Volume 1: Welcoming Gotham Chapter 27 Truth or Dare
"Gotham is so lively at night."
Mason stood at the window of the safe house on the top floor of an old apartment building near Crime Alley, looking out through the blinds at the night scene outside. There were several chaos within the visible range of the naked eye.
In the distance, smoke was rising from a fire across the Gotham River.
It was really hard to imagine how much crime could happen in this city in one night, but to the young man's surprise, he soon saw traces of the Batplane falling from the clouds and rushing towards the fire site.
He looked back at Nightwing behind him in surprise and said:
"You're pretending to be Batman, so who's flying the Batplane?"
"Robin number three."
Grayson glanced at Mason and replied:
"I told you, the Robins will help each other."
"This has already reached Unit 3?"
Mason curled his lips. No wonder there were always some outrageous rumors among Gotham's villains.
Some said they had seen Batman appear in three different places in the city at the same time, fighting the crazy villain, and some even swore that Batman was an alien orphan who could act in multiple forms.
Anyway, these folk rumors are no matter how outrageous they are, but these outrageous rumors actually have prototypes.
"Are you going to interrogate her?"
Mason looked at Catwoman, who was still unconscious and had her hands and feet tied to a chair. He rubbed his neck, which had been pinched by Catwoman before, and said:
"I don't think you can get anything out of her. Even torture is impossible. She is Batman's lover, so she is your 'adoptive mother'. Secondly, you are a good person and you can't do it."
"That's not how this relationship works!"
Grayson pushed his bat helmet and retorted.
But the serious chin and expression on the corners of his mouth beneath the mask also showed that the young master was quite distressed at the moment.
Although he had learned the methods of torture from Batman, he was a true gentleman and really couldn't do such a thing to a lady who was not a bad person.
"Let me do it."
Mason took the initiative to take over the task and said:
"I need some materials, please help me prepare them."
"Is this the alchemy you learned from the wizard again?"
Grayson looked up at him, Mason nodded, flexed his fingers, and said:
"I have seen a potion in a wizard's notebook called 'Truth Serum'... Don't laugh, wizards used this name a thousand years ago. This is not something invented by the FBI or KGB.
In short, if torture is not an option, this potion is very suitable.”
As he spoke, Mason took out a piece of paper, quickly wrote down the names of many materials and handed it to Nightwing.
The latter took it in his hand and his eyes widened. After a few seconds, he swung the paper with at least fifty kinds of medicine written on it and said suspiciously:
"Are you sure you need so many herbs to make a dose of medicine? The amount you want is enough to kill twenty adults."
"Alchemy has a chance of failure, not to mention I'm just a novice, is there anything wrong with preparing more raw materials?"
Mason asked back expressionlessly:
"Or is it that Batman is so poor that he can't afford so many things?"
"You better make sure it works."
Grayson didn't argue.
He stood up and walked to the window to connect to the Batcave's communication, and said in a low voice:
"Alfred, I need some materials to complete the operation. I'll read you the list... No, I'm not planning to switch to a pharmacy, and I didn't read these outrageous amounts wrong.
Do you happen to have them all in the warehouse?
That's great!
I need the Batplane to get them to me as quickly as possible, and remember to tell Tim not to drink too much coffee while flying."
Hearing the conversation between Nightwing and Alfu, Mason behind him calmly smiled, indicating that he had mastered the plan.
These herbs were enough for him to complete the production of most of the primary potions in the alchemy branch, but they were not prepared for truth serum.
How could a real truth serum be so easy to make?
Not to mention that the minimum skill standard for making this thing is Alchemy Lv3, its production cycle alone requires a full month of fermentation and purification.
Not even a day less will do.
And the most important material of that thing is the feather of the Silent Bird.
It is highly likely that such a thing does not exist in this world, and Mason does not have a specimen of that feather.
With his current level, he is simply unable to make truth serum, but this does not prevent Mason from using this as an excuse to take advantage of Batman.
Because he happened to have a finished product of truth serum on hand.
The Kite Man found a lot of potions in the ruins of Hogwarts. All of them were in the bag around Mason's waist, so he could take them whenever he needed them.
More than ten minutes later, the ghostly Batfighter hovered over the roof of the old apartment building. Several large boxes were thrown out of the plane. When Nightwing said hello to the pilot, the third-generation Robin Tim Drake, and turned around, the boxes that were heavy enough to crush a person to death had disappeared.
"Where did you take them? Did you eat them?"
Young Master Ye Yi asked in surprise. Mason patted the bag on his waist and took out a few oddly shaped beakers like a magic trick. He said briefly:
"Magic, don't ask. I need twenty minutes to make a potion."
"It's very un-magical to use alchemy to make a potion to pry open the mouth of a street hero on the drafty rooftop of an old apartment building."
The young master made a joke, opened the door and walked into the stairs.
Soon Mason heard the awakened Catwoman arguing with him.
Catwoman was still scolding Dick Grayson for being heartless, saying that she had bought him ice cream when he was Robin for Batman. She was just short of saying that she had hugged him when he was a child and wore open-crotch pants.
