blenderwars Chapter 344 You can never find what you crave
Chapter 344 You can never find what you crave
Chapter 344 You can never find what you crave
When Tim Drake entered Titan Tower, it was 2:25 p.m. It was the best time of day; the sun wasn't as scorching as at midday, but rather shone just right, accompanied by a warm breeze, so pleasantly warm it was almost intoxicating.
People often feel drowsy at this time, and they often yawn, freely releasing the fatigue and laziness of the whole day, curling up their tails like a cat.
This is the time of day when people are least vigilant, and it's often...
When a possible attack occurs.
"Batman, are you here?" Tim asked in a low voice.
The Titan Tower was completely silent, without a sound.
Without Nightwing, without Starfire, without any of the Teen Titans, everything was eerily silent.
Tim looked down at the ground.
Some green blood, clearly belonging to Beast Boy. As the Robin of all time with the most skilled detective abilities, Tim has never lost this skill, even though he has been staying home to study for a long time.
He could easily imagine... Beast Boy had turned into some kind of large animal, maybe a lion, maybe a leopard, whatever the case, a feline.
His gaze lingered on the blood-stained claw marks on the ground.
He lunged straight at a potential, well, rather short, enemy, and then...
He was electrocuted in mid-air, then his abdomen was cleaved open with a knife, blood splattering everywhere.
"Aaaaaah..."
The agonizing screams still seemed to echo in my ears.
Tim squinted.
He turned his head and looked to the side.
This was a powerful enough plasma bombardment; it wasn't an attack launched because the Blue Beetle couldn't control the Scarab Armor.
Instead, the Blue Beetle is actively attacking the enemy. This is unusual, as the Blue Beetle rarely uses plasma cannons so readily.
He had always resisted using the powerful weapons of the Scarab Armor because these weapons were designed to kill, and using them would constantly remind Jaime (Blue Beetle's real name) that his armor was a killing machine.
But Blue Beetle doesn't consider himself a killing machine, at least not when he's conscious. To prove this, Blue Beetle is never willing to use powerful attacks, to the point that in many situations, he's obsessively fighting only with armored melee weapons like swords.
Only when he is completely incapacitated will he be forced to...
Wait, Tim gasped. He quickly noticed a scorch mark on the wall and realized that the Blue Beetle's powerful attack wasn't aimed at the small enemy, but rather at his good buddy, Beast Boy.
This flawed reasoning suggests that Blue Beetle may have been mind-controlled or hacked into his armor. It further indicates that if he were to thoroughly investigate the whole matter, he would most likely encounter Blue Beetle in the future.
This is extremely important intelligence. If we ignore it and mistake the Blue Beetles for enemies that need to be defeated, they could become victims who need help, which could mean the difference between life and death.
Tim touched his all-purpose belt.
Although he wasn't familiar with Blue Beetle, Tim had gathered information about him over the years when Nightwing introduced his new teammates to him.
This foresight and preparation—well, perhaps it's the only thing worth being thankful for—is the bad habit of the bat family's offspring.
But that's not all.
Tim pondered. From the traces left on the field, he quickly deduced the reasons for Raven and Starfire's defeat.
Whether it's a swift and decisive sonic attack followed by slicing open a mage's neck to create a tracheal injury and prevent them from casting powerful magic, or the direct pressure of inhaling potent fear gas into the brain, these methods seem too bat-like, leaving Tim's judgment of the enemy's nature shrouded in mystery.
Damn, could it be Batman?
In this dangerous situation, Tim inexplicably pictured Batman laughing maniacally.
From a certain point in time, the stern, unsmiling, and cold Batman was gone forever. Tim Drake once told his classmates that the old Batman had a heart of iron and a personality of bronze, and then they pulled out a Batman laughing merchandise in front of him.
Even the restaurant Tim Drake frequents has launched a Crazy Thursday Batman Laughing Meal, where they top rye bread with green bell pepper sauce and red ketchup, calling it the Laughing Meal, and then call the whole burger the Laughing Bat Meal.
I don't know when it started, but Batman's maniacal laughter has become a universally recognized normal phenomenon, and even a part of popular culture.
Okay, listen, Tim, you're probably facing a dangerous adversary still in Titan Tower, attacking the entire Teen Titans. You shouldn't be thinking about Batman right now.
Tim shook his head, bringing his thoughts back to the current situation.
But no matter what Batman becomes, some things will remain the same. For example, he's still as terrifying as ever, perhaps even more so. He can still solve all sorts of problems with ease, and you'll know that Batman is always someone you can rely on, no matter when or where you reach out your hand.
