amaotonovel Chapter 3778 Rapid Pursuit (23)
Chapter 3778 Rapid Pursuit (23)
Chapter 3778 Rapid Pursuit (Twenty-Three)
Meanwhile, Schiller, who had returned to the Broken Bat universe with Arkham Batman to retrieve the device that preserved the brain, has already obtained the device and returned to the Silent Batman universe.
The lighter equipment was transported using Arkham Batman's Batmobile, while the heavier items were brought by Batman. However, this evil Batman had other things to do; the dark magic Batman who could summon monsters had escaped, and he planned to call Jerome to help him hunt him down.
Schiller looked at the pile of equipment lying in the open space, a headache forming in his eyes. He said, "We should put this in Wayne Enterprises' labs, right?"
"That's how it should be, but do you think the Wayne Enterprises are safe in this universe?"
Schiller fell silent for a moment. If it were a team led by Batman, then there was nothing more to say; they would certainly be trustworthy. But the Wayne Enterprises in this universe were led by Elliott. Given Elliott's level of expertise, wouldn't that organization be riddled with holes?
"Where should we put this thing?"
“We still have to put it in Wayne Enterprises; at least the facilities there are pretty good,” Arkham Batman said. “But you have to remind that Batman to be careful and make sure he takes proper security measures so that no one gets a chance.”
While this isn't a perfect solution, it seems to be the only option. Although Wayne Enterprises was unreliable in the past, at least it's now led by the main universe's Batman, so it shouldn't be long before it returns to its peak.
Schiller was clearly not satisfied. He thought for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "We can conduct experiments at Wayne Enterprises, but it's best not to put the equipment there until Batman reorganizes Wayne Enterprises. I do have a safer place, but it's a bit far from here. Shall we call a truck?"
Batman from Arkham didn't know where he was talking about, but he nodded nonetheless. Schiller quickly found a truck, loaded the large equipment onto it, and the Batmobile led the way.
Where did you get the truck's contact information?
“I remembered it when I passed by the freight company before,” Schiller said. “Don’t ask me how I could remember it; corpses don’t just fly into the Atlantic Ocean on their own.”
“I’m very curious about your career path,” Arkham Batman said, turning the steering wheel. “Why did you choose to become a secret agent when you could have had other clerical jobs?”
"Would you like another injection of morphine?"
"Of course not. The concentration is a bit too high."
“You shouldn’t be saying that,” Schiller said, turning to look out the window. “The injection I gave you could have knocked down an elephant.”
"If you were injected with at least a hundred doses of concentrated fear venom within a week, you would also develop this resistance."
"I'm also very curious about your professional background."
The two drove to an unfamiliar street corner. Arkham Batman didn't see any familiar buildings, but Schiller walked directly into a side alley and conjured a door out of thin air.
That's right, this is the house that Schiller got from the demon Jason in the Pale Knight's universe. Schiller can summon it in any universe, and he even gave it a very special name: "The Come-Go House".
Because it can be summoned in every universe, even the Dark Multiverse, this can be considered Schiller's base for exploring various multiverses. The house isn't large, but it can still hold some equipment.
Batman from Arkham walked in and looked around, but from the outside, it looked like an ordinary house. Batman from Arkham thought it might be some kind of magical artifact, but considering that Schiller still had morphine on him, he wisely didn't ask any further questions.
After setting up the equipment, Schiller said, "While I'm sure no one will find this place, the Laughing might discover it by anticipating your movements. You'd better keep watch around here for a while. I'm going to Wayne Enterprises to have Batman raise the security level of the lab."
Arkham Batman nodded. Schiller drove off in another car and soon arrived at the entrance of Wayne Tower. He didn't care whether Batman let him in or not; the agent had his own ways of getting in.
He made his way to the top-floor office, knocked on the door, and went inside. Once inside, he discovered there was already someone in the room—Jason Todd.
When he saw him come in, Batman's expression became quite interesting.
He had just spent over three hours discussing business cooperation between Wayne Group and Red Line Defense Group, all to prevent Jason from going to Schiller's death.
It's said that raising a hundred children brings endless worries for ninety-nine years. Although Batman hasn't raised any Jason to a hundred years yet, he's seen about a hundred Jasons, each one a master of courting death.
Having finally encountered Jason, who apparently hadn't died from the Joker's crowbar, Batman certainly couldn't just stand by and watch him die at Schiller's hands, so he had to use this method to stall him.
Now Schiller has come looking for us.
Batman even carefully tried to identify which Schiller it was.
Good news: It's not pathological, it's the detective.
Bad news: It's an agent, not a psychopath.
Jason immediately stood up from his chair, squinted at Schiller, and said, "You infiltrated Elliott's party to investigate him, didn't you?"
Schiller pulled his chair over, sat down, leaned back, and looked at Jason, saying, "Yeah, so what?"
"Did you kill the person who fell from the courtyard?"
