Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Is this also your job?
When Elio saw Bruce Wayne on Abstergo's list of assassins, he was surprised, but quickly found a reasonable reason for it: Wayne must have said "no" to Abstergo.
——So he didn't ask why.
Elio was even more surprised when he discovered the vigilantes of the Justice League arguing over who should protect Bruce Wayne. But he quickly found a logical reason: Wayne was a funder of the Justice League, and that was no secret. And if he had the time to launch a few satellites into space for superheroes around the world, Gotham's local vigilantes would surely have been in his good graces.
In other words, Gotham's local vigilantes must have received his funding and may even have had a close relationship with him.
Considering that Wayne often expresses his dissatisfaction with Batman in public, and Batman and even the members of the Heroes still work hard to save him from danger...that must be a huge amount of funding.
——So he didn't ask why.
And when Elio is appointed to protect Bruce Wayne, he is finally very surprised and can't find a reasonable reason - but by then, it's too late to ask why.
"Okay," the assassin said stubbornly, "I will."
This was truly a difficult task. To the assassin who had murdered so many celebrities, Bruce Wayne, who had been kidnapped so many times and had almost always paid ransom, seemed as docile as a lamb, one who was raised in captivity, well-fed, and had never been exposed to the cold wind of the wild.
The key point is that he doesn't like staying at home - Wayne Manor, which is far away from the city, heavily guarded and heavily defended - look at what information Elio has collected, Bruce hardly spends a night in Wayne Manor!
If he wasn't at a party drinking and reveling, he'd definitely be leaving early with his female companion, or perhaps he'd be drunk and reckless, getting kicked out while a bunch of nosy people watched and recorded him laughing...
Elio expressionlessly closed the video of Wayne dancing at the Iceberg Restaurant that he had accidentally found.
All I can say is that Cobert had reasons for blacklisting him.
If Elio had been the assassin tasked with killing Wayne, he would have jumped for joy. He'd never met a richer man more approachable than Wayne; presumably, all it took was good looks. But unfortunately, this time, Elio was the assassin tasked with protecting him.
Desperate Elio couldn't help but start to fantasize, "If I pretend to be a girl..."
"What?"
"I can get close to Wayne, knock him out, and hide him," Elio imagined, "until this Abstergo thing is over."
Red Hood fell into a long silence. His shoulders shook suspiciously.
"What do you think?" the assassin asked.
Elio turned to find that Red Hood had donned his mask again. The vigilante seemed to be seriously considering his proposal, his head half-lowered, his right fist pressed to his mouth, his expression clearly serious beneath the cover.
Elio said regretfully, "If you think this is the way an outlaw would act..."
"No, no, no," Red Hood interrupted, "I think this is a brilliant plan."
"Why did you suddenly turn on the mechanical sound?"
"It's built into the mask." Under the assassin's suspicious gaze, Red Hood (his mask) remained calm and said, "Murder is always easier than protection. I would do the same, but if the target was Bruce..." He paused suspiciously, and a few gurgling sounds came out of his throat. "I don't recommend it."
As much as he really wanted to see the fun, Red Hood thought regretfully, Gotham was already in enough chaos right now, and it wasn't suitable for this kind of mayhem.
"so?"
"You could just tell him," Red Hood suggested.
"…I walk right up to him," Elio gestured in disbelief, "and tell him someone's trying to kill him and I'm Batman's protector? Will he believe it?"
·
"That's it," Elio said seriously, "Mr. Wayne. If you understand, please nod."
Bruce nodded.
"One more trivial matter," Elio said. "Like any other vigilante, I don't like to be noticed. Please don't yell after I let you go, okay, Mr. Wayne? If we're on the same page..."
Bruce nodded.
"Well, I'll release you now, gently and kindly..." the assassin said, "and then we can have a good talk about this."
Bruce, having learned from his experience, nodded repeatedly. Elio kept his promise, and kindly and slowly loosened his hand from around Bruce's neck, removing the cold, hard, and lethal object from his waist.
A bottle of Coke.
"I'm sorry for treating you like that, Mr. Wayne," the assassin handed over the bottle of Coke, still dripping with water. "This is an apology. Do you like Coke?"
Bruce looked at the half of the assassin's face exposed under his hood with a frightened look, then looked at the bottle of Friendship Coke he held out, and finally breathed a sigh of relief, smoothed his sweaty black hair, and took the bottle of Coke.
"You really scared me, assassin." Bruce unscrewed the Coke, "Actually, you don't have to do this. Batman has already told me about this, and I have to say that I can protect myself..."
"Oh," the assassin suddenly realized, "No wonder he said I could tell you directly."
Bruce paused, "Who?"
