46 Chapter 46: The Riddler
"Humans aren't made perfectly. Everyone lies. Even so… I've been careful not to tell lies that hurt others."
- Light Yagami
...
"HAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAA"
As Mrs. Anderson left, Dick heard a burst of laughter around him.
He knew that his classmates were laughing at him because his earphones had been taken away.
Luckily, he had just finished his call with Barbara, or else it would have caused even more trouble.
Of course, if the call hadn't ended, Dick wouldn't have let Mrs. Anderson take away the earphones.
With Dick's reaction, he could have removed the earphones before Mrs. Anderson touched them.
It's just that there is no need for that now, and it's not a big deal if the earphones are taken away.
"Hey, what were you listening to that got you so immersed?"
Dean turned around and quietly asked.
"Uh... nothing special, just a few new rock songs,"
Dick scratched the back of his head and laughed.
"Really? I never knew you liked rock."
Dean glanced at Dick with his usual expression and warned, "Be careful, Mrs. Anderson has her eyes on you."
After speaking, he turned around and sat straight.
No one noticed that there was a chewing gum-like object in Dean's hand.
That's right, while Mrs. Anderson was taking away Dick's headphones, Dean quietly took back the bug stuck on the back of the table with lightning speed.
He had almost heard the entire conversation between Dick and Barbara, from his suspicions about his own identity to the solving of the notice letter, Dean already knew everything.
The only downside was that he couldn't hear Barbara's voice, so he couldn't be sure who he was talking to.
In any case, it must be one of Batman's people, either the butler Alfred or the Batgirl, whose true identity is still unknown.
'In short, they have already started to suspect me as the Phantom Thief, and Dick's level of suspicion towards me is not too deep, which means the person he was talking to is the one who truly suspects me.'
'But they probably don't have any evidence to identify me, they are still just guessing. Otherwise, Dick's attitude wouldn't be like this.'
Dean thought to himself, 'In their next move, they will surely try to test me...'
...
Meanwhile, deep inside Arkham Asylum...
In a "cell" with heavy iron doors tightly locked and high-strength iron bars added to the windows.
Two men, one tall and one short, sit facing each other.
The tall, skinny man's hands are handcuffed to the table, restricting his movement.
He's also wearing orange inmate clothing.
Clearly, he must be a mentally ill criminal who's been imprisoned here.
What's strange is that there is no number written on his inmate clothes. Instead, there's a mysterious "question mark" symbol drawn on it.
Sitting opposite him was a short, chubby man with a long, pointed nose, dressed in a tuxedo and holding an umbrella cane.
In Gotham City, there is only one person who fits this description.
Penguin, Oswald Cobblepot.
In the dimly lit "cell," the faces of the two men are barely visible, giving off a sinister and terrifying vibe.
An indescribable chill affects the entire room, which makes the two fully armed guards disguised as "nurses" standing at the door shiver.
"Well, Nygma, any idea?"
After a long time, the Penguin was the first to speak, mentioning a name that would surely strike fear into the hearts of every Gotham citizen.
Edward Nygma, standing at 6 feet 2 inches tall and thirty-five years old, is a highly intelligent supervillain suffering from a severe mental illness.
He is extremely narcissistic about his own intelligence and enjoys using his high IQ to manipulate others.
But rather than being called by his real name, he prefers to be called a 'Riddler.'
Not long ago, Penguin visited Arkham Asylum to 'visit' the Riddler.
At first, the people in charge of the asylum didn't want to let in another notorious criminal.
However, all the necessary government documents were in order, so the institution had no reason to keep him outside.
The condition was that he could only enter alone and without any personal belongings.
At the same time, he had two prison guards... er, I mean, nurses, who were always with him and never left his side.
When Penguin came face-to-face with the Riddler, he asked him a few questions, hoping that the Riddler could help him figure out their meaning.
That's right, it was the notice letter from the Phantom Thief. Since he couldn't bring any items into Arkham, Penguin could only talk about it with Riddler.
Penguin is pressuring Mrs. Chandler to hold an exhibition to seek revenge against the Phantom Thief.
If he knows the Phantom Thief's next move, he can set up a perfect trap and take him down on the spot.
There's just one problem - The Phantom Thief's notice is too difficult to decipher.
Barbara was able to decipher the notice because she happened to remember a book that Dean had read that day, which inspired her.
Otherwise, Barbara's progress might not be any faster than Dick's, and she would still be stuck on the line 'Mars passed its tenth day and night'.
For most people, without the important hints, it's almost impossible to figure out how to decipher the notice, and Penguin was no exception.
However, Penguin isn't worried about not being able to solve the notice because he has his own way.
If he can't figure it out, he'll have someone else do it.
So Penguin approached Riddler, who in his opinion, is the best person in the world at riddles.
At this moment, Penguin is eagerly waiting for Riddler's response.
"Interesting! This riddle is very interesting, and I like it! Who came up with it?"
Seeing Riddler close his eyes and think, a crazy joy slowly appeared on his face as if he were a child who had just received his favorite toy.
Penguin didn't understand his joy, and he didn't want to understand. He just wanted to know what the notice meant.
"I'm glad you like the gift I brought you, old friend, so now please tell me, have you figured out this riddle?"
Penguin asked.
"Oh~"
Hearing this, Riddler suddenly changed his face and sneered disdainfully.
"When I say it's interesting, I mean the design of this puzzle makes me feel fresh, not because I think it's difficult!"
"In fact, if I were to rate it according to difficulty, it wouldn't even qualify as a decent riddle in my eyes."
"The time is midnight on March 10th, the location is...if it really is the Natural History Museum, and if I'm not mistaken, it's the Jungle Exhibition Hall."
The Riddler quickly revealed all the answers to Penguin.
"I won't bother explaining the reason to you, Oswald, as I know you don't care."
Penguin grinned and said, "You're still as smart as ever. I only need the result. The process is not important."
"I'm glad to see you today, old friend, but visiting hours are over, so I have to go now."
"Wait!"
Riddler stopped Penguin and fixed his gaze on him, asking, "Tell me, who is this person?"
"He calls himself Phantom Thief, a thief who likes to show off."
Penguin turned slightly and replied with his eyes with a hint of killing intent, which fell into the eyes of Riddler, but it was not directed at him.
"You don't need to take this person seriously, Nygma, because ten days from now, you won't have the chance to meet him again..."
...
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