Gotham Singularity (Part 1): Even robbers are carrying guns now...?

Gotham, USA.

The rain soaked through the last remaining streetlamp. The road beneath their feet was a muddy mess, with rotten leaves and mud clinging tightly to the soles of passersby's shoes.

But Jason Todd walked steadily forward.

The lonely moon hung high in the sky, and the light reflected from the puddles on the sidewalk illuminated the cold red mask on his face, beneath which his expression was blank.

He counted down in his mind.

One minute later, turn left forward, and he will encounter a biker gang trying to rob him.

The screeching sound of a motorcycle rang out as Jason turned left, and without even looking, he raised his gun and fired.

"Bang!"

The motorcycle suddenly lost its balance, and with a loud whistle, the rider and the horse tumbled and fell into the mud.

"Which damned brat is it?!" The man wearing a face mask cursed as he got up from the ground. He looked up and saw a red mask reflected in his eyes.

The masked man suddenly started stammering, calling out "Red, Red" to himself, before falling silent.

Those damned Red Hood guys are all bad news. If I had known it was this jinx, he... no, he shouldn't have gone out today!

Now everyone in Gotham knows how ruthless this newcomer and his advisors are. They seized several key territories from Black Mask in just half a day, and within days had established a stable gang. Even more terrifying is that Black Mask is completely powerless against them!

"Tsk, mute?"

"No, no, I'm so sorry!" The masked man backed away repeatedly, abandoning his car. "I'll leave right away!"

Seven minutes later, walk to the end of the path, turn right, and you will see the human trafficking taking place.

"Ugh!!"

"Don't you dare meddle in my business!" the scarred man warned Jason, his expression fierce as he restrained the struggling, skinny boy. This poor, uninformed man was completely unaware that the local boss and the rules had all changed.

Ha, then I'm definitely going to take care of it.

Jason chuckled. He moved with incredible speed, sweeping his leg across the scarred man's lower body. The sound of air being cut was accompanied by a crisp cracking of bones; the force was so great that the man's pupils constricted, leaving him powerless to resist, and he lost his balance and fell forward.

With one hand, he scooped up the hostage who had been released by the scarred man, and coldly watched as the man fell heavily into the muddy water, mud splashing high into the air and landing on his hair.

The man looked up, utterly bewildered, staring at the red-hooded figure, speechless. Was this the kid the boss had mentioned who stole his territory? He could feel the kid looking at him like he was already dead…!

The guy who gave him the mission said this kid was nothing to fear and told him to break the rules and test him! But the moment he actually saw the red hood, he finally realized that he had been used as a disposable pawn.

Jason suddenly felt a tremor in his hand and realized he was carrying someone. He turned around and crouched down to help the boy stand steadily on the ground.

"Be careful, you won't always be this lucky."

The boy nodded haphazardly, managing a hasty thank you. He breathed heavily, his head bowed low, and staggered away, driven by the will to survive.

“Now then.” Jason turned, his gaze sharp and cold once more. Gunshots rang out in the quiet street, and the muscular body, filled with resentment and unspoken words, fell to the ground.

Jason continued forward.

Ten minutes later, walk straight through two streets and turn left into the alley. At the border with the Black Mask's territory, he will encounter the extorted child.

This is the last thing you'll encounter today.

Jason was thinking this, unsure whether he felt more relaxed or more regretful. But just as he turned around, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, a voice he didn't recognize suddenly entering his ears.

"Seriously? These days even robbers carry guns?"

The overly bright voice, and the ignorance of Gotham's current situation, were like a clean leaf drifting into the muddy ground of Gotham. Jason could judge the situation in less than a second and couldn't help but frown.

Is Gotham some kind of hot commodity? Can't these young masters and ladies find another place to go on their adventures?

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three gunshots rang out in quick succession. Jason gripped his gun in frustration and quickened his pace. But at the same time, another, even younger-sounding voice exploded out.

"Give me the reins, release that ma-st-er over there! By the power of the law!!"

Jason paused, then asked, "??"

What just popped up?

He turned right and stopped at the entrance of the alley where the gunshot had rang out. Half of his body pressed against the cold wall, his hands warily holding his gun, the muzzle pointing downwards for the moment. His gaze went inside.

Three nearly lifeless bodies lay unnoticed in a puddle, a pistol lying carelessly to the side. Jason recognized one of them; he was one of Black Mask's trusted henchmen.

Then, he slowly looked up. The dim moonlight shone into the end of the alley, illuminating the only two figures still standing. The boy, whose bangs covered half his face, wore an oriental Taoist robe and had a fierce-looking doll hanging around his neck.

She clung tightly to the neck of the orange-haired girl beside her. The girl's eyes were lifeless, and her ahoge (a stray hair on her head) swayed sadly. "Let go of me, you idiot! I'm suffocating!"

"Ugh~ No."

"You're addicted to this, aren't you? You must be." Fujimaru Ritsuka fiercely raised her hand and pinched Xu Fu's face. "Let go of me."

"Stop! Don't pull my face—!! I'll let go, you know!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka then released her grip, and Chaldea's communication system rang in her ear at just the right moment.

Just days after the last singularity ended, the alarms sounded again in Chaldea. She finally couldn't resist and shook Ashiya Dōman's shoulder hard—but to no avail.

