"The only true limit is the one you set for yourself."
- Master Shifu (Kung Fu Panda)
...
"Cassandra, although I don't know why you think I'm the Phantom Thief, maybe it's because we're both magicians, but..."
Dean kept talking with a calm face and a serious voice.
"I really am not the Phantom Thief."
This sentence came from the depths of Dean's heart, and his eyes were filled with sincerity.
Dean was not worried that Cassandra would see through his lie because he was telling the truth.
From beginning to end, Dean had never been the real Phantom Thief; he was only pretending to be him.
If it weren't for the fact that the image and style of the Phantom Thief were highly captivating and attention-grabbing, Dean might have chosen a different identity.
For example, Arsène Lupin or even Lupin III
Through his Mystic Eyes, Dean learned the basics of information about Cassandra.
Although he didn't know much about her past, her personality, or her preferences, he could clearly see her exceptional abilities.
The Mystic Eyes thought highly of Cassandra.
They stated she was the best at martial arts, had the potential to become the world's strongest fighter, and could even read people's body language instinctively.
At first glance, this ability to read body language might not seem so impressive since it's similar to reading Microexpressions.
But in reality, there is a world of difference between the two.
Microexpressions can be controlled through facial muscle manipulation to hide useful information or deliberately mislead others.
So, if he followed this line of thought, Dean couldn't just move in strange ways to confuse Cassandra?
However, what Cassandra saw in body language was not just simple limb movements.
She had a very vague idea of body language, which is better described as human body language.
Any instinctive, natural reaction of the human body provides her with information.
The speed of walking, the swing of the arms, the contraction of muscles, the beating of the heart, the dilation of pores, the circulation of blood—Cassandra could read information from all of these and even predict her opponent's next move.
It's like a combination of mind-reading and combat prediction!
Perhaps one or two meaningless random movements could confuse Cassandra, but a person cannot maintain such a state forever unless they are insane.
Therefore, as long as Cassandra sees a person once, she can recognize the true identity of any masked individual.
This is an inevitable outcome.
But Dean didn't want to reveal his identity so soon.
He wasn't sure if Cassandra was an enemy or a friend, or if she had come to ask him about something with a specific purpose.
Since Barbara knew Cassabnra better than anyone else, the chances of her being a spy were even higher.
So Dean quickly started thinking about how to answer her questions.
She could read his body, and he couldn't control his body perfectly, which meant that trying to deceive her with lies was impossible.
He could only tell the truth, and he had to tell the truth.
After all, Dean wasn't the Phantom Thief to begin with.
Fortunately, Cassandra wasn't Batman or Robin. Her way of figuring out the Phantom Thief's identity wasn't based on careful logical thinking, and she didn't have any hard evidence.
When Dean clearly said that he wasn't the Phantom Thief and that he wasn't lying, Cassandra was thrown for a moment into chaos. Her pupils seemed to shake like an earthquake had happened.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
Dean stretched out his hand and moved it in front of Cassandra's confused eyes to ask.
"No, I... I'm fine."
Cassandra snapped back to reality and shook her head at Dean.
There was still a hint of disbelief on her face as she repeatedly looked Dean up and down, not sure whether to believe him or not.
Dean responded calmly with a smile.
'Dean's body habits are indeed exactly the same as Phantom Thief's, but he says he's not Phantom Thief... Could it be possible for two people in the world to have the same body language?'
Cassandra thought to herself.
'Now that I think about it, I haven't met that many people. The world is so big, there can be two people like that.'
Soon, Cassandra comforted herself.
'Or maybe I made a mistake in my observation...'
She was still young, and during the years she had been roaming, she hadn't encountered any hidden martial arts masters.
So, even she wasn't sure of her own potential, and it was normal for her to doubt her own judgment.
"I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble."
Cassandra lowered her head apologetically and made gestures with her hands to express her guilt.
"I watched Phantom Thief steal that Bat-Signal at the Gotham City Stadium, and I thought his... body was very similar to yours, so I assumed you were Phantom Thief."
While "saying" this, Cassandra hesitated, and her hand gestures were slower. She didn't know how to express what she had said through body language.
'Ugh... What a terrible apology.'
Dean could somewhat understand Cassandra's meaning, but he still wanted to comment on her apology.
That's probably the importance of studying; no wonder Cassandra was so grateful to Barbara for teaching her how to read.
"Do you care about who the Phantom Thief is?"
Dean asked, and this wasn't just a random question.
He felt that Cassandra wasn't the type who would be interested in Phantom Thief; her style was quite different from superheroes, at least from those in the Bat Family.
He wanted to know what made Cassandra interested in Phantom Thief and why she had come to his door to ask about it.
Hearing this, Cassandra's expression darkened, and she didn't respond, as if she had something difficult to say.
"Well, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."
Dean waved his hand.
If she didn't want to talk about it for now, he couldn't force her. He didn't want to rush things too quickly, especially as Cassandra was a good fighter.
Dean estimated that he would really not be able to beat her.
However...
'With my exquisite psychology and micro-expression skills, I can be sure that Cassandra's difficulty in speaking is definitely not a small matter. Perhaps it is the reason she became an orphan?'
Dean speculated in his mind.
'Thinking about it, Cassandra has some complicated emotions towards her own surname. Usually, a surname comes from one's father, and Cassandra's martial arts proficiency is definitely from professional training. It's likely what her father taught her. So, it can be assumed that something important happened to her family. Combined with her status as a roaming orphan...'
'Could it be that her father was a skilled thief too and got caught and imprisoned, which led to Cassandra roaming around? Is that why she's interested in Phantom Thief?'
'Hmm... This possibility is quite high.'
Dean thought to himself.
According to Cassandra's patterns of behavior, Batman has probably not yet had an impact on her, and Barbara doesn't appear to be aware of Cassandra's abilities from the way she acts. Although I can't be completely sure that Cassandra has no connection to the Bat Family, I might be able to..."
...
patreon.com/Sothisq
You can find up to 20 advance chapters on my patreon.
DROP MORE POWER STONES