Trajectory of Dawn in the World of American Comics

Chapter 4 4. For the sake of being orphans.

On the dark streets of Gotham's East Side, the Penguin who had been shot no longer howled.

Batman injected hemostatic agent into his wound and used a special spray to keep the severed finger injury from getting worse, and then used his bat communicator to send a signal to Director Gordon.

The Penguin broke a certain "tacit agreement" and attacked the police station, which naturally had to be ended by the Gotham Police Department.

The VIP ticket for Black Gate Prison has been handed over to Oswald by the master himself, which can be regarded as a kind of faith that a superhero should do.

But today it's not over yet.

The young man Mason knew he couldn't just leave, because Batman in front of him was staring at him with eyes that were so indifferent that there was almost no change in emotion.

Even through the goggles of the bat helmet, Mason could feel the cold scrutiny.

Obviously, the master was very dissatisfied with his "shameless sneak attack" just now.

"A dropout from Gotham High School, a 17-year-old young man who had no characteristics before was raised by a gangster with serious violent tendencies."

Batman said hoarsely:

"Your performance tonight is at odds with your past experience, Mason Cooper, perhaps you should explain?"

"I guess you don't understand how tragic it is to have an old man who got drunk and went crazy since he was a child. What's even more regrettable is that that man gets drunk every day."

Under the watchful eyes of the master, the young man squatted down, picked up the black umbrella "dropped" by the penguin, and held that delicate and deadly weapon in his hand.

He didn't meet Batman's eyes, lowered his head, and said in a calm but bitter tone:

"You took my father into prison three times with your own hands. I think you know that man better than I do. In my childhood memory, the number of times he smiled is one of the few times. After my mother died, he brought all kinds of women home to hang out. , I was more of a liability than a gift to him.

Have you ever had such a childhood? batman. "

Mason raised his head, glanced at the master, and said:

"I guess you must not. If you have, you should know that I have been practicing secretly in hiding. I am not practicing marksmanship to hurt others.

I'm just doing it for my own protection!

Especially after I secretly called the police to take me away when I was seven years old, and after the man found me and almost beat me to death, I knew that no one could protect me in those damn days.

Not even you who can make Gotham tremble!

Batman wasn't going to show up in that nightmare and take me away like in the comic books. "

These words instantly pierced the master's heart as hard as steel like a knife.

Of course it won't break the defense all at once.

But those who are familiar with the origin story of Batman know that when facing Batman's questioning, it is obviously easier to get some sympathy by turning the topic to the level of parents.

What's more, Mason is not talking nonsense.

Judging from the memories he obtained after he took possession of this body, the young man's short life in the past was really painful. His father being hacked to death in a gang fire did not seem like a curse to the young man.

Even more akin to relief.

Of course, such words cannot be said right now.

"All I hurt tonight are the Penguins, they are bad guys!"

When Mason saw the master's silence, he knew that his words had worked. He stroked the penguin umbrella in his hand, stepped back and stepped on a bat dart that had fallen to the ground.

He said aloud:

"Penguin and his gang have been like locks on me since I was a kid, and I went to high school thinking I could get rid of them.

But after my father died, they came to me immediately and asked me to drop out of school and join them.

That bastard at your feet bought insurance for all his subordinates to buy hearts and minds.

He claims to be the most benevolent boss in the city, but to this day, he has not given me my father's share of the insurance money. I hate them, is that a problem?

Only when they're all over can I let go of the past, conquer my fears, and embrace a new life. Batman! You're a tough guy and you're not afraid of these guys.

They can't hurt you with a gun.

But I can't.

I'm just an ordinary person with better marksmanship. If I get hit, I will die. I even helped your friend. Is it wrong for me to pursue a new life?

Do you want me to apologize to them? "

After repeated questioning, the progress bar of the analysis of the special engineering creation "Penguin's Armed Umbrella" appeared on the light curtain in front of Mason.

Compared with Batman's high-tech equipment, which often takes hundreds of hours to analyze, the analysis speed of this thing is much faster.

It will take a few minutes to complete the collection of drawings.

But there is a high probability that this umbrella will be taken away by the master, and Mason just wants to get the "trophy" he deserves after this conversation is over.

After a tense second of confrontation, he spread his hands and said to Batman:

"That's where all my history comes from.

Believe it or not, the story of a young man who endured for 17 years and finally found his chance to escape hell! But I didn't come to provoke you, in fact I came to thank you.

Without your intervention, the grievances between me and the Penguin Gang have not ended so easily. "

"Finish?"

The master finally spoke.

With his cloak covering his body and the low black armor, he maintained his usual indifferent posture and said in a hoarse voice:

"This is not the end at all, it's just the beginning.

