Volume 2 Honoring Robin Chapter 53 Unfortunately, I didn’t come here to become someone’s shadow
Jason Todd was highly regarded by Batman when he was Robin.
Compared to Grayson, the second barrel guy has a bad temper and is very impulsive, but his fighting talent is much stronger than that of the eldest son. He completed all the training of Batman in less than half the time of Grayson.
When he was Robin, he was a guy that made all the villains in Gotham tremble in fear.
Batman and the young master refrained from using violence.
Even when faced with extremely vicious criminals, at most they would be sent to the intensive care unit for "slight punishment." But if they were unlucky enough to encounter a second-barrel night patrol, the criminals would most likely end up in the ICU.
Broken ribs were just the appetizer; occasionally a femoral head shattering or a few leg bones would be removed to prevent them from doing evil again.
This is normal operation.
In general, Ertong was a very violent person before he encountered the ups and downs in his life. He might be more interested in getting "free sandbags" than preventing crimes.
Because of this bad habit, he was often scolded by Batman.
After being killed by the Joker, he was replaced in the coffin by the League of Assassins. After being resurrected by soaking in the Lazarus Pool, a long period of training in the assassin organization further enhanced his violent habits to the point of "cold-blooded and cruel".
The Pool of Lazarus can bring the dead back to life.
But this resurrection comes at a price.
Just look at how vicious and bloodthirsty that twelve-year-old Damian is, and you will know that this thing is by no means a miracle drug.
Anyway, on this evening that was gradually turning into a rainstorm, in the dark alley where Batman lost his parents, in the "fateful place" where Jason Todd first encountered Batman and tried to remove the tires of the Batmobile.
This confused and painful soul started a deadly fight with another guy he hated.
He planned to use the assassination skills he learned in the Assassin's League and his superb shooting skills to form a "gun fighting technique" to beat the annoying Mason into paralysis or something so that he could vent his anger.
Then Mason slammed golden lightning in his face.
The umbrella, which looked no different from an ordinary umbrella, emitted a blinding electric current when it was waved, which hit Jason along with the rain, paralyzing the cold-blooded killer on the spot. At the same time, two bat darts with "additives" flew out from the left and right and stabbed Jason's feet.
The red light flashed and detonated the engineering explosives. With a loud bang, the two barrels were blown away in the rain and fell awkwardly on the dirty ground.
"That's it?"
Mason grabbed the umbrella and said disdainfully:
"Did you shoot your brains out when you slept with Talia? You've forgotten everything Bruce taught you, right? Or do you think I look easier to bully than the eldest and third young masters?"
"boom"
Mason's answer was a large-caliber bullet.
The open penguin umbrella blocked the barrage of bullets, but Jason had obviously modified the ammunition so that it had the ability to produce micro-explosions in addition to the impact force.
The impact made Mason take a step back, but the umbrella made of double bulletproof material was obviously tougher than before.
The explosive bullet failed to break the defense.
But Jason's body, strengthened by the Lazarus Pool, quickly got rid of the paralysis. He no longer underestimated the enemy and took advantage of Mason's open umbrella to block his view to rush forward. He fired four bullets in a row, forcing Mason into a corner and preparing to execute him.
But what he didn't know was...
Mason, who has activated combat assistance, doesn't need his eyes to capture the opponent's tracks. Even with his eyes blindfolded, he can perfectly grasp the opponent's movements.
So while Ertong jumped up against the wall and was about to shoot a bullet into Mason's head, the young man raised the tip of his umbrella and turned the handle in his hand.
"puff"
The green fear gas came towards him and sprayed Ertong directly in the rain. The action was very much like Ertong actively rushing towards Mason's attack.
This is probably the legendary "arrowing method".
It's not that Mason shot accurately.
The main thing is that Ertong gave face and received it well!
This guy had lost the "Scarlet Knight" battle suit designed for him by the Assassin's League in the previous battle. Without the protection of the high-tech helmet, he inhaled a fierce breath of fear poison gas during this gap.
His mind was immediately attacked.
The dark alley in front of him suddenly twisted, and Mason holding an umbrella became more and more similar to the figure who had killed him.
As he staggered backwards and fired, one could even hear the strange and crazy laughter.
But the performance of the second barrel is indeed good.
Perhaps it was because he had experienced the torture of death and learned the secret method of protecting his mind in the Assassin's League that prevented him from being defeated by fear.
Although it was no longer possible to fight as agilely as before, it was still possible to protect oneself while retreating.
However, this tactic of keeping distance is extremely advantageous for Mason as a shooter. He swung out a golden high-voltage electric current to hit Ertong, then pulled out the revolver-type critical hand cannon at his waist and took a deep breath.
Eye of Death, activated!
