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Chapter 46: Phantom Thief Kid Is Truly a Strange Person
After accepting the reward, Darren immediately felt a burning sensation in his chest.
The sensation didn't last long, dissipating gradually after a few seconds.
He hurriedly looked down to check his chest.
Hmm, it's fine. Looks the same as before.
Hearing the name "Enhanced Lung Lobes," Darren had worried his chest cavity might expand several times over.
"Poison gas and low-oxygen environments aren't easy to test right now. Let's just try a simple deep breath."
Darren took a deep breath.
With just this one inhalation, he immediately felt a significant increase in his lung capacity.
Although he didn't have specialized instruments to measure the values, purely from sensory perception, it was at least several times stronger than before!
"It seems Enhanced Lung Lobes doesn't just increase the ability to filter air in extreme environments; it also vastly improves basic cardiopulmonary function."
"Let's run a marathon next. Try running home from here..."
"...So, what exactly happened to you?"
Inside the police car, Gordon couldn't suppress his curiosity and impatiently asked Harvey, who was sitting beside him.
"It's a long story to tell in detail. Simply put, Phantom Thief Kid helped me find myself," Harvey said concisely.
"What? Phantom Thief Kid?"
Gordon revealed a look of astonishment.
"Ever since you became Two-Face, I... and Batman... have been thinking of ways to change you back. We invited the best psychiatrists to treat you at Arkham Asylum, but we never achieved any results."
"To be honest, I once thought you would never come back."
Batman.
Hearing this name, Harvey's eyelids trembled slightly.
"But I really didn't expect that the person who finally brought you back would be Phantom Thief Kid. What did he do to you?" Gordon continued.
"He drove Two-Face crazy," Harvey replied.
"You're not joking, are you? Two-Face was already as crazy as one can get," Gordon said with a face full of disbelief.
"Other than putting it that way, I don't know how else to describe Phantom Thief Kid's actions."
Actually, Harvey himself wasn't entirely sure how Kid had "cured" him.
Batman had used plans involving the coin toss results against Two-Face more than once; in fact, one could say he mostly subdued Two-Face by controlling the coin.
Clearly, such crude methods alone couldn't throw Two-Face's personality into chaos.
"Perhaps... it's because Phantom Thief Kid made my own heart doubt itself. He made me, as Two-Face, begin to negate the significance of the coin's existence. Yet the two are inseparable; the coin is like an extension of Two-Face's body."
"Once Two-Face questioned the coin, it was equivalent to questioning himself... or rather, myself. Naturally, he moved toward collapse."
Harvey speculated.
This was likely the most logical conclusion at the moment.
However, deep down, Harvey felt this wasn't the whole reason.
He couldn't help but recall that brief period of solitude with Phantom Thief Kid inside the glass walls.
In those incredibly short few minutes, Harvey felt a tranquility he had never experienced in the first half of his life. No moment could compare to the peace he felt then.
That wondrous experience vanished after Kid left.
Harvey couldn't describe the magic in his heart with words. Even if he could, his decades of inherent cognition made him subconsciously refuse to believe it was man-made.
Therefore, he chose not to tell Gordon about this.
If one wasn't there to experience it, a listener would only think it was nonsense.
"So, Phantom Thief Kid took your old coin? That was his target for stealing this time?"
After listening to Harvey's brief narration, Gordon rubbed his chin.
He understood this Phantom Thief Kid less and less.
In the first two crimes, Kid chose priceless gems. Then, due to the Riddler's challenge, Kid went to rescue a hostage.
This time, he set his sights on Two-Face's coin.
God knows what about a coin attracted Kid!
Two-Face's coin was, after all, just a double-headed coin used to trick kids, not some rare, expensive commemorative currency.
And even if it were, it wouldn't be worth much after being forcefully scratched on one side.
Well, monetary value is probably what Kid cares about the least.
After all, he even threw the Vanaver necklace into the river like trash.
Rather than stealing the coin, Gordon was more inclined to believe that Kid came for Harvey from the start, and the coin was just an excuse to maintain his persona.
"Speaking of which, there is one thing I really want to know that I haven't figured out..."
Suddenly, Harvey spoke with a trace of regret.
"What is it?" Gordon asked curiously.
"The coin. I still can't figure out how Phantom Thief Kid manipulated the coin to come up heads every time."
"Then stop thinking about it. Kid has too many incomprehensible magic tricks. Besides, what if you figure it out? Do you want to turn back into that Two-Face?"
Gordon advised Harvey to stop thinking.
"No. Kid said I would understand once you arrived, but I still have no clue."
Harvey shook his head.
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