Gotham Singularity (16): Holmes is in action! ...

“You’re wrong. You are clearly not greedy at all; you are a saint through and through.” Atalanta finally relented. “Then what about the black mask?”

“He’s going to die sooner or later anyway. Time is ours, my friend,” Mary said weakly to Atalanta.

"Do as I say. Hopefully, after this, Gotham can... give the children a living tomorrow."

Everyone in Gotham awaits the arrival of a new storm, while the watchtower on the horizon remains silent.

“Superman, stop swaying from side to side. Even if you walk for a few more days, Batman won’t suddenly appear out of Gotham.”

Aquaman sat in the watchtower, his hand to his forehead, watching in agony as Superman paced back and forth anxiously, his speed almost enough to make anyone dizzy.

Almost ever since Batman went missing, Superman has become like this. And in the foreseeable future, as long as Batman doesn't reappear, Superman probably won't stop this nuisance.

"He really can't?" Superman suddenly stopped and asked hopefully, "That's B, after all."

“But the Bat family clearly lacks someone skilled in magic.” Wonder Woman answered seemingly calmly, but the anxiety in her eyes betrayed her true feelings.

Superman was even more worried.

The entire Gotham City was shrouded in a still black mist for seven days, during which time neither magic nor technology could record what was happening inside.

They had also tried to send the Flash to check things out, but he was immediately ejected from the black fog as soon as he was about to step into it, as if the black fog and Gotham were both exclusive entities.

In the end, only Dick succeeded in getting in. Superman wanted to stop his friend's only adopted son, whom he had raised, from taking the risk. But clearly, Dick was a stubborn man, just like Bruce.

So he also lost contact after entering Gotham.

Superman slammed his fist on the long table, scaring everyone in front of it into running away or scattering. Wonder Woman, the only one sitting properly in her chair, frowned at him.

"So all we can do is wait, right?" he asked Wonder Woman.

Before she could finish speaking, a piercing alarm suddenly blared, echoing throughout the conference room for a long time. Wonder Woman strode to the control panel, pressed a few keys, and then looked at the large screen.

Wonder Woman: "..."

“Great, we don’t have to wait around anymore, we have work to do,” she said. “We have to put in some effort so that B doesn’t come out to see a destroyed Earth.”

—

Today is a rare sunny day, with the refreshing morning sun shining on every corner of Gotham, as if all evil has nowhere to hide.

Jason should have liked the weather, but as a criminal, he complained about the overly bright sky.

At this moment, he and Holmes were staking out the building frequented by the Black Mask. Jason's arm muscles were taut, and his jaw was clenched into a sharp line. Holmes, on the other hand, seemed relaxed, as if he were on a picnic.

“Is it really okay to let those two carefree kids track and investigate Batman?” Jason asked in a low voice.

Although Black Mask is more dangerous than Batman, which is why Jason chose to send them to Batman's side.

But Batman's investigative abilities are top-notch. Won't those two seemingly clueless teenagers be caught as soon as they arrive? Or will they start fighting right away?

Jason couldn't help but worry as he recalled the night after Black Mask died, when Ritsuka confidently told him there was no need to run away and to just start fighting.

Of course, he might be more worried about Batman regaining his life.

"At least in terms of combat prowess, Miss Ritsuka and her group are more than twenty times stronger than us than Moriarty," Holmes said, raising an eyebrow. "Escape or counterattack is entirely up to her."

"It's more accurate to say that our combat strength is actually a bit lacking when we encounter Servants."

That makes me even more worried! Damn it, I can only wish Batman good luck. Also, what unit of measurement is Professor Moriarty using? Jason thought to himself.

However, seeing the leisurely Holmes, Jason felt a pang of anxiety for a second and emphasized, "Then it seems the troublesome situation is on our side. Black Mask's lair is just ahead. We need to be careful."

“Be careful?” Holmes stroked his chin, the light in his eyes not diminishing in the slightest despite Jason’s advice. “No, no, sometimes necessary adventures can bring us unexpected surprises.”

At that moment, a man in a suit walked out of the building, seemingly so focused on the road that he overlooked the potential dangers around him.

This is the twenty-third employee to come out today.

But suddenly, Holmes, like a nimble black cat, darted away silently and swiftly, while Jason, who witnessed it all, widened his eyes, “…Wait!”

Before Jason could do anything to stop him, he stared in disbelief as Holmes lured the man toward their hiding place, knocked him unconscious with a simple Barton spell, and then transformed into a man in just one second.

Then, as if he were returning home, he led Jason through Black Mask's lair without any hindrance. Several times they encountered familiar faces of the man, and Jason was prepared to fight back, but Holmes remained calm and even smiled, managing to charm everyone around him.

So, after all this stunt, Jason was still a little dizzy when he stood in the black-masked senior secretary's private office. "How are you sure he is...?"

“Clothing, behavior, and mannerisms—you can easily piece together a person’s background from these characteristics.” Holmes raised an eyebrow. “But I don’t think we’re here to explore the true meaning of reasoning.”

“The other secretary in black just said he’s not here; we need to know his itinerary.”

