42. Gotham: Say Goodbye to Bad Temptation
50.
Aria actually wanted to have a deeper discussion with Lincoln March about Batman's reputation in Zuzu City. As a city dweller, he must know more than Aria. Knowing more about Batman would be very helpful for her life in Zuzu City.
Of course, it would be even better if you could learn about the other person's preferences from rumors. By sending more gifts, you might be able to find out the locations of hidden trash cans and fishing spots in Zuzu City from the conversation and discover more Easter eggs.
The man was not very interested in the topic related to Batman. Fortunately, the topic did not continue. The sudden noise on the first floor interrupted it all.
Lincoln March frowned slightly and was about to call the waiter to inquire about the situation when he saw Aria stand up at a speed comparable to a rocket, with an expression of "Let me hear what happened" written on her face.
Noticing his gaze, she calmly sat back down, but the spark of gossip in her eyes never faded.
"Ahem, sorry. It's just a professional habit, a professional habit."
Lincoln March did not expose her. The man just laughed it off and picked up the bell with his left hand and shook it three times.
Another waiter emerged from the darkness. His uniform was slightly different from the previous waiter's, and he looked like a higher-level manager. If you looked closely at the nameplate on his chest, you could tell he was the manager.
The manager leaned forward slightly and said, "...Mr. March."
"What happened?" he asked in a low voice. Aria seemed to be sipping her drink nonchalantly, but in reality, her ears were perked up.
The man bowed again and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry to disturb your meal."
"There was an unexpected incident with our reservation system. A guest made a reservation but didn't report it to us in time, resulting in no available seats... But don't worry, we have someone assigned to handle it, and we won't bother you again."
As if God was against him, as soon as the manager finished speaking, another waiter came over and whispered something in his ear.
The manager's expression became extremely complicated, with a mixture of surprise and envy. He glanced at Lincoln March in a way he thought was inconspicuous, and his voice became awkward and stiff:
"I'm sorry sir, I'm afraid I'll have to leave you for a while..." The apology in his words was even stronger than before, but this time it seemed that no amount of apology would be enough.
“…That gentleman bought this place.”
Aria opened her eyes wide and showed an expression that said, "Is this human language?" "Are we going to be kicked out?" If she was really kicked out, Aria planned to squat on the steps at the entrance of the restaurant with Lincoln March and share the few foods she took out, so that everyone could see how this restaurant treated its customers.
The manager felt a chill run down his spine. He was relying solely on years of work experience, his will to survive at full tilt. "Of course not! You're our valued guest, so we naturally prioritize protecting your rights."
"...Please rest assured, continue eating, we will definitely take care of this matter."
"Perhaps it's okay?" Bruce Wayne quietly arrived with a cynical smile on his face. The dazzling light that had originally shone only on the dining table paled in comparison to the Prince of Gotham. "My intention wasn't to ruin a good time for everyone. It's just that the staff here made a mistake, and I just happened to be 'lucky' enough to pay for it."
Facing the new boss, the manager didn't dare to make any unnecessary excuses and just followed Wayne with an agreeing smile.
Lincoln March's eyes met his, and he maintained his cordial and friendly demeanor. The two people wearing social masks met each other like two smooth bubbles in a bathroom.
"Nice to meet you here, Bruce." He looked behind Wayne teasingly, as if there was really someone standing behind him: "Where's your female companion? Is she the same one as before?"
"Are you talking about Issa or Bella?" Wayne spread his hands helplessly, looking very innocent: "I was kicked out! Fortunately, I have Vanessa, so I didn't have to come here to eat alone." In fact, his female companion wanted to eat in this restaurant no matter what, and even had a dispute with the restaurant staff for this. In order to make a big deal out of a small matter, Gotham Baby simply used his "money power" to resolve the incident.
"She said she was going to the bathroom to fix her makeup, and I heard a friend was here too, so I came over to check it out."
Bruce's gaze fell on Aria. She remembered the bomb she had given away as a gift before and became inexplicably nervous.
Wayne quickly noticed this tension, and he smiled a little and winked at her.
"Don't worry, I won't reveal a beautiful lady's private itinerary to anyone. I don't think Mayor Lewis is so strict as to forbid his subordinates from dating, right?"
What the hell is going on? The farmer has to admit defeat to Bruce Wayne's overly rich imagination, but he'd better not let people misunderstand him and affect Lincoln March.
"Mr. Wayne," Aria said seriously. She always had to mentally hold onto her inventory when talking to Bruce, lest any items fly out of her bag, voluntarily or involuntarily. "We're just having a normal meal. Please don't ruin the great friendship between Mr. Lincoln and me."
If he doesn't do this kind of good thing of helping with work and treating her to a meal again, she will make a lot of money from Wayne.
Lincoln March's eyes drooped - unconscious micro-expressions can best reflect a person's inner thoughts, but the next moment he quickly picked up the conversation.
"Yes, Bruce," Lincoln said with a smile, "I invited Miss Aria to come over and try this delicious food - there's nothing going on between us."
