A Little Numb

"Damn it, this makes no sense. This, this, this... This shouldn't be happening... Impossible, this is impossible!"

"What's wrong?"

Batman raised an eyebrow in confusion. Even through the mask, the intense bewilderment on his face was obvious.

What was wrong with Lynn? Why had he suddenly gone slack-jawed and started muttering to himself—in Chinese, no less?

"Lynn, we need to leave here quickly. Since those Talons were here, someone must have been controlling them from somewhere nearby. Since we didn't find that person, something must have happened in Gotham. Hurry, we don't have time to waste. Get on!"

That yellow thing Lynn had taken out earlier was, according to him, a magical cloud capable of flying at tremendous speed. It was an extremely useful magical item.

Batman was not in great shape mentally. Although Lynn's two Enlightenment Blows had eased things somewhat, he was still badly drained. Having something like this was indeed convenient. According to Lynn, the cloud could even keep up with an airplane. It was a truly miraculous and powerful item.

"Lynn? Get on. We need to get out of here now!"

Batman sat on the Nimbus Cloud, repeatedly calling for Lynn to leave with him.

Lynn had a mouthful of bitterness he could not voice.

How the hell could Batman sit on it?!

Wasn't it supposed to require a kind heart and a sense of justice?!

Batman...

The number of bones he broke in a year could keep two orthopedic hospitals in business!

He did not even trust his teammates!

As long as there was a single objective, he was willing and capable of sacrificing anyone!

He...

How the hell had he not fallen off?!

"Damn it!"

Lynn was not convinced. Could it be that this cloud had been trapped inside that balloon for too long and had gone soft?

The Nimbus Cloud had consciousness and life. Lynn could not be wrong about that. In the original comics, the Nimbus Cloud had even been killed before.

"So it's not impossible, huh...

Fine, I'm coming~!"

Lynn dove forward, crossed his legs in midair, and landed perfectly on the Nimbus Cloud.

Pfft.

He also landed perfectly on the ground while sitting.

"Fuck!"

"Lynn, what the hell are you doing? This isn't the time to play around!"

"You're the one... Whatever! Hold this! And hold the cat!"

Fuming, Lynn scrambled to his feet, kicked a stone away, then grimaced in pain as he shoved two lengths of rope into Batman's hands and stuffed the cat into his arms.

"This is..."

It was a swing. Lynn had equipped the Nimbus Cloud with a swing.

Batman wanted to ask more questions, but his mental state was truly poor, and he did not have the energy to concern himself with Lynn's bizarre habits.

For someone who sat on a balloon every day while fighting crime, a swing might not have seemed all that strange.

Keeping silent, Batman laid the ropes across his crossed legs, pulled the laughing kitten closer against his chest, then silently guided the Nimbus Cloud upward and sped away from the Underground Labyrinth.

The Nimbus Cloud raced through the air. Two ropes hung from either side, supporting a wooden plank. Lynn sat on it with an expression that warned strangers to stay away.

One man, one cat, and one Batman returned to central Gotham from near the river channel.

Batman's guess had been correct.

While they were in the Underground Labyrinth, aside from those Talons, there had indeed been a high-ranking member of the Court of Owls present.

He had controlled those Talons to attack Lynn. He had also lured Batman there without killing him directly.

If Lynn's combat power had not been so ridiculously bugged—firing more than two thousand rounds from one gun without it exploding—his plan should have succeeded.

After fleeing back to Gotham, the members of the Court of Owls realized that not only had they let Batman escape alive, they had also provoked an even more troublesome existence.

Most importantly, the Court of Owls was no longer a secret.

They had lost a considerable portion of their accumulated wealth, lost all the nonexistent Thirteenth Floors of the Wayne Foundation, and lost the Underground Labyrinth they had painstakingly constructed over centuries...

They had also lost their chance to ambush Bruce Wayne again.

Moreover, the situation had changed. The hunter and prey had traded places.

Since Batman had found all of the Thirteenth Floors, he must have gained a deep understanding of the Court of Owls after returning from the Underground Labyrinth.

The next move might be his attack.

Thus, the members of the Court of Owls reached a consensus in the shortest possible time. They decided to release every Talon Assassin they had accumulated over the years and assassinate forty of Gotham's most influential figures!

First, it would create chaos, disrupt Batman's judgment, and divide his attention.

Second, since conspiracies were no longer useful, violence was their only remaining option. They were happy to see Gotham's "brains" rendered useless.

Third...

Several members of the Court of Owls were themselves among the influential figures on the assassination list.

Perhaps that would prevent Batman from distinguishing right from wrong and blur the truth.

When the midnight bells rang, countless owls flew out from the terrace of a white building that represented Gotham's justice, scattering into the darkness.

At the same time, the man-cat-Batman trio returned to central Gotham.

After Lynn's barrage of Enlightenment Blows, plus energy supplements like fruit, jerky, saltwater, roast duck, and so on, Batman had finally recovered some of his strength and energy.

Lynn still dangled beneath the cloud, sitting on the swing hanging in midair.

Having thick skin really was an advantage. When Lynn had emerged from there earlier, his face had been twisted in fury, every eyebrow seemingly strained with effort. Now, he was already gripping the ropes on either side of the swing, swaying back and forth as he sang.

"Frogs in the river~ where do they swim from~

From those rice~ paddies~

Eh? Old Batman, look over there. Someone's calling you."

Batman looked up and saw that familiar beam of light shooting into the sky from afar, branding its mark onto the dark, heavy clouds.

"The Bat-Signal..."

"Right, you've been missing... for six days now. Gordon's kept the Bat-Signal on ever since he lit it.

Hmm... He probably thinks you're dead and is arranging blind dates for his daughter right now."

Lynn never had anything nice to say, but Batman ignored him.

He had thought of something else.

The Court of Owls surely knew he would return for revenge. How would they respond?

Gordon was in danger!

As the commissioner of the Gotham Police Department and Batman's most trusted partner, Gordon would undoubtedly be among the first to face an assassination attempt under the guidance of that light!

"Lynn!"

As Batman spoke, the Nimbus Cloud had already changed direction and headed for the Gotham Police Department.

"Huh? Ah... Ah, okay, okay. I'll watch what I say."

Lynn nodded belatedly, then began singing again.

"Guangze's milk, fresh to your home, le-oh, le-oh, le~ ee~ oh~!"

Gotham Police Department.

Commissioner Gordon, whose dry, tangled hair stood out like wild grass, had remained at the station for five days without going home.

Batman... had never gone out of contact before.

Gordon had a bad feeling. What worried him most was what horrible and disgraceful things the criminal underworld might do now that no one was keeping them in check after Batman's disappearance.

Especially at such a sensitive time, after Falcone had been taken down by that madman.

"Sigh..."

Gordon stood and made himself another cup of strong coffee. He was miserable now. He was exhausted, yet he could not sleep. But if he did not drink coffee, he would constantly drift off in a daze.

Knock, knock, knock.

Something tapped against the glass.

Probably another crow or owl. The rooftop light had been on constantly, and birds often flew over and struck the glass.

He had grown used to it.

Knock, knock, knock!

Hm?! That wasn't right!

Gordon quickly turned his head and, sure enough—

"You're finally back! You..."

"Hello, hello. Hi there. Can I touch your hair?"

Gordon's heart skipped a beat.

He saw Batman sitting on a strange flying machine, holding two lengths of rope. A swing hung beneath them, and someone sat on it, continually swinging and smashing his forehead against the glass.

It was that madman!

"You... This is... You two..."

Gordon was a little confused. A little numb.

P.S. There's one more chapter. It'll be posted before midnight.