Kaito Kid is Superhero

The exhibition opening ceremony was held. The mayor, Harvey Dent, Commissioner Gordon, Steve Rogers, and Bruce Wayne were all present. Naturally, Liu A'dou and Ada Wong were there too—Liu A'dou was on camera duty, while Ada stood beside Commissioner Gordon.

The mayor gave the opening speech first, followed by Harvey Dent stepping up to the podium. As Gotham City's rising star, the mayor had specially invited Harvey to address the crowd as well.

The audience stood gathered outside the Gotham Museum, listening intently.

"Fellow citizens of Gotham, I, Harvey Dent, speak today with both pride and humility." Harvey glanced at the curious expressions in the crowd, then continued, "I'm proud to call myself a citizen of this great city, but I'm ashamed for failing in my duty as District Attorney. Friends and guests, over the past six months, all of you have shown Gotham's unbreakable spirit. The fear spread by Joker and Bane did not defeat this city—because in your hearts, there is a shared belief in kindness and justice. Even during the darkest moments, none of you gave up your courage. You, the people of Gotham, have proven your greatness to the world."

"I want to thank Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and even Kaitou Kid, as well as everyone who contributed their strength. In the days to come, as long as we remember that Gotham belongs to all of us, that loving this city is loving our home, and as long as we stand by justice with compassion in our hearts, I believe Gotham will grow better. Our future will shine brighter. Let this exhibition be the symbol of our city's courage and resilience. Thank you!"

Thunderous applause erupted. If Liu A'dou weren't filming, he might have clapped himself. Batman inspires fear and courage. Harvey brings hope.

Liu A'dou thought to himself, "At this rate, I almost feel guilty. But a thief's got to steal. That's just who I am."

Next, Commissioner Gordon stepped up to the podium. This event had taken massive effort to organize.

Unlike Harvey's eloquence, Gordon read from a prepared speech: "Gotham has endured hardship. But in our darkest hour, Gotham had Batman—our Dark Knight, standing watch over the city. Batman inspired courage in Gotham's people, awakening the voice of justice and truth. Now it's our turn to step up. Let's show our wounded hero that we are capable of protecting our own city. Let each one of us become a knight—not cloaked in shadows, but in light."

"Let the brilliance of courage shine forth. Let our hands become the armor, the lance, the iron hooves of knights defending our home. I believe the day will come when the light of courage disperses the clouds hanging over Gotham."

Another wave of applause. Gordon's speech had moved the audience as well.

Liu A'dou thought, "Even a city as beaten down as Gotham can still find light. But Batman will never rest. His stage isn't just this city—it's the whole world. He still has world-saving missions waiting for him."

Of course, while the officials gave their speeches, Liu A'dou didn't forget to get shots of Captain America. The difference between DC and Marvel heroes, he thought, is in their origins. DC heroes almost always lose their parents—or watch them die as children. Marvel heroes, on the other hand, rarely experience such trauma firsthand.

That's why most DC heroes carry deep psychological scars—Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, all struggle with personal demons. Marvel heroes, however, often wrestle with personality flaws—Iron Man's ego, Hulk's self-loathing, Thor's arrogance.

DC heroes are usually shrouded in tragedy, while Marvel heroes love the spotlight, sometimes to the point of recklessness. It all comes down to how they grew up.

The two speeches were excellent, and Gotham's citizens were deeply moved. Then came the ribbon-cutting, and the exhibition officially began.

Liu A'dou, carrying his camera, joined the first group of guests to enter the museum.

So many treasures. With Liu A'dou's keen thief's eye, he could tell at a glance which pieces were genuine and which weren't. The real ones made his mouth water—they were incredible. But he only had one target in mind: the Silver Star, the most beautiful diamond of them all.

"Ten thousand and eighty facets—the king of diamonds." Because of its countless cuts, the Silver Star appeared almost perfectly spherical.

"So pretty." No woman could resist the allure of that diamond.

The Silver Star had been placed in the most prominent position, with a police officer stationed at each of its four corners.

Liu A'dou glanced around. Suddenly, he bumped into the tourist beside him, who in turn bumped into another person holding a bottle of soda. The drink spilled, slipped from the startled man's hand, and—kicked forward by the shuffling crowd—rolled right across the cordon.

"Woo—woo—" The alarm blared as the police rushed in.

Unfortunately, it was just a plastic bottle. No one noticed Liu A'dou's small maneuver. Seemed like they'd installed a lot of new tech this time.

"I didn't mean to! Someone pushed me!" the poor tourist protested as officers led him away.

As soon as anyone got close, they'd be spotted. With the police rushing in so fast, not even Kaitou Kid could escape easily.

"What the heck? I thought Kid showed up!" someone complained, clearly a fan. Even among the visitors, Kid's supporters were present. Nearby, Steve Rogers smiled wryly—he hadn't expected people to come just to see the Phantom Thief. Clearly, he'd underestimated Kid's popularity.

And since there was an audience, Kaitou Kid couldn't disappoint. After his on-site inspection, the next step was action. Before the exhibit ended, he had to determine if the Silver Star was actually the Pandora gem in disguise. The Pandora gem had no fixed shape; it could appear as anything.

That test just now had already told Liu A'dou the patrol layout and response patterns. He now had a way to slip past them. The only thing left was a proper calling card.

Later that evening, when the museum was about to close, security guard Pantheon was doing a final sweep. He noticed a display label had come loose. Strange—it was brand new. How could it already be broken?

He stepped forward to reattach it—only to spot something beneath the sign:

"Tonight, I will take the Silver Star — Kaitou Kid."

"Kaitou Kid? Kaitou Kid!!" Pantheon screamed, drawing the attention of the nearby officers.

Commissioner Gordon, Steve Rogers, and Ada Wong all rushed over.

"It's just as I feared. A Kaitou Kid calling card," Gordon said grimly. He glanced at the other exhibit signs, then tore one off. Another card lay beneath it. He tore off two, three more—each had the same message. "God… how did he do this?"

"Looks like I'd better prepare," Steve said. Since Kid declared he'd strike tonight, Steve had to be stationed right by the diamond. No room for error.

"Ada, reinforce all patrols. We can't let Kid succeed this time. Move out!" Gordon barked. The officers snapped to attention and returned to their posts.

"It's Kaitou Kid! Kid's coming tonight!" A few remaining visitors, with ears sharper than Batman's, picked up the words and wasted no time spreading the news online. Soon, all of Kid's fans knew.

"Where's the calling card?" someone asked online.

"It was hidden behind all the exhibit signs! Every single one of them had a calling card underneath—so cool." The police had stopped people from taking pictures, but just the description alone sent fans into a frenzy.

"Whoa, how'd he pull that off?"

"My guess? Kid must've installed the signs himself. He's a contractor!"

"Idiot, he's obviously from an ad agency. He made layered signs with hidden cards!"

Debate erupted online, but no one had a solid answer. Eventually, one fan's post won general approval:

"Why are you still talking online? Go to Gotham Museum and support Kaitou Kid!!"

Suddenly inspired, the fans all realized: Right! Head to Gotham Museum! Go cheer for Kaitou Kid!