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Chapter 213: The Almighty Butler Knight
Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Kara's account was rather vague. It was only when Orin Vale asked her directly that he learned Superman and Batman had already engaged in a brief collaboration.
The specific details were unimportant. To summarize, Intergang's criminal operations had become increasingly audacious. All sorts of underbosses, both big and small, had gotten their hands on a slew of super-weapons of unknown origin, instantly turning them into prominent figures.
With weapons like small black holes, molecular detonator guns, and energy grenades, the Metropolis Police—who were practically a retirement home compared to the Gotham City Police Department—were suddenly under immense pressure. For a while, even some senior Intergang minions were armed with energy rifles, the kind that would burn you to ash with a mere graze.
Although the first meeting of the two Justice League titans wasn't as intimate as an old married couple, as they would be in their later "World's Greatest Partners" days, it was pleasant enough on the whole.
From Superman's perspective, it was as if he had picked up a Bat-branded external brain. It allowed his Super Brain, which he disliked using anyway, to finally enter a much-desired idle state, outsourcing all mentally taxing work beyond "just use Super Strength and punch things."
From Batman's perspective, it was like acquiring the most useful divine-tier item he had ever possessed. A humanoid, self-propelled, divine-tier item that could conjure wind, spray water, cause earthquakes, and set mountains on fire—a master of all four elements that even Gandalf would approve of. Its hexagonal stat panel even had an 'S' for growth—and it could even cheat when encountering stronger foes.
But that was all quite some time ago.
"We contacted each other later and made an agreement to investigate the case concerning Intergang and those high-tech weapons together," Clark said. "But then he suddenly vanished. He didn't even call, just left without a word."
"Then I saw in the news recently that Batman was missing. Although I think he's very capable, I can't help but worry."
"Because the last time we spoke, Batman seemed to have discovered something. He just said he needed to confirm it and would contact me afterward."
Orin Vale said thoughtfully, "And you never received his call."
"That's right." Clark mused, "The deeper I dig into this case, the murkier it seems. You weren't there at the time. Some of the weapons the bosses used were outrageous; they even caused me some trouble."
"That's definitely not Earth technology; in fact, it felt even more advanced than Krypton's. I can feel an invisible hand manipulating things from behind the scenes, which makes my skin crawl, as if someone is constantly watching me..."
"Then you didn't go to Gotham to find him directly?" Orin Vale asked.
"Find him? How?" Clark was taken aback. "He wears a mask. I don't know who he is."
"Huh?"
This time, it was Orin Vale's turn to be stunned.
"But don't you have X-ray Vision?"
"Oh, that's true, but I generally don't use it on people," Clark said with a straight face. "He wears a mask for a reason. It's very rude to look without permission."
Orin Vale fell into a thoughtful silence.
How should he put it...
It was a bit unexpected, but it certainly sounded very much like Superman.
From the sound of it, it seemed Batman had grasped some important clues. That was reasonable. He would later be known as the World's Greatest Detective, and he was more than capable when it came to investigations.
And while ordinary criminals shouldn't have been able to take him down, considering Intergang might be backed by Apokolips, and the Old Master had never encountered enemies from Apokolips before and couldn't have prepared in advance, it was possible he was ambushed during his investigation.
Clark didn't know, but Orin Vale knew exactly where the Bat's lair was.
Wayne Enterprises, Conference Room.
"Mr. Wayne, it's not that I want to say this..."
An old man from the Board of Directors adjusted his glasses and spoke with a frown.
"But you have been absent for far too long."
In the vast Conference Room, every member of the Board of Directors was present, seated around the table. Only Bruce Wayne's seat was empty. The handsome face of Gotham's famous playboy was displayed on the large screen at the end of the room. He was dressed in cool summer beachwear, leaning back on a lounge chair with a woman in each arm, surrounded by swimsuit-clad beauties of various ethnicities.
As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of pale skin, undulating curves, and a forest of long legs. The young playboy lay comfortably among the bevy of beauties, his legs crossed, a look of pure bliss on his face.
"What's the big deal?"
Bruce Wayne chuckled, his left hand shamelessly wrapped around a slender white waist, while he nibbled on an apple a European beauty had peeled for him.
"You guys are here, aren't you?"
"This time is different."
The sultry scene left the members of the Board of Directors not knowing where to look. A few of the old men darted their eyes about, feeling it was inappropriate yet unable to resist sneaking a few more glances at the screen, all the while planning to work overtime studying foreign languages when they got home tonight...
"This contract is very important, Bruce. You must be here, understand? You have to come in person. This will seriously affect the company's reputation and may even impact it long-term..."
