Phantom Kid in the World of American Comics

Chapter 165: Deathstroke

BONUS Chapter brought to you by, the one and the only, KingSpy25i, enjoy!

Gotham, Old Town.

Near the Riverside Center, Mathison and Pamela gushed from the ground.

They were very close to Miller Harbor. Additionally, the roof of the Riverside Center overlooked Miller Harbor.

At this time, the night had started dissipating, and the dawn sun shined on earth.

“Where are we going now?”

Pamela asked excitedly.

“Robinson Park.”

Mathison said in a flat tone.

“Robinson Park? But Robinson Park isn’t in the Old Town.”

Pamela tilted her head, not understanding what Mathison meant.

“I’m talking about you, Pamela. You should go back to Robinson Park as soon as possible. For me, I will stay in the Old Town.”

“What!”

Pamela frowned.

Before she could refute, Mathison continued.

“Barbara didn’t find Gordon at the GPD headquarters yesterday, and you didn’t return overnight. She will definitely come out and try to find you today.”

“We have already told Gordon that Barbara is there. It won’t be long before they meet. What will you do then?”

Pamela was taken aback by Mathison’s rhetorical question.

“So, it’s best that you get back to Robinson Park as soon as possible and find Barbara before she leaves.”

“Okay…”

Pamela grumbled in dissatisfaction.

Under Mathison’s gaze, Pamela reluctantly left the underground again and returned to Robinson Park.

“Now, it’s time to unravel the mystery of the riddle.”

At this time, Mathison took out the three riddles.

What no one knows is that when he finished reading the riddles yesterday, he already knew what the answer was.

Speaking of his personal opinion, he thinks that these three riddles are not ordinary stuff.

But no matter what they are, there is only one correct answer to derive from them.

This is different from the doublespeak that Mathison sometimes leaves for insurance, the Riddler’s riddles’ meaning is singular.

And whether the terms he uses are related to the event he refers to, depends on how big of a brain one has.

Guessing the answer is actually not difficult. Mathison is sure that Gordon has solved at least one or two riddles.

The real problem is how to connect the mystery together.

And that’s what he’s thinking about.

“You’re trying to recover me. When I was lost, you struggled to get me. What am I?”

The answer is: time.

“I can be a member of a group, but I can never fit into it. What am I?”

The answer to this mystery is: entity.

So, what do “time” and “entity” represent?

What does it have to do with the Knightsdome Arena?

The “time” may match the timer of the bomb, but what does that “entity” mean?

Through yesterday’s night, Mathison could not figure this out.

But later, when he set his sights beyond the Knightsdome Arena and scanned the entirety of Gotham, he suddenly was enlightened.

The thing that best embodies the concept of time is the clock.

So, without considering the third riddle, the location to which the riddle refers is an entity with a clock.

The first thing Mathison thought of was the clock tower in Old Town Gotham.

That’s right! The purpose of his coming to the Old Town was to visit the clock tower, maybe he could solve the third riddle there.

“The more you cut me, the faster I grow. What am I?” 

Mathison thought of wounds, gaps, holes… This riddle was a bit broad, and he couldn’t understand completely the riddler’s mind.

Only when he arrives at the clock tower may he make a good guess.

On the other hand, as soon as Pamela returned to Robinson Park, she felt something was wrong.

Barbara was not in the park!

And there wasn’t any sign that Barbara had slept overnight.

Pamela felt bad and immediately closed her eyes to connect her spirit to the surrounding plants.

This allowed her to see the sporadic pictures from last night.

Then, she saw Barbara fighting a man in red and orange armor.

This man is the Deathstroke!

The fight between the two didn’t take too long, because Barbara was obviously no match for him.

It didn’t take long for Barbara to be cut in the arm by the Deathstroke.

In Pamela’s sight, after Barbara knew she was defeated by Deathstroke, she desperately wanted to retreat, and turned around and ran away by taking advantage of the neutral position Deathstroke had assumed when she was cut.

She had led Deathstroke into the trap that Pamela set up with her abilities, and Deathstroke successfully triggered it. However, this was only temporary.

Barbara didn’t stop for a moment; she ran straight out of Robinson Park.

Deathstroke, on the other hand, broke free from the trap unhurriedly and did not show annoyance or excessive emotions for Batgirl’s escape.

He just followed the trail of Barbara’s departure slowly.

Just like a patient hunter, only when the prey shows flaws will he brazenly shoot…

At this time, the picture was cut.

Pamela came to her senses.

“Someone is chasing Barbara, she is in danger now!”

“Should I tell Mathison about this?”

After thinking about it, Pamela did not choose to tell Mathison but went to rescue Barbara herself.

This is actually a very unwise decision.

If she uses her abilities publically during the day, she will probably be seen by GCPD people. By then, everyone will know that Pamela is Poison Ivy, and the peaceful life she finally got will cease to exist.

At this event, it was actually the best choice to let Mathison save Barbara. With Pamela’s help, Mathison could come to Barbara in a very timely manner.

Then, the cliché story of a hero saving a beauty will occur.

Perhaps that thin ice between Mathison and Barbara, that has never been pierced, will be broken after this.

Everyone will end up happy.

Ugh!

Under normal circumstances that might be the case, but Pamela knew very well the real crux of the two.

Barbara hopes that the two lovers can be more honest with each other, while Mathison clearly prefers to give each other more secret space.

So, it should be either for Mathison to tell Barbara that he is Phantom Kid, or for Barbara to completely ignore what Mathison is hiding from her. That’s the way for the two to truly come together.

As for whether the two of them can meet the corresponding requirements now, Pamela does not dare to guess randomly.

Not to mention that Mathison is now tasked with saving millions of people in Gotham, and Pamela can’t let Mathison get distracted.

It’s absolutely not because she was worried that Mathison and Barbara would establish a relationship, leaving her with no chance.

So, Pamela kept following Barbara’s escape route from the plants’ perspective, until she entered the Giordano Botanical Gardens in Burnley.

“Barbara is as smart as ever.”

Pamela smiled with satisfaction.

With Deathstroke’s tracking technology, it’s only a matter of time for him to keep up with her. So, before Deathstroke finds her, she must enable others to find her.

… with the “others” being Pamela, of course.

Barbara knew that Poison Ivy could observe things through plants, which greatly increased Pamela’s probability of finding her in the botanical garden.

Turns out she was right!

Pamela did find out where Barbara was hiding very quickly.

But the bad news is that the Deathstroke has also arrived there…

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PS: a bonus chapter will also be published to the Patrons.