62 Chapter 62: A Race Against Time
"If you wanna find the right person, be the right person"
-Unknown
...
Just a second ago, there was a sudden power outage in the Library Exhibition Hall, and all the lights inside and outside went out.
The scene behind the automatic door went completely dark, and nothing could be seen.
Not only the Library Exhibition Hall Robin turned around and looked around, and all thirteen Natural History Museum exhibition halls were blacked out.
Only a dozen or so streetlights on the square were still dimly lit.
The sudden power loss was both unexpected and expected.
Almost every time Phantom Thief performed, he would stage a power outage at the scene, and Robin had long been prepared for this.
However, Robin didn't expect that the power outage would happen right now.
Without electricity, it is naturally impossible for the automatic sensor door to open automatically.
After this delay, the Phantom Thief might already be on his way to the top floor of the Cultural Exhibition Hall.
Robin looked at the tightly closed automatic door in front of him. He now has several ways to break through the door quickly.
He could use brute force to smash open the door or use a sticky bomb to blow it open.
However, that would definitely leave him far behind the Phantom Thief.
Robin didn't hesitate at all.
After noticing the power outage in the museum, he immediately changed the route.
"If The Phantom Thief still chooses to go to the Cultural Exhibition Hall through that ventilation duct, he should be heading that way..."
While running, Robin took out his Grappling Gun and shot a rope towards the top part of the Library Exhibition Hall.
Then, using the rope, he swung towards the east side of the main structure of the Library Exhibition Hall.
That was where the corridor connecting the Library Exhibition Hall and the Cultural Exhibition Hall was located.
Swish!
Just before swinging to the top of the corridor, Robin released the rope and jumped high, doing several acrobatic moves in the air.
He landed lightly in the corridor.
Without stopping, Robin rushed towards the ventilation opening at the end of the corridor.
However, when he arrived, he found that the ventilation opening was tightly closed from the inside with an iron mesh.
There was white letter paper stuck to the mesh.
Even without looking, Robin was sure that the Phantom Thief had left it and that it probably had some mocking words.
"To the Wonder Boy, Robin:
When you see this card, it means you're too slow. I've already been gone for quite some time. I sincerely advise you to go home now, but if you're not willing to give up, let's meet at the final treasure secure place."
As he expected, Robin read the note.
"Coward! I was only delayed for two or three minutes, and in such a short time, Phantom Thief not only arrived here but also closed the entrance and left a message... How did he move so fast? What's the trick behind it?"
Robin grumbled and crumpled the note before putting it in his pocket.
Immediately after, he took out his communicator and contacted Batgirl.
"What's going on, Robin? Did Phantom Thief go to the Cultural Exhibition Hall?"
Batgirl's anxious voice came from the communicator.
"Yeah, probably. Are you still searching for him at the Jungle Exhibition Hall?"
Robin asked back.
"I didn't find him here, at least before the power outage, he seemed to disappear suddenly."
Hearing Batgirl's words, Robin couldn't help but smirk.
He repeated the conversation he had with the Phantom Thief to Batgirl.
"What! You're saying you already knew Phantom Thief wouldn't go to the Jungle Exhibition Hall, and the one in the sky was fake? Why didn't you tell me this before? And when I was being tricked like a fool by him, you just stood there watching?"
Batgirl's face turned pale and then red.
Suddenly, she felt like she could report to Batman that they had found the Joker.
"Isn't there a saying that says you have to deceive your enemy before deceiving yourself? If I had told you all my ideas, what if he had seen through our plan while facing you and changed his plans? Then we would have failed."
Robin chuckled.
"And this way, you also get to see how capable Phantom Thief is, so you won't underestimate him."
"… if you didn't tell me anything, isn't that also failure too? In the end, Phantom Thief still got away."
Batgirl snorted.
Robin's smile froze, and he coughed twice.
"In short, don't waste time in the Jungle Exhibition Hall, go back to the Cultural Exhibition Hall to protect the necklace. If you move quickly, maybe we still have time."
"Oh, by the way! I forgot to ask, how is Dean doing now?"
"I checked earlier. When the Phantom Thief appeared, Dean was still sleeping in his bedroom. There is no problem with the surveillance footage. I made a mistake. I shouldn't have doubted Dean."
Batgirl replied.
...
On the other side, the Cultural Exhibition Hall, the Central Exhibition Hall on the top floor.
Jim, who had split from the main force and returned here with a small group of people, had just entered the exhibition hall.
Due to a sudden power outage in the museum, all the lights in the exhibition hall went out, and only flashlights could be used as a light source.
However, only a few police officers from the GCPD had the habit of carrying flashlights, so their vision was extremely limited.
Luckily, Phantom Thief's performance in the square had attracted most of the regular visitors away from the exhibition hall.
Now, the only ones left in the hall were GCPD personnel.
They didn't need to see everything clearly in the exhibition hall.
They just needed enough light to show the glass cabinet containing the Dragon's Egg Ruby Necklace and the dozen or so SWAT officers guarding it.
"Harvey, what's the situation here? Have you found any trace of the Phantom Thief?"
Jim immediately found Harvey, who was in charge of this area, and after exchanging a secret signal, they asked about the current situation.
"No problem, Jim. So far, the Phantom Thief hasn't shown up. He must have seen the necklace surrounded by SWAT officers and realized he had no chance of stealing it, so he ran off. I told you this plan would work, hahaha!"
Harvey laughed.
Thud.
Just then, a crisp sound echoed in the dark and silent exhibition hall, almost breaking the silence.
Listening to the sound, it seems to be the sound of shoes stepping on the glass in this direction...
Jim and Harvey's faces turned pale, and they quickly looked towards the necklace.
Even the dozen or so SWAT officers surrounding the necklace heard it, and they all turned their heads at the same time.
Next, all the police officers in the exhibition hall directed their attention in that direction, their flashlights shining.
They saw a white figure squatting on the glass cabinet in a half-kneeling position, and the thing in his hand that glowed brightly under the light of the flashlight seemed to be the Dragon's Egg Ruby necklace.
...
A/N: Guys if we reach 2000 power stone WITHIN this day, i will release a additional chapter tomorrow.
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