Chapter 84 He still has emotional intelligence to some extent, but he just can't use it ( )...
"They...are dead?" The youngest, Tim, covered his mouth.
“He’s not dead.” Thomas absentmindedly pried open the lock on the cell door and squatted down, trying to find something useful on the guard.
He was telling the truth; the two guards were not quite dead yet, though they wouldn't live much longer.
Their lives were slipping away rapidly and painfully, barely able to tremble and utter a few insignificant groans, like two pieces of freshly cut beef, destined to die, yet still retaining a faint echo of their former life.
It wasn't until now that Thomas realized not everyone is indifferent to the death of mammals, and his actions could potentially leave psychological scars on the three children.
This is hard to understand, but isn't the essence of emotional intelligence to maintain others' positive emotions even in areas that one cannot understand? (1)
“It’s alright,” he said, not as he had planned to stab each of them twice, but instead casually trying to justify his actions, “Their organization has something that can heal serious wounds instantly.”
It's actually quite troublesome. If only Thomas was kidnapped, he would definitely finish him off, and might even damage vital parts to prevent him from coming back to life, especially since he knows that this organization has something that can quickly restore health.
"So they can recover?" Dick asked in a low voice.
That's not necessarily true. It seems that the old man wouldn't use those things on his men, and even if he did, it would be too late now.
"This kind of injury can definitely heal. Batman told me that the stuff they use can even make people immortal and return to their youth... It sounds disgusting."
Thomas Jr. evaded the main point with some ambiguous remarks, drew the sword from the guard he had pinned to the ground, stood up, waved to the children, and gestured for them to follow.
No one followed.
The current situation is rather bizarre.
The elder, who was infamous in public but whose behavior in private could at most be described as childish and rebellious, suddenly seemed to have become a stranger.
Thomas Jr. stood quietly between two dying men, holding a knife in his hand, without even a speck of blood on his body.
Those eyes held no emotion whatsoever—no disgust, pity, sadness, nausea, enjoyment… or any of the normal or abnormal emotions one might feel while committing murder. They were simply staring at them.
It was as if his actions just now weren't an attempt to kill, but rather a casual toss of trash into a bin, or an unintentional kick of a stone while walking...
Most people wouldn't be this calm even if they just swatted an insect with a tool.
"Are you scared?" Thomas tilted his head slightly and lowered his voice. "I'm sorry, but they belong to an assassin organization. If we don't do this, we'll be the ones who die in the end... I've dragged you into this."
His voice trembled slightly, as if he were under immense pressure, and only now did he dare to reveal a glimpse of it to others.
At this moment, the inhuman calm that Thomas had possessed vanished completely, and the terrifying atmosphere disappeared without a trace, as if all his behavior just now could be simply attributed to immense pressure.
Sure enough, this disguise worked quite well; Thomas could hear the sounds of several children walking towards him.
He turned his head away, no longer looking at the three children.
I heard what sounded like retching behind me.
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“Las Augu.” Batman emerged from the shadows of the room.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Detective.” Lars Augu was not at all surprised that Batman would be at his base in Gotham City; he would have found it unbelievable if Batman hadn’t shown up. “We need to have an open and honest talk.”
“What are you trying to say?” Batman frowned at him. “You’re sending your men to the vicinity of Wayne Manor? Is this your attitude for ‘having a proper talk’?”
Upon discovering that members of the League of Assassins were planning to target the Wayne couple's grave, he specifically sent the suspicious individuals to the GCPD, and then immediately went to one of the League of Assassins' strongholds in Gotham to confront them.
As he expected, Lars Augu was indeed there.
“That was just a necessary means to lure you here, Detective,” Lars Augu said dismissively. “In fact, I came to Gotham not only to clean it up, but also for something else.”
"Lazaruschi".
“It seems I don’t need to explain this part to you,” Lars Augu said, sitting in his chair. “That Thomas Elliott, who discovered a Lazarus spring in Gotham, and we briefly cooperated.”
That's why Elliott was able to repair the wounds caused by plastic surgery so quickly.
“Clearly, he is inferior to you in every way except for his medical skills, so the plan to have him impersonate Thomas Wayne failed,” Lars Augu continued. “After that, I had no choice but to order the use of the League of Assassins’ own methods.”
“Release the virus,” Batman squinted. “I will bring you all to justice.”
“I’m sorry that the plan to cleanse Gotham has been ruined by the two of you, Detective,” Lars Augu said, ignoring Batman’s hostility, “but you should be looking at other people.”
Take Thomas Wayne, for example. When he said he wanted to destroy everything, there was absolutely no exaggeration in his words... He was a complete madman.