Wayne had a face that looked like he would be forgiven for anything he did, but for something that seemed insignificant to the farmer, he smiled and apologized to her: "Sorry, I was abrupt."
Aria was a little surprised, and then she heard Wayne continue:
"As an apology, from now on, this place will be free for both of you for life..."
!!!
After playing for so long, she had never seen such a lavish and inhumane apology. Aria had completely forgotten about Wayne's previous bombing scam. She now simply wanted to write a resume on the spot and hand it to Bruce Wayne for a one-on-one Boss Direct Hire.
The farmer wavered back and forth between "Are you still short of people?" and "Don't give in to JOJA," barely maintaining his moral bottom line.
Aria didn't think there was anything wrong with showing off. After receiving such a great gift, it seemed that any thanks seemed insignificant: "Thank you, Mr. Wayne!"
If there was a restaurant that was open to her for free, Aria wouldn't have to cling to the Queen of Sauces on TV—she could go to the restaurant every now and then to learn new recipes, and the recipes included in the new Mod might be among them.
This thank you was sincere. Batman looked at the two of them under Bruce Wayne's mask.
A few days ago, he became alert when the locator on Aria failed, and immediately tried to confirm the safety of the mayor and her through other means.
The surveillance cameras installed in the mayor's residence hadn't found anything unusual so far. Lewis's daily routine was more regular than most people in Gotham. No matter what he experienced or where he went during the day, when the second hand completed a circle and it was ten o'clock in the evening, the new mayor would have already lain in bed, ready to fall asleep.
Not only that, Lewis's actions at other times also revealed a strong sense of planning, but Batman has not been able to figure out the pattern yet - but judging from Lewis's current performance, it is enough for Batman to write "pathological obsessive-compulsive symptoms in time planning" into his file.
It was on such a night that Lewis fell into a deep sleep under surveillance, and the locator on Aria sent a signal for the last time, which was near the new mayor's residence.
He had modified the locators several times. If the ones given to Aria were violently disassembled or crushed, the locators would activate a disposable camera to record the surrounding situation.
——But no image was returned, like a drop of water merging into another, the locator disappeared without a trace.
Batman tried to check the nearby surveillance, but the surveillance happened to be broken that day. He went to the mayor's mansion to check, and everything was the same as before.
Perhaps it was just a malfunction of the locator, or perhaps the space-based mutant had interfered with the locator. Batman recorded the error and planned to fix the problem in the next round of improvements.
Then he received the photos that Vicki Weir sent him.
Gordon was the middleman. The not-so-young police chief lacked sufficient knowledge of image synthesis technology, and this matter was not suitable for analysis by professionals in the police's physical evidence department. Mayor Lewis was still alive and well. If the news leaked from the physical evidence department, Gotham would inevitably be in chaos again.
So under the batlight that was as bright as daylight, he handed the photos to Batman.
"Vicki Weir says she saw it with her own eyes and took the photos herself." Standing near the Batlight, the intense heat was practically breaking into sweat. Yet, these two men, one bundled up tightly, baring only his chin, while the other, dressed in a spring trench coat, studied the photos as if nothing had happened. "But we all know that the Gotham media's credibility is nearing bankruptcy. The GCPD can't trust a single person's word."
What's more, the most important witness, Mayor Lewis, was still alive and kicking. He had also heard about the mayor's recent efforts to declare war on the Gotham gangs.
"Do you think Clayface did it?"
"Clayface is still in Arkham." He checked it out when he beat Harley Quinn back to Arkham Asylum yesterday. All the criminals who had been imprisoned were there, including the most cunning Joker. When he saw Batman, he was like a mad dog seeing a car, baring his teeth and muttering to himself through the prison bars. The Joker only calmed down under the triple effects of tranquilizers, straitjackets and security.
But there was no need to let Gordon know about this. Batman took the photos and asked, "How is Vicki Weir doing now?"
If this was true, he didn't think the people behind the scenes would let her go.
"The editor-in-chief of the Gotham Gazette has given her a leave of absence. I have increased the police patrols near her home to ensure her safety during this time."
Batman nodded, "I'll get to the bottom of this."
Gordon felt more at ease having such a partner. He turned off the batlight and prepared to give his "partner" a few more words of advice. The place where Batman had been standing was now empty, with only the howling wind in Gotham at night.
Gordon silently lit a cigarette... and turned around. He should have been used to it by now.
…
It was an accident that Bruce Wayne met Aria in the restaurant, but her close relationship with Lincoln March undoubtedly attracted Batman's attention.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to talk to the two people, he planned to cleverly drop the modified positioning eavesdropper from his fingertips, so that he could know the specific content of their conversation without having to force himself to join.
...Unexpectedly, as soon as the listening device disguised as an obsidian earring was thrown out, it cleverly turned a corner in the air and slipped into Aria's bag as if recognizing someone.
The farmer was stunned. He reached back into his bag and fumbled around. Then he said hesitantly, "Mr. Wayne, it seems your ear clip has fallen off."
She forgot she was wearing the magnetic ring!
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