Should we save him in Chapter 7? Nightwing requested it, so it's fine then. ...
Allen was forced to experience what it felt like to be carried by a superhero, and the experience was just as bad as when he was lifted up by Spider-Man last time—he was dizzy, and his vestibular system couldn't withstand the rollercoaster-like rotation and high-speed movement, so he subconsciously pinched the nearest object in front of him.
It's round, bouncy, and has an excellent feel.
But the dizzy Allen had no idea what he had pinched. He angrily punched the lump twice more, his only thought being to get Nightwing to stop, or he would throw up.
Dick: ...
The doctor had a strong grip.
With a gymnastic move, Dick deftly spun in mid-air, carrying the doctor on his back, and swung his grappling hook gun in a beautiful arc, dodging every bullet aimed at them.
Allen felt like an innocent cat that had been thrown into a washing machine.
What do cats do when they are frightened?
It can breathe air and scratch people with its claws.
Allen certainly wouldn't do that, after all, he's someone who cares about his image.
Just as he was about to reach for the gun tucked behind his waist and fire a burst at the hard shoulder beneath his stomach, or at the criminal who had caused this scene not far away, Nightwing finally stopped.
Nightwing's breathing could be heard in Dr. Osborn's ear, and Allen could even smell the blood and gunpowder on Nightwing.
The doctor felt nauseous and thought that the bloodstains must belong to someone else. He remembered that this guy was as lively and energetic in the hospital as a bird ready to go to the docks to get some fries.
"Don't be afraid, doctor, it's safe here." Nightwing put his arm around the doctor's waist and helped the pale-faced doctor to his feet.
Allen finally breathed a sigh of relief after realizing that Nightwing had put him on the ground. After struggling for a while, he finally decided to slowly squat down against the wall without any regard for his image.
Like an innocent potato.
There were walls on both sides, and behind him was another pitiful potato—a shivering Google emergency responder. Nightwing casually pulled him over as well.
The other party wasn't treated that well; Daniel was kicked into an alley by Nightwing.
This alley was clearly an excellent hiding place chosen by Nightwing; given the angle from which the bullets had just been fired, it was certain that this place would not be hit.
Allen's glasses had disappeared during the spinning flight, and he was squatting on the ground with messy hair and a confused look in his eyes, leaving Nightwing at a loss.
Nightwing felt like he had met a green-eyed stray cat who insisted on going home with him.
Three seconds later, the green-eyed stray cat turned its head and gagged a few more times.
Dick patted the doctor on the back apologetically: "Sorry, I'll remember not to spin you around in mid-air next time."
"There's going to be a next time?!" Allen took a few steps back, pressing himself warily against the wall, his green eyes glaring at Nightwing. "I'm warning you, don't even think about it!"
Hmm... the cat isn't happy with his attempts to be friendly today and is hissing at him. The poor stray cat has turned into a fierce and bad-tempered cat.
Nightwing inexplicably reached out and quickly patted the doctor's hair before the doctor could even react.
Allen: "..."
Dick: "Cough... there's a leaf in your hair." My hand has its own will, do you believe that?
The two stared at each other, and the slightly eerie atmosphere was suddenly broken by Daniel's loud sobs and the sound of police sirens from not far away.
The Brudhaven Police Department had apparently received the news and arrived at the scene.
The usually laid-back police officers in Brudhaven responded quickly and were extremely efficient this time.
After all, the prisoner abduction is a rather unsightly affair. Unlike the bombing of a gang stronghold, which can be glorified as heroic police officers fighting and sacrificing themselves in battle against gang members, tonight's prison break, if not handled well, will certainly leave an indelible stain on Chief Broodhaven's record.
Dick turned his head to look in the direction the police car had come from, his brows furrowed tightly.
When they were attacked, Nightwing basically determined that there was only one person shooting nearby, and he could easily take care of him.
But he had to find out why the assassin was still there, and where the kidnapped prisoner—the gangster boss nicknamed 'Squid'—was now.
However, if the special operations team of the Brudhaven Police Department were to take action, they would probably only choose to kill the perpetrator on the spot and simply and brutally end the matter.