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
On the screen, Bruce turned his head and said with some embarrassment.
"Emma was just blowing in my ear, I wasn't paying attention..."
At his side, the blonde beauty feigned indignation. "I'm not Emma, I'm Jim Gordon, Bruce."
"Oh, oh, Jim Gordon, right, that's it. The one with the 36D is Emma." Bruce slapped his forehead. "Look at this memory of mine..."
A silence fell over the Conference Room, but it was as if a vein was throbbing on everyone's forehead.
"Alright, I have to go, there are a lot of activities waiting for me," Bruce said cheerfully. "The contract is already settled anyway. My being there would just be to show my face and shake some hands. I'm very busy over here, several countries away. You guys go ahead and sign. That's all."
With that, he hung up.
The Board of Directors: "..."
They were furious and very annoyed.
But there was nothing they could do.
Who asked them to be saddled with such an ancestor?
Meanwhile, in the Batcave, after the projection ended, Alfred turned off the virtual imaging and motion capture system and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He felt it wouldn't be excessive for Guinness to award him a plaque for "World's Number One Butler." The scope of his duties was becoming increasingly ridiculous.
From logistics support, communications dispatch, and hacking, to mending all sorts of bizarre injuries, setting bones, and providing first aid, and even occasionally playing the part of Watson to Sherlock Holmes to highlight his young master's superb investigative prowess. And now, he even had to use a high-tech motion capture system to impersonate his missing boss...
Thankfully, he was a professional actor in his youth and had rich acting experience. He was well-versed in getting into a character's psyche and had extensive experience playing a profligate son...
Alright, to be precise, he was playing the stereotype of a profligate son.
But honestly, if Bruce could truly be as carefree as his performance suggested, chasing skirts all day, instead of being missing with his life on the line as he was now, he would wake up from his sleep with a smile.
"Impressive, very impressive. The Butler Knight is truly worthy of the name."
A voice suddenly rang out in the Batcave, startling Alfred so much that he reflexively shot up from his seat.
"Who? Who's there!?"
He whipped his head around in astonishment, only to see a person in red and silver armor, their face obscured, who had somehow entered the Batcave and materialized behind him.
"Oh, don't be nervous. I'm a friend of Batman's... sort of," Orin Vale said, holding up his hands. "I just wanted to confirm that he's alright."
(end of chapter)
Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Kara's account was rather vague. It was only when Orin Vale asked her directly that he learned Superman and Batman had already engaged in a brief collaboration.
The specific details were unimportant. To summarize, Intergang's criminal operations had become increasingly audacious. All sorts of underbosses, both big and small, had gotten their hands on a slew of super-weapons of unknown origin, instantly turning them into prominent figures.
With weapons like small black holes, molecular detonator guns, and energy grenades, the Metropolis Police—who were practically a retirement home compared to the Gotham City Police Department—were suddenly under immense pressure. For a while, even some senior Intergang minions were armed with energy rifles, the kind that would burn you to ash with a mere graze.
Although the first meeting of the two Justice League titans wasn't as intimate as an old married couple, as they would be in their later "World's Greatest Partners" days, it was pleasant enough on the whole.
From Superman's perspective, it was as if he had picked up a Bat-branded external brain. It allowed his Super Brain, which he disliked using anyway, to finally enter a much-desired idle state, outsourcing all mentally taxing work beyond "just use Super Strength and punch things."
From Batman's perspective, it was like acquiring the most useful divine-tier item he had ever possessed. A humanoid, self-propelled, divine-tier item that could conjure wind, spray water, cause earthquakes, and set mountains on fire—a master of all four elements that even Gandalf would approve of. Its hexagonal stat panel even had an 'S' for growth—and it could even cheat when encountering stronger foes.
But that was all quite some time ago.
"We contacted each other later and made an agreement to investigate the case concerning Intergang and those high-tech weapons together," Clark said. "But then he suddenly vanished. He didn't even call, just left without a word."
"Then I saw in the news recently that Batman was missing. Although I think he's very capable, I can't help but worry."
"Because the last time we spoke, Batman seemed to have discovered something. He just said he needed to confirm it and would contact me afterward."
Orin Vale said thoughtfully, "And you never received his call."
"That's right." Clark mused, "The deeper I dig into this case, the murkier it seems. You weren't there at the time. Some of the weapons the bosses used were outrageous; they even caused me some trouble."
"That's definitely not Earth technology; in fact, it felt even more advanced than Krypton's. I can feel an invisible hand manipulating things from behind the scenes, which makes my skin crawl, as if someone is constantly watching me..."
"Then you didn't go to Gotham to find him directly?" Orin Vale asked.
