81. Gotham: City People, Liars

89.

“You can try to accept an imperfect ending.”

Batman said this as he stood before the farmer. A heart symbolizing his favorability appeared above his head, flashing for a few seconds before quickly disappearing. If it weren't for Aria's sharp eyes, she would have missed this rare development.

Aria suppressed her smirk and said, "Ahem, okay, maybe I'll try it next time."

She used the word "maybe" rather cunningly. After all, how to play the game is ultimately the player's choice, and the NPC's persuasion would hardly make her give up her obsession with a perfect ending in a short period of time.

Batman didn't respond to the farmer's words, returning to his usual silence. He had come to see her primarily to inspect Lincoln March's belongings. He wasn't good at comforting people, and perhaps this time it didn't work either. It felt more like a murmur of his past self.

Fortunately, the farmer never lets the atmosphere get dull. When he didn't say anything, she took over the conversation on her own.

"So the Court of Owls' mission is over?"

Aria looked around and didn't see any sign indicating that the mission was completed. She always felt that there was something more to come.

"I'll deal with the remaining forces." Batman paused, thinking of Mayor Lewis stuffing the lottery ticket, and guessing that the farmer also adhered to this kind of one-handed task and one-handed reward transaction method, so he added: "You have completed your part - name your price."

"Oh, that's right!" Aria slapped her head. She was so happy about the increase in favorability that she almost forgot about the reward.

But...shouldn't the price be set by the person who issued the task? The farmer felt a little regretful. He should have negotiated the price before accepting the task. Now it was a bit awkward for both parties.

Aria began to think seriously. In the past, her rewards for delivering things fluctuated between three hundred and one thousand gold. This mission was difficult, so she should charge a bit more, but not too much.

The farmer glanced at Batman furtively, then silently calculated the cost of upgrading the chicken coop. Finally, she cautiously held up four fingers. "How about four thousand? That's just enough for me to build a chicken coop."

Fearing the other party would think the price was too high, Aria quickly added, "This price is really fair! The mayor only offered 200 before, but that was because I'm familiar with him and it was a super friendly price! That price doesn't represent the market price!"

“…”

Batman was silent for a moment, looking at the farmer obscurely.

Aria has extraordinary abilities. Batman had previously conducted a multi-dimensional analysis of her, but he had overlooked this obvious fact.

Farmers…the current economic situation is worrying.

Commonly known as very poor.

If those gangsters knew that Aria could work for them for four thousand dollars... Considering the farmer's rather chaotic moral standards and worrying economic situation, Batman raised the price:

"I'll give you twenty times."

The farmer's eyes suddenly lit up: "Two... twenty times?!"

She quickly calculated—not only could this be used to build a chicken coop, but it could also upgrade other facilities! This wasn't Batman, this was a great philanthropist!

"Don't worry! If you have any missions from now on, call me first! I'll be there at your beck and call!" The farmer was immediately bribed, so excited that he almost hugged Batman and spun around. This kind of reward directly inflates the missions; the more you take on, the less there is!

…

The farmer happily danced the kettle dance on the spot, naturally unaware that Batman had been silent in the Batmobile for several minutes.

Alfred, who was watching the whole process, gave it a low evaluation: "Perhaps Mayor Lewis should learn more about the minimum wage for local mercenaries in Gotham..."

"Master," Alf's tone was calm with a hint of teasing: "If possible, perhaps you could consider hiring Miss Aria a few more times." After all, building a farm is a very expensive dream.

Batman raised his hand, and after a brief silence, he opened the communication panel: "Let's observe again." Although the farmer has transitioned from a dangerous and uncontrollable range to a dangerous but controllable range, he still has reservations about the long-term cooperation between the two parties.

That note... Thinking of the clues left by Lincoln March, Bruce Wayne frowned slightly.

He started the Batmobile: "Alfred, I need to go to the Willow Grove Children's Rescue Center to confirm something..."

