"Why do I and everyone I love pick people who treat us like we're nothing?"
- Sam (The Perks of Being a Wallflower)
...
"Dick, I really don't understand why you've become so emotional now. I know you believe that Dean is not Phantom Thief, and I don't want Phantom Thief to be your friend either, but believing doesn't prove Dean's innocence!"
Barbara's serious words reached Dick's ears.
"Today is the last day, and the best way to prove Dean's innocence is if he's still at home when Phantom Thief moves. It's such simple logic, don't you understand?"
"Not only about Dean, but even on the daily night patrols, you are getting more and more emotional, which is not a good thing. Have you ever thought about how Batman would react if he came back and saw you in your current state?"
Barbara spoke with a serious tone.
"A few months ago, when you persuaded Batman to give me a second chance, you weren't like this. What happened to you? Did the two failures against Phantom Thief affect you that much?"
"..."
Dick remained silent for a moment and replied, "I... I just couldn't help but think, maybe we can find another way."
"Batman has always been suspicious of everything around him, so he expects us to be the same. Just like Dean, do we really have solid evidence to accuse him of being a Phantom Thief? Or is it just based on a vague intuition?"
"No, we don't! Despite no motive, evidence, witness, or leads, we invaded his house without hesitation. We even installed surveillance in his home! It's as if we believe it's right to violate someone's privacy as long as the result is good!"
"Is this really the right thing to do?"
While discussing Barbara, Dick also thought of himself as he gazed up at the ceiling.
Barbara was taken aback. She didn't expect Dick to say these things.
"I've always thought Batman's words were good. I did my best to imitate his every word and action. But as time passed, I don't know why, but I felt more and more... like I was living in Batman's shadow."
Dick remembered, "You know, I was involved in creating the Teen Titans, but you can't imagine the mindset I had when I first met them."
"Donna greeted me first, followed by Wally shaking my hand. Roy joked about my name, and Garth was not talkative but had a warm heart behind his cold face. I can never forget the genuine smiles on their faces."
"But what did I do? While I appeared to have fun and get into trouble with them, but in secret, I was always thinking of ways to defeat them, using their weaknesses and trust in me to my advantage."
Dick shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Because that was the task Batman gave to me, and that day happened to be my fourteenth birthday."
"While spending time with the Titans, I suddenly realized that being a masked vigilante could also be filled with sunshine. I started to question whether Batman's methods were truly right... I know I shouldn't think this way, but I just can't control myself."
Listening to Dick's story, Barbara didn't know what to say for a moment.
"No, maybe your thoughts are right, Dick, but this is Gotham, and we are different from them."
In the end, Barbara sighed.
"Well."
Dick simply made a soft sound in response.
"Anyway, after today's events are over, I will get the surveillance camera from Dean's house. As for your conflict with Batman's principles or code, I really don't want to get involved."
Barbara said.
"No problem."
After saying that, both of them ended the call and focused on their current task.
According to the notice letter, Phantom Thief's target, the 'Dragon Egg Ruby Necklace,' is located on the top floor of the Central Cultural Exhibition Hall. His arrival point is at the Jungle Exhibition Hall, which is also nearby the Cultural Exhibition Hall.
So Dick and Barbara decided to split up and act separately.
Dick is responsible for protecting the necklace, while Barbara plans to stop the Phantom Thief halfway.
In their view, Dick's identity as Robin has already been exposed to the Phantom Thief.
So, if he stays at the Jungle Exhibition Hall, the Phantom Thief might change his plans and target another exhibition hall.
Phantom Thief does not know Barbara but is a better candidate for this task.
At the same time, in the smoking room of the Cultural Exhibition Hall.
A gloomy man with a cigarette in his mouth takes out a matchbox from his pocket and lights a match.
With a flick, the match starts burning.
The strange thing is that the man didn't use a match to light his cigarette but just stared at the swaying flame on the match in a daze.
Waiting for the flame to go out, he lit the next match and continued to stare at the flame in a daze, repeating this action over and over again.
Everyone who came here to smoke looked at him strangely, but no one dared approach him or talk to him.
Many people were too afraid to get closer than two meters to this man.
In the Jungle Exhibition Hall, Barbara's vigilant eyes quickly scan every person walking.
Everyone present could potentially be a disguised Phantom Thief, so she doesn't let any details slip by.
Once anyone was found to be acting suspiciously, Barbara would go over and question him. Her current identity is a temporary consultant for the GCPD, even though it only lasts for a day.
During this time, she has the power to carry out open investigations.
Without this position, Barbara wouldn't be able to interrogate suspicious people face-to-face as soon as she found a suspicious person.
After all, not everyone has a relentless detective aura.
Also, she doesn't want Batgirl to attract too much attention.
Apart from Barbara, Jim was also present in the Exhibition Hall.
On the one hand, he is very worried about the safety of his daughter.
On the other hand, after the "Pink Fantasy" incident, Jim realizes that just commanding from the surveillance center is not enough.
He is concerned that Phantom Thief might use the same tricks to mislead them, so Jim decides to personally go to the front lines and arrest him if he appears.
As time passes, it gets closer to ten in the evening. At that moment, Barbara suddenly felt her phone vibrating in her pocket.
She squints her eyes and takes out her phone to check. She sees Dean's bedroom on the screen.
From the video, it seems like Dean has just entered his room and is already wearing pajamas.
He also has a book in his hand—a very impressive one.
The book is called "Blueprint for the Future Development of Computer Technology," written by Will Magnus, a top scientist from Star Labs.
There are rumors that he is researching the creation of artificial intelligence life forms.
This book contains advanced ideas and concepts in the field of computer technology.
It's almost impossible for a normal person to understand, and even Barbara finds many parts of it too complex.
Barbara wasn't surprised that a magician like Dean was reading a book related to computer science.
Well, actually she is very surprised and even struggles to understand it, but she has gotten used to it.
Since the first day she started monitoring Dean, he had been reading this book.
...
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