“If you’re trying to persuade me to stand with you and destroy Gotham,” Batman said, assuming a fighting stance, “I only have one answer.”
“Don’t be so impatient, detective. You’re making the mistake that short-lived people make most often: you’re overemphasizing time, focusing only on the immediate and failing to see the long-term benefits. You’re only concerned with right and wrong in the moment.” Lars Augu shook his head. “But I do have something else to discuss with you today.”
"You're stalling for time," Batman asserted confidently. "And what have you done now?"
“Delaying time? I just wanted to reduce the misunderstandings between us, but since you care more about efficiency, let’s get down to business,” Lars Augu said. “Someone in Gotham recently crossed the line between life and death, and I want you to hand them over.”
?
Batman even froze for a moment.
Didn't you say you knew I was Bruce Wayne?
How could he make such a request knowing I'm Bruce Wayne?! So he was just bluffing me before?
Batman didn't waste any more words with him; he threw out a smoke bomb and hid himself in the smoke.
“You are angry, Detective,” Lars Augu drew his sword. “You are tripped up by weak family ties and blinded by the true justice behind them.”
He deflected several flying batarangs with his knife, and dodged Batman's swung cape and subsequent punch.
"I can't agree to that, not under any circumstances."
“Alright, I actually still had the illusion that I could show you the truth.” Lars Augu stepped back slightly. “Your other family members are here. Would you like to see them?”
Thomas Wayne Jr.!
Batman immediately thought of who Lars Augu's family member was.
Today, Thomas Jr. specifically emphasized to Alfred that he felt Wayne Manor was not quiet enough (some people had already set up camp outside the walls of Wayne Manor), and planned to bring a few people to his place to stay for a couple of days.
So when Alfred discovered that the Wayne couple, the two minors, and Thomas Jr. were missing, he calmly informed Batman, who wanted to have a "talk" with Lars Augu, and Batman quickly accepted the fact.
After all, it's not like Thomas is incapable of packing up everyone else and taking them all with him, leaving only Bruce at Wayne Manor to draw fire. It's already good enough that he didn't take Alfred with him.
In fact, given Thomas's high-intensity absence of contact, intermittent loss of communication, and tendency to act first and report later, Alfred was somewhat satisfied with his behavior this time, which at least involved reporting beforehand.
...Next time, we should be wary of any reports from Thomas, no, we should be wary of every word Thomas says.
"Where is he?" Batman asked in a low, menacing voice, but unfortunately, the person standing opposite him was not an ordinary Gotham criminal, but Lars Augu.
"Right here, along with those kids and the detective, guarded by my men, all their gear removed," Lars Augu added. "It's up to you to choose: hand over the resurrected, and you can take the rest back. Together we will conquer death, completely change this world, and save humanity... or would you rather see their corpses?"
“Thomas Jr. and a few kids,” so the Wayne couple aren’t here, and Lars Augu doesn’t know where they are either, Batman thought quickly.
Based on what Thomas Jr. said to Alfred, he should have been prepared and had sent the Waynes away in advance.
According to what the fake Night Owl said about the multiverse, Thomas Jr. has a way to leave safely.
So Thomas's plan was to get rid of the Wayne couple and deliberately let himself be captured by Lars Augu?
Isaiah Thomas, what are you thinking?!
Batman's face darkened, and he stopped attacking, while Lars Augu sheathed his knife.
"You have ten minutes to think. I want to see your answer in ten minutes."
"...I'll go and bring them here."
Batman's voice was somewhat somber, as if he had made his choice. He turned and walked towards the window.
“No, Detective, don’t try to be clever. You can easily call them and trick them into coming.” Lars Augu stopped him. “You can’t leave my sight. Do you think I don’t know your tricks work? Get out of this room, then immediately find a ventilation duct, sneak into the cell, and release those people…”
“If you leave here, I will immediately send a message to have them killed.”
The atmosphere between the two was tense and hostile.
Just then, the door to the room opened.
Ignoring the tense atmosphere, Thomas Jr. swaggered in, knife in hand.
His jacket, vest, and tie were gone, suggesting he had just finished some strenuous exercise.
“I think I heard you talking about me,” he said somewhat absentmindedly, “so I came.”
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The author says: (1) Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to perceive and manage one's own and others' emotions, and to use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior. Don't be misled by òvó...
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I suddenly want to add a side story about òvó and cup noodles playing games, like ut...
Goo (Sans in the Genocide Route): Don't you think he looks a lot like you?
Bat: ? Where? Is it because I have a younger brother, blue eyes, or to stop you from killing everyone?
Gu: Very good at dodging.
Still Gu: Besides, I'm not your brother.
Gu still says: I'm the older brother, more than twenty years older than you.
bat:……
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