The footage of Deadpool stopped after he ducked into the alley.
The red-and-black figure had just waved at the camera and said, "I'm going next door to find him." The next second, the light at the alley entrance flickered, and the picture dissolved into static.
Chen Mo stared at the screen for two seconds.
"So he looked for me here in Gotham, got beaten up by you, and then just disappeared?"
Batman closed the footage.
"The surveillance cut out here."
"That answer doesn't sound comforting at all."
Chen Mo leaned back in his seat.
"But considering how that friend introduced himself, I don't think he particularly needs comforting. He looks like the kind of guy who, even if you stuffed him into a paper shredder, would first ask whether it ran on Android or Apple. He's allergic to Android."
Batman offered no comment on Deadpool.
He brought up the partial old facility number from Arkham again.
At the sight of that string of numbers, Chen Mo automatically dialed back his wisecracking.
All right.
The red-and-black chatterbox could wait.
Gotham's old door was still right in front of them.
The Batplane descended, but it hadn't returned to the Batcave.
Chen Mo immediately recognized the neighborhood below.
The rooftops near Gordon's House, the fire escapes, the illuminated sign at the alley entrance, and a plastic bag from who knew where, swept into circles in midair by the wind.
"..." Chen Mo fell silent.
"Go home and sleep," Batman said.
"Wow." Chen Mo turned his head. "Coming from an ordinary guardian, that would sound pretty heartwarming. Coming from you, it sounds like a system notification after a mission: please log off and resume school tomorrow."
Batman looked straight ahead.
"You have school tomorrow."
"I know, I know."
Chen Mo grabbed the rappel line.