Chapter 53 The best trio attacks in a way that makes them dislike each other (...
Just as Thomas and Bruce predicted, Gotham is now facing a media storm.
The journalist who wrote the story about Thomas immediately issued a statement denying suicide, which propelled public opinion to a fever pitch.
Whether pressured by public opinion or simply going with the flow, the mayor of Gotham City publicly announced that he would thoroughly investigate the case.
However, the mayor clearly did not want to completely offend the Wayne Group, so they scheduled the arrest of Thomas after the press conference, and an "insider" secretly gave him some information so that he could prepare in advance.
...As expected of an old fox who has cooperated with gangs for many years.
So before the press conference officially started, Thomas made a phone call to Wayne Manor.
Jason answered the phone; he was the only one with free time at Wayne Manor right now.
Dick had to go prepare for the game with his teammates, Alfred had to do housework, Bruce was nowhere to be found... so he could only look at the textbooks that Thomas had sent over.
"here it is……"
“Jason? Don’t be shy at the party tomorrow. If anyone tries to bully you and Dick, have them kicked out,” Thomas quickly instructed him. “Please call Bruce for me; I need to talk to him.”
Thomas sounded urgent, but Jason genuinely didn't know where Bruce was.
“Then give the phone to Alfred, thank you, Jason.”
"OK."
"Young Master Thomas, did you look for me?"
“Tell Bruce to leave me alone tonight, protect the reporter who released the non-suicidal statement, and don’t give out the dashcam so early,” Thomas said. “Tomorrow’s party will proceed as normal. Make a note of those who are particularly excited about my brief absence, especially those within Wayne Enterprises.”
"You suspect the killer might be inside Wayne Enterprises?"
“No,” Thomas denied decisively, “I just want to see how many scumbags in Wayne Enterprises are not loyal enough to me.”
Then sweep all of these people out. His subordinates can be disloyal, or they can be useless, but there can never be any disloyal useless ones.
"...Do you remember that our opponent was a vicious murderer, young master Thomas?" Alfred switched to a language Jason couldn't understand.
Jason, who was pretending to be studying diligently but was actually listening intently to what Alfred was saying, curled his lip.
"Can this level of wickedness really be called heinous?" Thomas retorted.
This murderer may have killed more people in his entire life than he did when he was a minor. How can this be called extremely vicious?
“Anyway,” Alfred gave up on discussing the standards of viciousness with Thomas, since Thomas’s standards were beyond the reach of ordinary people, “they are clearly after you, young Thomas. You are more dangerous than that newspaper reporter.”
“I’m not in any danger, Alfred,” Thomas replied casually. “You think this petty scheme can hurt me? The Wayne Group’s stock price is more important.”
"...Are you drinking soda?"
"Yes, Alfred, I don't think the GCPD will provide me with sweets."
"Alright, Master Bruce asked me to pass on a message to you."
"What did you say?"
"Born into your twenties, and getting younger every year thereafter, what kind of creature is that?"
“Hmm…” Thomas pondered. He believed Bruce wouldn't give him anything trivial; this mystery must be related to the case. “The Turritopsis dohrnii?”
The immortal jellyfish can indeed reverse aging, but what does that have to do with the case? Is there some hidden content he doesn't know about...?
“The answer is ‘Thomas Wayne Jr.’” Alfred said. “Bruce and I both agree that you’ve reached your rebellious phase.”
“It’s different, Alfred. I’m much better than those rebellious kids.” Thomas tried to defend himself, but he couldn’t tell Alfred that he could go to other universes if he wanted to, so he gave up.
“I’m sorry, young Thomas, I think I might need a thorough eye exam,” Alfred said. “I can’t see anything wrong with it.”
“It’s alright, I’m unlikely to be in any danger,” Thomas said with considerable confidence. “Goodbye, Alfred. Please prepare a strawberry milkshake for me; I might be back on the day of the party.”
The call was disconnected.
Jason pretended to be nonchalant and looked at Alfred with an innocent expression.
“Young Master Jason, although my warning may be of no use,” Alfred sighed, “it is not appropriate for you to get involved in these things at your age. Young Master Thomas hopes that you can focus your energy on your studies.”
“I will, Alfred,” Jason assured him loudly.
Alfred went to find Bruce, looking very worried.
Jason immediately grabbed a pencil, trying to memorize the pronunciation of the few foreign words Alfred had spoken with his limited vocabulary.
Everyone has their own things to do, and everyone has a very busy future ahead of them.
-
That evening, television reports announced the arrest of Thomas Wayne, chairman and CEO of Wayne Group.
Dick reacted the most, jumping up from the sofa.
"What's going on! What happened to Thomas? Is it April Fool's Day?"
He began to observe the expressions of the other members of the family.
“Don’t worry, Dick,” Bruce tried to reassure him. “It’s just an arrest without a warrant. Thomas will be back on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
Dick sat down with some skepticism.
"So why was Thomas arrested without a warrant?" Dick asked Bruce. "Because of what?"
