Chapter 304 Three Detectives (8) (Patreon)

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In the outskirts of Gotham, on the side of a hill that doesn't appear on any map, beneath a steep cliff, a carefully disguised iron gate was concealed beneath rubble.

After extensive scanning and verification, Batman walked along the metal bridge inside the gate. The pentagonal arch supported the entrance to the Batcave, while the long metal bridge passed through several arches, extending into the mountain.

Inside the arches, there were cold light tubes that illuminated the bridge, casting a blue glow. As Batman passed under the lights, the cold light flowed down his cape.

After crossing the metal bridge, there was a lift platform. When the platform descended to the bottom, it was apparent that this place was still under construction.

Across from the lift platform was a massive cylindrical space divided into multiple levels. Currently, only the bottommost level and half of the second level were completed. Each level had a corridor extending from the outer walls, with several doors along the corridor.

It was evident that this tower-like structure seemed to be inspired by an architecture existing only in dreams. When standing at the bottom of the tower and looking up, the layers of floors gave an overwhelming sense of oppression.

At this moment, this place was still a genuine underground base, without any peculiar collections. However, when Batman walked out of the lift platform and entered the corridor on the second floor, he opened one of the room doors, revealing countless surveillance screens.

Each screen represented a corner of Gotham. However, in this room, only two-thirds of the surveillance screens were lit, while the rest remained black.

This clearly demonstrated the infinite curiosity and destructive power of the people of Gotham. The black screens indicated cameras fixed in certain places that were malfunctioning.

Batman had been busy lately and hadn't had time to repair the cameras. Nevertheless, even with two-thirds of the screens, he was monitoring most of Gotham's buildings.

Batman squinted his eyes and began.

Just about ten minutes ago, he received news from Jason that Dick had been kidnapped. Batman had to admit that when he heard this news, he felt his heart tremble for a moment.

Batman could also sense that finding a nanny for Aisha wasn't the sole reason for him adopting Dick, nor was it about finding an assistant for himself. If he had to say, it was the aura between him and Dick that resonated well.

Although Batman disliked studying those bizarre mystical theories, he discovered that the coldness and distance he experienced when interacting with ordinary people as Batman did not exist in his interactions with Dick. They seemed to have an innate understanding.

Previously, he insisted on sending Dick to boarding school, but then the school had an incident, which made Batman hesitate. And now, hearing the news of Dick's kidnapping, the flame of anger that hadn't ignited within him for a long time was reignited.

Batman narrowed his eyes, carefully examining the screens, not missing any details. Soon, the movement of his head stopped, and his gaze fell on a screen to his right...

For convenience in locating, the surveillance screens were also distributed according to geographical locations. The closer to the center, the closer it was to Gotham's downtown, while the corners represented more remote areas.

At this moment, the screen he was focusing on displayed footage from a building located on the outskirts of the Gotham East District, between the third and fourth piers.

Several screens surrounding this one were black, indicating that the cameras here had been severely damaged. Not because the people living here were prepared, but because this place was known as the gathering spot for Gotham's most notorious drug addicts. After getting high, they would kick anything they saw, causing the cameras to break quickly.

As Batman saw this location, his fingers twitched suddenly, and his expression began to grow cold. Before the bat

took flight, his low voice echoed in the empty room, sounding somewhat ominous.

"Constantine..."

The location shown on the surveillance screen was a club in East District that had been closed for a long time due to the damage to the surface structures in Gotham.

The building above the club had collapsed on one side, and no one dared to enter. However, in the lone camera at the corner of the building, a person wearing a trench coat was seen carrying a child into the basement.

When Batman arrived, Dick was lying on the basement floor. Batman walked over and checked him. There were no injuries on Dick's body, which did not match Jason's description of a kidnapping scene with bloodstains. Batman's shaking of Dick's body caused him to wake up.

Dick blinked in confusion, and when he saw Batman, he breathed a sigh of relief. Batman asked him, "Who kidnapped you?"

"...That Constantine," Dick replied, rubbing his forehead and frowning. "I was in Jason's underground base when suddenly, he appeared from the corner, as if by magic."

"He tried to attack me, but I dodged. You know, I'm not easy to handle. I grabbed a crowbar and fought him, breaking his forehead and scratching his arm..."

"But in the end, he used something like a magic circle to knock me out..."

While Batman was surveying the space in the basement, the basement door made a sound. Constantine, who had just returned, walked down the staircase and locked eyes with Batman before turning around and running.

Batman moved faster than him, and several Batarangs flew past Constantine's ears and stuck on the door. Batman's deep voice came through, "Make one more move, and you're done for."

Constantine froze on the staircase, then slowly raised his arms, signaling that he posed no threat. He said, "I want to turn around."

