"You are indeed the Phantom Thief."
Looking at Dean in front of her, Cassandra didn't show much surprise.
This meant that her eyes hadn't been wrong from the beginning.
"Can you tell me why you do these things?"
Cassandra gestured with her hands in the air.
"You're just a thief, right? What does saving this city have to do with you?"
"Because a qualified performer needs to protect his audience."
Dean replied with a slight smile.
"There are many people in this city who have cheered and applauded my performances. It wouldn't be fair to those audiences if I could do something but chose not to."
"More importantly."
Dean continued after a pause, "Don't you think a story where a thief saves the city is extremely unexpected and can amaze more people?"
Cassandra didn't quite understand Dean's explanation, not because she couldn't understand his words but because she didn't grasp the meaning he was trying to convey.
"So... saving the city or being the Phantom Thief, it's all for the sake of people's amazement?"
Cassandra furrowed her brow.
"Is getting admiration so important to you? Does it satisfy you?"
"While there may be some differences in the details, that's generally it."
Dean nodded honestly.
He didn't try to come up with noble reasons to show himself as a righteous and kind-hearted person who was just breaking the law on the surface.
Dean didn't come to Gotham solely out of pure goodwill that night, nor was it completely for himself.
In addition, it was pointless trying to justify himself to Cassandra.
After Dean finished speaking, Cassandra remained silent for a long time and thought about something.
"Do you... know what kind of ability I have?"
Suddenly, Cassandra gestured with her hands.
"More or less. I know there is a technique in the world that allows people to have a special power to read body language. There are people with this ability who can understand what others say, even if they don't speak the same language. They can easily understand all languages in the world, whether they are known or not."
At this moment, Dean took a few steps closer and stood in front of Cassandra, locking eyes with her.
"Do you remember when we first met at the Gotham library? You said, 'You can understand what I'm saying'? Right? That information exposed the technique you have."
"Last time at your place, you swore that you weren't a Phantom Thief, and I didn't detect any lies. Now, you can easily deceive me using the same method, but you chose to be honest with me and calmly answer my questions. Why?"
Cassandra continued to ask, and her tone was very serious.
'Why did Dean's attitude undergo such a huge change?'
Dean suddenly said, "Please, have a seat."
"?"
Cassandra blinked; the change in topic was too sudden, and she didn't quite catch it at first.
Meanwhile, Dean found a clean place to sit cross-legged and was now waving to her.
"I think there's a lot more we need to talk about, and you haven't rested all night, Cassandra, have you? Please sit down; let's talk. This place won't be disturbed for a while."
Dean motioned for Cassandra to sit by patting the clean floor beside him.
Cassandra hesitated for a moment.
She didn't feel particularly tired, as if she could keep going for several more days and nights without any issues.
However, she eventually sat down next to Dean.
"I'm not afraid to admit it now, Cassandra. Last time, I was so persistent in hiding my identity from you because I was afraid. I was worried that you were sent by Batman to test me, especially since you have such a good relationship with Barbara."
Dean smiled softly and revealed that he had been suspicious when Cassandra first approached him.
"If Batman found out that the Phantom Thief was Dean Thurston, my life in Gotham would become very troublesome. But now..."
"I already trust that you're not a member of the Bat-Family, so there's no need to continue hiding when you've already figured out my identity, and even if I wanted to hide it, I couldn't anymore."
Cassandra propped her chin on her hands, her eyes lost in thought.
'Why was Dean revealing these secrets to her without any concerns?'
'Wasn't he afraid that she would go running to Batman or the GCPD to betray him?'
"I know you've been asking me all these questions, but what you really want to know is whether I regret my criminal actions and how I plan to make things right."
"At least up until now, I've never regretted my actions. I can honestly say that I've never intentionally hurt anyone or committed any unforgivable crimes. The Phantom Thief is indeed a criminal who should be punished, and I admit that. But I still have a clear conscience."
Dean shook his head slightly. "I can give you my answer, but that's just my answer. You might not get the answer you're looking for."
Cassandra stared at Dean, at a loss for words.
But at that moment, Dean's expression suddenly turned serious, and he said with a meaningful tone, "By the way, you left something very important at my place last time."
"?"
Cassandra was startled. She had left something at Dean's home?
That couldn't be possible. She didn't have anything to "leave behind" at all!
Suddenly, Cassandra's pupils contracted.
Dean pulled out some slender black hair from somewhere and looked at her calmly.
"You left a strand of hair on the couch."
"Cassandra, you may not know much about modern knowledge, but I assume you understand what DNA testing is, right?"
Dean held up the hair and examined it closely in front of Cassandra.
"With just a small strand of hair, a lot of information can be found. I'm sorry for invading your privacy, but I already know about your past."
Cassandra was shocked. She understood Dean's underlying message—he already knew her secrets!
He knew about her past, about her training under her father, David Cain, and about the fact that she had killed someone at the age of nine.
As she recalled the scene when she had easily sliced open the target's carotid artery with her bare hand, blood splattering onto her face, a flood of negative emotions—regret, guilt, fear, and worry—filled her heart.
Cassandra's face turned pale, and her mind was in chaos.
Cassandra stood up from the ground with a swish and tried to escape without saying a word.
