The investigation was over. Everyone returned to the Batcave.
One photo after another was uploaded to the main computer, presenting the findings from each location.
"It's incredible," Red Hood Jason said, frowning at the screen. "There's a mezzanine between the twelfth and thirteenth floors in each of these buildings. It's a missing floor, only accessible by pressing a special button sequence in the elevator. The stairwell entrance is a sealed wall."
He pointed to a photo of the overall architectural plans. "It's obvious this group has been lurking in Gotham for a long time. The earliest of these buildings was constructed fifty years ago. And based on the environment, half of these bases have been abandoned for years."
The photos showed numerous group portraits of people wearing owl masks, and owl feathers were scattered near the windows.
Dick added, "There were obvious signs of a fight at the Wayne Tower base. We can infer it was a situation of more fighting, fewer."
Alan, who had made himself comfortable in Bruce's command chair, held his chin with his fingers steepled, pretending to be deep in thought. He lowered his voice, perfectly imitating Batman's gravelly tone. "Combining all the clues, the answer is obvious."
"The wealthy elite of Gotham contacted the Joker through an agent, deliberately leading him to explore these hidden bases. In the end, they set a trap in Wayne Tower to capture Bruce alive. I have already figured out the identity of the manipulator behind the scenes."
"Who is it?" Damian asked urgently. Of everyone present, he was the most concerned about Bruce.
Alan glanced at everyone with a solemn look in his eyes and slowly said, "Harry Potter."
"Who?"
Who was Harry Potter? The name sounded familiar, but they had no information about such a person in their criminal database.
"Harry Potter is a wizard at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Alan said matter-of-factly. "His messenger is an owl. Therefore, he is the culprit."
Wizards. He's talking about wizards now. Why not just say it was Doctor Strange? The five young heroes felt that Alan was of no help whatsoever. He could only act as a thug in a crisis.
Before they could even begin to formulate a real plan, Alan stood up and said excitedly, "Kids, the king is going on an expedition to defeat the evil wizard Harry Potter and rescue Princess Bruce from the Bat Kingdom!"
"…"
The Bat Family watched as Alan rode his electric bicycle toward the cave exit. They all had only one thought in their minds. Get out of here, you crazy bastard.
On September 8th, it was raining in Gotham City at night. Commissioner Gordon stood on the rooftop in a raincoat, turning on the Bat-Signal to summon Batman. The cold rain hit his solemn face. The number of cases at the police station had increased significantly in the past two days, and Batman, the upholder of justice, seemed to have disappeared into thin air. If this continued, Gotham would be on the verge of losing control. As the commissioner, Gordon felt the pressure mounting. It was a pity it was raining; otherwise, he would have liked to smoke a cigarette to relieve his mood.
Gordon looked at the fake Batman beside him and asked speechlessly, "Are you pretending to be the narrator?"
"And I stopped smoking a few years ago."
"You don't smoke?" Alan's eyes widened. "If you don't smoke and I don't smoke, where will the national finances come from? Where will the military funds come from? You're not smoking cigarettes; you're firing bullets at the enemy. I suggest you smoke two packs a day and contribute to world peace."
"…"
Gordon seemed to guess who the visitor was. It had to be the mentally ill Batman from the other night. He had to admit, there had been progress. This time, he was actually wearing the Batsuit. Of course, he was exposed as soon as he spoke.
"I'm looking for Batman. Things are a bit tricky," Gordon said seriously.
"Brother, Batman and Wonder Woman are having their wedding on Paradise Island. Didn't they invite you to the feast?" Alan did not forget to add, "It seems your brotherhood is just a plastic one."
"…"
Gordon's heart sank. He could no longer rely on Batman, not with this madman wandering around without a care. He could only rely on himself.
"Gotham City, I'll take it from here." After that, Alan shot out his grappling gun and swung through the city on the rainy night.
He actually had a specific plan in mind for finding Bruce. "Next, let's get this party started, ahem… ugh." While swinging through the air, it started to rain harder, and he took a gulp of rainwater before he could finish his cool one-liner.
During the day, after careful consideration, the Penguin and the Riddler had decided that Alan's proposal was worth a try. First, they found a cheap and spacious venue, then hired a professional decoration team to evaluate whether it could be decorated according to their very specific requirements.
"Cobblepot, a trial operation of five themes will require an investment of at least three hundred thousand dollars, with a rent of one hundred thousand per year and another fifty thousand for props and costumes," Edward said, working part-time as their financial officer.
The Penguin said calmly, "Such a small amount of money is not worth mentioning at all." Cobblepot had the capital to speak so arrogantly. After all, the family assets he inherited were among the most famous in Gotham City. It's just that Cobblepot was an entrepreneur with ideals, not a playboy who had accomplished nothing. Of course, his entrepreneurial goal was to create an underground kingdom.
"Then leave it to me. With your wealth and my wisdom, it won't be a problem to dominate Gotham." Edward was very confident, but then he became sad because there was a strong rival in Gotham who was smarter than him.
Bang!
A figure broke in through the window.
Cobblepot and Edward panicked, preparing to draw their weapons to deal with the intruder.
"Penguin, Riddler, you have failed this city." The light from the chandelier above shone down on the figure, his entire face hidden in the shadows. A familiar atmosphere of fear spread through the room.
"Batman, you can't do that! We didn't do anything!" The Penguin nervously raised his umbrella, which had a built-in gun. He knew Batman's suit was bulletproof, but it still gave him a small sense of security.
"Batman, you should wait until we commit a crime before you take action. This is unreasonable," Edward said, reaching into a drawer to cover his friend's escape.
Alan put his hands on his hips. "You have to be proactive, understand? Prevent leaks before they happen."
"Alan?"
"It's me."
It was a false alarm. Edward wiped the sweat from his forehead and told Cobblepot to lower his weapon. "Don't be nervous, buddy. It's the Batman I met during the day."
"You scared me to death." Cobblepot put down his umbrella, his voice still shaking with lingering fear. "I was wondering if Batman had been secretly watching us, since he hasn't made any moves in the past two days."
Alan sat down casually in a chair. "Bat is missing," he said seriously. "I'm looking for him."
"Really?" Cobblepot laughed excitedly. "That's great! Finally, no more annoying guys hindering me. Gotham will soon be under my feet."
Suddenly, he felt a chill. He found Alan looking at him coldly.
"Is Gotham still Gotham without Batman?"
"Does Gotham still need to exist without Batman?"
Listening to Alan's whispers, the two were genuinely scared. What are you going to do? Madman, are you going to destroy a city?
***********
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