Chapter 344 You Can Never Find What You Want
When Tim Drake walked into the Titans Tower, it was exactly 2:25 in the afternoon. This is the best time of the day. The sun is not as hot as at noon, but it is just right with warm wind, which makes people feel intoxicated. People always want to be drowsy at this time. They often yawn at this time, wantonly venting the fatigue and laziness of the whole day, curling up their tails like cats. This is the time when people are least vigilant during the day, and it is often... when a possible attack will happen. "Batman, are you here?" Tim asked in a low voice. Titans Tower was quiet, without any sound. There was no Nightwing, no Starfire, no member of the Teen Titans, everything was dead and terrible. Tim looked down at the ground. Some green blood, which obviously belonged to Beast Boy. As one of the most skilled detectives in the history of Robin, even though he had been unemployed and studying at home for a long time, Tim had never lost this skill. He could easily imagine... Beast Boy turning into some large animal, maybe a lion, maybe a leopard, anyway, a cat.
His eyes wandered over the bloody claw marks on the ground.
He rushed straight towards a possible, um, smaller enemy, and then...
He was electrocuted in mid-air, and then his abdomen was slashed open by a knife, blood flying everywhere.
"Ahhhhh..."
The violent scream seemed to still echo in his ears.
Tim narrowed his eyes.
He turned his head and looked to the side again.
Some powerful enough plasma bombardment, this was not an attack launched by Blue Beetle because he could not control the scarab armor.
Instead, Blue Beetle was actively attacking the enemy. This was unusual, Blue Beetle rarely used plasma cannons easily.
He had always been resistant to using such powerful weapons as the scarab armor, because these weapons were designed to kill people, and using them would constantly remind Jaime (Blue Beetle's real name) that his armor was a killing machine.
But Blue Beetle doesn't think he is a killing machine, at least not when he is awake. To prove this, Blue Beetle never wants to use powerful attack methods, so much so that in many occasions, he is paranoid to only use cold weapons and knives in armor to fight.
Only when he is completely in a state of losing his combat power, he will be forced to...
Wait, Tim took a breath. He soon discovered through a scorch mark on the wall that Blue Beetle's powerful attack was not against the short enemy, but a heavy punch to his good brother Beast Boy.
This bad reasoning means that Blue Beetle is likely to be mentally controlled or hacked into his armor. It also means that if he wants to thoroughly investigate the whole thing, he is very likely to face Blue Beetle next.
This is very important information. Once this point is ignored, Blue Beetle will be mistaken for a victim who needs help instead of an enemy who needs to be defeated. At that time, it may be the difference between life and death.
Tim touched his universal belt.
Although he is not familiar with Blue Beetle, in the past years, when Nightwing introduced his new teammate to him, Tim also collected intelligence on the other party.
This preparation for a rainy day, well, maybe it can be said that the bad habits of the Bat Family cubs may be the only thing to be thankful for.
And the worst thing is not just that.
Tim thought. Through the traces left on the field, he quickly deduced the reasons for the defeat of Raven and Starfire.
Whether it is the clean and neat sonic attack and then cutting the magician's neck to create tracheal trauma to prevent the opponent from casting powerful magic, or the direct pressure of the powerful fear gas into the brain, these methods seem too bat-like, making Tim's judgment of the nature of the enemy fall into a fog.
Damn, it can't be Batman?
In such a dangerous situation, Tim's mind suddenly appeared the look of Batman laughing wildly.
Since a certain moment, the serious, serious and hard Batman is gone forever. Tim Drake once told his classmates that the former Batman had a heart as black as iron and a character as bronze, and then they took out a Batman laughing peripheral in front of him.
Even the restaurant that Tim Drake frequents has launched the Batman Laughing Thursday Meal. They sprinkle green bell pepper sauce and red ketchup on rye bread, call it Laughing, and call the whole burger the Batman Laughing Meal.
I don't know when it started, but Batman's laughing has become a universally recognized normal phenomenon and even a part of popular culture.
Well, listen, Tim, you may still be facing a dangerous opponent who is still in the Titans Tower and is attacking the entire Teen Titans. You shouldn't be distracted by thinking about Batman at this time.
Tim shook his head and pulled his mind back to the current situation.
But no matter what Batman becomes, there are some things that will not change. For example, he is still as scary as before, or even more scary. He can still solve various problems as easily as before, and you will know that Batman will always be reliable, no matter when and where you lend a hand.
Although Batman has been calling for retirement, in fact, Robin Tim is the first to retire completely. And for Tim...
