30. Gotham: Bomb Scam (Part 2)
38.
Aria had packaged the explosives well—she took a nice, clean dessert paper from the dessert table and wrapped the bomb into a pink ball.
Fortunately, it was packaged, otherwise Wayne couldn't imagine how chaotic it would be if other people at the party saw it.
It is not too difficult to develop muscle conditioned reflex after years of deliberate training, but it takes a stronger will to suppress this conditioned reflex.
Because of the people at Arkham Asylum, Batman had experienced countless moments of waltzing face-to-face with bombs, and had repeatedly defused dangers on the verge of exploding. Therefore, his first instinct when he saw a bomb was to tackle the person and subdue him, disposing of the bomb as quickly as possible. Placing it in the explosion-proof barrel at Wayne Manor and letting it explode silently was the calculated shortest way.
But Wayne resisted the urge.
Judging from the outline, this is a fairly traditional bomb, and it is currently in a stable state without being ignited.
If the other party is subdued rashly, it will cause panic among other people in the banquet hall, and people's confidence in Gotham's construction plan will inevitably be greatly reduced.
Bruce Wayne looked at her silently. Although Aria looked a little nervous, her body language was quite relaxed. She was not like the Joker who tortured and killed for fun. At present, Wayne and the new mayor had relatively consistent interests. Excluding all possible interference factors, the remaining conclusion, no matter how bizarre, was the final tendency.
Wayne analyzed the situation calmly for a moment and realized that she might really want to give him the bomb as a gift... If that was the case, he could easily resolve the matter quietly in a more gentle and effective way.
Thinking of the many child psychology books he had studied in his study but which eventually gathered dust, Bruce Wayne naturally applied them to the expectant farmer.
Because children have an unclear understanding of the world, they always have their own views on things. Sometimes the social meaning of language or gifts does not completely match their original intentions. Batman does not believe that the other party's mental level is only at the level of a child, but it is Bruce Wayne who is standing here and needs to deal with the situation. He needs to make himself believe this first before he can control the situation within a reasonable range.
The farmer smiled and said, "This is very easy to use. Just touch it and move away from the explosion range. It can basically blow up anything underground."
Speaking of explosives, Aria, who has considerable experience in blasting mines, shared everything she knew and even explained the precautions: "But don't put it next to boxes with things in them or valuable equipment!" The poor farmer once accidentally placed a bomb in the room one day, and as a result, the home decoration and the things in the boxes flew all over the floor, forcing him to go back to the game urgently.
Taking the round bomb, Bruce Wayne put aside the distant politeness he had just shown when facing the speculators, and showed a bit of curiosity about seeing new things - he must have been well protected by his family. The time when he encountered the mixed bomb in the bathroom due to his excessive curiosity was probably the closest moment to danger in his life.
"This bomb looks different from the one we found in the restroom." He weighed the palm-sized bomb in his hand, his pretty lips pursed slightly, like a cat finding a new toy. "Where did you find it?"
Of course, the farmer couldn't tell him that this was a scam—that story sounded too dark! It was totally inappropriate to tell Bruce.
Saying it was a gift from a fairy, Bruce Wayne is past the age of believing in fairies. But saying it was found in a trash can—the farmer still hasn't dared to admit to any NPC that some of the gifts she gave them came from the trash can. Seeing her rummaging through the trash can would make them lose favorability. If they really knew the truth, it would be terrible.
After much deliberation, the farmer chose the most common excuse: "I picked it up on the road."
If bombs could be found everywhere on the streets of Gotham, then Batman and Gordon's years of work would have been in vain.
Faced with such an outrageous reason from the farmer, Bruce Wayne still accepted the gift. However, Mr. Wayne, an excellent citizen of Gotham City who has always been law-abiding, still has some concerns about the legality of the gift.
"I really like this gift you gave me, but... Commissioner Gordon is here today, and its safety seems questionable." Wayne frowned slightly in curiosity. "He might confiscate it."
Aria didn't hear the hidden meaning in his words. She thought Wayne was worried that he would be out of fun after the chief of the Zuzu City Police Department confiscated his stuff. She patted her chest with relief and said, "Don't worry. If he confiscates it, I'll give it to you. I still have a lot."
Bruce Wayne glanced over quietly, and before the farmer noticed anything was wrong, his gaze instantly switched to infectious joy.
Wayne nodded gracefully, his tone drawn out, somewhat resembling that of his British butler:
"That's really, really good."
…
It felt like a bomb scam, Aria thought dazedly.
Originally, he only planned to give the other party a bomb to test his preference, but Bruce Wayne really knew how to control people. He expressed his affection appropriately, and coupled with those charming blue eyes, he fully displayed 200% of his charm when he was alone. With just a few words, he made the farmer empty the 999 bomb stock.
If Aria hadn't thought of saving some for bombing the mines and hadn't used her last bit of sanity to protect her inventory, Wayne would probably have taken away all the bombs stored in her other slots.
"I want to go out for some fresh air." Facing Wayne's gaze of "Is there any more? I really want it!", the farmer opened the door and prepared to escape: "...The air here is too stuffy and I can't breathe! I'm going to take a walk in the garden!"
Although it's fun to give gifts to others and I'm happy to know one of Bruce Wayne's hobbies...but city people are really terrible! They are completely out to rip off the farmers!
Aria's shadow hurriedly disappeared behind the door, and Bruce Wayne put away the smile that had been on his face.
He moved lightly, leaving the "encirclement" formed by hundreds of round bombs, and lightly touched his solar plexus to communicate with Alfred: "Alfred, I need two extra-large explosion-proof barrels."
Alfred handed the plate to another waiter, and his voice quickly came back: "It will be here soon, Master Wayne."
