Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
Currently, there are 60 chapters on my PATREON.
› Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
───────────────────────────
Chapter 56: Death Trap
Next, the two split up. Tim went to the cabin on Deck 7 to see if Jack was inside, while Darren went elsewhere to search.
"Excellent. Everything is proceeding according to plan."
Watching Tim's retreating figure, Darren nodded with satisfaction before quickly leaving the area.
However, judging by his purposeful stride and focused gaze, he didn't seem to be looking for anyone; rather, he was heading toward a specific destination.
The reason was simple: Darren already knew Jack's whereabouts. In fact, Jack's disappearance was entirely his doing.
Back when they had just passed security and boarded the cruise ship, Darren had taken advantage of a moment when Tim was distracted by the GCPD boats to inject Jack with a mild sedative. As drowsiness washed over him, Jack had decided to go to his room to sleep.
By now, Jack was likely deep in dreamland.
The goal, of course, was to create a perfect opportunity for solitary action. Jack was, after all, Tim's father; his sudden, unexplained loss of contact would inevitably scatter Tim's focus.
For an ordinary person, not being able to find someone for a short while wasn't a major issue—they might not worry until the next day. But given the nature of Tim's work, it was normal for him to become paranoid and overthink small details.
Before long, Darren arrived at a restroom. Glancing casually behind him to ensure the coast was clear, he walked straight into the third stall from the end.
Luck was on his side; he was currently the only person in the restroom.
Darren stood on the toilet lid, reached up to the ventilation vent overhead, and removed the protective grille. He then reached deep into the duct and pulled out a tightly wrapped bundle.
Inside lay Phantom Thief Kid's full uniform and his standard array of gadgets.
"Good thing this is a factory-fresh ship. The vents are still clean. If this were an older vessel, this bundle would be too filthy to wash. More importantly, clean ducts will be very helpful for my next move."
Darren quickly stashed the equipment on his person, changed into his night suit, and silently climbed into the ventilation shaft.
"That Director James... no matter how I think about it, something is off. I definitely need to investigate. I remember the director's room is at..."
Since earlier, one thing had been nagging at Darren.
It was the four prizes from Director James's lucky draw.
First Prize: Tourbillon watch.
Second Prize: Refrigerator.
Third Prize: Apple Wireless Earphones.
Participation Prize: Pen.
Taken individually, there seemed to be nothing strange about these four items, nor was there any obvious connection between them.
But if you isolated their initials, you obtained a new word.
T-R-A-P.
TRAP.
A trap, or a snare.
Either a very interesting coincidence or a carefully designed code.
Although he had no evidence, Darren's intuition leaned heavily toward the latter. If asked for a reason, the answer was simple: This is Gotham.
The question was, who was Director James secretly warning with this "trap" message?
Combining this with how James had repeatedly emphasized Phantom Thief Kid's disguise earlier, a bold conjecture formed in Darren's mind.
He's actually reminding me that there's a trap here!
The GCPD boats were out in the open for everyone to see; obviously, the "trap" James referred to wasn't that.
So what exactly did he mean? Why warn Phantom Thief Kid? And why use an acrostic to convey the message?
Darren didn't believe Director James was a fan of Phantom Thief Kid deliberately sending intel to help him. There was likely a deeper reason behind it.
At least one thing was certain right now: Director James did not want anyone else to easily decode his message. Normal people were unlikely to associate the names of lucky draw prizes with a secret code.
To be honest, if Darren hadn't just designed a heist notice based on similar wordplay logic, he might not have thought of it either. And even having thought of it, he couldn't be sure it wasn't a coincidence.
Therefore, Darren decided to pay close attention to this bold director who wanted to film in Gotham.
Taking advantage of the fact that most people were currently gathered in the dining hall, he planned to infiltrate James's room to take a look.
Buzz—
After crawling through the vents for a while, Darren felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He had set it to silent mode beforehand, so no ringtone sounded.
Struggling in the narrow duct, Darren fished out his phone and saw it was Tim calling. He glanced down through the vent beneath him to ensure no one was nearby, then answered.
"Hey, Darren, are you still looking?" Tim asked.
"Of course. How is it on your end?" Darren asked, keeping his tone natural.
"You can come back, buddy. My dad is sound asleep in his room."
"See? I told you he probably just went back to his room."
"By the way, where are you right now? It sounds a bit echoey."
How could there not be an echo inside a ventilation duct?
"I'm down in the lower deck cabins. I can hardly see anyone down here; a lot of places are empty," Darren described vividly. He wasn't making it up; he had seen the lower decks with his own eyes.
"...Anyway, Jack is safe and sound, which is good. I won't come over to you then; I'm heading back to my own room. Hanging up now."
...
Weathers Luxury Liner, Top Deck, Executive Suite.
Five or six men sat on the sofas, gathered around a game of cards. Stacks of cash were piled on the table.
"Haha, I've got a flush! I win this hand."
In the final reveal, one man laughed heartily as he showed his hand and raked the money toward himself.
"F*ck! How did I lose with three Kings?" The man opposite him beat his chest in frustration.
"Again!"
They shuffled the deck and started the next round.
At that moment, none of them noticed that in the ventilation vent near the ceiling directly above them, a pair of eyes was silently watching.
"Interesting. While everyone else is partying in the restaurant, these guys are staying in the suite that's supposed to belong to Director James, gambling."
Darren looked at them with an inquisitive gaze.
"I've seen the crew list. These people shouldn't be on it."
"This position is still a bit too far; I can't hear their conversation clearly. Hmm..."
Darren quickly scanned the suite through the vent.
"Got it. That spot works."
He extended his right hand and flicked his finger lightly. A tiny, almost imperceptible object flew out, landing straight inside a vase beside the sofa and adhering automatically to its inner wall.
Listening device planted.
───────────────────────────
Check out my new project:
"Danmachi: Is It Wrong to Try to Sell Er*-Manga Book in Orario?"
Support this fanfic by leaving reviews, comments, and Power Stones!
For advance chapters, visit:
› Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations