Did Ah Fu retire today? [Comprehensive British and American]

Tom took off his T-shirt and his pants until he was nothing but boxer shorts, but Bruce didn't respond.

"Well, if you want to sleep in your battle armor." Tom gave him a puzzled look, "Of course I have no objection."

Bruce still didn't say a word.

Tom rubbed the back of his head and walked into the bathroom in a daze.

Tom's bathroom is very stylishly designed. For some reason, or because he wants to pursue some "interest", the bathroom is located next to the living room on the first floor, and the entire wall separating it from the living room is made of transparent glass. Everything is unobstructed.

The glass is not all transparent, there is a distance of about two feet in the middle, and the glass is made of frosted material.

So Tom didn't lose everything, the frosted glass perfectly blocked the whole view from the waist to the knees, only the upper and lower parts were leaked out.

He was taking a shower with his back facing Bruce, and the light-colored birthmark on the crevice of the shoulder blades deepened after getting wet and became more and more obvious.

He took off the helmet and gently placed it on the table, but the doubts in his eyes became more and more intense.

He thought this birthmark was familiar before, but it wasn't because he had seen the same birthmark, the one he had seen was a scar.

That was eight years ago, when there was no Batman in Gotham, Bruce at that time was still an untrained ordinary person, but that year, the murderer of his parents, Joe Chill, wanted to use the former prison inmate , Fecone's criminal evidence appeared in court to testify, thus applying for early parole.

Bruce took the pistol left by his father and rushed to the court to attend the hearing.

At that time, his thoughts were very simple. Since the law could not give him fairness and justice, he had to use his own hands, using his father's gun, to bring everything back on track.

As expected, Joe Chill was released in court.

In the corridor of the courthouse, they passed each other, Bruce held the pistol|gun, once wanted to kill the source of all his tragedies, his index finger had already pulled the trigger, and Joe Chill was shot by other The person was shot in the head, and the death was funny and absurd.

Bruce returned to the manor in a daze, refused Afu's comfort, and got drunk in the wine cellar.

Maybe it was the effect of alcohol, he had a lot of crazy and chaotic thoughts, but in the end he just stumbled to the garage, got into a sports car, and drove out indiscriminately.

He drove aimlessly and broke into the gang's black bar by accident. Even he himself couldn't remember what he said or did at that time, which angered the owner of the bar, and then he was rapped by several people. Martha's gang thugs blocked the alley and beat them violently.

He couldn't remember many things that night, except for the endless beatings, he only remembered two scenes most clearly.

One was a thug who picked up a heavy iron rod and swung it at him fiercely. He remembered that the mouth of the iron rod was a rare cross flower.

The other one was the butler Ah Fu who rushed over and threw himself on top of him without thinking about his own safety.

The iron rod pierced Ah Fu's shoulder blades, and he watched everything happen with his eyes wide open, but he was powerless to stop it.Alcohol and pain tore his nerves, he unconsciously passed out unwillingly, and when he woke up again, he was already in Leslie's hospital.

He anxiously asked about Ah Fu's situation, but the reply he got was completely different from what he had imagined.

Not very dangerous or not serious, in Leslie's narration, there is no Ah Fu in his story at all.

It was a strong man named Al who rescued him and sent him to the hospital. There was no cross-shaped iron rod, and there was no injured Ah Fu. He saw the man with his own eyes, thanked him and said goodbye to him, and soon after , Waiting for the real Ah Fu.

Everything proved that the two pictures he recorded were out of fantasy, and Bruce seemed to agree with all of this on the surface, but only he knew that there was still a trace of doubt lingering in his heart, and there was no Disappeared, but was pressed in the deepest part of my heart.

After eight years, he had almost forgotten about that incident, but today, he saw the same cross birthmark on Tom's body.Even the location of the birthmark was exactly the same as the location where Ah Fu was injured in the "illusion" that night.

Bruce took a deep breath.I don't know if it was because the cross birthmark I saw tonight stimulated his brain, and he immediately thought of another thing.

Just last night, because of something that required him to share the bed with the housekeeper, he saw the whole process of Ah Fu changing his pajamas.

Although they changed quickly, he still had a glimpse of Ah Fu's back. There was indeed a light brown mark near the shoulder blade, the size of half a fist. Although he didn't see the exact shape, it seemed to be true. Much like a cross.

Is it really just a coincidence?

No, there won't be so many coincidences all coming together.

But if it is not a coincidence, what can this mean?

Bruce subconsciously felt that the truth might be incomprehensible and unacceptable to him, but he still made a decision.

He took a deep look at the birthmark on Tom's back and firmly remembered it, then turned and left the living room, and dialed Dick's phone in the guest room.

"Bruce?" The adopted son's voice was full of surprise, "Why did you remember to call me? Is there some temporary mission?"

Originally thought that Bruce had gone to Arkham, and his logistics work would also have to be suspended, but now it seems that maybe things are not the same as he thought, Bruce seems to have other tasks for him?

