Chapter 92: Chapter 92: The Terrifying Shadow of the Bat
"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them."
—Andy Bernard (The Office)
...
"Sir, something new has happened!"
On the rooftop of the Orhepus Jewelry Exhibition Center, Gordon's communicator rang.
It was a message from the pilots of the two police helicopters above.
"What's the situation?"
Jim asked anxiously.
The Orhepus Jewelry Exhibition Hall Center was too far from Wayne Tower, it was impossible for the cards to blow all the way there.
So Jim and his team could only get information about the situation through the helicopters.
"What did you say? The Phantom Thief changed the crime date, and he's planning to steal the diamond on Easter?"
Jim's face twitched with anger.
'What's going on?'
He had put so much effort into setting up the defenses and the security measures inside the exhibition. They had set up a trap for the Phantom Thief and were just waiting for him to walk into it.
But now he said today is April Fools' Day, a joke, and that he would come some other day?
Jim was almost so angry that he wanted to spit out blood.
"Jim, it seems Phantom Thief won't be coming today. It's already closing time. Do you think we should switch the shifts?"
Harvey asked as he came.
"When the people on the next shift arrive, you can go back, but I need to stay here for a bit longer."
Jim took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Our opponent is not only the Phantom Thief, she might show up too."
Harvey nodded in agreement.
"You're right. I'll stay here with you."
On the other side, Barbara secretly made contact with Robin.
"I'll need some more time to get back."
Robin held onto his Grappling Gun and slid down quickly from the top of Wayne Tower.
"You know, I need to find a hidden place first to change back into regular clothes."
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Barbara reassured Robin.
"I think Phantom Thief probably won't pull two April Fools' Day pranks. He most likely won't come today, so the person we need to focus on now is Lily."
Robin reminded her.
"I know. I've been keeping a close eye on her the whole time."
Barbara lowered her head and looked at the tablet in her hand, where the floor plan of the exhibition hall was displayed.
A yellow dot was continuously moving on it.
The other one was still playing a lot of loud sounds, like footsteps and people talking.
Lily was patrolling inside the exhibition hall, which is her daily job.
Even though it might seem strange that Barbara used one earphone to listen in on Lily and the other to talk to Robin, she was used to it.
"Today's events are finally over, Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock. I need to handle the closing of the exhibition now. We have to arrange for staff to melt the ice and maintain the equipment in the exhibition hall."
Henry approached Jim and Harvey.
"In any case, it's a good thing that Phantom Thief didn't carry out his crime today. Thank you, everyone from the GCPD, for your efforts."
"Where's the hard work? We basically didn't do anything."
Jim said he was ashamed.
"Anyway, as long as the 'Hope Diamond' remains in the ice, we are successful. The exhibition will continue until April 4th, and Phantom Thief will strike on the second-to-last day. As long as we keep the diamond safe on that day, I don't think anyone will think about it again."
Henry said it calmly and with a smile.
"It's getting late, I'll go arrange the work first."
After saying that, Henry left the rooftop.
At this moment, there were no more visitors in the exhibition hall, only the staff of the exhibition and the police from GCPD.
The exhibition staff was responsible for daily maintenance, cleaning, and equipment repairs, while the police were tasked with guarding and patrolling.
Shortly after, Henry arrived at the separate hall of the 'Hope Diamond'.
Just as he arrived, he saw two employees carrying different repair tools coming towards him.
"Sir."
Seeing Henry, the two staff hurriedly greeted him.
"How many times have I told you, don't call me like that in the exhibition hall? All you need to do is do your job well."
Henry warned the two staff.
"The maintenance of the 'Hope Diamond' exhibition is of the highest importance, and we cannot allow any accidents to happen!"
Because the 'Hope Diamond' exhibition hall was completely separate, the equipment inside could not be monitored for defects through a central control system.
Therefore, in order to ensure that the protective measures inside the exhibition room work properly, manual maintenance must be done every day.
At the same time, so that Phantom Thief couldn't disguising to be a maintenance worker, the job of doing maintenance was assigned to a different person every day, and there was no set schedule.
He personally arranged the staff for each day.
"Yes, sir, we will definitely do our job well!"
The two employees quickly responded and then walked into the exhibition hall under the watchful eyes of Henry.
"First, let's turn on the cooling system and let the ice melt slowly..."
After standing there for a while, Henry left.
As he turned around, one of the staff in the exhibition hall gave him a meaningful glance.
After some time, all the closing tasks had been completed and the night shift police arranged by the GCPD had all arrived.
The three members of the Kids Team, Barbara, Dick, and Dean, finally gathered together.
To be precise, it was Dean and Barbara who had been waiting for Dick to return.
"Where the heck did you go before? Does it really take so long to get back from Wayne Tower?"
Dean asked curiously, seeing Dick return sweating and tired.
"Uh... I could have come back earlier, but I encountered a little accident on the way..."
Dick scratched his head and chuckled.
Dick was so used to it that he never walked at night on streets with bright lights. But when he walks the smaller paths and dark alleys, he can truly experience the wonderful parts of Gotham.
Along the way, he encountered three robberies, four fights, and two pickpocket incidents.
How could Dick, as the amazing Boy Wonder Robit ignore alll that?
That's why he ended up getting delayed until now.
"You guys have no idea how many people were gathered at Wayne Tower. Although Phantom Thief is a criminal, I have to admit he's like a celebrity in Gotham!"
Dick exaggeratedly said, "The street was filled with people for three or four blocks. I could hardly move an inch and almost got squashed. It took a lot of effort to escape."
"Is Phantom Thief Kid really that popular?"
Barbara said this while covering her mouth in surprise.
Dean looked at the two and smirked, thinking, 'Keep playing, keep playing. I almost believed it at first.'
"Ah~ I'm really tired today. Why do you two still look so energetic? Anyway, I'm going home first."
Dean yawned and said it wearily.
"Thanks for your help today, Dean. I also need to get back home quickly, or Alfred will nag me about staying up late all the time."
Dick said it sincerely as he waved goodbye to Dean.
...
Late at night, Henry was ready to go home after finishing all his work.
A bright light suddenly blinded him as he turned a corner.
"Henry Orpheus, I have a question for you."
A deep, husky voice that sounded like a demonic creature came from the source of light.
The intense light quickly dissipated and Henry looked up.
He saw a very tall and muscular figure appear before him, with the shadow of a bat faintly visible in the deep of the strong light...
...
A/N: If we reach 1, 400 power stones today, I will release an additional chapter tomorrow.
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