Batman didn't reply, but Constantine took it as his consent. He very slowly turned around, facing Batman. Before Batman could ask him anything, Constantine said, "Listen to my explanation! I swear I meant no harm..."

Before he could finish speaking, a fist the size of a sandbag appeared in his field of vision.

Ten minutes later, Batman threw the beaten and battered Constantine onto the ground. Constantine cried out in pain, and another Batarang grazed his cheek and stuck into the ground, silencing him. Batman asked, "Why did you kidnap Dick?"...

"I was investigating a case, didn't you ask me to?!"

Batman stared at Constantine, who explained, "Didn't I tell you before? Lorena Sanchez specializes in using children's souls for her practices. Do you know how she extracts the souls of children?"

Batman silently looked at him, and Constantine didn't expect a response. He continued, "I don't know if you've heard this legend before. On Halloween night, there's a beautiful woman dressed as a witch, holding a basket full of candies. If a child wants to get candy from her, they must call her 'Mom.'"

"When the child takes the candy and eats it, they have essentially made a deal with the ghost mother."

"Once the child calls the witch 'Mom,' the witch can alter the ownership of the child's soul, truly becoming their mother, and then sell the child's soul to the devil in exchange for what she needs..."

Batman suddenly understood his meaning. He turned his head to Dick and asked, "Did you encounter this witch?"

Dick paused for a moment, then recalled and said, "No, I didn't, and moreover..."

"Although I haven't been in Gotham for long, whether it's Easter or any other night, if someone dressed strangely walks the streets and asks to be called 'Mom,' they will definitely get shot."

"Moreover, the kids in Gotham can't just call anyone 'Mom.' When I was a street urchin, only the head of a certain block could be called 'Mom' or 'Dad.' If anyone dares to call otherwise, they'll be beaten to death."

"...So, have you been eating anything unusual lately?" Batman asked again.

Dick shook his head, then suddenly remembered and said, "I did come across some candies recently, but it was when I was a street urchin. The little boss there gave them to me, but I didn't eat them..."

Batman turned his head to look at Constantine, who seemed to suddenly be unable to continue the act. He gave up struggling, slumped to the ground, and after giving Batman a smug smile, he slowly turned into a pile of ashes.

Just then, the alarm on Batman's wrist suddenly went off, the piercing sound indicating that someone had invaded Wayne Manor.

Batman looked at the pile of ashes on the ground and said, "Using the same trick twice, you're at least a daring con artist, Constantine..."

"Wait!" Dick struggled to get up from the ground and said, "Didn't you say that this thing refers to someone invading the Manor? We need to hurry back, there's... there's..."

Dick repeated it several times, his tone gradually slowing down and becoming slightly higher-pitched. Then he and Batman exchanged a glance, and he said, "...There's Aisha in the Manor."

When Batman and Dick returned to Wayne Manor, Constantine was once again sprawled in the middle of the living room, just like that day, with Aisha next to him, baring her fangs and wearing a terrifying smile.

Batman calmly walked up to Constantine, saying, "The scene seems familiar, doesn't it?"

Only to see Constantine's chest heave fiercely on the ground, then he collapsed like a deflated balloon. His tone carried deep resignation...

"...Are there no normal people in Gotham??"

Batman walked over, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him to the basement. After handcuffing Constantine, his first words were still, "Got a cigarette?"

But Batman wasn't Schiller; his interrogation process relied mainly on physical treatment. He directly crushed Constantine's wrist joint with his bare hands. Amid Constantine's agonizing screams, he gasped for breath and looked at Batman, saying, "Impressive, kid..."

"If it were before, I wouldn't mind playing with you, but now I have more important things to do..."

As he spoke, a burst of light flew out from Constantine's chest, almost instantly disappearing in the basement. Batman looked in the direction where the light vanished—it was where he had imprisoned Sinestro.

Just as Batman walked out of the cell, Sinestro, who was locked in the adjacent cell, activated his teleportation and disappeared in an instant.

With a grim expression, Batman returned to Constantine's cell and broke his knee joint with a stomp. But this time, Constantine didn't scream. He lay on the ground as if he were high on drugs and spoke in a somewhat ethereal tone.

"Thanks to Professor Schiller, I've learned a new knowledge of psychology, and now it can come in handy..."

Before Batman could understand what he meant, Constantine on the ground suddenly turned into a pile of ashes. From the ashes in the East District basement club, a figure slowly stood up. Constantine tugged at his tie and muttered to himself,

"...So this is

Gotham? Quite interesting."

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Is it?"

Constantine's body stiffened, as he felt a cylindrical object pressed against his back. He heard the person behind him say,

"Well then... Welcome to Gotham."

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