Chapter 6 The Crowd: You can't kill him like this...
Seeing Jason Todd at the party was a delightful surprise.
Politely declining those who tried to strike up a conversation, Wen Yue's smile became much more genuine when she approached Jason.
"Long time no see, Jason." Wen Yue casually put her arm around the shoulder of the only acquaintance present. "You left in such a hurry last time that I realized we didn't even exchange contact information."
After seeing the Red Hood uniforms from the comics *The Silence*, *Under the Red Hood*, *Under the Red Hood: The Sequel*, the Red Pill Hood and Gogo Shoes outfit, the N52 Outlaw helmet with lips version and the N52 Outlaw helmet without lips version, and having also seen Jason from the Outlaws with piping leather jackets, Outlaws leather vests, Outlaws red vests, and the Gundam Mask outfit from *Prince of Gotham*, Wen Yue has now collected another Red Hood illustration—the limited-edition banquet version of Jason the Young Master.
Good news for gamers!
"Hmm..." Jason, seemingly lost in thought and reeling from a major shock, muttered to himself, "It wasn't Black Mask who did it..."
"What? It wasn't Black Mask who did it?" Wen Yue raised an eyebrow and guessed, "You were fighting fiercely with the Black Mask gang a few days ago. Was it because of this? Did he bully you?"
Black Mask is Jason's adoptive father in this world. These days, as Batman patrols day and night to fight crime, the Red Hood gang and Black Mask's gang are locked in a fierce battle, with smoke and fire filling the air and even ravaging Gotham Harbor.
Surprisingly, none of the gang members were injured. The only one taken to the hospital was someone who had accidentally tripped and fallen, his head hitting the ground, making his already gruesome face even more unsightly. It was truly heartbreaking.
Even knowing the two gangs were rigging the fight, Batman couldn't completely ignore it. This kept him incredibly busy, constantly running back and forth to monitor the situation after dealing with various criminals, just in case anything went wrong.
The battle took place in a remote, desolate area. After emptying their magazines, both groups headed back. Since no real damage was caused, the player couldn't very well arrest them all. After all, the shouting and the noise from the bullets would certainly affect the city's acoustics and residents' quality of life, but throwing them all in jail wouldn't be a serious offense. In this situation, Batman wouldn't have anywhere to put them if he arrested them.
The poor player is working overtime online every night, going to bed half an hour late.
Back to the main topic—
"No, it's a misunderstanding." Jason came to his senses, rubbed his forehead, and explained, "I wronged him."
"Where is the injustice? Sometimes it's better to look less at your own problems. Why are so many people wronging him when they themselves aren't? He must have something wrong with himself! If he were completely innocent, why would others suspect him so quickly?"
It's all Black Mask's fault! Wen Yue mindlessly expressed her support for Jason.
Jason patted Wen Yue's shoulder, his lips twitching slightly. "Okay, fine. Brother, I'm deeply moved by your trust in me."
Amidst the clinking of glasses, laughter, and singing at the banquet, Wen Yue and Jason sought some peace and quiet on a secluded balcony.
"Actually, there's a question I've wanted to ask Jason for a long time: why did you choose the name Red Hood?" Wen Yue asked curiously.
“Because there was originally a Red Hood gang in Gotham? I took over that gang, so I named it the Red Hood.” Jason replied with an indifferent expression.
"I see." Got it, Jason is terrible at naming things.
"And that tuft of white hair on your forehead?"
"Dyed, isn't it cool?"
"Hmm...that's unique."
(—Postscript: After obtaining Jason's contact information, the player was satisfied and invited him to his home for a feast with wine and chicken. Jason politely declined. The player left disappointed.)
Going out in a red hooded mask, tonight's fate is uncertain.
Whether it was because she was determined to go against Batman's night patrol mission, or because she hadn't given him the right greeting during the day, Red Hood was giving Batman a hard time at night, constantly finding things for her to do.
From Cape Triangle, head north to the Diamond District in Old Town, take Wayne Tower, cross Cathedral Square, pass Grant Park, and arrive at Adams Pier. After some investigation, the player, Batman, heads west to Miller Harbor, north to the Splendid River, and along Old Gotham to Convict Alley. Finally, at Rogers Yacht Marina, he is unilaterally and fiercely attacked.
Wen Yue was simultaneously completing game missions and exploring the game map, while Red Hood was using his human outline shooting technique to track Batman down.
Wen Yue skillfully dodged the bullets fired from afar, then slipped behind cover and sighed with worry. In truth, she wouldn't have dodged; it would have just been a minor scratch. But as she was playing along with Red Hood's act, how could she ignore it? A perfunctory dodge would have been enough. What if someone really pushed her to the limit and shot Batman in the head?
