Chapter 91 The Bat and the Little Bird, the Big Bird's Dissatisfaction
“It seems that two days is its limit, unless Thomas Wayne Jr. replaces the battery,” Red Robin stared at the Batcomputer. “Does Wayne Enterprises have any plans to upgrade the micro-batteries recently?”
The screen on Batman's computer remained completely black.
"I'll discuss this with Lucius." Batman began to speed up the playback of the transmitted content.
Excluding the segments where Red Robin was present, the transmitted video recordings only amount to a short hour.
“He was quite cautious and didn’t carry anything with him,” Batman concluded, “leaving almost nothing of value.”
"I started to suspect that he was hiding something."
“It’s obvious,” Batman said, rewinding the video to the first half, “that Thomas Wayne Jr. and Nite Owl’s relationship is definitely more than just that of enemies.”
He replayed a segment of it.
“I happen to have had his key before, and I guess he hasn’t changed it.” Thomas’s absent-minded voice came through the screen.
“Indeed, it’s hard to imagine that Bruce would be so unguarded.” Red Robin narrowed his eyes in displeasure. “And he did lie to me. I knew he was the one who… answered first.”
Considering Batman's feelings, Red Robin deliberately spoke the two names vaguely.
“Don’t worry about me. I can tell the difference between the different counterparts in the multiverse,” Batman’s voice was very calm. “No matter how similar they are, they are not the same person.”
“Okay,” Red Robin continued, “what do you think Thomas Wayne’s purpose is in lying about even this part?”
“Probably not. It’s probably really as he said, a Halloween present for the Batman of that universe.” Batman pondered. “Well, maybe we should confirm whether the Batman of that universe can realize that the counterpart in the multiverse is not someone he knows.”
"Shouldn't any normal person know this?"
That being said, Thomas Wayne Jr. is indeed very unlike a normal person.
“There’s another possibility,” Batman continued, “that the Batman of that universe isn’t familiar with the multiverse, and Thomas Jr. has the upper hand, able to make up stories as he pleases.”
"I simply can't say which is worse."
"So we should be more cautious about approaching the universe where that owl resides," Batman continued, emphasizing, "This is no small matter; the multiverse is quite dangerous."
What should we do next?
"Try to avoid Thomas Wayne Jr. and contact the Batman of that universe directly, preferably by establishing a cooperative relationship," Batman took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "In any case, stopping Night Owl from destroying the multiverse is the highest priority right now."
-
“Good evening, Batman,” Dick said, sitting in the passenger seat of the Batmobile, leaning over the pile of buttons in the middle and bringing his face close to Batman’s nose to observe his expression. “I guess you’re in a good mood tonight.”
Batman struggled to suppress a smile; it was a bit difficult. If he could just remove some of the bird creatures from the table today, it would be a perfect day.
So he started thinking about the question of the night owl, which was very helpful, and he immediately regained his usual serious expression.
"Fasten your seatbelts, Robin."
Robin obediently fastened his seatbelt, then turned to Batman and asked, "So who do you think Night Owl really is, Batman?"
The thought of a supervillain who seemed poised to destroy the world made Batman's smile deepen.
"I suspect it is..."
“Wait, wait,” Robin gestured for him to stop. “I think we can try saying the name at the same time.”
All right.
"Then I'll start counting, three, two, one..."
"Bruce Wayne."
Their voices blended perfectly together.
There was a brief silence inside the Batmobile.
“I think this is a good thing,” Robin said in a rather relaxed tone. “After all, Bruce Wayne has his limits…”
“No, you can’t think like that, Robin. Nobody knows what people will become in the future,” Batman added quietly. “Just like when I was eight years old, I never imagined that one day I would become Batman.”
What he said makes a lot of sense. Just like Robin never imagined that one day he would be sitting in Batman's passenger seat, helping him stop a supervillain from blowing up the Earth.
“I asked Thomas Jr. yesterday,” Robin brought the conversation back to the point and explained seriously, “He said he brought Thomas Sr. and Martha back using technology that can cross timelines…and then told me to study quantum mechanics.”
“Good. Although we can’t be completely sure, he is certainly the most suspicious person right now,” Batman stepped on the gas and drove out of the Batcave. “Just in case, we should think about what we should do if this is true, starting with how to distinguish between the two Bruce Waynes.”
In fact, before today, Batman had not seriously completed a plan on "how to deal with his future self"; at most, he could only prepare to deal with his present self.
"For example, a code?"
“I don’t think this will work. If Night Owl really is the future Bruce Wayne, he’ll be able to answer.” Batman drove the Batmobile toward the Penguin’s Iceberg Restaurant. “I should avoid leaving clues in my own memories.”
"Observe Bruce Wayne's style of doing things?"
“But we can’t be sure how well Bruce Wayne can disguise himself, but he may very well know everything about us.”
“That sounds too difficult,” Robin thought. “But how is that possible? If the other person really is you, theoretically, he can do anything you can do.”
