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Chapter 38: Mere Kid, Let Him Come!
Some time later, the Red and Blue Twins ran back.
"Boss, we searched the entire chemical plant. No one found. He must have run far."
"Someone finding us means our base is exposed. Should we move to another location?"
The brothers asked one after the other.
However, Two-Face seemed not to hear them. He placed the card on the table and signaled them to come look.
"Who is Phantom Thief Kid?"
"Phantom Thief Kid! Could it be that the person who sent that card just now was him?"
Hearing this, the twins hurriedly picked up the card.
"It really is him! Boss, you just returned to Gotham so you might not know him well. This Phantom Thief Kid is actually..."
After their explanation, Two-Face had a rough understanding of Phantom Thief Kid.
"A so-called phantom thief who feels good about himself, craves attention, and uses theft to grandstand. Hmph, I see him as nothing more than a child who likes to act cool, treating crime as child's play from start to finish."
He made a disdainful judgment of Phantom Thief Kid.
"You said Nygma lost to him recently? The Riddler is really regressing the more he lives!"
"This..."
Seeing their boss's nonchalant attitude, the Red and Blue Twins looked at each other.
"Boss, regardless of whether Kid is a child or not, this guy is definitely a formidable character. Not only did he defeat the Riddler, but even... even Robin, who made you suffer back then, has never been able to handle him."
The brother in red spoke cautiously.
They knew in their hearts that Robin hadn't just made Two-Face "suffer"—last time, he nearly beat him into a vegetable. Two-Face had been missing for almost two years; presumably, most of that time was spent recovering from injuries.
"Hm—?"
Two-Face's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing.
"Boss, aren't we going to seek revenge on Robin? It would be bad if Phantom Thief Kid interfered while you were judging Robin. Think about it—the second line of this notice letter mentions judgment. Maybe he overheard our conversation just now and plans to ruin your good deed!"
The brother in blue hurriedly reminded him.
"...That does make sense. I absolutely cannot let a thief disrupt my court."
Two-Face pondered for a moment, then nodded.
Then, he suddenly raised a new question.
"But why would Phantom Thief Kid target me?"
"He obviously arrived at ACE Chemicals before eavesdropping on our conversation, so disrupting our judgment wasn't his primary goal. But there are no precious treasures here, and we haven't provoked him like the Riddler did—"
"So, what is his purpose in coming here? What does he want to steal from us?"
Two-Face muttered to himself, frowning.
"It's possible that the surge in popularity from defeating the Riddler gave Kid a taste of sweetness, so this time he set his sights on us. After all, Two-Face's return is also big news in Gotham..."
During his soliloquy, Two-Face's self-reference unconsciously shifted from "I" to "We."
The twin brothers understood that the "We" in the boss's mouth did not include the two of them.
"Boss is entering that state again."
The two quietly moved away from Two-Face, whispering.
"Yeah. Wonder which boss will come out on top this time."
"What nonsense. We only have one boss. No matter the process, he always takes control in the end."
Inside the room.
Two-Face didn't mind his subordinates leaving; he continued muttering to himself.
His demeanor and emotions gradually became uncontrolled and split.
"Phantom Thief Kid always leaves messages in his notice letters. If we can decipher the meaning, we can figure out exactly what Kid wants to do."
When saying this, Two-Face's face was calm, his tone peaceful.
"What! Who do you think we are? The Riddler? I won't play guessing games with someone like a three-year-old! Anytime, anywhere, everything we do is the arrangement of fate! If Phantom Thief Kid wants to ruin my plans, let him come! I will send him to hell with my own hands!"
By this point, Two-Face had become hideous, his tone fierce.
"You are too arrogant. Not a single clue about Phantom Thief Kid has been found to this day. Throughout Gotham's criminal history, such people are rare. Perhaps only the Joker's identity is this mysterious. And Batman and Robin. We cannot underestimate him."
"So what? Can you understand what's written on this lousy notice letter? What seventh strike of the gavel, what redemption of a tainted soul? How can this be explained? I can't even figure out what Kid wants to steal! He wants to redeem someone's soul? Ours?"
"Maybe yours."
"No! My soul isn't tainted! We only follow fate's arrangement to judge the guilty. Our soul—is righteous!"
"But justice never relies on lynching to be served."
"It seems we have reached a disagreement again. At this time, we need an impartial arbiter. Let fate decide the outcome."
Two-Face stopped talking to himself and took out the coin that had heads on both sides—one pristine, one scratched.
"Heads up, I win."
"Heads up, I win."
Ping!
Two-Face caught the falling coin and looked down.
The scratches on the Liberty head were clearly visible.
Seeing this side, Two-Face smiled.
"I... am justice."
"I know you want to catch Harvey as soon as possible, Tim, but I suggest we ensure our health first before—"
In the Batcave, Alfred spoke to Tim, who hadn't moved from the Batcomputer all day.
Before he could finish, Tim turned around and interrupted him: "Don't worry, I'll eat the sandwich you made, Alfred."
Alfred smiled in relief. Tim was more obedient. If it were Master Bruce here, Alfred dared not imagine how many times he would have to reheat that sandwich.
"Any harvest from the database?"
"None at all."
Tim shook his head helplessly.
"I can't find a single clue about where Two-Face might be hiding. And he hasn't shown his face since the mall attack. I don't believe Two-Face would give up crime after just one job; he must be plotting something in secret."
"Given that there's been no news from Oracle either, perhaps we really have no choice but to wait."
Alfred sighed. "Hopefully, Harvey can overcome his dark side."
"That depends on which side of the coin lands up."
