Chapter 85: The Bat Team Building - A Tale of Utmost Familiarity Filled with Numbness and Heartache...

Wen Yue remained silent, as the air rushed in from below through her wide sleeves, and she silently gripped the railing as she descended the steps.

From an omniscient perspective, the target is nowhere to be seen. Wen Yue quietly releases the raven that acts as a carrier pigeon. The player's specialty is outsourcing projects.

From a high-dimensional perspective unnoticed by anyone, the entire Gotham City is silently shrouded in a barrier. With the blessing of omnipotent authority, players forcibly modify the underlying code of this world, Gotham, and identify themselves using Batman as a concept. No Batman can leave the city; as long as the player is there, Gotham will become a cage for all Batmen.

Players don't know how many Batmen Barbatos currently have under his command, but when cleaning up the world's primal pollution in the Vampire King world, players have heard a faint, familiar laugh, confirming that Barbatos is definitely accompanied by the core Batman: The Laughing One, a Batman who was completely corrupted by laughing gas after killing the Joker.

Given the Batman Who Laughs's astonishing record of destroying the world, his high level of danger warrants players manually lowering the difficulty level, imprisoning him in Gotham and preventing him from contacting the Justice League superheroes outside. This shrinks the battlefield and reduces the Batman's destructive power.

Players enter this world through the Black God. Previously, Barbatos and the Maniac's Laughter exerted influence from outside the world. Now, the Maniac's Laughter can suddenly follow the player into the world, which must be closely related to the player. Are the chains on the Black God truly only for a harmless positioning purpose?

The current protagonists of this world are Jason and the local Batman, their lives intertwined with countless opportunities and causes. If the Maniac wants to sink the world, targeting these two protagonists is inevitable. Players will remain by Jason's side, waiting for his opportunity. Meanwhile, Raven will be dispatched to negotiate with the other protagonist.

Jason and Tim were still locked in a fierce battle, and the players couldn't get involved, only able to chime in with, "He's down! He's down! Robin's down! The Knight pressed his advantage with a three-hit combo. Clearly, the undisputed champion of this duel is the Arkham Knight; Robin can't defeat him despite her best efforts."

"The knight's clothes were slightly dirty. Robin feinted, then flipped over and leaped up, immediately starting the second round..." The player reported the exciting battle situation in the whole game, but suddenly stopped halfway through. It turned out that the two people who were fighting fiercely had stopped their face-breaking punches and were staring at the player with predatory eyes.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" The knight straightened his helmet, and Robin tightened her gloves; neither of them smiled at this moment.

Wen Yue's gaze swept over the knight's slightly flawed helmet and Robin's bruised and swollen face, which even the Robin Domino mask couldn't hide. "Are you jealous of each other's looks? Why are you all hitting each other's faces?"

"And another thing," Wen Yue glanced at the ground and said casually, "This rooftop looks so flat and smooth, without any pebbles (strength)."

"...Your teammate?" Tim couldn't help but ask Jason after a moment.

“Just a free temporary worker.” Jason said with a dark face, unwilling to admit it.

“Take good care of yourself when you’re out and about,” Tim said sympathetically. “If you’re really short of money, I can help you out.” He handed over a card, which contained some of the pocket money his parents had given him over the years.

The player's eyes lit up, and he eagerly reached out, his enthusiasm burning: "Knight, let me keep it for you. It's more convenient for me to use my space."

Tim fell silent for a moment: "..." This was the first time he had ever heard robbery described in such a refined and elegant way.

“What’s inconvenient about a card? It just needs space to store it.” Jason slapped the player’s hand away, making Tim take the card back. The player was heartbroken, reluctant to part with the card that was about to be his but had slipped away halfway, his eyes filled with regret.

"My card..." The player's broken voice trailed off in a long, mournful tone.

Jason ignored him without even glancing at him, his indifference filled with numbness and heartache.

Tim's expression was complicated, and he couldn't put it into words. He had certainly had his eyes opened today.

After last night's storm in the city, today the sun playfully pierces through the darkness, the white clouds drift endlessly, and the clear sky is as bright as an afternoon illusion.

The shadow of war seems to have receded, and looking down, one sees rows of orderly buildings standing side by side, but beneath the calm surface lies an undercurrent of turbulent undercurrents unknown to anyone.

“Jason, I’m actually not going to be Robin anymore. I’ve designed a new uniform, and this is my new hood.” Tim pulled out his black hood design to prove he wasn’t lying. He would continue to help Batman, but no longer as a sidekick; he would stand on his own two feet and fight for himself.

"A new hood? Let me see what's going on." Wen Yue interrupted their conversation, naturally taking the hood from Tim's hand. After examining it, she put it on her own head.

"Robin takes turns, this year it's my turn. How about it, do I look like Robin?" The player rolled up his sleeves, revealing his wrists, and struck a pose ready to fight at any moment.

“You look like a robber about to break into a bank,” Jason commented sharply.

Wen Yue turned her gaze to Tim: "You changed careers?" The player was completely oblivious, and it was undoubtedly Tim's newly designed headgear that ruined the player's image.

Tim's lips twitched. "While I don't intend to be Robin, I also have no intention of switching careers to become a super-reverseer." Don't slander him.

"What a pity. If you were a supervillain, this ugly hood would have really suited your character." Wen Yue regretfully returned the black hood to its rightful owner.

The player looked like a hard-boiled egg after putting on the black hood. Tim silently took back the new hood and stuffed it into his tactical pocket, out of sight, out of mind. After careful consideration, he decided not to change the domino mask; he would just change his uniform.