“It’s very complicated,” Bruce tried to downplay the matter, “The police seem to suspect that Thomas is involved in a murder.”
"The one from yesterday?"
Jason looked at Dick in shock.
Which one was yesterday? I don't know.
“Anyway, Thomas will be fine,” Bruce said, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry, Wayne Group’s lawyers are very professional. You guys go to sleep, there’s a party tomorrow.”
The two children, heads down, went upstairs together.
Bruce took a deep breath.
He'd bet Thomas's dessert next month that Dick would never sit idly by and do nothing.
But to his surprise, Dick did nothing tonight and was actually sleeping.
At breakfast the next day, everyone at Wayne Manor was in high spirits, except for Bruce, who had spent the whole night running around.
Bruce looked at the two children with a mixture of relief and skepticism.
Really? There are well-behaved children at Wayne Manor?
Of course not.
Bruce was unaware that the two children had quickly united and reached an agreement the previous night.
Jason repeated Alfred's words to Dick, who could barely make out that it was French and roughly deciphered the meaning.
“Very good, so Thomas needs us.” Dick said thoughtfully. “The newspapers say there’s CCTV footage proving Thomas was indeed in the East End, and he certainly doesn’t have an alibi…”
“I am the alibi!” Jason said urgently.
“I’m worried that your testimony isn’t enough,” Dick shook his head maturely. “Our enemies don’t follow the rules.”
"So what can we do?"
“Tomorrow’s party,” Dick snapped, slamming his French dictionary shut. “Listen to my orders and act accordingly.”
In short, each member of this family has their own plans, and in this seemingly peaceful atmosphere, Gotham welcomes the night.
The party was held as scheduled, but due to various considerations, it was not held in the banquet hall of Wayne Manor, but in a high-end hotel in the Diamond District.
Bruce then played the role of a playboy, while Dick and Jason huddled together whispering.
Unlike Thomas, Bruce was always the undisputed absolute focus, surrounded by a large crowd.
Some of these people seemed convinced that Bruce had orchestrated the whole thing, successfully sending Thomas to prison. They vied to congratulate him on reclaiming Wayne's fortune.
...Have you forgotten that Thomas Wayne also has the last name Wayne?
The other group was slightly better; they were purely there for his face.
...At least what they say isn't so annoying.
Bruce was squeezed in the crowd, so he didn't see Chief Gordon, whose expression changed drastically after he went out to answer a phone call.
The trio who eavesdropped on Commissioner Gordon's phone call and then secretly left were also not seen.
That's right, a trio.
Dick and Jason bumped into Barbara while they were eavesdropping.
The situation was urgent, so the three of them had no choice but to temporarily team up and sneak out of the hotel together.
Unaware of this, Chief Gordon painstakingly weaved through the elegantly dressed men and women to find Bruce, who was squeezed into the center of the crowd.
"What's wrong, Jim?" Bruce asked, holding up his glass of ginger ale. "Is something the matter?"
“Thomas has been taken away,” he took a deep breath, “and his whereabouts are now unknown.”
The wine glass fell to the ground.
-
"According to Chief Gordon, the target's trail disappeared in the East District." The three men huddled in the back of a taxi, whispering among themselves.
"Why does it seem like all the bad things in Gotham happen in the East Side?" Dick complained.
“The situation here is very complicated,” Barbara said. “Let’s analyze the intelligence first.”
She opened her laptop, placed it on her lap, and started typing: "I still suggest you go back; the nights in the East District aren't suitable for you."
“Obviously not suitable for you either, Barbara.” Dick crossed his arms. “I have a way to get the equipment.”
"I don't think any of you are a good match," Jason thought silently, having lived in the East District the longest among the trio.
But he didn't say it.
"How are you planning to get the equipment?" Barbara found the vehicle that had taken Thomas away and was trying to analyze its route from the sparse surveillance in the East District.
Dick smiled slightly and pulled a pistol from under his clothes.
A real handgun.
Jason frowned: "You want to challenge Night Owl's curfew?"
The driver glanced back, quickly pulled over, and skillfully fled the scene.
Barbara's computer was nearly split in two by the sudden braking, and Jason almost got stuck in the gap between the seats.
“I’m sorry,” Dick said very sincerely, “I found this in Thomas’s room.”
“How come Thomas’s room has everything…” Jason struggled to get up. “Don’t use the gun. Have you ever seen a Night Owl kill someone? They’ll throw you headfirst down.”
“Don’t worry, I know Night Owl very well!” Dick said, somewhat awkwardly handling the gun. “I bet he won’t kill me.”
Dick shot into the sky and pulled the trigger.
-----------------------
Author's note: These three seem to be from Team Rocket ( ). One has red hair, one is rich, and the other is short (not really).
Three perspectives:
Barbara: Me, who is incredibly powerful, and a beautiful stranger and a child.
Dick: Me, with superhuman strength, and beautiful peers and children.
Jason: Me, who is familiar with the East End, and two people from other areas.
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