However, before she could take a few steps, Dean grabbed her.
"Running away from the past won't help!"
Dean shouted sternly.
"Do you still want to continue living this aimless wandering life?"
Cassandra was struck by his words, and she stood frozen in place.
"No... I don't want to."
She replied in a trembling voice.
Cassandra turned around, tears streaming down her face. That voice just now had come from her own mouth.
Dean's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
Cassandra had actually spoken just now!
Although the words were very short and sounded strange, sounding like a baby just learning to speak, there was a clear sense of babbling.
But she had indeed spoken. Cassandra wasn't mute.
'As I suspected!'"
This scene completely confirmed Dean's initial guess.
The reason why David Cain didn't let his daughter Cassandra learn languages was definitely not just to turn her into a killing machine.
He probably didn't let her learn any languages to train her skills to the point where she couldn't even communicate normally.
Despite that, Cassandra's language center wasn't damaged.
After studying languages in the library for a long time, she slowly began speaking.
But it would still take quite a long time for her to communicate with others like a normal person.
After stumbling through a few words, Cassandra closed her mouth and remained silent in front of Dean. She just silently raised her head.
"I know what you're thinking, Cassandra, but unfortunately, I can't give you a clear path for the future."
Seeing this, Dean immediately extended a finger and pointed to Cassandra's chest.
A soft touch came from his fingertip, but Dean didn't pay it any mind and continued solemnly.
"What you want to know is right here! Only you can decide where you go from here."
Cassandra lowered her head and looked at her own chest.
"You've killed before; that's a fact. You didn't know you were killing at the time, but that's also a fact."
Dean continued, "Killing is a terrible thing. You will feel uneasy and guilty about it, which is perfectly normal. But you must understand that it's not entirely your fault. Don't burden yourself with all that guilt."
"David Cain trained you from a young age to be a killer, but he never taught you the essence of killing. When you killed Fazul, you had no idea what you were doing."
"I know saying this won't ease the burden on your heart, but I want to tell you that the real person responsible for Fazul's death is David Cain. You were just a tool in his hands! You must recognize this fact."
"Furthermore, I investigated Fazul's background. This guy wasn't a good person either. The number of innocent lives he destroyed can't even be counted. I'd even say he got what he deserved."
"Sometimes, doing bad things can lead to good results, but of course, it depends on whether you're willing to take on the responsibility."
These unconventional words made Cassandra's heart instantly complicated.
In her simple understanding, she only knew that killing was wrong, but Dean seemed to be referring to the killings she had committed in her innocence.
How could doing bad things lead to good results?
Is Dean a bad person?
Cassandra looked at Dean with complicated feelings. In the end, she shook her head and didn't think Dean was a bad person.
"Your heart is filled with confusion right now, and that's okay. I understand how you feel, Cassandra. So, I have a proposal..."
Dean gazed into Cassandra's eyes and asked, "Do you want to try doing something bad with me?"
Under Dean's gaze, Cassandra nodded thoughtfully.
...
"I think I made myself clear, Batman. I don't know where our boss is—oh, I mean, our former boss."
In the Iceberg Lounge, Ignatius Ogilvy sat in his office chair and had a friendly smile.
In front of him stood a tall figure in black, none other than Batman.
"You seem quite happy with what happened to Penguin, Ignatius."
Batman commented with a meaningful tone.
"Happy? No, actually, my heart is filled with sadness. But you should know that if a leader constantly cries, the team will surely fail."
Ignatius pretended to sigh and said, "The boss entrusted me to take charge before leaving, and I can't let him down."
Batman looked at him carefully and didn't ask any more questions about Penguin's problems. Instead, he asked about something more important.
"There are details suggesting that the person spreading the Man-Bat Virus has close ties to the Iceberg Lounge. I need an explanation... or a name."
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing this, Ignatius's face instantly changed, and he said solemnly, "Batman, don't make baseless accusations without evidence."
"You are the protector of this city, and I sincerely respect you, so I will honestly tell you anything you want to know. But—"
Ignatius' face darkened, and he spoke with conviction, "That doesn't mean you can make any accusations against us! Everyone in the Iceberg Lounge is a law-abiding citizen, and I won't allow you to wrongfully accuse them!"
"Your injuries healed quite quickly."
Batman remarked unexpectedly.
"Huh?"
Batman's words baffled Ignatius.
Before he could react, Batman suddenly threw himself and grabbed Ignatius by the head while slamming it down onto the table.
The force was so great that when Ignatius' forehead hit the tabletop, there was a loud thud.
"I know it's someone from the Penguin's gang who kidnapped Francine Langstrom and used her as leverage to get the original formula for the Man-Bat Serum from Kirk. Do you want to say that you know nothing about it?"
Batman pressed Ignatius firmly against the table with one hand and leaned in close to his ear.
"I need an explanation! Or a name!"
Thud!
Batman grabbed Ogilvy by the head again and slammed it onto the table with force.
"I... I really don't know... what you're talking about... Who's Francine?"
Ignatius struggled to speak with his face pressed against the table, but he still insisted he knew nothing.
Batman stared at him for a moment, then released his grip.
Just as Ignatius was about to catch his breath, Batman's hand reached out again.
...
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