Tim once became Robin because Batman lost control after losing Jason Todd, and he began to go on the road of self-destruction. Tim's determination to save Batman and replace Jason Todd was exactly what he wanted to become Robin.
But now... Batman no longer thinks about self-destruction, or he is happier than anyone else with his laughter.
Again, although Batman has been talking about retirement, Tim feels that he has begun to enjoy the process of saving the world, which is a huge improvement for Batman.
In Batman, there is no longer any trace of his past self-torture and self-destruction. At least there is one thing that the old butler Alfred said is right: for the past few decades, Batman has always been the child who died with his parents in the alley.
Although his body has become stronger and his age is growing, he has never walked out of that night. He has always been trapped in a vicious circle of self-contradiction.
But one day, snap! Like a bubble that once surrounded him, it suddenly disappeared.
He is now...
Uh...no longer destroying himself, but destroying others instead?
Okay, bad news: Batman's bottom line has been lowered. Good news: Batman still has a bottom line.
In fact, as the old butler said, this kind of Batman may not be a bad thing, at least it is better than him who is full of hatred and hatred.
At least Batman will only make others suffer now, not himself. This is good, Tim means that Batman's life is too dark.
He...
He may deserve some happiness and joy.
Tim Drake had to admit that, as Alfred thought, the personality of the former Batman had already been destroyed at some point, but in fact...this may not be a bad thing?
Those psychological traumas, endless pain, the cycle of torture every night, wailing and screaming, endless groans, the heavy burden that should not be carried on the shoulders...
All destroyed along with the destruction of the former personality.
So one day, Batman became Bruce, so that he would never be sad again.
Happy, crazy, who says this is not the last bit of tenderness that this cruel mother of Gotham shows to her young son?
As for the external performance... forget it, let him be.
Tim also knows that Batman really wants to retire, but how could such a thing happen?
Everything in this world is always rolling forward, like a storm, and the waves crashing against the shore.
And everyone's world is like a ship sailing in a storm.
Tim Drake can retire because he is just an insignificant accessory on the ship. Clark Kent can retire because he has long been a broken mast. Flash, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and even the entire Rogues, anyone can retire because they are all important parts of the ship, but they are not irreplaceable.
But Batman is the only one who can't. He is the main mast that supports the entire ship's sailing. Once it breaks, the ship will be in danger of capsizing. If the world is calm, it is natural to look for good talents and slowly update the mast, but now the world outside is stormy, where is there such leisure time?
Even if the sea is calm, a main mast that can withstand wind and rain is not built in a day. Is it a joke that you want to dismantle yourself before the new mast is cast?
Sometimes... Tim always feels that Batman can never escape the fate of Sisyphus. That is the stone pusher in Greek mythology. He kept trying to push the boulder up the hillside, but every time he would slide into the abyss again. He could never catch what he wanted, so he was trapped for life.
And Batman is the same. He once begged to end crime forever, but he was always disappointed. And now he wants to let go of everything, but he is also always unable to do so.
But maybe it is better now than in the past. At least despite the disappointment, Batman will be happier and happier than before. Just a little... is enough.
Compared with Batman who once trapped himself in the quagmire of Gotham and rotted together, obsessed with eradicating evil instead of treating the symptoms, Batman now just can't retire, which is much better than in the past.
In short, Tim chose to send a message to Batman quietly.
He should ask Batman for help. Whatever is lurking in Titan Tower now, it is dangerous enough and not something he should touch.
Unlike Jason Todd, the second-generation Robin, who is impulsive and irritable, Tim, the third-generation Robin, has always been clear that he should do what he can. The loss of the second-generation Robin almost drove Batman crazy. If something happens to him, it will undoubtedly be a heavy blow to Batman.
He will not do stupid things blindly. He loves Batman, and like Alfred, he wants Batman to be happy. That is why he should cherish his life.
However, just when he was about to leave Titan Tower, he heard someone standing in the deep shadows, whispering to him:
"Who are you? Why are you wearing Robin's uniform? Why... are you in a hurry to leave?"
Tim turned his head.
His heart beat violently, and he looked at the enemy who existed...
Wait. A five or six-year-old kid?
Tim never looked down on the other person because of his appearance. The other person was holding a long knife in his hand, which was stained with green blood. It was obviously Beast Boy's.
A smile appeared on his face, which made people feel a chill rushing from the soles of their feet to their cervical spine.
Then the smile on the child's face suddenly disappeared, just like a painting erased from a blackboard.
"Isn't it my father who came?"