Despite Batman's constant talk of retirement, Robin Timberlake was actually the first to truly retire. And for Timberlake…
Tim became Robin because after Batman lost Jason Todd, he began to lose control and started down a path of self-destruction. Tim's original intention in becoming Robin was to save Batman and replace Jason Todd.
However, now... Batman is no longer thinking about self-destruction, or rather, he is happier than anyone else, laughing maniacally.
To reiterate, despite Batman's constant talk of retirement, Tim seems to be starting to enjoy the process of saving the world, which is a huge step forward for Batman.
No longer can you see any trace of the self-torture and self-destruction he once in Batman. At least one thing Alfred, the old butler, was right: for decades, Batman has always been the child who died in the alley with his parents.
Despite his growing strength and increasing age, he never truly escaped the memory of that night, remaining trapped in a vicious cycle of self-contradiction.
But one day, pop! Just like a bubble that had once surrounded him so securely, it suddenly burst.
He is now...
Uh... instead of torturing yourself, you're torturing others?
Okay, bad news: Batman's bottom line has been lowered. Good news: Batman still has a bottom line.
As the old butler said, this kind of Batman might not be a bad thing, at least it's better than his bitter and resentful self.
At least now Batman only causes pain to others, not himself. That's good, Tim means Batman's life has been too dark.
he……
He may deserve some happiness and joy.
Tim Drake had to admit that, just as Alfred thought, the Batman personality he once had had vanished at some point, but actually... that might not be a bad thing.
Those psychological traumas, the endless pain, the tormenting cycle of every dark night, the wails and screams, the endless low moans, the heavy burden that should never have been borne on my shoulders...
They all perished along with the destruction of that former personality.
So one day, Batman became Bruce, and he was no longer sad.
Happy and carefree, crazy and eccentric—who says this isn't the last bit of tenderness that Gotham, the cruel mother, showed to her young son?
As for outward appearances... well, let them be.
Tim knew that Batman really wanted to retire, but how could such a thing possibly happen?
Everything in this world is constantly moving forward, like a raging storm and crashing waves.
And everyone's world is like a ship sailing in a storm.
Tim Drake can retire because he's just an insignificant part of the ship. Clark Kent can retire because he's already a broken mast. The Flash, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and even the entire Rogues—anyone can retire because they are all important parts of the ship, but not irreplaceable.
But Batman is an exception. He is the main mast that supports the entire ship; if it breaks, the ship risks capsizing. If the world were calm, one could naturally seek out capable people and slowly replace the mast, but now the outside world is in turmoil; where would one find such leisure?
Even in calm waters, a mainmast that can withstand wind and rain is not built in a day. To try to dismantle yourself before the new mast is even finished is surely a joke.
Sometimes... Tim always felt that Batman could never escape the fate of Sisyphus. That's the story of the boulder pusher in Greek mythology, who kept trying to push a boulder up a hill, but each time he would slip back into the abyss. He could never grasp what he wanted, and thus he was trapped for life.
Batman is the same. He has longed to end crime forever, but has always been disappointed. Now he wants to let go of everything, but he is also unable to do so.
But perhaps things are better now than they were in the past. At least, despite the disappointment, Batman will be happier and more joyful than ever before, just a little... that's enough.
Compared to the Batman who once mired himself in the quagmire of Gotham and rotted away, obsessed with eradicating evil rather than addressing the symptoms rather than the root cause, Batman is now just unable to retire, which is already much better than before.
In short, Tim chose to send a message to Batman discreetly.
He should ask Batman for help. Whatever is currently entrenched in Titan Tower is dangerous enough that he shouldn't touch it.
Unlike the impulsive and volatile Jason Todd, the second Robin, the third Robin, Tim, always knew he should act within his limits. Losing the second Robin nearly drove Batman mad; if something were to happen to him, it would undoubtedly be another heavy blow to Batman.
He wouldn't do anything foolish or reckless. He loves Batman, and like Alfred, he wants Batman to be happy and joyful. That's why he should cherish his own life.
However, just as he was about to leave Titan Tower, he heard someone standing in the deep shadows, asking him in a low voice:
"Who are you? Why are you wearing Robin's uniform? And why... are you in such a hurry to leave?"
Tim turned his head.
His heart pounded as he met the gaze of that tangible enemy…
Wait a minute. A five or six-year-old kid?
Tim never underestimated someone because of their appearance. The other person held a long knife stained with green blood; it was clearly Beast Boy.
A wide smile spread across his face, so wide it sent a chill down your spine.
Then the smile on the child's face vanished abruptly, like a drawing erased from a blackboard.
"It wasn't Father who came?"
