"I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done."
-Lucille Ball
...
"Did you find any clues?"
Just then, Robin jumped down, and Batman asked who was beside him.
"No... there are no clues. The Phantom Thief is also great at avoiding being caught. He must have received professional training. There are very few people who would notice such tiny details."
Batman replied without turning his head.
"When we get back, I'll need to make important changes to the Phantom Thief's file on the Batcomputer."
"See, I've told you before, the Phantom Thief is not as simple as he appears to be."
Robin crossed his arms.
"You're right, so what?"
Batman turned his head and asked expressionlessly.
"Are you now proud of yourself because you underestimated a criminal's abilities?"
"Of course not! God, how could you think that? I'm just saying that the Phantom Thief's skills should get the attention they deserve! Well, I want to argue with you for doubting my abilities just because I haven't caught Phantom Thief yet, but it's not what you said."
Robin frowned and expressed his dissatisfaction.
Batman didn't respond with words. Instead, he pulled out an unusual-looking gun from his utility belt.
The gun barrel was not the usual round shape but square, and the back of the gun barrel was made wide and equipped with a display screen.
After taking out the gun, Batman aimed it at the end of the tunnel and pulled the trigger.
However, this gun didn't shoot bullets. Instead, it emitted a high-frequency sound wave that was invisible, intangible, and inaudible.
These sound waves bounced back and reached the gun at the end of the tunnel.
Soon, the distance in kilometers was displayed as a long number that appeared on top of the gun barrel.
It was a sonic range finder.
"This tunnel leads to the Gotham Botanical Garden, Robin, come with me!"
Batman gave Robin a quick order, and Robin followed him out of the tunnel.
"What's the situation down there?"
As Batman appeared from the tunnel, Jim and his men surrounded him. While Batman and Robin had been searching in the tunnel, the others had kept their distance.
"The Phantom Thief has already escaped with the gemstone. The tunnel he dug leads directly to the Gotham Botanical Garden. I'm going there now to take a look."
Batman answered emotionlessly.
"Let my people come with you."
Gordon suggested.
"No need; you won't be able to keep up."
Batman said as he boarded the Batwing, with Robin reluctantly following behind.
Looking at the Batwing disappearing into the sky, Jim remained silent for a moment.
"What are you all looking at? We still have work to do! Bring up the Bat-Signal quickly. The underground tunnels below the Gotham City Stadium need to be filled as soon as possible, or who knows when they might collapse!"
Suddenly, Jim turned around and looked at the people standing still behind him.
"Yes, sir!"
With Jim's command, everyone immediately started working themselves.
...
As the saying goes, when some are happy, others are sad.
The performance of the Phantom Thief at Gotham's Stadium was a great success; no doubt the Phantom Thief was happy, and the audience who watched his performance was also happy.
As for the ones feeling down, it was definitely the GCPD, which had repeatedly failed, and someone who had just lost again.
At least that's how the public saw it.
Who could this person be?
"Damn it! Can someone tell me why Phantom Thief won again this time? Why? Why is it always Robin who goes up against the Phantom Thief? Can someone tell me why Batman didn't show up until after the thief was gone?"
Inside the Iceberg Lounge, Penguin was angrily shouting and cursing.
"Did Batman lose his mind? He actually waited until the Phantom Thief left before showing up! Isn't he always like appearing out of nowhere? Doesn't he usually work with Robin? Why not this time?"
"I've had Gotham's major gangs keep their thugs in check for these past few days and give Batman enough time to deal with Phantom Thief, but he did nothing!"
Ignatius was leading a group of Penguin's subordinates, who were standing still in the corner of the room.
"Thirty million! I've lost thirty million dollars for no reason again! That fucker Matches Malone, he must have done something I don't know! Otherwise, how could he be so sure that Batman wouldn't personally deal with the Phantom Thief?"
Thinking back to the bet with Matches a few days ago, Penguin was full of anger.
At first, he thought Matches wanted to cooperate and was trying to find a way to give him money.
While the Penguin didn't know what Matches needed help with, thirty million dollars was not small money.
If Matches Malone really wanted his help, and it was negotiable as long as the money was right, then they could definitely come to an agreement.
If the money wasn't enough, they could always add more later.
Up until an hour ago, that's how the Penguin saw it.
However, after watching Phantom Thief's live broadcast, Penguin's thoughts changed.
He realized Matches proposal for a bet wasn't to give away money but to win money.
Even though the Penguin had a lot of money, thirty million US dollars was a lot. It was real money that could be spent legally.
It wasn't dirty or anything like fake money.
While the Penguin wasn't particularly regretting it, it definitely hurt.
Suddenly, Penguin turned his gaze to Ignatius and sternly said, "Find out what Matches has been up to lately. Who has he met? Has the Matches Gang violated the terms of the bet?"
His eyes were filled with menace, and Ignatius felt a chill down his spine.
If it turned out that Matches had followed the terms of the bet and hadn't done anything to disrupt Batman, then the Penguin would have to admit defeat and pretend that he had never made that thirty million.
But!
If it turned out that Matches was acting suspiciously these past few days and deliberately trying to cheat the Penguin out of his money, then this matter wouldn't be settled easily!
As for the Phantom Thief's remarkable methods, the Penguin didn't care. He hadn't considered for a second that Batman could have underestimated the Phantom Thief's plans.
In the Penguin's mind, there was nobody in Gotham that Batman couldn't handle.
"Yes, boss, I'll start investigating right away!"
Ignatius bowed his head and walked out of the room after accepting the order.
...
On the other side, in Gotham's Diamond District, at the Thurston Mansion
After going through several twists and turns, Dean managed to get rid of the mud on his body and change into clean clothes before returning home.
Then he did his usual inspection.
"Not bad; it seems my identity is still safe for now."
Dean dragged his tired body back to his room and collapsed onto the bed.
"Now, it's time to settle the task reward."
With a sense of anticipation, Dean summoned the system.
...
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