Shadow of the Beautiful World

You call these things 'snacks'?

Merlin was sitting in the dining room of Wayne Manor, which was twice the size of his house. He looked at the dozen dishes, desserts, and steaming soup on the round table in front of him.

He looked back at the old man who was sitting beside him, wearing a nightgown, holding coffee, and combing his hair meticulously. He said:

If Bruce eats such a big 'snack' every day, then I'm curious, how does he keep in shape?

Master usually doesn't eat supper.

While drinking coffee, Ah Fu said a little tiredly:

Tonight these dishes are specially prepared for the guests. Of course, occasionally Master Grayson will come back for dinner, but a few months ago, he went to New York to study at university, and he hasn't been back for a long time. Master Jason should return this time. sleeping.

Grayson? Jason?

While picking up a piece of beef, Merlin asked:

Who is that? You call them young master, Ah Fu, are they Bruce's children?

no no.

Old Fu shook his head, and said softly:

They were two very dynamic young men with similar stories, both lost their parents in an accident, both wanted revenge, were stopped by Bruce, and were brought back to train. I could see that Bruce was from They see their young selves in them, but the problem is, Bruce can't even control his own life, how can he teach a teenager?

For the first two years, Grayson served as an assistant to help Bruce fight for justice in the city, but now it's Jason.

Old Afu said very dissatisfied:

That's what they said. In my opinion, they are just messing around! He just went to die by himself, and he brought a teenage child to die with him!

While talking, Ah Fu put down the coffee cup, he turned to look at Merlin, and said:

I helped you, right, Merlin, and I saved your life, can you do me a favor?

Um?

Merlin picked up the tablecloth and wiped his mouth, he said to Ah Fu:

What's the matter? As long as I can.

Please help me persuade Bruce.

Afu looked worried and said:

You are one of his few good friends. I hope you can persuade him to give up this dangerous career and let him inherit the Wayne family and become a successful or failed businessman. I don't really care about the result, but As long as he can stay away from the current life of swords and swords.

Every night, I worry about him going out and fighting crime, will it end badly, will he get hurt? Or worse, will he

I'll persuade him.

Merlin picked up the water glass, he said to Ah Fu:

He's just a normal person, he shouldn't be involved in this kind of thing, I can understand, and I agree with you. But Bruce is a, how to say? Although I spend very little time with him, I can also I feel that he is not a person who will listen to his friends' persuasion.

Indeed, he has inherited the stubbornness of the Wayne family.

Alfred sighed, he picked up his coffee again, and said sadly:

Especially now that he thinks he's doing the right thing, that sense of sacrifice for justice makes him a little fearless but he should be, shouldn't he?

Yes, everyone who swears to fight against darkness should have fear.

Merlin agreed:

We should be afraid. Fear is not a bad thing sometimes. It can make us learn to be cautious.

What are you talking about?

At this moment, Bruce's voice sounded in the dining room, and he said while sitting at the dining table in a loose suit:

It looks like you guys hit it off, which is good.

We're talking about you, Bruce.

Merlin says:

Maybe you should take a break once in a while. I just saw your injuries. For an ordinary person, you have too many scars. I can arrange a treatment for you to restore your physical fitness that was affected by the injury. .”

Merlin glanced at old Ah Fu, he said:

It will take several months.

I'll think about it, Merlin.

Bruce didn't care about Merlin's dissuasion. As Afu said, he is now walking on the path he planned. The power of dedication to justice and axiom is supporting him. Before he suffers setbacks, anyone's Persuasion will not work.

Bruce reached for the glass, poured some wine into it, and said to Merlin:

What do you know about those Batmen?

Seeing that they were talking about business, Merlin immediately replied:

We don't know much, I just know that those batmen are the result of biological transformation, and its appearance should have something to do with the legendary League of Assassins, but what I don't know is, if the League of Assassins already has Flying fighters, so why are they using these fighters to root out the gangsters in North America?

Could it be that they are tired of being killers, and now they want to taste the feeling of being a hero?

Because they want to infiltrate the land, Merlin.

Bruce took a sip of his drink, his eyes fixed on Merlin, and he said:

In the 700 years since the establishment of the Assassin's League, their power has spread all over the world, but after entering the new century, this organization has encountered many challenges from other 'peers', and they chose to stay dormant for dozens of years years, and now it is clear that they have awakened and intend to return to their former glory.

Those Batmen are just a warning from the League of Assassins. The downfall of the gangs in Philadelphia and Chicago is a wake-up call. If those groups in other areas that once served the League of Assassins do not surrender again, what awaits them is the coming from the dark. The silent warriors who appeared in the middle of the night took off the heads of those 'betrayers' without making a sound.

Having said that, Bruce's tone became more and more serious, and he said:

Last year, Grayson and I tried our best to prevent the League of Assassins from purge Gotham, but in less than a year, they made a comeback

It sounds like you know the organization well?

Merlin was holding a water glass, he looked at Bruce:

You have something to do with it, right? Before, your skills of walking silently in the dark, your combat skills when you defeated those thugs, that kind of crisp, ruthless and merciless attack, I don't think you changed it in Europe. You can learn this in circles.”

Yes, I was one of them.

