Volume 1: Welcoming Gotham Chapter 4: For the sake of being orphans...
On the dim streets of Gotham's East Side, the Penguin, who had been injected with an injection, no longer wailed.
Batman injected a hemostatic agent into his wound and used a special spray to prevent the severed finger from getting worse. He then used his Bat-Communicator to send a signal to Commissioner Gordon.
The Penguin broke some kind of "tacit understanding" and attacked the police station, so naturally it was up to the Gotham Police Department to deal with this matter.
The VIP ticket to Blackgate Prison has been delivered to Oswald personally by the master, which is a kind of integrity that a superhero should have.
However, today's matter is not over yet.
The young man Mason knew that he couldn't just leave like that, because the Batman in front of him was staring at him with those cold eyes that showed almost no emotion.
Even through the goggles of the bat helmet, Mason could feel the cold scrutiny.
It was obvious that the master was very dissatisfied with his "shameless sneak attack" just now.
"A Gotham High School dropout, a 17-year-old young man, who had previously been unremarkable and mediocre, was raised by a gangster with serious violent tendencies."
Batman said hoarsely:
"Your behavior tonight is inconsistent with your past experiences, Mason Cooper, perhaps you should explain?"
"I guess you don't understand how tragic it is to have a father who goes crazy when he gets drunk. What's more regrettable is that the man is drunk every day."
Under the master's gaze, the young man squatted down, picked up the black umbrella , and held the exquisite and deadly weapon in his hand.
He didn't look Batman in the eye, but lowered his head and said in a calm but bitter tone:
"You put my father in jail three times. I think you know that man better than I do. From my childhood memories, he smiled only a few times. After my mother died, he brought all kinds of women home to hang out. I was more like a burden than a gift to him.
Did you have a childhood like this? Batman."
Mason looked up, glanced at his master, and said:
"I guess you didn't. If you did, you should know that I have been practicing in secret and practicing my marksmanship not to hurt others.
I'm just trying to protect myself!
Especially after I secretly called the police when I was seven years old and asked them to take me away, and the man found out and almost beat me to death, I knew that no one could protect me on those hellish days.
Not even you who can make Gotham tremble!
Batman is not going to show up in my nightmares and take me away like in the comic books."
These words instantly pierced the master 's heart as hard as steel like a knife.
Of course, it won’t break through all at once.
But those who are familiar with Batman's origin story know that when facing Batman's questioning, it is obviously easier to gain some sympathy by turning the topic to the parents.
Besides, Mason is not talking nonsense.
Judging from the memories he gained after taking over this body, the young man's short life in the past was indeed very painful, and his father being hacked to death in a gang fight did not seem like a curse to the young man.
Even more like liberation.
Of course, this kind of thing cannot be said right now.
"Tonight I hurt people from the Penguin Gang. They are bad guys!"
When Mason saw that the master was silent, he knew that his words had worked. He stroked the penguin umbrella in his hand, took a step back and stepped on a fallen bat dart with his foot.
He said loudly:
“Ever since I was a kid, Penguin and his gang have been like a lock on everything about me, and I went to high school thinking I could get away from them.
But after my father died, they found me and asked me to drop out of school and join them.
The bastard at your feet buys insurance for all his subordinates and wins their hearts.
He claims to be the most benevolent boss in this city, but to this day, he has not given me my father's share of the insurance money. I hate them, is there anything wrong with that?
Only when they are all gone can I get rid of the past, overcome my fear, and embrace a new life... Batman! You are a powerful man, you are not afraid of these guys.
They can't hurt you even with their guns.
But I can't.
I'm just an ordinary person with better shooting skills. I will die if I get hit. I also helped your friends. Is there anything wrong with me pursuing a new life?
Do you want me to apologize to them?"
After a series of questioning, the analysis progress bar of the special engineering creation "Penguin's Armed Umbrella" appeared on the light screen in front of Mason.
Compared to Batman's high-tech equipment, which takes hundreds of hours to analyze, this thing is analyzed much faster.
It will take a few more minutes to complete the drawing collection.
But there is a high probability that the umbrella will be taken away by the master, and Mason just wants to get the "trophy" he deserves after this conversation is over.
After a tens of unbearable seconds of confrontation, he spread his hands and said to Batman:
“That’s where all my history comes from.
The story of a young man who had endured for 17 years and finally found a chance to escape from hell, believe it or not! But I am not here to provoke you, in fact, I am here to thank you.
Without your intervention, the feud between me and the Penguin Gang would not have been resolved so easily."
"Finish?"
The master finally spoke.
His cloak covered his body and the dark armor. He maintained his usual indifferent demeanor and said in a hoarse voice:
“This is not the end at all, this is just the beginning.
