The 24 hour rotating shifts of the store clerk and security guard gave her a real headache. Even if she found a way to lure one or two of them away, the busy main street and bustling lanes made her thieving activities much easier to detect.
Technically speaking, with all the skills Catwoman possessed, she could do something else and wouldn't starve. But she had been trained as a thief from a young age; she didn't know, nor did she want to do anything else.
What if she failed to steal? She had no choice but to continue stealing. Although she succeeded on occasion, she was discovered far too easily, which increased the number of her enemies.
As they say, if you keep walking down dark paths, you're bound to run into a ghost. So one day, Catwoman's theft failed again.
Except this time, she messed with the wrong person. The place she attempted to rob was the Golden Cup Jewelry Store, a business under the control of Falcone.
The Falcone Family were not some small fry. The store's security personnel were professionally trained. They had plenty of manpower, and there were no blind spots in the store. Catwoman was discovered as soon as she made a move.
Unlike other jewelry stores, the men under Falcone had both the audacity and capability to hunt down anyone in Gotham. Godfather's majesty must not be tarnished. Not only did Catwoman narrowly escape capture, she was directly issued an arrest warrant.
The Twelve Families all sent people after her. One day, Catwoman was being relentlessly pursued again. Out of desperation, she began to run towards the edge of the city district.
The assassins tracking her were obviously professionally trained and stayed hot on her trail. Catwoman had no choice but to steal a car and drive out of the East District and into the West District. Thanks to Gotham's traffic control, there was no traffic jam, nor any accidents. She successfully made it near the manor district.
Once in the manor district, Catwoman felt a little edgy because under the cover of darkness, the English manors there seemed particularly eerie and terrifying, which is the reason why, despite the number of wealthy people living there, she rarely went there.
But she had no choice, as the enemies were hot on her tail. Catwoman cautiously proceeded deeper into the manor district. The deeper she got, the more uneasy she felt because, somehow, it seemed as if everyone had disappeared.
Courageously, Catwoman kept running forward, until she discovered a faint light shining from one of the manor's windows.
Soon to be frightened by the eerie atmosphere, Catwoman didn't think twice and ran straight towards the light.
Upon entering, she found traces of someone living there, which slightly eased her anxiety.
Feeling as if she had finally escaped her pursuers, Catwoman grew bolder. She silently ran to the base of the building, launched her grappling hook to grip the roof, and with a few light jumps, arrived at the window whence the light came.
She pressed against the wall, leaned in and peeked inside, and discovered that there was no one inside. It seemed like the owner had forgotten to turn off the light before he left.
Next to the balcony was a solid wooden desk. It was filled with a bunch of documents and many heavy tomes, which gave Catwoman a headache at first glance. The owner of the manor seemed to be a scholar.
Then, something caught Catwoman's eye. It was a bottle sitting in the corner of the desk.
The bottle wasn't big and seemed to be filled with some black dirty water, but the material of the bottle itself made Catwoman's heart race.
It was diamond! A whole one!
The whole bottle was made of diamond!!!
Catwoman knew she was not mistaken. Having been a thief for so many years, she had seen thousands of pieces of jewelry.
The dazzling glow under the light nearly blinded Catwoman and she was instantly captivated.
Even though she had seen various types of beautiful jewelry, she had never seen such a pure diamond.
She then began to grit her teeth in annoyance. What was the owner of this manor thinking? Why would they create a bottle by hollowing out such a beautiful diamond? Wouldn't it be better if it were solid?
Regardless, the heart of Catwoman, the infamous jewel thief, started to flutter with anticipation.
This particular window was locked and seemed to be fitted with a kind of lock that Catwoman couldn't understand, let alone pick. But she was an experienced jewel thief in Gotham, and she wouldn't be easily deterred.
Since opening the window seemed impossible, she climbed down from the balcony, trying every single window, only to discover that the manor's owner had taken extreme precautions. Every window was locked with some strange lock, even the small ones in the attic.
However, persistence pays off. In the old English manors, there was a peculiar structure. The medieval manors in England had a secret door near the sewer outlet of the toilets. This was for the servants to clean out the accumulated filth.
The manor here, although built in a period when this feature was not required—since they used modern drainage systems—still retained this ancient sewage tunnel. Perhaps the architect had a bit of nostalgia.
Catwoman was petite, enough to crawl into the bathroom through this secret door. She was just relieved that nobody had used this tunnel. If there were, she would rather die than crawl through it.
Catwoman was agile and highly skilled in acrobatics. She didn't make a sound as she emerged from the bathroom. The most frustrating part? The bathroom door was also locked!
How paranoid could this person be about theft!
However, it seemed that even the owner of the manor found these eccentric locks quite bothersome. If they were in a rush, they might not be able to unlock them in time. So, the bathroom door was secured with a usual iron lock.
Catwoman could handle this kind of lock. After a quick tampering with the lock, she went towards the table stealthily.
Spirits high, she picked up the diamond bottle and held it under the light to admire it. Now, she was certain it was indeed a diamond.
However, she was puzzled; she had never seen such a flawless diamond. Whether it was the hue or clarity, it was practically faultless. Almost perfect.
What confused her even more was - how could this beautiful bottle contain a stain of black water? No, calling it water might not be accurate. It seemed more like a blob of sticky black slime.
Maybe it was her illusion, but she felt the blob wiggle. But she was already charmed by the diamond bottle; she was getting impatient to add this beautiful diamond to her collection.
So, she didn't bother about what was inside the bottle and directly tucked the bottle into the small bag around her waist.
Since both the windows and doors were locked, Catwoman worried about being trapped if the owner of the manor returned. Besides, obtaining such a beautiful diamond tonight was already more than she intended.
Catwoman exited the manor through the same route. She even managed to lock the bathroom door again as she left.
Back home, Catwoman took out the bottle, examining it from all angles. The more she looked at it, the more she fell in love with it. Yet, the more she looked, the more that black blob bothered her. Who the heck would put a blob of sticky, black goo in such a beautiful bottle?
Catwoman wanted to pour out the contents but the bottle was sealed in a unique way. The plug wasn't all wood but had a series of complex clasps, seeming to have a miniature lock.
She had never seen such a technologically advanced item, and she was at a loss. However, she knew one thing, diamonds are the hardest gemstone on earth, so she could use brute force to break the plug without harming the attractive bottle.
So, she got a chisel, a file, and some pliers, and with the intent of breaking the plug, she hammered and sawed at it. Despite her efforts, only a clasp loosened a bit, the rest of the plug remained deeply fixed in place.
Feeling exhausted, Catwoman threw the bottle onto the bedside table in frustration, and then hit the sack, planning to seek a professional's help to open the lock after the heat died down.