April 22nd, morning.
Darren, disguised as an ordinary tourist, wandered through the Gotham Museum of Art.
Kaitou Kid's theft notice hadn't made the museum's atmosphere particularly tense. It remained open as usual, with no additional searches imposed on visitors.
That said, the Gotham Museum of Art's standard security checks were already quite strict, so it was natural that their intensity hadn't been increased further.
On the surface, Darren moved along with the other visitors, occasionally stopping to admire the exquisite exhibits.
In reality, he was carefully observing the museum's layout.
In fact, he had been coming here every day during this period, changing his appearance each time to scout the location. He already knew the connections between the exhibition halls and the placement of the security cameras like the back of his hand.
Even so, to minimize any unexpected variables, he wanted to make one final confirmation in the last few hours before taking action.
That final check allowed him to notice several subtle changes.
"The guards and patrols near the museum's east gate have been reinforced quite a bit compared to usual. Looks like my notice has been deciphered. I just don't know whether there's a capable person within the GCPD, or if they've brought in outside help…"
The fact that the notice would be decoded had already been part of Darren's plan.
From the very beginning, he had designed the first notice with the intention that someone would solve it.
After all, if the notice had been written too obscurely and its criminal intent wasn't immediately obvious, it would likely have been dismissed as a prank and ignored by everyone.
At this stage, Kaitou Kid was still nothing more than an unknown petty thief. Expecting to be taken seriously without any track record was simply wishful thinking.
If not for the association with the Riddler, Curator Zack would never have taken such a threatening letter seriously.
Meanwhile, inside the curator's office, Gordon and Curator Zack sat facing each other.
"Commissioner Gordon, are you certain that today is the day he predicted?"
Curator Zack asked anxiously.
"I'm not Kaitou Kid, so I can't know what he's thinking, but there's no more logical interpretation than this."
Gordon replied.
"What about the Riddler?"
Although Gordon believed the chances of Kaitou Kid being the Riddler were extremely low, Curator Zack still couldn't let go of his concerns.
"Please rest assured. I've already sent people to keep watch at Arkham Asylum. If there's any abnormal activity, I'll be informed immediately."
Gordon wasn't trying to placate Zack. He had truly assigned officers to monitor the Riddler. When it came to the inmates of Arkham, no precaution was ever excessive.
Hearing this, Zack visibly relaxed.
"By the way, Curator, how is that matter you were handling coming along?"
At that moment, Gordon seemed to recall something important and asked with a serious expression.
"It's already been handled according to your plan. Kaitou Kid will absolutely not be able to steal the tear of the goddess today."
As he said this, Zack's face was filled with confidence, completely different from his anxious demeanor earlier.
"That's good. No matter who Kaitou Kid really is, if he shows up today, I will definitely bring him to justice."
Gordon made his promise.
After that, the two began checking the museum's security arrangements for any possible gaps.
At the same time, inside the office, in a hidden corner beyond their notice, an almost invisible tiny dot was transmitting a signal.
"Kaitou Kid will absolutely not be able to steal the tear of the goddess…"
In a museum corridor, Darren listened to the voice coming through his earpiece, a questioning look appearing in his eyes.
Several days earlier, when he had first delivered the notice, he had planted miniature listening devices in several key rooms, including the curator's office. As long as he remained within range of the museum, he could receive signals from the bugs.
At the time, he had simply wanted to leave himself a backup and hadn't truly expected to overhear any crucial information. After all, he couldn't stay hidden in the museum eavesdropping around the clock.
"Absolutely can't steal it? Interesting. I'd like to see what preparations you've made."
Darren walked down the corridor toward the final stop of his reconnaissance, the Gemstone Craft Exhibition Hall where the tear of the goddess was displayed.
Contrary to his expectations, there didn't seem to be any obvious changes in the exhibition hall. The number of guards was the same as before, unlike the eastern area, where a large number of personnel had been added.
No matter how he looked at it, something felt off.
Although the notice stated that Kaitou Kid would appear from the direction of the sunrise, it made no sense to reinforce only the eastern side while neglecting the tear of the goddess itself. Were they truly confident they could stop him at the entrance with absolute certainty?
But what if Kaitou Kid didn't come from that direction? What if the notice was merely a ruse meant to lull them into a false sense of security?
Darren knew he wouldn't break his promise, but on what basis did Gordon and the others believe that?
This was Kaitou Kid's first crime. No one knew his habits, and his reputation hadn't been established yet. Logically speaking, they should have assumed he wouldn't follow the notice at all.
"If security in the exhibition hall hasn't been reinforced, then they've probably tampered with the tear of the goddess itself…"
After entering the Gemstone Craft Exhibition Hall, Darren didn't head straight for the tear of the goddess. Instead, he blended in with the other visitors, admiring the dazzling display of luxurious jewelry.
Even the least valuable items here were worth over a million, each protected by thick bulletproof glass.
After observing for a while, Darren followed the flow of people toward the display case holding the tear of the goddess.
"Hm?"
At first glance, he noticed that this display case was different from those used for the other gems.
The shape of the stand, the thickness of the glass, and even the degree of wear were all different. It was clearly a newly installed setup.
He also noticed that the glass case containing the tear of the goddess was not separate from the display stand but formed a seamless whole. To remove the gem from inside, one would have to cut it open with specialized tools; it couldn't be pried apart.
Not only that, inside the glass case, thin red laser beams extended from both sides of the small stand supporting the tear of the goddess, converging on the gem itself.
The moment the gem's position shifted, the alarm would be triggered instantly.
These two layers of defense alone were enough to stop ninety-nine percent of thieves in the world.
Moreover, even if someone managed to break through both defenses, that still didn't mean they could actually take the gem.
"I see. There's a hidden third line of defense inside. No wonder Curator Zack and Gordon are so confident that no one can steal the tear of the goddess…"
Darren stared at the tear of the goddess for a moment, a glint of realization flashing in his eyes.
"If this were an ordinary thief, this setup would indeed be perfect. Unfortunately, it's useless against me."
He took out his phone and checked the time. There was still more than an hour before the solar eclipse predicted by the weather station.
"At this point, all the backstage work is finished. It's time to prepare to step onto the stage."
Meanwhile..
Gordon and Curator Zack left the office and walked to a massive floor-to-ceiling window on the east side of the museum's 1st floor. From there, they had a clear view of everything happening on the eastern side of the museum.
As soon as anyone suspicious appeared, they would be discovered immediately.
Before long, an hour passed.
The once-bright sky suddenly began to dim.
Looking up, the sun was gradually being swallowed by a dark shadow.
The solar eclipse had begun.