A week passed in the blink of an eye.
March 10th arrived.
For the Gotham Natural History Museum, this day carried special weight.
Because at midnight tonight, according to the Preview Letter, Kaito Kid would come to steal the priceless Dragon Egg Ruby Necklace.
---
From early morning onward, Gotham's media went into overdrive.
Almost every major newspaper, TV station, and online outlet sent reporters and photographers to the museum. If anyone could capture even a single clear image of Kaito Kid, sales would explode overnight.
Vicki Vale's previous exclusive report had already made the Gotham Gazette a fortune.
Other media companies were naturally burning with jealousy.
On the surface, reporters greeted each other politely, smiling and exchanging small talk.
But behind the scenes?
Everyone was sharpening their knives.
Every camera angle was contested.
Every position was fought over.
Some reporters even deliberately blocked others' lenses.
And if someone could personally interview Kaito Kid?
That would be instant fame.
No one intended to share that opportunity.
---
The GCPD, meanwhile, was under extreme pressure.
Their expressions were serious, movements precise. They had entered the museum earlier than usual to replace the night-shift officers.
Because Barbara had decoded the Notice Letter, from March 1st to March 9th, only about fifty officers guarded the museum.
But today was different.
Commissioner Gordon mobilized more than four hundred officers.
The Cultural Relics Pavilion and the Jungle Pavilion were sealed in a tight net, waiting for a single moment.
Midnight.
To ensure Kaito Kid could be captured this time, Gordon even deployed over a dozen SWAT special officers—the GCPD's elite.
This unit was normally reserved for high-level supervillains.
That alone showed Gordon's determination.
---
The citizens of Gotham were just as invested.
After the Pink Dream money-laundering scandal was exposed, public opinion had shifted.
To most people, fake diamonds meant nothing.
But black money?
That money could come from drugs.
From illegal weapons.
From human trafficking.
In Gotham, that meant real danger to ordinary lives.
And Kaito Kid—whether intentionally or not—had torn open that rotten chain.
Especially among Gotham's younger generation, many no longer saw him as a simple thief.
Some even believed he was a dark hero, exposing corruption in his own way.
Legally, Kaito Kid was still a criminal.
But not everyone believed the law itself was absolute truth.
And so, thousands of citizens gathered outside the museum, hoping to see the Phantom Thief with their own eyes.
---
Inside the Cultural Relics Pavilion, the Dragon Egg Ruby Necklace sat alone at the center of the hall.
A transparent glass cover protected it.
A three-meter exclusion zone surrounded it, forbidding anyone from approaching.
Originally, the distance had only been one meter.
After Kaito Kid's announcement, it was expanded to three.
The glass cover itself was extraordinary.
Made with the world's most advanced bulletproof glass technology, its strength rivaled titanium alloy, and its hardness approached chromium.
But interestingly—
It was not produced by Wayne Enterprises.
It was made by LexCorp.
Outside the cordon, more than a dozen SWAT officers stood shoulder to shoulder in a perfect circle.
No gaps.
No blind spots.
No ventilation ducts—even on the ceiling.
Gordon's orders were absolute:
No one leaves their position without his direct command.
Power outage? Fire? Still no movement.
Bathroom breaks require at least two officers together.
Radio orders are not trusted—only face-to-face commands with the correct code.
Everything was designed to ensure one thing:
No one touches the necklace tonight.
---
"I don't believe Kaito Kid can steal it under these conditions," Harvey Bullock thought proudly as he surveyed the scene.
"To reach the necklace, he'd have to confront more than a dozen armed SWAT officers at once."
He smirked inwardly.
"Who could pull that off besides Batman?"
This close-protection strategy was Bullock's idea.
At first, Gordon felt it was crude and inefficient—a battle of patience rather than intelligence.
But after thinking it over, he agreed.
Kaito Kid loved tricks.
So perhaps the best counter was brute simplicity.
No tricks.
No gaps.
Just bodies and guns.
---
From a corner of the exhibition hall, Dick watched the scene, pressing an earpiece.
"Do you really think that plan will work?" he whispered.
On the other side, in the Jungle Pavilion, Barbara stepped into a quieter area and replied through her own earpiece.
"Brock's hand-in-hand human wall?" she said flatly.
"If it were me, I'd never use such a stupid plan."
"Then why don't you tell your father?" Dick asked.
"You're a temporary consultant now, aren't you?"
Barbara pouted.
"Please. Do you honestly think my dad would listen to me?"
She sighed.
"I didn't say it wouldn't work. Just that it's stupid."
"Sometimes," she added reluctantly, "stupid plans actually succeed."
---
Dick paused, then changed the topic.
"So… what did you find after monitoring Dean's house all these days?"
Barbara fell silent.
"…Nothing."
"Nothing?" Dick repeated.
"Nothing," she insisted.
"Are you sure?" Dick pressed.
"If you've found nothing, doesn't that mean Dean is innocent? Why haven't you removed the cameras yet?"
Barbara hesitated.
Her fingers tightened unconsciously.
After a long pause, she finally replied:
"…Today is the last day."
Dick frowned.
"What?"
"Today," Barbara said quietly.
"After tonight—after the Kaito Kid incident is over—I'll retrieve the cameras."
She added under her breath:
"This will be the end of it."
---
Midnight was approaching.
And whether truth or illusion—
Everything would be decided tonight.
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