The three did not step out from the cover of darkness immediately. Instead, they all crouched at the bend in the tunnel and peered toward the light ahead.
Up ahead was a cylindrical underground space, relatively spacious, with plenty of wooden scaffolding and some simple hoisting equipment. It looked less like sewer repairs and more like a well being drilled.
That was because a massive machine stood in the middle of the construction site. It appeared to be a drilling rig, its enormous drill bit plunging deep underground and forming an incredibly deep vertical shaft.
But it was powered by more than a dozen steam engines, and the noise of those things made the entire space as deafening as a heavy industrial factory in full operation.
The person who had shouted the question stood on a wooden platform beside the huge pit, holding a blueprint and warily watching another tunnel.
He was not tall, perhaps around 1.7 meters, and somewhat slender. He wore a black tailcoat suit as nightwear, sported the mustache favored by gentlemen of the era, and had a rapier at his waist for self-defense.
Of course, thanks to his genes, he was handsome as well. After all, he was the Ancestor. His facial features bore some resemblance to Bruce's, though he was in far better spirits, looking sharp and full of vigor.
Still, that was normal. Bruce Wayne was the deviant in the family. He was the one who did not resemble anyone else in the family.
"Oh? You found me? Ahahahahaha."
A familiar yet unfamiliar laugh came from the tunnel on the other side. At the sound, the corners of Batwoman's mouth immediately turned downward, clearly reminded of many things.
But the person who emerged from the darkness and reached the edge of the construction site