Batman returned to work: "Keep the lines of communication open at all times."

…

Although he had an almost ominous premonition, Batman still felt a hint of fate's mockery when the curtain opened just as he had expected.

Night Owl is Lincoln March. He carefully arranged such an identity for himself. It was a card that could be played openly in front of the court. For him, it was more for revenge - to make Batman feel the same way of betrayal.

Unlike crimes of passion, criminals are often happy to leave something at the crime scene, either to show off or for other morbid reasons.

The Willow Grove Children's Treatment Center is the answer to the riddle left by Night Owl. In this place that is very important to him, Night Owl reveals his past to Batman - or what he thinks is his true memory.

…

Alfred had called him a few minutes ago because of the sudden change in his vital signs, but Batman turned off the communication.

He tried to break free with his bare hands. The Kevlar rope was slip-resistant and knife-resistant, making it impossible to untie it with ordinary means. Fortunately, he had learned the technique of dislocating a joint to create space in the rope during his travels; it would just take some time. Night Owl was already frantic, and he needed to say something to stall him.

Ignoring his body's protest signals, Batman brought up the topic with his usual calmness: "Even if you really do get Gotham..." He took a breath, his throat burning as if it were being poured with molten iron, but he still urged him slowly and clearly, "Soon... it will be served on the table of the Pavos family and shared with other families."

Blood gushed out of his nose, and Batman's lips, originally dull in color, were stained red with his own blood. He paused for a moment and continued, "After all... you can't even control your own destiny."

Finally, a venomous metaphor pierces the night owl's heart: "You are just an owl raised for entertainment, occasionally giving your owner a few pieces of carrion when he is in a good mood."

"Shut up!" Night Owl grabbed Batman's neck and half-lifted him up. Even though he was wearing a mask, one could already sense the vicious fire burning beneath it. "If it weren't for you! If it weren't for you forgetting me, how would they have the chance to pick up the bird that fell out of the nest?"

He must vent his anger, and this is the time Batman buys himself.

He secretly calculated the tightness of the rope and continued, "There are only bats in the Wayne family... no owls. My brother died at birth. If you have to be specific, he only lived in this world for twelve hours."

He raised his head and stared at Night Owl coldly: "And the one standing before me is a complete fake."

Night Owl completely lost control and punched him in the face. The dull pain near his temples made him lose his direction for a moment, but this punch also gave Batman the last bit of space to escape. Just as Night Owl was about to strike again, Batman had already broken free and punched back with even more force.

The ensuing fight was even more brutal. Night Owl's attacks were deadly, but his anger left him vulnerable. Batman parried his blows one by one, but his injuries slowed him down. However, in the next exchange, Night Owl used his familiarity with the terrain to his advantage, forcing Batman to shatter the rotten wooden stairs with one foot, sending him plummeting to the ground.

He tried to struggle to his feet, but saw Night Owl pull out a bottle of liquid from his belt and smash it in front of him - an inhaled anesthetic. Batman suppressed the feeling of falling consciousness and watched Night Owl light the fire starter.

"I originally wanted to give you a more tragic ending, brother." Night Owl looked down at him. The violent fire that burned in him for an unknown direction calmed down briefly at this moment. He showed a cruel smile and a crazy sense of satisfaction: "But now it's good like this."

"Say goodbye to this world, Batman, and turn into charcoal along with your ridiculous construction plan..." Night Owl smiled and took a step back. He had poured flammable materials into the building frame of the abandoned rescue center, and it would be completely ignited with just a spark.

He threw the burning flame and the kindling aside, and a line of flame suddenly appeared on the wet floor.

"It's still unclear who will turn into charcoal first!" The outer wall of the Liulin Rescue Center was instantly shattered by the farmer's pickaxe. She rushed into the game like a violent whirlwind, picked up the steel light sword and slashed at the claws!