You can't hide what you did tonight, and Penguin's gang won't disband just because he and the backbone are in prison. Oswald has a group of killers in the city to handle similar things for him.

I don't comment on the grievances between you and the Penguin Gang.

I don't mean to criticize what you think of your father. But Mason, you've put yourself in dire straits, and you might not even survive tomorrow night. "

"That's my business, the path I choose, I walk on my own."

Mason felt a little guilty.

But he still acted like a young man who didn't bow his head. He picked up his gun and put it behind his back, glanced at the master, and whispered:

"Can I leave now? Batman, I'm going back to pack up and start fleeing."

"Stay here and wait for Gordon to come, he will protect you."

The master said something briefly, and Mason stared round his eyes, and said in a low voice:

"There are gangsters in the police station! If you hadn't shown up tonight, those black policemen would have sold Director Gordon to the Penguin immediately. It's impossible for you not to know, right?

You want me to jump into the tiger's mouth? "

"Gordon has several trusted safe houses."

The master didn't explain much.

When the siren sounded on the street in the distance, he waved his hook gun and shot the flying claw into a high place. At the moment when he flew up, Batman warned:

"You said you wanted a quiet life, Mason, and you better do what you say. I'll keep an eye on you."

"whoosh"

The figure of the man disappeared into the night and merged with the darkness. Mason stood there watching him leave, and glanced at the Penguin's armed umbrella in his hand.

Master didn't take this?

Is this the default that he owns this weapon?

Maybe he feels that he needs this thing to protect himself in the next situation?

The young man blinked and breathed a sigh of relief.

In any case, it seems that his well-prepared rhetoric along the way really moved the master, and of course it is very likely that it is some kind of "resonance" between the two orphans?

"lay down your weapon!"

As the police car quickly swung to a stop, Director Gordon's angry shout sounded in the dark night, and Mason didn't intend to show his bravery.

He held up his hands, allowing the officer to come forward and collect his weapon.

Old Gordon walked over with a blank face, took the tracker out of Mason's arms, and made a gesture to hit the misbehaving child, but in the end he just reached out and patted him on the shoulder, and ran to check on the unconscious penguin Man and personally put the handcuffs on Penguin's wrist.

At a certain corner of the street, Batman standing alone on the roof watched the police cars leave like a statue. After the flashing lights disappeared completely, the master activated the communication and said to the other end:

"Alfred, go to the Gotham City resident database, keyword 'Mason Cooper', check all his information. Focus on whether he has a police record when he was seven years old, and whether there is a record of being abused by his father. "

"Wait a moment, master."

Ah Fu's steady voice sounded from the communicator hidden in the bat ear decoration of the battle helmet. A few seconds later, the old housekeeper sighed and replied:

"Yes, the information is very consistent with your description. The child was sent to the hospital three times at the age of six, ten, and thirteen respectively.

The slightest one was also a broken rib.

He himself is very quiet.

Although he has a father who is a gangster, he doesn't even have a petty theft record. Although his grades were not excellent in school, according to his graduation records, all his teachers evaluated him very positively.

Nothing wrong with it other than a little withdrawn.

Oh, yes, this kid is a big 'Bat fan', he joined your cult group in high school, and he is still a core member. "

After finishing speaking, Ah Fu hesitated for a moment, and asked again:

"Master, are you going to train a new Robin again? Do you need me to prepare the adoption documents and call that person? This child has no relatives anymore."

"No."

Batman resolutely refused, and said to Alfred when he turned to leave:

"I saw Jason in him.

Maybe he will live safer if he doesn't touch me. Keep an eye on him, Ah Fu, he has been suppressed by the darkness for too long, and tonight's outbreak may be just the beginning.

But no one knows whether it will return to calm or become distorted.

As for me.

I just don't want to see another resident of Arkham Asylum, the city has enough troubles already. "

——

In the early hours of the morning, Director Gordon personally drove Mason to a safe house in an apartment in the Audisburg district. The director was very vigilant, and there was no entourage except him.

Obviously, he also knew that his police station was not so clean.

"You will live here for the next few days, waiting for follow-up arrangements."

The director threw a large bag of temporarily purchased daily necessities on the bed in this small apartment, and said to Mason, who had changed clothes and wore a baseball cap to cover up his figure, and looked around:

"Don't go out, there's a meal ordering phone on the table over there, and an emergency contact by the bedside. Let me ask again, are you really willing to be a witness against Oswald in court?"

"It's all offended to this point, and they won't let me go if I don't serve as a witness."

The young man didn't feel any pressure. He walked to the window and pulled up the blinds slightly, and he could see the Miller Harbor and the Gotham River flowing through the city in the distance under the dark night.

He looked back at Commissioner Gordon and asked:

"How long will Penguin be in there?"

