is this Phantom Thief Luming really a woman?"

10

"Judging from the name, it should be. Don't speak, it's almost time!"

7

"Well, it's hard to say. Many boys use female usernames. Phantom Thief Luming might be a middle-aged man with a girlish heart."

3

"I do hope it will be a beautiful lady, but the thought of putting such a beautiful lady in handcuffs is really a bit..."

"0~♪"

Just as the senior was about to punch Casey, unable to bear his incessant chatter any longer, a playful and cute voice rang out through the gym's loudspeakers, drawing everyone's attention, including the lazy Casey.

"Let me see if you've presented the treasure I asked for as promised. Hmph, gems look best in the dark, don't they? ~♪"

A delicate, fair hand snapped its fingers, and the museum's power system instantly went down, without even time to switch to backup power.

As the lights dimmed, everyone was alarmed. The police officers quickly took out their flashlights, and the white light illuminated the pitch-black museum.

As Casey and his senior stood ready, a strange noise came from a nearby display case. They exchanged a glance; Casey stayed where he was, while his senior cautiously went forward to investigate.

While Casey was staring at his senior, the girl in the black cloak sneaked in through the back door. Her small feet in leather boots made no sound as they stepped on the floor, which showed how extraordinary she was.

Suddenly, Casey's nose twitched a few times, and he quickly turned around and shone his flashlight behind him. "Who?!"

Hearing the commotion, the senior colleague quickly came over to him. "What's wrong?"

"I just smelled a wonderful fragrance, someone must be here! And a very beautiful young lady at that!"

The senior and the phantom thief clinging to the ceiling were speechless. What kind of skill is that? Is it a dog's nose?

"Up there!" Casey sniffed again and shone his flashlight on the ceiling, but still couldn't see anyone.

"Are you under too much pressure and have lost your mind?" The senior patted him on the shoulder. "Let's just focus on guarding the door."

"That's strange, I really can smell it..."

The phantom thief crawled slowly across the floor. This fool has a pretty keen nose. Luckily, I was quick!

"There she is!" Casey turned around quickly and pounced on the stealthy Miss Thief like a hungry tiger, but missed again.

"Stop being so paranoid and stand guard properly!" The senior officer impatiently dragged him back, and the phantom thief left with lingering fear.

"(I took a special shower before coming here, how did he smell it?)" The phantom thief entered the exhibition area that was usually open to the public, put on a special pair of goggles, and a red beam of light shot out, quickly scanning all the collections.

"Hmm, not here."

Paid Exhibition Area No. 1

Bang! Crack!

With lightning speed, Beth knocked out several patrolling police officers. Feeling guilty, she apologized to the officers in her heart as she stepped over their bodies. She figured they would find out sooner or later anyway, so she didn't want to waste time dragging it to the toilet.

Besides, I'm just a weak woman and I don't have much strength.

"Hmm, not here either. Luming is a little angry~"

Paid Exhibition Area 2

The girl skillfully and nimbly weaved through the patrolling police officers, firing shots at the collection.

"There isn't one either? Luming is angry!"

VIP Exhibition Area —

As Officer Nakamori stood ready, the lights suddenly came on, and a beautiful figure accompanied by a familiar girl's voice rang out in the building, "Sigh, I hope there's something here... Ah, hello, hello, could you please not block my way? I want to steal this and go home to sleep as soon as possible."

Because his eyes were not used to the change from darkness to bright light, Officer Nakamori could only squint and barely observe. The person who came was a bit unexpected; she was actually a little girl dressed in a phantom thief outfit that could be described as gorgeous. Her lower body was a perfect combination of leather boots and black stockings. She wore a hat similar to that worn by magicians during performances, and she also wore a monocle over her left eye.

Strangely, although Officer Nakamori's brain thought she was a very cute girl, he was never able to clearly visualize her face in his mind.

"Consciousness Confusion Device?!" Officer Nakamori was about to draw his pistol to warn her when he suddenly felt a numbness in his body and fell straight down.