If Emiya's mother hadn't promised to prepare delicious little cakes for her after this singularity ended, she would have wanted to go on strike!

...Just kidding, she's just born to be a workaholic, she'd never go on strike. She's just using this as an excuse to whine to her servants and get some benefits, and her friends are happy to play along.

According to Chaldean analysis, this singularity has a similar wavelength to the previous one, and the fluctuation of the foundational human value is also minimal. The location this time is in New York, USA, and the date is unknown.

Upon hearing the date, she belatedly looked around at the current scene.

Two strangely dressed people ignored the group of people chatting and laughing on the ground, while at the entrance of the alley, a masked bodysuit enthusiast held a gun and pointed it directly at them and their follower.

Wow, does everyone in America own a gun these days?

Ritsuka didn't seem to realize there was anything wrong with the scene she was in.

Silence is Cambridge tonight.

It's hard to describe Jason's reaction to this absurd behavior; it was like choking on a bowl of spicy fried rice with pickled vegetables.

If it weren't for the three people lying on the ground and the unharmed girls opposite, he would have scoffed at this childish and careless scene, where a grown man was standing right there, yet they treated him like he was invisible.

In this overly relaxed atmosphere, he was clear about two things: these two young men had the ability to walk the night in Gotham, and for the time being, they meant no harm.

But they shouldn't have been there.

The sound of splashing water as he stepped into puddles grew clearer. Jason, arms crossed and head slightly bowed, saw the orange-haired girl walking towards him in the moonlight.

The girl tilted her head, her wisps of hair falling down, revealing bright golden eyes that appeared even more pure in the moonlight. She stretched out her hand, a warm smile playing on her lips, which even made Jason momentarily lose his composure.

"Hello, my name is Fujimaru Ritsuka."

It was an ordinary name; in America, a land of diverse races, any name could be unusual. But Jason stared at the girl, who looked like the girl next door, as if he had seen some rare animal.

He knew the name. Just a few days earlier, his temporary advisor had told him, with anticipation, admiration, nostalgia, and a barely perceptible regret, about the adventure behind the name.

"You are... the Master of Chaldea?" he asked incredulously.

Fujimaru Ritsuka: "...!"

The air suddenly tightened into an impenetrable wall, blocking out all noise. Only the rapid, pounding heartbeat of Fujimaru Ritsuka remained.

Seriously? She never expected such an exciting thing to happen so soon after arriving. Has Chaldea's reputation spread so widely already?

In the clandestine communication that Jason couldn't hear, the Chaldea members were silent for a second before erupting in a loud commotion. Because, based on experience, anyone in a singularity who could utter the words "Chaldea" was either an enemy—or an enemy.

"This...this is bad!" Goldrov's swallowing was unusually clear. "Should we send a message back first? Or send reinforcements? So how does he even know about Chaldea?!"

“No, I think we should trust Fujimaru. Leaving now would mean all our efforts are wasted,” Kadoc said calmly. “As for reinforcements, going to find reinforcements now would just trigger a war of the gods, wouldn’t it?”

Before Kadoc could finish speaking, several candidates flashed through Fujimaru Ritsuka's mind, a cold sweat trickling down her forehead. She silently gave Kadoc a thumbs-up. Chaldea doesn't have that much QP to repair things these days!

A few hours earlier, after the near-future prediction of Sheba went wrong and a singularity was discovered again, Sion and Leonardo da Vinci began to select Servants suitable to repair this singularity.

The conclusion is—there are too many candidates.

Although the singularity is located in modern-day New York, it is accessible to almost anyone, from humans to gods, from good to evil. What an inclusive world!

There are only three spots for the Spirit Transfer. Just imagine what those Servants with strong bonds would do to secure this spot to spend time with their Masters. It's clear that Chaldea is about to be engulfed in another bloodbath.

If just a few kings and eccentric gods were to make a move, she would probably have to work for Chaldea for thousands of years and still not be able to pay off her debts!

A person can die, but debts last a lifetime!

Under the terrifying pressure of Chaldea's ruins, Ritsuka and Leonardo da Vinci made a decisive decision, directly appointing Xu Fu, the Servant on duty that day, and quickly transferring their spiritual particles to the Singularity.

The good news is that Ritsuka landed safely on the ground this time, avoiding another aerial acrobatic performance. The bad news is that the moment she opened her eyes, she was face-to-face with three burly men carrying guns, staring at each other in bewilderment.

It wasn't until she knocked one unconscious and Xu Fu blew out two that they discovered the two small, thin children hiding in a dimly lit place.

Fujimaru Ritsuka touched the candy in her pocket and couldn't help but sigh. She hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief after seeing the two children off when she ran into someone who could call her by name.

"This is so troublesome," Xu Fu muttered listlessly. "I really want to run away... Wait, why am I always the one who has to run? I could just kill them to silence them, right?"

Since she's received so much care from her Master, and has also taken care of this Master who steals her snacks, pinches her cheeks, and drags her out of her reports to go out and play with her for so long...

Anyway, only I can bully my Master! As for anyone else who might threaten her life, hehe.

Xu Fu narrowed his eyes and glanced at Jason, his tone becoming dangerous, "Hmm, if we get rid of this person who knows the Master's name, we won't have to worry about the wrong thing anymore... Go ahead and do it~ I'll be serious."