Day 24 of customs clearance
Countdown 00:59:48.
“Batman, there’s no word from the Oracle,” Nightwing said gravely. He had tried every possible method but still couldn’t locate the Oracle.
Nightwing saw the newspaper when he was using his daytime identity. News of Oracle's capture was everywhere, and he had even heard about it in Brudhaven.
Nightwing dared not think about how long Oracle had been captured or how long he had been out of contact.
According to their call logs, the last time they contacted the Oracle was three days ago. During the day, he was a junior police officer chasing a serial killer, and at night he was suppressing the Brood Haven gang.
The Arkham Knights' complete control over Gotham Port deeply affected Brood Haven. Gotham and Brood Haven were interdependent, both being port cities, especially Brood Haven, whose economy relied heavily on smuggling and gambling.
After the Arkham Knights took control of the port, they strictly prohibited trade with the outside world, thus strangling the lifeline of the Brudhaven sea transport route.
But how could the local gangs of Bruder Haven tolerate others holding their lives and fortunes in their hands? Many of them sensed the impending chaos in Gotham and wanted to profit from it.
Nightwing has targeted countless gang strongholds for this purpose, and the last time he contacted Oracle was to ask for her off-field assistance.
It seemed like a long time passed before Batman's message finally came through the communication channel.
"The oracle's capture is a trap; you cannot return."
Even through the communication device, you could hear Batman's tough, cold voice; it was a warning.
Nightwing laughed in exasperation. It was the same old story. Every time something happened, his first instinct wasn't to seek help, but to push everyone around him away.
"I didn't know this was a trap? But what will they do to her if we don't go back? Like the news in the newspapers, they'll tear her to pieces and send her back. We've all seen how the Arkham Knights treat their enemies. We can't afford to gamble!"
Nightwing's tone was somber. How could he not know that the news in the newspaper was a trap to lure the vigilantes into a trap? But it was an open conspiracy. As long as they had even a shred of affection for the Oracle, they would step into the trap willingly.
“I said I would stay in Brudhaven and bring back the oracle…”
"Is this a guarantee? What good is your guarantee! What if something goes wrong? That's Barbara's problem!"
There were even more hurtful words left unsaid, but they all thought of Robin, who, even after so long, still left scars on their hearts.
Batman remained silent for a moment, wanting to say something but ultimately saying nothing. He couldn't speak about things that were uncertain; there was always a 1% chance of something going wrong, even if there was a 99% chance.
How did Nightwing know that Oracle had been captured?
Nightwing quickly answered Batman's question, "Gotham's newspapers have all reached Broodhaven, and Batman still doesn't know about it."
"Or is the enemy too powerful, causing it to be beyond your control?"
"Stay in Broodhaven!" Batman commanded firmly.
They seemed to realize they had gone too far, causing the bat's internal communications to fall silent for a long time.
Nightwing doesn't care about Batman at all.
“An order? Batman, this is a notification. I’m informing you that you can’t stop me. I will bring Barbara back intact.”
Batman: "..."
Nightwing immediately cut off the communication after speaking and threw away all the tracking devices left by Batman.
He won't do as Batman wishes; he wants to get back to Gotham as quickly as possible.
Batman, whose communication was cut off, stood motionless in front of the Bat-Monitor. He looked at the monitor, and each frame did not show a clear person or object, but Batman knew they pointed to the Gotham Bridge.
He didn't want Nightwing to get involved in the operation against them. No, mainly it was him; both Oracle and Nightwing were implicated because of him.
Nightwing didn't know who the Arkham Knight was, but Batman was almost certain of his identity; too many coincidences made the most impossible possible.
No one knew that Batman once went to pry open a grave in the middle of the night to re-examine the remains inside, and the clues eventually went cold in the Middle East.
The Nightwing motorcycle sped along the road to the Gotham Bridge. As the fastest route into Gotham, if he was in a hurry, he would have no way to avoid the ambush on the bridge.
Without explosives to collapse the Gotham Bridge, everything would be fine.
As they got closer to Gotham, Nightwing became increasingly tense.
The journey was smooth sailing until the very next moment after leaving the Gotham Bridge.
He didn't know when, but many vine-like plants had appeared on both sides of Gotham Bridge. In his memory, there was only one person who could manipulate plants, and coincidentally, she wasn't in Arkham Asylum. Nightwing had a bad feeling.
Suddenly, the rampant growth of plants prevented Nightwing from taking the next step into Gotham. Layer upon layer of vines covered the sky, and the rapidly growing flower buds on them sprouted sharp teeth that gleamed with a chilling light.
At the very center, two thrones are intertwined and protected by vines. The one on the left, with green skin and an arrogant expression, is Poison Ivy, while the one on the right, with a two-tone ponytail, a cold expression, and a baseball bat on her shoulder, is Harley Quinn.
So you're working with, or serving, the Arkham Knights?
Nightwing's gaze was indifferent, as if he didn't care what it was. He pulled out the Cali Stick from behind him while simultaneously taking out the latest herbicide from the Bat family.
"Poison Ivy, aren't you standing with Harley Quinn and supporting the Joker anymore?"
Knowing exactly where to strike, Nightwing's words provoked Poison Ivy, causing her pale face to darken. Poison Ivy sneered:
"You brat, you don't know why but I know you're going to stay here today and wait for your Batman to come and save you."
