Volume 1: Welcoming Gotham Chapter 12: Destroy your home, kill your dog, and rip your hat off
After resolving the trouble caused by Ms. McGonagall, the rest of the journey went smoothly. In the evening, dancing with the setting sun, the magic train finally arrived at the station.
As the whistle sounded, the four people, led by Lao K, left the train and entered the deserted Hodmod Station. The station was in a village, so the group of people naturally encountered a "warm" welcome from the zombie villagers.
There are not only humans and wizards, but also some goblin-like house-elves, halflings and other strange species.
Perhaps they had various special characteristics when they were alive, but they are just as dangerous after turning into zombies after death. However, for the three people who have been "weathered" along the way, these ordinary zombies can no longer threaten them.
Old K didn't even have to make a move before Mason and his two companions cleared the station and the village with explosives and bullets.
It is worth mentioning that the bomb girl performed very well in this process.
She was no longer as carefree as before and had become much quieter. When she became serious, her ability to make any object it touched explode was indeed very suitable for this kind of large-scale cleanup operation.
From the edge of the hillside at the edge of Hodmod Village, what you can see in the distance is a large lake under the setting sun. According to the description in the movie, from here you can already see the main castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the center of the lake.
However, when Mason, holding a gun, looked in that direction, he saw nothing.
There is no castle and no academy.
Under the bleak moonlight, all that remained on the island in the middle of the lake were dark ruins, like King's Cross Station with a hole in it caused by a bomb, and the damage to Hogwarts was obviously even more serious.
The entire building was almost completely flattened by an invisible hand.
From this long distance, all you can see is an endless black forbidden forest spreading beyond the ruins, like a black scar on the earth.
“Is that the destination?”
The kite man next to Mason asked timidly.
He was standing on the hillside, with the big kite in his backpack already popped out, and a high-speed camera in his hand. Old K had told him to go to the island where Hogwarts was located for high-altitude reconnaissance and return before it was completely dark.
This is not difficult for a kite flyer.
He was also responsible for investigation in the Joker Gang.
But after having seen so many "eyes" along the way, the kite flyer now felt very uneasy. He was afraid that he would fly there alive but not come back alive. There are magical creatures in this world!
What should I do if a zombie fire-breathing dragon emerges from the black forest?
"There are indeed many things with wings, but not as many as you think. Go ahead."
Mason no longer maintained his mute persona. He withdrew his gaze from the ruins of Hogwarts, patted the Kite Man on the shoulder, and took out an engineering pistol and handed it to him.
In this way, with two modified pistols to protect him, Kite Man can at least die with some dignity.
"My kite was damaged before, I have to repair it when I come back."
The villain comedian in green tights curled his lips and stole a glance at Mason, who had an expressionless face. While preparing for takeoff, he rubbed his hands and whispered:
"You seem to be very familiar with these mechanical creations. How about you help me..."
"OK."
The young man nodded and said quietly:
"I'll tell you when you come back alive."
This made Kite Man's face even uglier.
A few seconds later, the kite flyer jumped up toward the hillside, quickly rose into the air with the help of the headwind, and then changed direction and floated towards the island in the middle of the lake.
Mason withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the gathering point. Old K was a cautious guy and did not camp in the bloody village. Instead, he went down the mountain road to a flat meadow by the lake. When Mason came back, a bonfire had been set up there, making people feel comfortable and warm.
There was also a pot on the campfire, with a fragrant potato stew boiling in it.
Old K sat by the campfire, sharpening two swords with a whetstone, while the bomb girl sat cross-legged on the other side, looking at the dancing flames in front of her with a melancholy expression.
Mason sat down cross-legged in front of the fire, took out his backpack and used it as a table, and skillfully dismantled the engineering bomb at hand.
"Do you have enough bullets?"
Old K asked and Mason shook his head.
The intense battle left him with only one-fifth of the bullets he carried. The old hunter laughed, and as Mason watched, he casually took out a heavy box of bullets and slammed it to the ground.
This made the young man raise his eyebrows and he said:
"Storage pocket?"
"Well, the official name is a travel backpack. It can easily hold enough supplies for a small warehouse. You will have a chance to get one after you officially join the company."
Old K said casually:
“Of course if you want good things you have to find a way to get them yourself.
For newcomers, the internal trading meeting once in March is a good choice, provided that you have something that can interest the old birds. "
Mason nodded as he collected the bullets.
He was actually very interested in these inside information, but he didn't want Old K to see this emotion now.
"What on earth is this disaster?"
After the two fell silent, the bombshell girl who was hiding something in her heart finally couldn't help but ask Lao K:
"You said that the stars would travel between worlds. Seeing how skillfully you deal with these troubles, have you ever seen a zombie crisis like this before?"
