Chapter 93 The little golden statue deserves to be the Best Actor.
Night Owl didn't like the fact that the main building of the Court of Owls was located underground. He actually preferred to monitor everyone from the tower, but in order to hide his identity, he decisively went into the sewers.
He found a secluded room with few people, changed out of his armor, and quickly returned to his stealth aircraft, flying it as fast as he could towards where Old Thomas and Martha were.
His long-term goal now is to find a way to get through this month and a half... Whether he wants to prepare for the quantum state explosion or to execute his plan perfectly, he needs to time it perfectly.
Therefore, he had to distract Batman and make Gotham as chaotic as possible.
If there's enough time, Isaiah Thomas might even have one last relatively comfortable Christmas.
Of course, the most important thing right now is to get through the night safely.
Thomas Jr. parked the plane in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras. Although it was his property, he still managed to sneak into the villa through the window.
Martha was sitting in a chair with her back to the window, her legs stretched out comfortably, and her head tilted slightly to the side.
She seemed not to hear Thomas opening and closing the window, remaining motionless. The only sound Thomas received was a click, which was particularly clear in the quiet and dark villa.
“It’s me,” Thomas waved. “I’m here.”
Martha withdrew her leg, the blade at her fingertips flashed and vanished instantly. Smiling, she stood up and walked towards Thomas Jr., while Thomas Sr. put down his gun and emerged from the shadows.
The two did not change into the uniforms they had worn during some of their secret nighttime activities; instead, Thomas had prepared ordinary clothes for them in advance to avoid being noticed.
...So why does he have to hide in a dark corner? Is this some kind of Batman passive skill?
“Father, Mother,” Thomas said, pulling himself together from his reverie, and smiled. “I knew you shared my thoughts.”
“Of course, Tommy, as you said, Gotham needs a more thorough cleanup,” Martha stepped forward and gently took his hand, “but you shouldn’t have gone out so late, it’s too dangerous.”
It's rare that, apart from Alfred and Bruce, there are actually people who think it's dangerous for me to go out at night.
“That’s right,” old Thomas agreed. “We’ve encountered several people trying to carjack us on the road, and your mother and I have heard that quite a few people want to kidnap you. It’s always good to be careful.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Thomas said, trying to maintain a calm expression. “Actually, I’m pretty good at fighting…”
Under their suspicious and worried gazes, he gave up trying to defend his fighting skills and instead obediently agreed with Martha's suggestion: "Okay, I'll be in charge of technical support from now on."
What kind of technical support?
A huge shadow drifted in, enveloping the three people in the room, and a deep voice came from outside the window...
It's so mysterious, I have absolutely no idea who this is.
“No matter what, don’t kick my windows, Batman,” Thomas Jr. said sternly. “I just had them cleaned properly a while ago, and the carpets are all new.”
They're so hard to please.
Batman hung outside and symbolically knocked on the window, as if he were politely knocking on the door. He then easily pried open the window and nimbly jumped into the room.
"So what kind of technical support?" Batman asked again.
“This is a private matter, a secret.” Thomas Jr. turned to face Batman.
"What secret?"
"Do you really need to know?" Thomas Jr. stared at Batman.
“It’s Bruce Wayne who wants to know,” Batman gradually accepted the excuse Thomas had given him. “He needs to know why the three of you didn’t sleep all night, but instead came here in batches without even notifying him.”
Martha covered her mouth guiltily, while old Thomas slightly averted his gaze. Only little Thomas, as the culprit, could still stare at Batman with a straight face.
Of course, it's because Isaiah Thomas needs someone to cover his tracks, and he also wants to tell Thomas Sr. and Martha about his plans for the next month (the disguised version).
“I’m sorry, but we certainly have very important reasons,” Thomas Jr. said to Batman with a straight face.
Anyway, Batman can't do anything to him, and Batman can't beat him up in front of Martha and old Thomas (as long as his Nite Owl identity isn't exposed).
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I should get involved in your family affairs. It’s true that everyone should have their own private space, especially since you are adults,” Batman realized that simply playing the emotional card was not working on Thomas Jr., so he decided to add a little something extra. “But I still have to say that you should tell your family where you are—at least where you’re going at night, especially since Gotham hasn’t been very peaceful lately.”
"So have you thought about how Bruce Wayne feels?" Batman took a deep breath and continued with conviction, "Although my relationship with Bruce Wayne isn't very good, I still want to say something for him. Imagine an adult coming home after a night's work and suddenly finding that his family members are missing, or even four of them gone."
Four?
“Jason Todd went out to look for you,” Batman said, staring intently at Thomas. “Alfred just picked him up from the Drake’s house next door.”
