PFC Chapter 3899 The Nameless Bat (69)
Chapter 3899 The Nameless Bat (69)
Chapter 3899 The Nameless Bat (Sixty-Nine)
"Gotham's independence is a fait accompli, and the 26 agents who entered the country earlier will be extradited back to the Union next Friday..."
Fiona was sitting on the sofa in Wayne Manor's living room, reading the newspaper. She frowned and said to Batman, who was pouring tea behind her, "I still think we should use the term 'People's Republic,' that better reflects the power of democracy."
“Yes, but if it shares a name with a country in Asia, it might cause some unnecessary speculation.” The Pale Knight came down the stairs, straightened his tie, and said, “‘Democratic Republic’ is not bad either; it sounds more distinctive.”
“Then it’s still the same name as another country.” Fiona shook her head, but didn’t argue further. Instead, she asked, “How many countries have established diplomatic relations with us so far?”
"Most European countries sent congratulatory telegrams."
Fiona stared wide-eyed in shock and said, "What? But why are those countries so friendly?"
“Because they’re afraid we’ll drift over there,” the Pale Knight said, rolling his eyes slightly. “The Atlantic isn’t that big. Although we’re closer to the Commonwealth now, who knows, one day we might drift with the currents and join the British. I bet nobody in Europe wants to see us.”
Fiona chuckled and said with a touch of wistfulness, "Being infamous has its advantages. But the British have no right to laugh at us; I don't want fish and chips to spread to our island."
"Has the federal government not replied yet?" the Pale Knight asked Batman.
"No. I heard the president is deliberately not responding. He's desperate for votes, and with such a big incident during his term, his re-election is probably going to be difficult. He's probably complaining to his staff right now."
“I think this is a good opportunity for him to improve his approval rating. After all, quite a few coastal cities want independence, and if he expresses support or takes an ambiguous attitude, he should be able to win their favor. Anyway, it’s just verbal support, and those cities aren’t really going to run away.”
“Alright, let’s talk about you.” Batman put down his tea and said, “How did you escape that day? Why did the police station catch fire?”
“My father’s former comrade-in-arms saved me, but he said he didn’t start the fire. I didn’t see the direction he came from, nor did I know the exact cause of the fire, but I don’t really know what happened.”
Have you noticed anything unusual?
“Of course,” Fiona said. “The fire started at exactly six o’clock in the afternoon, and before the fire started, someone sent me a Morse code message through the indicator light on the camera that said ‘six o’clock in the afternoon’.”
The Pale Knight and Batman exchanged a glance.
“Natasha was right,” said the Pale Knight. “Wait a moment, we need to invite a lady over.”
Fiona was puzzled, but she lowered her head and drank her tea. A short while later, a dashing figure appeared in the living room of Wayne Manor. Fiona looked up and said in surprise, "It's you!"
"Is she one of ours?" Fiona asked again.
The Pale Knight nodded, acknowledging it. Natasha sat on the edge of the sofa, her body stiff, and looked at Fiona, saying, "Has someone contacted you through electronic devices? Like sending an email or something?"
Fiona slowly shook her head. The Pale Knight explained for her. Natasha said, "I know this may sound absurd, but please listen carefully and try to understand. I come from another universe, where many events occurred, and we eventually discovered it was likely the work of an electronic life form..."
Natasha briefly explained the situation, then said, "According to my investigation, all the women involved have one thing in common: red hair, including you."
"You were arrested because of the things you said, and you said those things because Congress suddenly brought up the referendum again. But the whole thing about bringing up the referendum again is very strange. I came from the Cold War era, and since the collapse of the Soviet Union, members of Congress have never been this united. The two parties would argue for a month over a trivial bill, so why did they suddenly pass such a strange bill together?"
"What do you think is..."
“Their fundamental interests are opposed, so it’s impossible for them to be bound together by interests. But they do have one thing in common, and that is the endless stream of scandals that can’t be dug up.”
"You mean they were threatened?!" Fiona frowned deeply, somewhat puzzled. "But who could dig up so many scandals and dare to threaten them directly? Aren't they afraid of being found out?"
"Of course it's impossible for humans, not even those on the other side of the ocean. The only explanation is that it doesn't actually exist in this world, but is just a ghost on the internet."
“This is ridiculous,” Fiona couldn’t help but say. “You mean it collected scandals from all the congressmen in the country just to get them to pass the smear bill and then drag me into it? What is it about me that makes it worth doing this?”
“That’s exactly the problem we need to study,” Natasha said, waving her hand. “Obviously, I’m also one of those who got involved, but we two have nothing in common…”
"Really?" Batman couldn't help but ask, "You really think the only thing you two have in common is your red hair?"
“Otherwise?” Natasha asked, looking at him.
Batman slowly shook his head and said, "In my opinion, you two are very similar. You both had a great goal to strive for, and you are both the kind of people who are willing to pay any price to achieve that goal, and are very stubborn."
“That’s right.” The Pale Knight nodded and said, “The word ‘stubborn’ is very apt. To put it nicely, it’s persistence; to put it bluntly, it’s obsession. But you must admit that there is an underlying element of obsession in your personalities. It’s just that different life experiences have led you to choose to hide or express this trait.”
Natasha fell silent, then it dawned on her.
“Me, Lena Luther, Barbara Gordon, Pamela Aisley, Nimosini, Fiona Travel… we really are all quite paranoid.” Natasha counted the names one by one.