"..."
Nightwing thought about it and decided against it. He wasn't in the mood. They were old acquaintances, so there was no need for further pleasantries. He was in a hurry.
Poison Ivy and her team didn't want to talk trash, so they started fighting in unison.
For a moment, the branches danced wildly, while Poison Ivy sat high, controlling the plants.
Harley Quinn leaped among the vines toward Nightwing, and Nightwing also used the vines to approach them, but everything they passed turned to withered yellow.
Poison Ivy was heartbroken; that was her beloved child. Why was she the one who got hurt in the battle between Arkham Knight and Batman?!
Harley Quinn's reckless attack on Nightwing further infuriated Poison Ivy.
Look at Harley! What are those Arkham Knights' henchmen that they can control Harley?
Thinking of that strange and terrifying gray-eyed youth, Poison Ivy's hair stood on end. That youth didn't treat people like human beings at all!
Although Poison Ivy didn't treat anyone like a human being except Harley Quinn, she had a gut feeling that the young man was capable of anything.
Poison Ivy instinctively felt that he was dangerous, but for the time being she had no way to resist.
Unfortunately, the person she hated most was not by her side, so Poison Ivy could only resentfully urge the plants to grow, no longer holding back and venting all her anger on Nightwing.
Batman wasn't surprised to see the green dot representing Nightwing getting closer to Gotham; if he could persuade Nightwing, he wouldn't be Nightwing anymore.
Each of the children he taught had a unique personality. For example, Dick had a stubbornness hidden beneath his gentle exterior, Jason had a softness hidden beneath his unruly nature, Stephanie had a resilience hidden beneath her lively and energetic exterior, and the others each had their own distinct characteristics.
Each one brings Batman joy, and each one gives Batman a headache.
Is Red Robin there?
"exist."
Nightwing gasped, touching his face to find a scrape. He continued:
"Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn have been subdued at the Gotham Bridge location. GCPD has been called. Keep an eye on the surveillance."
"OK".
Nightwing seemed tired. Did he have nothing to say? Reason told him to understand, but he couldn't accept it emotionally.
When Nightwing first learned of the Oracle's message, he was disoriented and only wanted to return to Gotham. In a hasty conversation, he argued with Batman, but once he calmed down, he realized that everything was a problem.
He belatedly realized that it wasn't just that he was busy with Broodhaven affairs, but also that they had deliberately excluded him from Gotham and didn't want him to be too involved in Gotham's affairs.
Nightwing couldn't figure out what they were doing or what they had to hide from him.
"Little Red, have you found the location of the oracle?"
Red Robin on the other end of the communication line stopped typing and raised his eyebrows slightly.
He interlaced his fingers, hesitating whether to reveal some information or investigate on his own.
It's not appropriate for too many people to know that Batman is in trouble. On the bright side, maybe he's just overthinking things?
"I found it, but I don't recommend you go."
Red Robin decides to release a tiny clue, hoping Nightwing won't notice.
Nightwing's lips were straightened, as if nothing had happened.
"Xiao Hong, do you think I should go?"
Red Robin sighed, "Nightwing, you know my stance. There are some things you need to see for yourself; you can't get the truth just by hearing about them."
“Sometimes the truth can be cruel. No one knows what will happen before the dust settles. The Arkham Knights will not do anything too outrageous to the Oracle for the time being, at least not kill her. The Knights are more interested in capturing us.”
Red Robin was a Stalker for a long time, and besides Batman, he was the one who understood Robin the most.
With Arkham Knight's recent frequent activity and Batman's strange attitude, Red Robin fell silent after guessing the truth.
With all sorts of things piling up, he wasn't sure whether the current Arkham Knight or Batman was more dangerous.
Only Nightwing and his allies, who are unaware of the truth, feel isolated.
“Xiao Hong, I know you’re smart and you tend to keep things to yourself, like Batman, trying to shoulder everything on your own. But we’re family, and I’m not a fragile ordinary person. There’s no need to keep this from me.”
"After tonight, if I return with a divine oracle, you must tell me what you are doing, what Batman is doing. Don't argue with me, I know you already know."
"...If you can bring it back."
Red Robin thought Nightwing might be disappointed; he'd be better off placing his hopes on the troublemaker. The Arkham Knights' hatred towards Nightwing and the troublemaker shouldn't be a factor.
His appearance might actually attract more attention from the Arkham Knights, since he is the successor.
Red Robin continued to tinker and modify the firewall. He didn't know who wrote it, but he suggested that the person go to Gotham University to take a general education course. Anyone who had studied for a while wouldn't be this bad—it would break if someone tried to infiltrate it!
Is there a virus hidden that could cause mutual destruction?
Adrian, hurt by Red Robin's resentment, sneezed. He had no idea how worthless the rewards he had redeemed from the system were; all he knew was that the firewall had effectively prevented thieves from spying on the Legion's secrets.
Nightwing despises the Riddler's actions, no matter who did them.
Nightwing twisted the accelerator to the floor. The road ahead was unknown, and he didn't want to think about it. Once he missed an opportunity, it was gone forever. This time, he didn't want to miss it.
[Countdown 00:13:35]
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