Batman paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the three Waynes present. Seeing that no one raised any questions, he continued, "Especially as you all know, Bruce Wayne isn't exactly a daring person. Gotham hasn't been safe lately, and he's very worried that something might happen to you."
Martha and old Thomas lowered their heads.
Isaiah Thomas still had his head slightly tilted back, staring directly at Batman (although he was looking directly at the top of Batman's head), and he was even distracted, seemingly without the slightest intention of reflecting on his behavior.
But that doesn't matter, Batman has found a better breakthrough than Thomas Jr.
“You should know very well that Bruce Wayne is very worried about losing you,” Batman said, trying to be as straightforward as possible. “He wanted to call the police, but he was worried that if you were kidnapped and he called the police, the kidnappers would kill you… When I arrived at Wayne Manor, he was sitting on the sofa crying, barely able to speak, and he even needed Alfred Pennyworth’s help to tell me what had happened tonight.”
It's okay, it's okay, Batman thought.
Anyway, Bruce Wayne's reputation as a coward and a good-for-nothing had already spread throughout Gotham, and these three had seen him cry before.
This statement was indeed as effective as he had hoped, and the three people present reacted quite strongly.
Martha and Thomas Sr. were naturally heartbroken and reflected on their actions, while Thomas Jr., who knew Batman's true identity, immediately snapped out of his daze and looked at Batman with a puzzled expression.
The two looked at each other.
"So have you thought about it? Well, actually I've been wanting to ask this for a while now," Thomas Jr., taking advantage of the fact that Thomas Sr. and Martha were behind him and couldn't see his face, asked Batman through lip reading without any attempt to hide it, "How do you plan to face what you've said all this time when you reveal your true identity?"
...
That's not important.
“And,” Thomas continued, “how are you going to pretend you’ve been crying the whole time?”
...
It depends on onions, and on peeling onions.
"When we get home later," Thomas Jr. squinted, "do you want me to take a detour around Gotham?"
...
Batman decides to fight back.
“Besides, Bruce Wayne has a troublesome brother,” Batman abruptly shifted the topic to Thomas Jr., “Even I know about you.”
"What's going on? The newspaper that orchestrated the bankruptcy of the reincarnated demon?" Thomas asked, a bad feeling creeping over him. "Extorting protection money? It can't be about stealing sweets, can it?"
“You have a serious tendency toward self-destruction,” Batman said in a low voice. “According to Bruce Wayne, you almost shot yourself when you were four years old, and in recent years you have left a will in advance, and even recently changed some of its contents.”
“Really, Tommy?” Martha squeezed Thomas’s hand. “Is he telling the truth?”
“I know some excellent and reliable psychologists…” Old Thomas thought for a moment, thinking that with Little Thomas’s current social status, he shouldn’t be unable to find a suitable doctor. “Besides, I also know some mental health knowledge.”
“These are all misunderstandings,” Thomas said, turning around and ignoring Batman’s unchanged but slightly smug expression. He defended his actions, “At four years old, it’s common for him to come into contact with dangerous things, and it’s normal to make a will early. At least it can ensure that my property will not be seized by others.”
Batman ignored Thomas's objections and continued, "I don't think it's an accident that you skillfully held a gun to your temple. Everyone in Gotham knows you're smart, and you haven't stopped doing some pretty dangerous things in recent years."
He has given up on relying solely on himself and Alfred to control Thomas Jr., as both of them are very busy and have their own jobs.
Dick and Jason, those two kids, also have their studies and school life to keep them busy. If they were asked to help look after Thomas, they might be led astray by Thomas's way of thinking over time.
Therefore, it would be best to have someone who doesn't have a job, has a lot of free time, has sound values, isn't easily swayed by Isaiah Thomas's thinking, has rich life experience, and cares about Isaiah Thomas's life or death, to help look after him.
Sure enough, upon hearing Batman's words, Martha and Thomas immediately became alert.
"So tell me, what's the secret?" Batman's voice was calm, but only Thomas could hear the hidden threat in it. "I'll pass it on to Bruce Wayne beforehand, so at least he'll have time to process what happened and won't have a big fight with you guys."
Tell me now, Tommy, or I'll reveal all your even more dangerous actions.
“Okay, I’ll say it,” Thomas nodded, “Actually, we’re gathered here to prepare a Christmas present for Bruce.”
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Author's note: Yay! Next year there will be three Batmobiles and a LEGO Bat logo (although I personally prefer architecture and 3D wall art, the kind with lots of Easter eggs).
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I can't take it anymore, I feel like I want to finish writing the ending and then write the epilogue all at once... But I have a new idea.
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Jinjiang is still lagging today. I haven't figured out what's going on yet. Is the data speed being throttled?
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