Chapter 59 The increasingly abstract story: The boomerang may be late, but it has arrived...
Thomas felt that Wayne Manor seemed a little strange today.
The strange atmosphere reached its peak, especially when Dick and Jason passed by him for the eighth time.
This left Thomas completely baffled.
So he asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's alright, Thomas."
“Okay.” Thomas picked up his mug and stood by the table. “What do you know?”
“What did we find out?” Dick tried to play dumb. “Nothing, Thomas, we were just imitating a video.”
"What video?"
"Um, following an owl, is that something it finds strange?"
Before he could finish speaking, Dick bit his tongue in despair.
Yesterday, Dick was quite shocked after hearing Jason's reasoning.
At first, he only thought that Thomas and Nite Owl were probably good friends who had turned against each other, and he didn't think about it in that way at all.
"How could that be?" Dick instinctively waved his hand, but considering that Jason had actually guessed that Bruce was Batman, he hesitated. "It shouldn't be... possible, right?"
Why is it impossible?
Jason recalled Thomas's account of the interpersonal relationship problems he was facing yesterday.
The more I hear it, the more familiar it becomes.
But he promised Thomas to keep it a secret and not to tell anyone.
Then the two of them argued for a long time with some doubt, but ultimately failed to reach any decisive and convincing conclusion.
But they read a lot of strange articles.
This led Dick to blurt out the animal: an owl.
"Okay, so you've discovered a little secret about owls, and it's related to me?" Thomas took a thoughtful sip of milk from his mug. "What is it?"
These two kids are definitely not mediocre or incompetent; it's only a matter of time before they discover that Thomas's true identity wasn't actually that hard to hide.
If they really discover my identity, what should I do? Should I kill them outright and then go to the multiverse to find two counterparts?
Although it's a bit hard to let go, seizing the initiative is the most important thing. If we wait until Batman finds out his true identity, it will be too late.
Regret over a corpse is different from regret over an enemy. Thomas would rather reminisce about the corpse than deal with the enemy, since the corpse wouldn't cause him any trouble.
But actually, locking them both up on Earth where no life exists might be an option. In case Thomas suddenly needs some emotional support someday, they could go and see him...
“There’s nothing there, Thomas.”
"We just want to tell you that we will stand by you no matter what... whether the world accepts your relationship or not."
These words interrupted Thomas's thoughts, and he put down the mug in his hand, puzzled.
What kind of feelings are these? The identities of Night Owl and Thomas are intertwined with a relationship that society doesn't accept…
"So you know I was a mistress?" Thomas put down his mug, picked up a knife, and said expressionlessly, "Did Louise tell you? Or Carl?"
...If these two people come here, I should kill them. They are two huge destabilizing factors, especially the ultimate person who knows the truth about the quantum state bomb.
The Queen of the Superman, as an ally willing to destroy the Earth with him, may stay depending on the circumstances, but the Ultimate Man, who knows he has been betrayed, must not live.
This statement was so revealing that Dick and Jason were both stunned.
Alfred nearly broke the plate while preparing breakfast.
Bruce did not react.
Because he hadn't gotten up yet.
“But what does this have to do with feelings?” Thomas frowned and asked. “We just have a normal money-for-power relationship. This step is just to strengthen our cooperation.”
This news is... a bit too explosive.
Everyone present was trying to process Thomas's words.
“And it’s not that it’s unacceptable to the world, because I spend tens of billions of dollars on those collaborations every year.” Thomas twirled the knife nimbly in his hand. “Besides, Carl himself doesn’t seem to have any objections. It would probably be harder for him to accept someone else’s lover.”
They bribed the government with 37 billion yuan, and these people know almost nothing about economics, managing their territory in a rather dismal way.
"So who exactly did you meet?" Thomas smiled. "We haven't seen each other for many years."
“...It’s Carl.” Dick tried to bluff Thomas.
"Don't lie to me, what color are Karl's eyes?"
"Okay, sorry, we were just joking," Dick quickly admitted defeat.
“I understand,” Thomas put down his knife. “Indeed, allies from another world are the best allies.”
"What... happened to them?"
"They probably dedicate themselves to supreme authority in a land of plenty... but I personally think they are more likely to stay in the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his messengers."
The Justice League will not kill people, but there is a high probability that the new Justice League will eliminate all threats.
Of course, Luthor might also use Ultimate Man for some Kryptonian human experiments, but that's uncertain.
Jason looked up.
How come someone died?! Isn't this even more like the interpersonal relationship Thomas mentioned yesterday?
“…Okay, Thomas.” Dick hesitated, then stopped himself.
-
"Thomas was a mistress?" Bruce said incredulously. "How could this be? I only overslept by a few minutes!"
How did such a strange message come about?
