When Tim Drake walked into the Titan Tower, it was 2:25 p.m. This is the best time of the day, the sun is not as hot as noon, but with a warm breeze, shining just right, and the hearts of those who smoke are drunk.

People will always want to be drowsy at this time, they will often yawn at this time, wantonly vent the tiredness and laziness of the whole day, curling their tails like cats.

This is the time of day when people are at their least vigilant, and it is often ......

A possible attack will happen when.

"Batman, are you here?" Tim asked in a low voice.

There was silence in the Titan Tower, and there was not a single sound.

There were no Nightwings, no Starfire, no one of the Teen Titans, and everything was horribly dead.

Tim looked down at the ground.

Some green blood, these clearly belong to the Beast Kids. As one of Robin's most proficient detective skills in all generations, Tim has never lost his skills, even though he has been homeschooling for a long time.

He could easily imagine it...... The Beastie Kid became some kind of large animal, maybe a lion, maybe a leopard, in short, a feline.

His gaze wandered over the blood-stained claw marks on the ground.

He pounced on some possibly existing, well, diminutive foe, and ......

He was electrocuted in mid-air, and then his abdomen was slashed open, and blood flew everywhere.

"Ahhh......hh

The violent screams still seemed to be echoing in my ears.

Tim's eyes narrowed.

He turned his head and looked to the side again.

Some kind of plasma bombardment with enough power is not an attack launched by the blue beetle that cannot control the scarab armor.

Instead, the blue beetle is actively attacking the enemy. This is unusual, and blue beetles rarely use plasma cannons lightly.

He has always resisted the use of high-powered weapons such as scarab armor, as they were designed to kill people, and the use of them will remind Jaime (Blue Beetle's real name) that his armor is a killing machine.

But the blue beetle doesn't consider itself a killing machine, at least not in its sober state. To prove this, the Blue Beetle was never willing to use powerful attacks, so much so that on many occasions, he was paranoid enough to fight with only armored cold weapon knives.

Only when he is completely in a state of incapacitation will he be forced to ......

Wait, Tim took a breath. He quickly saw through a scorch mark on the wall that the blue beetle's powerful attack was not against the diminutive foe, but against his good brother, the Beast Boy.

The result of this poor reasoning means that it is very likely that the blue beetle has been mind-controlled, or hacked into his armor. It is also explained that if you want to investigate the whole thing thoroughly, it is very likely that you will face blue beetles in the future.

This is a very important piece of information, and if you ignore this and mistake the blue beetle from an enemy in need of defeat to a victim in need of help, it can be the difference between life and death.

Tim touched his universal belt.

Despite not being familiar with the Blue Beetle, Tim has gathered information about Nightwing over the years when he introduced his new teammates to him.

This precautionary preparation, well, maybe the bad habits of the bat family cubs are perhaps the only thing to be thankful for.

And that's not all.

Tim thought. Through the traces left on the field, he quickly deduced the reason for the defeat of Raven and Starfire.

Whether it's a crisp sonic attack that cuts open the mage's neck to create a tracheal trauma to prevent them from performing powerful magic, or a direct pressure that fears poison gas entering the brain, these methods are too bat-like and fog Tim's judgment of the nature of his enemies.

Fuck, it can't be Batman, right?

In such a dangerous situation, Tim's mind had the appearance of Batman laughing wildly for no reason.

Since a certain moment, the unsmiling, serious and cold Batman is gone. Tim Drake once told his classmates that the former Batman had a heart like black iron and a sex like bronze, and then they pulled out a picture of Batman's wild laughter in front of them.

Even the restaurant Tim Drake frequents has a Crazy Thursday Batman Laugh Set, where they sprinkle rye bread with green bell pepper sauce and red ketchup, calling it Laugh Brown, and the whole burger is called the Laughing Bat Set.

I don't know when Batman's laughter has become a normal phenomenon recognized by the world, and even become a part of pop culture.

Well, listen, Tim you may still be facing a dangerous opponent who is still in the Titan Tower and attacking the entire Teen Titan, and you shouldn't be distracted by Batman at this time.

Tim shook his head, pulling his mind back to the situation in front of him once again.

But no matter what Batman becomes, there are some that won't change. For example, he is still as frightening as ever, and even more frightening. He'll still be able to solve all sorts of puzzles as easily as ever, and you'll know that Batman will always be able to rely on, no matter when and where you reach out.

Although Batman has been calling for retirement, in fact, Robin Tim was the first to retire completely. And for Tim......

The reason why Tim once became Robin was that after Batman lost Jason Todd, his whole person began to lose control, and he began to go to the point of no return for self-destruction, and he was determined to save Batman and replace Jason Todd was Tim's original intention to become Robin.

