Miss Justice is not motivated

“Before that boy from the lower class, there was also a circus boy who was adopted by Bruce Wayne, and then the first Robin appeared.” Baina yawned; such easy deductions were really boring. “Anyone can guess that even if Bruce Wayne isn’t Batman, he must have some connection to Batman. Then we can compare the heights of these two people.”

"The result is obvious. Even if Batman wore height-increasing insoles, it wouldn't matter. The two boys wearing fish-scale shorts can't do that. We just need to compare their heights at Gotham High School to find a perfect match."

"As for why I know Red Hood is Jason Todd... it's because your name is on the treatment records at Arkham Asylum." This was obviously a lie by Baina, but it was a logical deduction, because Jason Todd had been sent to a mental hospital.

Although she had long wanted to kill the Joker, Baina knew that she alone could not kill this clown from the circus with Batman's interference.

So she deliberately used Jason Todd's name to attack Gotham's underworld, hoping to lure out this big fish.

As Baina had predicted, Jason was drawn here not only by the name she left behind, but also by the rumors of the Joker's death.

“Don’t you think this reasoning is too simplistic?” Although it was indeed logical, Jason felt it was still too easy. “If this is really what you think, then… your thinking is very unconventional.”

“You have to understand, I’m a mental patient, but I can still communicate.” Bai Aina shook her head, not intending to delve too deeply into this matter. “Of course, I want to fight the Joker with you.”

“Hmm.” Jason put down his dual pistols and sat on the steps. “You called me here just to kill the Joker? Isn’t he already dead?”

Even so, Jason refused to believe it. No one could believe that Gotham City's crime prince had died like that.

"What, you don't believe in such things? Or do you wish to go back in time and be a cute little bird?" Baina was quite interested in Jason Todd, or rather, she was fascinated by the man himself.

Having unwavering goals, dedicating oneself to justice, and striving relentlessly. Even when betrayed, one silently licks their wounds, waiting for the opportunity to prove themselves. How can one not respect such a person?

Jason Todd, who grew up in the slums, became the second Robin under Batman's training. He was killed by the Joker during a mission, but was later resurrected by Master Ninja by soaking in Lazarus's Pool. Enraged to discover that Batman had not killed the Joker to avenge him, he put on the red helmet and became Red Hood.

"That's none of your business. If we're going to get rid of the Joker, do you have a plan?" Jason remained unmoved by Bai Aina's teasing words. If he had to say what he most wanted to do in his life, it definitely wouldn't be to become Robin again, but to kill the Joker.

“The best way to deal with someone like the Joker is to not have a plan.” Bai Aina walked to a table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. “Because you never know what he’ll do next. Although there are many patients in Arkham Asylum, the Joker is completely different from everyone else. His level of scheming… or rather, his insane intelligence, is extremely unstable. If Batman’s performance is a stable, linear progression, then the Joker’s performance is undoubtedly a wave-like progression, sometimes as high as Mount Everest, sometimes as low as the Ariana Grande, barely better than someone with a mental disability.”

"To deal with this kind of person, we must use force to kill him. You are the most suitable choice to do this."

“I was planning to do this last time, but…” Jason stopped halfway through his sentence.

“Your beloved adoptive father stopped you, didn’t he?” Baina laughed. “So, I’ll take care of stopping…or rather, delaying Batman. You go and kill the Joker, the faster the better. After you kill the Joker, you get caught. Anyway, the worst outcome is that you and I end up in Arkham Asylum. That’s not a bad outcome.”

Baiana had confidence in Jason because he was exceptionally skilled in hand-to-hand combat, comparable to Nightwing. He was also highly proficient in firearms, weaponry, and detective work. Besides Batman, he had received extensive training under Talia, and in the "Battle for the Cape" storyline, he single-handedly wielded two guns, leaving Gotham's underworld in a state of utter chaos. If it weren't for the combined efforts of Nightwing and his group of non-killing heroes, Jason alone could likely have suppressed Gotham's villainous forces.

That ruthless approach and anti-heroic style are very compatible with the current Bai Aina, making it unlikely that there will be any disagreements.

“You know him very well,” Jason said, emphasizing each word. Although it wasn’t a confidential matter, it was still not easy to investigate in such detail.

“I also know you weigh a full two hundred pounds,” Bai Aina said with a cold sneer. Although the other man was wearing a helmet, her displeasure was still very clear. “So… what about the little girl who was with me? How did you find her?”

Jason pointed to the room inside and crossed his arms, saying, "She's very tired and has fallen asleep. As for how I found this place... I saw you with her, so I followed her back here."

"Is that so? Would you like something to drink?" Entering the room and turning on the light, Bai Aina looked at Jason who had followed her in and took out a packet of coffee. "To be honest, I'm quite confident in my blended coffee skills."

