Volume 4: The Last Day Chapter 62 Please! This kind of grandpa is super cool, okay?
Half an hour later, as the belated Gotham City police evacuated the surrounding crowd and routinely inspected the explosion site, in the office on the top floor of Wayne Casino, Mason was standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the Gotham that seemed like it was not.
Behind him, Mr. Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, the butler of "Old Man" Thomas Wayne, was pouring coffee for the guests in a serious manner.
That's right.
In this outrageous world, not only did the old man replace his son as Batman, but even the fate of the Penguin took a 180-degree turn.
He has been serving the Wayne family loyally since he was young, and he never abandoned the Wayne family even after the family fell into decline. He is not only the old man's most trusted butler, but also his business assistant.
Basically the same as the relationship between Bruce and Alfred.
However, this short and cunning butler with a big belly, wearing a tuxedo and classic monocle, obviously cannot be compared with Alfred, a former ace agent and old British gentleman in terms of appearance and temperament.
Especially his overly flexible eyes, which always give people a cunning feeling.
Whenever the old man went out to "do justice" and kill a few people to heal his "old psychological trauma", it was this penguin butler who helped him manage the largest casino on the East Coast.
As a result, this penguin butler also became a well-known underworld "middleman" in this city.
It seems that even if the world and identity change, certain characteristics of the Penguin will not change.
Since his last name is Cobert, he is probably born to embrace darkness.
It was not until he entered this bustling casino that Mason realized that the location of the Wayne Casino run by Batman was exactly the same as the Iceberg Bar in another world.
Even the direction of the city viewed from the floor-to-ceiling window in front of him was exactly the same as the large office in Mason's memory, which nominally belonged to the Kite Man but was actually reserved for him.
It really makes people feel the impermanence of the world and the wonderful feeling of the interweaving of fate.
"Sir, your coffee is ready."
While Mason was silently admiring the scenery of Gotham, the old man's most trusted butler was also looking at the "guest" brought back by the master.
He tried to use a gentle tone to place the steaming cup of coffee behind Mason and stood there like a good butler, seemingly serving Mason all the time, but in fact he was helping the old man monitor this guy.
Although the young man looked gentle and had a friendly smile, Butler Oswald could keenly smell something about this guy.
It was the same smell as the old master's, which made people fear it but also dislike it.
This young man must have a lot of blood on his hands.
And he didn't know if it was an illusion, but every time he made eye contact with Mason, Butler Oswald could always feel a chill on his neck.
It seemed as if an invisible voice was reminding him to stay away from the young man in front of him.
"Thank you, butler."
Mason turned around and smiled at Oswald in this world. He put down the penguin umbrella in his hand. The shape of the umbrella immediately attracted the attention of the penguin butler.
Although he is not good at fighting in this world and has no need to fight, so he did not design his own penguin umbrella, but after experiencing the downfall of the Wayne family when he was young, he found a job as a mechanic to supplement his family income for a while, so he also has a certain interest and understanding of engineering.
The moment he saw the penguin umbrella, the penguin butler felt a wonderful emotion.
It's like...
It seemed as if this strange weapon was meant for him.
Mason quickly noticed this staring look. The young man shrugged, opened his bag, took out a prototype of his own penguin umbrella for commemoration, handed it to the penguin butler, and said:
"Take it. Think of it as a gift or a tip or an apology. Whatever you want to think of it."
"Um?"
As a qualified butler, of course I cannot accept such a gift.
But Mason's words made Oswald look up in surprise. He finally couldn't help but ask:
"Have we met before? Guest, why do I feel like you are quite familiar with me?"
"That's very familiar, Mr. Oswald."
Mason sat on the sofa, drinking bitter coffee, and said in a gentle voice:
"In another world, our relationship was extraordinary. It was a twisted and dark 'friendship' that ended with a bullet and a fire.
I killed a penguin myself.
But to be honest, it feels good to see you again. I should give you a piece of advice, sir. Don't withhold salaries and insurance compensation from your subordinates, and don't drag innocent children into gang business.
By the way, please stay away from me, the 'Penguin Traitor'... Well, the sleeping pills in this coffee taste good, it's my favorite flavor, but it tastes a bit bitter, so it may expire in about a week.