The dark alley under the heavy rain and the figure of Ertong shooting bullets in defense in front of him suddenly stopped. Mason raised his gun and fired five shots at Ertong.
The next moment his senses returned, and five bullets whizzed through the two guns and shot away two barrels, also making three holes in his right arm, left leg and abdomen.
In order not to kill him, Mason even thoughtfully changed the bullets to small caliber ones.
The severe pain caused Jason to fall to the ground while retreating. He lay in the rain and struggled. He seemed to be overwhelmed by the poisonous gas of fear and even let out a shrill scream.
But Mason wasn't fooled at all.
He held up his umbrella as a shield, reloaded his pistol, aimed at Ertong's head, and said:
"Why are you pretending? If the Scarlet Knight is defeated so easily, you won't be qualified to be the secret weapon of the Assassin's League to deal with Bruce.
A man who can defeat Batman head-on will not be killed by a few bullets.
Tell me! Jason.
Are you taking advantage of Barbara?
Or do you not want to drag her into your mess?"
"What's the difference?"
Seeing that Mason was not fooled, Jason gave up the tactic of showing weakness.
He knelt on one knee on the ground and did not pick up the gun on the ground. Instead, he held his hands behind his back. As his wrists moved, two black assassin's blades, one long and one short, were pulled out.
It looks a lot like a Japanese sword, but the shape is slightly different.
When these two things were taken out, they made a strange buzzing sound and emitted an ominous red glow in the rain.
"Is this the Great Caste Blade that Lei Xiaogu gave you?"
Mason raised his eyebrows and said:
"You're the one that defeated Bruce and poisoned him with this, right? Nice trophy, but tell me, Jason! Barbara nearly killed herself because of your intervention.
She is your sister!
You bastard!
You nearly killed her."
"I sent for her but she refused to come to me!"
Jason, whose hair was soaked by the rain, shouted:
"She just wanted to express her dissatisfaction with Bruce. She has been tortured for too long! You blind people can only see that she is forcing a smile!
Only I can understand the pain in Barbara's heart.
I never wanted to hurt her...
I even got her water from the Pool of Lazarus so she could stand up again, but she refused. Even when she made up her mind to leave this world, she still didn't want to hurt her friends and family.
But Bruce failed her!
Just like he failed me..."
"Very good. Apart from your rebellious and immature remarks, I am quite satisfied with this answer."
Mason nodded and said into the communicator in his ear:
"Charles, the bombing is called off."
"Buzz"
More than twenty flying bombs flew up from the garbage dumps on both sides behind Jason and were retrieved by kite people wearing invisibility cloaks in the sky. This scene made Jason feel very cold.
It seems Mason wasn't kidding when he said he might be shoveled out...
"You've been betrayed, poor man."
Mason lowered his gun.
He said to Ertong, whose wounds had healed:
"Talia sold you to me, you fool! Didn't Batman teach you not to fight on the battlefield of your enemy's choosing? Or didn't the Joker teach you that with a bloody crowbar?
It's amazing that he fell into the same pit twice. It seems that the water in the Pool of Lazarus is really harmful to intelligence.
Or maybe you abandoned her after having an affair with her, and that crazy woman is completely disappointed in you?"
"You said this is the battlefield you chose?"
Jason gave an indescribable smile in response to the sarcasm.
The moment he stood up, he activated the button hidden in his boots. With a low explosion, the walls on both sides of Crime Alley collapsed with a rumble.
Under Mason's gaze, this short dark alley quickly turned into an enclosed space with no entrance or way out, and the two barrels in front of him waved their wrists in the rain.
The buzzing blade of the Great Caste cut through the rain with a light sound.
Ertong lowered his head, looked at him as if he was speaking his last words, and said in a deep voice:
“I’m sorry, Mason Cooper, but I’m not planning on leaving here alive today, so perhaps you, the one chosen as my replacement, can join me in hell.
This way we'll have a companion on the road."
"A replacement?"
Mason looked at Jason with a strange expression as he walked towards him with two swords in hand. He fired three shots in a row, but the flying bullets were easily chopped off by the Scarlet Knight's two swords.
The bullets were useless so the young man backed away holding the umbrella.
As the rain poured down in ever-increasing torrents, he said:
"So you're just like those idiots, thinking that I was allowed into Batman's sight because I was your shadow, and you're just like them, thinking that I approached Batman in order to become a member of the Bat Family.
When will you guys truly understand that the best way to pay tribute to your idol is never to become him, and that admiration is the emotion that is farthest from understanding.
Do you really think that my ultimate purpose in coming to this world is just to become your shadow?
Stop looking down on people.
OK?"
Jason didn't answer.
He was just prepared for a double-edged attack. He knew that Mason must have other cards up his sleeve, but he didn't care.
