Chapter 456: The Mystery of the Spy (Part 1) (Patreon)

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The hurried footsteps echoed through the dimly lit hallway, the polished floor reflecting the Agent's hastened steps. The sound of the gun being loaded sounded like a sudden scratch on a cassette tape. The overhead light flickered irregularly, and looking out the window, the howling cold wind gradually weakened, and goose feather-like snowflakes drifted down.

The storm had gradually receded, but the heavy snow had not stopped. Even without the whistling snow knives, the snowflakes were still falling densely. The weather was still cold, and the snow on the street had not had time to melt before being covered in a pure white coat again.

The sky was still gloomy, and the heavy clouds hung over the Manor like a large stone pressing on everyone's hearts.

Everyone could feel that the atmosphere in the Manor was becoming increasingly oppressive.

If the Mayor's murder case was a light and lively piano prelude, the gun battle that just erupted in the hallway was a passionate drum climax. Now, the low and hoarse string music played, and everyone knew that it was almost over.

But that didn't mean they could all leave safely. When the Agent's hurried footsteps and the sound of the handgun being loaded echoed through the hallway and into the guest room, they all understood that some kind of confrontation was about to begin.

The atmosphere became quieter, but it was even more eerie, like the snowflakes fluttering outside the window. Although the storm was fierce, the lack of wind made the killing intent even more apparent.

At this time, it was not just the atmosphere in Mayor Manor in Metropolis that was nervous, but also the same in Wayne Manor in Gotham.

Dick walked stealthily through the hallway, then gently turned the doorknob and opened the door. He quickly sidestepped into the room and closed the door.

Aisha, who was playing with blocks on the carpet, turned her head and looked at Dick, then stood up and reached out to him. Dick walked over, picked her up, and Aisha was about to scream when Dick said, "Shh, don't make a sound..."

Aisha could now understand some human language, especially what Dick said. She tilted her head, seeming to not understand why Dick's expression was so guilty.

Dick walked over to the carpet and put Aisha down, then began to tidy up the messy blocks. He whispered, "Just now, I saw Alfred cleaning his double-barreled shotgun again."

He swallowed his saliva, looked around, seeming a little worried, and continued, "I remember that Alfred only cleaned his gun with deer skin when Mr. Wayne came back late or got injured before."

"And just now, I saw him cleaning the barrel and even testing the trigger..."

"My goodness, he must be very angry!"

Dick took a deep breath, shrugged his shoulders, and then relaxed again. He scratched his head and said helplessly, "But Bruce seems to be a little..."

"First, he disappeared for several nights in a row, then he was found going to bars and red-light districts, and then he quarreled with Selena. Now, he's been missing for almost 20 hours?"

Dick sighed and said, "If I dared to run away from home for 20 hours without saying a word, my dad would break my legs."

"Wow, wow, wow!" Aisha exclaimed.

"You said he's already an adult? What's the use of that? I also think I'm an adult, but Bruce and Alfred don't allow me to leave the Manor for too long because they're worried that I'll be abused by others."

"The school I'm attending now only allows me to go home twice a week, but they found the school counselor and made me a day student because they're worried that I'll be away from here for too long."

"Wow, wow, wow!" Aisha exclaimed again.

"Of course, I know Alfred is very good to me. He not only picks me up and drops me off at school, but also cooks my favorite dishes for me. He even sends afternoon tea to my school. But how can I comfort him?"

"Now, I don't even dare to go to his room. There's a dark atmosphere there!" Dick gestured a large circle with his hand and said in an exaggerated tone, "I have no doubt that if anyone enters this range, they could be in danger!"

As he spoke, there was a loud bang from the hallway. Dick was startled, and Aisha's eyes widened. She looked around and then turned her head straight to the wall beside the room.Dick followed her gaze and remembered that it was the direction he came from, which was the direction of Alfred's room.

"Let's go and see, it's possible that the gun accidentally went off!"

Saying that, he picked up Aisha, who struggled in his arms, and then she started crying loudly. Dick stopped in his tracks, put Aisha down, and tapped his head, saying, "Oh, I forgot, you're fast. You go ahead and see if Alfred is injured."

But Aisha didn't move, she raised her arms and started screaming. Dick was taken aback and said, "...I can teleport too? How do I teleport? I'm just a..."

"Yes! I can teleport too! But I have a little trouble controlling it... No, Alfred might need my help. Let me try."

With that, he focused his mind, and his body began to emit a green light. Then, with a "whoosh," he disappeared. Aisha ran out of the door, rushing to the other end of the hallway at an incredibly fast speed.

Just as she turned a corner and arrived at the door of a room at the end of the hallway, there was a loud "bang." Dick, who was glowing green all over, fell from the sky.

"Oh, my waist!" Dick let out a cry of pain, and Aisha burst into laughter, still saying "Wow, wow, wow."

