pdf-ebookys Chapter 24: The Bat and the Butler, but the Bat is utterly defeated.
Chapter 24: The Bat and the Butler, but the Bat is utterly defeated.
"Welcome back, Master Bruce."
North of Gotham, in the basement of Wayne Mansion.
Alfred Pennyworth, the British butler who had been waiting there for a long time, stood in the usual spot where Bruce usually parked the Batmobile, as if it were a close call after it rushed into the Batcave.
The turbulence created by the car's sudden braking lifted the back of the butler's tuxedo, but he didn't even flinch.
"I imagine you had a very fulfilling night."
"Good morning... no, good morning, Bruce." Bruce got out of the car and ripped off his mask. He then took off his armor and threw it on the ground, ignoring the butler's disapproving look, and hurried towards the Bat Computer.
Alfred sighed, diligently following Bruce to pick up the scattered bat costume, while reminding him, "Sigh, I was overthinking it. I thought after working 48 hours straight, you'd at least realize that humans are creatures that need rest."
Bruce paused for a moment: "Sorry, it'll be quick, Alfred—I just need to finish what I have on hand right now."
“No need for an apology, sir. After all, I was the one who presumptuously assumed that you would finally have some peace and quiet after arresting the fake,” Alfred said politely. “I am the one who should apologize.”
Bruce: "..."
What he feared most was Alfred speaking like that.
But since things had come to this point, Bruce could only pretend not to hear the British man's subtle sarcasm, and chose to first put the feather token that Jaeger had given him into the detector, and then immediately went to the bat computer to operate it.
"What are you doing right now?" Alfred stood behind Bruce, looking up at the Gotham map displayed on the screen.
"Someone who might pose a danger..." Bruce hesitated for a moment, "but is currently a good guy. I need to keep track of his whereabouts to prevent someone with such special abilities from doing anything in Gotham."
"So, that's why you put a locator on the other person?" Alfred stared at a red dot that had started flashing on the map.
"No, that's not the case." Bruce was somewhat smug, and he never needed to hide this from the butler. "The other party discovered my locator, but he didn't discover that the spare phone I gave him also had a locator function."
"By the way, Afu, the detector is currently testing the magical items that guy gave me. If the report is printed out, please bring it to me, thanks."
"..." Upon hearing this, Alfred straightened his back and said slowly, "So you mean—you have a friend to whom you gave a spare machine, and who reciprocated with gifts... but you're busy monitoring his movements."
"We're not really friends," Bruce said dryly. "We just happened to be investigating a case together."
"What a pity," Alfred commented. "I thought you had finally taken a significant step in making friends, I mean after returning to Gotham."
"Ah Fu, my ability to make friends has always been perfectly normal," Bruce muttered.
"Oh yes, Bruce Wayne, the Gotham prince and media darling, who makes headlines in the Gotham Daily several times a week—forgive my bluntness, but even for the sake of disguise, swimming in the hotel lobby pool with a female model is just too stupid. You even ruined a suit for it."
"..." Bruce suddenly felt guilty.
“What I mean is, I thought you wouldn’t confuse the playboy lifestyle required for a disguise with normal friendships, Mr. Bruce,” Alfred continued. “Besides, it sounds like this gentleman even helped you catch the fake.”
"...Okay, Alfred." Bruce could never win against Alfred on these matters, so he could only try to argue.
"—But at least we should see where he is now, right? Although he has ways to protect himself, he's still a person with amnesia who has ended up in Gotham."
Upon hearing this, Alfred finally showed a relieved expression: "That's great. Learning to take the initiative to care about others is an important step in making friends."
Bruce: "…………"
Having a housekeeper who really wants to be your friend is terrifying.
And it's even more terrifying when he's British and watched you grow up.
"However, it seems you don't need to worry about that gentleman ending up on the streets for now," Alfred said. "After all, judging from his location, he's not actually homeless or destitute at the moment."
Upon hearing this, Bruce also looked up at the screen in front of him.
But unlike Alfred, Bruce's gaze turned somewhat strange when he saw exactly where the red dot on the map was located.
"Is there a problem, sir?" Alfred noticed Bruce's expression.
"No, it's not really a big problem," Bruce said, resting his chin on his hand. "I just didn't expect Winchester to be there."
The flashing red dot landed in Gotham City's Old Town, in a place that was all too familiar to Bruce Wayne.
Crime Alley.
—Even in Gotham, it's one of the most dangerous places, and also where all the stories begin.
But at this moment, compared to the complex emotions that Crime Alley evoked in Bruce, he was clearly more concerned with something else.
That red dot, representing Jaeger's current location, had landed next to a spot that Bruce had specifically marked on the map.
The location is shown as a small red cross on the map, indicating that there is a clinic there.
Given the incredibly high crime rate in Crime Alley, opening a clinic in such a place without some serious skills or connections to a gang is practically suicide.
But this clinic has been around for so many years that Bruce's memories of it can be traced back to his childhood.
And the name of this clinic that miraculously exists in Crime Alley is...
Tompkins Clinic - Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic
“Jaeger Winchester…” Bruce frowned. “Why would he live next door to Dr. Leslie?”