Volume 1: Welcoming Gotham Chapter 20 Look at the big scene outside! You still say you are an ordinary person?
It was dark night.
Outside the postmodern wasteland-like neighborhood of Nahe Island in downtown Gotham City, in a remote area near the river, several people in strange costumes are busy.
"It's hard to imagine that there is a building protected by magic in such a chaotic place."
A girl with long straight black hair, wearing a black tuxedo, a magician's top hat, bold black fishnet stockings and high heels, her whole body shining as if she was ready to perform on stage at any time, looked at the three-story apartment standing in front of her in the night.
She waved her magic wand and exclaimed:
"It's like creating a hanging garden in the middle of the Sahara Desert."
"What's even more amazing is that the 'omnipotent' Batman had never noticed the existence of such 'dangerous items' in his city before."
Behind the beautiful and trendy girl, a guy with a cigarette in his mouth, his hands in his trouser pockets, spoke in a deliberately elongated voice.
While speaking, the bastard was squinting at Batman who was standing like a statue beside him.
Obviously, he was provoking the Dark Knight.
"All right, John."
Hearing her ex-boyfriend being so rude to Gotham's local hero, the black straight girl sighed helplessly and turned around and said:
"Instead of complaining, why don't you help me dismantle the barrier that is covering me? It is protected by magic that I have never seen before. I need some time to study it."
"Xiao Zha, now is not the time for academic research. Please curb your research desire."
A man with a cigarette in his mouth, unshaven beard and messy hair walked forward. The night wind blew up his khaki windbreaker, causing the red tie around his neck to flutter in the wind.
He walked up to the magician-like girl, took out the cigarette, held it between two fingers in front of him, and the moment his fingers loosened, the burning cigarette fell down and disappeared in front of the two people as if it was swallowed by an invisible object.
He shook his head and said:
"Look, this barrier is dangerous, and it's still active. I suggest we just blow it up instead of trying to find a way to safety.
Don't you see that Mr. Batman is getting impatient?
There must be something in this house that he must get, I can smell his nervousness even from where I stand here."
"There's a child in that house."
In response to this guy's ridicule, Batman, who had been silent all this time, opened his mouth to explain:
“Five days ago, a young man I was following was abducted here by an unknown force, and that’s when I discovered this ‘hidden’ building.
Before the two of you arrived, I tried many ways but couldn't get in. This place is like a maze, and there are misty monsters guarding it.
I don't know anything about magic, but I believe the child is still alive."
"No wonder."
The girl with long black hair nodded.
She seemed to have known Batman before, and she stroked her hair and smiled and said:
"I was wondering why Batman, who never welcomes outsiders into Gotham, would contact me on his own initiative? I thought you were here to expel John and me."
Facing the beautiful mage's sweet smile, the master replied expressionlessly:
"You were invited by Bruce Wayne to perform magic for the annual city charity gala, Zatanna. You are a guest of this city, and you are also my friend.
The child and I need your help now."
"What's the meaning?"
The man next to Zatanna suddenly became unhappy. He took out a pack of Silk cigarettes and put one in his mouth while saying:
"Xiao Zha is a guest, am I not?"
"You are not a guest anywhere, John Constantine."
Batman said coldly:
"I warned you a year ago when you summoned the demons of Hell in my city. Never set foot in Gotham again!"
"Okay, you two, stop arguing."
Seeing that her ex-boyfriend and her childhood friend, who is now a close superhero friend, were about to quarrel, Zatanna, a female wizard with long black hair, immediately stretched out her hands to stand between the two men.
The charming lady shook her hair and said to Constantine in a more emphatically tone:
"John, come and help me rescue that kid! I have to prepare for the performance at Wayne Manor tomorrow night. If you want to be my assistant, please listen to me, otherwise I will have to ask you to leave."
"Humph, Fuck Batman!"
Zha Kang glared at Batman fiercely and cursed under his breath when he turned around, but facing the glare of his beautiful and capable ex-girlfriend, he had to step forward to help break the magic barrier.
Of course, as the world's foremost master of magic and trouble-making, Zha Kang does have the ability, and it's no less powerful than his words that can infuriate people to death.
With his assistance, Zatanna quickly figured out the flow of magic around the building in front of her.
The long black hair of the female magician in the casting state swirled and danced in the wind, just like a magical girl transforming.