Dick got up from the ground, bent down, picked up Aisha, and rubbed her head vigorously, saying, "No laughing, this is my first time controlling teleportation on my own. It's not bad, right?"

"Next time, I'll try to teleport closer to the ground."

Just then, with a "click," the door opened, and bright light poured out from the crack, shining directly between Aisha and Dick.

Alfred's face appeared behind the door, momentarily appearing somewhat gloomy, but as soon as he saw Dick and Aisha, it immediately transformed into a kind expression.

Dick rubbed his waist and walked forward, looking up at Alfred, saying, "Aisha and I heard a gunshot and came to see what happened. Are you okay?"

Alfred smiled and said, "I'm fine, it was just an accidental discharge."

He squatted down, patted Dick's head, and glanced at Aisha, then turned his head to Dick and said:

"I might need to go out for a while, leave here for a bit, so I'm preparing some tools..."

Dick blinked and asked him, "Where are you going?"

"He's gone mad! He wants to fly to Metropolis in this weather!" another voice came from the room.

Dick widened his eyes, stuck his head in, and shouted, "Hal, what are you doing here??"

"You have to ask this good butler named Pennyworth!" Hal's voice came again, sounding quite resentful.

Seeing Dick's curiosity and Aisha's curious face, Alfred's smile only stiffened for a moment, and then he opened the door, letting the two children walk in.

Hal sat down in front of the wall, still holding a shotgun, and when he saw Dick enter, he struggled to get up from the ground and sighed resentfully and helplessly:

"Alfred, let me say it again, I'm just a test pilot, not a regular fighter pilot, and I've been in logistics for over three months now, with no training at all."

As he spoke, he pointed his finger outside the window and said, "The blizzard may have stopped, but the snow hasn't. Flying a plane in this weather is suicide!"

Alfred turned and walked towards him, then picked up the shotgun. Seeing him loading it, Hal fumbled against the wall, trembling, and said, "You can't force me, I can't knowingly go down a dead-end path and still do it..."He swallowed his saliva and continued, "If I still had Green Lantern energy, maybe I could teleport over and see what happened, but..."

As he spoke, he looked at Dick, and Dick understood. Alfred wanted to go to Metropolis to find Bruce. He raised his hand and said, "I've already learned how to control teleportation. Maybe I can..."

"No, Master Dick, you can't," Alfred said without even turning his head. Dick wanted to argue, but Aisha pulled him, and Dick hesitated and didn't say anything.

Hal sighed and looked at Alfred, saying, "Dick told me before that you raised Bruce, like a father to him. I can understand your worry."

"My family didn't agree with me becoming a pilot because they thought it was too dangerous. My father was the most opposed, but after I argued with him and insisted on test flying, I saw him secretly shed tears."

"That's why I switched from being a test pilot to logistics. I promised him that if one day I had to fly a fighter jet to face possible danger, I would carefully consider all environmental factors, ensure my safety, and not make him sad."

"The same goes for the opposite. If Bruce knew that you wanted to fly a plane to Metropolis in such dangerous weather, he would also be very sad because it's really dangerous."

Hal put his hands on his hips, looked at Alfred's eyes, and said, "I trained in the Air Force for a year and a half. I know very well the performance of planes and the impact of weather on flying..."

"I've seen the helicopter parked in the Manor before. Although it looks modified, but..."

"Who said we're going to fly a helicopter?"

Faced with Alfred's cold counter-question, Hal showed a puzzled expression.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of the outside of the Manor from the corner of his eye. This room happened to have a view of the Manor's courtyard, and Hal turned his head and saw a shocking scene.

The ground in the center courtyard of the Manor slowly opened, and then a black bat fighter jet rose from the ground.

The fighter jet was all dark, with a matte black coating on the surface. Only the wings had some sunken dark patterns. The overall structure was similar to that of a fighter jet, but it was larger than most fighter jets Hal had seen in the Air Force base.

Hal swallowed his saliva, his eyes staring straight ahead, and after hesitating for a while, he said, "Please don't tell me you want me to fly this thing to Metropolis."

"Who said you're flying it?"

Hal widened his eyes again and looked at Alfred.

Ten minutes later, watching Alfred sitting in the pilot's seat, Hal hesitated after putting on his helmet and said, "I don't mean to question you, but flying a plane and driving a car are completely different things, and there's no runway here..."

As he spoke, a low engine roar sounded, and with a "hum," the fighter jet took off directly into the air.

When the fighter jet paused in mid-air, Hal covered his arm. The takeoff was too fast, and he hit his elbow. He quickly put on his helmet and shouted to Alfred, "Slow down! Slow down quickly! This weather is not suitable..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the buzzing sound grew louder and louder, and then with a "whoosh," the black bat fighter jet flew like a black bird in a storm, rushing into the vast white snow.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 457: The Mystery of the Spy (Part 2)