Gordan Ponders and a Weird Reporter

Gordan began to review what he knew of this Phantom Thief in his head.

Sending such a provocative letter to the police station could be understood as an act of confidence, a signal that he was a supremely confident criminal who gave an advance notice to the police just to show off his that fact that he can steal a precious gem from right under the police's noses.

But he could also be bluffing and did this to lower the police's vigilance on the true place he planned to commit a heist, in which case Gordon was playing right into his hands.

He reluctantly admitted to himself that he didn't have enough clues to get anything definitive and any thoughts about this thief was pure speculation.

　　It has been at least eight years since an crime so this brazen was announced publicly.

　　But inviting the general public to witness him in the course of stealing?

　　No matter what conclusions Gordon came with such a move had way more cons than pros.

　　However, Gordon still had a hunch that this thief might be one of the toughest opponents of his career if you took away the truly dangerous villains like the Joker because its impossible to top that level of crazy.

　　Based on Gordon's past experiences, whatever this bandit's purpose behind spreading this news, he must not be allowed to achieve it. And since he wants the hall crowded, Gordon better empty it out so to hinder his objective.

　　"Hold on Commissioner Gordon, you have no right to kick us out! Gotham's Exhibition Hall is a public place, and we're just here for the show!"

　　Seeing that Aaron had called hundreds of Gotham police officers behind him and was about to evict these reporters, the duck-topped reporter who tried to incite Gordon early immediately proclaimed his disapproval.

　　"Well, well… what newspaper are you reporting for, and why have I never seen you before?" Gordon immediately sealed the duck-topped man's mouth with a sharp gaze.

　　"In fact, you seem to be well informed for not being from around here. That level of initiative is impossible for a newbie… not to mention the fact that your face has been hidden under the brim of your hat from the start. That seems quite shady for a reporter who is supposed to be the voice of the common people, don't you agree?"

　　"Hold on just a minute! Commissioner Gordon, are you suspecting that I'm a thief who's trying to sneak in with the crowd?"

　　After a moment of shock, the duck-topped hat guy snapped back to reality and immediately raised his head, revealing the face of a disheveled young man with stubble.

　　"My name is Eddie Brock, I'm not a reporter from Gotham, but from the New York Daily Bugle, and look here's my work ID."

　　Eddie pulled out his own credentials and handed them to Gordon and said quickly, "I know it doesn't make sense for a New York reporter to show up here, but in reality I was just here on holiday and happened to learn about this."

　　The Daily Bugle is considered a relatively famous newspaper in the United States, and so Gordon took the work permit and observed that it was real or at least not and obvious fake, but he still did not rule out the possibility of it being forged.

　　This coincidental holiday also smelled fishy and only furthered Gordon's suspicions of Eddie.

　　Gordon signaled at Aaron, who instantly complied and called the Daily Bugle to confirm Eddie's story.

　　 After awhile, Aaron hung up and nodded to Gordon that what Eddie had said backed up by the Bugle.

　　It felt wrong and something still seemed off, but apparently Eddie's suspicion had been cleared and Gordon had to apologise.

　　"Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, there are a few things I have to say."

　　Gordon was for he remembered Eddie as the one who was asking those inciteful questions earlier.

However, this time Eddie was open-minded enough not to countenance what had happened before, but instead showed a keen interest in the incident.

　　"Look, officers, I know that the peace of Gotham has depended on you for many years, and that you would hate nothing more than to see a return to the chaos that existed here eight years ago."

　　"So I can understand that this strange thief, Kid, who has come out of nowhere may have stirred up some of your memories and made you anxious. But, the fact that you have to drive these innocent civilians in front of you out of the Exhibition Hall is preposterous!"

　　"Believe me, gentlemen, this decision is not only stupid, but might be a bit illegal!"

　　"Whatever do you mean?" the grumpy Aaron immediately retorted.