What you did tonight cannot be concealed, and the Penguin's gang will not disband just because he and his core members were sent to jail. Oswald has a group of killers in the city who specialize in handling similar matters for him.
I won't comment on the feud between you and the Penguin Gang.
I have no intention of criticizing your opinion of your father, but Mason, you have put yourself in a terrible situation, and you may not even survive tomorrow night."
"That's my business. I choose the path and I walk it myself."
Mason felt a little guilty.
But he still behaved like a young man who would not bow his head. He picked up his gun and put it behind his back. He glanced at the master and whispered:
"Can I leave now? Batman, I need to go back and pack up and start my escape."
"Stay here until Gordon comes. He will protect you."
The master spoke briefly, and Mason's eyes widened as he whispered:
"There are gangsters in the police station! If you hadn't shown up tonight, those corrupt police would have sold Commissioner Gordon to the Penguin right away. You couldn't have not known that, right?
You want me to jump into the tiger's mouth?"
"Gordon has several trusted safe houses."
The master didn't explain much.
When the sirens sounded in the street in the distance, he waved his hand, raised the grappling gun and sent the flying claw into the sky. At the moment he flew up, Batman warned:
"You said you wanted to live a quiet life, Mason, and you better keep your word. I'll be watching you."
"Whoosh"
The man's figure disappeared into the night and merged into the darkness. Mason stood there and watched him leave, then glanced at the Penguin's armed umbrella in his hand.
The master didn’t take this away?
Does this mean that I own this weapon?
Maybe he felt that he would need this thing to protect himself in the next situation?
The young man blinked and breathed a sigh of relief.
In any case, it seems that the speeches he carefully prepared along the way really touched the master. Of course, it is also very likely that it was some kind of "resonance" between the two orphans?
"lay down your weapon!"
As the police car quickly swung its tail to a stop, Commissioner Gordon's powerful shout rang out in the dark night. Mason had no intention of showing off his bravery.
He raised his hands and allowed the police to come forward and confiscate his weapon.
Old Gordon walked over expressionlessly, fiercely took the tracker from Mason's arms and pretended to hit the naughty boy, but in the end he just patted him on the shoulder, ran to check on the unconscious Penguin and put handcuffs on the Penguin's wrists with his own hands.
At a corner of the street, Batman stood alone on the rooftop, watching the police cars leave like a statue. After the shining lights disappeared completely, the master activated the communication and said to the other end:
"Alfred, go into the Gotham City resident database, keyword 'Mason Cooper', and check all of his information. Pay special attention to whether he had a police report when he was seven years old, and whether he had a record of being abused by his father."
"Wait a moment, Master."
Ah Fu's steady voice came from the communicator hidden in the bat ear decoration of the helmet. After a few seconds, the old butler sighed and replied:
"Yes, the information matches your description. This child was sent to the hospital three times at the ages of six, ten, and thirteen.
The mildest one was a broken rib.
He himself is very peaceful.
Although he had a father who was involved in gangsterism, he did not even have a criminal record for petty theft. Although his grades were not excellent in school, according to his graduation records, all his teachers had very positive opinions of him.
There's nothing wrong with him except that he's a little lonely.
Oh, by the way, this kid is a fanatical "Bat fan". He joined a small group that worships you in high school and is a core member. "
After saying that, Ah Fu hesitated for a moment and asked again:
"Master, are you going to train a new Robin again? Do you need me to prepare the adoption papers and call that person? The child doesn't have any relatives anymore."
"No."
Batman refused decisively, and said to Alfred as he turned to leave:
“I see Jason in him.
Maybe he will live more safely without contacting me. Keep an eye on him, Ah Fu. He has been suppressed by darkness for too long. Tonight's outburst may just be the beginning.
But no one knows whether it will return to peace or become distorted.
As for me……
I just don't want to see another resident of Arkham Asylum. This city has enough troubles as it does."
——
In the early hours of the morning, Commissioner Gordon personally drove Mason to a safe house in an apartment in Audisburg. The commissioner was very alert and there were no other entourage besides him.
Obviously, he also knew that his police station was not so clean.
"You will stay here for the next few days and wait for follow-up arrangements."
The director threw a large bag of daily necessities he had purchased temporarily on the bed in this small apartment, and then said to Mason, who had changed his clothes and put on a baseball cap to cover his figure and looked around:
"Don't go out. There's a phone for ordering food on the table over there, and there's an emergency contact on the bedside. Let me ask you again, are you really willing to serve as a witness in court to accuse Oswald?"
"They have offended me to this extent. Even if I don't testify, they won't let me go."
The young man was not under any pressure. He walked to the window and slightly pulled up the blinds, and he could see Miller Harbor in the dark night and the Gotham River flowing through the city.
He turned to look at Commissioner Gordon and asked:
"How long will Penguin be sent inside?"
