amaotonovel Chapter 3896 The Nameless Bat (66)
Chapter 3896 The Nameless Bat (66)
Chapter 3896 The Nameless Bat (Sixty-Six)
The Pale Knight was in his room at Wayne Manor. He frowned as he looked at a headline in the newspaper. After a long pause, he slammed the newspaper on the table and said, "Gotham has been independent for so long, who is it that's bringing this up again?"
The newspaper's headline read: "Congress Passes Gotham's Second Referendum Bill by a Large Vote; Independence Remains Uncertain."
Batman tapped his fingers lightly on the table, clearly deep in thought. After a while, he looked up and asked, "Is the energy all taken care of? When do we start setting up the magical defense network?"
“It will take a few more days,” the Pale Knight said, shaking his head. “We must resolve this matter first.”
What do you think the referendum result will be?
"Nobody wants to go back to the way things were before. But the referendum will definitely pass—from the moment this bill is implemented, Congress will not allow any possibility of the referendum failing."
"So what are you planning to do?" Batman asked.
"I don't know. If we can't get the rights we deserve through political means, then we have to think of other ways."
"for example?"
“Magic,” the Pale Knight said, sitting down in the chair in front of his desk. “We’ve just acquired a large amount of energy. While it can be used to build a magical defense network, it’s not a quick fix. So perhaps using it to solve Gotham’s problems wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
"But how can we solve this with magic?"
“Have you heard?” the Pale Knight said, placing his hands on the table. “There was once a Gotham in a universe that flew off the surface and became physically independent. If all else fails, we’ll have to follow their example.”
“That’s one way to do it,” Batman nodded. “But it’s best not to fly if you can avoid it. However, we can use that to negotiate with Congress and get them to mind their own business in Gotham.”
“I still find it very strange,” the Pale Knight said. “Gotham’s independence as a state was the result of compromises between various parties. Congress should hate change, but this time they’re bringing it up again with great force. I don’t believe no one is pushing this along.”
“The question is, who has the motivation to do this?” Batman said. “Gotham independence doesn’t threaten anyone. Even if your new tax policy goes to a point where some people can’t stand it, they can leave instead of going through this whole ordeal. The price to pay for inciting Congress would likely be far greater than what they’d pay—and nobody’s going to do that.”
There was a moment of silence between them. Just then, the Pale Knight answered a phone call. After hanging up, he said, "Fiona is here."
Before he could finish his next sentence, the door to the meeting room was pushed open. A red-haired girl walked in, a camera around her neck and a notebook in her hand, and exclaimed, "Good heavens, have you read the newspapers? Why is there another referendum?!"
"Where are you from, miss?"
“A hearing for the Natural Forest Conservation Foundation,” Fiona said, waving her press pass. “Even without this, I would have come. Today marks the second anniversary of my father’s death, and I would like to invite you all to visit his grave. He would be very happy to see the state of Gotham.”
The Pale Knight's gaze softened, and he said, "Yes. Without the struggles of men like Willie, Gotham wouldn't be where it is today. We should indeed thank him."
"But the premise is that his hard-won achievements won't be destroyed overnight!" Fiona said anxiously. "A second referendum must not be held, otherwise they will definitely try to cheat and destroy all the previous achievements!"
“That’s right. That’s what we think too,” Batman said. “We have a final measure to make sure things don’t go the way Congress wants. But the final measure is a bit extreme, and we’ll only use it when things are irreconcilable. Until then, the best approach is a media offensive.”
“I understand,” Fiona said. “I’m the youngest genius reporter, and I have a hero father. People in Gotham love me now, and they’ll follow my lead whenever I speak out. When public opinion is overwhelming, even if the referendum results aren’t what we expect, people will definitely think there’s something fishy going on.”
“You’re very clever, Miss,” the Pale Knight smiled at her, then said, “but you must be careful. This matter is not so simple. The person behind this must have something to rely on to persuade so many councilors. If you have a direct confrontation with them, you could be in great danger.”
“If my father had thought that way, Gotham wouldn’t be what it is today,” Fiona said with unwavering conviction. “From the day I became a journalist, it has been my mission to speak out for justice until my last breath. I will always remember that.”
After saying that, she turned and left. The Pale Knight watched her retreating figure and said, "Willy would be happy to see his daughter. Shall we go and visit his grave now?"
Batman stood up and said, "Take some photos with him; the Independence Day celebrations would be nice."
The unassuming black car pulled up in front of a cemetery. The Pale Knight and Batman got out from opposite sides. Before they even reached their destination, the Pale Knight saw a notification on his phone:
"Gotham's brilliant reporter speaks out: Independence and freedom are the will of the people of Gotham, and those who fabricate lies will not have a good end!"
The Pale Knight frowned slightly. Batman looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
“Fiona is being a bit too sharp,” the Pale Knight sighed. “She shouldn’t have targeted Congress so early; that has given Congress a reason to target her.”