"Based on his black material, at least two hundred and thirty-five years."

The chief shrugged and added:

"Of course, if you don't get robbed."

This made Mason lose his temper. He grinned and said:

"So you, the police chief, have tacitly agreed that the villains caught by you will definitely escape?"

"This is Gotham, and anything is possible here."

The chief laughed dryly.

He looked at the time on his watch and was about to leave. Mason called him back and said:

"Leave me a weapon in case I need it. Where's my self-assembled gun?"

"Stay in the evidence department."

Gordon pushed his black-rimmed glasses and glanced at Mason.

Probably feeling that the young man's situation was really special, he hesitated for a few seconds and took out his spare gun from his pocket and put it on the table, leaving an extra clip.

He said:

"be safe."

"Um."

Mason watched the chief leave, played with the gun and watched the car drive away by the window.

He stepped forward to lock the door, took a nice bath, and then returned to the room to pick up the umbrella he had been carrying, and took out the two bat darts he had picked up from his shoes.

He put this thing on the table, and the light curtain in front of him immediately gave an information label:

Penguin's Armed Umbrella

Quality: Sophisticated Engineering Special Items Excellent Craftsmanship

Status: complete accessories (semi-automatic repeating gun, fighting spear, staff sword, miniature flamethrower, miniature poisonous gas injector, umbrella surface bulletproof shield, ejection throwing knife)

Creator: Oswald Copperpot "The Penguin"

Item description: We generally call this ingenious multi-purpose self-defense weapon "Kill Your Life 3000".

Reminder: The drawings have been included, and deep transformation can be carried out after the engineering skills are improved

"click"

Mason twisted the bent umbrella handle, making the umbrella make a slight sound like a gear returning to its original position. As he watched, a snow-white sharp blade popped out from the tip of the umbrella.

Turn the umbrella handle slightly again, and the tip of the umbrella is replaced with a delicate spout.

As he turned the umbrella handle to the end, the sharp umbrella tip shot out with a whoosh and hit the wall fiercely. The hollow spike long from the little finger sank into the concrete, and the tail was still trembling at high speed.

Mason grinned, retracted the umbrella tip, and opened the umbrella handle to expose the ammunition opening, and loaded the bullets in Director Gordon's gun one by one.

The thing was loaded with fifteen rounds, but reloading was a waste of time, and shooting was obviously its most insignificant function.

Those dazzling little accessories are hidden in a ring-shaped mechanical box on the upper end of the umbrella, which looks very delicate just like a music box.

With Mason's current Lv0 engineering level, he can be sure that if he dismantles this thing, he will definitely not be able to install it by himself.

He played with the umbrella for a while, then picked up two tough and exaggerated bat darts and placed them in front of his eyes, and the information label popped up again:

Basic bat fighting dart

Quality: Fine Forging/Engineering Items Outstanding Craftsmanship

Status: Without any components, there are seven weapon slots of different specifications reserved in the center of the fighting dart, which can meet different needs including blasting, electromagnetic shock, blinding, poison and monitoring.

It can be used for close combat after pulling the dart away.

Producer: Wayne Industrial Technology Research and Development Department

Item description: You know that the cost of this little lump of iron plus a loan is enough to buy you a new car, right? Do you have the heart to throw it out and hit people?

Reminder: The physical samples have been collected, and the drawings have been included.

"Who can use this thing except Bruce Wayne?"

Mason sighed and said:

"So those villains who were knocked down by bat darts were actually hit by a luxury car? This is the money ability, tsk, I'm so envious."

But the young man's envy like eating a lemon has not yet ended, and a prompt popped up on the light curtain in front of him: enter the fighting state.

"?"

Mason blinked in surprise.

In the next second, some kind of heavy object hit the wall of this "safe house", and then there was a violent explosion that shook the entire apartment.

The young man was blown out and hit the wall on the other side and spit blood when he got up.

But he reacted very quickly. In the confusion, he grabbed Penguin's umbrella and opened it like a shield in front of him with a swish.

The impact of bang bang hit the umbrella, and the flying bullets pulled the young man back to the frenzied shootout several hours ago.

Black smoke billowed from the bombed-out walls, and several masked men rushed towards the automatic weapons. They hadn't seen the target yet, but the free aiming frame in front of Mason's eyes had already locked them.

The young man held the umbrella while holding the trigger of the umbrella handle, and the moment the preset trajectory was corrected, he decisively opened the gun.

Three shots in a row overwhelmed the two intruding killers. He picked up the nearest rifle and put the gun left by Gordon in his arms. He rushed out the door amid the sound of gunfire behind him.

Gotham Police Department's safe house is really safe enough.

Well, at least for killers it does.