"Happiness is the richest thing we will ever own."
- Donald Duck (Ducktales the movie)
...
"Yes, it's almost time."
Jim was also focused, and he instructed the guards next to him what to do.
"Double-check your equipment to ensure it's loaded with tranquilizer darts only."
"Affirmative, Captain. Confirmed, all of the ammunition is loaded with tranquilizer darts; there are no bullet rounds."
Soon, the guards reported back.
"Very well. Everyone, from this moment on, should stay alert at all times. When you spot the Phantom Thief, do not wait for orders—shoot immediately!"
Jim nodded and continued giving orders.
"Based on Phantom Thief's last rehearsal, a large number of gliders will appear in the sky shortly. Shoot them all down when the time comes!"
"Yes, Sir!"
At this moment, a fire of determination ignited in Jim's eyes.
The Phantom Thief has always played the police, but now he finally sees a glimmer of hope to regain their reputation themselves.
'Phantom Thief said he would repeat the method shown in the rehearsal, right? Well, I'll disrupt every single step of your so-called rehearsal and turn it into a joke!"
Next to him, Bruce watched Jim give orders and revealed a satisfied expression in his eyes.
The best way to deal with the Phantom Thief is to use tranquilizer darts instead of live rounds.
With the unpredictable actions of the Phantom Thief, if the police hesitate to open fire, it will not be possible to find a better way to catch him.
However, if they used live ammunition as usual in responding to a call, they might accidentally kill the Phantom Thief.
Even though it wasn't against the law for the police to kill a criminal while performing their duty, and many people in this country thought they should, Jim is not just a law-abiding law enforcement robot.
Jim considers the law a sacred, but he doesn't follow every legal rule to theofaw and may have even broken some police rules.
This might seem like a contradiction or even hypocrisy, but the reality is not so simple.
In Jim's heart, there was something higher than the law, and that was justice and conscience.
If a starving beggar who hasn't eaten for days robs someone with a knife, Jim wouldn't ignore him just because he felt pity for him.
At the same time, he would never pull out his gun to kill the beggar.
Even though over ninety percent of the police here would choose the second option because it saves time and effort, is legal, and follows the rules.
It's precisely because Jim had a conscience that he understood that many things in the world cannot be simply judged as legal or illegal.
That's why he became one of Batman's most trusted allies.
That's why he was able to work closely with Batman, with mutual trust, and not be like the typical conflict between the police and vigilantes.
"Lucius isn't coming here today?"
After giving all the orders, Jim came to Bruce's side and asked as he looked at him alone.
"Lucius is different from me. He's a busy man, and Wayne Enterprises relies on him for many things. The last time he was able to come, it was because he made time for his busy schedule. Today he couldn't find the time to come."
Bruce scratched the back of his head and smiled casually.
"I see, I understand."
Jim nodded.
At that moment, a small girl was seated among the audience at the stadium, but nobody noticed her presence.
She kept her bright eyes on the Bat-Signal, occasionally glancing at the helicopters in the sky and listening to the intense conversations of the many people around her.
It was clear that she didn't feel comfortable in such a busy place because her eyes were filled with worry and helplessness.
However, she didn't complain, nor did she have any intention of changing her seat because no matter where she went, the situation would be similar.
"Hey! Do you all know about Phantom Thief's rehearsal three days ago? I heard he made the Bat-Signal disappear without a trace, right in front of so many people and cameras! It's truly amazing!"
An enthusiastic audience nearby admired the Phantom Thief.
"That's amazing? You really haven't seen much. The Phantom Thief couldn't have moved the Bat-Signal. The Bat-Signal must still be in its original place. He just used some kind of optical illusion to make it look like it disappeared."
Another audience immediately countered with disdain.
"Oh, look, who knows things? You act like nobody knows about optical illusions. If you know so much, why don't you explain what optical illusion Phantom Thief used?"
"Isn't it just a mirror or glass cover with a special design? Movies often have scenes like this!"
"You also know it's a movie, huh? The Phantom Thief made the Bat-Signal disappear and even spread the cloth on the lawn. So, where did the Bat-Signal go?"
"Maybe Phantom Thief intentionally moved it to a different spot, and that cloth wasn't covering the Bat-Signal at all."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Do you think you're smart? I can tell just from your words that you probably haven't watched Phantom Thief's rehearsal at all, let alone the live stream replay online. Yet you dare to talk about moving it? Do you think everyone at the scene is blind?"
"Hmph! Whatever you say, you're just a brainless fan of Phantom Thief."
There was nothing new about the arguments between audiences. At the same time, similar things were happening in many seats.
But it didn't take long for them to suddenly quiet down.
Because white streaks of light suddenly streaked across the sky, quickly filling the sky above the Gotham City Stadium.
Yes, these white streaks of light were none other than the Phantom Thief's glider wing!
After seeing this scene, everyone knew that it was an opening to the appearance of the Phantom Thief!
"Quick, shoot down those glider wings!"
Seeing this, Jim immediately shouted to his subordinates.
Bang, bang, bang!
The sound of gunfire rang out as countless bullets poured into the glider wings.
The power of tranquilizer darts is much weaker than that of real bullets, but there was no problem taking down several low-flying glider wings.
However, just as this barrage of darts met with the group of glider wings, explosions even louder than gunshots suddenly erupted.
In the sky, every glider hit by darts exploded, and then a layer of white fog seemed to be released from some part of the glider wings and quickly spread in the sky above the stadium.
Jim didn't expect that the Phantom Thief wouldn't release the white fog himself. But how does this mechanism work?
Where was the fog coming from on the gliders?
Soon, not just the glider wings hit by darts but every glider wing in the sky exploded on its own, creating a thick layer of white fog.
The thickness of the fog was so good that even those in helicopters in the sky couldn't see through it.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!"
Just at this moment, the loud voice of the Phantom Thief rang out from the sky.
"It's show time!"
...
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