"When a person can't find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure."
- Viktor Frankl
...
"Hello, everyone. This is Gotham's Channel 7, and welcome to today's morning news program. I'm your host, Recie White."
"Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the 'disfigurement' mask incidents related to Janus Cosmetics, causing massive harm to countless families."
"According to the research director at Janus Cosmetics, former chairman Roman Sionis rushed to launch the product without complete testing, only based on early experimental results, and even employed hundreds of volunteers to manipulate the data."
"This incident reminds us that any chemical product, if not strictly tested according to standards and subjected to lawless scams, can lead to severe consequences."
"There are even rumors that the fire that claimed the lives of Roman Sionis' parents had traces of arson, and the arsonist is suspected to be Roman himself! If these rumors are true, Roman Sionis is nothing but an inhuman demon!"
"What's even more fascinating is that when Wayne Enterprises stepped in to acquire Janus Cosmetics and took on all the shares and paid medical expenses for the victims, Roman Sionis mysteriously disappeared."
"Some have discovered that a grave in the Sionis family cemetery was recently opened, with a piece of wood removed from the coffin lid, and the people of this grave happen to be Roman's father."
"All these signs tell us that the Roman Sionis we once knew may have been a cold-blooded murderer. Currently, the GCPD has issued a warrant for the arrest of Roman Sionis, and we urge all citizens to be vigilant."
...
Gotham Academy
Dean was focused on listening to the morning news as he resumed his school routine.
It had only been a few days since he last paid attention, and now there was a huge scandal happening.
Dean wished he had paid more attention when Janus Cosmetics was in the news all over the place.
At the time, it was just negative publicity for a mere cosmetics company, and Dean didn't think much of it.
He even thought the people of Gotham were overreacting.
But it turned out to be much bigger than that.
This Roman Sionis was something else.
He allegedly murdered his parents, arrogantly ran his company into the ground, and was into some weird mask art that normal people couldn't even understand.
Overall, he was the embodiment of a classic supervillain.
Dean was ready to smash his phone in frustration if this guy turned out not to be a supervillain.
Dean thought there was a good chance the parent-murdering story was true since he knew so much about Gotham City.
"Dick, why does Gotham always create these weirdos?"
Dean turned to Dick in the backseat and asked, to which Dick quickly replied without hesitation.
"I don't know."
"Good point."
Dean fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Hey, Dean."
At that moment, Dick suddenly called Dean's name.
"I have something to ask you."
"What is it?"
Dean asked curiously.
"Where are you planning to go to college? Are you staying in Gotham or going to another city?"
Hearing this, Dean paused for a moment.
"I've told you my choices before, the Blüdhaven Police Academy. I even have my application ready."
Dean shook his head slightly and added, "But you have to tell me your plans too; it's only fair."
"I'm not as enthusiastic as you, Dick, to have my future school already decided."
Dean shook his head slightly and continued, "I definitely won't go to the Blüdhaven Police Academy, though."
"I didn't ask you to join me at Blüdhaven."
Dean raised an eyebrow.
"Probably a coastal city, or Central City and Metropolis, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Boston. Who knows, I might even stay in Gotham."
Dean listed the names of cities without giving an actual answer.
"I can see through you, Dean. You just want to go to a big city."
Dick couldn't help but tease.
"Of course, I was wondering why you insist on going to that backward place like the Blüdhaven when you could become a cop anywhere else."
At this moment, Dean seemed like he was joking with Dick, but in fact, he suddenly realized that he had forgotten something extremely important.
That's about going to college.
He is now in the last semester of high school, and it is natural for him to go to college. Dean does not plan to drop out if he doesn't go to college.
So, if Dean were to go to another city and the Phantom Thief started showing up there or nearby, what would happen?
Isn't that just telling people that Dean and the Phantom Thief have a connection?
Even if Dean temporarily stops his crimes, it would create a situation where, as soon as Dean left, Phantom Thief would no longer appear in Gotham.
'No, there's only a little over a month left after high school graduation, and the situation with Cassandra must be resolved quickly. With her help, this can be resolved easily.'
Dean secretly made up his mind that he had to speed up his plan to infiltrate the FBI.
After all, he had already planned most of it, and starting a few days early wouldn't be a big problem.
Besides, this wasn't Phantom Thief's operation; it was Dean's.
There was no need to give advance notice, and everything should prioritize secrecy, and the chances of success are quite high.
Just as Dean was planning to infiltrate the FBI early, in a corner of Gotham, another person was also brewing a big plan.
...
In the south of Gotham, there is a large isolated island, only connected to the main city area of Gotham by a bridge across the sea.
A strict and large-scale prison stands on the island with a black gate, hence the name Blackgate Penitentiary...
Well, the origin of Blackgate Penitentiary is not like this; the prison has a long history, and no one knows the story behind its name.
But the fact remained that the prison gates were indeed black.
It was now late at night, and there were only two GCPD prisoner transport vehicles on the bridge heading to Blackgate Penitentiary.
There were no other vehicles to be found.
After all, no normal person would casually come to Blackgate Penitentiary.
Blackgate Penitentiary is not a tourist attraction but rather a restricted area for outsiders.
Gotham has a high crime rate, and many criminals are arrested every day. Therefore, the prison guards at Blackgate Prison didn't find it unusual when two prisoner transport vehicles approached.
At first glance, everything seemed normal, but the guards soon realized that something was off.
The two vehicles were about to reach the gate but showed no signs of slowing down, and their speed was even increasing.
"Warning! The vehicles in front, please slow down immediately."
The guards shouted a warning to the vehicles.
No response.
Seeing that the warning was useless, the guards didn't hesitate. They immediately drew their weapons and opened fire on the vehicles.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Due to the special circumstances, Blackgate Prison had heavy firepower. They quickly filled the front of the first car with bullet holes.
The driver inside would certainly be dead unless they had a face of steel.
If the first vehicle hadn't been blocking the second vehicle, both vehicles would have crashed long ago.
But it was only a matter of time.
The driver of the first vehicle wouldn't survive and would soon lose control. When it shifted direction, the second vehicle would follow the same fate.
"No, something's wrong. Why is the second vehicle still moving so smoothly? Could it be that the driver isn't dead?"
"Wait! We've been tricked! There was no driver in the first vehicle! The second vehicle was pushing it forward!"
With the guards' exclamation, the two vehicles charged straight at the gates of Blackgate Prison and ignored the firepower.
Then, the second vehicle suddenly hit the brakes, only allowing the speed to cause the first vehicle to crash into the entrance.
An explosion instantly destroyed the prison gate.
Boom!
...
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