"A vigilante friend of mine, never mind," the assassin said, "but I doubt you can protect yourself, Mr. Wayne. With all due respect, as one of the few good people left in Gotham, you really should pay more attention to your own safety."
For example, in this situation. After investigating Wayne's schedule, Elio discovered that Bruce would personally come to inspect the bookstore he had invested in, and the space between the bookshelves was always one of the most suitable breeding grounds for assassination plans.
What's even more "appropriate" is that Bruce actually doesn't like to have a bunch of bodyguards around him.
"If I keep surrounding myself with boring, muscular guys," he laughed nonchalantly, "how am I ever going to meet more beautiful women?"
Elio didn't answer immediately. He seemed to think for a moment. Bruce took a sip of his Coke and slowly screwed the cap back on. Only then did the assassin speak again.
"You are very important to Gotham, Mr. Wayne," Elio said. "You may not know me, but I grew up hearing your name. Without you, I might not be alive today. I can't represent all the people of Gotham, but I think I am still one of the countless people in Gotham who have benefited from your kindness, and I will say from the bottom of my heart..."
"Gotham can't live without you, Bruce Wayne."
Bruce paused. He was no stranger to this kind of praise. In those social gatherings, Gotham's celebrities would always toast to him with laughter, before or after he spent a fortune...
Bruce always laughed off such compliments, knowing that those who said them were either motivated by ulterior motives or out of social interaction; but when Elio - the young man who had suffered many misfortunes but miraculously retained his original intentions, the young man who gave him sincere advice for his safety - said this, Bruce knew that he could no longer laugh it off as he had in the past.
"I have a few important appointments that I'd better not cancel," Bruce sighed softly, "It seems I can't avoid taking up your time."
"Don't say that, Mr. Wayne," Elio shrugged. "That's my job."
·
"Is this your job too?" Bruce whispered.
Elio, now dressed in a waiter's uniform, passed him by. The assassin had removed his hood and painted over the scars on his face; a simple smear made him look completely different from the portrait on the wanted poster. To be honest, Elio was a little surprised. He didn't know how Bruce recognized him, especially since Bruce shouldn't have seen his face.
But when he turned around, Bruce had already blended into the crowd, more skillfully than the assassin he was. From a distance, Bruce raised his glass to him and winked playfully.
"Don't think I don't know what's in your cup," Elio laughed. "Mr. Wayne."
The assassin muttered as he quickly blended into the crowd. In front of and behind him, others, believing they had received a favor from Wayne, eagerly moved forward, quickly obscuring the figure of a seemingly unremarkable waiter.
But there were still people with sharp eyes who noticed who Wayne was toasting to.
"Who's that, Bruce?" Diana raised an eyebrow. "A new friend?"
"A new friend," Bruce admitted. "A new assassin. Abstergo is launching an offensive into Gotham, and he's worried about my safety."
Diana laughed, "Oh, another assassin who doesn't know who you are?"
Bruce laughed. They exchanged glances, each remembering the other assassin who had entered Gotham before, a figure Bruce hadn't realized was Batman's own assassin, despite his repeated attempts to hint at him.
"Who am I?" Bruce smiled and clinked his glass with hers, then whispered, "Who am I, Princess?"
"Gotham's Dark Knight, our beloved Bat," Diana said with a smile, "and the fragile and helpless baby Brucie. Come on, I also have a new friend to introduce to you."
The Princess of Paradise Island winked at him and turned around first. Bruce followed her pace without hesitation, passing through the bustling crowd, his eyes widened in surprise.
Not because he realized what a dazzling woman the friend Diana would introduce him to was. She was indeed beautiful, but that was the least of her qualities; she was strong and powerful, with strength written in her tan skin and muscles, and tenderness and wisdom written in her agate brown eyes... If there are people whose souls can be seen to sparkle at first glance, she must be one of them.
But Bruce was surprised for more than just this reason.
She is a warrior as powerful and brave as Diana, and a wise woman favored by time.
"Bruce, this is Cassandra from Sparta," Diana said with a smile, "Cassandra, this is Bruce Wayne, you know."
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Author's Note: *Bruce Wayne is on the Iceberg Restaurant's blacklist for drunkenly dancing on a penguin ice sculpture in only his boxer shorts.
**Ginger ale in Bruce's glass.
***Regarding “another assassin who doesn’t know who he is”, he is Alote, the protagonist of the previous book.
****The last one to appear is Kassandra, the protagonist of Assassin's Creed "Odyssey", a Greek mercenary during the Peloponnesian War, a super capable and super handsome sister... ps this one is also very fun!
Off topic, Oreo, who was observing secretly, was puzzled: Why are the three people in Bruce's corner all golden?
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