"Cough—cough—cough!"
Robin wrapped his cape tightly around his face as he staggered backward, retreating from the spreading gray mist of tear gas. His boots scraped against the marble floor as he forced himself away from the choking cloud.
About ten seconds later, the burning in his eyes and throat began to fade.
Only then did Robin slowly lower his cape.
The tear gas had clearly been modified. Its effect was far weaker than standard GCPD issue. Normally, police-grade tear gas could linger for nearly ten minutes, clinging to the air and continuing to irritate even after leaving the affected zone. This gas, however, was already losing potency.
Kaito Kid had never intended to seriously incapacitate him.
Robin stared silently at the thinning mist ahead. It would take another few minutes to fully dissipate, but deep down, he already knew the truth.
Kaito Kid was gone.
The chance to catch up was practically zero.
"There's still a good show at the auction house…"
Kaito Kid's parting words echoed in Robin's mind.
Robin's eyes narrowed.
"Then I suppose I should go watch it."
He turned around without hesitation and headed back the way he came.
Before leaving the corridor, Robin bent down and hoisted up Cicero, the hotel manager, who was still sprawled unconscious on the floor. Slung over Robin's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Cicero groaned faintly but didn't wake.
---
Inside the Auction Hall
The moment Robin stepped through the main entrance, he sensed something was wrong.
The chaos from earlier was gone.
Thanks to Commissioner Gordon and the rapid response of the GCPD, the panicked crowd had been calmed, evacuated corridors secured, and order restored.
Yet the atmosphere felt… strange.
All the bidders were back in their seats.
The police formed a wide perimeter around the hall.
Every single pair of eyes was fixed on the podium—just as if the auction were continuing.
But the person standing there was no longer Cicero.
It was Vicki Vale.
Golden hair cascaded neatly over her shoulders. She wore a sharp, professional business suit, clean lines emphasizing confidence and authority. Her expression was calm, serious, and resolute—the look of someone who had already decided there was no turning back.
Standing beside her were Lack and Grey Hiltard, both in handcuffs.
Police officers flanked them closely.
Robin's eyes sharpened.
This Grey Hiltard was real. No disguises. No tricks.
"So this is the 'good show' Kaito Kid mentioned…"
Robin snorted quietly.
He walked forward and unceremoniously dropped Cicero at the feet of Lack and Grey Hiltard.
The unconscious man slumped against the polished floor with a dull thud.
"You're back, Robin."
Commissioner Gordon hurried over, his face tense.
"How did it go?"
Robin shook his head.
"Sorry. Kaito Kid escaped again."
Gordon sighed, but didn't look particularly surprised.
"Forget him for now. There's something more important happening."
Before Gordon could continue, Vicki Vale stepped down from the podium and approached them, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
"Thank you for bringing Cicero," she said firmly. "If you'd arrived twenty seconds later, I would've had to borrow two officers from Commissioner Gordon to drag him in myself."
Her gaze was steady.
"This man is essential."
Robin glanced between Gordon and Vicki.
"So," he asked, "what's the situation?"
Gordon exhaled and lowered his voice.
"Ms. Vale claims the 'Pink Dream' diamond is connected to a massive illegal financial operation. She insisted the public has the right to know, so she chose to expose everything here."
He gestured toward the podium.
"She was just explaining when she mentioned Cicero being unconscious in the corridor. Then you showed up."
Robin nodded slowly.
Everything clicked into place.
"So that's it…"
In Kaito Kid's final message, the word 'Hermes' hadn't referred to himself.
It referred to Vicki Vale.
Hermes—the messenger of the gods.
And what was a journalist, if not a messenger of truth?
In an era where integrity was rare, Vicki Vale was still one of the few who hadn't abandoned her principles.
She stepped back onto the podium.
The hall fell completely silent.
---
The Public Revelation
Vicki adjusted the microphone.
"To everyone present today," she said clearly, "my name is Vicki Vale, reporter for the Gotham Gazette. Some of you know me. Some of you don't."
She paused, scanning the audience.
In truth, almost everyone knew her.
"I understand your anger and frustration over today's disruption. Many of you blame Kaito Kid."
Her voice hardened.
"But I am here to tell you something far more important."
"This auction concealed a filthy, illegal transaction."
The crowd stirred.
"And the core of that transaction—" she continued, "is the 'Pink Dream' diamond."
She took a breath.
"That diamond is fake."
The hall exploded into noise.
Outrage. Shock. Denial.
Many of the bidders had traveled across continents for this auction. The Pink Dream was advertised as the largest pink diamond in the world.
Fake?
Impossible.
Rumors had existed—but rumors were meaningless without proof.
And now, those words came from Vicki Vale.
She raised her hand for silence.
"Joey Cicero," she said, pointing, "not only knowingly auctioned a fake diamond—he also prepared falsified authentication certificates."
Her gaze was sharp.
"Through bribery. Threats. Extortion."
Murmurs grew louder.
"I know accusations without evidence mean nothing."
She reached into her purse.
"So let me show you the evidence."
She produced a sealed transparent bag.
The contents appeared on the giant display screens.
Inside were gemstones of every color—red, blue, green—brilliant and flawless in appearance.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"These were found in a hidden compartment inside Cicero's office," Vicki said.
"Every single gem in this bag—" she paused deliberately, "is fake."
The hall fell into stunned silence.
Then confusion.
Questions spread like wildfire.
Why keep so many fake gems?
Why risk exposure?
Why would Grey Hiltard supply a fake diamond?
Why would Kaito Kid steal it?
Robin watched quietly.
He already knew the answer.
Vicki's eyes burned with conviction.
"These fake gems were never meant to be sold at auction."
She raised her voice.
"They were tools."
"Tools for money laundering."
The audience froze.
"Cicero. Grey Hiltard. Lack."
She pointed at each one.
"They are nothing more than middlemen—pawns."
She took a deep breath.
"The true mastermind behind this operation is—"
Her voice rang out like a hammer striking steel.
"Oswald Cobblepot."
For a split second, the name didn't register.
Then—
"The Penguin?!"
The hall erupted.
Shock. Fear. Realization.
Robin felt a chill.
Everything made sense now.
The fake diamond.
The certificates.
The laundering.
Kaito Kid's actions.
He hadn't stolen for greed.
He had stolen the evidence.
Robin glanced to his side—
—and smiled faintly.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I knew it."
---
End of Chapter 31
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