"By the way, what's your new name?" the player asked, wondering if it was the familiar code name she was thinking of.

"Red Robin".

Just as I expected.

“That’s great! How about this, you’ll be called Red Robin, I’ll be called Black Robin, and Jason, you’ll be called Blue Robin. How does that sound? Harmonious and unified, not at all awkward.” Wen Yue put his arm around each of them, his hands on their shoulders, looking like best buddies. “We can form a team and debut together, we’ll call it the Robin Squad.”

Jason pushed aside the overly friendly player, saying, "Go play by yourself, don't include me."

Tim also slipped away quietly; he didn't want to embarrass himself along with the players.

After the players' antics, the atmosphere between Jason and Tim became less tense.

Tim cherished the hard-won harmonious atmosphere and seized the opportunity to persuade him: "Jason, come back. You are never alone. You are far better than your failure. I will always be here for you as long as you need me."

Tim moved closer to Jason and said sincerely, "You pushing us away doesn't mean we'll abandon you. There are many things that need to be made up for... Give us a chance, Alfred and Bruce miss you very much..."

“No.” Without hesitation, Jason interrupted the other’s outpouring of emotion, gazing at the city filled with sin, his eyes, as deep as the starry sky, seemed to be a desolate wasteland. “I can’t go back, I can no longer go back… Batman can’t save me, he only punishes the wicked. When I have to choose between me and the mission, he will always choose the mission, every single time.”

“Illusory nostalgia is meaningless. Falling into its pull will only lead you deeper and deeper, until you gain nothing in the end.” He would not make the same mistake again. His body, riddled with holes under his Arkham Knight armor, throbbed with pain. Jason said resolutely, “I know what to do. I will not come any closer, and you should stay away from me too.”

"What did you say? Jason, it's not like that. I won't give up on you. None of us have given up on you..." Tim reached out to grab Jason, but Jason easily dodged him.

Jason bypassed Tim and climbed over the railing. He knew the fight wasn't going to happen today, and he decided to leave. His voice, muffled and distant in the wind, said, "You're like Batman, Drake. You think you can save everyone, but that's not the case. You don't need to put that responsibility on yourself. That's it."

“Jason…” Tim’s thousand words drifted away with the wind.

A soft sound came from behind, and Nightwing Dick gracefully climbed onto the rooftop, his tone smiling: "I knew you'd be here. Looks like I arrived just in time."

"It's this feeling of coming home." Enjoying the cool breeze blowing in from the high-rise building, Nightwing leaned on the edge of the rooftop with one hand, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. "Why didn't you invite me to your team building activity?"

Jason glanced at Dick sideways, ignored him, and disappeared at the edge of the rooftop.

"Hey, why are you leaving so soon after I arrived?" Nightwing stood up in surprise, clinging to the rooftop railing where Jason had jumped off, and called out reluctantly, "Jason!"

The only response was the crisp sound of shattering glass downstairs. Jason ruthlessly dismantled his own property, heading straight down to Wayne's office.

Wen Yue used her hearing to pinpoint the location of the sound and didn't forget to loudly remind her teammates who had retreated first: "Jason, remember to bring the gold model with you. We didn't come here for nothing."

"Shut up." Jason's response could be faintly heard from downstairs, and the player mumbled in frustration.

Turning around, Wen Yue met Robin and Nightwing's gazes. She straightened her back, arrogantly declaring, "What are you looking at? I'm the knight's right-hand woman. Don't even think about messing around, or I'll tell the knight on you." The player was completely immersed in the role, deeply engrossed in the character.

"..." The two remained silent.

Tim picked up the submachine gun he'd dropped during his fight with Jason, examined it for a moment, and handed it back to the player. "Empty?"

“Yes.” Wen Yue stuffed the empty magazine back in without a second thought, and said frankly, “We don’t have enough bullets, so we’ll have to make the knight suffer.”

Silence reigned everywhere.

"What's with those expressions? Alright, alright, move aside, I'm going to run away with the knight." Wen Yue prepared to retreat with Jason.

Nightwing stopped the player, "No rush, we can talk some more, let's give Jason some time too."

"Whatever time he needs, don't stop me. Don't keep Jason waiting." Wen Yue moved lightly, breaking free from the pull.

Unable to stop the player, Nightwing had no choice but to explain: "Jason and Batman are talking, let's not disturb them."

"Batman is here?" Wen Yue suddenly turned around, her brows furrowing.

Infected by the player's serious attitude, Nightwing, unaware of the situation, revealed the truth: "Yes, Batman plans to have a serious talk with Jason."

"That's not right." Wen Yue frowned, then suddenly turned around and jumped over the railing.

A layer of sharp shards of glass lay on the floor near the window, shimmering in the sunlight, their clear, transparent surface concealing a deadly intent.

The knight's airtight helmet had been removed, and Jason's face, etched with the clown's "J," was deeply etched. He stood on the layers of broken glass, his eyes flickering as he gazed at the figure before him.

“…Jason, the past cannot be changed, but we can make up for it together in the future…” Batman’s outstretched hand approached Jason, the black glove that fit his palm unable to hide the slight tremor.

A cold glint flashed through the air as a batarang, accompanied by a biting gust of wind, hurtled towards Batman. Batman paused, dodging to the side. However, the batarangs seemed endless, firing in rapid succession, relentlessly pursuing him. With nowhere to hide, Batman could only gradually move away from his target.

Entering the room through the broken glass left by Jason, Wen Yue bent her knees slightly, landed steadily, and had an unusually cold and serious expression on her face.

The player's face was tense, and his voice was low: "Stay away from him, laugh wildly."