“Bruce Wayne,” Batman corrected, then continued, “that’s right, so I’ll start with telomere length. All you have to do is not completely trust Bruce Wayne, stick to your own ideas, and always be vigilant.”
"for example?"
“For example,” Batman smiled and pressed a button, “for example, I am Bruce Wayne from the future.”
Robin was firmly strapped into the passenger seat.
"Hey!" Robin struggled a few times but couldn't break free. "This joke isn't funny at all."
Batman didn't speak; his face flickered between light and shadow, the only constant being that chilling smile.
“Okay, my escape skills might indeed be subpar,” Robin continued to struggle. “I’ll practice more when I get back…”
Batman seemed to be in a good mood as he turned on the car stereo, which made him look even more terrifying.
“Okay, you’re scary, Batman,” Robin quietly pressed another button beside him. “So where are you going to take me?”
Batman didn't answer him, but instead let out two ambiguous chuckles.
He and Isaiah Thomas are really alike, even their scary tactics are similar.
"What's wrong? Is there an emergency?" Alfred's face appeared on the screen inside the Batmobile. "The Batmobile's stats are all good, but I still received an emergency alert."
“It’s alright, Alfred, everything’s fine. Robin just accidentally pressed this button,” Batman said, his smile fading. “I’ve already tied him up and prepared my escape training equipment.”
This is turning black into white! This is truly turning black into white!
"One penny!" Robin yelled, "Don't trust Batman, find a way to take control of the device..."
“Very good, Robin,” Batman pressed another button, and the ropes binding Robin loosened, causing him to shrink back into the passenger seat. “Although your escape skills are still not up to par, you have now passed the simplest test.”
“I thought you saw someone you knew at the Iceberg Restaurant. So, do I still need to fight Batman for ultimate control?” Alfred asked, unsurprised. “Just to be safe.”
“No, I think I shouldn’t use it for now. Thank you, penny.” Robin replied hesitantly.
Communication has been shut down.
"Looks like I wasn't vigilant enough... Hey!"
The rope in the passenger seat was tied to Robin again.
“Unqualified,” Batman said, slamming on the brakes to bring the Batmobile to a steady stop. “You couldn’t fully confirm my identity, yet you abandoned the chance to call for help that you had already firmly grasped.”
Robin pressed the emergency contact button several times, but the display screen did not respond.
“Don’t waste your energy, Robin. I’ve cut off the communications,” Batman said, unbuckling his seatbelt. “Before I get back, you can try to break free of the ropes or use other means to turn things around. If you manage to escape from here, I will carefully adjust your training intensity.”
After saying that, his figure disappeared into the night sky.
“Okay,” Robin muttered to himself, “let’s take a look at this rope…”
A polite tap on the glass interrupted his thoughts, and two sharp shadows were cast into the Batmobile by the streetlights.
Robin looked up at the window and suddenly realized that the ropes binding him had come loose again.
“Don’t get out now, Robin,” Batman’s voice came through the car radio. “I’ve activated the Batmobile’s Autopilot feature. It will determine when to use the ejection seat.”
The Batmobile started automatically and made a nimble and quick U-turn.
The person outside the car dodged past the tail of the Batmobile and stood to the side, at an angle that allowed Robin to see his face clearly.
It was the long-lost night owl.
-
The fact that Night Owl is here is definitely not because he's tracking Batman.
Yes, he wasn't following Batman or Robin at all. His appearance here was purely accidental; he just wanted the Penguin to do something for him.
He had just forced the Penguin out of the Iceberg Restaurant when he ran into Robin, who was trapped in the Batmobile.
This was obviously a rare occurrence. When Owl walked up to the Batmobile and tried to "rescue" Robin from inside, he almost got a mouthful of exhaust fumes from the Batmobile.
It's obvious who's behind this.
Who else could it be? Of course, it's Batman.
And as expected...
The smoke grenade landed lightly on the ground, and thick white smoke slowly covered the parking lot. Three batarangs flew towards Night Owl from different directions.
Night Owl easily dodged the bat darts that landed near his feet, then caught a fist coming from a fourth direction.
“You’ve improved,” Night Owl provoked Batman (in fact, even if he didn’t say anything, it would have been a very good provocation), “but do you think this can defeat me?”
After saying that, he forcefully swung Batman forward and quickly took two steps back.
Batman spun in mid-air, deftly dissipating the force as he landed on the ground, took a button from his power belt, and pressed it.
The batarangs stuck in the ground immediately exploded, and the heat wave they generated diluted the thick fog emitted by the smoke bombs.
Night Owl and Batman stood on opposite sides, the atmosphere thick with tension, both searching for the best opportunity to attack each other...
"What are you doing in my parking lot!" the Penguin screamed. Perhaps he was furious, because his voice actually sounded a bit like a penguin's now. "If you want to fight, can't you go fight in the wasteland!"
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Author's note: Time to go to school...
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