But Nightwing felt that there was some connection between what happened tonight.
He had previously thought the three criminals who brazenly stormed into the ER in Brudhaven and attacked Eric were obvious targets, but now it seemed that even the bombing was a cover-up.
Their ultimate goal was neither Eric nor that insignificant Black Gang stronghold, but rather the prisoner 'Squid' who had been kidnapped on 10th Street.
Speaking of 'squid', it was Nightwing who caught it himself.
This guy was the gang leader who orchestrated the car accident to murder Eric when he first met Allen. The driver who caused the accident had a brother-in-law who had been working for "Squid" for years, doing many shady things for him.
Dick couldn't help but feel a little guilty, because he had recently realized that Eric Hossen's revenge was partly his fault.
Shortly after arriving in Brudhaven, he clashed with a mob gang that occupied the slums near Tenth Avenue. Dick discovered that this gang, mostly composed of low-level white thugs, was able to obtain a constant stream of new drugs and was making a fortune from them.
While possession of marijuana and small amounts of hard drugs is now legal in some states, Gotham and Brud Haven are not among those states.
At first, Dick thought these would be high-purity heroin or other purified hard drugs, but he was never able to get even a tiny sample for analysis.
The bastards he caught denied possessing the drugs, and as if they had anticipated it, the drugs had already been disposed of before he got them, as if they had never existed.
Worse still, according to Dick's observations, this substance can make a frail person incredibly strong, capable of breaking chains with their bare hands and smashing through a security door with a single punch. Addicts may even actively attack everything and everyone around them.
Dick also discovered that these drug users had no memory of the time they used the drugs; the only thing they remembered was a more euphoric experience than with regular drugs, which is why this stuff is now priceless.
This forced Dick to make some unpleasant associations.
Perhaps that thing isn't a drug at all, but some kind of mind control substance or virus. Thinking even further, the person behind it might want to use this mind control substance for something, just like the Scarecrow and Mad Hatter who tried to control Gotham with Fear Gas or the Alice Virus.
Once this thing gets widespread, Dick even thinks Broodhaven might turn into Raccoon City.
He traced the gang's members up through the ranks and eventually found his way to several Gotham residents.
Dick suspected that the gang was allied with a force from Gotham and was secretly involved in human trafficking.
After staking out the location for more than half a month, he finally captured the small leader codenamed 'Squid' on a small fishing boat that was about to leave Brodhaven with the help of Red Robin.
The inexperienced Officer Dick 'cooperated' with Nightwing to take 'Squid' into custody and immediately requested that 'Squid' be interrogated and prosecuted.
But the lawyer hired by 'Squid' arrogantly drank tea in the chief's office, calmly waiting for the police department to compromise once again.
Just when Dick thought Eric would agree to release the man to avoid trouble, it was Eric who approved Dick's arrest warrant.
Dick still doesn't understand why, but perhaps that's why Eric was retaliated against.
What puzzled Nightwing was why 'Officer Grayson' hadn't received the same retaliation. He'd been prepared to send a few more bastards to jail—
Bang--
The bullets grazed the corner of the wall but couldn't hit the corner where Allen was. Nightwing's choice of hiding place was indeed excellent.
But Allen keenly sensed that the person who fired the shot was fearful and conflicted, and that his emotions might collapse if it dragged on any longer—this was evident from the increasingly erratic bullet marks on his body.
The Google paramedic tugged at Dr. Osborn's sleeve, his expression even more distraught than when he first met Dr. Osborn: "Waaah... Why did I become a paramedic? My teachers all ran away, why the hell did I stay? Waaah, I'm an idiot. Even staying in Gotham would have been better than..."
Nightwing glanced at the Google emergency responder with surprise, thinking to himself, "You're quite creative, kid."
Did they come all the way from Gotham to Broodhaven just to see a crime rate that was less than 0.1 percent lower?
As Allen listened to the gunshots, he grew angrier and angrier—he had almost been thrown up by Nightwing because of this lowlife.
