After landing safely on the ground, Dean Thurston instinctively glanced toward a distant building.
When he had been on the rooftop earlier, he had vaguely sensed someone hiding there. At first, he assumed it was a hostile presence—possibly even a sniper lying in wait.
Because of that suspicion, although Dean appeared careless while rappelling down, every single movement had actually been calculated. He made sure the wall always shielded his head, chest, and vital organs. From the outside, it looked reckless. In reality, it was controlled caution.
Yet now, standing firmly on the ground and fully inside what should have been the enemy's blind spot, no attack ever came.
No gunshot.
No movement.
No danger.
Dean narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Did I overthink it?" he muttered, rubbing his chin. "Maybe that person was just on the rooftop enjoying the view."
He shook his head lightly.
"Forget it. Soldiers come, I block them. Water comes, I cover it with earth," he said calmly. "Being Kaito Kid means being hated. Once you choose this path, you have to accept the risks."
Even though most people inside the hotel were still focused on Vicki Vale's shocking exposé, there was no guarantee the GCPD wouldn't try to track Kaito Kid down afterward.
Staying here any longer was a bad idea.
Dean quickly changed his disguise and disappeared into the streets.
---
The journey back was anything but simple.
Dean deliberately took long, twisting routes, changed disguises three separate times, and even took a moment to play the role of a street vigilante—knocking out several unlucky alley robbers along the way.
Only after confirming he was completely free of any pursuit did he finally return home.
The moment he stepped into his room and locked the door, Dean eagerly summoned the system.
He wanted to see the rewards.
> "Congratulations, Host, for completing the custom mission – Stealing 'Pink Dream' (Fake)."
Mission Difficulty: Easy
Treasure Value: Moderate (Worthless itself, but exchangeable for fifty million US dollars)
Glamour Level: C+
Overall Rating: C (Preliminary grasp, beginning to look presentable)
Rewards:
735 Amazement Points (from Gotham's upper class, GCPD officers, Jim Gordon, Robin…)
+ 600 Amazement Points (Mission completion reward)
Based on past experience, the report should have ended there.
But the system's prompt continued.
> "Hidden objective completed: Providing crucial evidence to expose the scam behind 'Pink Dream'."
Additional reward: 300 Amazement Points.
Current balance: 112 Amazement Points.
Total Amazement Points: 1747.
Dean's eyes lit up.
"A hidden objective?" he said in surprise. "That's a nice bonus."
Honestly, he hadn't planned for that at all.
At the start, Dean believed the scam behind "Pink Dream" was simply diamond forgery. He never suspected money laundering.
During the week leading up to the operation, he hadn't thought about why Penguin would bother forging diamonds at all. Penguin already had money, power, and influence—auctioning fake gems felt too low-level for someone like him.
But Dean was a phantom thief, not a detective.
He didn't have secret intelligence networks or insider information. His focus had always been on stealing the fake diamond, nothing more.
Then came the turning point.
Several hours earlier, when Dean deliberately issued a misleading challenge to Dick at the restaurant, Vicki Vale unexpectedly appeared, saying she was looking for Grayle Tartard Ethan.
At the time, Vicki had received a tip about illegal assets being transferred and wanted to question Grayle Tartard directly.
And Dean—by pure coincidence—was disguised as Grayle Tartard at that moment.
The timing couldn't have been better.
Through their cautious back-and-forth probing, Dean learned that fifty million dollars in illegal assets had been transferred to Grayle Tartard's company, and the timing lined up perfectly with the auction of "Pink Dream."
Dean wasn't stupid.
If this wasn't suspicious, then ghosts would laugh.
Penguin was not someone who would rely on one-time fake diamond auctions to make money. That kind of scheme would destroy credibility after a single use.
So the idea formed naturally.
"Pink Dream" wasn't the goal. It was the tool.
Later, still under Grayle Tartard's identity, Dean met Lack, a high-ranking member of Penguin's organization, and extracted even more information.
Only then did the full picture emerge.
Behind the fake diamond was an entire money laundering chain.
And more importantly—
It fit the system's Notice conditions perfectly.
Sometimes, fate just aligns things for you.
To the public, Hermes exposing the truth could be seen as a noble phantom thief revealing a diamond scam.
Or as a messenger exposing a massive criminal laundering operation.
Both interpretations were correct.
Who said a god could only represent one meaning?
In modern times, diamond counterfeiting alone wasn't shocking. Even linking it to Penguin would only create limited buzz.
But exposing a complete fifty-million-dollar laundering scheme?
That was explosive.
If Dean wanted more Amazement Points, Kaito Kid had to become a legend, not just a thief.
So he adjusted his plan without hesitation.
And the result?
Extremely satisfying.
"Seventeen hundred Amazement Points…" Dean muttered. "I've got options now."
He opened the system panel.
> Name: Dean Thurston
Age: 16
Skills:
Magic Mastery
Vehicle Mastery
Lockpicking Mastery
Shooting Mastery
Combat Mastery
Quick Disguise
Tool-less Voice Mimicry
Items:
Card Gun
Grappling Hook Gun
Delta Glider
Bulletproof Cape
High-Speed Automatic Refillable Dummy
Homemade Smoke Bomb
Homemade Flashbang
Homemade Tear Gas
Homemade Sleeping Gas
Talent: Resistance Skin (Low-tier)
Previously, with just over a thousand points, Dean had gambled on a random talent card and obtained Resistance Skin, increasing his resistance to heat, cold, and poison by ten percent.
It didn't harden his body or improve recovery, but it still boosted survivability.
"If I ever run into Firefly, Mr. Freeze, or Scarecrow, this might save my life," he thought.
This time, Dean filtered the exchange store to items under two thousand points, prioritizing survival—things like fatal-damage nullification or resurrection.
Unsurprisingly, nothing that powerful existed at this price.
Next, he searched for defensive upgrades: shields, resistance tools, or protection items.
Some appeared.
> Golden Bell Shield Iron Shirt Manual:
A hard-training divine technique.
Ten years of diligent practice can make the body impervious to blades and spears.
Dean stared at it blankly.
"Ten years?"
"Nope."
He immediately closed it.
The remaining survival items were either long-term cultivation manuals or random talent cards, both unreliable.
"Forget it," he sighed. "I'll wait until I have more points."
Casually scrolling through the store, Dean suddenly froze.
His eyes lit up.
"This… is actually good."
> Miniature Surveillance System Jammer
Effect: Jams surveillance cameras within a fifteen-meter radius, forcing them to loop footage from one minute earlier.
Special Note: Only effective against standard Earth optical surveillance systems. Ineffective against advanced or alien technology.
Cost: 750 Amazement Points
Dean smiled slowly.
This was exactly the kind of tool Kaito Kid needed.
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