She was slightly suspended in the air, not caring at all about the sight of her tuxedo skirt flying up. While sensing the changes in the barrier in front of her, she said to Batman:
"You made the right choice not to rush in rashly, Batman. This barrier is connected to the ancient magic under Gotham. If you force your way in, you will probably be trapped inside forever.
But the good news is that this barrier is currently unattended.
John and I have the magic to open it, it just takes a little preparation."
"It's still faster to blast."
With a cigarette in his mouth, Zha Kang stared at the apartment in the mist in front of him and whispered:
"Who knows when the master of this barrier will come back... What? Why are you looking at me like that? Although there is a risk of the magic getting out of control, from what I know, this island is inhabited by swindlers, robbers, and fugitives.
Does anyone really care about them?"
"John!"
Zatanna was really angry, and Batman had already grabbed a batarang and was ready to stab Zack if he messed up.
A few minutes later, just as Zatanna and Constantine were working to dismantle the barrier, the door embedded in the wall on the top floor of Old K's three-story apartment was pushed open.
Mason and the kite man Charles, surrounded by red light, fell to the ground in a panic while hugging each other. Behind them, the energy stone on the cat's eye of the World Gate shattered with a click, and then the door closed automatically.
"It's hot! It's so hot, it feels like magma is pouring in."
The Kite Man screamed and climbed up, holding his head. Mason was not much better off.
He was feeling groggy at this point and felt a chill in his nostrils. He reached out his hand and found it was covered in blood.
As the world spun before his eyes, the light screen of the character card was flashing red as if it had been invaded by a virus. Mason looked at the translucent light screen and saw that his personal information was changing:
Name:Mason Cooper
Status: Minor injuries, mental stress, soul curse in progress (the effect of this curse is unknown, the triggering method is unknown, and the danger level is extremely high.)
Identity: Penguin betrayer, E-level member of the Star Society, and captain of "Team K"
Traits: Cold-blooded gunman, deft engineer, self-harming first aider
Mason tried hard to see the words in front of him clearly. He shook his head and pulled over a chair to sit on it. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his nostrils while looking around. His entire vision seemed to be burning.
Everywhere I looked, I saw phantoms of ashes swirling around, and my ears heard mournful phantom sounds. It was just as the Kite Man had described, as if I had swallowed magma.
This Star Society is really weird, even the rituals to join it are so strange.
He looked at his left arm.
The circular logo on it has shrunk into a weird thing that looks like a black ghost claw tattoo.
This should be the symbol of an official member of the Star Club.
However, what made Mason feel strange was that when the bad feeling in his body eased a little, a black card mysteriously appeared in his hand.
That thing was about the size of an ordinary playing card, somewhere between reality and fantasy. There was a starry sky pattern printed on the back, and a few lines of information listed on the front, just like an ID card.
It was not written in any language known to man, but Mason could read it at a glance:
Team K is a member of the Star Society.
Members: 2 persons.
Captain: Mason Cooper, Class E.
Team member: Charles "Chuck" Brown, Class E.
Currently assigned exploration tasks: None.
Currently holding bounty tasks: 1, not completed yet.
Current base world: Super Time Stream Multiverse N52 System Earth 41 [A-level world, danger level: extremely high, personnel below C-level are not recommended to enter and explore]
Current team status: Lost contact with Star Fort, please wait patiently for superiors to reconnect
"It's quite formal. Even the 'employee cards' are issued through the space-time?"
Mason complained about the thing, loosened his fingers and let it dissipate into a ball of light. He rested for a few minutes and felt himself regain consciousness.
He stood up from the chair and kicked the kite man who was lying there like dead. The latter raised his head and took a deep breath, which felt like a suffocating person breathing air again.
When the Kite Man got up, he also had an "ID card" in his hand, the same as Mason's, but the information on his card was simpler and not as comprehensive as the information card of Mason, the captain.
"We're back, right ?"
Kite Man stood up breathlessly, walked to the window, opened it and wanted to see the familiar night view of Gotham.
But as soon as he opened the window, a loud bang was heard from outside, like a heavy punch hitting the kite man, knocking the unfortunate guy out and hitting the wall and bouncing a few times.
Then, Mason heard a very attractive woman's scream outside the window:
"Oh no! The master of the barrier is back, and the barrier's power is increasing! It's trying to engulf us, Batman, get behind me! John, quick!
Go ahead and blow it up!"
"Hey, I'm your boyfriend! I heard that the black guy likes to mess around with bats. Stay away from him, Xiao Zha, or you might get infected with some damn animal virus."