The farmer was very motivated when she received another mission from Batman. Even though it was dark now, she was ready to do another job and go back - this was not a mission at all, it was simply a walking silo, fish pond, and chicken coop calling her!

The claw dodged, and this claw, whom she had seen too many times and was a little tired of, did not draw his sword against her like last time.

Instead, he removed the pale mask, revealing a more familiar face.

—Lincoln March.

The blue eyes looked at her with a hint of a smile, but more of an emotion that the farmer could not read.

"Do you think I'm Lincoln March?" His voice was low and soft, as if he had just escaped from the crowd with her to the rooftop, and he was just asking an insignificant question.

Seeing Aria's expression suddenly change, he chuckled and changed the question: "Or, do you wish I were Lincoln March?"

That laugh made her heart tighten. Before she could speak, he coldly cut off any possible response: "Unfortunately, I'm not."

He put on his mask again, his tone cold, as if declaring fate: "I am Nite Owl, the King of the Court of Owls, the true heir of Gotham - this city should have half of me!"

The farmer went up and punched him!

She was incredibly strong—anyone who'd fought Night Owl before couldn't have known that. But he didn't dodge. Aria's punch sent him crashing into the load-bearing wall of the Willow Forest Rescue Center behind him, denting the cheek of his alloy mask.

A normal person would either faint or be unable to speak due to the pain at this time.

However, a heart strangely appeared above the head of Lincoln March, or Night Owl.

So vulgar!

The farmer stared wide-eyed at the floating, then vanishing symbol, rechecking the game interface in disbelief. That's right—this was the favorability indicator.

Favorability increased...

She originally wanted to punch him again. But if she did, what if the system determined this was an "NPC interaction"? Wouldn't she have unknowingly opened up a messy side quest?

While the farmer was hesitating, Night Owl had already come down from the wall by himself. He laughed a laugh that was completely different from Lincoln March's and gave the farmer a crazy glance.

"It turns out that everything is destined..." He muttered to himself: "The enemy I have chosen, the enemy that fate has sent to me, we will all die tonight."

Night Owl looked at her through the flames with a half-smile, and showed the bomb button in his hand - he still had a backup plan.

"But, Aria, you and I, we will be resurrected again and again until we meet again..."

He pressed the button.

The explosion and fire rushed towards Night Owl from behind her. Aria didn't hesitate and ran away to save the man. While running, she took out the water bottle from her backpack and treated Batman as if he were the vegetables in her own garden, dousing him from head to toe.

"I collected this water in the spring, don't mind it!"

The intrusion of cold water awakened Batman's consciousness. He struggled to move, and just as he opened his eyes, he found that she was carrying him on her shoulders - a pretty standard Russian rescue, except that the trapped person was a little long, like carrying a giant Maine Coon.

Bullying the honest people! Bullying the farmers!

Cursing Night Owl viciously, the farmer didn't dare to stop and ran away with Batman on his back.

The flames were still spreading, and a piece of the ceiling in the distance collapsed with a loud bang.

The Night Owl did not stop them. His laughter, accompanied by the sound of cracking wood, was particularly creepy in this night: "I will be reborn in the flames!"

The farmer downed a triple espresso and sprinted away—Batman was quickly led outside to a safe zone. Before the negative buffs from the burns on his body could dissipate, the farmer rushed back into the continuous explosions!

Are you kidding! Having learned from her previous lesson, she won't let this man get away with it again! Alive or dead... she'll drag his body out today!

"I have connections in prison!" Everything happened so fast, and the farmer relied entirely on his rage to support his next move: "Don't even think about getting away with it! You'll make it to Arkham alive and drink Killer Croc's bath water!"

————————

Farmer: City people are cheating farmers! Why are there so many psychopaths in Zuzu City?

Killer Croc: The little crocodile loves taking a bath?

Night Owl's plan: A. Kill Batman (thinks he has a 99% chance of success) B. Escape again and kill Batman later