As he said, when he walked into this alley, he had no intention of leaving alive.
As for the reason…
"I saw your tattoo earlier, Mason. You covered it well with magic, but that evil pool gave me the ability to see the truth."
The second barrel said in a mute voice:
"You are in the same group with them! I'm sorry, but I can't allow you, the outsiders, to continue living! This may be the last thing I, a person who shouldn't be alive, can do for this world."
"Shh!"
Mason raised his finger in the rain, silencing the man.
Under Ertong's surprised gaze, Mason threw away his umbrella and pistol, and took out a delicate syringe-like thing from his bag.
He sighed and shook his head, then stabbed the thing into his arm. The cold blood flowing into his veins brought him great pain.
His cheeks twitched and he said in a hoarse voice:
"You just said something that shouldn't be said, you bad boy. I'm sorry, but Jason, it looks like we can't settle this matter today."
As the strange thing was injected into Mason's arm, a beast-like aura suddenly burst out from Mason.
The breath echoing in the rainstorm made Ertong's expression change drastically.
He no longer hesitated and walked forward quickly.
Two blades of the Great Caste, one long and one short, crossed and pierced Mason's chest. One of the blades pierced through his heart, forcing Mason to take three steps back and nailing him to the fallen rocks behind him.
However, this deadly attack did not make Jason feel the slightest bit safe in the pouring rain.
Therefore, Mason, who was stabbed in the heart, did not die. Instead, he moved his neck and raised his head, and a painful smile appeared in his wild eyes.
Blood was oozing from the corner of his mouth but he was still smiling in the rain, looking at Jason Todd whose expression changed drastically .
He said:
"Well, allow me to introduce you to a new friend, Jason."
"puff"
Amid the sound of flesh tearing, three pale bloody bone claws pierced out from Mason's fists on each side, and pierced into Ertong's abdomen and chest at a distance where Jason had no way to dodge.
Amid the screams of Er Tong, and the even louder noise of the raindrops dripping down Crime Alley, washing away all the blood, Mason said in a hoarse voice:
"Call me 'Logan' for the next 30 minutes! Bear with me, this is going to hurt..."
——
When Batman arrived at Crime Alley, all he saw was Mason lying on the ground with a miserable look on his face.
The young man looked like he had been struck by an invisible blade, with wounds of varying sizes all over his body. He leaned against the blood-covered wall, struggling to bandage himself in the rain.
Seeing that Mason was still alive, the master suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
He landed in front of Mason with a whoosh, squatted down, and injected him with a dose of hemostatic and analgesic injection, then looked at the chaos around him, which was like a strong wind passing through, or like a place where a terrifying beast had wreaked havoc.
He said in a hoarse voice:
"This was...Jason's doing?"
"Damn it, that guy is like crazy."
Mason, with blood all over his face, said weakly:
"He attacked me on my way home from get off work, but he could have killed me, and I suspect he was just using me to vent his anger at you and the Bat-Family.
Bruce, you really need to rethink the way you treat your Robins."
"Sorry, Mason."
The master sighed in the rain, helped Mason up and walked to Dr. Leslie's clinic. He whispered:
"Did Jason leave anything behind when he left..."
"He said he wasn't coming back."
Mason coughed and said:
"He said his fate with Gotham was over. He also said that the death of the Joker made him lose his goal. He beat me half to death and asked me to convey his apologies to Barbara.
But he also promised that he would never again be associated with the Assassin's League.
I think he might be looking for some way to heal himself. After all, the pollution of the water in the Pool of Lazarus would have a long-lasting impact on a person's sanity.
Speaking of which, how's Damian? Is he getting along well with you?"
"That's why I came to you, Mason."
The master who was fearless and never frowned no matter what hardship he faced also sighed in the rain. He whispered:
"Regarding Damian's problem, I may need your help with alchemy... Interested in becoming the Wayne family's personal alchemist? Although Alfred invited you, I still think it would be more formal for me to invite you again."
"Let me think about it."
Mason shrugged and said:
"Now, I need to rest. I hope Dr. Leslie can arrange a quieter ward for me."
At the same time, in the basement of Mason's cabin, in the empty area inside the opened magic suitcase, Kite Man was looking at Jason Todd, who was sent to the treatment cabin to maintain his life, with numbness all over his body.
The second barrel was almost torn to pieces!
If it weren't for the healing water from the Pool of Lazarus in his body, and the large amount of healing drugs that Mason immediately drank when he regained his sanity from his blood rage as Wolverine, poor Bucket Two would probably have been shoveled out of Crime Alley.
The kite man watched almost the entire process.
When he thought of his boss who had just been as crazy as a beast, he felt a shudder coming on.
"The boss's potion is so damn weird!"
Charles complained:
"When you increase your strength, will your personality also change?"