"Based on all the dirt on him, it's at least two hundred and thirty-five years."
The director shrugged and added:
"Of course, if he is not jailbroken."
This made Mason lose his temper. He grinned and said:
"So as a police chief, you have already tacitly accepted that the bad guys you have arrested and put in prison will definitely escape?"
"This is Gotham, anything is possible here."
The director laughed dryly twice.
He checked his watch and was about to leave when Mason stopped him and said:
"Leave me a weapon for emergencies. Where's the gun I assembled myself?"
"Left in the evidence department."
Gordon pushed up his black-framed glasses and glanced at Mason.
Perhaps he felt that this young man's situation was indeed special, so he hesitated for a few seconds before taking out his spare gun from his arms and placing it on the table, leaving an extra magazine.
He said:
"be safe."
"Um."
Mason watched the chief leave, then played with his service pistol by the window as the car drove away.
He walked forward, locked the door, and took a nice bath. Then he returned to the room, picked up the umbrella he had been carrying , and took out the two bat darts he had picked up from his shoes.
He placed the thing on the table, and the light screen in front of him immediately gave an information label:
Penguin's Armed Umbrella
Quality: Excellent Engineering Special Items Excellent Craftsmanship
Status: Complete accessories (semi-automatic burster, fighting spear, cane sword, micro flamethrower, micro gas sprayer, umbrella bulletproof shield, catapulting knife)
Oswald Cobblepot: The Penguin
Item Description: We generally call this ingenious multi-purpose self-defense weapon "3000 Life Costs You".
Tip: The blueprints have been collected, and you can make in-depth modifications after your engineering skills are improved.
"Click"
Mason twisted the curved umbrella handle, causing it to make a slight sound like gears returning to their original positions. As he watched, a sharp white blade popped out from the tip of the umbrella.
Turn the umbrella handle slightly again, and the umbrella tip will be replaced by a delicate nozzle.
As he turned the umbrella handle to the bottom, the sharp tip of the umbrella shot out with a whoosh and stabbed into the wall fiercely. The hollow spike, as long as his little finger, was completely embedded in the concrete, and the tail end was still shaking at high speed.
Mason grinned, retracted the tip of the umbrella, pulled open the umbrella handle to reveal the loading port, and loaded the bullets from Commissioner Gordon's gun into it one by one.
This thing holds fifteen rounds, but reloading is a waste of time, and it's clear that shooting is only its most insignificant function.
Those dazzling little accessories are hidden in a circular mechanical box at the top of the umbrella, which looks very delicate, just like a music box.
With Mason's current level 0 engineering, he was sure that if he dismantled the thing, he would not be able to put it back together by himself.
He played with the umbrella for a while, then picked up two tough and exaggerated bat darts and placed them in front of his eyes. The information label popped up again:
Basic Bat Dart
Quality: Well-forged/engineering items, excellent craftsmanship
Status: No components are installed. There are seven weapon slots of different specifications reserved in the center of the combat dart to meet different needs including blasting, electromagnetic shock, blinding, toxins and monitoring.
After pulling out the dart, it can be used for close combat.
Producer: Wayne Industrial Technology R&D Department
Item Description: You know that the cost of this small piece of iron is enough to buy you a new car with a little loan, right? Do you have the heart to throw it out and hit someone?
Tip: Physical samples have been collected and drawings have been included.
"Who else but Bruce Wayne can use this thing?"
Mason sighed and said:
"So those villains who were knocked down by batarangs were actually hit by a luxury car? This is the power of money. Tsk, I'm so envious."
But the young man's envy, like eating a lemon, had not yet ended, and a prompt popped up on the screen in front of him: Enter combat mode...
"?"
Mason blinked in surprise.
The next second, something heavy hit the wall of the "safe house", followed by a violent explosion that shook the entire apartment.
The young man was blown away and hit the wall on the other side. He got up and spit out blood.
But he reacted quickly, grabbed the Penguin's umbrella in the chaos, and opened it up like a shield in front of him.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, the impact hit the umbrella, and the flying bullets pulled the young man back to the crazy gun battle several hours ago.
Black smoke billowed from the collapsed wall, and several masked men rushed towards the automatic weapons. They hadn't seen the target yet, but the aiming frame floating in front of Mason's eyes had already locked onto them.
The young man held the trigger of the umbrella handle while holding the umbrella, and fired decisively the moment the preset trajectory was corrected.
With three consecutive shots, he knocked down two assassins who broke in. He grabbed the nearest fallen rifle, put the pistol left by Gordon in his arms, put the bat dart on his belt, staggered and covered his mouth, and rushed out the door amid gunshots behind him.
The Gotham Police Department's safe house is indeed safe enough...
Well, at least that's true for the killers.
