PFC Chapter 3834 The Nameless Bat (4)
Chapter 3834 The Nameless Bat (4)
Chapter 3834 The Nameless Bat (Part 4)
“Hello, Moon Knight.” Bright light streamed across the woman’s wheat-colored skin, illuminating the lustrous facets of her gemstone. Beneath her long, dark lashes, the expression in her eyes was inscrutable.
Schiller nodded to him but didn't reply. Wonder Woman, holding her glass, said, "I've never been to New York, but I've heard that the Justice Society's predecessors gather there. I really hope I can visit them and learn about their great achievements."
“New York welcomes you, madam,” Schiller replied.
“I don’t know what you think of the Amazon,” Wonder Woman continued. “Without being immodest, I can say that my hometown is very beautiful. The moonlight there is purer than anywhere else. Would you be interested in visiting?”
“It’s my pleasure,” Schiller said. “I’ve heard of Paradise Island.”
Wonder Woman paused slightly, her hand holding the wine glass still. Schiller had said "Paradise Island," not "Amazon." But usually, outsiders wouldn't be able to distinguish between the two.
Amazon is the name of a country, a small nation located in the Amazon rainforest, or you could say a tribal alliance, similar to the United Arab Emirates. Paradise Island is one of its tribes, and also the most powerful one.
But because the Amazon is a relatively small and insignificant country, few people pay attention to the tribal divisions within it. Just as few people can name the most powerful emirate in the UAE, most people only know the Amazon, not Paradise Island.
Wonder Woman herself doesn't overly promote Themyscira. She consistently emphasizes her identity as an Amazonian princess. Besides the fact that the word "Amazon" is more widely known because of the Amazon rainforest, it's also because Themyscira holds many secrets that are not meant to be known to the public.
Within the Justice League, aside from Batman, no one knows much about a particular tribe in this small country. Even Superman has only heard of them by name and knows nothing about their history.
However, this suddenly appearing superhero, Moon Knight, mentioned this name abruptly, right in front of him. This was completely unusual. He might be hinting at something.
“I didn’t expect you to know my real hometown,” Wonder Woman said. “Could I take that as you’ve been paying attention to me for some time?”
Schiller shook his head and said, "I've only seen this name in a book. I'm a little curious about it."
Wonder Woman breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes, Paradise Island is a mysterious place. Ordinary people can't get close to it. But it's really beautiful there. If I have the chance, I'll invite you to go and see it."
"Thank you," Schiller said.
Wonder Woman was somewhat annoyed, deeply resenting the other party's cunning. She had been testing him for a while, but he completely ignored her, always managing to smoothly play dumb and evade the question. She couldn't help but glance at Batman beside her again.
Wonder Woman's hand tightened slightly as she gripped the wine glass, her heart pounding. Batman was becoming increasingly different from when they first met. Now, no one knew what he was thinking.
Batman from Arkham was standing by the window, chatting with Superman about Superman's home state of Kansas. Superman's expression showed he was very happy, practically beaming. Seeing this, Wonder Woman gritted her teeth again.
Her gaze then fell on The Flash and Green Lantern. These two were useless too; Batman easily won them over. Did they truly not realize that Batman was about to take over the world?
Wonder Woman looked at Arkham Knight again. Her feet moved involuntarily towards him. She roughly knew what had happened between them. If Arkham Knight spoke, Batman might hesitate.
The Arkham Knight neither picked up a glass nor spoke to anyone. He stood alone in his full armor in front of the dessert table, staring at the small cakes. He appeared to be hesitating over which one to eat, but in reality, he had been standing there for half an hour.
“Jason,” Wonder Woman called out.
Arkham Knight snapped back to reality. He looked at Wonder Woman, remembered Batman's words, and gave a vague reply. But to avoid arousing suspicion, he didn't adopt a completely indifferent attitude.
He had no grudge against Wonder Woman, so there was no need for him to make things difficult for her. In fact, he was even on Wonder Woman's side, feeling that Batman really didn't need to bother with a small country. Even if Paradise Island did have some secrets, things had been fine all these years, hadn't they? Why create unnecessary trouble?
“Jason, I’ll be blunt.” Wonder Woman adopted a completely different attitude. Although her words were somewhat direct, her tone was very gentle, and the Arkham Knight even detected a hint of pity in them.
“Your adoptive father may have some misunderstandings about us,” Wonder Woman said with a soft sigh. “The Amazons have no intention of opposing the United States. We have always been on his side. So why do you think he is targeting us?”
“I don’t know either,” the Knight of Arkham said truthfully. He pursed his lips and continued, “It might not be his decision alone, you know, Congress and the military…”
“Of course I know that Congress and the military are practically non-existent now. The entire federal government is his personal fiefdom, and he's the one who makes all these foreign policies.” Wonder Woman had only intended to persuade Jason, but as she spoke, she became increasingly worried. “He reduced the number of flights to the Amazon by the three major airlines, which has dealt a devastating blow to the Amazon's tourism industry. I heard that his next step is to revoke all the privileges of Amazon passports. Apart from some Asian countries, no other country has ever suffered such neglect.”
