Volume 1: Welcoming Gotham Chapter 36 Can I finally live a peaceful life...?
The news of the fire in Blackgate Prison soon appeared in the Gotham morning newspaper the next morning, and it did cause some discussion. In particular, the large number of prisoners who died in the fire really made a group of Gotham citizens applaud.
Of course, the Internet is naturally full of accusations such as "What's wrong with this city? It's a mess."
It is said that the latest conspiracy theory has leaked out of Gotham's famous "Villain Forum", and all the accusations are pointing to Batman who appeared near the prison when the fire broke out.
But it had already happened, and nothing else could change the fact that the matter had already been settled except for discussion. And Mason also slept comfortably in the kite man's shabby apartment, a rare moment of relaxation without having to worry about being shot.
Charles even had breakfast ready for him when he woke up.
Of course, don't expect a divorced old man living alone to have good cooking skills. He just heated up last night's leftovers and added two pieces of bread.
"Uh, boss, I didn't do your part."
As Mason rubbed his eyes and walked out of the room, Kite Man, who was watching TV and eating breakfast, said something awkwardly. Mason didn't care. After washing up, he looked around the apartment, which was showing signs of being worn out, and asked:
"Where's your roommate?"
"He ran away."
The kite-flyer ate his meal with a hearty appetite, and said without raising his head:
"When I was in prison, he owed me rent and left me an IOU before running away. Boss, do you want to share the rent with me? Even though this house is shabby, it has everything you need.
Besides, there are beautiful girls living opposite and upstairs.
Just a picture of Mr. Grant or Mr. Franklin, and they will be happy to spend a lonely night with you."
"But I'm more used to being nicer to myself."
Mason curled his lips and politely rejected the suggestion. Then he took out his suitcase and put it on the ground. He turned on the switch of the traceless extension spell and said to the kite man who was eating:
"I'll go in and check on the 'guest'. If anything happens, just take the box and leave. Nothing will be affected inside."
"give it to me."
Charles made an OK gesture while holding a piece of bread in his mouth.
Last night, I followed the Bat Family and the Boss to do something really big. The burning Blackgate Prison reported on the news was partly my own work.
This was a highlight moment that had hardly appeared in Kite Man's otherwise unsuccessful career as a villain.
He was in a good mood at the moment and could eat several bowls of rice just by listening to the news.
Mason put one foot into the box, took a deep breath, and then buried his second foot in it.
The next moment, a feeling of weightlessness enveloped his body, and after a second of dizziness, he was standing on the roof of Lao K's three-story apartment.
The young man raised his head and looked at the shining white space around him, then raised his head again and it was as if there was a "skylight" in the white sky, and he could see the ceiling of the kite man's living room through the window.
"It's got to have a folding ladder."
Mason thought:
"Falling down like this every time is like bungee jumping. Sooner or later, I'm going to have a heart attack."
But this space is really big.
The 500X500X50 three-dimensional area makes this place very spacious. Even though Lao K’s three-story apartment stands on the flat ground, there are large tracts of “undeveloped land” around it.
This is clearly the most perfect "mobile secret base".
The alchemy room, forge, and enchantment inscription workshop that Mason imagined can all be built here, and can be designed entirely in his own style.
This immediately made the young man begin to imagine the bright prospects after the "suitcase world", but the moment he pushed open the balcony door and walked into the top floor, a sword light slashed towards him.
"I'm going to kill you, you little bastard!"
A shrill scream rang out along with the sword light, representing the deep resentment of Catwoman, who was about to go crazy after being locked up here for 17 hours.
But Mason did not dodge or fight back. He just stood there as if he was frightened, watching the sword stop dangerously in front of his forehead.
The catwoman who appeared before him was not wearing her cat-ear helmet and ruby goggles.
Not even that tight suit.
In fact, she seemed to be taking a shower when Mason arrived.
At this moment, she was wrapped in a bath towel, and her short black hair was covered with dripping water stains.
“Is there any hot water in this house?”
Mason asked curiously, only to receive a vicious glare from Catwoman.
"Snapped"
The extremely sharp Sujie Eagle was thrown out, brushing against Mason's body and piercing the wall behind him. Catwoman walked barefoot on the floor and said with hatred:
"I thought there was none, after all, the water pipes were broken. But in fact, there was not only hot water, but also all kinds of food in the refrigerator, even ingredients I had never seen before...
Well, the fish sushi tastes pretty good.”
"Maybe it's magic."
Mason rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then said:
"Old K's house has its own magic barrier. It might be a custom-made one."
"Who is Lao K?"
Catwoman returned to the bathroom, took off her towel without even closing the door, and returned to the bathtub filled with black rose petals.
