"Be Careful Who You Trust Sergeant..."
- Ghost (Modern Warfare 2)
...
"Harvey is right, we should listen to what these young people have to say."
Suddenly, Kim spoke from the side.
"But protecting the diamond and catching the thief is the job of the police, and ordinary citizens should not get involved, especially not kids."
Commissioner Gordon said sternly, "I can't even imagine what would happen if something went wrong."
"What about Batman and his assistants?"
A deep female voice came from behind Kim, and it was the female bodyguard speaking.
"Do they have the right to interfere with your police work? Isn't Robin also a minor? I've heard that GCPD even opens the Bat-Signal to ask for Batman's help..."
"Lily!"
Kim interrupted her before she could continue.
Just these words were enough to have a strong impact. Commissioner Gordon's face turned pale, showing how frustrated and helpless he felt.
It's not because he was angry, but rather because of a deep sense of powerlessness.
No one in the world knows this fact better than Commissioner Gordon. The GCPD needs Batman much more than ordinary people can imagine.
The more he understood this fact, the more difficult it became for Commissioner Gordon to make decisions.
The existence of vigilantes was a quiet protest against the regular police force, but the regular police force still needed vigilantes to deal with criminals they couldn't handle.
It was both ridiculous and sad.
Commissioner Gordon couldn't argue with Lily's words, nor could he abandon his principles.
"They are different from Robin, and the day I was most disappointed with Batman was the day Robin appeared. No matter what, I will never forgive him for dragging a child into his world."
Commissioner Gordon spoke softly but firmly.
'Well said, too bad that Robin you're talking about is right in front of you.'
Dean sarcastically thought to himself.
Jim's words might have moved Dean if he hadn't known that Robin and Batgirl were there as well.
This old police officer has kept his own principles and has been fighting in Gotham for decades without wavering.
This perseverance is really admirable.
"I don't want to undermine you, Commissioner Gordon. I have always had full trust in the Gotham Police Department, but the notice that you have been unable to solve was solved by a few children. I still believe in you and your officers, but I also believe these children have something special about them. They are different from ordinary children."
Kim stepped forward and said, "We don't want these children to go to the front lines and fight criminals. We just want to hear their thoughts and suggestions. Maybe they can discover details that we haven't noticed," she continued.
"You're absolutely right, Ms. Beckett. Thank you for accepting our help."
Barbara replied happily and then introduced Dean to Kim.
"Let me introduce Dean Thurston. Even though he's young, he is one of the most famous magicians in Gotham. Many master magicians have said that his skills are beyond his years."
"I bet he will play a very important role in dealing with the Phantom Thief."
Dean smiled awkwardly and said, "Hello, Ms. Beckett. It's nice to meet you."
Before Kim could respond, it was Lily who spoke up from behind her.
"You are Thurston? I have heard of you."
Lily looked at Dean with surprise and said, "Tell me, what do you think of this exhibition hall? I'm curious about your opinion."
"Huh?"
This sudden question caught Dean off guard, and he didn't quite understand.
"I forgot to tell you that Lily is a specially recruited security expert from the Smithsonian Institution. She just returned from London and is trained in designing different forms of protection measures. This exhibition hall was specifically designed by her."
Kim introduced.
"In addition, I supplied the tools and materials."
On the other side, Henry spoke up to make himself somewhat noticeable.
"So this exhibition hall was designed by you. Why did you freeze the diamond on ice? And why did you create a cooling machine room for it?"
Harvey, who was standing behind Dean and the others, also joined about what was going on.
"Well, I would like to hear Mr. Thurston's thoughts first, from the perspective of a magician, about why we would design it this way."
Lily smiled slightly.
Dean stretched out his hand and touched his chin and said with a serious expression, "To be honest, I really don't like the low temperature in this exhibition hall. In other words, no magician would enjoy a cold environment."
"As we all know, agility is important in magic, and it depends on how agile your fingers are."
At this point, Dean opened his other hand and stretched it out, his thin and light fingers made a few gestures in the air.
"In a low-temperature environment, the hands get stiff, which makes them less flexible. Even if we wear warm clothes, our fingers won't be as relaxed if our hands are still out in the cold."
"For magicians who desire perfection, even a slight difference in finger flexibility can cause intense discomfort and greatly increase the possibility of revealing flaws in their performance."
"Putting the diamond inside the ice block would further deepen the cold effect. Also, this large block of ice is quite tough. Even with a flame thrower, it would be difficult to melt it in a short amount of time."
"This also helps fulfill the requirements of an exhibition, where the diamond must be easy to see but not too close to the visitors. It's a much better idea than sending a dozen people to surround the exhibition case."
As Dean spoke, Harvey's face immediately turned red.
"Furthermore, this is a very small space, and the number of people entering at once is limited. There aren't many blind spots when it comes to views that can be used, and it's also easier to be noticed when blending into the crowd."
After hearing Dean's explanation, Lily nodded in satisfaction.
"Well said. It's exactly for these reasons that I designed this exhibition hall."
She smiled confidently and said, "In addition to the cold, the diamond in the ice block is also equipped with an alarm. Once it detects any movement of the diamond or if the signal suddenly disappears, the door of the exhibition hall will be locked instantly. At the same time, the cold air blown by the cooling machine in the corner will switch to hypnotic gas, which will knock out everyone in the exhibition hall at that time, and then we will investigate one by one who stole the diamond."
The exhibition hall is completely closed, with only one door as the entrance. There are no other exits or even ventilation shafts.
The power supply is also entirely separate because the exhibition hall is a temporary construction and is not connected to the main power grid, and all the equipment inside uses its own separate power sources.
"This anti-theft design is impressive. The situation is harder than ever before, and that's not even counting Robin, Batgirl, or anyone else.'
Dean thought seriously as he tried to figure out how to get through such a strong defense.
This thought was brought to his mind until the next day.
The time has come for April 1st.
That is the day that the Phantom Thief will move.
...
A/N: If we reach 1, 400 power stones today, I will release an additional chapter tomorrow.
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