The phantom thief walked briskly to his side, knelt down, and poked his chest with her small, white-gloved hand. "Pointing a gun at a lady is very impolite. This is punishment~♪"

After saying that, she winked playfully at the immobilized Officer Nakamori, got up and left. The officer could only watch helplessly as she walked to the display case, placed her hand on the electronic lock, and said, "Sigh, these locks need electricity to open, what a hassle. And the glass here can block the scanning function... Ah, it's open."

The police officers locked outside frantically pounded on the locked door, but the door was so sturdy that it could withstand even rocket-propelled grenades and was not something that could be opened easily.

Inside the door Officer Nakamori glared at the phantom thief who was examining the jewels with some unknown instrument. "You, you're still so young, why are you doing such illegal things?"

"Oh?" The phantom thief glanced at him in surprise, a pleased smile playing on her lips. "I'm having a lucky day, running into two of my favorite bumbling cops. Hehe, you ask why I did this?"

She glanced at the device's screen, shook her head in disappointment, and casually tossed the glittering gem to the ground, smashing it to pieces right in front of Officer Nakamori.

Because I like it~♪

This scene continued. Under Officer Nakamori's pained gaze, the girl opened the display cases one by one, took out all the gems, scanned them, and then shook her head and smashed them violently. In the end, the floor was covered with glittering shards.

The man's numb body trembled slightly. "Are you satisfied now?!"

"Waaah..." To Officer Nakamori's surprise, the phantom thief covered her face and burst into tears. "Why didn't I get a single treasure I wanted?! I'm so angry, the consequences will be extremely serious!!!"

Miss Phantom Thief feigned wiping her tearless face and walked towards the final area. She stopped in front of the closed door, snapped her fingers impatiently, and the door opened.

"She... she really breached the museum's firewall?" Officer Nakamori was dumbfounded. "Director, did you hire a fake Bai Ke?"

Inside the office, the curator, through the gradually recovering surveillance system, took in all of the phantom thief's actions. "What is this girl trying to do? Could she have found out...?"

"Found it!"

The girl's excited voice came from the doorway. Before the curator could react, the phantom thief kicked open the alloy door, easily subdued the curator, and trampled his obese body under her feet.

"Hmm, someone like you stepping on me is just dirtying my shoes." The phantom thief disdainfully rubbed the sole of her shoe against his face. "Hey, where did you put the safe? Tell me now!"

"You, you can't find out!" The curator refused to yield, even at the cost of his life.

"Oh, I see." The phantom thief removed her boot from his face, kicked it aside, and scratched her head with interest. "Well then, it's late, let's go home and sleep. But before that—"

She glanced at the curator, who was trembling and clutching his genitals, and gave him a mischievous smile. "Uncle, I made it very clear in the letter that if you gave me the treasure, everything would be fine. But you didn't even give me a single treasure!"

"Those things outside don't meet your standards? You really are after the Beloyar Grand Diamond!" the curator, who had suffered a devastating injury, cursed bitterly.

"Tch, who wants that thing?" The phantom thief looked at him with disdain. "It's such a big piece, what would I do with it? There are plenty of bigger ones at home, I don't want to take up space."

"Huh?" Just as the curator was wondering, the phantom thief pulled down her knee-length black stockings, took out a USB drive, and looked at him with amusement. "Well then, as agreed, Phantom Thief Luming will now punish your crimes~♪"

The gates to all the areas opened one by one, and the police who had been waiting outside rushed in, only to find Officer Nakamori, who had barely regained his mobility, and the curator who was so frightened that he wet himself.

Casey, huddled in the corner, shook his head in distress, his head covered in bumps. "My senior's temper is just as bad as Nakamori's. It hurts so much!"

Just as he was wondering why the phantom thief didn't take the gems and instead smashed all the gems in the premium area to pieces, a policeman walked past him and bumped into him.

In that instant, the rookie policeman's blue eyes widened suddenly, and he swiftly grabbed her arm. "It's you?!"