Wen Yue spent the night rummaging through the system (world) logs and found Jason's previous life records: Jason was adopted by Black Mask at the age of thirteen, escaped Black Mask's control at the age of fifteen and joined the Assassin's Guild, left the Assassin's Guild at the age of eighteen and went solo, and now at the age of nineteen, he has made the Red Hood Gang better, bigger and stronger, starting from Crime Alley and heading south to occupy half of the Black Mask Gang's territory.
I wonder if this filial son wanted to seek justice for his adoptive father, Black Mask. He stayed up all night with a sniper rifle, acting as a third wheel, and chased Batman for several blocks without being able to escape. Wen Yue thought that it wasn't a bad idea to trick him into becoming her partner.
According to Wen Yue's investigation, the chemical contraband she intercepted at the dock a few days ago was ultimately destined for the Ace Chemical Plant. Between chasing Red Hood after firing a sniper shot and continuing to investigate the Ace Chemical Plant, the player decisively chose the latter.
We finally found a night patrol partner, so we can't just let Batman take him away like that. Keeping him at a distance is a safety precaution, since Red Hood's gun can't kill anyone anyway.
Time is of the essence; the plan to kidnap Red Hood must be put on the agenda immediately. Otherwise, if those bastards, Deathstroke and Black Mask, are tricked away, the players will be left begging and searching everywhere.
Wen Yue: No matter how good your own dad is, no one's a wild dad! Jason, wait for me!
As the Batmobile's AI-powered self-driving car headed towards the Ace Chemical Plant, Wen Yue ran to the Wayne Manor library, picked up two books—"How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk" and "Nonviolent Communication"—and returned to the Batcave.
Wen Yue chooses deus ex machina, seeking outside help, attempting to use scientific and historical experience to trick Jason into joining the Bat Family. It's believed that, guided by the two books, players will possess a silver tongue to seduce Jason and get him on board.
Upon arriving at the Ace Chemical Plant in the Audisburg district, the player's game mission refreshes—
New mission: Investigate the Ace Chemical Plant.
[Tip: There's a service kiosk nearby. Try going there.]
Following the instructions, Batman arrives at the service terminal and stealthily steals the data.
Among the identity information uploaded by Ace Chemicals, Wen Yue found a familiar name: Jonathan Klein.
Jonathan Klein, a recent new employee at Ace Chemicals, has a more familiar name—Scarecrow.
Based on Wen Yue's years of experience watching DC works, she was quite familiar with this person.
Scarecrow is considered one of Gotham's top villains. Originally a university psychology professor with significant achievements in chemistry, he developed "Fear Gas" using his intellect. Inhaling this gas causes people to see their deepest fears. He calls himself "Scarecrow" and revels in psychologically driving his opponents to the brink of despair to build his own power. He's an adversary even Batman finds troublesome.
Okay, now that we've covered so many questions.
How did a university psychology professor become an employee at an evolution factory? And a department head at that!
What, do chemical agents also need psychological guidance?
Who recruited him? Look into my eyes! Answer my question!
Players now understand what those hazardous chemicals were for—to create fear gas. They also realize this wasn't Scarecrow's doing alone—Black Mask and Scarecrow were collaborating. Black Mask was responsible for transporting the raw materials, while Scarecrow was responsible for producing the fear gas. With this seamless process, Gotham was on the verge of collapse.
The two of them together are definitely more than the sum of their parts.
Batman's workload has increased yet again. Wen Yue revealed a weary smile typical of a working-class person.
The Scarecrow and Black Mask had been operating the factory for some time. Before Batman discovered them, they had already transported large quantities of hazardous materials into the chemical plant by truck. They knew exactly what they were up to.
In recent years, due to his rebellious eldest son Red Hood's constant clashes with Black Mask, Red Hood first controlled some gangs affiliated with Black Mask, and then suppressed his drug dealers and arms dealers. Coupled with Penguin's underhanded tactics, Black Mask's plans and businesses were repeatedly disrupted, his territory shrank, and the Black Mask gang's development gradually declined. Therefore, Black Mask needed a weapon to break the deadlock and deter others—that weapon was Fear Gas.
While Scarecrow sought funding and support, he also aimed to expand his power and dominate the region. He plotted to gain control of the chemical plant, as only Ace Chemicals possessed the facilities to mass-produce toxic gas and release widespread toxic smog. His ultimate goal was to use widespread toxic gas to make the entire East Coast of the United States his territory.
However, due to Batman's appearance, a large number of dangerous items were lost along the way (the players put them in their game inventory). In addition, Harvey Dent caught Black Mask red-handed recently, and the district attorney somehow collected evidence of Black Mask's crimes (given by the players). The solid evidence landed him in jail, and these days Red Hood is also causing trouble for him.
Various factors have forced the delivery of hazardous chemicals to be interrupted for several days. The Scarecrow and Black Mask's plan is still in the preparation stage, meaning the players have ample time to finalize their plans.
Task refresh —
[The new primary objective: Find the Scarecrow's trail and stop his plan to spread poison gas.]
A note from the author:
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