"A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle."
- James Keller
...
"Perhaps the Phantom Thief doesn't have any particular motive, and maybe he's just doing it for fun, to satisfy his own desire for performance or some artistic concept."
Alfred said this to Bruce, whose brow was furrowed.
"At least the Phantom Thief hasn't caused much panic or economic loss to Gotham. Why do we have to try to understand his motives?"
"He's a criminal, Alfred, and crime is never about having 'fun.' If we don't know what he truly wants, we'll never guess what his next move might be."
Bruce countered.
"Phantom Thief may be stealing treasures now just for the thrill without harming anyone, but what if he gets bored one day? Can his long history of breaking the law lead him back to the right path? Impossible! He might even find killing people amusing!"
"Well, Master Bruce, I can't deny the possibility of what you're saying becoming true one day, but... I think you may be exaggerating a bit."
Alfred sighed when he saw Bruce doing something he used to do.
"I believe Master Richard shares the same opinions as me."
"And this is precisely why he hasn't been able to deal with the Phantom Thief properly."
Bruce shook his head and stayed firm in his opinion.
"Dick always assumes that the Phantom Thief is a 'good criminal' as he doesn't show enough caution or hostility. This makes it difficult for him to make the right decision, and it's not just him; almost everyone in Gotham thinks the same."
"Yes, based on all the criminal records of the Phantom Thief so far, he is not really a ruthless criminal. You can even say he is not a bad person in a city like Gotham, and I don't deny that. But who can guarantee that this isn't his way of building a good reputation? first establishes a positive image and then suddenly changes his path to slaughter. There have been similar criminals in the past, and others have even tricked me. Who can guarantee that the Phantom Thief is not another one?"
Bruce has a habit of imagining things from the worst possible angle.
"..."
Alfred didn't know what to say.
At this point, Bruce continued.
"Alfred, my decision to challenge the Phantom Thief at the Gotham City Stadium is basically a test. It is a test to measure the Phantom Thief's abilities and the public's attitude towards him in Gotham."
"The first tests were tricky, as there are too many mysteries and conflicts in the Phantom Thief's abilities. However, the results of the second test were obvious."
Bruce's expression became serious.
"I never imagined that the Phantom Thief could be so popular in this city. Alfred, people are happy to see him. He is different from other supervillains, and people are drawn to him. Do you realize how scary this is?"
Honestly, Alfred hadn't given this much thought until today, but when Bruce brought it up, he felt a chill go down his spine.
"Now, what worries me the most isn't the ignorant teenagers imitating the Phantom Thief all over the streets, but rather the fact that each of his crime scenes is filled with numerous civilians. As I said, if one day he's no longer satisfied with just stealing and starts showing interest in taking lives..."
It would be like countless people walking up to him and asking to be killed.
Looking at it this way, the Phantom Thief's potential threat was huge.
Alfred couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Whichever way the Phantom Thief ended up, it was bound to draw crowds, even if he didn't kill anyone himself.
What if someone decides to take advantage of that?
For example, some lunatic wearing a mask over his head planned to release terror gas at the Phantom Thief's crime scene.
That would be nearly impossible to prevent.
"The Phantom Thief has Dr. Langstrom's Man-Bat Serum. I don't know what he plans to do with it, but if he plans to mass-produce and spread it throughout the city, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Bruce's expression remained serious.
He even worried that the Phantom Thief might target the more than thirty thousand citizens at Gotham City Stadium that day.
That's why the Batwing didn't carry any weapons that day, and all the ammunition was replaced with the antidote to the Man-Bat Serum.
After all, Bruce was the one who cured himself using the Man-Bat Serum, so he could certainly mass-produce the antidote.
Fortunately, the Phantom Thief hadn't done anything like that yet, or at least he hadn't shown any intentions of doing so.
In a dark way, it's possible that he hasn't been able to successfully replicate the Man-Bat Serum yet.
In short, Bruce's view of the Phantom Thief greatly changed after what happened at Gotham City Stadium.
From being dismissive, he turned into a ticking time bomb who was a little too obsessed.
"So, how do you plan to track down the Phantom Thief? We still know nothing about him."
Alfred suddenly asked.
Bruce fell into silence.
Soon, the silence was broken as a voice came from behind them.
"What are you guys doing? We don't have much time to waste here. The charity gala is about to start."
Dick, who was wearing a suit and had no idea what they had been talking about, walked up to them.
"Get the car ready, Alfred,"
Bruce turned to him and instructed him.
"Of course, Master Bruce."
...
Gotham City, East End.
It was a quiet night.
Francine Langstrom returned home.
Dr. Kirk Langstrom, her husband, was sent to Arkham Asylum not too long ago.
Kirk had spent all of their savings on researching the Man-Bat Serum and built up a huge amount of debt, which Francine now had to pay off.
Luckily, Francine was not an ordinary housewife.
She was a famous researcher with a degree from a prestigious university, and her accomplishments were not far behind her husband's, but Kirk's reckless actions had cost them both their jobs.
After Kirk's court ruling, Francine received a job offer from Wayne Enterprises and became a researcher under Wayne Enterprises.
She worked late into the night every day, and her life slowly started to get back on track.
She still lived in the East End, but she had moved to a new place. Their previous address had been made public due to the Man-Bat incident.
However, Francine's personal information remained protected, and only Kirk's information was made public.
Francine worked late today, as usual.
It was dangerous, especially for a single woman in the East End, but she didn't have many other options.
Francine had lived in the East End of Gotham for a few years and knew where it was safer. So far, she hasn't encountered any danger.
Well, not until now.
Francine used her key to open the door and stepped inside.
She froze in her tracks.
Two unfamiliar men were waiting inside.
"Hello, Mrs. Langstrom. Our boss would like to meet you."
...
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