Beneath the oversized Police Uniform was a petite figure. Just as Casey was about to call for help from his seniors, his body went numb, and he collapsed straight into the arms of the phantom thief.

"Not bad, you silly cop number one~" The phantom thief praised him, tugging at his ear. "You really gave me a fright."

Casey had no way to explain himself and could only let her bully him. "I'm not a stupid cop!"

"Okay, handsome but silly policeman."

"Thanks... Why am I still such an idiot?"

Noticing someone was approaching, the girl carefully placed him down and slipped the USB drive into his pocket. "Here, this is a gift. Give it to the people at the Sky Dome City Prosecutor's Office in your name, and I guarantee you'll have a meteoric rise in your career!"

After saying that, the phantom thief quickly left, her petite figure disappearing into the vast darkness.

Three days later—

In a suburban manor, Beth pressed the incessantly ringing alarm clock, reluctantly left her warm bed, and began to wash up.

In the living room, the housekeeper had prepared a sumptuous, delicious, and healthy breakfast for her. Miss Beth ate while watching the morning news on TV.

"According to reports, the curator of the largest jewelry museum in Sky Dome City has been found guilty of illegally profiting from forging artifacts. Relevant authorities have launched an investigation, and several individuals involved have been apprehended..."

"... The identity of the witness who submitted crucial evidence remains unknown, and the police are investigating the source of the intelligence..."

Beth yawned, shook her head helplessly, stuffed the sandwich into her mouth, picked up her milk, and left the living room. The television continued playing.

"According to the museum, the genuine artifacts in the collection that the curator forged and sold were recently returned in full by unidentified individuals, suspected to be the mysterious person who sent the museum the pre-arranged notice—"

"The Phantom Thief Luming".

The ending theme started playing—

—Skip the ending theme

—Episode 1 is finished filming!—

Mr. Wudao Yan nodded in satisfaction, "Good, the first episode is a perfect ending, thank you everyone for your hard work!"

Luming Lady took a leisurely sip of her coffee. "Phew, I thought it would be difficult, but it was a piece of cake~♪"

"In fact, this role was practically tailor-made for Luming. To be honest, I was really nervous the whole time, after all, I was suddenly pulled into filming a TV series by Luming." Kane, dressed in Police Uniform, scratched his head shyly.

Cosmo, standing nearby, wanted to ask when he and Griseo would appear, but then thought better of it. "(Speaking of filming, I feel like I have some experience with it... never mind, I can't remember, so I'll leave it at that.)"

Brother Dawei plays the mastermind behind the scenes, was quite happy. "Great! This is our Mihoyo agency's initial exploration in the film and television field. Everyone should work hard to make our first film a complete success!"

"Let's have a party to celebrate tonight, Brother Dawei's on the tab!"

"I second that!" ×N

Author's Note—

The first episode of "The Rise of Phantom Thief Luming" has ended. Haha, what do you all think of the script that You Hui wrote on the spot? I wonder what score I would give this episode out of 10? Please give an honest evaluation. You Hui knows that his writing skills and plot handling ability are not that good.

(Of course, praising the Silly Loli will make her happy all day.)

Next episode preview. "Stardust! Let's go jellyfish hunting!"

An unknown disturbance suddenly arose in the calm sea; it's time for the Magical Girl Luming to make her move!

To help Stardust find the Four Elements Water, Wind, Earth, Fire scattered across the Earth, Xing accepted Xiaoyue's suggestion and embarked on an impromptu underwater adventure.

In the pitch-black depths of the sea, a colossal Prehistoric City appeared before their eyes. What exactly was it?

Enormous, Strange Jellyfish; magnificent, sunken Underwater Ruins; a mysterious Blue-haired Girl appearing in the sea... What secrets of nature lie hidden behind all this? Stay tuned to CCTV...

"Xiaoyue! You should go back to your old style! If you act crazy again, I'll have Little Te tear you apart!"