And yet now...... Batman no longer thinks about self-destruction, or rather, he is happier than anyone else when he laughs wildly.

Again, even though Batman keeps talking about retiring, Tim feels that he is starting to enjoy the process of saving the world, which is a very big step forward for Batman.

In Batman's body, there is no longer a trace of his torture and self-destruction in the past, at least one thing that the old butler Alfred said is very right: for the past few decades, Batman has been the child who died with his parents in the alley.

Although his body was getting stronger and he was getting older, he never got out of that night, and he was always stuck in a cycle of self-contradiction.

But one day, snap! It's like a solid bubble that once besieged him, suddenly extinguished.

He's ...... now.

Belch...... Instead of destroying yourself, but destroying others instead?

Well, bad news: Batman's bottom line has been lowered. Good news: Batman still has a bottom line.

In fact, as the old butler said, such a Batman may not be a bad thing, at least it is better than him who is bitter and hateful.

At least Batman will only make others miserable now, not himself. That's good, Tim meant that Batman's life was too dark.

He......

He may be worthy of some happiness and joyful things.

Tim Drake had to admit that, as Alfred believed, the personality of the former Batman had already been lost at some point, but in fact...... Isn't that necessarily a good thing?

Those psychological wounds, endless pain, the reincarnation of torture every night, wailing and screaming, endless moaning, a thousand pounds of weight that should not be carried on your shoulders......

They were all destroyed along with the destruction of the personality that had been.

So one day, Batman turned into Bruce, so that he would never be sad again.

Happy and crazy, who said that this was not the last bit of tenderness that Gotham's cruel mother had for her young son?

As for the outward manifestation...... Forget it, let him go.

Tim also knows that Batman really wants to retire, but how could such a thing happen?

Everything in this world is always rolling forward, like a storm, and the waves crash on the shore.

And the world for all is like a ship sailing through a storm.

Tim Drake can retire because he's just an inconsequential accessory on board. Clark Kent can retire because he is already a broken mast. The Flash, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunters, and even the entire Rogue Gang, anyone can retire because they are all important parts of the ship, but they are not irreplaceable.

But only Batman can't. He is the mainmast that supports the entire ship, and if it breaks, the ship is in danger of capsizing. If the world is calm, you can naturally find good talents and slowly renew the mast, but now that the outside world is stormy, where is there such idle time?

Even if the weather is calm, a mainmast that can withstand the wind and rain is not built in a day, and it is a joke to want to remove yourself before the new mast is cast.

Sometimes...... Tim always felt that Batman had never escaped the fate of Sisyphus. It was the Stone Pusher in Greek mythology, who kept trying to push the boulder up the hill, but each time he would slide into the abyss again, and he could never grasp what he was looking for, so he was trapped for the rest of his life.

And it's the same with Batman. He had prayed to end sin forever, but he was always disappointed. And now he wants to let go of everything, and he always can't get his wish.

But maybe it's better now than it was in the past, at least despite the disappointment, Batman will be happier and happier than he was before, just a little ...... That's enough.

Compared to Batman, who once trapped himself in the quagmire of Gotham and rotted together, obsessed with eradicating evil instead of curing the symptoms, now Batman just can't retire, which is much better than in the past.

All in all, Tim chose to quietly send a message to Batman.

It was time for him to ask for Batman's help, whatever was now entrenched in the Titan Tower, it was dangerous enough for him not to touch.

Unlike the second-generation Robin Jason Todd, who has an impulsive and irritable personality, the third-generation Robin Tim has always been very clear that he should do what he can. The loss of the second-generation Robin almost drove Batman crazy, and if something went wrong with him, it would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to Batman.

He doesn't do stupid things that are blind and reckless. He loves Batman and, like Alfred, he wants Batman to be happy and happy, and it is for this reason that he should value his life.

However, just as he was about to exit the Titan Tower, he heard someone standing in the shadows of the depths, whispering to him:

"Who are you? How to wear Robin's uniform and why...... Desperate to leave? ”

Tim turned his head.

His heart pounded, and he stared at the enemy who existed......

Wait a minute. A five- or six-year-old kid?

Tim never despised the other because of their appearance. The other party had a long knife in his hand, stained with green blood, which was obviously a beast boy.

A grin appeared on his face that reached the corners of his mouth, and just by seeing it, he felt a cool breath rush from the soles of his feet to his cervical spine.

Then the smile on the child's face suddenly disappeared, like an erased drawing on a blackboard.

"Isn't it my father who came?"