As soon as Alfred opened his mouth, Wayne knew he was going to make fun of him, but unfortunately Bruce Wayne almost never succeeded in stopping the British from using their sense of humor.
"You finally think that your youthful ideas are the right path. Are you ready to blow up Wayne Manor?"
“…”
…
Dick Grayson has actually been quite curious about Aria since the day Daffodils and Leeks appeared in the Batcave.
The Batcave's intelligence network spans the globe, and sometimes when Nightwing encounters a difficult situation in Bludhaven, he will come back to "borrow" the Batcomputer - Alfred will let him stay overnight, plus a dinner.
The food Alfred cooks is much better than the food provided by the police station. If the situation is not so urgent and there is no big trouble in Gotham tonight, Nightwing will usually gladly accept the invitation and stay for a big meal.
Bruce used to chat with him briefly over dinner about the latest situation in Blüdhaven, or criticize the recent mess - Dick no longer wanted to complain about why Batman knew more about his situation than his ex-girlfriend, just because he was Batman.
"Master Wayne, I believe you've read the wrong educational texts," the polite Alfred said tactfully. "I've never seen any educational book that recommends criticizing children specifically at the dinner table as the best way to achieve the best results."
Bruce silently forked the dishes he didn't like out of the plate and stopped talking.
Dick was somewhat amused and confused by this - even though he had grown up and could even protect a city on his own, in Alfred's eyes they were still children, the only difference being Bruce was a big kid and he was a small kid.
…But even if the topics we talk about at the dinner table are heavy, it’s still nice to be able to talk.
As the first child to come to this home, Dick Grayson knew better than anyone the changes that had taken place here. Something irreversible had taken away Jason, as well as some of the laughter that should have continued to exist.
Bruce was more taciturn than before, and it seemed that there was no third topic for them to talk about except work and Gotham.
So compared to Bruce who took the initiative to start the conversation, Dick became the one who talked more - he collected information along the way and also paid attention to the changes in the Batcave. This robin fluttered back from outside like a messenger, adding vitality and energy to the home - helping the one with a short rebellious period to share the family pressure, and at the same time deal with the one who was in a rebellious period since birth.
The Batcave actually changes frequently. Arkham Asylum is full of talented people, and Batman often needs to modify the Batmobile and armor to deal with different enemies. What Dick is referring to here is the humanistic changes.
Like a bouquet of fresh, bright daffodils... and leeks that look freshly pulled from the ground.
At first, Dick Grayson thought it was Poison Ivy who had done something strange. This extreme environmentalist often liked to tamper with plants, creating pheromones with various effects that made people hard to guard against. But he soon discovered that the way Batman analyzed the slices of these plants seemed to indicate that this was the work of a new character.
After Batman finished the test, Nightwing leaned over and asked, "What's the problem?"
Gotham is a place of great talent and good fortune. Not long after he left, new criminals emerged.
Unexpectedly, Batman shook his head: "Everything is scientifically normal." No matter which data results are analyzed, these are just ordinary daffodils and vegetables.
"...So, this is just an ordinary gift?" Dick Grayson felt a little regretful when he saw the broken flowers. He knew that for safety reasons, Bruce would destroy the remaining materials after the test. When he knew that the gift was given by a girl, his regret was even more magnified.
Nightwing had already imagined in his mind a tragic story of bravely pursuing love but failing to get it, so much so that when he actually met the person involved, his mind still hadn't formed yet, and his eyes swept over the other person intentionally or unintentionally several times.
Then he watched Bruce follow her into the living room. After a while, the girl ran out by herself and ran into the garden as if there was a monster chasing her.
Bruce turned off the communication, and Nightwing had no way of knowing what happened between them, but out of conscience, even though there were surveillance cameras everywhere in Wayne Manor, he felt that he still needed to keep an eye on her to prevent her from getting upset.
…
Wayne Manor has its own secrets, but the secrets are buried deep underground and the gardens are completely open to the guests who come.
Dick Grayson watched the girl named Aria pace around the garden distractedly.
The gardens looked quite nice during the day. Alfred had arranged the estate in perfect order, as if he had eight hands. He was also quite accomplished in gardening appreciation—most of the trees trimmed into shapes were his work. However, most of the guests who visited the estate were more focused on Bruce Wayne, and few of them bothered to appreciate the architecture and flowers in the estate.
Aria stopped in front of a rather elegant tree. Being back in nature calmed her down. Like Alice in Wonderland, she took in everything here with a look of pure wonder—perhaps Alfred would have enjoyed a conversation with such a guest.
It’s a pity that this guest with aesthetic taste saw Wayne Manor at night, where the beauty of many plants and trees was obscured by the night lights.
Aria stopped in the night. With Nightwing's excellent eyesight, she seemed to be attracted by something moving on the ground. Although she didn't know why there were three earthworms twisting neatly on the ground, perhaps they were fighting with each other and then partially entangled in the soil, the girl took out a tool and seemed to be preparing to shovel them out and separate them.
...Wait, being helpful is a good thing, but when did this extend to earthworms?
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Wayne is three points "drunk", the performance is heartbreaking.jpg
When Bruce started studying child psychology in order to adopt a child, he certainly didn't expect that it would be used in this way later. (tea)
Aria at Wayne Manor: Wow! Ancient spots! I dig! Wayne Manor is so beautiful (thumbs up)
(Turning the pan) (Stir-frying) (Add salt) (Serving piping hot)
Thank you all for eating my cooking, TT. I wonder if I can make a third pot today. I'll send you some red envelopes in this chapter or the next one (bow to thank the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution between 2024-07-19 00:50:48 and 2024-07-19 17:28:55~)
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: enyway 62 bottles; 33747549 10 bottles; White Deer, Verity 5 bottles; Ilzah 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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