"Hmm... I'll have a cup then." Although he didn't really want coffee, Jason felt it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse at this moment, so he agreed.

Jason then took off his helmet, revealing a strand of white hair mixed in with his short black hair, giving him a weathered look despite being no more than 30 years old.

But the next moment, a hand with bulging veins gripped his neck!

Episode 22: Silly Jason, I was just kidding!

Slender fingers dug deep into Jason's neck, leaving noticeable marks. He was shocked to discover that what was gripping his neck... was merely a hand! Not even a complete retraction!

Before Jason could continue to ponder what was going on, he heard Baina leap high into the air, stepping onto the counter, and shout loudly.

"Rocket Punch!"

The right hand that was still on Bai Aina's arm suddenly shot out and, like a projectile, slammed heavily into Jason's chest and abdomen before he could react, forcibly squeezing all the air out of his lungs.

"Cough!" As Jason coughed violently, he immediately reached out and grabbed the hand on his neck, preparing to forcefully pull it off. The next moment, a soft body coiled around him like a living snake, tightly restricting his movements.

"You?!" Jason recognized the thing coiled around him like a snake—it was Baiana. He hadn't been unprepared for this situation before. But he couldn't feel happy at all, because the hand gripping his neck was restricting his breathing.

As a superhero from the Bat-family, Jason, with his extraordinary lung capacity, remained conscious even after taking this combination of attacks. He immediately realized that everything Baiana had done was likely to lure him here, and then... do something to him; everything before was just a pointless pretense.

Without hesitation, Jason jumped on the spot, almost hitting the ceiling, and then plummeted downwards. With a heavy thud, thanks to Bai Aina's cushioning on his back, Jason was not seriously injured.

Bai Aina let out a slight groan, and following Jason's landing motion, quickly adjusted her own movements. Originally, her wrists were wrapped around his arms to restrict his hands, but now she used her wrists in conjunction with her palms to lock his throat, while her legs wrapped around Jason's inner thighs.

This wasn't something Bai Aina came up with on the spur of the moment; it was an imitation of a rear-naked choke she'd read about in a book. This move instantly locked Jason in place, rendering him powerless to resist.

"Damn it...!" In terms of raw power, Jason was naturally far superior. However, unable to breathe and unable to use his strength, he was unable to break free from Baina's naked chokehold. Under the influence of oxygen deprivation, his consciousness gradually blurred.

"Silly Jason, I wasn't kidding you." A voice, both mocking and comforting, whispered gently in his ear. "But honestly, you are a bit naive. You don't really believe anyone will become your ally, do you?"

Jason, who was already struggling to breathe, nearly suffocated from anger at those words. His face gradually turned ashen, and the lack of oxygen caused him to finally pass out. The naked choke that Baina had used to restrain him was unbreakable. Even if he wanted to resist, he lacked the strength to execute it.

After realizing Jason had completely passed out, Bai Na took his hands back. She patted his cheeks to make sure he wouldn't wake up before relaxing and stretching her body. While being used as a cushion hadn't caused much harm, it was impossible to say it didn't hurt.

She plucked a few strands of short hair, forcing them to bind together and form a granulation tissue. Then, Bai Aina brushed aside Jason's bangs, implanted the granulation tissue into his forehead, and then let his bangs fall back down.

"Done, this counts as the second step, right?" Considering her next move, Bai Aina felt surprisingly well-rested. After all, the Red Stone wasn't originally part of her plan... but now that she had it, she had more time to do other things.

Just as Baina was still deep in thought, the room lights came back on. It was Yitiao who had turned on the lights, but she looked at the messy room with surprise.

"Hmm? Ichijo, I'm back." She waved and greeted him. Noticing that Ichijo was very concerned about Jason, who was lying unconscious beside her, Bai Aina explained, "This is a friend I just met. He was just knocked out, but it's nothing serious."

"Is that so? I understand." Looking at the teacher's relaxed and natural expression, Yitiao opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. She could only stand there blankly, staring at Bai Aina.

Being stared at by that direct and eager gaze, Bai Aina asked somewhat embarrassedly, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face? Or has my app value increased dramatically without me even realizing it?"

He couldn't help but sigh. Sometimes, Bai Aina's behavior made him wonder if there was something wrong with entrusting his trust to her.

"Oh, right. There's something... um, I'll tell you tomorrow." She patted Yi Tiao's head; the soft blue hair felt quite nice to the touch. Bai Aina smiled and said, "Go to sleep. I'll tell you about it tomorrow, after all..."

I still need to think of some lines and write a speech. Of course, this was something I couldn't say aloud, and after a moment of silence, I decided to go back to my room and continue sleeping.