It seems that these two are old acquaintances.
Mason on the roof wasted no time. He lit the alcohol lamp he brought from Barbara's safe house, took some of the newly acquired herbs, and took out a few bottles of mineral water to start boiling the medicine.
Wizarding world potions require very strange recipes and some of the ingredients are downright shady.
For example, strange things like dried mouse spleen or mint leaves picked in the morning light are not very friendly for beginners to practice.
Therefore, Mason chose the primary potions that already had drawings included. These primary potion series were obtained from Old K, and the formulas were improved by Old K. All the materials can be bought from ordinary herbal medicine stores.
Moreover, the whole process is very simple compared to traditional alchemy, but it tests the level of the alchemist.
The young man tried four times.
All failed...
It seems that the young master's complaints are reasonable.
There was nothing magical about brewing potions on a rooftop that was drafty on all sides. The God of Potions cursed Mason for his disrespect and made him waste twenty precious minutes of his life.
He shook his head, disposed of the carbon-black residue, then took out the bottle of truth serum that was very similar in appearance and color to the wind oil, held it in his hand, pushed the door open, went downstairs and walked into the safe house.
"You are also a heartless little thing!"
When Catwoman, who was tied to a chair, saw Mason coming in, she immediately screamed:
"My sister is so good to you, but you teamed up with Batboy to bully me! It turns out that all men who are favored by Batman are bad!"
"First of all, I'm not sorry for you, but you've always owed me a favor.
Secondly, don't try to pick the lock. It's said that the thing is specially made for flying thieves like you. You can't unlock it even if you break your fingers.
Finally, I didn't mean to hurt you.
I even added orange juice to the thing to make it taste better.”
Mason walked up to the grumpy Catwoman and unscrewed the lid of the crystal bottle in his hand. A pungent smell came out of it, making the young master beside him take a step back slightly in uneasiness.
The young man took out a small medicine spoon.
He dripped two drops of sticky truth serum onto the spoon, looked at the angry Catwoman again, estimated the degree of anger and resistance of this big sister, shrugged and continued to drip two drops into the spoon.
This is a double dose.
If Mason had bad intentions, he could even ask about Catwoman's first love and the color of her underwear today...well, there's no need to ask that.
The first choice for this kind of big sister is definitely the mysterious and charming black.
"Also, you're the one who dragged us into this dangerous situation. You should know that I just want to live a peaceful life."
Mason said, putting the remaining half bottle of potion back into the bag.
Such a bottle of truth serum can be used ten times, which is worth its long production process.
He winked at Batman next to him, who stepped forward and fixed Catwoman's struggling face, then clamped her mouth shut to reveal her clenched teeth.
To be honest, this scene is really too X-rated.
"It's okay, it's fine now. The medicine can seep in."
Mason placed the spoon next to Catwoman's sexy lips and said:
"It can penetrate into the tongue. Don't struggle. It is said that this stuff tastes good, just like rum, and it is harmless to the human body when used in small amounts."
"What did you give me to drink?"
After a few drops of cold potion were dripped into Catwoman's mouth, Nightwing let go of the struggling Wildcat Lady. The two young men took a few steps back and looked at the somewhat manic beauty sitting on the chair.
She yelled at Mason, and Nightwing glanced at the young man and whispered:
"How long does it take for the truth serum to take effect?"
"Now!"
Mason replied, looked at Catwoman, and said:
"your age!"
"Are you asking such a powerful question right at the beginning?"
The young master shrank his head and said:
"This is a woman's weak spot. Be careful or she'll strangle you to death."
"This is a test, shut up."
Mason shook his finger to shut the young master up, and the two men stared at the Catwoman in front of them.
The expression on her face was very strange, and her whole body was tense at this moment, as if she was holding back something that was about to burst out.
She bit her lip tightly to prevent herself from saying the damn answer.
But at this moment, the urge to share secrets with others was like a cat's claws scratching her heart, making it impossible for this charming elder sister to hide her inner thoughts.
Her face turned red.
Under the gaze of Mason and Nightwing, after nearly twenty seconds she opened her mouth as if suffocating, lowered her head and gasped, and said:
"18 years old..."
"Okay, the test failed, your Veritaserum has lost its effect."
The young master shrugged helplessly, while Mason raised a finger and shook it, then crossed his arms and said slowly:
"Don't jump to conclusions. She hasn't finished yet."
"18 years, 228 months and 17 days!"
Catwoman finally gave her answer.
The light in her eyes was burning like a fire of anger. She glared at Mason and Nightwing and wished she could tear the two guys to pieces. The young master was in complete shock at this moment.
Mason's truth serum is really effective, as it can make a mysterious woman like Ms. Selina reveal her real age on her own initiative!
Is this the power of magic?
Love it.
"Let me test it, too."
The young master coughed, and Mason beside him made a "please" gesture to him.
Grayson quietly turned on the communicator on the bat arm armor, looked at Catwoman with a resistant look on her face, and finally asked the question he wanted to know most.