She didn't seem to mind doing this in front of a young man, of course this could also be a conversation strategy of this knowledgeable lady.
Anyway, Mason turned his back to the bathroom like a gentleman and tidied up the furniture and some of Old K's collections that were affected when the house was moved into a suitcase on the messy floor.
That guy is really into weapons and armor.
There are several different sets of armor on the top floor alone, but unfortunately Mason's character cards were identified as simple artifacts, not priceless magical creations.
Faced with Catwoman's questioning, Mason did not hide anything and told her honestly everything that happened during his five days of disappearance.
This is a long story, and Catwoman was so stunned that she even forgot to add bath bubbles to the bathtub. After Mason finished talking about the decisive battle in front of the Forbidden Forest, the elder sister finally came to her senses.
She stood up from the bathtub, wiped her body, put on a set of black underwear, and walked out wrapped in a bath towel. She sat on the sofa and made herself a cup of coffee with a sense of ritual.
This big sister is the type who has her own aura. Even when she’s eating at a roadside stall, she can give you the feeling of enjoying classical music in a high-end concert hall.
She thought about Mason's story, and after nearly two minutes of silence, she asked:
"So, you really traveled to another world? Just through that door embedded in the wall? Are you sure you are not hallucinating because of the LSD that wizard Old K gave you?"
"You also saw Fang and Fluffy and Miss Magg with your own eyes."
Mason looked back at her and pointed to the zombie Fang Ya who was fighting with the three-headed dog Mao Mao outside the house. He said:
"Do you think there is any other reasonable explanation for those creatures besides coming from another world?"
"Maybe it's a freak created in a laboratory?"
Catwoman leaned back on the sofa and rolled her eyes. She drank her coffee and played with her exquisite nails. She stopped dwelling on this question and looked at the Gate to the World embedded in the wall several times.
And asked:
"How long do you plan to keep me here? What are you going to do to me? Let me make it clear in advance, young man, I don't mind playing with you for a change, but you know how powerful my boyfriend is.
If I disappear for too long, he will eventually find you, unless you plan to kill me here once and for all ."
"If I really wanted to do that, I would have just thrown you into the zombie pile last night."
Mason pulled up a chair and sat across from Catwoman.
From this angle he could see some private parts of this big sister, and Ms. Selina, who was like a "walking hormone", seemed to notice Mason's gaze.
With a nasty smile as if she was "teasing a little boy", she suddenly opened her legs, and Mason in front of her turned his head subconsciously.
Even though the other person was wearing underwear and there was no actual exposure of her private parts, this immature reaction still made Catwoman curl up on the sofa with laughter.
All the mystery and oppression brought by Mason disappeared in an instant with this cute reaction, and Selina felt that this little boy in front of her who had so many secrets was really interesting.
"Be serious, Ms. Selina, we are talking about your future now."
Mason coughed a few times and said something with a heavier tone.
Catwoman, curled up on the sofa, snorted and said lazily:
"I wanted to dress up to look formal, but my closet was full of stinky men's clothes, and I didn't like wearing tights when I wasn't working.
Except in some specific occasions, the feeling of clothes being tight against the skin is not pleasant or comfortable.
So you just make do with it.
If you don't plan to let me out soon, then remember to bring me some home clothes next time you come. Considering your poor financial situation, you don't need to buy too good ones. Just five pieces of Chanel's new autumn and winter clothes this year will be enough. "
As she said these words that shocked poor Mason for a hundred years, she casually threw a bank card to Mason, who took it in his hand and took a look at it.
The black card had a discreet bat logo printed on it.
"The legendary Bat Black Card that allows unlimited overdrafts?"
Mason looked at the little thing and said:
"You already have this stuff, so why do you still need to go to those jewelry stores and museums? Can't you just buy something you like? A rich man like Bruce shouldn't mind your spending on this, right?"
"Sister, I am an independent woman and I don't like to rely on men."
Catwoman drank coffee, looked out the window, and said faintly:
"Only when you are financially independent can you have an independent personality. If you are being kept by someone, then you can't be in a relationship. Don't you understand this? Besides, how can something you bought be as good as something you stole?
That is an important means for me to realize the meaning of my life.
Speak up, little one.
What do I have to do to get you to let me out?"
She reached out and pulled the towel down from her shoulders, licking her lips and said to Mason:
"Would you like to enjoy the most expensive cat in the world?"
"Risk of having your neck broken between your legs, or of being chased to the end of the world by Batman? No, I'm not interested, thank you."
Mason threw the Bat Black Card back to Catwoman and said seriously:
"I have to make sure you don't tell Bruce Wayne what you know, and I don't want to keep you imprisoned for a long time, it won't do me any good.
