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Chapter 162: A Riddler Defies The Riddles
February 10, 2022
in Phantom Kid in the World of American Comics
A A
4/5 weekly chapter, enjoy.
“Our people got word three days ago. When Bane officially announced to the outside world that Gotham would be quarantined from now on, three vans had pulled out of the Knightsdome Arena.”
“Bane also sent a large number of armored vehicles to protect the three vans. Their actions were very strange. The three vans kept driving on Gotham’s avenues, going back and forth, but never taking the same route between each other.”
Faced with Mathison’s question, Gordon didn’t hesitate to tell him the truth.
“You suspect that the nuclear bomb was hidden in one of the vehicles?”
Mathison asked immediately.
Gordon nodded, what could such a suspicious move be other than delivering the nuclear bomb.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t easily miss an opportunity like that one to deliver a nuclear bomb.”
Mathison went on to speculate.
“According to the GCPD’s familiarity with the Gotham route, it should be less difficult to intercept Bane’s three vans than expected.”
“That’s right, we figured out the driving routes of the three vans that day, and then sent someone to stop them.”
Gordon suddenly sighed.
“But in the end, we found that the three vans were all empty. That wasn’t how Bane transferred the bomb!”
Hearing this, Mathison nodded; it was an expected move.
At present, most people think of Bane in the same manner. Because of his strong and huge body, they subconsciously think that Bane is a simple-minded guy.
But in fact, Bane is very meticulous; far smarter than many scholars.
If he wanted to transfer the nuclear bomb to another location, it would never be possible for him to do so in such a blatant way.
“Sergeant Blake said just now that you have some clues in your hands. So, I think that even if you hadn’t found the location of the nuclear bomb, you are not going to leave emptyhanded”
“Yes, we do have some clues.”
At this time, Gordon glanced at Aaron.
Aaron took the hint and ran across to pull out a few items from inside the abandoned pipe.
To be precise, he pulled three sheets of paper of exactly the same size.
“These are the things we found in those three vans, they were taped to the compartments of the vans.”
Mathison took the three sheets from Aaron’s hand.
He found that three different words were written in the same handwriting.
Every sentence was surrounded by countless question marks.
“You’re trying to recover me. When I was lost, you struggled to get me. What am I?”
“I can be a member of a group, but I can never fit into it. What am I?”
“The more you cut me, the faster I grow. What am I?”
“This is……”
Mathison looked at Gordon in disbelief.
“You’re right, this is a riddle set by Nigma… cough-cough.”
Gordon coughed twice, then continued.
“We have been keeping a close eye on the Knightsdome during this period of time. Other than those three tracks, no vehicles that can take away the nuclear bomb have left the place.”
“The Wayne Enterprises fusion reactor is so large and so heavy that it can only be transported by a large van.”
“In other words, the nuclear bomb was in the stadium all the time!”
Mathison’s eyes twitched. An object that heavy could not disappear without a sound. Unless Bane sent the nuclear bomb away through an underground passage, it could only be stored in the stadium.
It’s a pity that there are only sewers in the Knightsdome Arena, and the water pipes there are relatively special. It is easy for people and the nuclear bomb to go down, but it is impossible to drop a means of transportation.
Propelling a multi-ton fusion reactor with human power alone is simply daydreaming.
So, Mathison would like to believe that the nuke was hidden somewhere in the stadium.
At this time, no one could have imagined that even Bane himself did not know where the nuclear bomb was, and the Riddler solely was responsible for hiding it.
The people who helped him deliver the nuclear bomb were also killed.
“The Knightsdome Arena is a sports complex, covering an area of 35,000 square meters, with the soccer field as the center venue. The track field, the basketball hall, badminton hall, volleyball hall, and swimming pool around the soccer field were next to it. Ice-hockey halls, baseball halls were as well distributed around the soccer field.”
“And that doesn’t include the spectator seating on or off the field.”
Mathison recalled all the information about the Knightsdome Arena.
In such a large environment, especially when the League of Shadows patrols all the time, it is almost impossible to find a nuclear bomb.
“In other words, is the riddle left by the Riddler the only clue?”
“What do these three riddles mean…”
When it comes to riddles, Mathison feels that he still has some certain say. Sometimes, he keeps thinking that he might go bald if he keeps thinking of generating all these notice letters. He is definitely experienced.
The riddle is something that can not be too entangled in the logic of the riddle itself but speculate on the logic of the questioner.
Everyone looked at Mathison, who had been in deep thought.
“Director Gordon, there is one thing I must remind you.”
While Mathison was thinking, Pamela suddenly turned to Gordon and said.
“Please tell me, Miss Fujiko.”
“In the information we have, it’s not just the two of us who have infiltrated Gotham.”
Pamela’s face took on a somewhat hesitant expression.
“Your daughter, Barbara Gordon, has most likely arrived in Gotham, and our intelligence shows that she has a companion.”
After all, Barbara came for Gordon and James Jr. And now that James Jr. has been sent to a safe place by Mathison, only Gordon is left.
Instead of letting Barbara painstakingly find Gordon, who is deep underground, it is better to let Gordon’s people find Barbara themselves.
There are still more than 500 people left in the GCPD, and it is better for her to join them rather than to wander aimlessly.
“What, you’re saying that Barbara came to Gotham too?!”
As soon as he heard the news, Gordon exploded in an instant.
“What the hell is she doing here?!”
“Who brought her here; who is her companion; is it Mathison?!”
“Oh my God, I always thought Mathison was a good man, and that I perhaps could trust him with Barbara, but he didn’t stop Barbara from doing stupid things…”
“Sorry, Commissioner Gordon, you seem to have misunderstood something.”
A few drops of cold sweat dripped from the back of Pamela’s neck.
“Miss Gordon’s companion is a woman named Pamela Isley, her roommate and senior at NYU. As for the Mathison you talked about, your daughter didn’t even contact him before she left New York.”
“It’s most likely that Miss Gordon concealed her plans.”
“You guys have been investigating really carefully.”
Gordon gasped.
“Of course, we are S.H.I.E.L.D. after all.”
Then, Pamela told Gordon the general directions Barbara took after infiltrating Gotham.
This intelligence was discovered through satellite surveillance.
After entering Gotham, there couldn’t be any investigation for her detailed movements. There was no way to check her whereabouts because interference could be too dangerous.
Pamela certainly couldn’t tell Gordon directly that Barbara was in Robinson Park.
What if Gordon sends someone over now, only to find out that only Barbara is there, without Pamela?
“I think I have some ideas.”
At this point, Mathison withdrew from his thoughts with a confident smile on his face.