"Then I have seen a lot, little girl. Not every world is as peaceful as yours."
As Old K scooped himself a bowl of rice from the pot on the fire, he said casually:
“In the multiverse, there are nearly infinite parallel worlds. The original intention of establishing the Star Society is to explore these worlds and establish a cross-world organization with the goal of coexistence and cooperation.
But unfortunately, the more we explore, the more we find that destruction and doomsday are the keynotes of the parallel world. The world in front of you is just zombies and nuclear war, which is gentle enough in the sense of doomsday.
I have also seen with my own eyes the deformed earth turn into ashes in an instant.
But let’s save these disturbing horror stories for later.
After you become official members of the Star Club, a special manual will be distributed to you. Now eat something and have a night's rest.
We will land on the island tomorrow morning.
We still have three days to explore, and I think we will be able to gain a lot this time.”
This answer obviously did not satisfy the bomb girl, but seeing that Old K was unwilling to say more, she had no way of asking any more questions. Mason kept his ears perked up and kept this information in mind.
Thirty minutes later, the kite man successfully completed the reconnaissance and returned to the camp.
He obediently returned the camera to Old K, who looked at the photos and nodded with satisfaction. He encouraged the kite flyer and let him go to rest.
But this guy still remembered Mason's promise, and ran over with his flying backpack to ask Mason to help repair his beloved kite.
Mason took apart the kite flyer's backpack by the campfire in the light of the fire and found that this seemingly simple flying device was actually quite interesting.
After including the drawings of the flying backpack, the character card quickly gave the drawings of the preliminary modification.
Under the distressed and worried gaze of the kite flyer, the young man disassembled his eating utensils into pieces and reassembled them in a way that made him raise his eyebrows.
Mason asked as he screwed the screws expertly:
"This thing is really exquisite. Did you design it yourself?"
"Yes! Am I awesome?"
The kite man was holding his lunch box and slurping the potatoes and meat stew. He replied with a bit of complacency:
“I used to be an aerodynamics expert in Wayne Industries’ R&D department, but compared to those cool flying machines, I prefer this simple and magical gadget.
Probably because I was obsessed with kites when I was a kid.
But after my divorce, I just…”
Having said this, Kite Man suddenly fell silent.
He shook his head as if trying to get rid of those bad memories. When he noticed Mason looking at him, he forced a smile and said:
"Anyway, this jetpack is my masterpiece!"
"Indeed, there is still a lot of room for further improvement in the kite you designed."
Mason lowered his head, tightened the hexagonal screw, and said:
"If there is a chance in the future, maybe we can cooperate. By the way, I've always wanted to ask, do you know Poison Ivy?"
"Poison Ivy?"
The Kite Man was stunned for a moment, then he touched his head and said awkwardly:
"He's a top villain in Gotham. How can a small fry like me make friends with someone like that? The only big guy I'm familiar with is probably my former boss, the Joker.
Unfortunately, he was so crazy that I was a little scared.
He brutally killed Batman's Robin. The kid named Jason Todd looked only a little older than you, but he died a miserable death.
I left his gang after that.
I may not be a good person, but hitting a child is beyond my bottom line."
"Jason Todd is dead?"
Mason raised his eyebrows and said:
"When did this happen?"
"Uh, about a year and a half ago?"
The kite flyer tilted his head and thought for a while, then said:
"Batman almost killed the Joker. I swear, that was the first time I saw Batman so angry, like a father who lost his child."
"Um."
Mason nodded.
His expression remained calm as he stuffed the flying backpack into the kite man's arms, and a rolled-up note was also put into the guy's hand.
The kite man raised his eyebrows immediately, and saw Mason winking at him in the light of the campfire. Then the two of them said good night to each other tacitly and turned to leave.
This sleep was not a restful one.
Especially at the darkest moment of dawn, Mason clearly heard the eerie roar coming from the island in the center of the lake.
The shrill, hoarse and hollow voice sounded like some kind of mad, zombie-like large creature. When thinking about the strange things in the Black Forest, Mason immediately felt that the road ahead was not good.
"Hagrid has raised acromantic giant spiders, dragons, and three-headed dogs. I hope a zombie dragon won't suddenly jump out during tomorrow's exploration..."
This was Mason's last thought before he fell asleep.
And at the same time.
The Kite Flyer, who was sleeping on the other side wrapped in Hagrid's warm coat, also looked at the note in his hand and opened it. The content inside made him uneasy, but he finally tore the note into pieces calmly and put it into his mouth.
