Chapter 221: Mocking

The Phantom Thief has issued another challenge!

After listening to Alfred's report, Batman's concerns deepened.

However, he wasn't worried only directed towards the Phantom Thief or Black Crow.

Batman was more concerned about the sudden fight between the two thieves, and he believed there was an unknown conspiracy behind it.

Batman suspected there was a connection to the ongoing investigation he was working on.

After the Man-Bat virus spread, Batman worked continuously while following leads from Kirk Langstrom about Tom and then Ignatius, which led him to Mosaic.

He saved Francine Langstrom from Mosaic, but it turned out that Mosaic was just a decoy to get Batman's attention away from Ignatius and Tom.

The orchestrator didn't just set traps for Mosaic.

Since Ignatius took over as Penguin, there have been constant gang wars and rising violence in Gotham's underworld.

Victor Zsasz has also started operating there.

As a result, Batman sent Robin and Batgirl on intense patrols while he focused on tracing the source of the Man-Bat virus.

They don't have any solid proof, but it kind of looks like the Penguin is the one pulling the strings behind all the scenes.

It all appeared to be coming together, but as Batman approached, Black Crow's sudden appearance diverted the city's attention.

Black Crow quickly broke into the mayor's house and started insulting the Phantom Thief. He became the center of attention in Gotham immediately.

The Phantom Thief had become a prominent figure in Gotham because of what he did during the Bat-virus incident. Batman couldn't ignore what had been going on.

What added intrigue was Black Crow choosing the Iceberg Lounge as the showdown venue—a place currently under Penguin's tight control.

If Black Crow had no connection to Penguin, it would be an extraordinary coincidence.

At the top of a skyscraper, Batman hung up on Alfred while gazing towards Gotham's clock tower.

After a moment of contemplation, he jumped into the darkness and was gone.

The nocturnal vigilante had another mystery to unravel.

...

At this moment, in a secret location in Gotham...

Black Crow sat on a couch while wearing a black suit and a mask over his face. He held a white card in his hand, which was the Phantom Thief's notice card.

"When the meeting after 116 days is about to come,

Mercury moves one-sixtieth of the dial,

I will reveal a miracle beyond time and space,

and pluck the eye of the sky...

Black Crow softly repeated the contents of the Phantom Thief's notice. As he reached the end, his gaze started to flicker uncertainly.

"This... seems a bit too simple. The Phantom Thief's notice shouldn't be at this level..."

Black Crow thought suddenly, and his expression turned unpleasant.

"Could it be that the Phantom Thief intentionally puts the notice so obvious that my mind can only understand something this simple? Is he trying to humiliate me?"

Black Crow felt incredibly ashamed and angry when he realized this.

He wasn't even aware that he was clenching his hands into fists, and the knuckles made cracking sounds.

He even had a notice card in his hand that was crumpled into a ball.

"Hmph—Hehe, hehehe, hahaha—"

Without warning, Black Crow burst into laughter, the anger in his eyes replaced by icy and chilling intent.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. You've been going in the wrong direction from the very beginning, Phantom Thief. Don't stop underestimating me. Your deadline is approaching soon... When you're killed by someone you look down upon, I wonder what expression you'll show?"

After a while, Black Crow stopped laughing and reached into his pocket to get a large blue gem, the "Eye of the Sky" that he had stolen from the mayor's mansion.

"It's about time to follow the plan and hide it in the Iceberg Lounge. Enjoy the last performance in your life, Phantom Thief."

...

On the other side, in the underground Batcave of Wayne Manor...

Robin and Batgirl were also discussing the Phantom Thief's challenge.

"It's a bit too simple, isn't it? Is this really the Phantom Thief's notice? Do you think someone like Phantom Thief Black Crow may be staging this whole thing?"

Batgirl stared at the notice while expressing her doubt.

"..."

Robin didn't answer, still lost in thought as he gazed at the notice.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, Robin. Are you okay?"

Seeing Robin's distraction, Batgirl reached out and waved her hand in front of him.

When an object entered Robin's field of vision, he immediately snapped back and asked, "What's up?"

'As if this guy didn't hear anything just now.'

Batgirl said in annoyance "I mean, is it possible that this is too simple notice letter..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Robin interrupted her, "Impossible. This challenge letter is definitely from the hands of the Phantom Thief himself!"

Batgirl was momentarily stunned and asked in surprise, "Are you so sure? There's a significant difference in the level of this notice compared to Phantom Thief's previous ones. It could totally be a forgery."

"With my understanding of Phantom Thief, if someone sends a notice letter in his name, he would immediately show up to mock this poor imitation and then promptly issue a real notice letter."

Robin confidently stated.

"Hmm..."

Batgirl stared at Robin for a while.

"If you're so sure, then we can only assume that Phantom Thief is disrespecting Phantom Thief Black Crow. This notice is both a response to the enemy's challenge and a way to humiliate them. Perhaps this is Phantom Thief's psychological tactic to provoke his enemies."

"That does make sense, Batgirl, but I feel it's not that simple."

As he spoke, Robin suddenly changed the subject, "About the phrase 'I will reveal a miracle beyond time and space,' how do you interpret that?"

"The other lines are plain. 'pluck the eye of the sky' undoubtedly refers to the 'Eye of the Sky'. The meeting after 116 days refers to the time when Mercury and Earth align, so the 'one-sixtieth part of the dial' represents the clock formed by Mercury and the Sun. Mercury goes around the Sun once every 88 days, which means that seventeen to eighteen hours after Phantom Thief Crow hid the gem in the Iceberg Lounge, Phantom Thief will show up. There is no other reasonable interpretation."

Upon hearing this, Batgirl slightly furrowed her eyebrows and shared her thoughts.

"In my view, there's no need to interpret this sentence, or more precisely, there are too many possible interpretations. The only certainty is that this sentence refers to the modus operandi Phantom Thief is about to execute."

"Based on past experiences, Phantom Thief always leaves a few options open when talking about this part. He can adapt to the actual situation, even if someone guesses it. In other words, we can't possibly decipher Phantom Thief's entire plan through the notice letter."

Batgirl concluded, "So, instead of wasting energy trying to understand the 'miracle beyond time and space,' I prefer to adapt on-site as needed."

"Heh."

Suddenly, Robin chuckled softly and said, "Your thoughts are all valid, but I think you're overcomplicating things."

"Rather than seeing this as an insult to Phantom Thief Black Crow, I believe it's more like a magician eager to showcase a new magic trick to the audience. However, they can't reveal the details before the performance, so they use cryptic phrases to build anticipation."

"Phantom Thief didn't leave me scratching my head; you're the one confusing me now."

Batgirl couldn't help but comment.

"What I mean is, perhaps Phantom Thief really wants to perform a 'magic trick' that goes 'beyond time and space.'"

Robin said it meaningfully.

...

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