As he spoke, he began searching through the office. Jason took over the computer and effortlessly cracked the password to find Black Mask's itinerary, while also transferring some useful pieces of evidence to a safe place.

Less than five minutes later, Jason suddenly stood up, struggling to swallow the gasp that was about to escape his throat. Holmes, with his keen eye, looked over, turned his computer around, and a casually written internal email read:

"The reporter left the evidence at home. His two children happened to see it when I arrived, and I dealt with it too. But his wife ran away, clutching a golden cup and cursing people in a frenzy."

Try to get some people to look for it; you don't need to tell the boss. He probably doesn't have time to deal with such a small matter.

After a long silence, Jason finally spoke: "Is it the Holy Grail you've been talking about?" He could hardly believe that the clue he had been desperately seeking had been thrown right in their faces.

“If I’m not mistaken, yes.” Holmes stroked his chin, looking even more puzzled. They had initially guessed that she was rewinding time to salvage something, but this email from October 7th completely refuted that idea.

because,

"At this point in time, her child and husband are already dead, so what exactly is she doing by manipulating time?"

“Perhaps in her mind her child never died?” Jason quipped. But seeing Holmes’s suddenly thoughtful expression, he couldn’t help but shudder.

"Hiss, no way?"

Holmes didn't voice his guess, but instead rummaged through the table and said, "I think we need to go to her house."

“Huh? I don’t think this person will still be staying at her old house.” Jason looked up, following Holmes’s train of thought. “Besides, there’s Black Mask. Letting him fend for himself… isn’t impossible, but weren’t we supposed to be capturing Servants?”

Holmes held up an itinerary and said confidently, "They probably won't be able to find an opportunity for Black Mask to act alone today."

Meanwhile, Fujimaru Ritsuka and Xu Fu also successfully slipped into Bruce Wayne's company. Of course, unlike Sherlock Holmes, they didn't act so blatantly; instead, they used Xu Fu's prized Taoist magic to conceal their identities.

Fortunately, they didn't need to search for Bruce's whereabouts, because he was being interviewed by reporters in a conference room this morning.

Fujimaru Ritsuka recalled the information that came from Chaldea this morning: the fluctuation range of this singularity had suddenly changed drastically, and it was best to correct it as soon as possible, otherwise something unpleasant might happen.

...Nothing could be worse than the Fairy Kingdom, she shook her head and focused her attention on observing Bruce Wayne's company.

Bright sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the modern interior, illuminating the silver-white decor, vibrant greenery, and orderly staff. This was a stark contrast to the chaos of the slums the previous night.

The employees stood in twos and threes in the break room, discussing the rarely seen boss. Eavesdropping on their discussion, Fujimaru Ritsuka, along with Xu Fu, quickly followed a woman heading to the elevator to deliver materials to the conference room floor.

Coincidentally, the moment the elevator doors opened, the conference room door was also pulled open, and Fujimaru Ritsuka saw the true face behind Batman's Domino mask for the first time.

Bruce wore a pure black vest and a dark gray shirt, with the top two buttons undone. His handsome face and clear blue eyes shimmered in the sunlight.

He draped his suit jacket over his arm, smiled with his head slightly lowered, and made the interviewer laugh in a relaxed yet not frivolous manner.

"Wow, this is really beyond my expectations." Fujimaru Ritsuka's mouth was slightly open, and she blinked hard.

She had thought Bruce would be a cold and aloof CEO like Batman, but she never expected him to be such a charming playboy.

"Hmm, this gentleman is quite handsome." A clandestine communication from Da Vinci came through in my ear. "His disguise is also very convincing; very few people would associate him with Batman."

Suddenly, as if he had noticed the presence of Fujimaru Ritsuka and the others, Bruce abruptly turned his head and looked over. His gaze sharpened for a moment, like a gun with the safety off.

Xu Fu gasped in suppressed surprise, "Hey, Master! He... he's looking over here!"

"Look down, don't look at him."

Fujimaru Ritsuka calmly covered Xu Fu's mouth, slowing her breathing. She believed in Xu Fu's magical abilities, so she bet that Batman, being an ordinary human, couldn't possibly see them.

The air seemed to freeze. It felt like an eternity, or perhaps just a moment, before Bruce's assistant cautiously asked him what had happened.

The pressure suddenly vanished, the air began to flow again, and Bruce put on a sweet smile once more. He asked his relieved assistant about Tim's schedule, and after receiving a satisfactory answer, he headed towards the president's office.

"What should we do? Should we continue?"

“Of course, he didn’t discover us, did he?” Fujimaru Ritsuka laughed. “Xu Fu’s Taoist arts are very trustworthy.”

Even if you praise me again, I won't...

“If we don’t keep up, we might fall behind Jason and the others,” Fujimaru Ritsuka said, feigning difficulty. “Think about it, we’ll go back empty-handed, while they’ll go back with a ton of clues.”

The tactic of provocation is old-fashioned, but its effectiveness never goes out of style. Xu Fu was immediately spurred on, "Ha—? Anyway, call me 'Sir,' show me respect, show me respect... Let's go! Lord Xu Fu will definitely protect you!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka silently gave a thumbs-up in her mind.