You'd better check your spare medicine box."
"What you said is beyond my imagination, but it does make me feel uncomfortable."
Butler Oswald touched his hairy fingers.
He felt that Mason was not joking, and fortunately, this unpleasant and awkward conversation did not last long. The office door was pushed open a few minutes later.
An old man dressed in a neat suit and looking like a gangster godfather walked into his office expressionlessly. Behind him followed Damian Wayne, who looked confused and obviously doubting his life.
When the little madman walked into the room, he immediately saw Mason, who was holding a cup of coffee and smiling at him. Then he rushed over with gritted teeth, snatched the coffee from Mason's hand and threw it on the ground.
Amid the debris on the ground, he grabbed Mason by the collar and cursed:
"Is this the covert operation you want to do with me? You, asshole, must have known his identity long ago, and you're using me as a tool for your 'anti-Bat tactics'.
I should have shot you, Mason!"
"But we have a great time working together, Damian."
Mason did not resist. He said to the angry Rice:
"Remember our little discussion earlier? I said I wanted to find you a parent who could control you, and you said that person couldn't possibly exist.
But it turns out that I always do what I say.
Do you like this 'grandfather' in front of you? Our old man is much more handsome than your weird old immortal grandfather, right? "
"Just shut up!"
Damian was so angry that he pushed Mason back onto the sofa, then he sat there with his arms folded, looking angrily.
He is still a little confused now.
Especially when Thomas Wayne just told him his identity in person, the absurd yet real impact made this little madman's mind a mess.
In terms of blood, he is Bruce Wayne's son.
The gloomy man in front of him, who can make people shiver even when standing in the light, is Bruce Wayne's father. Although they are not in the same world, it is basically certain that the DNA of the three of them is probably the same.
But ethically speaking it is another matter.
After all, the Bruce Wayne of this world died at the age of eight. The bullet on the night of Crime Alley took a more innocent life but also left a fragmented and pitiful soul.
I shouldn't call this cold old man in front of me "grandpa".
“You can see Crime Alley from here.”
Mason ignored Damian, who was sulking and frowning as he sorted out the weird family relationships in his mind.
He picked up his handkerchief and wiped the coffee that splashed on his body, then looked at Thomas Wayne who was standing in front of the French window with his back to them without saying a word.
He said to the ruthless and cold-blooded old man:
"Did you choose to open your business in this place specifically to commemorate your child who died young?"
“There are factors in this regard.”
The old man, who had obviously tidied up his appearance and cleaned up his stubble to make himself look like an older, tough and handsome man, stood with his back straight.
Facing Mason's question, he said in a low voice:
"But it's more because this place is in a good location and has connections with all kinds of people, so the casino built here will naturally do a booming business. I'm a businessman, Mason.
I naturally have to consider these issues from the perspective of interests.”
“Can you tell me your story?”
Mason asked:
"No need to talk about the Crime Alley part, I know that. I just want to get some inside information about my next 'partner'."
"Partner?"
The old man sneered and said:
"You are an outsider, Mason! It is because of your attention and secretive mischief that this world is no longer safe. I didn't kill you because of Damian.
The last option I can give you is to take your people and leave immediately before my partners notice this place!"
"You are clearly protecting this world, even if it's by killing people like us."
Mason said:
“But I can tell you that before I came here, my superiors had already made it clear that your world would be destroyed in a week. That was a judgment made by a machine that could predict fate.
You are just wasting your time."
"So what?"
The old man turned around and stared at Mason with eyes as cold as ice.
He said:
"Don't you do anything when destruction is imminent? Even if killing you can't prevent the end of the world, at least it can make me feel better. It is a virtue to not waste bullets that are about to expire before the world is destroyed."
“I just wanted to record your story.”
Mason persuaded from another angle:
"If Bruce asks me when I get back, I can't just make up something, right? Thomas, don't you want your son to know more about you?"
"My son is dead!"
The old man's tone became even colder.
He said categorically:
"He was killed when he was eight years old by a killer sent by my last 'partner', in that crime alley, and I lost everything.
You want to know how I treated Falcone, who betrayed me and caused the death of my son?
No.