As you can see, I have a use for this house, it's not just a temporary cat house.
So we have to resolve this matter as soon as possible.
I have a suggestion for this!"
The young man coughed and said:
"If you are willing to accept the constraints of magical means, then a black magician will visit me in a few days. At that time, we can make a contract and then you will be free."
"Let me confirm first, is your dark magician friend John Constantine?"
Catwoman frowned and said:
"Bruce enlisted that little bitch Zatanna Zatara and her ex-boyfriend to help rescue you, and maybe that's when you became friends with Constantine.
But if it's him, then I refuse!"
Selina refused in a decisive tone :
"If Constantine had a sister and a dog, I would 100% choose the dog.
The last time I dealt with him was something I will never forget. During the time we had a meal together, that guy tried to drug me seven times and used damn magic to seduce me five times.
Fortunately, Bruce was not far away at the time, otherwise I would have really... In short, anyone in this world can do it, but he can't! You should also avoid dealing with him!
That guy is a ruthless eater."
"Then there is only one other way."
Mason pursed his lips, and under Catwoman's gaze, he reached out and pulled up the sleeve of his left arm, revealing a black ghost claw tattoo.
He said:
"If you become a member of Team K, if we have the same predicaments and troubles, and become the only people who can rely on each other when we roam in another world, then the trust crisis that is plaguing us now will be the smallest problem.
So, although it may be a little presumptuous, Ms. Selina, can I invite you to be my teammate? "
"Go explore another world?"
Catwoman raised her eyebrows and did not agree immediately.
But the light in her eyes clearly showed that she was very interested in the proposal.
After all, taking risks and seeking death have always been cats' nature, and even an outstanding woman like her cannot fight against her instincts.
“It’s a huge risk.”
Selena shook her head after a dozen seconds and said:
"First of all, you yourself don't know what kind of organization the Stars Society is. Your knowledge of it is limited to what Old K told you.
Second, words are not enough, little one."
Catwoman pointed to the wooden door embedded in the wall and said lazily:
"I have to see it with my own eyes before I can convince myself."
Catwoman's answer silenced Mason. After a few seconds, he asked:
"Aren't you afraid? What I mean is, facing such an invitation and a curse of unknown origin, a normal person would hesitate for several days, right?
I am a little scared by your eagerness to try."
"The answer is simple, little Mason."
Selina curled her lips, put down her coffee cup and explained:
"I have a great boyfriend. In my mind, he is omnipotent, and tirelessly making trouble for him and enjoying everything he does for me is the greatest pleasure of my life.
Besides, I'm tired of the adventures that Gotham has to offer.
If I don't find some new fun for myself, I'm afraid that in a few years I might really sink into the happy temptation brought by that charming bat.
So, just think of it as a 'sightseeing ticket' I bought."
Catwoman was lying on the sofa, planning to take a nap like a lazy cat. She waved her hand to let Mason go play by himself, and then stretched out her voice and said:
"Please let me know next time you go to another world. I'll be staying here for the next few days. Remember to bring me some clothes."
Ten seconds later, she spoke again:
"Why are you still here? Well, I understand. Young people are under a lot of pressure and want to release it, right? Come here, little friend, I can give you one of my hands.
Don’t be shy.”
Looking at Mason's back as he left the apartment as if running away, Catwoman, who was taking a nap on the sofa, smiled broadly. Ah, she would never get tired of such fun things as teasing little boys.
——
Mason climbed out of the suitcase in a panic.
Well, this description alone feels a bit like "postmodern impressionist crazy literature".
Anyway, the young man returned to the floor and locked the box again. He glanced at the kite man who was adjusting the flying backpack and decided to let him go out with him to choose his own place to stay.
But before he could say anything, the next second he and the Kite Man raised their heads at the same time.
The ghost claw tattoos on the arms of both men were heating up abnormally. Mason frowned and stretched out his hand to pinch it. In the gathering of star-like fragments of light, the "employee card" of the Star Club appeared between his two fingers.
He placed it in front of him, and a line of words appeared on the card recording the situation of Team K:
The K team's superior liaison officer has arrived at the world. All members of the K team are requested to go to the designated location to meet with their superiors and complete the mission briefing.
“Boss!”
Kite Man also saw this information on his ID card.
His face suddenly turned into one of fear and he grabbed the loaded pistol beside him. He was obviously very worried that the stars would find out about him and Mason's conspiracy to kill Old K.
"Don't panic!"
Mason shook his head and said:
"If something happens, the people who come here are not liaison officers but characters like the execution team, and they definitely won't give us any warnings. Stay calm."
The young man let out a long sigh, touched his left arm and said:
"Escape is not an option now. Unless you are determined to call Batman, you can only play with them first."
