Laughing American comics, I am becoming more and more like a clown

This is a famous story of betrayal: the Knights of the Round Table who betrayed King Arthur and became lovers with the Queen; Judas who sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver; Ophelia who tested Hamlet's feelings at her father's instruction.

This time the riddle does not give the location of the remote control, and the countdown is still ticking. If the Silent Bat wants to save it, he must disassemble it.

He must go to great lengths to save the betrayer's life.

……

Casey really didn't expect that even though he was so obedient, he would still be betrayed by Lucien in the end... He was tied here like the people he betrayed and deceived. In order to prevent him from escaping from his restraints like escaping from prison, Lucien even took special care to inject him with muscle relaxants.

Casey had no strength left in his body. When he saw the Silent Bat coming, his hope ignited, but when the Bat stopped in front of him and did not move for a long time, he gradually felt like he was falling into an icy cave.

"You have to save me, you can't be ungrateful! I taught you my skills! I am your benefactor! You promised to make me rich and prosperous... Wayne! Save me!"

Time seemed to freeze. At this moment, Silent Bat couldn't help but wonder: Why did Casey betray? Was his current behavior also a sign of betrayal? Would saving him cause more bombs to explode? Was Alfred dead or alive? Why did Lucian do this...

Silent Bat thought of something he had overlooked... He was sure that what he heard was Alfred's own voice, which meant that even if Alfred was killed now, it could not be a brutal killing like Jack.

He should calm down.

The scarlet eyes closed, the Silent Bat squatted down, and opened the bomb on Casey's body... He did not believe the traitor's note. Even if Casey was really a traitor, he would find out by himself after everything was over. At that time, he would kill Casey.

As for now, Batman will save him.

Unlike the previous bombs that were so complicated that you had to find a riddle to solve them in a short time, this bomb was simply the work of an elementary school student.

Just as Casey was crying, the blade of the bat dart cut through the rubber, severed the copper wire inside, and the bomb fell off.

The Silent Bat bypassed him and moved on to its next victim.

But the severed copper wire triggered another device, and a voice came from the bomb that fell to the ground:

"Don't worry about them! Bruce, Alfred is in my hands. If he doesn't come back...how about meat sauce? Do you like it?"

……

It was the first time that Silent Bat knew that a sound could be so harsh that it could almost pierce his eardrums, and the laughter that followed the words was so vicious and terrifying.

He felt annoyed from the bottom of his heart, but his mind told him that even if he rushed back now, it would take time, and this time was enough for Alfred to encounter an accident.

The best solution was to abandon Alfred, temporarily take care of the remaining victims, and then rush back.

This is the best solution... If he rushes back regardless, all he will get are corpses - both the madman's and Alfred's corpses.

……

The next victim, upon seeing the Silent Bat's appearance, stammered, afraid to speak... He truly looked terrifying, his hatred and rage practically tangible, like a trapped beast, thoroughly enraged, his chest heaving...

But in the end.

The ticking sound of the countdown passed through his eardrums... Silent Bat still walked over to read the riddle which was not difficult.

Then save people.

……

The hostages are randomly sorted; there is no such thing as a ranking based on their status in the eyes of the Silent Bats—guards, caregivers, or lunatics.

This is not an emotional bias, nor is it that one side's emotions are stronger than the other, but rather that reason triumphs over emotion, and it is the compromise made by the Silent Bat to prevent things from getting worse.

……

He had never regretted letting Lucian go and looking for the so-called weakness as much as he did now.

Volcanoes, glaciers, air pressure, lack of oxygen… there are many ways, and he will do it.

……

Lucian was relatively respectful of the elderly and cared for the young, so he ordered Omoson to find a shady place for Alfred.

"To prevent heat stroke."

Omoson looked up at the dark clouds, pursed his lips, and without questioning, obediently moved Alfred to another position.

Lucian put the body bag in the trunk. The corpse oil seeped through the bag and stuck to his clothes. He changed into another coat and met Bat Lantern's indescribable gaze. He said, "Don't be like this. I didn't do anything. I was just threatening you. Or is this what you call... a sharp tongue but a soft heart?"

"Even if Bruce gets irritated and rushes back to Wayne Manor, the hostages won't explode... Alfred won't be in any trouble if he doesn't come back... I can't do something as disgusting as the Joker, killing his parents. I'm a good person."

He emphasized: "I am a good person."

……

Is the definition of a good person someone who does not do evil things?

Lucian's behavior was indeed not a bad thing. At most, it was a prank, a prank that would not lead to serious consequences.

But is that how pranks are done?

Bat Lantern looked in the direction of Arkham with a distant gaze: "I'm afraid he wouldn't think so."

Lucian smiled, pretending to be helpless: "This shows that he doesn't trust me enough."

His fingers tapped briskly on the steering wheel, and while calling out to Omosen, he said, "Then there's nothing I can do."

Chapter 206 Gotham has been abandoned

Everything came to an end, all the hostages were rescued, and Silent Bat didn't stop for a moment, rushing into the Batmobile. The tires rubbed against the rugged ground, making a huge roar... and headed towards the manor.

On the other hand, although Lucian was not sure how long this would last, he thought that when the Bat returned to the manor and saw Alfred intact, he would calm down.

People are eclectic.

