"Just about a dozen hours ago, my CIA agents sent back news that the FBI had arrested the organizer of the Central American revolution and was about to escort him back to Washington for interrogation."
"Originally, I thought this was a cover-up they used. The situation was unclear, so I didn't act rashly. But then news came that the escorting agent disappeared together with the target. Now the FBI suspects that it was the CIA."
Kayla's helpless voice came from the other end of the phone: "Their suspicions are not unreasonable. The FBI feels that the KGB will not take action so quickly. After all, the CIA has made similar traps against them before, even if they receive the news.
, must be observing the situation like me."
"Moreover, judging from the way the KGB operates, they are more likely to do something in Washington, especially regarding interrogations, which can in turn set a trap for the CIA."
"The FBI felt that the CIA must have wanted to rob people, so they dared to do it so neatly, because no matter whether they succeeded or failed, the CIA would not lose."
Alfred narrowed his eyes and said: "You control the intelligence of both the CIA and the KGB. You will call me, which means that you have not found the mysterious organizer in the intelligence of both parties.
News, right?"
"Yes, that's exactly the problem. I am responsible for the intelligence work of the CIA and KGB metropolitan areas along the east coast. This time, this incident was not done by the CIA and KGB at all."
"So, Alfred, do you think this could be a trap? Could it be staged by the FBI? Or..."
"I think you should already have the answer." Alfred replied: "The FBI dare not make a fuss about this matter at this juncture. They know how taboo those gentlemen are about this matter.
, if something goes wrong, everyone will be unlucky."
"That is to say, they really took away..."
"Schiller." Alfred said: "Schiller Rodriguez, his butler told me that just now, FBI agents rushed into the Rodriguez Manor, and Schiller personally faced the agents
We recognize that he was the organizer and leader of the Central American revolution."
"What?!!!!!!" Kayla exclaimed in disbelief.
"His butler came to me, hoping that I could rescue him, but now it seems that the situation is more complicated than we imagined. Are you saying that Schiller disappeared together with the agents who escorted him?"
Kayla on the other end of the phone was silent for a while, but she still said: "Yes, the personnel sent by the FBI to respond did not pick up the person, and all escorting agents have lost contact. Now the FBI is acting like crazy.
I’ve been looking for someone, but there’s been no progress at all.”
"I heard that there seems to be some trouble in Gotham. The situation in the city is very complicated. The agents who went in to search have no news. Alfred, I am calling to confirm your situation. You must
be safe……"
"Don't worry about me." Alfred said in a calm tone: I'm used to all the abnormalities here, and I will investigate Schiller's matter, just wait for my news."
"Thank you, Alfred." Keira breathed a sigh of relief, but then said in a serious tone: "If Schiller is really our comrade and has made such a great contribution to our cause,
Then we must protect his safety at all costs."
"Don't worry, Keira, he is also Bruce's college professor, a truly good teacher. No matter where he is now, I will bring him back."
After hanging up the phone, Alfred looked at Merkel and said: "The good news is that Schiller has not been sent back to Washington for interrogation. There is still a lot of room for redemption, but the bad news is that he, together with the escorting agents,
He is missing. Now we can only confirm that he is still in Gotham, but where exactly he is. We have to find it ourselves."
"I'll go now." Merkel said immediately, but Alfred stopped him and said: "How are you going to find it? Wandering around in Gotham? You have to save your life first.
Find your employer."
After speaking, Alfred turned around, then turned back and winked at Merkel. Merkel paused, but still followed him.
Alfred came to the entrance of the basement and walked all the way down. When he reached the door of the bat laboratory, he did not go in. Instead, he turned in the other direction and walked to a room on the north side of the basement.
The entire Wayne Manor has a very large basement, 70% of which is used as a laboratory for Batman to conduct experiments, but 30% is also used as a warehouse for Alfred to stack various things.
These two parts are unrelated to each other and do not interfere with each other. Alfred almost never enters Batman's laboratory, and Batman does not enter Alfred's warehouse, nor does he know that Alfred is stocking up in the warehouse.
He was not interested in what he was talking about.
So, when Merkel saw the pile of heavy munitions whose origins were not easy to explain, her jaw almost dropped.
He stretched out his trembling fingers, pointed at the pile of things in the warehouse, and stammered: "What is this?... Could this be the legendary 'last resort'????"
"Last resort?" Alfred walked into the warehouse, shook his head and said, "No, this can't be called a last resort. It's just a means to ensure your own safety and ensure the smooth execution of the task. Come on, pick something.
What do you like about this gun?"
Merkel swallowed and said: "When I was in stewardship school, I heard people say that the battles of the previous generation were much more intense than they are now, and the people at that time were much more powerful than they are now.
But I didn’t expect that it would have reached this point?”
"You are right. The battles in the previous generation were indeed much more intense than now, but this is not only reflected in the number of weapons, but also in the understanding of responsibilities."
"If you first regard yourself as an agent or spy, you will never be able to use methods beyond this identity, because you always have to consider whether you have exposed your identity or leaked intelligence."
Merkel looked a little confused and said: "But I have to take these things into consideration. If I do things too carelessly and expose my identity, my employer will also be implicated..."