Ten minutes later, a warm and shivering body suddenly crawled into his coat, scaring the decadent man, and then he felt a pair of hands hugging his waist.
The bomber girl's voice rang in the kite man's ears, saying:
"What did you just eat? Ha, whatever you two are planning... I want to join in! I don't want to die in this damn place."
"That's not for me to decide."
The Kite Man struggled.
But the next moment, the bomb girl snorted and whispered:
"So, I want to 'pay' in advance, right? Lonely old man, but I don't have any money. What do you think we should do?"
——
The next morning, everyone boarded a small boat and crossed the lake to the island in the middle of the lake. The kite man flew in the sky to search and guide the direction.
Under his leadership, the boat soon docked at the island in the middle of the lake.
The fully armed Old K walked in front, followed by the bomb girl, and Mason was in charge of the rear guard. They soon stepped onto the stairs leading into the castle.
But there was only a huge base left standing there.
There should not have been an explosion here, but there must have been an almost invincible force sweeping over, tearing everything here apart like a passing storm.
Only half of the towering city wall remained, and three of the four branch towers were destroyed.
And those strange buildings that were cast with space magic and usually hidden in the castle were all "scattered" because the space system was destroyed.
They were thrown around the island in a chaotic manner, like debris thrown from the sky. Mason also saw a three-story wizard tower that was inverted and slanted into the ground.
Like a sword stuck in the ground.
The castle gate that should have been solemn and dignified had completely disappeared, leaving only a headless gargoyle sculpture standing alone on the pedestal.
All the magical miracles were destroyed, so Mason could even see the remains of the school's auditorium after walking up the steps. It was the large banquet hall used to welcome new students and hold annual celebrations.
It, too, was destroyed, as if it had been ripped from the sky by the claws of a giant beast.
There are traces of the earth on the ground. All the luxury and wonder have gone with the wind, and all that remains is a dead silence.
"Spread out and explore freely!"
Old K used his special ability to explore the area, and after confirming that there was nothing dangerous in the castle ruins, he put away his crossbow and gave an order.
When Mason and the bomber left, Lao K "kindly" reminded them:
"Bring back everything you find, and let's deal with it together. I think you two sensible young people will not choose to keep anything to yourself, right?
Especially you, Mason."
"We don't have storage bags."
The young man said without turning his head:
"Where are you going to hide the things after you take them? In X's eyes?"
"Well, crude jokes, I like them."
Old K laughed, turned around and disappeared in a flash, while the bomb girl glanced at Mason with a complicated look, then turned around and disappeared on a road leading to the depths of the ruins.
Mason stayed where he was and looked around the ruins of the auditorium.
"Huh!"
With his sharp eyes, he soon discovered something familiar under a brick.
He ran over, picked up the thing buried in the dust and patted it, and found that it was a gray and tattered wizard's pointed hat.
Anyone who has seen the movie knows what this is.
Magical branch hat.
It already looked shabby, and now it was roughly torn apart, like a piece of rags and sacks, and only a little shape could be barely seen. When Mason got it, the character card immediately gave a label:
Name: Godric Gryffindor's Wizarding Hat/Magic Branch School Hat
Quality: Epic item, exquisite craftsmanship
Traits: Spiritualization, Fairy Thinking, Invisible Divination, Danger Prediction, Treasure Storage
Status: Severely damaged (Can attempt to repair. Full repair requires Tailoring Lv7, Enchanting Lv6, Alchemy Lv8, Inscription Lv7)
Use: You can try to talk to the broken branch hat, but you may not get a response from the other party.
Item Description: It may have been a good hat for a psychopath before, but now it's just a psychopath who wants to be sewn up.
“Is this the legendary good start?”
Mason blinked, casually put the school cap that was almost completely torn like a rag on his head, patted it with his hands, and said jokingly:
"Hello, are you there?"
No one answered him, and the young man curled his lips.
He reached out to take the thing off and throw it back into his backpack, but when his fingers touched it, a shrill and shrill scream suddenly came from the tattered school cap:
"You! The one who came back from the dead! You belong... No, no! You belong... in Azkaban!"
Mason was startled.
The sound of this thing is really creepy.
It sounded just like the dying howling of a half-crazy old man in those horror movies, but it wasn't the end yet.
The tattered school cap yelled like crazy:
"The castle collapsed, the glory was gone, the death howled, and despair was in turmoil. Noble blood was spilled, mortal blood mourned, there was misery and noisy. The storm died down, the black sun was shining, the swords and guns rang, and purgatory cried.
If this grudge is not repaid, this hatred will never be forgiven!
Mason Cooper, misguided! Take a vow of revenge! Or I will...eat you!"
