When Dean heard the name Phantom Thief Black Crow, his emotions were a mix of this and that...
In short, there's a lunatic murderer who slaughtered the guards at Gotham's mayor's residence while calling himself the "Phantom Thief" and even challenging Dean personally.
The name Black Crow happened to be opposite to Dean in some sense.
Cassandra had a very uncomfortable expression on her face as she watched the news about the massacre of the Phantom Thief Black Crow at the mayor's home.
Dean noticed all of this.
While she was not eager to actively assist the unfortunate victims, Cassandra despised acts of slaughter.
"Get ready."
At that moment, Dean's voice entered Cassandra's ears.
She turned strangely to look at Dean.
"Cass, your first theft is coming."
Dean smiled faintly, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.
"This Phantom Thief Black Crow is making a big deal out of a war against me. It's even more high-profile than Bruce Wayne's challenge back then. How can I justify hosting large-scale performances in the future if I don't answer?"
...
Gotham, Night.
A person quickly ran through an underground, dirty drain that was dark, damp, and smelled bad.
The rushing footsteps made a splashed sound as they went through the sewage that had been building up in the drain for who knows how long.
Behind the person fleeing in panic, a devil-like shadow flashed by, disappearing into the darkness.
The sewer was dark; the only brightness came from the man's phone as he desperately tried to escape whatever terrifying thing was after him.
The dim light showed the man's face, which was horrifyingly creepy, twisted, and beyond description.
This scary-looking person is actually scared of some things as he didn't think twice about running into this stinky sewer to run away from the one who was after him.
He knew it would be very hard to escape from that person.
In Gotham, this uniquely faced individual may not be widely known, but he has a considerable reputation.
He rules over a small gang known as Mr. Mosaic due to his appearance.
Mr. Mosaic is one of the earliest strategic partners of the underground kingpin Penguin in Gotham.
The fact that a person capable of making him flee in such panic exists begs the question: who is it?
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a sound of wind came from not far in front of Mr. Mosaic.
Before he could react, a violent impact, like a sledgehammer, struck his face, and his body uncontrollably fell into the sewage.
A tall and muscular black figure appeared in front of Mr. Mosaic. The figure grabbed him, and a dark, hoarse voice echoed in his ears.
"Where's Francine Langstrom, Mosaic?"
Batman asked with anger in his tone.
After Ignatius told him a few days ago at the Iceberg Lounge that the person threatening Kirk Langstrom and trying to get the Man-Bat serum formula from him was one of Mr. Mosaic's henchmen, Batman has been relentlessly pursuing him.
Mr. Mosaic tried all his tricks to escape from Batman, but he was captured. He could hide briefly, but his whereabouts were found, and he almost lost his entire gang.
Batman held Mr. Mosaic single-handedly, and realizing resistance was futile, he weakly confessed.
"That woman should still be in the underground garage at 153 27th Street, Calvin Avenue, Odysseus District... But!"
Just as he finished giving the address, Mr. Mosaic suddenly changed his tone and sounded urgent.
"I didn't order the kidnapping of Francine Langstrom! Batman, I was just commissioned to detain her!"
When Batman heard this, he didn't look surprised. Instead, he seemed to have an expression of confirmation cross his face.
"Who commissioned you?"
"It was the Penguin! That guy who claims to be the new penguin of Gotham!"
Mr. Mosaic stated this firmly.
Batman glanced at him indifferently without saying much.
He took out a photo captured by the Arkham Asylum surveillance camera and pointed to the person in the picture.
"Where can I find this person?"
When Mr. Mosaic looked at the picture and his pupil shrank, he knew immediately that it was Arkham Asylum and that the person in it was Tom, one of his subordinates.
Why would Tom go to Arkham Asylum?
Why did Batman suddenly ask about this discreet gang member?
Mr. Mosaic knew the unspoken rules for dealing with Batman as he was an experienced villain.
Despite his doubts, he didn't rashly ask questions but answered directly.
"His name is Tom, my subordinate. I assigned him to infiltrate the Iceberg Lounge as an undercover bartender. However, he got seriously injured on the day of the Man-Bat virus leak, so he has been recovering. You should find him at his address..."
...
After some time, Batman crawled out of the sewer while dragging the unconscious Mr. Mosaic. He effortlessly tied him up and hung him from a lamppost.
Batman then swiftly headed to his next destination.
The underground garage was where Francine was being held.
During the journey, Batman was busy with other things when he got lost in thought.
Ignatius Ogilvy was the one who took Francine Langstrom hostage.
Batman had a bad feeling about him ever since he first met him and heard him say he was the new Penguin.
Now, it was sure.
Tom was likely Ignatius's hidden knife in the shadows, and Mr. Mosaic served as a smoke screen to divert Batman's attention.
Batman thought Ignatius Ogilvy was suspicious, but he wanted to save Francine first because she had been locked up for over a month.
The rescue mission went smoothly as Batman easily dealt with the thugs guarding her.
However, Alfred quickly told Batman about a big incident as he was taking Francine to the hospital and getting ready to go after Ignatius and Tom.
"Batman, something big has happened!"
"Three hours ago, someone claiming to be the Phantom Thief Black Crow attacked the mayor's mansion..."
The mayor was assaulted and left hanging on a clock tower.
The entire staff at the mayor's mansion was dead!
This was a very dangerous and terrible incident that happened even in Gotham.
Batman's expression darkened.
Suddenly, a mysterious Phantom Thief Black Crow showed up and attacked the mayor's house.
He then declared war on the Phantom Thief Kid, which caused chaos throughout the city.
Batman couldn't get the feeling that this sudden turn of events was more than just a coincidence.
Alfred kept talking about what was happening, but he couldn't see Batman's changing expressions.
"Just half an hour after Black Crow issued the challenge, Phantom Thief responded. He sent a fax to the GCPD and all media organizations in Gotham..."
"When the meeting after 116 days is about to come,
Mercury moves one-sixtieth of the dial
I will reveal a miracle beyond time and space,
and pluck the eye of the sky.
Sincerely, Phantom Thief."
Batman couldn't believe what was happening.
The appearance of Black Crow and the following challenge from Phantom Thief added another layer of complexity to Batman's already rough night.
...
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