"What is this doing?"
Mason rushed to the window and looked out, then saw three people in the distance of the third-floor apartment.
He recognized at a glance that the girl floating in the air, dressed like a magician, with long hair fluttering and casting spells like a beautiful girl transforming, should be Zatanna Zatara.
A very powerful magician and superhero.
There is no need to talk about the master.
His signature outfit makes him the most eye-catching guy wherever he goes, and the guy in the yellow windbreaker, smoking a cigarette and summoning dangerous magical energy to blow up the apartment...
Isn't that Zha Kang?
Master, how could you allow such a dangerous scum to set foot in Gotham?
This is a walking disaster!
"Is that Batman?"
Kite Man also touched his aching head and ran over to take a look outside. The third-line villain's eyes widened instantly, and his legs trembled. He had never seen such a scene even when he was with the Joker!
Batman, who has always been a loner, actually teamed up with two guys who look very powerful?
"Constantine! Control your strength!"
The master was protected by Zatanna's magic, but he still shouted at the scum who was casting the spell:
"The child is still in there, don't hurt him!"
"Batman and his magical friends are here for you, Boss."
When the kite flyer heard the master's shout, he was instantly shocked.
He looked him up and down as if he was meeting Mason for the first time, and said in amazement:
"How can you say you are just an ordinary 17-year-old high school student, even though that terrible bat thinks highly of you? Tell me, boss, are you Batman's illegitimate son?
But you are a yellow person...
So, Batman met your mother while on a mission?"
"Shut up!"
Mason was in no mood for jokes.
He was very grateful that the old man did not give up looking for him five days after he disappeared, and even broke Batman's rule of being alone and found Zatanna and Zack for help.
But if he met someone outside in his current state, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.
And the fact that the master found him so quickly made Mason wonder if the master had put some special tracking device on him?
Batman has a history of this, so we must be on guard.
He squinted his eyes and thought for a while, and soon made a decision. He turned back to open the magic suitcase, took out the blood-stained invisibility cloak, threw it to the kite man and said:
“Put it on. I’ll give you a signal and you take my suitcase and leave. We’ll meet at the seventh pier in Miller Harbor at six o’clock in the afternoon three days later.
besides!
Take out the magic books, alchemical tools, potions, etc. that you found in the ruins, tear them up and throw them away randomly.
quick!"
Scolded by Mason, the Kite Flyers moved quickly. It took the two of them half a minute to tear up the Hogwarts spellbooks and throw them everywhere.
Then Kite Man put on an invisibility cloak, leaving only his head exposed as he watched Mason squat on the ground and open the suitcase.
He said curiously:
"What's the signal you're talking about, Boss?"
"This is it!"
Mason placed his hand on the edge of the magic suitcase and pressed a brass lock that looked like a decoration to activate the traceless extension spell in the box.
With a bang.
The entire three-story apartment including the basement was like being thrown into an invisible funnel of magical power. In an instant, it was collected into the small suitcase in Mason's hand. With a snap, the young man closed the suitcase and locked it.
The main body of the magic barrier surrounding the apartment suddenly disappeared, causing the magic power in the area to go out of control.
A strange smoke screen with little destructive power but a very cool effect was created all around, and the thick fog, like a burst of water vapor, reduced visibility to zero.
Mason squatted at the bottom of a pit several meters deep and threw the box in his hand to the stunned kite flyer beside him, while tearing off his already tattered clothes and wiping the blood all over his face with a handkerchief.
He earnestly warned:
"Don't open it carelessly! I keep Fang, Buttercup, and Mag in there. If you let them get out, all of Gotham will be doomed."
Kite Flyer, who had experienced the entire Hogwarts incident, certainly knew what dangerous things these three harmless names represented.
He nodded vigorously, hugged the suitcase in his arms, waved to Mason, raised the invisibility cloak to wrap himself up, and disappeared in an instant to block his breath.
Half a minute later, Zha Kang, wielding a magic sword, was the first to rush into the fog, but he was almost shot in the head by an oncoming bullet.
"Damn it! Just a little bit, just a little bit! This troubled world can have one less scourge."
Mason, who was lying on the ground holding an ordinary pistol and pretending to be pitiful, complained regretfully in his heart, and then shouted hoarsely:
"Come on! You crazy wizard! Come and kill me! I'm not afraid of you!"