Seeing Jason had already passed out, Bai Na gently patted his cheek and found that it felt surprisingly good, not as hard as she had imagined. It wasn't exactly thick-skinned, perhaps because he had been soaking in the Lazarus pool.

Realizing Jason showed no signs of waking up, Baina brought a bucket of cold water and splashed it directly on his face. The glistening water slid down his handsome face, and the droplets from his hair shone like morning dew.

Holy crap, is this really the famously two-pronged brother from American comics? Just getting splashed with water produces such amazing special effects; you'd think he was the protagonist of a shoujo manga. Looking at the handsome man bathing in water before her, Bai Aina inwardly cursed Jason and his sworn brother Dick.

The cold water jolted Jason awake. When he saw Bai Aina before him, he remained silent, uttering not a word. The eerie green light in her eyes evoked the image of a hungry wolf in the wild, sending chills down one's spine.

"You don't need to look at me like that. You can't disobey my orders now." This is why Jason didn't grab and beat Baiana after waking up; with the flesh bud implanted in him, he couldn't defy the planter's commands. "Let's talk about something more interesting, like... how about I really let you kill the Joker?"

Jason snorted coldly, knowing that Baina's thoughts were not limited to this. That was true, but there was a deeper truth behind it. He stared at her and said, "You did this to me for this purpose? Do you think I would believe such a thing?"

He wasn't unaware that Red Robin's spine had been injured by Beaune; it's just that Jason had never gotten along well with the Bat Family. As long as Beaune's goals didn't conflict with his, and the Bat Family members weren't in mortal danger, he could turn a blind eye to certain things.

“Indeed, I have an even greater goal. Would you like to hear it?” Sitting at the table beside Jason, elbows resting on her thighs, fists clenched under her chin, Beaune, like a thinker, stared directly at him without flinching. “I want to save this city, even this sinful city of Sodom, which even God wouldn't show mercy to…”

"Even the Dark Knight could not bring peace and stability to this prosperous wasteland..."

“Even though…this place showcases the savagery of human nature, and people take refuge in each other as a legitimate part of the darkness, I still believe this city needs to be saved.”

At this point, Bai Aina paused. Looking at the silent Jason, she uttered the lines she had prepared long ago—the last one.

"Because this seemingly majestic city is filled with a morally corrupt atmosphere, but beneath this darkness that symbolizes human evil, there still exists a light that is more precious yet insignificant than them, so I am willing to save this city."

"You make it sound nice, but it doesn't necessarily work. Otherwise, Bruce or Gordon would have already accomplished what you call 'salvation'," Jason responded coldly, unconcerned by the pretty words coming from Baina.

“That’s because Gotham City needs a true hero who is more capable and more determined than the Dark Knight, more determined than you.” Stepping down from the table, Baiana pointed to the sky with her index finger and looked up. “Therefore, I will become her one and only comedian.”

Even indoors, even at night, Jason felt as if he saw a blazing sun behind Baiana. It was as if the girl before him was the one who walked the path of heaven and ruled over all things.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Fallacies

People dressed in black mourning clothes gathered in the solemn funeral hall, with weeping women and children huddled together. The black and white portrait hanging on the wall was of the scarred man who had been killed by Ichijo three days earlier. As the pillar of his family, all the other family members had come to his residence to mourn.

Members of other families were able to open their shops on the street without being caught in the crossfire of gang warfare, thanks in large part to this man's advance warning. As a result, they didn't need to pay protection money when opening their shops on the street.

At some point, two clearly unsociable girls had joined the group. Both were dressed in mourning clothes, but one had blue hair and the other gray, and their expressions differed. One appeared somewhat timid and hesitant, while the other seemed casual and indifferent.

Looking at the scene before her, Yitiao felt a complex mix of emotions. She was already living in the shadow of taking other people's lives, and seeing this scene made things even more complicated; she didn't know how to describe the feelings in her heart.

“Father…” The young blond boy knelt before his father’s portrait, sobbing uncontrollably. His mother, who was also crying, tried to compose herself and whispered words of comfort to her son, while his youngest sister wept helplessly.

"Sigh... I don't know how they'll survive in the future..." The eldest member of the family sighed. Surviving in this city wasn't easy. Perhaps they should consider moving everyone out together... He walked slowly forward, supporting himself with his cane, and stood beside the boy, saying, "Stand up. From now on, you will take your father's place and take good care of your mother and your sister."

Baina, who had been listless and wanting to sleep to pass the time, suddenly perked up, but what happened next was not what she had imagined. The blond boy stood up and hugged his mother and sister.

What a boring drama, how utterly dull! I should have known better than to bring her... Not seeing what I imagined made Baina incredibly bored.

