"Alfred, I've arrived in New York. Any sign of Bane?"
"No, sir. All we know is that Bane was last seen here in New York," the butler replied from the Batcave.
Originally, since Bane escaped from Gotham City, Batman shouldn't have to deal with him anymore. But Bane seemed different now and looked like he was planning something even more dangerous. So, Batman had to find Bane and stop him before he could put his plan into action.
"Bane coming to New York is probably for revenge on Kaitou Kid." Good thing Bane held grudges. Otherwise, Batman might be facing a situation he couldn't control. Now, all he had to do was catch Bane in New York. "That means we need Kid to show up."
"Do you want me to make the call, sir?"
"I'll contact him myself. Just help arrange a place for us to stay in New York. We might be here for a few days."
The next day, the headlines were all about Bruce Wayne's private jet landing in New York, with the reason for his visit a mystery. Liu A'dou didn't see the news himself—Ada saw it and told him. Ada had gotten into the habit of checking the news every day; following the news made it easy to know what all the superheroes in this world were up to.
"Batman's here?" Liu A'dou was surprised. "Didn't think he'd ever leave Gotham City. That's rare."
"You think he might be here for you?" Ada asked.
Liu A'dou figured it wasn't likely, but since they were both from Gotham City, he should at least go say hi.
So that night, Liu A'dou put on his Kaitou outfit and headed to the hotel balcony, feeling right at home. He'd just picked the lock on the sliding glass door when he saw Bruce, dressed as Batman, walk out of the bedroom. No Batcave—just didn't look right.
"I knew you'd show up." Batman wasn't surprised at all. Kaitou Kid always made a show of things, and they knew each other pretty well by now. As soon as news of Batman in New York reached him, Kid was bound to come.
"Just wanted to say hi to an old friend. But judging from your look, you're not here on vacation, are you?" Bruce would never randomly show up as Batman in New York for fun.
"You're just in time. Come with me." Batman, as always, didn't waste words. He jumped out the building and spread his bat wings. Luckily, Kid had his own glider.
One black, one white—they flew across half of New York, one after the other, and finally landed at the airport. Batman's private jet was waiting there.
You had to hand it to these rich guys. Half of Batman's private jet was regular, but the back half was a full-on mobile base.
They entered from a hidden hatch at the back of the plane, where all kinds of Batman's gear were stored.
"Chiu~" Kid whistled in admiration. "No wonder you're rich. But seriously, what's going on?"
"Bane escaped," Batman said.
"He came to New York?" Liu A'dou guessed right away.
Batman nodded. "It wasn't just a jailbreak. Bane's not the same as before. I saw him pick up a propane truck with my own eyes. I suspect he's using some kind of drug."
Kid rolled his eyes. 'No kidding. In the cartoon, Batman cuts Bane's infusion tube every time—guy has it rough.' "So you're in New York just to catch Bane?"
"There's a more important reason. Bane has a very dangerous virus in his possession. It can turn people into walking corpses—basically make dead bodies move. If that virus spreads on a large scale, the consequences would be unthinkable, so I have to get the original sample from Bane."
??
Kid fell silent because the virus sounded awfully familiar. Wasn't that the improved biovirus Ada-jie brought from the Resident Evil world? "Is the situation bad?"
"If we don't find Bane, it's going to be really bad." Batman wasn't joking. "But so far, I still haven't found where he's hiding. So…"
Kid didn't wait for Batman to finish. He looked up and saw Batman staring right at him. He got it instantly. "So you want me to be bait, draw Bane out?"
"Exactly," Batman admitted without hesitation.
"Alright, but what am I supposed to steal?" Kid asked.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll buy a gem called 'Sophia' at the auction. That's your cue—come steal it." Batman already had the whole thing set up. "You can send me your calling card right now. Tomorrow night, all of New York will know you're back to steal a jewel."
"…I've never seen anyone so eager to get robbed," Liu A'dou muttered. "Where are you going to hide the gem?"
"On a yacht. After I win the auction, I'll board the yacht and sail out at night." Batman gave Kid a long look, which made Kid a little confused. It's just a yacht—what's with that look?
"You don't think I can get onto a yacht?"
"No, I just want to see a Kaitou show with no audience." The reason for choosing a yacht was to avoid involving innocent people. In that closed environment, even if Bane tried anything, they could deal with it quickly.
"You won't be disappointed," Liu A'dou said, already pulling out his calling card.
'Sophia is the choice made for Kaitou. In the end, Kid will leave the final mark. When night falls and you're waiting by your bedside, Kaitou will take the Sophia jewel—Kaitou Kid.'
"Good." Batman took the card. "There's a good chance we'll face a fight we didn't expect, so be ready."
"Got it." Suddenly, Liu A'dou slapped something hanging on the wall. "So you'll be fighting Bane in this tomorrow?" The thing was solid—thick and heavy, just the touch let you know it was hardcore.
Batman nodded. "Bane isn't who he used to be. He's stronger and more dangerous than before. I lost to him once. This time I'll be completely prepared." Batman wasn't going to lose again.
"Cool!" Liu A'dou had to admit, this armor wasn't any worse than his Odin battle suit—actually, maybe it was even better. It looked super high-tech, and way more stylish than his own gear by thousands of years. Man, rich people really have it good. They make their own armor just like nerds collecting action figures. All Liu A'dou could do was look—if he threw in every cent he had, he couldn't buy gear like this.
"I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow," Liu A'dou laughed. "But what if Bane doesn't show?"
"He'll show. In Black Gate Prison, all he ever thought about was revenge. He filled the cell walls with your name. He's dying to tear you apart."
Uh… Looks like Bane really hated him. Sure, Bane hated Batman because of Talia, but with Kaitou Kid, it was about his own pride. Ada had wrecked Bane's plans twice, and if Bane didn't take down Kaitou, he'd be stuck forever as the guy a thief made a fool of. Bane would never accept that, so he had to beat Kaitou Kid—just to redeem himself.