Shadow of the Beautiful World

At the same moment when Merlin arrived in Kandahar and started his own hidden career.

In another place not too far away from him, a wanderer who has been away from home for several years is on his way home.

At the highland airport near the Himalayas on the border of Nepal, a white private jet is parked on the tarmac. The gangway of the plane has landed, and an old man with white hair and a little bald head, wearing a gray woolen coat and leaning on a cane, is standing in the slightly cold wind.

His back was straight, his gray eyes looked ahead, and against the gloomy weather, the old man looked like a sculpture in the cold wind.

He is waiting for someone.

Waiting for someone who is very important to him.

His name is Alfred, Alfred Pennyworth.

An Englishman born during World War II, a shrewd and powerful veteran, and a dedicated housekeeper.

Also, a failed guardian.

At some point in 1991, Alfred lost the young master he was looking after. In the following 8 years, he almost mobilized all the human and material resources he could to find the young man who seemed to have disappeared.

He knew that his young master should still be alive, but the young master, that once gentle, painful, and desperate young man, seemed to have evaporated in a page.

Alfred, after several years of hard searching, has also changed from being full of hope at the beginning to slowly becoming hopeless, and he has rebuilt his confidence over time, to the present calmness.

Well, at least on the surface it looks calm.

After receiving a sudden call last night, the nearly 70-year-old man crossed more than half of the earth at the fastest speed, from the warm manor to the cold air under the roof of the world.

Alfred is waiting

A housekeeper without a master is doomed to incompetence, and the old man waits for his failed career to start over.

That, today.

A few minutes later, when the light of the sky became darker and the cold wind at the airport became more bleak, at the end of Alfred's line of sight, on the hillside at the edge of the airport, a figure appeared.

A wave flashed in the old butler's eyes, and he moved his finger on the cane.

As the figure got closer, Alfred finally saw the appearance of the young man who had been away for 8 years.

He seems to have gotten a little taller.

But it is also possible that the old housekeeper's memory has gone awry.

In short, the young man walking towards Alfred was much stronger than the old Alfred remembered.

He was wearing the black clothes that locals often wear, and carrying a yellow, rustic bag, just walking in the cold wind.

He walks vigorously, without the slightest embarrassment of being affected by the cold wind. It seems that he can no longer feel the temperature changes outside, or that he has become a fearless warrior and will no longer be defeated by mere cold.

His black hair was disheveled and swayed in the wind like a slovenly rock singer.

He's also grown a beard, a bushy beard that makes him look like a teenager.

However, this year is 1998.

Alfred will never forget the day when the young man in front of him was born. This young man is now 25 years old.

A trace of regret flashed in the eyes of the old Ah Fu, he missed the young man's seven birthdays, and in the previous ten years, he had never missed any of his birthdays.

Although he is just a butler, but in reality?

The relationship between him and the young man in front of him has already surpassed the stipulations of that contract and contract.

He watched him grow up, witnessed his birth, and personally sent him to kindergarten, school, university, and graduation ceremony.

Even if there is no blood relationship, he is a relative.

There is no question about that.

Ah Fu.

The young man came to Old Ah Fu, and he threw the bag in his hand at his feet. There was a joy of reunion shining in those blue eyes, he stretched out his hand, patted Ah Fu's arm as before, and said in a low voice:

long time no see.

Yes, seven years.

Leaning on a cane, the old Afu carefully looked at the weather-beaten face of the young man in front of him, which still had a trace of blood on his face. He said:

Master Wayne

Call me Bruce.

The young man looked around, then looked back at the white mountain looming in the dark clouds, and said softly:

I prefer you to call me that.

This young man, his name is Bruce.

Bruce Wayne.

A wanderer about to go home.

That suit you just had was very stylish, Master Wayne.

In the smooth-flying aircraft cabin, among the luxuriously furnished tables and chairs, Bruce, who has washed and cleaned his hair and beard, is wearing a loose T-shirt, sitting on the chair, watching the clouds in the sun outside the window. in a daze.

The old butler came over with a cup of hot coffee, he put the coffee in front of Bruce, and then sat opposite Bruce, he said:

It's just a little dirty. I don't know if the clothes have any special meaning to you. That thing

The old butler picked up his coffee, took a sip, looked at his young master, and said softly:

It doesn't look like something a normal person would wear.

So? Ah Fu.

Bruce looked back at his long-lost family, and said:

What do you think that is?

A suit of armor.

Old Afu said:

A set of ancient and modern armor, light and tough, seems to be worn by warriors who need to carry out stealthy activities. I found strange weapons in the clothes, and more than one. It seems that the last few days In 2009, you lived a wonderful life, my young master.

It's really exciting.

Bruce showed a gentle smile. He picked up the coffee cup and said to the old butler in front of him:

Throw away that suit, I don't need it anymore.

Alfred nodded, and after a few seconds, he looked at Bruce with a puzzled look, and he said:

That's the end? What about the adventure story I'm looking forward to?

