Phantom Kid in the World of American Comics

”Wow…”

A sound made by a foot on the grass broke the peace of the stone pavilion.

The sound came from behind Barbara.

”Miss Gordon, I didn’t expect anyone to guess my real escape route, you’re much better than the FBI and CIA.”

Phantom Kid stepped out of the woods facing Barbara’s back.

”But.. why?”

Barbara didn’t turn around, she ignored his words and asked in a clear cold voice.

”Phantom Kid… no, I should rather say Mathison Fang!”

At her words, he remained silent.

”Won’t you say anything back to me, is this how you wanted things to go?”

Barbara suddenly turned back to look at Phantom Kid angrily.

”Why are you doing all of this?”

”Before asking me about the reason why I’m doing all of this, I’d like to remind you, Miss, that you… have the wrong person.”

Phantom Kid chuckled softly.

”I’m not the man you have in mind.”

Barbara’s face flushed, then she reacted with shame and anger, “Don’t you dare to play dumb on me, Mathison!”

”Wasn’t it the person you liked? Could my investigation be wrong?”

Kid raised his chin in a puzzled manner as if the “Mathison” Barbara was talking about had nothing to do with him.

”I mean, you… aren’t confessing to me in a different way, are you?”

Barbara narrowed her eyes at Phantom Kid.

”If you had been bolder before maybe I would have said yes, but now, you’re a criminal… we…”

At that, Barbara’s eyes darkened.

”Why do you think I’m Mathison Fang?”

Phantom Kid asked suddenly.

”Since you’re going to play dumb to the end, I’ll say it plainly!”

Barbara gave Phantom Kid a stern look.

”That day on the yacht in the Merchant’s River, I had actually woken up a long time before you came. That’s when you said ‘thanks to you this time, Barbara’ right!”

”Perhaps you didn’t realise that although you didn’t use your own voice when you said it, you very naturally addressed me as Barbara, so you could only have been someone I knew well!”

”And you deliberately broke away from my hand when the Queen arrived, didn’t you?”

”Stop pretending, Mathison!”

”You can’t hide it from me even with a hat and glasses on!”

The expression on Phantom Kid’s face remained unchanged, but deep down, he realized that it was at that time that he was exposed.

”Well Barbara, since you want to see my true face so badly, I’ll just have to…”

Phantom Kid sighed and reached up to remove his hat and glasses.

”You said he was Mathison Fang! How is this possible?”

Just then a startled voice came from the woods next to them. The voice seemed to belong to some very old man.

Johnny rushed out through the bushes in front of her and saw the small secluded stone pavilion.

And, of course, heard the identification Barbara had just made.

Johnny couldn’t believe such a thing, would even an heir of Kamar-Taj do something like stealing?

No, could it be that Mathison was not in fact the heir of Kamar-Taj, or that he had betrayed them?

In any case, Johnny, who was somehow convinced that Mathison was connected to Kamar-Taj, was speechless due to his shock.

By coincidence, Johnny had led the group in pursuit due west, but on the way to search, he… suddenly had a stomach ache.

Then after looking for a place to address his needs, Johnny found himself lost and then started wandering through the woods, only to end up in such a place crookedly.

Then, he heard the shocking words that Commissioner Gordon’s daughter uttered: the man he thought could never be Phantom Kid was actually Phantom Kid!

”Daisy!!!”

However, neither of the two people present paid any attention to him.

Barbara couldn’t help but exclaim out loud when she saw the face that Phantom Kid revealed when he took off his hat and glasses.

Phantom Kid looked at her and smiled, saying, “Surprised, Barbara, can’t I call you ‘Barbara’?”

”No, I know very well that you’re good at disguising yourself. You’re actually pretending to be Daisy, who is obviously doing research with Dr. Foster now, so how could she be Phantom Kid?”

After a brief moment of surprise, Barbara quickly calmed down.

”Well, Barbara, I’m actually Phantom Kid.”

Laughing, Phantom Kid suddenly snatched down his cloak and his appearance changed once again.

This time it was Jim Gordon.

Even the chief’s police uniform was on him.

Barbara grimaced.

”Hahahaha, Miss Gordon, I must say you do have a keen eye for actually suspecting someone around you, but the truth is that by then I already knew you were awake and the reason I said that was to play a little joke on you.”

”It seems to have caused you a great deal of distress and I am here to apologise, Miss Gordon.”

At the sight of Barbara’s outrageous reaction, Phantom Kid let out a hearty laugh before bowing solemnly to Barbara.

”I’m sorry, Mr. Fang… Phantom Kid, even though I have no clue what is going around, but I’d like you to raise your hands now.”

Johny felt ignored and at the same time more confused.

Originally Johnny was shocked that Phantom Kid’s real identity was Mathison, but now, because of the many disguises he has just pulled, Johnny had no idea who Phantom Kid really was.

Regardless, his pistol was pointed at Phantom Kid.

”Agent Johnny, after seeing this, can you still say such things?”

The unmistakably familiar voice came, and Johnny’s eyes instantly widened.

Phantom Kid slowly turns around to face him, and that face has turned into that of the Queen!

No matter how mentally prepared he was, Johny still froze on the spot when he saw this face.

”So, goodbye to you both!”

Taking advantage of this, Phantom Kid quickly ran away.

Barbara instantly rushed over to him.

”Stop right there, Mathison, you’re going too far!”

”I told you I’m not who you say I am!”

”Who’s going to believe that!”

Johny’s reflexes seemed to be delayed for a few seconds, and it took a moment for him to come back to their senses and rush after them as well.

Between the three, one after the other, there was a chase through the woods.

It was only a matter of time before Phantom Kid scampered between the trees and reached the road leading due west to the watchtower.

”Mathison, you can’t get away!”

Barbara sped up as fast as she could, trying to close the distance between herself and Phantom Kid.

”Barbara, what are you talking about? Why can’t I get away?”

Suddenly, an unmistakably familiar voice came from Barbara’s side, causing Barbara to freeze instantly in place and turn her head in disbelief.

All she saw was that on the path stretching from the direction of the central statue, Mathison was running towards her.

Turning her head again to look ahead, the back of Phantom Kid kept moving away…