"Commissioner Gordon, the officers of the GCPD, and Miss Bat—"
A bright, confident voice echoed through the rain-filled night.
"I promise I'll prepare an even more spectacular performance next time. Until then… please look forward to it! Hahahahaha!"
Only a few seconds had passed since Kaito Kid vanished from the utility pole.
Now, everyone instinctively looked up.
High above the square, cutting through the rain and darkness, Kaito Kid appeared once more, his white cape stretched wide as a sleek glider carried him smoothly through the air.
He wasn't fleeing blindly.
He was heading straight toward the Jungle Pavilion.
---
A Puzzling Move
"He's still going there?" Batgirl muttered, her brows knitting together.
Commissioner Gordon stared upward, equally unsettled.
According to their interpretation of Kaito Kid's Notice, his appearance at midnight on March 10th was supposed to mark the starting point—the Jungle Pavilion first, then a westward move toward the Cultural Relics Pavilion, where the Dragon Egg Ruby Necklace was secured.
But reality hadn't followed the script.
Kaito Kid had appeared in the main square, not the Jungle Pavilion.
That deviation was the reason Gordon had ordered everyone out of position.
And now—
He was flying back.
If the necklace was his true target, why didn't he head straight for the Cultural Relics Pavilion instead?
Had they misunderstood the Notice?
Or was Kaito Kid deliberately misleading them again?
---
Steel in the Sky
Tatata—tatata—
The deep mechanical hum of rotors cut through the storm.
Two police helicopters descended from higher altitude, positioning themselves directly above Kaito Kid. The Gatling guns mounted beneath their frames rotated smoothly, locking onto their target.
"Control, this is Helicopter One," the pilot reported through the communicator.
"Kaito Kid is approaching the roof of the Jungle Pavilion. Weapons are hot. Request permission to open fire."
The pilot was confident.
From this angle, at this distance, it would take only seconds.
---
A Difficult Decision
Commissioner Gordon hesitated.
He wanted Kaito Kid arrested.
He wanted him brought to justice.
But death?
No.
Kaito Kid wasn't the Joker.
He wasn't Two-Face.
He wasn't one of Arkham's irredeemable monsters.
Legally, Gordon could authorize lethal force—Kaito Kid was resisting arrest and actively escaping. The law would protect his officers.
But something felt wrong.
Kaito Kid hadn't killed anyone.
He mocked the law, humiliated the police, and embarrassed Gotham—but he didn't deserve to die under machine-gun fire.
And yet—
Gordon also understood the danger of symbols.
Gotham had suffered before because of copycats.
If Kaito Kid continued unchecked, others would follow, and not all of them would be harmless performers.
That was the weight crushing down on Gordon's conscience.
---
A Reminder from the Bat
"Jim."
Batgirl stepped forward, her voice firm.
"Don't forget—you have an agreement."
Gordon froze.
He remembered.
Batman had once spoken to him privately, asking him to restrain the GCPD, to avoid killing criminals unnecessarily—especially when Batman or his allies were involved.
Unless there was no other choice.
Gordon exhaled slowly.
"Hold your fire," he ordered.
"Continue monitoring Kaito Kid. Await further instructions."
The helicopters maintained position, tracking but not shooting.
---
Something Isn't Right
Suddenly, a voice rose from the crowd below.
"Wait—doesn't this seem strange?"
Another followed.
"With this weather? Heavy rain, strong wind, helicopter turbulence—how is he flying that steadily?"
The realization spread quickly.
A normal glider should've been tossed around like a leaf.
Yet Kaito Kid's flight was smooth.
Controlled.
Fast.
Too fast.
Commissioner Gordon didn't hesitate.
"Helicopter One, Helicopter Two—report Kaito Kid's equipment immediately!"
The response came at once.
"Confirmed. Kaito Kid's glider is equipped with a jet propulsion system at the rear."
The pilot's voice carried disbelief.
"We don't know how he installed it, but the output is extremely powerful. This isn't standard tech."
Gordon's eyelid twitched.
Jet propulsion.
Of course.
Why wouldn't he?
The more Gordon thought about it, the more uncomfortable the comparison became.
Kaito Kid's gadgets.
Batman's gadgets.
Their thinking patterns were disturbingly similar.
Did they graduate from the same insane engineering academy?
---
The Net Tightens
"Listen up!" Gordon barked.
"Main units—move to the Jungle Pavilion immediately and pursue Kaito Kid!"
He turned sharply.
"Secondary team—follow me back to the Cultural Relics Pavilion!"
If Kid was bluffing, Gordon would catch him at the necklace.
If not—
The Cultural Relics Pavilion would be the final line of defense.
Batgirl immediately joined the pursuing officers without hesitation.
---
The Crowd Disperses
With police forces surging away like a tidal wave, the square fell into confusion.
"So… what now?" someone asked.
"Do we go home?"
"It's late. I've got work tomorrow. I'll read about it in the morning."
Others shook their heads.
"I'm staying. If Kid pulls this off, I want to hear it live."
"What's so great about a necklace being stolen?"
"It's not about the necklace—it's about the show."
Gradually, the crowd split.
Most people left.
Some stayed.
And then—
There was a third group.
They moved quietly.
Purposefully.
Not toward the Jungle Pavilion.
Not toward the Cultural Relics Pavilion.
Instead, they scattered, heading toward different museum buildings in pairs or alone.
No one knew why.
Perhaps curiosity.
Perhaps instinct.
Perhaps something else entirely.
---
A Shadow in the Library
To the west of the Cultural Relics Pavilion stood the Library Pavilion—silent, dim, and forgotten.
A man in a black hoodie pulled his cap lower and stepped through its main entrance.
The moment the door closed behind him, a voice echoed softly.
"Just as I thought."
The man stopped.
"I knew you wouldn't go straight for it."
The voice sharpened.
"Kaito Kid."
The air seemed to tighten.
And somewhere in the darkness of the museum, the true game finally began.
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