So he kicked Daniel: "Stand up, don't be like a moldy potato!"
After saying that, he pushed Nightwing away... but couldn't budge him.
Dr. Osborn then stepped on Dick's foot, pulled the gun from his back waist, and forced his head out from between Nightwing's shoulder and the corner of the wall to look out.
He didn't have time to dwell on Nightwing's inexplicable pat on the head; he wanted revenge. The bastard who shot him last time had spent a month in a hospital bed and paid an exorbitant bill—barely the only good thing that bastard lawyer had done.
This time he can handle it himself. He won't kill anyone; he'll make the other person stay in the hospital for two months and pay him back for his pants.
Nightwing grabbed the doctor's head and shoved him into a corner like a disobedient cat: "I'll go take care of things outside. You stay here and don't move, you hear me?"
Will the doctor listen to him? Obviously not.
So Nightwing earned a disdainful look from Dr. Osborn and struggled even harder.
“I told you it’s none of your business.” Allen deftly pulled another gun from his bag and casually tossed the backpack away.
The bastard who had been hiding in the corner and shooting at them fired again.
With lightning speed, Allen fired two shots in the nine o'clock direction, and silence fell over the other side. Allen ripped open the Google medic's shirt, turning the short, stocky medic into a spinning top. Allen then used the spinning top's shirt as bait and threw it out again, followed by more gunfire from the other side.
Allen aimed much more accurately this time.
He heard cries of pain from the other side.
"Strange," Allen said in a low voice, "Why would the killer stay here?"
This is also a question that Nightwing is wondering about.
Dick couldn't control Dr. Osborn, but he could handle criminals. After confirming that Dr. Osborn's aim was impeccable, and that he would never shoot an ankle, he snatched all of the doctor's guns and darted away amidst the doctor's furious glare.
"Thank you for the gift, Doctor!" Dick reached out and ruffled the doctor's hair again.
Allen tried to trip Nightwing, but failed.
The assassin who fired the shot seemed to have been prepared, throwing a flashbang the instant Dick appeared.
Nightwing dodged with ease and kicked the flashbang away.
Meanwhile, the Brudhaven Police Department vehicle had already stopped, and fully armed special operations team members got out and cautiously hid behind the car doors and around various corners.
Dick yelled at Officer Broodhaven, who was about to fire in their direction, "Don't shoot!"
The officers in Brodhaven did not obey Nightwing's orders, and most of them were hostile to this inexplicably appearing superhero.
Bullets flew at Dick relentlessly, also piercing the shoulder of the criminal hiding in the corner.
The man rushed out in a panic, then quickly hid behind Dick.
After seeing the criminal's face clearly, Dick couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Because this guy was none other than the 'squid' he thought had been kidnapped.
So today's prison break wasn't planned by 'Squid's' henchmen?
The officers in Brudhaven continued firing relentlessly in Dick's direction, and someone shouted, "Are you protecting criminals, Nightwing? Get out of Brudhaven! We don't need superheroes here!"
Dick raised his hand: "I'm here to help. Stop right there, he is..."
"The chief has ordered us to kill the criminal on the spot! Anyone who obstructs us is considered an accomplice. I'm sorry, Nightwing, but I suggest you leave as soon as possible."
Dick was about to continue explaining that the person hiding behind him was 'Squid' himself, therefore he must be hiding important clues, and they should interrogate him first—
However, another bullet suddenly whistled in from the upper left.
It wasn't the police in Pulau Bukit Mertajam who did it.
Dick was startled.
Squid instinctively shoved Nightwing, so Dick had to roll forward to dodge the bullet aimed at his head, and in the process, he kicked Squid hard.
Dick's gaze swept quickly across the corner, but he saw the doctor's eyes fixed on another direction.
Just as 'Squid' was hiding in the corner, secretly rejoicing, another bullet came from behind him at an incredible angle, quickly piercing his abdomen. Two more shots followed.
Dick quickly ran in the direction from which the gunshots rang out.
Dr. Osborne darted out from the corner, throwing a small, round ball towards the police in the direction of the port.