Natasha herself goes without saying; her apparent lack of stubbornness was simply due to her age and the fact that the Soviet Union was completely dead. Had she not been a rather fanatical person, she wouldn't have participated in the genetic modification program with such enthusiasm.
Lena Luthor seems to have inherited the Luthor family genes; her brother, Alexander Luthor, is a very paranoid person. Judging from her methods, Miss Luthor is clearly the kind of person who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
Barbara Gordon, a stubborn girl who would rather go against her own father than give up her job as Batman's sidekick. Even with paralysis from the waist down, she refuses to abandon her career in the Bat-family, which shows her remarkable dedication.
Poison Ivy, needless to say, is a staunch plant protectionist; whoever harms plants will be harmed in return. When she goes berserk, even Batman can't stop her—a stubborn person among stubborn people.
Nimosini is an autistic person, and her paranoia is more likely pathological. Furthermore, her interest in solving cases suggests she is someone deeply committed to knowledge and the truth.
Fiona, on the other hand, inherited her father's will and was determined to be a champion of democracy, facing death without flinching. Keep in mind she was only 17 years old; her ability to remain steadfast and fearless during interrogation by FBI agents speaks volumes about her unwavering resolve.
All the red-haired women involved above, aside from their red hair, can be described as stubborn to some extent, never looking back once they've set their sights on a goal. They all share a common underlying trait in their personalities.
Even so, Natasha still couldn't understand. She said, "Okay, even if we're similar in some ways, why us?"
The Pale Knight and Batman were also a bit confused. Batman said, "If it wants to get something from you or use you for something, then it shouldn't have chosen you. Because people like you are usually independent and strong, and you achieve your goals through your own efforts, which is enough to enrich your spiritual world. You don't need others to provide emotional support, and you are never short of love. You are definitely not good targets for inducement and manipulation."
Natasha thought about it and realized it was true. All the women mentioned above were basically the opposite of being love-struck. Although Poison Ivy liked Batman, Batman clearly didn't hold the same place in her heart as plants. If she had to choose, Poison Ivy would definitely choose the latter.
The same goes for the others. It's not that they don't have someone they like, but in their eyes, the number one priority is always the goal they're committed to, not any particular person.
These are the most difficult people to manipulate. They'll like you if you benefit their goals, but when faced with a difficult choice, they'll always choose their career. Manipulation is based on emotion; if you don't prioritize emotion, even a miracle won't work.
Natasha recalled how Pride had made a similar judgment about herself. Her heart was always preoccupied with that tombstone, which led her to instinctively want to escape when faced with other people's feelings, to interpret them in a superficial way.
Even Natasha's first love Bucky and the exceptional Batman from Arkham are no exception. For an electronic life form to try and interfere, it would be an impossible task.
“Then there’s only one possibility left,” Batman said. “What it’s seeking isn’t a financial reward, but an emotional one.”
Natasha was even more confused. She said, "Didn't you say we weren't good people to confide in?"
"Yes, but what if it doesn't ask for anything in return?"
"You're really confusing me. You just said it wants emotional reciprocation..."
"What I mean is, it doesn't want you to love it, it just uses you to explore relationships. It gains something in itself in the process of interacting with you, which is a profit for it."
"Relationships between men and women"—that word again, Natasha thought. In the previous scandalous photos and the Eden Killer case, Schiller had mentioned that the killer might be exploring relationships between men and women. At the time, she found it somewhat absurd because the conclusion was too far-fetched, lacking sufficient supporting evidence, and therefore difficult to establish.
But as the number of victims increased, the universes involved expanded, and the case became clearer, Natasha discovered that this might indeed be the case.
She couldn't help but complain inwardly that Schiller's ability was beyond even the explanation of mind reading. Mind reading could only read present thoughts, not predict the future.
Natasha remembered that Batman from Arkham once told her that besides rigorous logic and a way of thinking, the most important thing for a good detective is inspiration. They need the ability to suddenly skip a crucial step and get straight to the truth.
Natasha thought he was talking in his sleep. If logical reasoning couldn't be linked together, what was the difference between it and guessing blindly?
But now Schiller showed her just how absurd this kind of thinking—skipping a crucial link and jumping straight to the truth—was. In fact, Natasha already knew the whole truth when she entered Schiller's office with the scandalous photos.
If she had chosen to believe them at that time, instead of going through such a long and complicated process of investigating more people to strengthen the chain of evidence, then the power struggle between the two sides might have already entered the next stage.
Natasha sighed inwardly. It wasn't entirely her fault; the blame lay with Schiller. Who would readily believe such mystical abilities?
Tony Stark's face immediately popped into Natasha's mind.
The female agent quickly shook her head to bring her thoughts back, and continued, "But it didn't interact with us at all..."
“Who said no?” The Pale Knight looked at Fiona and said, “Didn’t it save Fiona? Perhaps more accustomed to verbal communication than humans, this kind of life tends to act more directly. Think about it, if Fiona were just an ordinary 17-year-old girl, wouldn’t she feel moved and curious because a mysterious person saved her?”
“But he knew perfectly well that Fiona wasn’t like that.”
"That's why he wanted to know what Fiona would do."
Several people looked at Fiona, but they saw no gratitude or curiosity on her face. Instead, her expression turned serious, and she frowned, shaking her head as she said:
“I don’t trust it. And knowing how much I value Gotham independence, it used scandals and dirt to threaten lawmakers into bringing up the referendum again, and even put me in jail. Hindering my ideals and damaging my career is hurting me, not loving me. No reason is acceptable—the death penalty.”
Connected