Shadow of the Beautiful World

Daylight in Gotham City is bad enough, and the looting and stealing in broad daylight makes it hard to like the place.

But compared to Gotham at night, everything that happened during the day is just like an appetizer for a crime feast, and it doesn't deserve more attention at all.

However, compared to the insecure night of the past, in the past year or so, the citizens of Gotham City are not so afraid of the dark.

Because in this dark night that originally belonged to criminals, they also have their own helpers, or protectors.

I don't know when, a legend about Batman began to spread in this city. Just like those bizarre urban legends, full of exaggeration and horror.

The protagonist of this legend is a man dressed as a black bat, who is a hero in the night city. It is said that he will ruthlessly break the hands and feet of any criminal he meets and throw him into the prison of the police station.

It is said that he comes and goes invisible, just like a ghost in the night, but this ghost will not harm ordinary people, he will only target those damned criminals.

Every night, a bat flies across the sky, and the criminals are scared to death at the sight of him. Although anyone with a brain knows that no matter how powerful Batman is, it is impossible to appear in every corner of the city at the same time.

He can also catch 10 people in one night, but there are 990 other criminals who can go about their business unharmed.

But the problem is that no one wants to be one of those 10 people, so every one of the 1000 criminals will fear the coming of the night.

That's what Batman is for.

Under that exaggerated battle uniform, there is a wise soul hidden. He knows that he cannot end evil by himself, so he turns himself into an embodiment of fear.

He thinks twice before deterring criminals into doing bad things.

He wants to make himself a symbol.

However, there is something worse in this legend. Not everyone likes having a big bat flying around in their city.

the reason is simple.

In Gotham, the difference between civilians and criminals is not so obvious.

boom

On the pier under the dark night, with the sound of heavy objects falling to the ground, a gangster who was on guard was kicked off the steel support. He fell to the ground and may have broken several bones. The pain and fear made him scream. The cry made the gangsters who were doing business in the dock warehouse immediately alert.

Of course, there are also a few cowards who turn around and run away.

They knew that a fearsome hunting bat had already spotted them.

There he is!

Shoot! Kill him!

At the moment when a black shadow passed by the light, the vigilant thugs immediately screamed loudly, and the next moment, piercing gunshots sounded in the darkness, like a little bit of fire, illuminating the night at the pier.

But their marksmanship was too poor, or in other words, they didn't find the target at all.

Shooting blindly in fear will do nothing but expose their position and their inner weakness.

In the darkness of the container, an invisible man in a black battle suit, like a cat, quietly approached the horrified thugs from behind. Suddenly, a fierce punch hit a thug on the back of the neck, causing him to fall to the ground.

boom

The lights in this area went out almost at the same time.

Accompanied by several screams full of panic, there was the sound of the knocked down person hitting the ground.

It was like a hunt in the dark night, the prey were shattered by the sudden attack, and they ran away howling, trying to avoid their tragic fate.

but not

One after another, the thugs knocked all kinds of weapons to the ground, including throwing knives, electric shock devices, and fists. After a few minutes, the noisy pier returned to calm.

And the predator hiding in the darkness, the vigilante in a black battle suit and cloak, after finishing a battle, was about to turn around and leave quietly just like when he came.

But in a corner that he didn't notice, a thug who was still alive grabbed a pistol from the ground with a hideous face, pointed it at his back and pulled the trigger.

boom

The sound of the bullet made the bat-like man subconsciously turn his head. He was not worried that the bullet would kill him.

His battle suit is made of high-tech materials. At this distance, pistol bullets cannot penetrate the armor.

But when the man with the pointed-eared bat helmet turned his head, he saw a strange scene. The flying bullet was hovering less than 3 inches behind him.

The bullet carrying huge kinetic energy is still spinning rapidly, but it seems to be blocked by an invisible wall, unable to move forward.

And the assailant, struggling in terror, was lifted into the air by an invisible force, his neck twisted abnormally, maybe in the next moment, his neck would be broken by that force.

No! Stop!

The bat-like man stretched out his hand and shouted loudly:

don't kill

click

With a crisp sound, before he finished speaking, the thug's neck was twisted to a strange 90 degrees, and the signs of life in his frightened eyes quickly dissipated at this moment.

boom

The body, still holding the gun, hit the ground, and at the same time, Batman also saw the man sitting on the edge of the container, as if watching a good show.

He was wearing a very vintage dress.

Blue, with a shape like a tuxedo, with black gloves in his hands, breeches and boots, and white lace decorations on the cuffs of the dress, which made him look like a It's like stepping out of the 18th century.

On his face, there was a half-face mask shining with light blue light, covering his face.

Batman?

Sitting on the container, Merlin crossed his legs and looked at the figure in the darkness below. He somehow felt that this guy was somewhat familiar.

In a voice altered by Carol's breathing mask, he said:

I have something to ask you.

Who are you?

Facing this guy who suddenly appeared, Batman was very vigilant, with his left hand hanging by his side, and his right hand holding the flying claw gun at his waist. He was ready to leave here at any time, the guy in front of him who was dressed like an old ghost was a formidable enemy, and if he was not sure, Batman would not rush forward recklessly to fight him.

That's not his fighting style.

I'm a truth seeker.

Merlin jumped out of the container lightly. He stood about 15 meters away from Batman. He stared at the man covered by a long cloak. He said:

On July 16 last year, at 1 o'clock in the evening, what happened in the building northeast of Ridner Island?