As he thought, Bruce really said: "There is a mission, it is very important."

Dick jumped up excitedly, straightened his face quickly, and said in a deliberately mature voice: "The door is closed, no one is around, you can rest assured!"

Bruce said, "...I want you to see the butler."

Dick started to feel strange: "Then?"

Bruce said: "Look at his back, is there a scar in the shape of a cross."

Dick cried out in dissatisfaction: "...Is this the mission you said?"

"It's important," Bruce insisted.

"Okay." Dick sighed, "I'll figure out what I'm going to do..."

Bruce waited quietly for him.

Dick was pacing left and right in the room, and after an unknown amount of time, he suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Let me take a look at my bathroom. I think the bathtub should be broken." He dragged the toolbox from under the bed and twisted it a few times at the water outlet. Ah Fu, come and help me fix it properly."

Bruce realizes what he wants to do: "Good idea."

Dick raised his eyebrows: "Maybe you want to make a video call? Although I don't know what you're looking for, it's better to see it with your own eyes than for me to help you."

The call was hung up immediately, and connected again the next second, and this time, it was the video call mentioned earlier.

Dick patrols the bathroom, then puts the phone behind a shelf, upright and in order.

"The location here should be good." He touched his chin and said, "You wait here, I will go to Ah Fu's room to find him."

Dick said and left the bathroom. Bruce held up his mobile phone. For some reason, the unspoken premonition prompted him to walk out of the guest room, come down from the second floor, and return to the living room.

He subconsciously looked into the bathroom, but Tom wasn't taking a shower with his back turned to him. He looked into the further bathtub, whether there were arms raised there, and the occasional sound of water told him that Tom seemed to be rushing through, and then Went to take a bath in the bathtub.

Before he could figure out why Tom was showering in two ways, Dick suddenly appeared on the video call and drew his attention.

His butler followed Dick into the bathroom and asked, "What's wrong with the bathtub?"

Dick said anxiously, "There's no water."

He beckoned the butler to bend down to look at the water inlet above the bathtub, and holding the handle of the switch in his hand, he turned it on suddenly.

The pipe was destroyed in advance, and it was okay when it was closed, but when it was opened, the water jet suddenly sprayed outwards, completely drenching the housekeeper.

Ah Fu was silent for a moment, and then asked with difficulty: "No water?"

Dick quickly turned off the switch and said guiltily, "It looks like it's getting worse."

Ah Fu sighed: "Let me see what's wrong."

Dick took out the clean bathrobes he had prepared in advance: "Change, your clothes are all soaked."

Ah Fu was a little hesitant, but he couldn't stand Dick's constant urging, and the wet clothes were really uncomfortable, so he took the bathrobe and changed directly.

Dick secretly looked at the mobile phone on the shelf, and sent a smug look of "Mission Accomplished", while Bruce on the other end of the phone didn't care about Dick at all.

He saw Ah Fu's back.

Just as he guessed, there was indeed a cross-shaped light brown mark at the gap between Ah Fu's shoulder blades, but it was more like a birthmark with a smooth surface than the uneven scar in his imagination.

A light-colored birthmark of the same size and shape as the one on Tom, exactly the same color and position.

As a consulting detective said, eliminate the impossible and whatever remains, however implausible, is the truth.

Bruce let out a slow breath, then rushed to the bathroom door and slammed the door open.

He was breathing heavily, and he was ready for questioning and theory, but he didn't see anyone in the bathroom.

"Tom?" Bruce walked a few steps to the bathtub, only to realize that it wasn't that Tom had disappeared, but that he had sunk into the water.

Bruce pursed his lips, fished out the thin young man, and put him on the ground.

This Tom's eyes were closed, his body was stiff, his chest did not rise and fall, and his mouth and nose were not breathing, just like the housekeeper who "died" in front of him more than a month ago.

But unlike the despair and collapse before, Bruce now has no expression on his face and no fluctuations in his heart.

He saw Dick took back the phone, and suddenly said to him: "Tell Ah Fu, Tom is dead."

Dick asked inexplicably, "Who is Tom?"

Bruce didn't mean to explain: "Tell him the exact words."

"Okay." Dick walked up to Alfred, "Well, Alfred, Tom is dead?"

Ah Fu on the other end of the phone froze and let go of his hands, and the maintenance tool slammed into the bathtub with a "bang".

Dick's panicked voice came from the phone: "Ah Fu, what's wrong with you, Ah Fu?"

The next second, Tom, who was lying on the floor, suddenly opened his eyes.

Bruce waited quietly, leaning against the glass wall of the bathroom.

Tom sat up hesitantly, and looked at him with dilated pupils: "Bruce..."

Bruce lowered his head, and their eyes briefly met for a moment.

Tom looked away guiltily, and said with difficulty: "...you listen to my explanation."

Bruce still looked at him and gave a cold "oh".