The Arkham Knight's heart skipped a beat. If that were true, it meant Batman was determined to take action against the Amazon. But what was there that would make Batman risk completely offending Wonder Woman by launching a series of attacks against the Amazon?
But the Arkham Knight wasn't good at international relations. He felt a real headache coming on and could only offer a few perfunctory words of comfort, assuring her that he would definitely talk to Batman.
Watching Wonder Woman's departing figure, the Arkham Knight felt a pang of reluctance. This woman was powerful, righteous, and respected, and had never done anything to wrong Batman or the federal government. How had things come to this?
But the Arkham Knight could only sigh inwardly. While his martial arts skills and cunning might be enough to navigate Gotham, they were nothing special in the treacherous federal government. Yet Batman had unified the region in a short time. The current Arkham Batman was beyond his comprehension.
Wonder Woman was clearly still working hard, trying to garner support from members of the Justice League. Just as the banquet was about to end, and Arkham Knight thought it was all over, the banquet hall doors suddenly opened.
A team of heavily armed agents stormed in. The scene stunned everyone. Green Lantern and Flash didn't even realize they had superpowers for a moment, and were pushed and shoved by the agents like ordinary people, gathering in a corner of the room.
Superman immediately stepped back to protect Batman. But he quickly realized that the federal agents were probably under Batman's command, so he couldn't help but turn to look at him, but Arkham Batman's face was expressionless.
Amidst the chaotic crowd, a glance swept across the scene. The female agent in charge had an excessively beautiful face and long, fiery red hair.
“CIA Federal Special Investigations Team, Natasha Romanoff. Ms. Diana Prince, the Federal Government now suspects you of engaging in espionage activities within the Federal Government on behalf of Amazon. Please cooperate with our investigation.”
"What?!" Wonder Woman's eyes widened in surprise, and she abruptly turned to look at Batman. Seeing those deep, cold blue eyes again, an overwhelming sense of despair washed over her for the first time.
"Please cooperate with our investigation, ma'am." The red-haired female agent in front of me repeated, her tone revealing a formulaic coldness.
“You can’t arrest me,” Wonder Woman said, taking two steps back. “I’m innocent. I have diplomatic immunity; you have no right to do this to me!”
“These are the arrest warrant and authorization letter from the federal government.” Natasha showed her two more documents and said, “I’m just following orders, ma’am. Please cooperate.”
Wonder Woman couldn't help but glare angrily at Batman, only to see the cold, ruthless man standing by the window mouthing "Amazon" to her.
The divine power encircling Wonder Woman's arms dissipated. She stood there, taking a deep breath, her shoulders trembling involuntarily. The vibrant, luxurious jewels offered her no further confidence, only highlighting the pale, weary soul beneath her healthy complexion.
“Excuse me, ma’am.” Natasha stepped forward, handcuffed Wonder Woman, and led her away to the agents behind her.
“Take them all away,” Natasha said. “Anyone who has been in contact with the suspected spies should be investigated.”
The room erupted in chaos. Green Arrow was the first to step forward, glaring angrily at Arkham Batman, and shouted, "What are you doing?! Batman! Are you saying we're all spies?!"
The Flash's expression darkened the moment Wonder Woman was kidnapped. He clenched his fists and looked at Batman, saying, "Diana couldn't be a spy, Batman. There must be some misunderstanding. Could you investigate this further?"
Even Superman said, "Yes, Batman. You know, what need would Diana have to be a spy? She's done a lot for Metropolis and has spoken out about numerous heinous crimes that have occurred on Commonwealth lands. Besides, the Amazon is just a small country that made its fortune through tourism. What good would it do to send their princess here as a spy?"
Arkham Batman only responded to Superman. He said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "This isn't about justice, it's about politics. Believe me."
Superman's expression was somewhat complicated, then he stepped forward and asked, "Would you lock us up with Diana?"
“You will all be investigated,” Natasha said. “Don’t worry, the CIA will enforce the law responsibly; no one will harm you.”
“If we’re all locked up together, I can go with you,” Superman said first. “That way, if you do anything out of line, I can save my companions immediately. But I advise you not to do such a thing. Even though I will try my best not to hurt you, humans are just too fragile.”
Natasha sensed the threat in Superman's tone. She nodded and stepped aside, allowing her subordinates to handcuff him. Although no one thought the handcuffs would work, Superman strained his muscles to maintain their grip.
When Superman turned against him, there was nothing anyone else could do. Green Arrow, passing by Batman in Arkham, said, "One day you'll pay for your tyranny."
“I’m waiting for that day,” said Batman Arkham.
The Arkham Knight was the last to be led away. He glanced back; Arkham Batman stood in the empty room. The exquisite food remained as it was, the flowers bloomed, and the wine flowed, but there was no sign of victory in his silhouette; instead, there was an inexplicable sense of tragic grandeur.
Was it worth it? Arkham Batman asked himself. For power, for justice, he'd forced everyone, including himself, to this point. Was it really all worth it?
(End of this chapter)