wjnovel Chapter 376 Tim Retires, Batman Is Still Working Overtime
Chapter 376 Tim Retires, Batman Is Still Working Overtime
Chapter 376 Tim retired, but Batman is still working overtime (The author is also at work QwQ)
After Batman left, Alfred turned and whispered towards a dark corner of the Batcave, "Tim, Tim? Why didn't you come out at the end? Didn't you say you wanted to get Batman's permission to return to the front lines in person?"
The old butler said in a low voice, "Didn't you say you were going to temporarily take charge of Gotham in place of Dick (Nightwing) who was on an errand?"
As the old butler called out, the third Robin, Tim Drake, slowly emerged from behind the stairs with a somewhat complicated expression. As Robin, he perfectly inherited the fine tradition of the Bat Family's sudden appearances. If Alfred hadn't spoken up, no one would have guessed that a living person was crouching in that shadow, especially since he was wearing that brightly colored Robin uniform with alternating red and green hues.
However, Tim knew that Batman must have figured out his location... Batman was waiting for him to come out when he left the Batcave, but he didn't move and let Batman leave.
Faced with the old butler's question, Tim walked somewhat dejectedly to the Batcomputer and then sat down in Batman's chair.
"It's nothing with Alfred. I just suddenly realized that Batman's arrangements don't seem to have any problems."
"Killer Croc is a veteran of Gotham, and although he did a lot of messy things when he was out of his mind, those things are all gone with the government's pardon. Now Batman has sent him back to Gotham to deal with ordinary criminals and gangsters. With Mr. Freeze and Penguin actively maintaining the balance in Gotham, I think unless the Joker or the Riddler comes back, Killer Croc is more than capable of handling it."
"How's Harvey (Two-Face)?" the old butler asked casually.
"He's back in a mental hospital. He's the most split-off of them all. After Gotham hasn't been as chaotic as it used to be, Harvey's kind personality seems to be reviving. Although he still occasionally finds himself slapping himself, he's not as manic as he used to be."
Even when he was unemployed, Tim's understanding of Gotham was far deeper than that of Alfred, who had been staying in the Batcave. Robin, with his superior detective skills, possessed an extraordinary and meticulous mind in many matters.
"So, what about Killer Crocs..."
"Batman was right to assign me to Killer Croc as an advisor," Tim said somewhat sullenly. "While I admit Killer Croc is starting to develop a little bit of intelligence, I still think that's the difference between a level three idiot and a level one idiot."
Alfred had initially intended to say that Killer Croc used to be an uncommunicative beast, but now it was at least a normal adult with normal intelligence. However, he quickly realized that in Tim's mind, Killer Croc was no different from before, so he kept quiet.
But he still had a question in his mind. For a long time, Tim had been clamoring to start his Robin career again, while Batman had been busy with other matters and had even refused after several meetings, telling him to go back to his studies.
But Tim persisted. He tirelessly pleaded with Batman, and was even caught by Dick on several occasions sneaking out on his own. Even Alfred stopped him from disobeying Batman's orders to fight crime on several occasions.
Batman was right in front of him this time, so why did Tim just back down and not rush up to try and steal the life from Killer Croc?
Tim could almost guess what the old butler was thinking without even looking at Alfred's expression. He was grateful that the old butler hadn't asked directly, but instead left each other some space. Alfred had his own sense of distance; he wasn't the kind of controlling elder who would pry into everything his juniors did.
Tim didn't bring it up, so Alfred remained silent. But after thinking for a moment, Tim spoke up anyway:
"Alfred, you should know how I became Robin, right?"
"To help Bruce move on from Jason," Alfred said. "You're really good, Tim, deducing Batman and Nightwing's identities just from Dick's gesture."
"Batman needs a Robin. Because Batman is constantly dealing with dirty and dark things. Although he pretends to be a god, he is ultimately just a mortal. He gets tired, he despairs, and no matter how invincible he seems, we all know it's just an illusion for outsiders."
Tim said, "That's why I became Robin. I was determined to be the rope that held Batman back and prevented him from falling into the abyss. I never deny that I was Jason's replacement, and Batman needed such a replacement. There's always been a self-destructive trait in Batman, so he needs Robin, he needs me."
Tim's gaze lingered:
"I still remember what Batman once told me..."
"You are different from Dick, who firmly believes that he has chosen the right path in life... Dick sees being Robin as the meaning of his life, so when he finds another meaning, he will not hesitate to give up the identity of Robin."
But for Jason, he viewed Robin as a game, which is probably also the cause of his death. Being Robin was never Jason's first choice; rather, he imitated the style of others.
And you're the same; you see being Robin as a job that requires wearing a mask. In that respect, you and Jason are quite similar in some ways. Of course, neither of you will ever admit it.
I never thought death would actually come until the moment Jason died. This is the problem with teaming up with adults and having the unwavering belief that you have your partner to look after you and have nothing to fear.
Until you feel careless and safe, but the truth is, once you make a small mistake, you will never have peace.
"I took Batman's warning. I've always been very careful with this job. I used to... I used to think that Batman would always need me to keep him in check and prevent him from self-destructing."
"But now..."
Tim forced a smile:
"Batman seems to have truly lost all intention of self-destruction. So, the meaning of my existence... seems to have disappeared as well."
He said, "Maybe it really is time for me to retire."
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"Batman never intended to save Planet OA, Lord Sinestro."
Below, countless Yellow Lanterns relentlessly attacked Planet OA. This was already the 10th or so assault organized by the Yellow Lantern Legion in the past few days. Planet OA's defenses were slowly being eroded, and it was only a matter of time before it was completely breached.