“We don’t usually call two hours ‘minutes,’” Alfred said. “I’m even starting to think I shouldn’t fantasize that little Thomas will one day have a normal life…”
He didn't finish his sentence.
Honestly, choosing between "Thomas was a mistress" and "Thomas had an affair with the Night Owl" is incredibly suffocating.
Bruce turned and walked toward Batcomputer: "Well, it seems we'll have to thoroughly investigate Wayne Enterprises' books now—hundreds of billions of dollars a year, Thomas couldn't possibly have hidden such a huge sum perfectly..."
Then he discovered a hidden account under Thomas's name with huge transaction volume.
…Excellent.
“I feel like we’ve had a serious problem with Thomas’s upbringing. How did his emotional values become so distorted? I thought as long as he obeyed the law, that would be enough, but I shouldn’t have thought that way…” Bruce said with a worried expression. “How am I supposed to face our parents if things continue like this?”
"Excuse me for speaking frankly, Master Bruce," Alfred added, "Young Master Thomas has never been taught by us... I think Old Master Thomas and Mrs. Martha will understand you."
“Thank you for your comfort, Alfred.” Bruce began manipulating the Batcomputer again. “So Thomas described those two as ‘deserving of hell’?”
"To be precise, it means 'staying in the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his messengers'."
“That means they deserve to go to hell,” Bruce tried to reason. “If Thomas used that phrase on someone else, it proves that those two people must be morally depraved to an absurd degree.”
Because generally speaking, Thomas rarely speaks like that about others, even the most vicious villains (clearly Thomas has his own standards for what constitutes viciousness).
“Kar…” Bruce tried to find this person, but he didn’t get any really useful information. He then tried to search for another name that Thomas had mentioned, “L—O—Alfred, is it Lois or Louis?”
“Lois, Master Bruce,” Alfred replied, but he immediately hesitated, “However, considering the significant difference between Louis’s British and American accents, and the fact that I was busy preparing breakfast at the time, it is possible that I misheard him.”
"...What personal pronoun did Thomas use?"
"'them'."
"Isn't there 'he' or 'she'?"
"No."
In that instant, a possibility even more terrifying than the previous two options surfaced in Bruce's mind.
"Morally corrupt, deserving of hell"—Thomas used similar words to describe the owl.
The two were very familiar with each other, and Night Owl could tell the real Thomas from the fake one at a glance.
The two had collaborated extensively. At least according to Nite Owl, Thomas was very familiar with his inventions, and Nite Owl was probably also quite familiar with Thomas's research (he even knew about Thomas's "wick").
When Thomas discovered that Dick and Jason knew about his secret with Night Owl, he immediately connected it to the two men.
The Night Owl possesses a wealth of high-tech equipment and money, yet no clues have ever been found about these things.
Moreover, according to Lucius, Wayne Enterprises did not have any researchers who were close enough to him to understand his research. He never allowed anyone to access the core of the experiments, and naturally, he never told anyone in the lab about the future and Blue.
Thomas's social circle was as barren as a field swept by lava... Bruce couldn't find another person who met his criteria.
...
Bruce's hands were shaking.
The most terrifying possibility has surfaced.
Thomas is very likely having an affair with Night Owl.
No, wait, I can't give up like this.
Bruce struggled to continue searching for any trace of Louis.
I should believe Thomas... what if this is just another lie he's telling?
“Look on the bright side, Master Bruce,” Alfred tried to console him. “According to Master Thomas, this unnamed Frenchman or Frenchman is probably dead.”
So it probably isn't Night Owl, don't worry, Bruce.
“Not necessarily,” Bruce said, covering his face with a heavy heart. He was not at all comforted by Alfred’s advice. “We all know that Thomas’s views on life and death are different from ordinary people. He has his own…unique insights into death.”
This is a rather euphemistic way of putting it; Alfred and Bruce both knew that Thomas's understanding of life and death had always been quite bizarre.
“Excellent, Master Bruce,” Alfred said expressionlessly. “I’m starting to feel scared too. Thank you.”
You're welcome, Alfred.
-
Of course, Thomas was completely unaware of the chaos at Wayne Manor, and he was now facing a new problem.
It seems that the people behind Elliott have extended their reach into Gotham.
They also plan to target Thomas and Night Owl's identities.
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The author notes: Lois and Louis are used primarily as female and male names, respectively. However, there will be slight differences between British and American pronunciations. The difference is greater in British pronunciation, while American pronunciation only has subtle differences in vowels.
Alfred speaks with a British accent, Thomas speaks with an American accent, and Alfred was preparing breakfast at the time, which led to the misunderstanding.
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He set up two opposing identities and pursued a career path, but unexpectedly, someone betrayed his best friend and turned into a sworn enemy. In short, the boomerang he didn't disguise properly is about to hit him on the head.
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