You don't want to know.
There's not much to my story.
I believe that I am definitely not the kind of father that Bruce Wayne in your world wants, and if I appear there, I will only become his enemy. "
"Wouldn't that be more fun?"
Mason stood up, took out a recorder, and urged:
"Well, old man, the men in your Wayne family always say one thing and mean another. You and I both know that you want to leave some information for your son in another world.
So go ahead, hurry up.”
At Mason's urging, as Damian looked up expectantly, the cold old man remained silent for several minutes. Only after the penguin butler brought him a glass of iced wine did he look at the recorder and whispered:
“I used to control all the gangs in this city. I was one of their leaders. The alliance between the Wayne family and the Kane family made this city my territory.
I am also a doctor.
This is my official identity. My wife is my head nurse, and in the eyes of outsiders, we are celebrities in this city.
However, privately I punished disloyal subordinates and tortured my enemies in my hospital, with Martha, my gang accountant, occasionally helping me with those pleasurable 'punishments'.
Those days of indulgence and darkness continued until Bruce was born..."
The old man took a sip of wine, put his hand over his forehead, and said in a hoarse voice:
"My wife and I wanted to quit that life, we wanted our children to live in the sunshine, but this decision angered my peers.
On Bruce's eighth birthday, our family was walking down Crime Alley after dinner when we were blocked by a gunman.
I could have easily crushed him, but...
I missed.
Martha and I were safe and sound.
But our child fell in a pool of blood. Martha went crazy from then on. As for me... my heart was filled with rage, and I began to indiscriminately slaughter all the criminals in the city.
A full thirty years!
I lived that life, neither human nor ghost, for thirty years. I didn't know what other people in this city thought of me, and I didn't care.
I’m not killing people for them.”
The old man drank the wine in his hand in one gulp.
He slammed the cup on the table, looked at Mason and Damian, and said:
"This world, as you can see, is in chaos, but it was not always like this. Some of my powerful friends told me that before you noticed it, this world was very peaceful.
But at some point it started to fall apart.
The marriage ceremony held by the Atlanteans and the Amazons for peace was the beginning of the collapse. After Diana went mad and killed Mera, causing the two tribes to go to war, everything here began to slide towards destruction.
The calm sea is becoming more brutal every day.
Countless islands were submerged and the Amazons' counterattack was even more frenzied. Several countries in Europe were massacred. They were preparing a great conquest in the name of God.
It's more like a carnival before the end of the world.
This world will be destroyed. It was already on the brink of destruction before you intervened. And I don’t care about any of the above at all!
At least that was the case before Damian showed up..."
Thomas Wayne's eyes fell on the little lunatic on the sofa. He pursed his lips, and that serious expression made Damian subconsciously sit up straight.
It was exactly like how he behaved when facing his strict grandfather.
Although he said that the old man was not that powerful, it was obvious that when facing this old man who had made a great reputation from darkness and killing, the little madman behaved much more formally than when facing his "weak" father in his opinion.
He is cold enough, cruel enough, wise enough and firm enough, without any extra kindness. He has the same tactical mind as Batman but is more intimidating than Batman.
This is exactly the perfect image of Batman in the mind of the little madman Damian.
When facing such a parent, he, who had received wolf-like education since childhood, was obviously full of respect.
"After nightfall, you have to go with me to meet someone."
The old man said to Damian in a tone that could not be refuted:
"Now go and rest! If you are hungry, go to Oswald, he will take care of all your daily life and expenses. I will not allow you to leave my sight while you stay in this world.
Not even for a second!
Do you understand? "
"Why should I..."
Damian, the troublemaker, subconsciously jumped up to refute, but the old man's reaction was quite direct. He opened the drawer, took out a gun and slammed it on the table.
He stared at Damian and said without any room for maneuver:
“You must obey!
It's not just because of the ethical relationship between you and me. Unless you plan to challenge me again and defeat me without interference from others, I will let you act freely.
But Damian, you know clearly that you can't do this now.
He has an air of strength but is weak inside! He looks firm but is actually confused and foolish.
You can't become the person you want to be like this.
However, the men of the Wayne family never humiliate themselves, and never give up their ambitions!
Remember that?"
