A Place of Sorrow

Bang!

"Did Falcone send you to kill me?"

"Meow?"

"What's your name, Deadshot? Change it to Deadshot from now on, got it?"

"Meow!"

"Laudon... you have a daughter, right? Oh~ Now you know fear? Weren't you pretty brave when you tried to snatch the gun just now?"

"Meow~"

With a kitten perched on his head, Lynn interrogated Laudon, whom he had tied to a nearby tree, trading one sentence with the cat for one of his own.

Laudon was no longer the tough guy who could lie in wait without moving for an entire night, then pull the trigger with a heart as still as water and hands that never trembled.

The pallor on his face came from the wound in his shoulder. Lynn might have known some basic emergency treatment, but he clearly had no intention of using those skills on Laudon.

He simply shoved a stick of roughly the right thickness into Laudon's shoulder wound, then grabbed a handful of wet mud from the snow melted by the fire and smeared it over the wound, calling that stopping the bleeding.

At first, Laudon had cursed furiously, his desire to die painfully obvious. But after taking five [Great Virtue Battle Axe] strikes from Lynn, he became much more peaceful.

Lynn's method of questioning was a dangerous performance that utterly disregarded human life. With every question, he pressed the gun to Laudon's ear and fired a shot. He fired faster and faster, nearly leaving afterimages.

This was the legendary Wing Chun Gun Interrogation.

Unfortunately, Laudon had a hard mouth. Even facing such an incomprehensible Lynn, he had still managed to smile and give his name.

People from DC really were something else. So damn stubborn!

Still, Lynn recalled a few memories related to Laudon. That was all thanks to movie star Will Smith's infamous slap.

Back then, memes of Smith's Deadshot edited with the expression of someone hitting another person had spread everywhere in the group chat.

So when Lynn, wearing the guise of a mentally unstable lunatic, said, "I remember you have a daughter," even Laudon, whose heart was cold as iron, finally broke.

"I'm warning you..."

"You're threatening me?"

Lynn grinned, revealing gleaming white teeth. He brought his face close to Laudon's and stared into his eyes. "Do you think I'm a good person? Threatening me at a time like this... are you trying to gamble your daughter's safety on whether I have a conscience?

"Look."

Lynn straightened up, spread his hands holding the gun outward, tilted his head, and cocked one leg. "Do I look like a good person?"

It had to be said that Lynn's current appearance, along with that cold-blooded, perverted expression, was enough to get him locked up for ten or twenty years.

Laudon caved quickly and realistically. "I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I..."

"How do you shoot so accurately? Can we talk about it?"

Laudon looked deeply into Lynn's eyes. "I can tell you about my training regimen, and I'm willing to die without resisting. I only ask that you promise not to seek out my family."

Lynn scratched his head. I was just trying to scare you. Aren't you from DC? How are you this easy to frighten?

Clearly, Lynn had no idea just how much pressure and terror he could bring others.

"Have you... ever seen Gotham at four in the morning?"

Laudon asked solemnly.

"I have. Every day, I stand on the sea bridge at that hour waiting for the sunrise."

Lynn's answer caught him completely off guard.

But that obviously did not stump Laudon. "I haven't. While you're watching the sunrise, I'm practicing my shooting. Talent is important, of course, but hard work is indispensable too. So..."

Lynn did not know whether Laudon had truly told him all of his training methods honestly, but everything he said sounded quite reasonable.

They were clearly the unique secrets of a professional.

Fine. At least it was better than Lynn figuring things out blindly on his own.

Having a Tactical Master with infinite ammunition and not using it would be a bit of a waste.

"Huh?"

As though he had suddenly thought of something, Lynn stared at the gun in his hand and gave a nervous little smile. Then he looked up at Laudon as if he were looking at an interesting toy.

Laudon shuddered violently.

To be fair, although Laudon was an ordinary, normal man, after walking the dark world for so many years, he had never feared anyone or anything.

But today, he was genuinely afraid.

This guy was crazily insane, and he looked as if he had absolutely no conscience or moral limits. God knew what he might do.

Now it should be time for him to kill me, right? Laudon knew very well where his fate was headed. He only hoped death would come quickly and fiercely.

After all, if the madman before him turned out to be a cannibal or something, Laudon would not have found it strange.

After encountering this fucking lunatic, nothing could surprise or shock him anymore.

"Friend, why are you closing your eyes? Are you cold? Why are you shaking so much?"

The smile on Lynn's face was stiff and rigid, perfectly fitting the image of an evil man pretending to be kind while saying the opposite of what he meant.

He untied the vines binding Laudon. He used a little too much force, and his movements were a little too rough. The vines were still wrapped around Laudon's neck, yet Lynn yanked hard on them, nearly sending him on his way right then and there.

Even so, Laudon kept his eyes fixed on Lynn. At last, terror appeared on his face. "Mr. Lynn, you... what do you want... I told you everything, didn't I? I really didn't hide anything, sir. Don't do this..."

"Oh my~ What are you thinking about~"

Like an old friend, Lynn patted Laudon's shoulder, knocking the mud plastered over it all across the ground.

"Hehehe... Laudon, my friend, listen to me..."

Lynn forcibly gave Laudon a brotherly hug, resting his chin on Laudon's injured shoulder and rubbing it back and forth while continuously whispering something.

The pain on Laudon's face gradually faded, completely transforming into shock.

"Mr. Lynn, you... you're sure you want to let me go?"

"You don't want to?"

"I do! It's just..."

"No 'just.' Laudon, remember what I'm telling you. Remember it.

"Today, I'm letting you leave, but you're leaving owing me a debt. When the day comes for me to collect it, I don't want you to repay me with two lives.

"Laudon, don't gamble with me on this. If you lose, it'll hurt."

Laudon understood what Lynn meant.

"Understood, sir."

"Then go. Are you waiting for me to give you taxi fare?"

Lynn waved the gun in his hand. "Remember our agreement, okay? I have plenty of flaws, but I never lie.

"If I say I'll kill an entire family, I'll make sure they leave together, neat and whole.

"Laudon, I look forward to seeing you next time."

After standing silently for a second, Laudon turned and walked away without looking back.

"Wait!"

"...Huh?"

"You haven't said goodbye to me yet. Don't you have any manners?"

"...Goodbye."

"Goodbye~~"

After leaving the woods, Laudon walked forward step by step through the wind and snow, his mind filled with everything Lynn had just told him.

Only after reaching the edge of the city did Laudon finally flag down a car.

"Take me to Arkham Asylum.

"Wait!"

After glancing around, Laudon slightly changed his mind. "Take me to a hospital first."

The driver stepped on the gas and left this place of sorrow behind.

Meanwhile, Lynn checked the equipment he had "dropped" from Laudon and put on a new mask.

"Petty people take revenge from dawn till dusk. Meow, tell me, shouldn't we return the favor too?

"I've been in Gotham for so long. Batman and I are practically brothers, yet I still haven't met Gotham's underground emperor, Lord Falcone."

"Meow~!"

The kitten said: Sure.