Bruce replied calmly:

After you left, I went all the way east from Europe, and finally met people from the League of Assassins in Nepal. They absorbed me into that organization. They trained me and taught me all kinds of knowledge, just like tempering a piece of steel. Constant trials to test me. I am just not a member of the League of Assassins, and their leader, Lars al-Ghul, regards me as his most proud disciple.

Lars al Ghul?

Merlin savored the name, and said:

Sounds like Arabic? What does it mean?

The head of the devil.

Ah Fu, who was sitting next to Merlin, took a sip of coffee and explained:

In Arabic, it is a word full of shadows and disasters. Only an arrogant lunatic would give himself such a name.

He's not arrogant, Ah Fu.

Bruce whispered:

He is mysterious and wise beyond ordinary people. I can't even be sure if he is still alive, even though I saw him fall in the explosion with my own eyes. But in the League of Assassins, there is a rumor that they have a magic weapon that can resurrect the dead Methods

The resurrection of the dead?

Merlin narrowed his eyes and said:

Tell me in detail.

I don't know much about this. Merlin, the place where I was trained was not the headquarters of the Assassin League. I just know this kind of rumor. And I think that even if there is a way to resurrect the dead, That shouldn't be used either, behind the seemingly beautiful choices, there is always a huge crisis hidden.

Well, indeed, there is some truth to what you said.

Merlin didn't refute Bruce's statement, and a few seconds later, he asked again:

Those batmen, how did you feel when you fought them?

It's not difficult to deal with.

Bruce said:

They are actually low-level ninjas in the League of Assassins who voluntarily accept the transformation of the League of Assassins to dedicate their power to their crazy fantasy. You can understand them as fighters who can fly and use weapons, although they have been strengthened to heal themselves They are powerful, but they will be injured if they are hit by bullets, and they will die if they bleed too much. And as a sequela of the transformation, they can only move at night and have poor eyesight.

It's tricky if you're surrounded though, they rely on sound and ultrasound to pick up targets, which means it's hard to hide your movements from them. Seriously though, fighting these Batmen is a lot more difficult than fighting an assassin Fighting against high-level ninjas in the alliance is simply too easy, although their bodies are deformed, they are still ordinary lives in essence.

Then based on your knowledge and speculation, what do you think the League of Assassins will do next?

Merlin asked:

I don't intend to get involved in the grievances between you and the League of Assassins, but I need to find the answer. If the answer is hidden in the old lair of the League of Assassins, then I think it is necessary for me to go there.

If it was an attack planned by Lars al Ghul, then I believe it is not just a simple attack.

Rubbing his chin, Bruce said in a cautious tone:

Maybe, he was conveying some kind of information, but the sky eye society suddenly appeared that night, so I couldn't find anything useful from that scene. The sky eye society cleaned the battlefield very clean, maybe the answer you want, Right there with them.

Sky Eye Society, I have never heard of this organization.

Merlin frowned. He looked at Bruce and said:

Do you know much about it?

Advanced Research Group for Uniting Superhumans (advanedresearhgroupforunitingsuperhumans), referred to as s, also known as Tianyanhui.

Bruce replied:

I have also had some contact with them in recent months, but they are very difficult to deal with.

All I know is that it is an organization under the direct management of the White House. It was just established a year ago. I heard that they appeared to replace the cia, which had a big internal problem, to collect some supernatural events. Intelligence, and the appearance of the Eye of the Sky seems to have something to do with your S.H.I.E.L.D.

Oh? How to say?

Merlin asked, Bruce took a sip of his wine and said slowly:

As far as I know, S.H.I.E.L.D. used to serve the North American government, but now, you have become an international organization directly affiliated to the World Security Council. In this case, there is a relationship between you and the North American government Get rid of the relationship between superiors and subordinates.

But the bureaucrats always need some organizations to do some shady things, and they won't trust you as much as they did before. It's not justifiable for you to come forward to solve many things. In this case, there will be a replacement for you. Isn't this a normal thing?

Well, it does make sense.

Merlin nodded and said:

But our jobs are not so easy to be replaced. Speaking of which, are you sure that Tianyan will take all the things in that building?

Yes, I'm sure.

Bruce said:

They spent 2 days, almost a blanket search, took everything of value, and ordered the Gotham Police Department to hide all information about this matter, it seems, they don't like publicity .”

That's a pity.

Merlin stood up, put down the water glass, and said to Bruce:

It seems that I have to go to them. Bruce, do you know where the Tianyan will store the data?

Near Star City, about a few hundred kilometers away from here, in a temporary base on the outskirts of the city.

Bruce said:

Go all the way to the southeast, relying on your perception, you should be able to find it easily. But Merlin, be careful, that night, I saw some um, power users among the fighters of the Eye Society.

Thanks, Bruce!

Under the watchful eyes of Afu and Bruce, Merlin quickly turned into a pure black raven, flapped its wings, and flew along the open window into the night outside.

Bruce, your friend

Ah Fu rubbed his eyes, looked at the empty seat in front of him, and said to Bruce:

It's really mysterious.

It's also more dangerous.

Bruce looked at the open window and the darkness outside, and said softly:

It seems that he has experienced many things in these years. I knew that his life was destined to be wonderful.

Now it seems that I guessed right.