"It's just pathetic to give up on something before you even give it a shot."
- Reiko Mikami
...
As Phantom Thief landed on the ground, he glanced towards a large building in the distance, deep in thought.
While he was on the rooftop, he noticed someone hiding in that building. He had thought they might be a threat, maybe even a sniper.
So, while he appeared to be carelessly sliding down the rope, and was defenseless on the surface.
In fact, he was careful in every movement so that the wall always blocked him and his vitals.
However, when he landed safely and was completely in the blind spot of the sniper, the expected attack never came.
'Could it be that I was just overthinking it? Maybe the person over there was just coming to the rooftop to enjoy the view.
Dean stroked his chin and thought.
'Forget it, Being a Phantom Thief is unavoidable to be hated by others. Choosing this profession means dealing with these kinds of troubles,' he sighed.
Even though most people should currently be focused on Vicki Vale exposing a scam, there was still a chance that the GCPD would continue their search for the Phantom Thief in the area.
Dean decided it was not safe to stay there any longer and quickly changed his appearance and escaped.
After going through different alleys and several disguises and even playing as a street hero to stop a few small-time criminals in alleys, Dean finally managed to return to his own home.
As soon as he got back to his room, he eagerly summoned the system. He wanted to see how successful his latest mission had been.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the custom mission — Stealing 'Pink Fantasy' (fake)]
[Mission difficulty: Easy ]
[Treasure value: Average (the item itself has no value but can be exchanged for $50 million)]
[Elegance Level: C+]
[Overall Evaluation: C (making progress, starting to show some potential)]
[Rewards: 735 Amazement Points (from Gotham upper class, GCPD officers, Jim Gordon, Robin...) + 600 Amazement Points (task completion bonus)]
Based on his last experience, the mission report would usually end here, but this time the system's notification sound continued.
[Completed hidden objective: Providing important evidence to expose the money laundering behind 'Pink Fantasy.]
[Additional reward: 300 Amazement Points.]
[Balance: 112 Amazement Points.]
[Total Points: 1,747.]
Dean's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected there to be a hidden objective, so this was a pleasant surprise.
When he first planned the operation, Dean was not aware of the money laundering scheme behind 'Pink Fantasy.'
At first, Dean thought the scam was only about fake diamonds.
In the week before the operation, Dean didn't think about investigating the real purpose of Penguin's fake diamonds.
After all, Penguin's wealth and reputation had already surpassed the level of making money through auctioning fake items.
But Dean is a Thief, not a detective, let alone revealed a secret and reliable source of information, so his eyes are only on the fake diamond itself.
But luck turned in his favor a few hours ago when Dean sent Dick a challenge to fool him in the restaurant hours earlier.
When Vicki happened to be there and claimed she was there for information about William.
She had been looking into it because of a tip she received a few days ago about illegal assets being transferred.
She wanted to see if she could get some information from him.
And Dean happens to be disguised as William at that time, who is the seller of 'Pink Fantasy,' which is a perfect disguise.
Then Dean met Vicki and found out from their conversation that fifty million dollars worth of illegal assets were transferred to William's company at the same time that "Pink Dreams" was being sold at auction.
Dean is not an idiot, so he wouldn't believe it if nothing was wrong with it.
The idea that 'Pink Fantasy' was a way to launder money becomes more and more possible as Dean thinks Penguin wouldn't do low-end businesses like auctioning fake diamonds that could hurt his reputation.
He later meets a member of the Penguin Gang named Lark as 'William' and gets more information from her.
Dean didn't expect that behind the fake diamond scam.
There was a business connection to black money laundering, which was somehow connected to the notice letter he made.
Sometimes, things are just so coincidental.
Hermes, the messenger, could either be the thief who exposed the fake diamonds or the messenger who exposed the money laundering activities.
Both ways of looking at it were correct.
After all, Who told a god to have so many symbolic meanings...
Moreover, in the current era, fake diamonds are not a rare thing at all. At most, the name of Penguin can add some heat.
However, exposing a complete money laundering operation was on a whole different level.
If Dean wants to earn more amazement points, Dean has to let Phantom have more buzz.
So, Dean adjusted his plan without much thought to earn more points, and he was satisfied with the final result.
"With over seventeen hundred points, I should have more choices now."
Dean opens the system panel.
[Name: Dean Sutton]
[Age: 16]
[Skills: Proficiency in magic, proficiency in vehicles, proficiency in lock picking, proficiency in shooting, proficiency in hand-to-hand combat, quick disguise, voice alteration without props.]
[Items: Card gun, Grapple Gun, Triangular Glider, Bulletproof Cloak, High-Speed Self-Filling Dummy, Homemade Smoke Bomb, Homemade Flashbang, Homemade Tear Gas, Homemade Hypnosis Gas]
[Talent: Resistant Skin (Low Level)]
Before, Dean only had a point of a little over a thousand.
Dean tried his luck by drawing a random talent card and received Resistant Skin, which enhanced his resistance to heat, cold, and toxins by ten percent.
While it doesn't strengthen his skin's hardness or recovery ability, it does provide some defense.
Just in case he encounters Firefly, Mr. Freeze, or Scarecrow, it should come in handy.
With his experience, Dean focuses on the menu items priced below 2,000 points in the exchange shop.
He prioritizes looking for skills or items that could save his life, like negating a deadly attack or even a resurrection ability.
Of course, the result is that there are no items available at that level at this price.
He casually scrolled through the menu to see if he could find something cheap and useful.
Suddenly, Dean's eyes lit up, this thing is pretty good!
[Mini Surveillance System Jammer: This device can disrupt surveillance cameras within a 15-meter radius and can replay the scenes from one minute ago.]
[Special Note: This jammer is only effective against optical surveillance devices made on Earth and is ineffective against surveillance equipment using higher-level technology.]
[Value: 750 Amazement points.]
...
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