"If I can't run, I'll step forward!"
- Nakajimi At sushi (Bungo Stray Dogs)
...
"What did you just say?"
Dick couldn't believe his ears.
"It was you who insisted on getting involved with Phantom Thief in the first place. I finally accepted your help, and now you're saying you won't come?"
"A few hours ago, I received a tip that several strange murders had happened in the area I was responsible for. There were several strange murders. The victims all died from excessive blood loss, and there were two puncture marks on their necks that looked like bite marks."
Barbara spoke with a serious expression.
"That sounds like mythological stories of people dying from being drained of blood by vampires."
Dick said this with a strange look on his face.
"Pretty much, and a witness stated that they saw a bat that was bigger than a person. We don't know if it's true because there were no pictures or videos.
Barbara nodded and continued.
"A bat larger than a person? In Gotham? How is that even possible? What he saw was probably Batman."
Dick laughed.
"Anyway, I will focus on this case, and other less important things can wait, especially a performance artist thief who won't cause casualties."
Barbara waved her hand.
"I wish you luck in catching the killer."
Dick's expression became more serious as he heard her words.
"I also wish you luck in discovering the Phantom Thief's identity."
Barbara walked to the edge of the rooftop without looking back, she fired a Grappling Gun at the taller building next to her and disappeared into the night.
Watching Barbara's figure disappear, Dick moved quickly and thought to himself.
'Tomorrow, without Barbara as the police commissioner's daughter at the scene, I can't give suggestions on security as Dick Grayson, so I have to act on my own...'
...
Meanwhile, in a quiet and empty corner inside the Orpheus Jewelry Exhibition Hall Center
Dean removed his headphones and flashed a sly smile.
"Catwoman wants to meet me, she probably wants to get her reputation back, but Phantom Thief is not afraid of any challenge!"
Dean put his earphones in his pocket and immediately picked up the mop in his hand, and started cleaning the floor.
Yes, his current disguise as a janitor. As for why janitor, it was all in preparation for tomorrow's operation.
'The devices produced by the system are really useful. Catwoman only found Dick's two bugs and transmitters, but she didn't find mine.'
Dean thought to himself while mopping the floor.
Dean had predicted the possibility of being discovered when Dick asked him to help put the bug on 'Lily'.
Once the bug he had placed was discovered, Catwoman would throw four objects at Dick and Barbara.
They would discover that there were bugs and transmitters that did not belong to them, which would be very dangerous to Dean.
The reason Dean dared to take this action despite this risk was because of the existence of the system's store.
The bug he used was a mini-bug that he bought through the system with a length of only 2.5 micrometers, which is impossible for the naked eye to see.
Dean knew Catwoman wasn't a supernatural being or a metahuman, and there was no chance of her discovering the bug on her body.
He was also aware that Catwoman could only find out that something was hidden on her body, but she couldn't know how many bugs were hidden.
As for why he used a regular bug to eavesdrop on Dick before...that's obvious!
There were not enough amazement points at that time to buy this thing!
One of these devices costs 50 points!
The biggest flaw of the mini-bug was that it couldn't be used again.
Their energy supply lasted only 72 hours, and when the energy was about to run out, they would activate self-destruction.
This was equal to a fifty-point item being usable only once.
The self-destruction was not an explosion but rather vaporized silently without creating any waste.
Of course, it could also be manually self-destructed.
"Hey! Janitor over there, didn't you eat? How come you don't have any strength when mopping the floor?"
At this moment, Henry, who was patrolling different tasks inside the exhibition hall, arrived in this area.
He saw Dean mopping the floor, and immediately frowned and asked in dissatisfaction.
Hearing this, Dean immediately doubled his strength and struggled to move back and forth on the floor.
"That's how work should look. If I see you just like before, don't blame me for deducting your pay!"
Seeing Dean's movement, Henry nodded in satisfaction.
'This guy was in tears from being scared last night, and now he's so arrogant. If anyone didn't know better, they'd think he's really tough.'
Dean muttered to himself while dragging the mop on the floor.
"Don't forget to clean the ceiling later."
After giving this instruction, Henry turned and continued his patrolling in another direction.
"Don't worry, sir. I'll make sure to clean the ceiling well."
Dean raised a smirk and whispered in a voice that only he could hear.
...
Time flies, and quickly it's already April 3rd, Easter.
The Phantom Thief is about to steal the 'Hope Diamond' today.
Today is not April Fool's Day nor a day for pranks and jokes. It is really a serious holiday.
If Phantom Thief doesn't take action today, it would completely violate his own notice, and all the efforts he carefully built into his image would crumble.
On this day, the exhibition hall's business is exceptionally good, better than any other day.
There are even more visitors today than on April Fool's Day.
After all, Phantom Thief's notices on April Fool's Day are usually close to the closing time of 8 p.m.
Therefore, those who are only interested in seeing Phantom Thief and not the exhibition wouldn't come to the exhibition hall during broad daylight.
Today is slightly different.
Phantom Thief only mentioned that he would move on Easter but did not tell when. As a result, So fans have come throughout the day, waiting for Phantom Thief to appear.
Not only that, but there are also many haters who want to see Phantom Thief fail and constantly criticize him.
They too arrived at the exhibition hall early in the morning.
With both groups present, the exhibition hall is crowded with people, which puts huge pressure on Jim and the GCPD police to maintain order.
"Wow, there are so many people here."
Dean, who Dick had invited to the scene today, couldn't help but exclaim as he took in the breathtaking sight of the crowd.
"I guess it's not as many as the audience you had when you performed magic at Gotham Theater. Why are you so surprised?"
Beside Dean, Dick shrugged his shoulders.
"It's different. The Gotham Theater is a large venue, so even with a large audience, it doesn't feel crowded. But here..."
Dean pointed to the crowded exhibition hall and waved his hand.
"According to Phantom Thief's usual habits, the possibility of him appearing at night is higher. I really don't understand why these people are crowding here right now."
Dick shook his head helplessly.
"You can tell they genuinely love Phantom Thief. Just as I said before, he is a very talented magician."
Dean smiled as he looked at the audience in front of him.
...
A/N: We didn't get 900 power stones, so if we reach 1,300 power stones today, I will release an additional chapter tomorrow.
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