Prelude to the Magic Show

After making sure that all the entrances and exits had been secured, Gordon led a sizeable force into the exhibition hall and set up a full defence line.

　　John Blake followed his colleague to guard the back door, a dark alleyway as usual, which is 'very Gotham-like,' one must say.

"Maaaan, the Chief is taking this one way too seriously."

　　 The long wait has been tormenting. After more than an hour, the senior couldn't help but complain nonstop to the newbie Blake.

　　 "I mean, what kind of thief is this Kid character, ha! This is probably merely a gimmick to tease people."

"What are you talking about?" Blake was confused about his senior's logic.

　　 "When you think about it, this jewellery exhibition is being funded by the Wayne family. We all know how reclusive and absurd Master Wayne is now compared to his old days. I bet that he'd pulled this whole charade, forging that weird teasing letter and the lot, just to advertise the show."

　　 "But, what good will this bring to him?", Blake asked.

　　 "Whether the gem is actually stolen or used as a cover, Wayne's corporate reputation will be greatly affected." Blake continued

　　 "Heh-Heh, rookie, one can never guess what goes on in the minds of those rich people." The senior police officer chuckled, "Oh, just remembered, I have something urgent to do, I will be back as soon as I finish it. I'll leave it to you here… Though I don't think it is really necessary to be so cautious."

　　 Closing the door in a hurry, the senior entered the exhibition hall through the back door.

　　 "Waiting is definitely the worst part but and opportunity has finally presented itself." Above the closed roof of the exhibition hall, Mathison stared down at Blake's location, with an ominous yet playful grin on his face.

　　 "Peng~"

　　 Blake, like every typical new police officer, was on maximin alert in every task to impress is superior . He would never miss a single detail. Although it was a very silent sound, he still heard a noise that didn't fit the silence of the night.

　　 It sounded like an object that fallen on the ground!

　　 The sound came from the corner of the alley and Blake was immediately alarmed, however if his senior was with him he would have assured the newbie that it was just the wind. Without this famous advice, Blake put his hand on the gun by his belt and walked slowly towards the source of the sound.

　　 Blake walked to the corner wall, paused for a second, then, suddenly took out his pistol and aimed, from behind the wall, ready to subdue the suspicious person at any time.

　　 "Meow~"

　　 A stray cat jumped past Blake's eyes and the long alley in front of him was desolate.

　　 Heaving a sigh of relief and getting slightly embarrassed, Blake's tense nerves relaxed, and he planned to return to his post.

　　Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, he felt a sudden tingling in his neck and gradually his consciousness blurred.

　　 Just before he plunged into darkness, Blake took a glance at that shocking figure.

　　 It was an outrageously white figure, dressed in a snow-white suit with a retro British style, and wearing a white medieval top hat. A splash of true whiteness in the that would have contrasted heavily in the darkness of night but unfortunately it was still light out.

　　A monocle with a triangular pendant matched with the backlight, was on his right eye making it impossible to see his face. Only the smug curvature of the corner of the mouth was visible, giving off a temperament of pure, elegant calm.

　　 His white cloak was flapping naturally after hitting Blake's neck, giving a dramatic impression, as if he came out of a painting.

　　It was the Phantom Thief, The Magician under the Moonlight the one, the only (in this world at least) Kaaaaito Kiiiid.

　　 Mathison expertly stunned Blake, quickly tied him up, and sealed his mouth with tape to prevent him from sabotaging his plans once he eventually woke up.

　　 'Judging from the amount of the time that has passed, the older policeman should almost be back' he thought

　　 Swiftly, Mathison took out the rope launcher and launched it on the rooftop, and then tied the other end of the rope to Blake.

　　 At the press of a switch, Blake was dragged onto the rooftop.

　　 The roof of the exhibition hall can only be reached by one elevator, and the elevator "coincidentally" broke down a week ago, and due to the appearance of the notice, the repairing of the elevator has been postponed.

　　 On the rooftop, Mathison switched to Blake's police uniform, put on a mask which transformed his face to Blakes, then stood calmly at the back door.

　　 Blake's figure is not too different to that of Mathison. In addition, he is a newcomer to the police station so no one would have studied his face too closely so there is no better disguise than him.

　　 Just as planned, a few seconds later, the back door was opened again.