The girl standing to the side didn't look so relaxed. Her expression alternated between deathly pale and purplish-blue. If she hadn't been in a corner, she probably would have attracted attention.

The fight in the alley went unseen, and Ichijo was lucky enough to avoid the security cameras. This allowed the two to easily blend into the funeral, entering as fellow henchmen of Black Mask.

It was a simple funeral, and the people who had gathered began to disperse to go about their work. Bai Aina and Yi Tiao also took this opportunity to leave.

After the funeral, Ichijo and Bai Aina went straight outside. It was nighttime, which made it easier for Bai Aina, who had physical disabilities, to get out.

After leaving the funeral venue, Ichijo's face looked even worse; clearly, the events that had just transpired had greatly shocked her.

"Was what I did the right thing...?" Such questions filled Ichijo's mind, just as she was supposed to be on the right track. But at this moment, she was not only in psychological trauma, but the funeral she witnessed had an even greater impact on her, and the overlapping of the two had amplified the situation to an unprecedented degree.

"So, Ichijo. What are you afraid of? What are you dreading? And what do you feel is not right?" Looking at Ichijo, who was tightly clutching his sleeves due to fear, regret, and guilt, Bai Aina shook her head helplessly, but she was not surprised, after all, the other party was just a child.

Indeed, she killed Black Mask's henchman. But in return, she cut off that family's financial support. For that family, this man was the pillar of their livelihood; without him, how could they survive in this chaotic and corrupt city? Even Batman couldn't help them.

Of course, it's a different story if Batman comes in disguise as Bruce. But he probably wouldn't even notice, and Baina wouldn't bring it up, otherwise, it would be a big deal if the silly girl asked her to sponsor the family.

"I...I..." She couldn't convince herself that her actions were right. After all, she was just a middle school girl. Even if she possessed strength comparable to an adult, her immature mind was her biggest weakness.

Grabbing a piece of clothing by the collar, she drew the woman closer. Every word Bai Ai Na spoke pierced her heart, directly questioning her deepest thoughts: "Then let me ask you again, haven't you always hoped to take your father's place and achieve justice, to become a hero? Is it because of this that you stop in this place?"

"Did you become a hero because you care about what others think of you? Or do you hope to atone for your actions?"

"I...I..." Yitiao's face turned deathly pale. She didn't know how to answer. She was questioning whether her actions were just, but Bai Aina's questioning directly shook her most fundamental motivation.

"What? Are you starting to doubt that your own selfish desires are interfering with your pure desire to become a hero? If so, aren't you being a bit too naive?" Bai Aina mocked the girl before her mercilessly, each word striking at her weakest point. "By the way, you seem to be wondering if your actions have severed the goodness of the wicked? That's quite interesting. Do you think the goodness of the wicked is more important than the lives of the innocent?"

"What kind of idea is it that villains with redeeming qualities should attract more attention than truly ordinary and innocent mortals?"

"You think you did something wrong, right? Because you severed his 'goodness'?" Suppressing a laugh, Bai Aina couldn't help but chuckle. Her gaze towards Yitiao became increasingly playful, as if she were looking at excellent material. "You want to convince yourself that your actions were right, otherwise you can't extricate yourself from that moral dilemma, right?"

Looking helplessly at Bai Aina before him, Yi Tiao, at a loss, entrusted all his trust to this girl, hoping she could give him the right answer.

“What you’re doing might be wrong, but what does it matter? Just because it’s wrong doesn’t mean you’re not going to continue.” Although there were more ways to convince the person in front of her, Bai Aina chose the one that seemed the most interesting. As for how the other person would feel during their subsequent trials, that was up to her.

Since the other person's thinking was so Japanese, then I should just give her a very 'Japanese' answer. Bai Aina was very interested in what kind of impact such words would have.

Completely bewildered, she had never expected Baina to give such an answer. But the words that shattered her values ​​continued, like a cold, venomous snake crawling down her spine, like the shivering sensation of scales rubbing against her skin, sweeping over her entire body.

"Just because it's wrong, does that mean you shouldn't be wrong? No, no, you shouldn't think that way. Even if it's wrong, you have to keep doing it because it's something someone has to do. No matter how many evildoers' families are broken because of you, no matter how many victim families are silently cursing and scolding you behind your back, you have to keep doing it."

"Because this is something someone should do. If we give up because of these things, then who can save this city? There's no need to admit, feel, or convince yourself that you're right. If it's wrong, then just keep it in mind. Turn it into your motivation to move forward. This is something someone has to do."

"I...I'm sorry." Hearing Bai Aina's words, Yi Tiao lowered his head uneasily, his face hidden by the shadow of his bangs.