The moment froze.
Perched casually atop the glass display case, a white-clad figure stood under the blazing exhibition lights as if he had always belonged there.
For half a second, the entire hall forgot how to breathe.
Commissioner James Gordon had anticipated every possible escape route, every shadowed corner, every ceiling vent and emergency exit. Tactical units had sealed the perimeter flawlessly. Thermal sensors, pressure alarms, and laser grids surrounded the exhibit like an iron cage.
And yet—
The thief stood directly on the glass case.
Not beside it.
Not behind it.
On it.
That alone defied logic.
There were no overhead vents. No grappling lines visible. Over a dozen elite tactical officers had encircled the display from all angles, their boots positioned precisely to avoid blind spots.
So how did he get there?
No sound. No vibration. No warning.
For a terrifying instant, someone whispered the unthinkable.
Did he teleport?
The thought barely settled before the thief straightened, balancing effortlessly atop the reinforced casing, a deep red gemstone necklace dangling from his gloved hand. The massive ruby shimmered under the lights like a captured heart.
The Dragon Egg Ruby Necklace.
And it was supposed to be sealed inside the glass.
The display case showed no cracks. No fractures. No signs of forced entry.
That glass had been manufactured by LexCorp, rated to withstand anti-tank rounds and pressure blasts. Even in Metropolis, it was considered nearly indestructible.
And yet—
The necklace was no longer inside.
It was in the thief's hand.
"That's… impossible," someone breathed.
The man in white tilted his head slightly, then raised a hand in mock embarrassment.
"Ah—my apologies," he said pleasantly. "I didn't expect to make even that small a sound. Truly, I hope I didn't disturb you all."
The calmness of his voice only made things worse.
"FREEZE!"
Commissioner Gordon's roar shattered the stillness.
In one synchronized motion, dozens of firearms snapped upward. Red laser dots bloomed across the thief's chest, arms, and mask. Tactical officers tightened the circle, muscles tense, eyes sharp and predatory.
Any other criminal would've been shaking.
He wasn't.
Instead, the thief smiled.
"Interesting," he mused, glancing lazily at the guns aimed at him. "You didn't order them to fire immediately."
His gaze slid toward Gordon, amused.
"I'll take that as professional courtesy, Commissioner. Thank you—for not killing me on sight."
That was when Gordon noticed it.
A thin black cable wrapped around the man's waist.
His eyes followed it upward.
Roughly a foot below the ceiling, a horizontal line stretched from wall to wall—nearly invisible against the lighting rigs. The vertical cable connected to it cleanly, precise and deliberate.
Understanding slammed into Gordon.
He'd crawled upside down.
Using the horizontal line, inch by silent inch, he'd moved through the ceiling's blind spot—directly above the display—then descended vertically at the exact moment no one was looking.
As for how his cape hadn't betrayed him?
That answer remained disturbingly unclear.
But even with that explanation—
The glass was still intact.
"No one fires without my command!" Gordon barked.
His arm snapped up. A single controlled shot rang out—
Bang!
The bullet severed the cable above the thief with surgical precision.
The line snapped loose, recoiling harmlessly as Gordon shouted, "Put the necklace down! You have nowhere left to run!"
The thief merely nodded.
The monocle over his right eye flared suddenly, its lens reflecting a strange shimmer that blurred his features for half a second—like heat distortion in the air.
Then his hand flicked outward.
Bang!
Several small spheres struck the floor and detonated instantly.
Thick smoke exploded outward, swallowing the display case and the surrounding area in seconds. The cloud expanded rapidly, crawling across the exhibition hall like a living thing.
At this rate, the entire hall would be engulfed in under ten seconds.
The tactical officers closest to the display reacted on instinct.
Before Gordon could issue another command, hands lunged forward—aiming for the thief's legs.
But he had already moved.
He jumped.
Using one officer's outstretched arm as a stepping stone, he vaulted cleanly over the encirclement, landing lightly on the floor beyond them.
As he landed, he pulled a gas mask seemingly out of thin air and snapped it over his face.
Too late.
The officers staggered.
One by one, their movements slowed. Their limbs grew heavy. Eyes glazed over.
Bodies collapsed.
Police officers farther away followed seconds later.
"Damn it…" Gordon muttered, covering his mouth and nose. "Hypnotic gas—!"
But he'd already inhaled too much.
The hall spun.
Through the haze, Gordon forced his legs forward. His vision swam, but he locked onto the white silhouette ahead.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Pure will dragged him forward.
Finally—his hand closed around fabric.
"Got… got you," he rasped.
The figure in his grip made a strange sound.
Poof.
Like a punctured balloon, the body deflated instantly.
Gordon's eyes widened in disbelief—
—and then darkness swallowed him whole.
When consciousness left him, the real thief emerged from the smoke nearby, crouching beside the fallen commissioner.
He regarded Gordon quietly for a moment.
"You work too hard," he murmured. "Consider this… a forced break."
He searched Gordon efficiently, retrieving a compact, oddly shaped device from his belt.
Then he turned back to the display.
The truth revealed itself.
The glass cover he lifted wasn't the original.
Beneath it sat another identical glass layer, pristine and sealed.
The necklace inside had never moved.
The one he'd been holding before?
A perfect replica.
The entire scene had been a misdirection.
When he'd landed earlier, he'd placed a false glass cover over the original—tricking everyone into believing the necklace had vanished.
Sliding the device he'd taken from Gordon into a concealed slot beneath the case, the locking mechanism disengaged with a soft click.
The true reinforced glass loosened.
He lifted it effortlessly.
"Now," he said softly, "this is the real one."
He picked up the Dragon Egg Ruby Necklace.
The massive gemstone pulsed faintly under the lights, its value unmistakable.
As it settled into his palm, a strange sensation washed through him.
Clarity.
Lightness.
As if the world itself had momentarily shed its weight.
His expression sharpened.
"No time," he muttered. "Backup will be here any second."
He turned and sprinted for the exit.
Then—
BOOM!
A jet of flame erupted from the corridor to his right, roaring toward him without warning.
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