Tim wasn't optimistic.
Just then, the Bat-communicator beeped, and Oracle's logo appeared on the screen.
"It's Oracle contacting us. Maybe she found something."
Tim connected immediately.
Barbara's image appeared before them.
"Hey, Tim, Alfred."
"Barbara, you're contacting me now—do you have leads on Two-Face?" Tim asked urgently.
"Sort of a lead, but not on Two-Face. It's a clue about Phantom Thief Kid. He sent out a new notice letter. You guys haven't seen the news yet, have you?"
It turned out that a few hours ago, printers in major media outlets across Gotham inexplicably started up simultaneously, printing out Phantom Thief Kid's notice letter.
Naturally, news delivered to their doorstep made headlines on the evening broadcast immediately.
"Phantom Thief Kid..."
Tim showed a disappointed look.
"Although I really want to catch Kid, Two-Face is more important right now. Anyway, Kid returns what he steals, so let's ignore him this time."
"Don't be disappointed too early, Tim. If I'm not mistaken, Kid is likely targeting Two-Face this time."
Under Tim's surprised gaze, Barbara transferred Kid's new notice letter.
"The lost Gemini fallen into darkness,
Unfolding a hypocritical judgment upon the world.
When the gavel of fate strikes for the seventh time,
Silver wings shall descend with the moonlight,
Bringing redemption to that tainted soul."
After reading it, Tim instantly felt something was off.
"Gemini fallen into darkness, losing themselves... hypocritically judging the world... Could this be talking about?"
"Who else but Harvey Dent, who fell from being Gotham's White Knight to a mad murderer with a split personality?" Barbara affirmed.
"But why? Why would Phantom Thief Kid actively look for trouble with Two-Face? Two-Face doesn't have precious gems on him. Although he robbed a jewelry store in a mall last week, I don't think the goods in that shop would attract Kid."
Tim asked, puzzled.
"Who knows? Just like we don't know why Kid steals priceless treasures only to discard them like trash."
Tim recalled the scene where he was trapped by the Riddler at Miller Harbor and rescued by Kid.
"Saving people doesn't need a reason. I save them because I want to."
He remembered Kid saying that to him.
"So, actively going against Two-Face this time... is it also something you just felt like doing?"
Tim was lost in thought.
"Phantom Thief Kid... really can't figure this guy out..."
"It's a bit strange."
Suddenly, Alfred, standing beside Tim, spoke up.
"What's wrong, Alfred?" Tim snapped back to reality.
"In the past, the gems Kid announced he would steal were known locations from the start. That way, stating the time and place of his operation in the notice letter made sense. But how would he know when and where Two-Face will appear?"
Hearing this, Tim's eyes changed instantly.
"Right. If Kid were passively waiting for Two-Face to show up like us, he couldn't possibly write a notice letter in advance because there are too many variables. So—Kid has already mastered Two-Face's whereabouts!"
"Or at least mastered clues that can lead to Two-Face!"
"Yes, I thought so too, which is why I notified you as soon as I got the news," Barbara nodded on the screen.
"Then the question becomes: how do we learn the clues Kid has mastered?"
Tim rested his chin in his hand, deep in thought.
"Kid's notice letter this time isn't very 'Riddler-esque'; the overall meaning is fairly easy to understand."
"The first two lines should mean Two-Face is preparing to judge someone or some people. At this private court, when the gavel strikes the seventh time, Kid will appear to redeem... Two-Face's soul?"
"I just don't know if the 'seventh strike of the gavel' and 'redeeming the soul' are literal or metaphorical."
"Especially redeeming the soul. How? Is Kid going to give Two-Face psychotherapy and correct him back to the old Harvey? Is that really possible?"
Tim was baffled.
"It's also possible Kid plans to kill Two-Face. In a sense, that is also a form of redemption," Alfred suggested.
"Mm... honestly, I don't believe Kid would kill. From his first crime until now, forget taking a life, there hasn't even been an instance of him injuring anyone." Tim didn't agree with that idea.
"Put the soul question aside for now; I have some thoughts on the gavel," Barbara interjected. "Two-Face habitually uses a coin to decide his next move. He views that as the guidance of fate. So I think the 'seventh strike of the gavel' refers to Two-Face flipping his coin for the seventh time."
"Interesting. How would Kid know how many times Two-Face flips his coin? Unless he's monitoring Two-Face every moment—"
Tim paused mid-sentence.
"Thinking carefully, that's actually not impossible," he said seriously.
"Uh... thinking it through like this, it seems we're still stuck waiting?" Alfred summarized.
Tim: "..."
Barbara: "..."
Can't argue with that. Just wait.
"At least we know Two-Face isn't hiding in a place no one can find. Maybe we can't find his hideout in one go, but isn't it the same for Kid?" Barbara rallied morale.
"I don't think my intelligence network is weaker than Kid's. Since neither you nor I could find clues on Two-Face, Kid probably didn't find them alone either. He must have another source of intelligence. Maybe we can start from there."
While the Batcave discussed the next direction of investigation, Two-Face had already begun his new moves.
Gotham, Burnley District. A lavish high-end nightclub.
A brightly dressed man walked out drunkenly and got into his sedan.
"Go. Home."
Reeking of alcohol, he gave an order to the driver and closed his eyes to rest.
After a while, the car still hadn't started.
"What's going on? Drive."
The man opened his eyes strangely.
Then, he saw a face as terrifying as an evil spirit sitting in the driver's seat.
"H-Harvey Dent!"
The man's face filled with horror.
"Hello, Mr. Gunn. How have you been?"
Two-Face grinned at him.
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