Alfred touched the barrel of the rifle with his hand and said: "Over the years, there have been people from the FBI or CIA who have come into this city, trying to break into the manors here and capture their targets."
"But over the years, only the group of agents who found Professor Schiller were lucky enough to succeed. Why do you think this is?"
Merkel was stunned for a moment, then showed a guilty expression and said: "Because of my dereliction of duty..."
"No, Merkel." Alfred said, "Because you still don't think of yourself as a steward, especially not as a Gotham steward."
Alfred looked at the gun in his hand and said: "How can you be a butler in Gotham without your own arsenal? Even the butlers in the cheap new estates on the edge of the South District will have a dedicated butler.
Small warehouse for weapons."
Alfred sighed and said: "Think about it, if you were maintaining your weapon when the FBI agents broke into the manor, and you were too frightened, you accidentally set off the fire.
They bought a little new fertilizer, so who can they blame? They can only blame Gotham, a city that sucks."
"You are conscientious and cautious in playing the role of a Gothamite, but in fact, there are no cautious Gothamites, let alone a reasonable Gotham butler."
"When those FBI agents kicked down the door to the manor, flashed their IDs at you, and revealed their identities, you should have just grabbed a gun from under the sofa and knocked down the person who kicked in the door first.
"
"You should tell him that there are rules in Gotham. No matter who wants to visit the manor, if he doesn't hand over a greeting card or bring a gift, then what awaits him will never be a banquet and fine wine, but must be...
bullet."
Alfred turned to look at Merkel and said: "You should be lucky that you are not from the previous generation, otherwise, when you try to reason with them, you will have been exposed. The group I once dealt with
Guy, before you even tried to argue, you shot me."
With a "click", Alfred pulled the trigger falsely. Merkel shook instinctively, and Alfred spoke again:
"I don't think your employer will blame you. He is a very tolerant gentleman. But after all, you are the housekeeper I recommended. If you are unable to complete your job, I am afraid it will cost you."
A disgrace to the school and the Pennyworth family."
Merkel lowered her head and said in a deep voice: "Yes, Mr. Pennyworth, I understand. Tomorrow I will pack up the underground warehouse of the manor and prepare some defense measures that Gotham's butler should have."
Alfred nodded, threw a weapon to Merkel, and picked up an old-fashioned double-barreled shotgun himself, and then said: "Let's go, find Schiller, and then tell him face to face that you will do a good job."
A butler’s.”
The two left the basement and were about to walk out of the lobby of Wayne Manor when suddenly, a figure appeared outside the gate of the manor. She reached out and patted the railing of the gate, looking a little anxious.
Alfred handed the gun to Merkel, adjusted his clothes, stepped forward, and opened the door.
Looking at Zatanna's somewhat familiar face outside the door, Alfred was stunned for a moment, and then tentatively said: "Zatanna Zatara? Is that Miss Zatara?"
"It's me... Oh, Alfred!" Zatanna called out the butler's name. When she saw the old butler with gray temples, the words she had just wanted to shout out were suppressed again.
"...Alfred, are you feeling well?" Zatanna asked with concern, and Alfred looked at her tired face and said, "I'm not bad, miss, but you look...
I'm a little tired, so let's talk after we come in."
Alfred led Zatanna to the lobby of Wayne Manor, but Zatanna had no intention of sitting down. She had been thinking about how to explain Bruce's current state to the old butler.
When she followed her father to Wayne Manor, little Bruce had just lost his parents, and the old housekeeper had been taking care of him. Zatanna knew that the two of them were not father and son, but they were closer than father and son.
She really couldn't tell such a father what happened to his son. Zatanna took a deep breath and summoned up all the courage, but just before she was about to speak, Alfred looked at her and said
: "You want to tell me some bad news, right?"
Zatanna was stunned for a moment, but then blurted out: "Yes, Bruce... he is not in a good condition right now. I was planning to save him, but I need some help..."
"Where is he now?" Alfred asked.
Zatanna's facial features wrinkled in pain. She couldn't say the word "hell" because she felt that the old housekeeper had no way of understanding occult matters.
If she said that Bruce was in hell now, it would be like telling Alfred that Bruce was dead. As for going to hell to save his soul later, it was even more nonsense.
"You want to say, he is dead?" Alfred looked at Zatanna's face again and said, Zatanna was stunned again, then sighed and said: "Mr. Butler, what I want to say next, please
You must listen patiently to the end.”
"I'm not drunk, and I'm not talking nonsense. These are all true. Although it may be difficult for you to accept, but...well, Bruce's soul is now in hell, which is the hell that ordinary people know."
When she said this, Zatanna did not dare to look at Alfred at all. When she slowly turned her head back, she did not see any expression of shock or contempt on Alfred's face.
"So, how did he get there?" Alfred asked.
"He...he came from the edge of the human world and hell, that is..."
"Limbo?" Alfred reminded.
"Ah, yes, it's the edge of hell. He jumped off the cliff there...wait a minute!!!" Zatanna's eyes widened, looking at Alfred, and asked: "How do you know about hell?