"Yes, if he assaulted a police officer."
What does "if" mean?
"If you continue to slander me without any evidence, I will convict you of assaulting a police officer."
Jason's expression turned grim. He stared intently at Schiller's face and said, "You know some things shouldn't be investigated any further, Mr. Agent."
"What do you mean by 'the investigation shouldn't continue'? Do you mean the Raptor missiles you purchased from Lex Group a few weeks ago are exactly the same type as the missiles that shot down Elliott's helicopter?"
Jason slammed his hand on the table: "That was just a normal order!"
"Then why are you so excited?" Schiller chuckled, turned his chair around, leaned forward with one arm on the table, and asked, "Who were you originally planning to sell these missiles to?"
"What does this have to do with you?"
"So you weren't planning to sell to Wayne Enterprises?" Schiller said, feigning thoughtfulness. "I thought you and Wayne were inseparable, and that you specially purchased a batch of missiles to help him strike at his election rivals."
Jason's heart sank. He looked at Batman's face, but saw nothing.
Batman sighed inwardly. Jason in this universe was a bit more cunning than those in other universes, but only to a limited extent; he was easily tricked into revealing information in just a few words.
“I have another question,” Schiller persisted. “As an arms dealer, you’re so reliant on Wayne Enterprises’ orders, even risking your life several times to save Elliott. But Wayne Enterprises is a conglomerate; what does it need so many weapons for?”
“Of course, it’s because he needs to maintain order in Gotham,” Jason said, pointing to the street outside the window. “Those defense forces’ weapons and security robots didn’t just appear out of thin air…”
"Maintaining order? Who gave him that authority?" Schiller's face turned cold. He slammed his hand on the table and said, "Where are the police? Where is the army? Where is the National Guard? Where is the FBI? Where is the federal government? When did it become the right of a family business to use private armed forces to maintain order in a federal city?!"
Jason choked, his face turning red. Schiller looked at him and said, "I've already notified the FBI, and they'll contact the state troopers and Gotham Police Department to help restore order to the city. That's why I'm here with Mr. Wayne today. Those security forces and robots loitering on the streets had better get out of here, or he won't be able to get a single vote from New Jersey."
Jason's face turned from red to pale. He looked at Batman and said, "You just said you'd continue the defense contract with Red Line..."
“Yes. But what the agent said makes sense too. Wayne Corporation is just an ordinary company, not the ruler of this city, and has no right to use force to suppress the city’s residents…”
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Jason roared at him. "If Elliott can do it, why can't you?!"
Batman thought to himself, "Of course it's because Schiller wasn't here when Elliott ruled the city! Can't you stop being such an outlaw in front of FBI agents?!"
But of course he couldn't tell the truth, so he resorted to platitudes: "As the helmsman of Wayne Enterprises, Elliott has been far from competent. He has sacrificed too many corporate interests for the pointless oppression of citizens. This has a negative impact on the group's reputation. Now that I'm back, my duty is to set things right and adjust the company's business strategy in the most moderate way possible. I promise to do everything I can to protect the interests of all our partners. Is that alright?"
"What a load of bull!" Jason yelled. "Are you planning to let the rebels raze this city to the ground without completely taking control?! Lots of people will die! The whole city will be destroyed!"
“This will cost you dearly first,” Schiller said. “If Mr. Wayne doesn’t intend to crack down on Gotham the way he used to, you’ll lose at least tens of billions of dollars in defense contracts every year. You’re just worried about the money.”
Jason was seething with anger. Before Schiller arrived, Batman and he had been on good terms. They had repeatedly confirmed the details of many orders, and Bruce Wayne clearly intended to continue following the established practices and maintain his rule over Gotham. But everything changed the moment this damned agent arrived. If Wayne was truly swayed and canceled those orders, the losses to the defense group would be immeasurable.
Even without the deal with that head, he still had to find a way to kill Schiller. A murderous glint flashed in Jason's eyes.
Batman moved immediately, but was still half a second too late.
boom!
Jason was shot and fell to the ground by Schiller. This time, Schiller didn't put away his gun, but instead lowered the muzzle slightly, aiming to fire a follow-up shot. Batman kicked the gun out of his hand.
"Stop!" Batman said.
Jason clutched his chest, groaning in pain on the ground. Batman rushed over and dialed an ambulance. But inwardly, he was relieved: Schiller's shot had come at just the right time; if Jason had been hospitalized, he wouldn't have had time to bother the even more troublesome Schiller.
But things obviously wouldn't go so smoothly. The day after Jason was taken to the hospital, when Batman visited him, he saw a familiar figure by his bedside.
A man in a brown prince-check suit sat beside Jason's hospital bed, leisurely peeling an apple and talking to Jason in hushed tones. Jason smiled and responded in kind.
Upon seeing this harmonious scene, Batman even considered having the Joker find a crowbar right now.