98 Desert: Tent
104.
"The truth is out there. Whether it can be seen depends solely on the means of those who hide it."
Tim Drake spoke as he casually removed his black cape and tossed it aside. Beneath the cape lay another uniform—a uniform originally designed to protect his family from his past transgressions. Now, it represented Red Robin's independence... a discovery he had made of his own will.
There was no fifth person here, only him, the farmer, the blond girl who looked like a Kryptonian, and Ra's al Ghul standing not far away.
This conceited man obviously thought Tim wouldn't attack him right now, so he went to the meeting alone. But Tim knew that if he or anyone around him showed any hostility, these ghostly killers would soon come and surround them.
"You've made some minor adjustments to your attire," Lars observed him, his sharp eyes scanning Tim's every movement, as if deciphering his thoughts and digging into his mind. His tone was filled with his usual superiority: "You've taken off your goggles... Are you finally not getting lost in the sand here anymore?"
Tim's expression didn't change. He just held his forehead helplessly and said, "...I just made a temporary fix because my goggles were broken."
Ra's had more than one base around the world, so finding this place took quite a while. Red Robin had also raided a bandit hideout along the way—that's when his goggles and spare parts were damaged. Who else would expose such a vulnerable part of their eyes?
Upon hearing this, Lass raised one eyebrow imperceptibly, as if examining how much truth there was in the mouth of this overly young yet surprisingly stubborn opponent.
This desert was no different from his other strongholds. The detective's ability to find this place was itself a challenge - his ability did not threaten the Demon Chief. On the contrary, Lars felt a sense of interesting satisfaction in his heart - he actually enjoyed this game process very much and did not mind starting another game.
Red Robin was unaware of the other party's plan. He raised his hand to adjust the belt of his uniform and said in a calm and clear voice:
"Intelligence tells me that a few months ago, the Assassin's League discovered an altar in the desert... After that, your behavior patterns began to become abnormal."
Lars didn't respond, his green eyes flickering as if he was observing a battle between hunter and prey.
"On the surface, your men still respect you as before, but rumors have already begun to spread behind the scenes." Tim raised his head slightly, his eyes meeting Lars's green eyes, without flinching.
Red Robin deliberately changed his voice when the student spoke, as if the leaker was right in front of them, among the four of them.
"They say—Ras al Ghul, the Lord they follow, is being corrupted by his own nature and losing his mind."
The secret room was very soundproof. Tim felt a little sorry that he couldn't hear the howling wind in the desert when the other party was silent, which made the whole conversation less interesting.
"Humanity is always fearful and ignorant. I thought you had transcended the mundane world and could ignore those rumors."
Sensing the hidden threat in these words, Tim's fingers quietly climbed up the equipment on his waist, and his whole body seemed like a string that could be retracted at any moment: "...But I think there is also some truth in the rumor."
Tim Drake was firm in his attitude, and Lars realized that it would be difficult to persuade the detective to change his judgment by persuading him, so he simply changed his strategy and used a seemingly tolerant attitude to cover up his ambition.
"I've already dealt with those traitors. You can't fail to find witnesses." Lars' voice was low and cold, the embodiment of unquestionable authority. "As for my confession, I don't think you would believe it even if I told you in person, 'I have never changed.'"
"For the sake of our past 'cooperation'... Detective, why don't you give each other another chance?"
Lars: "Stay here for a while and see what you can find. Just treat it as a game."
Before Tim could answer, the Alliance Master's gaze drifted away from him—falling straight on Aria like a kite.
For a moment, something flashed in Lars's sharp green eyes, and a smile that could almost be called kind formed the corners of his mouth. "But it seems that your friend seems to have her own ideas."
"?"
A huge question mark almost appeared over the farmer's head.
The farmer blinked blankly, looking at Tim, then Mr. Qi, then Kara. She had thought she'd stop encountering people who didn't speak human language after leaving Zuzu City, but she hadn't expected the new, small desert map to have a serious overabundance of Riddlers. Either Riddlers were an infectious disease, or there was no way to explain why everyone was speaking in such a roundabout and sarcastic way.
However, the first thing that needs to be clarified should be her relationship with the hooded young man. Although the farmer is happy to make friends everywhere, there must not be any misunderstandings that affect the actions of NPCs.
"Actually, we..."
"She's my teammate." The guy with a golden bird on his chest interrupted Aria. He glanced at Aria. Logically, the farmer should be able to read something from his eyes, but Tim Drake seemed to have overestimated Aria's ability to read people's expressions.
The farmer's eyes lit up eagerly: "So you will fulfill my wish too?"
Tim Drake: "..."
Even though Lars's reaction confirmed that Aria was the key candidate, Red Robin didn't feel any sense of accomplishment.
He misjudged the situation. The farmer was completely unaware of the danger posed by "Mr. Qi."
Tim seriously suspected that she was one of those confused kids who wrote "Satan" instead of "Santa" in their Christmas wishes - or in her eyes, there was no difference between the two.
…
It turns out that when the Demon Chief takes on the role of Mr. Qi, he can also be amiable and gentle, and choose the most suitable mask.
As if possessed by an evil spirit, Lars put on Mr. Mozzie's inscrutable smile and said slowly and evenly, "Of course, of course, child. I am happy to provide you with everything you need to help you achieve success."
Aria: "Can you lend me the pool that can revive people?"