Sure enough, before the visit to the Tomb of Heroes was over, the Pale Knight received a message from Gordon: Fiona had been arrested.
Fiona is highly respected among the citizens of Gotham, not only because her father was a courageous hero, but also because she stood up to maintain order in the area during the chaos of war. At that time, she was just a young girl, but she was braver than many others, which earned her a group of loyal followers, just like her father had been.
She's now been arrested, and taken directly from her home. Her followers and ordinary people in Gotham are outraged, and they've gathered outside the police station demanding Fiona's release.
But whether or not to release him was clearly not up to Gordon. This time, the arrest order was issued directly by the federal government, and the people who came were all FBI agents. The local police department was no match for them, and Gordon was in a complete mess.
The Pale Knight and Batman arrived at Gotham City Police Department as quickly as possible. Gordon rushed up and gave the Pale Knight a hug, then said, "Quick, Fiona's inside. She doesn't seem scared, just really angry. Go and comfort her, don't let her do anything stupid."
The Pale Knight strode inside, but was quickly stopped by an agent wearing an FBI-branded jacket. The agent flashed his badge and said, "Excuse me, sir. This case is being handled entirely by the FBI, and visits are not permitted at this time..."
"Make way! Make way! I'm Miss Fiona Travel's lawyer!" A figure squeezed in from outside. The Pale Knight turned around and saw that it was Harvey Dante.
There's a reason for not letting unauthorized personnel in, but not letting lawyers in is unacceptable. No matter how serious the crime, the other party must be given the opportunity to see a lawyer. The agents waved their hands and let Harvey in.
The others waited anxiously outside. Harvey came out about half an hour later, and from his expression, it was clear that things weren't going well.
“Fiona’s language was a bit too sharp,” Harvey said. “Her comments on the actions of certain members of Congress were so close to naming names that she could be charged with defamation. More importantly, her remarks about Gotham’s independence were too vague, and the federal government could accuse her of secession.”
Upon hearing the last word, everyone else frowned. The Pale Knight said, "But we just want Gotham to become a state, not to secede from the Union."
"Yes, Fiona meant the same thing. But she wasn't careful with her words. You know, the definition is theirs."
The Pale Knight sighed softly and said, "Fiona is smart and courageous, but she underestimated the filth of politics. We have to find a way to get her out of this mess."
“There’s an even more crucial issue,” Harvey said. “The fact that the FBI has taken over this case doesn’t mean Fiona will get a fair trial. More likely, she won’t leave the interrogation room.”
Batman narrowed his eyes slightly. Harvey explained, "I've seen far too many people like this. Either they have a sudden heart attack, or they choke to death during an epileptic seizure, or at best, they commit suicide. If Congress wants to get rid of her once and for all, they'll find a way to kill her."
"More importantly, Fiona had no backing, so killing her wouldn't affect anyone's interests, making them even less hesitant to act. As for ordinary people, they were never even on Congress's radar. Protests can be suppressed, and marches can be met with armed resistance. Once someone is dead, there's no point in having any more of these activities."
“I’ll have Wayne Enterprises smooth things over,” Batman said. “We have a few of our own people in the FBI, not many, but they should be able to buy us some time.”
“I will have people keep a close eye on her as much as possible,” Gordon said, “to try not to give them a chance to do anything. But this matter must be resolved as soon as possible. A long prison sentence could cause irreversible damage to Fiona’s body, which is not what we want to see.”
As the group was discussing their plan, a strange car suddenly pulled up in front of the station. A beautiful redhead stepped out of the car and, upon entering the police station, flashed her identification to the officers.
“CIA, Agent Romanov. I have important business to attend to.”
Gordon hurried out to greet her, but the woman who identified herself as Agent Romanov had no interest in talking to him. She simply glanced at her phone and asked, "Where is Fiona Travel?"
“They’re inside.” Gordon was a little uneasy; he didn’t know what the appearance of the CIA agent meant.
“Wait a moment, Agent Romanov.” The Pale Knight stepped forward, stopping the woman, and said, “I have something I'd like to discuss with you. Would it be convenient to speak further?”
The other person nodded, and the two walked into the adjacent corridor. The Pale Knight lowered his voice and said, "What the hell? Natasha? What are you doing here?!"
"I'm tracking down an electronic life form that has simultaneously invaded many universes. Didn't you hear about this in the group?"
"I think I've heard of it. Could it exist in our universe too?"
"I can't be sure. But hasn't anything unusual happened to you recently?"
"Congress suddenly demanded a second referendum in Gotham... God, I knew this wasn't right. Creating chaos at this time is just a way to delay the construction of the magic defense network!"
“That’s right. This has happened in many universes, and I’ve discovered a certain pattern. I’m investigating it in the direction of this pattern. Time is of the essence, so let me see Miss Travel first.”
"Why her? Is she connected to cyber life?"
"It's too early to say. I've just discovered that many key figures involved in many universes share the same characteristic."
"What characteristics?"
"Red hair".
Even supporting characters with names and surnames are useful!