"Find him? How?" Clark was taken aback. "He wears a mask. I don't know who he is."
"Huh?"
This time, it was Orin Vale's turn to be stunned.
"But don't you have X-ray Vision?"
"Oh, that's true, but I generally don't use it on people," Clark said with a straight face. "He wears a mask for a reason. It's very rude to look without permission."
Orin Vale fell into a thoughtful silence.
How should he put it...
It was a bit unexpected, but it certainly sounded very much like Superman.
From the sound of it, it seemed Batman had grasped some important clues. That was reasonable. He would later be known as the World's Greatest Detective, and he was more than capable when it came to investigations.
And while ordinary criminals shouldn't have been able to take him down, considering Intergang might be backed by Apokolips, and the Old Master had never encountered enemies from Apokolips before and couldn't have prepared in advance, it was possible he was ambushed during his investigation.
Clark didn't know, but Orin Vale knew exactly where the Bat's lair was.
Wayne Enterprises, Conference Room.
"Mr. Wayne, it's not that I want to say this..."
An old man from the Board of Directors adjusted his glasses and spoke with a frown.
"But you have been absent for far too long."
In the vast Conference Room, every member of the Board of Directors was present, seated around the table. Only Bruce Wayne's seat was empty. The handsome face of Gotham's famous playboy was displayed on the large screen at the end of the room. He was dressed in cool summer beachwear, leaning back on a lounge chair with a woman in each arm, surrounded by swimsuit-clad beauties of various ethnicities.
As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of pale skin, undulating curves, and a forest of long legs. The young playboy lay comfortably among the bevy of beauties, his legs crossed, a look of pure bliss on his face.
"What's the big deal?"
Bruce Wayne chuckled, his left hand shamelessly wrapped around a slender white waist, while he nibbled on an apple a European beauty had peeled for him.
"You guys are here, aren't you?"
"This time is different."
The sultry scene left the members of the Board of Directors not knowing where to look. A few of the old men darted their eyes about, feeling it was inappropriate yet unable to resist sneaking a few more glances at the screen, all the while planning to work overtime studying foreign languages when they got home tonight...
"This contract is very important, Bruce. You must be here, understand? You have to come in person. This will seriously affect the company's reputation and may even impact it long-term..."
"Sorry, what were you saying?"
On the screen, Bruce turned his head and said with some embarrassment.
"Emma was just blowing in my ear, I wasn't paying attention..."
At his side, the blonde beauty feigned indignation. "I'm not Emma, I'm Jim Gordon, Bruce."
"Oh, oh, Jim Gordon, right, that's it. The one with the 36D is Emma." Bruce slapped his forehead. "Look at this memory of mine..."
A silence fell over the Conference Room, but it was as if a vein was throbbing on everyone's forehead.
"Alright, I have to go, there are a lot of activities waiting for me," Bruce said cheerfully. "The contract is already settled anyway. My being there would just be to show my face and shake some hands. I'm very busy over here, several countries away. You guys go ahead and sign. That's all."
With that, he hung up.
The Board of Directors: "..."
They were furious and very annoyed.
But there was nothing they could do.
Who asked them to be saddled with such an ancestor?
Meanwhile, in the Batcave, after the projection ended, Alfred turned off the virtual imaging and motion capture system and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
He felt it wouldn't be excessive for Guinness to award him a plaque for "World's Number One Butler." The scope of his duties was becoming increasingly ridiculous.
From logistics support, communications dispatch, and hacking, to mending all sorts of bizarre injuries, setting bones, and providing first aid, and even occasionally playing the part of Watson to Sherlock Holmes to highlight his young master's superb investigative prowess. And now, he even had to use a high-tech motion capture system to impersonate his missing boss...
Thankfully, he was a professional actor in his youth and had rich acting experience. He was well-versed in getting into a character's psyche and had extensive experience playing a profligate son...
Alright, to be precise, he was playing the stereotype of a profligate son.
But honestly, if Bruce could truly be as carefree as his performance suggested, chasing skirts all day, instead of being missing with his life on the line as he was now, he would wake up from his sleep with a smile.
"Impressive, very impressive. The Butler Knight is truly worthy of the name."
A voice suddenly rang out in the Batcave, startling Alfred so much that he reflexively shot up from his seat.
"Who? Who's there!?"
He whipped his head around in astonishment, only to see a person in red and silver armor, their face obscured, who had somehow entered the Batcave and materialized behind him.
"Oh, don't be nervous. I'm a friend of Batman's... sort of," Orin Vale said, holding up his hands. "I just wanted to confirm that he's alright."
(end of chapter)