Tim heard the kid say, he keenly noticed that the other party's current situation was not right, it didn't feel like a normal state at all, but it seemed that he could communicate.

"Why hasn't my father come to see me? Did I fail the trial? I've already completed the trial, so why don't you come and recognize me? Why didn't I get praise? Isn't my trial over yet? Could it be that there are new goals? I ......"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Tim Drake felt his heart beat fast. He's now stuck in the opponent's home stadium, which is definitely a very disadvantageous situation.

"What's your name?"

He immediately interrupted the other party's continued train of thought, and let the other party think about it, and he was not sure what the other party was going to say.

Then he successfully got the name of the other party, Damian Wayne.

"Listen to me, I'm here to oversee your trials on behalf of Batman."

Tim spoke to steady the other as he secretly prepared various protective equipment in his universal belt.

In the case that it is not clear what the young man in front of him, who calls himself Damian Wayne, has made arrangements in the Titan Tower, fighting the other party here is undoubtedly a huge disadvantage.

The child was clearly controlled and delirious, and Tim Drake had seen victims of hypnotization by the Mad Hatter.

Tage (Mad Hatter's original name) is a supermaster who is proficient in the Hat's coercive puppet control and the use of hypnosis to enhance someone's mind to control it.

Thanks to the other party's exercise, Tim still has some experience in the analysis of people who are in a state of mind control.

The kid in front of him was clearly reinforced with a part of his idea of gaining Batman's approval, and the controller behind the scenes drove the kid to do things he wouldn't normally do through mind control.

At this time, you should not say something different from his thinking and cognition to stimulate the other person's brain, but should follow him, and then ......

Whoa!

Tim Drake tumbled and jumped out of where he had just stood, and the sudden shock made Tim's heart thump, and he threw out the blocker to prevent himself from going into heart paralysis by stepping on the ground.

This is already a completely lethal electric current, and the child in front of him is no longer serious, and the degree of control has deepened.

"Listen to me, you ......"

"Woooooooooo

As Damian cried out like a shapeshift, his voice began to mix with a voice that resonated with him like a rough-throated adult.

Tim threw out three yellow batarts, but he smashed them on the rising position of Damian, and the fear gas attached to them was also blocked by the protective position, so he couldn't get Damian hit at all.

However, this also prevented Damian's subsequent attack, and Tim quickly broke away from the coverage area of the motor unit and moved to safety.

It seemed that Damian and Tim Drake were fighting evenly at this time, but at this time, Tim was alarmed.

"Damn it...... This kid is too well prepared, and he's still going to be a killer. To make matters worse, if he had already defeated the entire Teen Titans, given his current state of mind control, it would be highly likely that something would happen ......"

Rumble!!!

A pillar of light like thunder directly melted the steel beam standing at Tim's feet.

He landed on the ground in embarrassment, and if he hadn't shot the bat's hook and jumped onto another beam, he would have landed in the shock zone again, and Tim had no doubt that he would be electrocuted if he stepped on both feet.

"Damn, why hasn't Batman been there yet, I've already sent him a message."

Looking at the blue beetle that appeared next to Damian with an expressionless face, Tim was secretly anxious.

"Is he stumbling?"

But soon Tim didn't have the heart to think about it, Starfire, the Beast Kid, and the other two members of the Teen Titans who appeared next to Damian made his heart sink down, although the Raven didn't appear, and the Beast Boy was covered in wounds, but the force here was absolutely beyond the ......

Brush!

Tim shrank his head, dodging the attack from behind with Gangfeng.

He turned his head and saw the Killer Crocodile open the door to the Red of All Beings, appearing beside Damian with an expressionless face.

"Damn, is even the killer crocodile controlled...... That ......"

Tim jerked at his feet, thankfully his fears hadn't happened. It seems that the mud face is not ......

But it didn't work, and the next second Tim was knocked unconscious by Starfire, which was not at all the speed he could react to, this was the huge gap between humans and superhumans.

"Must ...... Must complete the trial...... to get my father's approval......"

Damian looked at Tim lying on the ground, his eyes lit up with purple and red, then deepened.

He walked towards the other and drew the knife from his waist.

"I have to ......"

He looked struggling, but raised his knife at the fallen Tim.

And then...... Damian heard a sigh.

"Stop."

He turned his head and saw Batman appear behind him at some point.

He held out a hand and pressed it on his shoulder.

"Father......" Damian turned his head, the look of struggle in his eyes became more intense, and his pupils kept trembling.

"Father......" He couldn't say anything, but called again.

"It's all right...... Shrewd. ”

陈韬 says:

"Because I'm coming."

(End of chapter)