The weather in New York in early winter was great, and even if it was extremely bad, it was still much better than Gotham, which was cloudy most of the year.
When the sun shone into the room, it was 9 o 'clock in the morning. In a big city like New York, this time meant that most people had started a new day. Of course, the lazy bums were still lying in bed and didn't want to get up.
"Thump thump thump"
The sound of knocking came into Saber's ears. His ears moved, and his left hand subconsciously reached under the pillow, holding the pistol. When the seventh knock came, Saber's eyes suddenly opened, and he yawned loudly.
A moment later, he stood at the door in his pajamas and slippers. His left hand was on the doorknob, and his right hand was behind his back.
"Who is it?"
"Room service, sir."
A pleasant female voice sounded outside the door. Saber raised his eyebrows and subconsciously looked at the clock hanging on the wall.
"Okay, okay, wait a minute."
He quietly leaned against the wall and reached out to open the door. Agent Plum, wearing black casual clothes and a windbreaker, walked into the room, but the next moment, she pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Saber behind the door. Saber's muzzle was also pressed against her forehead.
This welcome ceremony was not very friendly.
The two stood there for a few seconds, staring at each other. Agent Plum put away the pistol and glanced at Saber, whose hair was messy.
"Go wash up first, we'll talk later."
After that, she ignored Saber's muzzle and walked into the guest room, sitting on the chair by the window.
Saber scratched his head. He recognized Agent Plum, but he didn't know what the SHIELD staff was doing here. Looking at the black-haired beauty sitting in the room with her back to him, he finally shrugged helplessly, put the pistol on his waist, and walked into the bathroom.
Five minutes later, Seiber, who had freshened up, sat opposite Agent Plum. Two cups of hot tea were placed on the table in front of them. He looked at Plum, who was wearing light makeup and looked much more approachable than before. He felt that her temperament was a little strange, but he didn't ask too much about it. Instead, he spoke directly.
"I came to New York for personal matters. I don't want to have too much to do with SHIELD, and I won't cause trouble. So tell me, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here on behalf of SHIELD, Mr. Saber."
Agent Plum put the tea in her hand aside. Her watery eyes moved away from the scenery outside the window and looked into Saber's eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not here to warn or expel you. I'm here to protect you. You can think of it as a guide for you and that little girl while you're in New York."
"Guide?"
Saber crossed his legs and picked up the teacup. He gently sniffed the aroma that made his eyes light up. He looked at the cold beauty opposite him, who had the same skin color as him, and curled his lips.
"I do need a guide, but how should I put it … Let's talk openly, Agent Plum. I don't think your director will send a Level-7 agent to be Catherine's and my guide. Even if I don't know your internal ranks, if Coulson is only Level-8, you can barely be considered a high-level agent."
He put down the teacup in his hand, leaned forward, and pressed his hands on his legs. His eyes narrowed, and the look in his eyes became aggressive.
"Miss Plum, do I look like a fool to you?"
This invasive gaze was useless against Plum, and her expression didn't change at all. She reached into the pocket of her windbreaker and took out a long and thin cigarette. Seiber reached out his hand and lit it for her. After the first puff of smoke filled the air, Plum spoke again.
"Xavier's Academy for Gifted Youngsters is one of your destinations, right?"
"Yes, I have to thank Coulson for the small gift."
Saber leaned back in his chair and spread out his hands. "According to it, Professor Charles is a kind elder. My meeting with him won't cause you any trouble, right?"
"Indeed, it won't. Mr. Charles advocates for the gentle integration of the mutants into human society. He has a good record of cooperation with SHIELD, and is indeed trustworthy. But you need to worry about the other part … about your compatriots. You don't know enough about them, Saber."
"The Mutant Brotherhood?"
Saber pondered for a moment. He rubbed his chin and looked at Agent Plum.
"You mean, they're dangerous?"
"Dangerous?"
Plum shook her head, put the hot tea to her mouth, and took a sip.
"Dangerous is not enough to describe them. They are a hidden danger. Not only do they threaten human society, but they also threaten the already chaotic mutant society. Magneto Eric Lancel is proud of his bloodline. He is one of the most powerful mutants in the world today and the leader of the Brotherhood. He and Charles are two extremes."
"You mean, they will kill me? Why? "
Saber continued to ask. This question made Plum hesitate, but she finally decided to tell the truth.
"No, they won't kill you. Eric's hatred is only focused on ordinary people. He calls all mutants" brothers ". There are a large number of Epsilon class mutants in the Mutant Brotherhood, which is the kind that is not a threat. The Mutant Brotherhood will not actively harm any mutants, regardless of their skin color, race, or age."
"Epsilon class are harmless?"
Saber's expression was a bit strange. He squinted at Plum.
"Then I'm harmless, aren't I? Since they won't kill me, why should I worry about them? "
"Someone like you, you think you're harmless?"
A strange smile appeared on Plum's face. "When we first met you, Coulson advised Level 5 agents not to interact with you alone. After you and Batman killed Lars Al Ghul, this advice became Level 6. Do you know what a Level 6 agent means to those mutants?"
Plum did not need Saber to answer her question. She smelled the aroma of the tea and raised a finger.
"A Level 6 agent is enough to deal with any Gamma-class mutant. In fact, with the support of special weapons, they can even tie with the weaker Beta-class mutants. You are indeed an Epsilon class, but your lethality and danger are not comparable to other Epsilon class mutants. To be honest, after you enter combat mode, I will find you troublesome."
