Chapter 8: News

Gordon stood up abruptly from the flower bed and accidentally dropped the cigarette he had just lit on the ground.

"So you're saying that during the two hours the security guard was unconscious, Phantom Thief Kid disguised himself as him inside the museum, and even his colleagues who had known him for a long time didn't recognize him?"

Gordon asked with a serious expression.

Indeed, if Phantom Thief Kid had this ability, it would explain why they couldn't find any trace of him.

It wasn't that the surveillance cameras didn't capture Phantom Thief Kid, but they couldn't determine which person in the footage was Phantom Thief Kid.

Harvey glanced regretfully at the dropped cigarette on the ground before turning back and saying, "Jim, do you remember those four officers who were in charge of guarding the ruby before? They said you personally instructed them to change their positions."

When Gordon heard Harvey mention this, he immediately understood.

"They weren't lying, but what they saw wasn't me, it was Phantom Thief Kid disguised as me!"

"Based on the information we have so far, that's the only conclusion we can draw."

Harvey summarized.

"Ordinary disguise techniques probably wouldn't achieve this effect."

Gordon pondered for a moment and said, "This reminds me of that guy at Arkham."

"Clayface. Do you think Phantom Thief Kid might be related to him?"

Harvey's expression also became serious. Anyone who could be connected to that group of lunatics was not easy to deal with.

"It's hard to say for now. I'll pay a visit to Arkham Asylum and have a talk with Clayface,"

Gordon decided on his schedule for the next day.

"There shouldn't be much left to find in the museum. Let's wrap up."

With that, the two of them gathered their subordinates and left the museum.

...

The next day, a news article caused a sensation among all the citizens of Gotham City.

"Shocking! GCPD and Robin Teamed Up but Were Lost by a Mysterious Thief?"

This article occupied the entire front page of the Gotham Gazette, reporting in detail Phantom Thief Kid's process of committing the crime yesterday.

A large close-up photo was also published in the newspaper of Phantom Thief Kid's debut in the exhibition hall under the light of spotlights.

That white suit, elegant demeanor, slender figure, and the monocle full of mysterious reflections...

It reveals a kind of strange charm that people can't see the face clearly, but it makes people think that Phantom Kid must be handsome.

"Who took this photo? They're quite skilled. They captured at least one-tenth of my charm."

In the fourth-grade classroom at Gotham Academy, sitting in the second-to-last row near the window, Dean read the newspaper he had just bought, shamelessly thinking to himself.

Dean looked at the name of the reporter who wrote this article, a woman named Vicki Vale.

"Vicki Vale, she's quite famous in Gotham. It is said that she has an affair with billionaire Bruce Wayne?"

Dean's eyes lit up with an idea.

"I was thinking of a way to return the ruby, maybe this is a good choice..."

In the classroom, besides Dean, there was clearly more than one student interested in Phantom Thief Kid.

Discussions about Kid continued to buzz in Dean's ears.

"Did you guys see the news today? Gotham has a new supervillain!"

"Of course, GCPD and the media are calling him 'Phantom Thief Kid.' It's a strange name, but it's better than something like 'Two-Face.'"

Some people heard about it, while others didn't.

"What phantom thief? What are you guys talking about?"

One classmate, who clearly doesn't follow the news asked in confusion.

The classmate sitting next to him rolled his eyes at him, "Dude, you really need to get more in touch with society so you don't fall behind."

"We are talking about a supervillain named Phantom Thief Kid. He stole the 'Tears of an Angel' ruby from the Gotham Art Museum yesterday, even when both GCPD and Robin were present at the same time!"

"GCPD? It's not surprising that the ruby got stolen, but it's impressive that Phantom Thief Kid managed to steal it in front of Robin and get away with it."

"And there's something even more impressive. The Phantom Thief Kid is different from other criminals. It's said that he sent a notice letter to the museum and the police several days before the stealing, including the time, place, and method."

"Huh? So the police knew he was going to steal something in advance? They could have set up a trap."

"That's what I'm saying. But even so, Phantom Thief Kid managed to successfully steal the ruby"

"I really don't know if Phantom Thief Kid is just that good or if GCPD is just stupid..."

The classmate who didn't follow the news couldn't help but comment.

"This is Gotham, you'll get used to it."

While the discussion about Phantom Thief Kid was heated among the boys, the girls were just as interested.

While boys focused more on how talented Phantom Thief Kid was, girls paid more attention to his appearance and charm.

Who could resist a mysterious and attractive guy?

"Hmph!"

Just as Dean enjoyed listening to the discussions of his classmates, a cold snort came from behind him.

"Well, Dick Grayson, what's got you so angry? Who annoyed you?"

Dean turned around with a playful smile.

There sat a black-haired teenager, Richard Grayson, who was about the same age as Dean. They had been friends since high school.

Dick was Richard's nickname, and it was the name he always used. When introducing himself to others, he would also call himself Dick Grayson.

They had many things in common - age, height, even the color of their irises. They both had the same orphan background.

The only difference was that after the death of his parents, Dick was adopted by none other than billionaire Bruce Wayne.

Yes, the legendary Batman.

Although Dean hadn't been exposed to DC comics much in his previous life, but he knew that Batman's real name was Bruce Wayne.

So, it was quite obvious to figure out who Dick was from Bruce's identity.

Batman's partner, Robin, matched Dick in age and build, so it was highly likely it was him.

Of course, Dean had kept this information to himself, and Dick was unaware that Dean already knew his secret.

Dick's cold snort just now was probably because he remembered their failed attempt to catch Phantom Thief Kid last night and felt annoyed.

"Come on, Dick, tell me what's bothering you, Let me brighten your day."

Dean smirked and teasingly said to Dick.

"Hey! We're friends, but using me as a source of entertainment, does your conscience not hurt?"

Dick responded with a serious face.

"It's precisely because we're friends that I want to know what's on your mind, because you might need my psychological advice. You know, I've taken classes in psychology."

Dean's expression suddenly turned serious, and he stared at Dick.

"Haha! Yeah, psychology. You think you're funny, don't you?"

Dick crossed his arms, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

...

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