If Lucian had simply dug up Jack's grave, the Silent Bat would have been furious, but if he had said that he had tortured and killed Alfred, then digging up the grave would have become an acceptable thing to do.

The Silent Bat will calm down.

……

He did calm down.

When the Silent Bat saw Alfred lying in the cemetery like a corpse, it was like ice water was poured over him from head to toe.

My hands and feet were numb, and my steps were stuttering, as if I was walking on clouds.

His eardrums were buzzing and his vision was blurry. At this moment, he not only saw Alfred, but also Jack, and the scene of his parents lying in the alley.

...It was not until the Silent Bat approached, squatted down, and touched Alfred's cool body that he felt a little dazed.

His chest was rising and falling, and he was breathing through his mouth and nose... He was just unconscious, but he was still alive.

Alfred is still alive.

……

When Lucian crossed Gotham, he saw a city abandoned by its people.

No one showed up to work, the shops were looted, and the street vendors who used to gather at the intersections were long gone.

"Oh—" Omosen was looking at the scene outside the car window in the back seat, feeling surprised. He hadn't seen the outside world for only two months, but he hadn't expected the city he had always considered prosperous to become like this. He couldn't help but ask, "What happened..."

War? Nuclear bombs? Zombies?

Please forgive Omosen's outrageousness. After all, it is really hard for him to imagine under what circumstances Gotham could become what it is now in just a few months.

Lucian replied in a good mood: "It's your credit."

Omosen: "Me?"

"Yes." Lucian saw his bewildered expression through the rearview mirror. "You have no idea how much they admire you, and how much of a blow your death has dealt them."

"Respect?" The corrupt mayor, who did no good and accepted bribes, was even more confused.

"Do you need me to explain the rules of how society operates?" Lucian said patiently. "Although I have no hope for your political literacy, you can imagine yourself as a god, or in other words, the pinnacle of order."

"When I smash the idol and topple the pinnacle... this will lead to chaos." Quiet and gentle piano music echoed in the car: "If even the mayor can't guarantee his own safety, won't society be in chaos?"

This will cause strong anxiety among the people, coupled with their own dissatisfaction and a little bit of instigation.

Omoson opened his mouth to say something, but didn't know where to start, so he closed it again, his eyes drifting out the car window - stolen manhole covers, piled up garbage, overturned street lights, oil-stained road surface - Omoson knew how much public environmental funding he had embezzled, and he also knew that the remaining money would be divided up by his subordinates, leaving very little money in the hands of those who actually engaged in maintenance, and most of them were just in name only and never cleaned.

But it's not as bad as it is now... What he means is that Gotham now is like the American wasteland in the movie without convenience stores that constantly refresh supplies.

Yes, the wasteland.

Omosen leaned his hands on the window frame, and the breath he exhaled caused a thin mist to form on the car window, which quickly disappeared.

……

…A German sociologist named Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel once performed a performance art show in Gotham.

Complaint boxes were set up in public areas to "complain" about the city. The original plan was to recycle the boxes within a month, but in less than a week, all 3,000 complaint boxes were full and had to be ended early.

After opening the mailbox, Georg divided the representative messages into two parts and displayed them. The first part was: "Gotham always steals money", "Gotham treats me like a slave", "Gotham doesn't love us", "Gotham killed my mother", "There are two Gothams"...

The other part is: "Why doesn't Gotham kill my dad?", "Why is Gotham the city I live in?", "Why doesn't Gotham's garbage belong to me?", "Why doesn't Gotham let me die?"...

The hatred and complaints of Gotham residents towards the city were about to overflow. After the whole display was completed, Georg announced: "Gotham has been abandoned by its people."

……

Zaven was lying in the corner. Although he was free again, he had no money, no housing, no food, and even his wheelchair was taken away... He was lying in the corner helplessly, unable to even pound the ground with his hands to vent his anger. The oil and rain made him very dirty and smelly.

He had beautiful dreams in prison—revenge on the police, revenge on the rich, overthrow of the capitalists, and finding Batman... But now, Zavin found that he could do nothing, not even stay alive... All he had in the trash was food that made him spit out acid after just one bite...

Zaven tried his best. He wanted to find a job, but there was no job in Gotham now. He wanted to beg, but there was no alms in Gotham now.

So he could only blend in with the garbage here... until he was extremely thirsty and crawled to the nearest river using his hands and feet, then used his hands to catch the dirty water and pour it into his mouth...

He was pushed down by the evil man who had been watching him for a long time.

……

Gotham is a city that doesn't know how to reflect. It doesn't care about the evil things it does, just as it doesn't care whether it is hated by the children it raises.

"What?! Gotham has sided with the Soviet Union?" The governor was practically taken aback. "Where did you get this information?"

"It's true, sir." The person reporting added: "They killed all the prominent officials and philanthropists in Gotham. The mayor is dead too... Workers are not in the factories, and students are not in school... They gathered together to rob banks and shopping malls. The whole city is in chaos!"

The governor's eyebrows twitched, and he had a bad feeling: "Is this true?"

Now is the period of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. It is a tense time, especially the assassination cases involving high-level officials have occurred frequently recently, and the relationship between the two countries is full of tension.

The governor's fingertips tapped the table nervously, he was still hesitating whether to report it.

"Sir." There was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."