At this moment, Seneca was listening to a report from one of his men, but there was no one around; the voice was coming from his ring.
"Well done, Dispelis," Senesto said.
He called out the other person's name.
Despotellis is one of the many Yellow Lanterns he recruits in the universe, and is likely the deadliest, because he is a virus, a living virus.
Despotellis was born on the planet Khondra in sector 119 of the universe. Scientists there sought to develop a new virus for use as a biological weapon. Through repeated iterations of the virus, they created the supervirus Despotellis, which surprisingly developed its own emotions. It began wreaking havoc on Khondra, killing all the planet's inhabitants. For this, a yellow light chose it.
"Are you sure Batman hasn't spotted you?" Sinestro asked. "His nanobots can also enter the microscopic realm. I need you to make sure you're completely undetectable by his robots."
"Of course, Lord Sinestro," Super Virus Lantern replied respectfully.
"Han Nu's body is enormous, enough for me to hide in. When it comes to understanding biological structures, neither he nor Batman knows as well as I do. They had no idea I was hiding inside his body. To prevent any slip-ups, I have never spread my virus to anyone, nor have I done anything beyond surveillance."
"Batman does indeed think, as you predicted, that going to save OA looks like a trap to lure us away from our base. The two previous attempts to lure us away from OA really scared Batman, making him worry that we might be using the same old tricks again."
The supervirus said, "He's fallen into the trap of diverting attention from the earth; he simply doesn't dare leave Earth."
"This bought us time."
Sinestro looked down and saw on the battlefield below, Mongo snapping the neck of a Green Lantern lunging at him as easily as breaking a twig. Almost no Green Lantern could withstand a single blow from Mongo.
Beside him, Supergirl Kara's eyes shot out red light, and red light energy like blood-red flames burst from her body. She was also wearing a yellow light ring on her left hand. The red and yellow colors alternated on her body, making Supergirl's brain tremble.
The little girl jumped up in a fit of madness, then pounced on an unlucky Green Lantern and started biting him, biting the other Green Lanterns like a madwoman until they cried out in pain.
Mongo's power is too great. He has gathered a large number of Yellow Lanterns and has already created a small faction within Sinestro's Legion.
Seneca stared at him, a hint of murderous intent flickering in his eyes. Seneca was acutely aware of the killing intent and malice that Mongo had displayed when he saw him. This was why he had kept Amonsu guarding the entrance to his wife's cell, protecting her.
In matters like this, he only dared to trust people who were related to him by blood.
Although Sinestro knew he could easily defeat every Yellow Lantern by controlling their Yellow Lantern rings, this control had to be face-to-face. He absolutely did not want anything to happen that he would regret for the rest of his life, nor did he want Arlins to become a weapon against him.
He still needs Mongo's force for now; as for what happens next... we'll talk about that later.
Not far away, the long-faced, fanged Achiro was the third to shine. He was an instructor in the Yellow Lantern Legion, having grown up in the most dangerous jungles of Christil.
He was extremely strong and used his power to rule over the weaker races on the planet, feeding on them.
Achilo was one of the first members to join Seneca's Legion. In a way, he was a smaller version of Mongo, believing in the survival of the fittest and always wanting to overthrow his superiors.
Senesto knew that his opponent was no pushover either; if Mongo hadn't been even more dangerous, it would have been Achille who was now trying to seize power.
They're all a bunch of traitors... But Seneca knew this was the price of employing criminals. He no longer had the opportunity to properly recruit some honest and upright subordinates, so this was all he could do.
When he gets the chance, he will definitely purge the Sinestro Legion. In Sinestro's hope, his Yellow Lantern Legion is the police that needs to replace the Green Lantern Legion in maintaining cosmic order, and the police obviously cannot be the villains he has recruited so far.
Therefore, for Sinestro, the people fighting below are nothing more than cannon fodder who can be consumed and replenished at any time, and have no value whatsoever. On the other hand, Mongo and Achilo are enemies that need to be dealt with at any time. When the Sinestro Legion, which truly maintains the order of the universe, is born, they will all be the targets of elimination.
But I need more time, I need more time...
Seneca thought to himself.
If I can fool Batman into not daring to act rashly on Earth, I'll have enough time...
Seneca shook his head slightly, lost in thought; he was ultimately a little disappointed.
In fact, for Sinestro, it would have been more advantageous for him if Batman had actually listened to Han Nu's words and gone to rescue the Green Lanterns trapped on Kovad.
He set a trap there, banishing the entire Green Lantern Corps to the Phantom District, a place where Kryptonians used to exile criminals, and a graveyard from which almost no one could return.
If Batman is also banished there, at least for a long time he won't have to worry about the other party interfering with his actions.
Unfortunately, Batman didn't fall for it, which was exactly what Seneca had expected. Or rather, he would have been surprised if Batman had actually stumbled into his trap so recklessly.
But now, even though Batman didn't actually foolishly step inside, Ceneto has achieved his goal of stalling for time.
Given enough time...
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"Bane..."
Earth.
"We are about to set off to meet the Crime Syndicate, regarding the Black Decay..."
Bane heard Batman's voice: "You're a true expert on the Corruption Black. I need your help again."
"We're about to leave Earth. This is a very complicated situation, and we can't afford to make even the slightest mistake."
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Senestos's War Fortress.
Mongo stared at the lump of decaying black energy before him, his eyes gleaming with malice...
"I will possess...new power!"
(End of this chapter)