"Split up, Robin."
"Find Kingpin covertly and find a way to bring back a sample of his hair or fingernails. Also, gather all intelligence on the Fisk Corporation he has recently established."
"I'm giving you three days."
As soon as the Gargoyle Suit was ready, Batman immediately assigned a mission to Venom Robin—a rare solo operation for Robin.
The new suit was complete, but the new Batmobile wasn't ready yet. Batman needed to find a way to reverse-engineer the Adamantium formula to build it.
According to their discussion on South Brother Island over the past two days, Batman arranged for Venom Robin to obtain the Adamantium formula from Kingpin, while he himself would attempt to track down the mysterious man with the shield.
"Based on the tasks you assigned, I should gather intelligence first, while obtaining Kingpin's tissue samples should actually be saved for last," Venom Robin said with a serious expression.
Batman glanced at him.
"You just want to pick a fight with Kingpin directly once the intelligence gathering is done, don't you?"
Venom Robin gave an embarrassed grin, not expecting the Old Bat to see right through his little scheme.
"Yeah, so?"
"Don't be in a rush. The time to strike hasn't come yet," Batman said. "Kingpin's current status is that of a legitimate businessman backed by the New York government. Although there were prior cases of him illegally imprisoning Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, it's still not enough for us to make a direct move against him."
"Then when will it be the right time to strike?" Robin asked.
"This will require cooperation from Stark Industries and Oscorp. I'll give you your chance when the time comes for you to act," Batman said.
"Alright." Venom Robin nodded heavily and turned to leave.
But just as he turned around, a black right hand glowing with a faint purple light stopped him.
Venom Robin turned back to look at Batman.
"?"
"Leave the axe behind. It's not suitable for intelligence gathering," Batman said.
Venom Robin scratched his head, realizing the Old Bat made a good point.
Taking the double-bladed greataxe—which had barely left his side recently—off his back, he tossed it over to Batman. This time, Batman didn't stop him as he left.
Watching Venom Robin step out of the Batcave's exit, Batman weighed the double-bladed greataxe in his hands a few times, his gaze sweeping over the runes engraved on the axe blade.
"Norse mythology, runes..." Batman muttered quietly to himself.
Setting the axe aside, Batman quickly established an encrypted connection with S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury.
Hawkeye and Black Widow had returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. half a month ago under Batman's orders, and no news had arrived since.
When they left, one had just returned from Japan, and the other had just been released from the Batcave. Neither carried any encrypted communication devices.
Batman hadn't offered any either, out of security considerations.
Now, no matter who answered when Nick Fury's encrypted line connected, Batman would be able to quickly gauge Hawkeye and Black Widow's current situation.
If Nick Fury picked up, it would mean Hawkeye and Black Widow hadn't taken action yet, or their operation had failed—both of which could be deduced from Nick Fury's tone and words.
If Hawkeye, Black Widow, or someone else answered, it would signify that the purge of Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D., based on the list provided by Nathan Garrett, was already over.
Beep, beep, beep...
The continuous beeping of the unconnected line rang out repeatedly. Batman remained as steady as a mountain, without a single hint of impatience.
He waited quietly for two minutes until he confirmed no one was answering the encrypted line before shutting it down.
"I originally intended to contact Nick Fury to both confirm Hawkeye and Black Widow's actions and subtly probe into Taskmaster's situation."
Batman closed his eyes, letting his brain and body rest for a moment while dedicating half his focus to thinking about how to find that mysterious man with the shield.
He pondered for a full half-hour until the alert of his encrypted comms chimed.
Without a split second of delay, Batman opened his eyes the instant the sound rang out and activated the Gargoyle Suit's communications.
The person contacting him wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, but Aunt May.
"Peter? Peter!" Aunt May's voice sounded very relaxed. "We have a relative visiting. He says he almost became your godfather back in the day... Can you take some time off from school and come home? He really wants to see you."
Presumably because someone else was present, Aunt May didn't use the name Batman had previously given her—"Thomas Pennyworth"—and instead still addressed him as "Peter Parker."
"Godfather?" Batman's brow furrowed. In his mind, he rapidly recalled all the data he had previously compiled regarding Peter Parker's family, including every single relative.
Even Batman couldn't fathom who would visit Aunt May right now, let alone demand to see him by name.
But this was no obstacle for Batman. Aunt May's home phone had been rigged by him to route directly to his encrypted line.
Similarly, the Forest Hills neighborhood, which Batman had completely taken over and retrofitted, was blanketed by a surveillance network. It wasn't difficult to look up the appearance of this visiting "relative."
"No problem, Aunt May," Batman agreed first, chatting with the elderly woman for a few more casual moments before terminating the call.
On the Batcave's monitors, surveillance windows popped open one after another. Batman clearly saw the appearance of this so-called relative.
He was heavily built. Despite the chilly early November weather, he wore only a white tank top with a leather jacket thrown over it.
The jacket wasn't even zipped, left wide open, with his muscular chest bulging prominently against the tank top.
On his lower half was a pair of faded jeans, and on his feet were leather boots.
His hair and beard were thick and long. The full beard and slightly messy, flared black sideburns gave his face a fierce, menacing appearance, yet one filled with wild intensity.
The facial recognition system of the Forest Hills surveillance network failed to identify who this guy was, but Batman didn't intend to stay cooped up in the Batcave analyzing him further.
The man was already sitting in the living room of House No. 20 in the Forest Hills community, mere yards away from Aunt May.
No matter who the intruder was, Batman needed to get there immediately.
Doffing the Gargoyle Suit, he left it to the Batcave's robotic arms to deploy into a drop pod. The pod was then loaded into the Batwing, ensuring it could be deployed from the air at a moment's notice.
Batman quickly changed into a navy blue plaid shirt, threw a trench coat over it, and rushed straight toward Queens.
Aunt May didn't look nearly as relaxed and cheerful as she had sounded on the phone. When Batman pushed the door open in his guise as Peter Parker, he saw Aunt May wiping away tears with a handkerchief.
In an instant, Batman's razor-sharp gaze locked onto the uninvited guest's face, staring at the rugged, middle-aged visage half-hidden behind the curling wisps of smoke from a cigar clamped between his teeth.
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