"Oh, oh, oh, oh. So it's just troublesome."
Saber laughed. "Seems like Agent Plum has her own tricks up her sleeve."
After laughing, he picked up the teacup and glanced at Plum.
"But you haven't answered my question. Why should I worry about them?"
"They will try to rope you in, Saber. Once they know your true identity and what you've done, they will try to rope you into their faction. Even Magneto himself might appear. We have to prevent this from happening. If you join Professor Charles' faction, we will be even happier."
Seiber pursed his lips. This overly frank answer surprised him. After a while, he raised his head and looked at Plum as he enunciated each and every word clearly.
"You are afraid!"
"Yes, we are," Plum admitted.
She brushed her black hair behind her ear. "What we are afraid of is a Saber Hawke who has lost his bottom line. Once you have the resources of the Brotherhood, you will cause a lot of trouble to the world of ordinary people. But Saber, you have seen the hidden side of this world. In that world, we are not afraid of you."
"Do you know what people's first reaction is to something they fear?"
Mett heaved a sigh of relief. She turned to look outside the window. On the top floor of another building, a man in black armor and a pair of tactical sunglasses had already raised the black composite bow in his hand. There was no doubt that as long as he released his left hand, the arrow would fly across 543 meters and smash through the glass beside Seiber's body. Then, another arrow would pierce through his head. That was Barton, a Level-8 agent!
Plum turned around and looked at Seiber with a gentle smile on her face.
"Are you willing to take the risk? Saber, you see, we can be friends. "
Saber's expression did not change much. There was no hostility, no kindness, and no fear. But after a few seconds, a smile appeared on his face. He narrowed his eyes and extended his hand to Plum.
"Then, I'll have to trouble you for the next few days, Guide Plum. Oh, right, I'll have to trouble you to help me find out the address of a poor child's parents. You know, I'm not familiar with New York."
Just like that, Saber and Catherine had a very competent guide in New York. On the first day, the three of them went to many places to play. At night, Agent Plum gave the address of Catherine's parents to Saber. At the same time, in their hometown, Gotham, another piece of information was given to another person.
The newly appointed Inspector Gordon stood on the roof of the Gotham Police Station in the middle of the night. There was a large black searchlight placed next to him. It had been modified. When the searchlight was switched on, a black bat would appear in Gotham's sky, which was always cloudy.
This was the signal he had agreed to meet with Batman. In the brightly lit Gotham, there were many searchlights like this. Unless someone was suspicious, they would not be suspicious.
Gordon was still wearing his decent suit. He stretched out his left hand and looked at the watch on his wrist. In this cold winter, waiting in the middle of the night was not a pleasant thing to do.
"Hu"
Like a gust of night wind, a low and hoarse voice sounded from behind him.
"What's the matter?"
Gordon turned around and saw the large black bat that had appeared silently at the edge of the building. He leaned against the wall, and the pair of eyes under the helmet shone with a reassuring determination and stubbornness.
"Erm, actually, there are three things."
Gordon shrugged. He seemed to be used to Batman's mysterious appearance. He did not waste any time and started talking about the important matters.
"There's bad news. Last night, Gotham's morgue was burglarized …"
The newly appointed Commissioner pursed his lips. "But in the end, when the coroner did an inventory, they found that only one body was missing. It was a woman. We can confirm that she was one of the members of the Alliance of Shadow Warriors who participated in the attack on Gotham. The National Guard has just retreated from the city. Now, just restoring order in the city is enough to make me want to send out all my men. So, I'll leave this matter to you."
"Mm, sure!"
Batman nodded. Anything related to the Alliance of Shadow Warriors was not something an ordinary person could interfere with. Even if Gordon did not mention it, he would have taken the initiative to look for clues about this matter.
"The second matter is about the narrow island. I don't know which part of the problem occurred, but among the civilians who were saved, quite a number of them started to worship you …"
Gordon looked at Batman and said seriously, "It's like a cult of worship. I have to confirm in advance that you don't intend to become the 'Cult Leader', right?"
"Do I look like someone who has nothing better to do?"
Batman said coldly. "Let them be. What else?"
"The last matter is about the Gotham Docks. Saber … Mm, what I mean is, someone is using the name 'Red Devil' to form a special gang in the docks."
Gordon rubbed his chin. "There aren't many of them, but they're all troublesome people. It's said that they have plenty of weapons, but Saber is one of the city's saviors. I can't find him now, nor can I contact him. So, I'd like to ask if you think it's a threat?"
"Not at the moment … I'll monitor them, including Red Devil."
Batman took the initiative to accept the mission, but just as he was about to leave, Gordon took out something else from his pocket and handed it to him.
Batman took it in his hand. It was a plastic bag with more than ten normal Joker cards in it. He flipped the cards over, and on top of it was a Joker with blood stains.
"Seven Joker cards, and they are identical. We found them at the crime scenes over the past five days. The method is cruel, and based on our preliminary analysis, the motive is not money. Obviously, Ge Tan has gained another serial killer."
Gordon lowered his head and wiped his glasses with a handkerchief. His expression was a little awkward. "I know this is supposed to be the duty of the police, but I'm really short on manpower now. The Alliance of Shadow Warriors has broken into the prison, and now just arresting those criminals is giving me a splitting headache. So, if he appears again, I can only ask you for help!"
"Hmm?"
After waiting for a few seconds without a reply, Gordon put on his glasses and looked up. In front of him … there was nothing.
Just like many times in the past, when a difficult task was entrusted to him, he would never disappoint.
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