if you kill a killer, the number of killers in the world remains the same
– Batman
…
Wayne Manor, Batcave.
Batgirl rode her Batcycle into the Batcave.
Meanwhile, Alfred was discussing something with Dick.
“Hey! Alfred, Elf Boots, it looks like I came just in time. What were you guys talking about?”
Barbara took off her helmet and greeted them.
“Welcome back, Miss Gordon,”
Alfred replied with his usual warm smile.
“Hey, Barbara, are you still investigating the Firefly’s escape?”
Dick asked.
“Not for the time being. I still haven’t found the location of Firefly. This is very unusual. In a city as big as Gotham, he can’t move outside without leaving any clues. Someone must have hidden him.”
“Who would have the time to hide a pyromaniac lunatic?”
Hearing this, Dick rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.
Barbara shook her head and said, “I don’t have a clue yet, there are too many suspects, and it’s going to take forever to find out who hid him.”
“So… what brings you here today?”
Dick looked at Barbara strangely.
As the daughter of the commissioner of police and a librarian, Barbara usually kept a low profile and didn’t visit the Batcave unless it was necessary.
“Well, I saw some interesting news not long ago…”
Barbara told the news she had seen and added her own thoughts.
“Partnership with Penguin to hold an exhibition? That’s a stupid idea. Even if Mrs. Chandler were really old and unstable, she wouldn’t make such a decision. There must be something fishy behind this!”
Barbara confidently said, “I think it’s probably Penguin who started this. He wanted to use the exhibition to attract someone’s attention.”
After listening to Barbara’s words, Dick’s expression became strange.
“When did you become so interested in the Phantom Thief? Didn’t I tell you not to get involved in this?”
Dick observed Barbara warily.
“But last time, you said that if I faced the Phantom Thief in person, I would know what he was capable of. I really want to face this Phantom Thief right now.”
Barbara shrugged her shoulders, raised the corners of her mouth, and said, “Besides, you have already failed to catch the The Phantom Thief twice. This time Penguin is likely to make a lot of noise, I think it is necessary to give you some help.”
“So if Phantom Thief really wants to steal the ‘Dragon’s Egg Ruby Necklace,’ then I will get involved.”
At this time, Alfred, who was next to him interrupted and said, “Miss Gordon, it’s great that you are willing to cooperate with Master Richard. We were discussing this matter just now.”
“That’s not for you to decide, Alfred. Barbara and I have clear and different responsibilities, and the Phantom Thief is mine! She just needs to focus on her own neighborhood.”
Dick said it in a hurry, curling his lips unhappily.
“Wow, it’s so rare to see you get emotional. Where did our smart and agile Wonder Boy go?”
Barbara exaggeratedly covered her mouth and exclaimed with wide eyes.
“Hmph!”
Dick snorted and turned his head away.
Barbara was amazed by his reaction and turned to Alfred, saying, “Alfred, do all boys in their teenage years act like this? I can imagine how difficult it must be for you.”
“Hehe~”
Alfred chuckled mysteriously.
“Sometimes, Master Richard does some things that give me a headache, but compared to Master Bruce in the past, he is already a very good-behaved child.”
Hearing this sentence, Barbara’s eyes lit up instantly, and she immediately asked, “What did Bruce do before?”
Dick on the side still kept turning his head and sulking, but his ears visibly moved.
Seeing that both kids were eager to hear old stories, Alfred began to reminisce.
“When Master Bruce was fifteen years old, he…”
…
Late at night, Chandler Manor.
Unlike Wayne Manor, which appears ancient and rustic, the ancestral home of the Chandler family has been torn down and rebuilt several times over the years.
It has been upgraded with the most advanced top materials, such as fireproofing, explosion-proofing, and earthquake resistance, making it almost like a fortress.
On the other hand, Wayne Manor remains the same old house from a hundred years ago, with even some of the wooden parts even smell musty.
However, the inside decorations of both manors are quite similar, focusing on a low-key and ordinary aesthetic.
In the room, Mrs. Chandler was sitting on the sofa with a sad face and sorrowful eyes.
Compared to when she was in front of the camera, she seems to be more than twenty years older now, and the necklace she often wears around her neck has disappeared.
“Madam, what did Oswald exactly do to you? Did he steal your necklace?”
An old housekeeper asks standing before Mrs. Chandler, his eyes filled with sadness and anger.
“Even if you don’t tell me, I can guess that Penguin wants to use you as his revenge tool!”
“He has no idea what that necklace means to you! He’s just a shameful thug, a robber, a murderer! He has damaged the reputation of the Cobblepot family! We cannot let him manipulate us…”
“Enough!”
Mrs. Chandler suddenly became agitated.
“What can I do? Your curses won’t change anything. Oswald’s decisions have never changed. When he came to me, I had no other choice!”
“I apologize, Madam, for my outburst,”
The old butler sighed.
“I’m tired. You may leave now.”
Mrs. Chandler closed her eyes, her voice calm.
Soon, the sound of the door closing echoed through the room.
The old butler stands silently at the doorway for a while before finally walking away.
“Wait!”
Not long after, Mrs. Chandler suddenly came running out and stopped him.
“What do you need, Madam?”
The old butler immediately bowed and asked.
“I have thought about what you said earlier, and you’re right. We cannot let the Penguin manipulate us.”
Mrs. Chandler places a hand on the old butler’s shoulder, determination on her face.
“Arrange a car and a driver for me immediately. I’m going to the GCPD to seek help from Commissioner Gordon.”
Upon hearing her decision, the old butler becomes excited and quickly turns around to make the necessary arrangements.
Not long after, the old butler began to feel that something was off.
‘The Madam had a look of worry earlier, how did her mood change so quickly? And I didn’t hear the sound of the door opening just now.’
Most importantly, Mrs. Chandler’s face seemed… younger?
The more the old butler thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong.
When he quickly turned around to check, there was no trace of Mrs. Chandler in the hallway, and there was also no sound when the door was opened and closed.
“Madam!”
With a loud bang, the old butler hurriedly rushed back into the room.
Mrs. Chandler was startled by the sudden return of the old butler.
She was about to scold him when her attention was drawn to something on his left shoulder.
“What is that on your left shoulder?”
Mrs. Chandler asked curiously.
Hearing her question, the old butler instinctively turned his head to look.
There, a white card was tucked into his collar!
Trembling, the old butler took the card off.
On the card were written a few lines, with a cartoon head drawn in the bottom right corner.
“If 20 multiplied by 3 equals 4,
Then I will visit at a nonexistent time,
When Mars has passed its tenth day and night,
Following the guidance of Caesar,
I shall come to claim the blood-stained egg.
Sincerely, Phantom Thief”