I know.

Batman said in a low voice:

But I won't tell you.

It's beyond your control!

Merlin's figure flashed, and he appeared in front of Batman almost instantly. The power seed from the devil Anthony contained rapid power, which allowed Merlin to move at a speed close to the speed of sound.

In the eyes of ordinary people, that is a speed that cannot be captured at all.

But Merlin's outstretched hand caught nothing.

The moment he charged forward, something that Batman was holding tightly fell to the ground, and white, thick smoke rose up almost instantly, covering everything around it.

And Batman himself, using the ejection of the Lidao Clan's flying claw gun, escaped Merlin's hand that was about to grab his neck within a short period of time. While flying backwards, three small ball-like black devices were thrown at Merlin's feet. In the white smoke, the three small balls were activated at the same time, and the strong shock waves burst out from three directions, knocking Merlin's body away. The body pressed and took a step back.

This buys Batman time to break free.

He didn't waste a second, and he wandered back and forth in the city with his flying claw gun like a nimble monkey. After just a few minutes, he disappeared in this dark neighborhood.

But did he really dump him?

Woohoo

Just when Batman stopped on the top of a tall building and was about to catch his breath, a black raven descended from the sky with a sharp and unpleasant cry. The moment he got close to Batman, Merlin's figure jumped from the body of the raven. Flipping out, he grabbed Batman's shoulders, and then threw him hard at his feet with a crisp back throw.

Your speed is several times faster than it was a few years ago.

Merlin rode on Batman and pressed him firmly to the ground. A smile flashed in his eyes, and he said:

“But still a little bit worse”

open!

Batman punched Merlin, and Merlin's figure quickly turned into mist at this moment, and reappeared a few meters away, but this time, he didn't attack Batman again.

In such a close contact, the dark perception has already told him the identity of the guy in front of him.

swish

The half-face mask on Merlin's face retracted at this moment. He reached out and took off his glasses, revealing those dark red ember eyes. He spread his hands and said to Batman who got up from the ground in front of him:

long time no see

Bruce.

you

When Batman saw the familiar face in the darkness, he was also stunned at this moment. After a while, he reached out and took off his helmet.

While the long cloak was constantly swaying in the night wind, he tossed his hair, a smile appeared on his stern face, and then said to Merlin:

Long time no see, Merlin.

You should have contacted me in advance, I mean, it might be better to play in another way.

Ten minutes later, in the palace-like Wayne Manor on the outskirts of Gotham, Bruce, who had changed his clothes, said to Merlin who was sitting in front of him while rubbing the wound potion on himself:

Instead of dressing up like a villain and just recklessly intervening in my work.

If I knew it was you, I would definitely order a meal in advance and send you an invitation.

Merlin waved his hand. He turned his head to look at the helmet with pointed ears that looked like a bat on the table. He said:

But who would have known that my friend would actually dress himself up as a nocturnal creature after not seeing him for several years? Well, I have to say, a very expressive dress, appearing suddenly in the dark with a murderous look, is indeed enough to make those criminals Those who are terrified.

He looked at Bruce's pained face, shook his head, pulled out his wand, threw a healing spell on Bruce, and said:

So, are you a vigilante now?

I still remember, when we parted, you told me that you were going to find a way to save this city, but now it seems that you chose the hardest one. Listen to me, Bruce, you can't solve the problem alone .”

But at least address the people who caused the problem.

Bruce looked at the dark red wand in Merlin's hand with a little surprise. He felt the pain in his back dissipate quickly in a burst of numbness. He raised his head, moved his shoulders, and said to Merlin:

Actually, you shouldn't have killed that person. Even killing him won't solve the problem.

I know.

Merlin shrugged:

But you have to understand, Bruce, my job is to maintain order, and in some previous experiences, I have learned a lot, I mean, a lot of times, cutting the grass is the best choice, it can save a lot of trouble.

Your job?

Bruce looked at Merlin, and he asked:

Alfred told me what happened to you in 92, but since then, he tried to collect your information, but suffered a lot of obstacles, like someone erased all traces of you So I'm curious, Merlin, what exactly do you do for a job?

Agent.

Merlin took out his ID from his pocket and put it in front of Bruce's eyes:

The Homeland Strategic Defense Attack and Logistics Support Bureau, Bruce, the Supreme Commander of the Supernatural Affairs Defense Observation and Logistics Department, I am also a 'big shot' now.

Oh, SHIELD.

Bruce looked at the badge, and he nodded knowingly:

I've heard some things about you. If you work there, then I can understand. Your behavior has always been very um, rough.

Indeed, but my coming to Gotham this time has nothing to do with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Merlin said frankly to his friend:

Some of my family has had misfortune, so like I said, I'm here for the truth and you can help me Bruce. I know you were there that night and I need you to tell me all After that, the reason why those Batmen came to Gotham, and the agents involved in the situation, including that Amanda Waller.

Everything I need to know!

Facing Merlin's request, Bruce nodded, put on a pajamas, and said:

Ah Fu has prepared a midnight snack for us. You go to the restaurant and wait for a while. I will take a shower, and then we will talk while eating.

Also.

Merlin also stood up, and he smiled at Bruce:

Ah Fu saved my life back then, I haven't thanked him properly yet.