　　"I don't know for what reason Phantom Kid announced his plans to the public, but I do know one thing: stealing always happens when no one is around, otherwise, it becomes nothing more than an ordinary robbery." Eddie got his point across

　　"So You think he did it on purpose to mislead us?" Gordon asked out of habit, sighing at the fact the reporter returned back to his inciteful comments.

　　"Absolutely", Eddie was on a roll now, "Oh yes, it's also possible that the so-called Phantom Thief is just a cover. Such a person might not even exist. It's probably just a joke, otherwise there's no way to explain something as ridiculous as a thief calling for an audience to watch him stealing."

　　"More importantly, the teaser letter has now gone viral in Gotham and there will be a steady stream of people coming here, you can't chase everyone away, after all, this fair is accessible to all Gotham citizens, not a specific group of people per se."

　　Gordon nodded, Eddie was right, and he knew all of this already. It was true that he couldn't stop the people from attending the fair, it was just that he still felt that something wasn't right.

　　It was a bizarre instinct cultivated by his years on the force but Gordon really was unable to think of anyone who could steal Adam's Star from the gazing eyes of countless people in front of him.

　　Even if Kid manages to blend in with the crowd, the amount of people in the hall would block all his possible escape routes and such a plan would only end in his capture.

　　The police would simply have to guard all the exits tightly, so even a top thief like Catwoman would never be able to escape which reminded Gordan that this thief could be a woman for all he knew.

　　Wait!

　　There is another possibility!

He may be carrying out another crime!

　　This letter Kid sent may be a plan he faked, he's not stealing anything, his real intention is to gather people in the exhibition hall and carry out a demolition attack on them!

　　That's the kind of crime that fits the people of Gotham!

　　Eddie's heart tightened as he saw that Gordon had been deep in thought.

　　'I guess it's true that Jim Gordon is still hesitant to stop people from gathering here even when he knows that the exhibition hall will never be closed even with of Kid's warning letter'

　　Yes, this "Eddie" is not Eddie, but a clever Mathison in an immaculate disguise!

　　Of course, Eddie Brock is a real person, and he did also true that he came to Gotham on holiday and found out about the teaser letter by chance.

　　But the real Eddie is probably still asleep in his own car.

　　A reporter is the perfect identity to be able to ask the police all sorts of questions, including some of their set-ups, and not be suspected even if they don't get answers. He can also ask leading questions to distract the police and ensure hie plans success.

　　As for why Mathison is spreading his teasing letter, ease of invasion is one reason, but more importantly…

　　Wouldn't Phantom Kid's debut be a failure if there was no audience?

　　"You're right.", Gordon sighed as he watched the number of civilians grow.

　　"Aaron, you lead the team and guard the main entrance for me, there is still a long time before the show starts, don't allow anyone to enter the hall during this time!"

　　"The only remaining exit from the exhibition hall, besides the main entrance, is a narrow back door, which can be guarded with just two officers."

　　Gordon instructed an experienced veteran officer before shouting at a young officer in the back of the group, "Rookie, you follow too!"

　　"Yes, sir."

　　Mathison glanced at the young officer. The rookie was probably a newcomer to the GCPD.

　　A rookie at this time of year would most likely be John Blake, the future Robin.

　　"That's right, including these reporters, no one is allowed to get in!"

　　Gordon gave "Eddie" a deep look, and Mathison saw a bit of doubt in his eyes.

　　Even with the office's confirmation, Gordon still appeared unsure.

　　"I thought journalists would have a lot of power in a free country, but as expected, the police arrangements can't be made public."

　　Mathison wasn't flustered, that was to be expected, after all, being a journalist had allowed him to observe many police officers up close.

　　Gordon ignored the barking journalists and took hundreds of his men into the exhibition hall.

　　Aaron remained at the main entrance with a team of police officers, in addition to the first dozen or so security guards with had more manpower assigned to make a total of nearly 30 men.

All of them were loaded with guns, standing in a line blocking the entrance so no one dared to come forward.

　　At this point, not a soul noticed that "Eddie", the journalist from New York, was missing…