He said:
"Why did you run away from Batman's wedding? Do you know that you made him very sad and almost broke down because of it?"
"I refuse to answer!"
Ms. Selina is going crazy.
She screamed, but the devilish potion continued to take effect, making it impossible for her to hide the secrets in her heart that she never wanted anyone to know.
Once again, she held her breath until her face turned red.
I even wanted to bite off my tongue.
But in the end, she bowed her head helplessly and whispered:
“I’m afraid… I’m afraid that he will get tired of me after he has me. The cat you can’t catch is your favorite cat. I’m even more afraid that after I become Mrs. Bat, I will be willing to become that man’s vassal.
The insecurity in my heart drove me to do stupid things.
Later events proved that I was once again used by Batman's enemies as a sword to pierce his broken heart.
I hurt him more than his enemies ever could, and for that I'm sorry.
But I really enjoy the time when he shyly reveals his hidden feelings to me when we are alone, and I hope this pattern will continue until the day I get old.
I swear!
I would marry him without hesitation as soon as the first wrinkle appeared on my face.
But until then, I'm going to keep playing with him like this.
I want to see who falls first."
The young master curled his lips, while Mason, who was listening, had a blank expression on his face but was indeed a little touched in his heart. Hmm, is this the twilight love of the elderly?
It’s really artistic.
But this answer did not exceed Nightwing's imagination. He turned on the communicator on his arm and said to the person on the other side in front of Catwoman:
"Did you hear that? Maybe this will help you untie the knot."
After nearly ten seconds of silence, Batman's iconic hoarse voice sounded in the communicator.
He said:
"Dick! You're so boring!"
Then the call was disconnected.
"Okay, let's get down to business, shall we?"
Mason walked forward and looked at the cat lady who lowered her head and had completely stopped resisting. He squatted down and said to the big sister whose mind was seen through:
"Ms. Selina, we really need the information in that hard drive. If you crack it, please tell us the content. Why are the Assassin's League and the Penguin Gang chasing us like crazy?"
"We are not on the same team anymore, Mason! You are the most evil of all the Batboys!"
Catwoman looked up.
Her tear-stained eyes stared at the young man and she said viciously:
"But I will tell you this, because Penguin has been colluding with the Assassin's League for a long time. They are jointly carrying out a plan called 'Advent Day'.
There wasn't much information I could decipher.
It's an intelligent program that's constantly encrypting itself.
I can't hack it with the Batcomputer.
Because it would be able to parasitize Batman's database and security network, and perhaps even the theft of the hard drive itself was a conspiracy against that man.
But I am sure that both the League of Assassins and the Penguin Gang are just participants in this plan, and its first step is the fall of Gotham and the death of Batman. "
Catwoman gasped.
She looked at Mason and said:
"The Penguin must retrieve the hard drive or destroy the information because he doesn't want to die quietly. As for the Assassin's League, they don't want the entire plan to be canceled because of this mistake.
Anyone who has come into contact with that hard drive is a roadblock that must be removed. You two can't solve this problem!
Batman must come back...
Hey, why is your lapel pin glowing? "
"boom"
Just as Catwoman finished her words, a bullet broke through the window and shot towards her.
Mason threw Catwoman and the chair to the ground, and Nightwing reacted quickly and opened his bulletproof cloak to block the fatal bullet.
Mason pulled out Sujie's Eagle and cut the rope. He then pinned Catwoman, who was trying to break free, under him and opened his invisibility cloak to wrap them both up.
"do not move!"
He scolded, then raised his head and said to Nightwing:
"I'll take her to a safe place, the seventh dock in Miller Harbor! I'll contact you."
"Go! I'll lead them away."
The young master was not vague at all at the critical moment. He stepped forward and threw the bat dart, breaking the glass and rushing out. Then there were sharp gunshots and the sound of the Batmobile's engine starting.
As for Catwoman.
She looked at Mason in surprise, as he put on the magical cloak that concealed the two of them completely and made them invisible, and then fled down the stairs.
"We are indeed in the same group, Ms. Selina."
As he fled into the nearest dark alley, Mason picked up his pistol and put it on his back. He said to Catwoman who was glaring at him:
"I want to get away from these ghosts who are chasing me, and you want to live to see the day you marry Batman. We have every basis for cooperation.
As for the truth serum...
I forgot to tell you that it only takes about five minutes to be effective."
Mason shrugged, wiped his eyes pretending to be touched, and joked:
"You voluntarily revealed the secret about you and Batman, don't put the blame on me. Also, as a world-class thief, how could you not see Nightwing's little move to open the communicator?
The way you two get along with each other in this fairy-tale love is really twisted.
It is really hard for the master to have a lover like you who is like a devil."
"whispering sound"
Catwoman curled her lips when her secret was exposed, and put on her ruby goggles while saying:
"Do you really think I've been hanging around for nothing all these years? You bastard bat boy, I'm a professional when it comes to catching rich men! Do you understand the technical content of those few words just now?
This is enough to make the silent man fall in love with me to death."