Tim heard the child say, and he keenly noticed that the other party's current situation was not right. It felt completely different from a normal state, but it seemed that they could communicate.
"Why hasn't my father come to see me yet? Did I fail the trial? I have obviously completed the trial, why don't you come to recognize me quickly? Why haven't I been praised? Is my trial not over yet? Is there a new goal? I..."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Tim Drake felt his heart beating very fast. He was now trapped in the opponent's home court, which was definitely a very disadvantageous situation.
"What's your name?"
He immediately interrupted the other party's continued thinking. If he let the other party think about it, he was not sure what the other party would say.
Then he successfully got the name of the other party, Damian Wayne.
"Listen to me, I'm here to supervise your trial on behalf of Batman."
Tim calmed the other party while secretly preparing various protective equipment in his universal belt.
Without knowing what arrangements the young man who called himself Damian Wayne had made in Titan Tower, it was undoubtedly a huge disadvantage to fight him here.
This child was obviously controlled and unconscious. Tim Drake had seen victims hypnotized by the Mad Hatter (Note: DC villain, who used a hat to control others mentally, and appeared in the previous article).
Tetch (the original name of the Mad Hatter) is a super master who is proficient in forced puppet control of hats and strengthening a person's thoughts through hypnosis for control.
Thanks to the other party's training, Tim still has some experience in analyzing those who are in a state of mental control.
The child in front of him was obviously strengthened with some ideas about getting Batman's approval. The controller behind the scenes drove the child to do things he would not normally do through mental control.
At this time, you should not say something different from his thinking to stimulate the other person's brain, but follow him, and then...
Sizzle!
Tim Drake rolled and jumped away from the place where he just stood. The sudden electric shock made Tim's heart pound. He threw out the barrier to prevent himself from causing cardiac paralysis due to stepping on the ground.
This is already a completely lethal current. The child in front of him has no lightness in his attack, and the degree of control has deepened.
"Listen to me, you..."
"Woo woo woo woo-why doesn't Dad come to recognize my success?!"
As Damian cried like a deformation, his voice began to gradually mix with a voice like a rough-voiced adult and resonate with him.
Tim threw out three yellow bat darts, but they were smashed on the stand raised on Damian's body, and the fear gas attached to them was also blocked outside by the protective stand, and Damian was not hit at all.
However, this also prevented Damian's subsequent attacks. Tim quickly left the coverage area of the motor device and moved to a safe place.
It seemed that Damian and Tim Drake were fighting evenly, but Tim was alarmed.
"Damn... this kid is too well prepared, and he's still killing people. What's worse is that if he has defeated all the members of the Teen Titans, given that he is now in a state of mental control, then what is most likely to happen is..."
Boom!!!
A beam of light like lightning directly melted the steel beam under Tim's feet.
He fell to the ground in a mess. If he hadn't shot out the bat claw in time and jumped onto another beam, he would have fallen into the electric shock zone again. Tim had no doubt that he would be electrocuted to death as long as he stepped on it.
"Damn, why hasn't Batman arrived yet? I've sent him a message."
Looking at the expressionless Blue Beetle next to Damian, Tim was secretly anxious.
"Is he tripped?"
But soon Tim didn't think about it anymore. Starfire, Beast Boy, and the other two members of the Teen Titans who appeared beside Damian made him feel depressed. Although Raven didn't appear and Beast Boy was covered in wounds, the force here was absolutely beyond his reach...
Swish!
Tim shrank his head and dodged the attack with the strong wind behind him.
He turned his head and saw Killer Croc opened the door of the Red of All Living Things and appeared beside Damian with an expressionless face.
"Damn, even Killer Croc was controlled...then..."
Tim looked down at his feet. Fortunately, the situation he was worried about did not happen. It seems that Mudface didn't...
But it was useless. The next second Tim was knocked unconscious by Starfire. This was not the speed he could react to. This was a huge gap between humans and superhumans.
"Must...must complete the trial...to get my father's approval..."
Damian looked at Tim lying on the ground. Purple and red colors intertwined in his eyes, and then became deeper.
He walked towards him and pulled out a knife from his waist.
"I have to..."
He struggled, but still raised the knife towards the fallen Tim.
Then... Damian heard a sigh.
"Stop."
He turned his head and saw Batman appeared behind him without knowing when.
He stretched out a hand and pressed it on his shoulder.
"Father..." Damian turned his head, the struggle in his eyes became more intense, and his pupils kept shaking.
"Father..." He couldn't say anything, but just called out again.
"It's okay... Be good."
Chen Tao said:
"Because I'm here."