　　 "Hey, rookie, nothing special happened during the time I was away, right?" The senior police officer returned to his post and gently smiled at Mathison, not realizing that his true junior was all tied up on the rooftop.

　　 "I thought about what you said before, and I agree with what you were saying." Mathison smiled back and smoothly adopted the role of a newcomer to the police station.

　　 In the past ten years, in preparation to exercise his ability to control facial expression in the field, one cannot fathom how many nights Mathison spent with the corners of his mouth twitching, to only be able to execute his current stunt.

　　 "I'm sorry, my stomach hurts, I going to need to use the bathroom," Mathison said, with perfect expressions of pain and discomfort, covering his abdomen with both hands in pain.

The senior police officer sighed at the newbie's carelessness.

"Yeah, you go on in, I will take care of the watch."

　　 With this feedback, Mathison immediately rushed into the exhibition hall. He never broke character, and his acting was naturally as smooth as could be.

　　 "This kid must have really upset his stomach, He probably let all the excitement get to his head. I guess he'll have to squat in the toilet for a while now." The senior police officer shook his head and then continued the exceedingly dull task of holding his post and staring out into nothing.

　　 Mathison entered the exhibition hall and sneaked upstairs, deftly avoiding patrol officers.

　　 Gotham Exhibition Hall has four floors, the first three floors have 17 large wings. However, on the fourth floor, there are only five wings.

　　 The Gem exhibition is arranged on the fourth floor, and it occupies all five exhibition wings. The Wayne corporation is so rich and powerful that it can showcase thousands of valuable gems along with the famous Adam's star.

　　Today, Phantom Kid's target is obviously the Adam's Star, which is on display right in the middle exhibition hall, on the fourth floor.

　　 Gordon has now spread out his police force and currently hundreds of police officers are firmly guarding the elevator entrance and main passage on the fourth floor.

　　Lot of people are currently in every exhibition hall, especially the exhibition wing of Adam's Star. It was directly surrounded by the largest circle of people.

　　 "Woah, that's such a large crowd. You honor me Gotham, although I am just debuting you still make time to see my first magic show. I am flattered by your devotion to the magical arts, or is it that everyone can tell that something amazing is about to take place?"

　　 From his vantage point in the ventilation tube in the ceiling, Mathison observed the police positioning and patrol method and put together a plan of action.

　　 "The Adam's star is surrounded on all sides by bulletproof glass. That is a bit troublesome. I don't have the equipment right now to break it forcibly. If I try to dismantle it, I definitely won't have enough time before I'm caught in the act."

　　 After carefully taking note of the situation in the exhibition hall, Mathison returned to the back door calmly.

　　 'There is still such a long time before the show starts…'

　　 In the summer of 2010, the moon usually rises around seven o'clock, and that's when Mathison said that he would deliver his blow.

　　 A lot of time slowly passed, and finally, it was sunset.

　　 Everyone deciphered the letter and knew that the previewed time of the letter is quickly approaching. Will this "Phantom Thief" who has never been heard of before really appear?

　　 At this exact moment, the gem exhibition site which is almost packed to the brim of tourists, and thousands of Gotham citizens are high with anticipation. They haven't seen anything interesting happen for a long time so, though no one wants to see a return to "Sin City", everyone cherishes this opportunity.

　　 "It is definitely impossible to steal Adam's Star in front of such a huge crowd"

Gordon stood next to the Adam's Star booth and and continued to ponder 'I don't know if these arrangements will make him retreat… No, a person who dared to release a notice to GCPD would never give up halfway through unless they never meant to go through with it in the first place.' ,

　　 If one were to gaze out the huge transparent French windows, one would see the last rays of sunshine about to vanish past the horizon, and the darkness of night about to wrap all of Gotham.

　　 "The previewed almost here, what will the Phantom Thief do? Will he show?"

　　 !BOOM!

　　 Gordon had no time to think about what had just occurred, because after that sudden explosion, the power supply system to the entire exhibition hall had been disconnected somehow and the lights went out instantly.

　　 "Ladies～and～Gentlemen!"

　　 A voice filled with extreme confidence like that of an announcer rang out.

　　 "Welcome to my first performance!"

The debut of the Phantom Thief is here!