Russ's smile dropped five points.
Tim Drake knew what she meant: the Lazarus Pool, the miraculous spring whose waters could restore youth in the short term and restore the dead to the living in the long term. Ever since Ra's al Ghul discovered it, the Lazarus Pool had become the foundation of his brutal rule.
But Drake didn't think that Lars would lend the pool easily - each Lazarus Pool had a limited number of uses. Even if some force that affected Lars's mind turned him into "Mr. Qi", he would definitely have a backup plan.
Either be on guard or exchange interests for greater benefits.
Sure enough, Red Robin's mind raced as Lars spoke: "...You know the rules between us, right?"
Although Jiangdao has not yet opened...but Mr. Qi himself is the principle!
"I know!" Aria responded cheerfully: "Do I need to deliver 50 popular gifts or go down to the bottom of the updated mine?" Although these two tasks are time-consuming, they are not that difficult to do. Among all the tasks given by Mr. Qi, the most terrifying one should be planting Qi melons!
The farmer doesn't want to plant the blue melon that looks like Mr. Qi in his field! Even if Mr. Qi has a beautification mod, he still can't do it!
She'd never forget the despair she felt when she accepted the mission and had to find Qidou the moment she opened her eyes. These things weren't tasty, weren't good gifts, and had almost no economic value. The farmer couldn't understand why Mr. Qi wanted so many melons with faces like his own... He couldn't just make them into merchandise, could he?
In short, no matter how many files come, Aria will not do the Qigua mission!
Not sure if he heard Aria's inner roar, "Mr. Qi" paused, looked at Tim Drake standing beside him, and an idea was born.
"I have read all the ancient books..."
"Deep in this desert lies a mineral deposit, where opportunities and dangers coexist. Countless travelers have set out to search for it, but ultimately returned empty-handed..."
Lars stared at Aria with a sharp gaze. "I know you have a way to open it. Since you're teammates, how about using your key and your detective wisdom to find the riches of this desert for me?"
…
"Red Robin, Batman's assistant," Tim Drake handed the tent package to Aria and introduced himself. "You heard what Lars said. You have a request, and I have the answer I want. In a sense, we are now true teammates."
The target had been confirmed, so there was no need to conceal his identity. Tim Drake was currently lacking a way to build a closer relationship with the farmer, and mentioning a mutual acquaintance at the right time was extremely effective in dispelling the other's defenses. Although Aria's behavior made him doubt whether this person had any such thing as "defense," the ultimate result showed that the farmer had already accepted him as one of his own.
Tim Drake easily solved the most critical link, and he always felt a sense of unreality. Fortunately, there was still work waiting for him to set up the tent, so he could sort out his complicated thoughts while doing the manual work.
…
As expected of Mr. Qi! He even gave out portable tents! Aria excitedly dropped the compressed package onto the ground, and a yellow tent popped out.
"Look! Kara!" Aria stretched out her arms and scattering flowers, like a magician completing a performance. "Isn't it super cool? Convenient and hassle-free!"
Kara clapped along, feeling that the civilization of this planet was sometimes advanced and sometimes backward: some uses of the same items were as convenient as magic, while others were so primitive that it made people think they had traveled to a parallel universe.
For example, the boy in the red and black uniform.
Kara's excellent eyesight revealed Red Robin crouched on the ground, several long poles in hand, his brow furrowed as he assembled the tent one by one. He had already positioned the lighting system, his movements meticulous, almost obsessive. Compared to Aria's work, his tent construction looked more like the assembly of some precision weapon.
Kara narrowed her eyes, ready to carefully observe this "parallel universe shelter construction method", but suddenly found that Aria was gone.
"Let me help you!"
Aria's voice came from another direction.
She ran wildly towards Tim and casually placed a ziplock bag next to him. Before Tim could stop her, the tent fabric expanded with a "bang", almost brushing his nose and expanding, completely covering the poles and light sources that had been neatly placed just a moment ago, and stood up strangely without support.
Tim was stunned for a second, slowly put down the pole in his hand, and looked at Aria very calmly.
"What did you just do?"
"Helping you!" Aria patted the new tent triumphantly. "One click and done, quick and easy! Look, it's done in three seconds!"
"We're teammates, so it's only natural for teammates to help each other. No need to thank me!"
The corners of Tim's mouth twitched slightly, as if he was using his willpower to resist a certain thought in his mind - five seconds later, he won.
"Aria," Red Robin's voice barely rose or fell, "I was just setting up my tent with poles."
The farmer winked. "Yeah, you did it! That's awesome!"
Tim narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if silently counting down his patience: "Where are the poles?"
"The pole?" Aria looked around and became unsure. "...Oh, right, where's the pole?"
Before she could finish her words, Tim leaned over and lifted up a corner of the tent.
Sure enough, all the poles were piled in a mess in the tent, and the originally arranged light sources were crushed and flickered weakly and desperately.
Kara saw it all clearly: Red Robin took a deep breath, then another, and asked with a tone of desperate calm, "So, what do you think... should I live in the pole pile next, or build it again?"
The farmer glanced to the right, a look that showed he knew he had made a mistake. "...Can I pick three?"
Red Robin forced a smile. At this moment, he was probably more terrifying than the League of Assassins. "There is no third option."
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Happy New Year everyone! Ngi mua: @u_296245, 01/01/2025 21:23
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