The ball emitted a puff of smoke, blocking Officer Brudhaven's view in their direction.
Dr. Osborn's gaze met Dick's, and the two quickly understood each other's meaning.
Nightwing and Allen quickly dragged the person into a corner.
"It's up to you, Dr. Osborn!"
Allen waved his hand impatiently.
The Google emergency responder was still huddled in the corner, too scared to move, and his mind went blank as he watched Allen bustling around.
“Dr. Osborn…I…”
"Calm down." Allen slapped the trembling Daniel on the head. "Help me save people."
Daniel froze, staring intently into Allen's cold eyes.
In the darkness, the doctor's eyes seemed to turn dark green, and the streetlights shone on his face, casting a small shadow on his cheek with his long eyelashes.
For some reason, Daniel suddenly thought of the emotionless statues in the church.
When he was a child, he asked his mother why the statue of a god could not speak when he prayed to it.
What was his mother's response at the time?
Because God so loved the world, He gave eternal life to everyone who believed in Him. He needs no words, no expressions. He watches over you silently and all-knowingly forever.
Daniel calmed down in a daze, his brown eyes widening slightly.
Looking at Daniel, Allen couldn't help but recall Daniel's notebook filled with notes and the lyrics to "Stay Alive" that he had copied over many times.
But at one point he felt that Daniel's condition was very strange, as if the person living in Daniel's body was not himself.
He ignored the slight unease that stirred within him.
“The best combination, you said it before—don’t hold me back, and you did it.” Allen bent down to check on the 'squid'. “Now, do as I say.”
Daniel instinctively followed Allen's instructions, and his previously panicked heart finally calmed down completely.
Whether 'Squid' was lucky or unlucky is unknown, those few bullets could not have left him unharmed, nor could they have killed him instantly and allowed him to enjoy eternal peace.
The 'squid' could only struggle desperately on the brink of death, with a large amount of blood gushing from its abdomen and flowing over its mouth and nose.
He glared at Allen with wide eyes, his gaze filled with resentment, but the resentment quickly faded as 'Squid' fell into a coma.
Allen placed his stethoscope on the 'squid's' chest.
“...He...I know him, the leader of the Salem Brotherhood, maybe...maybe we don’t need to go to such lengths to save him.”
“Thank you so much, Google.” Allen glanced at Daniel expressionlessly. “You’ve been a huge help.”
Daniel hesitated, not daring to speak.
"...He killed many people."
"I will save him."
"But……"
“No buts. He has no pulse, and he’s bleeding heavily from his abdomen,” Allen said emotionlessly.
Outside, Nightwing seemed to have finally reached an agreement with Officer Brudhaven and had apprehended the real culprit who had fired the sniper shot. The gunfire ceased, the smoke grenade Allen had just thrown had failed, and Nightwing was now running towards them.
"Take him back to the ambulance!" Allen ordered without hesitation.
All the officers in Brudhaven watched the unconscious 'squid' warily.
Although Daniel didn't want to save the 'squid,' he was even more unwilling to disappoint Dr. Osborn's expectations. So, under Allen's direction, he sang "Staying Alive" at the loudest voice he'd ever sung, the tune veerging from Brudhaven to Atlantis, appearing somewhat comically exaggerated amidst everyone's tense expressions.
Dick saw several police officers in Port Bucharest cover their ears in disbelief.
Fortunately, the beat was right.
My life has its ups and downs.
If I can't get it, I'll try my best.
...I'm lively and energetic, and I never give up!*
Under (Daniel's interpretation) Alan's 'appreciative' gaze, the Google emergency responder felt his emergency medical badge on his chest stand out even more.
However, the next second, his voice cracked.
Allen's scalpel cleanly sliced open the squid's chest cavity.
"Ah~ah~ Alive, alive...Holy crap, you're going to perform open-chest surgery on him here?!"
“That’s right. You can also think of it as me just itching to practice my thoracotomy.” Allen took out the chest opener, a hint of pleasure in his expression. “Clamp the aorta, start the timer. Alright, now we have 30 minutes to find the bleeding point!”
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