Tim heard the child say something and he keenly noticed that the other person's current situation was not right. It didn't seem like a normal state at all, but it seemed that he could communicate.
"Why hasn't Father come to see me yet? Did I fail the trial? I clearly completed it, so why isn't he coming to acknowledge me? Why haven't I received any praise? Is my trial not over yet? Is there a new goal? I..."
Boom!Boom!Boom!
Tim Drake felt his heart pounding. He was now in the opponent's home turf, a truly disadvantageous situation.
"What's your name?"
He immediately interrupted the other person's train of thought, because if he let the other person continue thinking, he was unsure what the other person would say.
He then successfully obtained the other party's name, Damian Wayne.
"Listen to me, I'm here on behalf of Batman to oversee your trial."
While speaking to keep the other person calm, Tim secretly prepared various protective equipment in his all-purpose belt.
Fighting this boy, who calls himself Damian Wayne, in Titan Tower without knowing what arrangements he has made is undoubtedly a huge disadvantage.
The child was clearly being controlled and was mentally unstable. Tim Drake had seen victims who had been hypnotized by the Mad Hatter (Note: a villain in the DC universe who uses his hat to control others; he appeared earlier).
Teach (the Mad Hatter's real name) is a master of hat-based puppet control and using hypnosis to amplify someone's thoughts for control.
Thanks to the other party's training, Tim has some insights into analyzing those under mind control.
The child in front of me has clearly had his thoughts about gaining Batman's approval amplified, and the controller behind the scenes is using mind control to drive the child to do things he wouldn't normally do.
At this point, you shouldn't say things that contradict his thinking or understanding, which would provoke him. Instead, you should go along with him, and then...
呲呲呲!
Tim Drake tumbled and bounced away from where he had just been standing. The sudden electric shock made Tim's heart pound. He threw out a blocking agent to prevent his heart from being paralyzed by the ground.
This was a deadly electric current; the child in front of them was no longer holding back, and the degree of control they were under had deepened.
"Listen to me, you..."
"Waaaaah—why won't Daddy acknowledge my success?!"
As Damian's distorted howls echoed, his voice gradually began to resonate with a deep, adult-like tone.
Tim threw out three yellow batarangs, but they shattered upon impact with the protective field rising above Damian. The fear gas attached to them was also blocked by the protective field, and Damian was not affected at all.
However, this also prevented Damian from launching further attacks, and Tim quickly escaped the coverage area of the motor device and moved to a safe place.
Damian and Tim Drake appeared to be evenly matched, but Tim was on high alert.
"Damn it... this kid is too well-prepared, and he's even trying to kill. What's worse, if he has already defeated the entire Teen Titans, given his current mind-controlled state, then the most likely thing to happen is..."
boom!!!
A beam of light, like lightning, instantly melted the steel beam beneath Tim's feet.
He landed awkwardly on the ground. If he hadn't used his bat grappling hook to jump onto another beam in time, he would have fallen into the electric shock zone again. Tim had no doubt that he would have been electrocuted to death as soon as he stepped on it.
"Damn it, why isn't Batman here yet? I've already sent him a message."
Tim felt a growing anxiety as he watched the blue beetle appear expressionless beside Damian.
"Was he tripped up?"
But Tim quickly lost his focus. Starfire, Beast Boy, and the other two Teen Titans members appearing beside Damian made his heart sink. Although Raven hadn't appeared, and Beast Boy was covered in wounds, the fighting power here was definitely beyond what was expected...
brush!
Tim ducked his head, dodging the attack that came with a gust of wind from behind.
He turned his head and saw Killer Croc open the gate to the Crimson Realm and appear expressionless beside Damian.
"Damn it, even the Killer Croc is under control... then..."
Tim glanced sharply at his feet, relieved that his fears hadn't come true. It seemed Mudface hadn't...
But it was no use. The next second, Tim was knocked unconscious by Starfire. It was a speed that he couldn't react to. This was a huge gap between humans and superhumans.
"I must...I must complete the trial...to gain my father's approval..."
Damian looked at Tim lying on the ground, his eyes flashing with a mixture of purple and red, which then grew even deeper.
He walked toward the other man and then drew his knife from his waist.
"I have to..."
His eyes showed struggle, but he still raised the knife towards the fallen Tim.
Then… Damian heard a sigh.
"stop."
He turned around and saw that Batman had appeared behind him at some point.
He reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder.
"Father..." Damian turned his head, the struggle in his eyes intensifying, his pupils trembling incessantly.
"Father..." He couldn't say anything, he just called out again.
"It's alright...don't worry."
Chen Tao said:
"Because I've come."
(End of this chapter)