You don't think I'll let you off the hook so easily, do you? My Master Wayne, you should at least tell me what you've been doing all these years?

I do a lot.

Bruce calmly said to his family:

I got to know the crimes, the darkness, the rules. I got into it, I learned, I grew, I developed myself. I also stumbled across a secret organization where I received secret training to prepare me.

What preparation?

There was a trace of worry in the old Ah Fu's eyes, and he asked:

Sounds like you're preparing for something not so reassuring.

Yes, Fu.

Bruce put down his coffee cup and said:

For eight years, I've been preparing to come home. Now, I feel like I'm ready.

So, you're saying that this time you're not going to leave without saying goodbye, right?

The old housekeeper said with a smile:

You're going to stay in Gotham and do what young people do, right?

I'll be in Gotham for as long as I can.

Bruce breathed a sigh of relief and said:

I will also accomplish those things that I should have accomplished long ago. I want the citizens of Gotham to know that the city does not only belong to corrupt officials and criminals, but also belongs to them.

Bruce's answer made Old Alfred's eyes narrow. After a few minutes, he said:

It sounds like you want to do the same things that your father did. Frankly, Master Wayne, this doesn't reassure me. You have seen the end of your father.

You alone can't fight against a city.

How do you know if you don't try? Ah Fu.

Facing the persuasion of the old housekeeper, Bruce didn't express much emotion, he said softly:

As Bruce Wayne, I can do too little. No amount of charitable donations can change Gotham's terrible situation. As for how to do it, I have learned a lot in that organization. I made a rough plan.

All right.

Looking at the firmness in Bruce's eyes, Old Afu knew that he couldn't persuade him anymore.

People in the Wayne family have a stubborn heritage, and he has known this for a long time.

Alfred didn't want to talk about such a heavy topic anymore, so he asked again:

So in these 8 years, have you not experienced anything other than training? I mean, friends, or, girlfriends or something.

Yes, I have.

Bruce smiled, and he said to Ah Fu:

I have a few friends, girlfriends, I have one, but they have broken up. Oh, by the way, speaking of this, Alfred, has Merlin had any in the past few years?

You mean asking for help, right?

The old butler nodded, and he said to Bruce:

In the second year after your disappearance, to be precise, almost 7 months later, I received a call. Your friend was in danger and he asked for help.

That's not easy help.

Old Ah Fu shrugged, he said:

I spent 5 million to save him. So he told me that you are still alive, well, it's not a loss-making business, at least at that time, the news he gave gave me the confidence to continue, but young master, Everyone in Gotham City thought you were missing, or even dead.

Um.

Bruce nodded. He didn't care about the 5 million. For the Wayne family's net worth, 5 million is not even a drop in the bucket.

Do you want to contact your friend? Master.

Ah Fu took out his mobile phone and handed it to Bruce:

I saved his number, you can call him now.

Bruce looked at the phone, and after a moment, he shook his head.

Let's forget it. Merlin may already have his own life, and I shouldn't bother him anymore. Especially for what I'm going to do next, if he gets involved, it's too bad .”

Well, for those who are important to you, you should really protect them more.

Old Ah Fu nodded, he looked at his young master, he said:

But you should pay more attention to yourself, my Master Wayne. No matter what you want to do, I should persuade you. The world will never change because of one person. Instead of dealing with dangerous criminal groups alone, maybe I I should expect that you are still wandering outside now.”

The old housekeeper said softly:

I don't want you to put yourself in danger, and I'm sure your parents don't want to see this either.

Bruce Wayne will not be in danger.

Bruce looked out the window and said:

As for me, Ah Fu, I have to do something. My starting point is not so noble. I did this for myself. We always have to learn to face our fears. If we are always clouded by fear and regret , there is no life to speak of.

well

The old butler sighed, stood up, and said to Bruce:

Now that you have made up your mind, all I can do is continue to support you. Take a rest, master, the plane will fly directly to Paris. I have made an appointment with a very good doctor. Before we go home, I To determine your physical condition first, and your reappearance in Gotham City, you also need a decent set of clothes.

A direct flight to Paris?

Bruce leaned back on the chair, he closed his eyes slightly, and after a while, he asked again:

Then where are we now?

Uh, it should be over Afghanistan.

Ah Fu glanced out the window, he said:

I did my military service here when I was young. Look, Kandahar is down there. It's not a good place, but I spent two years of my life there.

The old butler told the story of his past, but got no response. When he turned his head, he saw his tired young master Bruce Wayne leaning on the seat. In the past few minutes, he seemed to have fallen asleep.

Although he didn't want to elaborate on his experiences over the past few years, the old butler could probably guess that such moments of relaxation should be rare in those experiences.

Alfred sighed, he gently put a blanket on Bruce's body, then sat on the sofa on the other side, and read a magazine.

Accompanied by the humming sound of the plane flying, the plane carrying the returnees flew over Kandahar while whistling.