Extra money.
Even with more money, it won't work. However, I happen to have a batch of Smart Candy on me; it's very refreshing. It's a recipe from the Iceberg Lounge, so the results are guaranteed. Do you want to give it a try?
“..”
Someone is trading dangerous goods.
Colt acted as if he hadn't heard.
This kind of thing is far too common in Gotham. If you try to meddle in everything that catches your eye, you'll end up being nothing more than a child standing on a beach at low tide.
Even if you throw a stranded fish back into the sea, there will be countless other stranded fish ahead.
What matters is that even if you stop one, the next day, the fish you sent back to the sea will still wash ashore with the tide, it will do so voluntarily.
Gotham is a rotting quagmire that can only be purified through nuclear annihilation.
Colt chose to respect the fate of the people of Gotham.
Timothy liked to meddle in other people's business.
There were no surveillance cameras nearby, the tree branches extended beyond the wall, forming a natural ladder.
Timothy picked up a handful of small pebbles and climbed up the tree.
He climbed the tree with the agility of a cat, when he pulled back his slingshot, his gaze was as sharp and piercing as a cheetah on the hunt.
Wow, so cool!
Colt marveled silently in his heart once again; if his phone hadn't suddenly vibrated to notify him that the home surveillance had detected his father's car driving into the driveway, he would have wanted to watch for a while longer.
A slingshot was clearly no match for gang thugs with guns, especially when they were outnumbered.
Timothy ducked his head as a bullet grazed the branches above him.
Colt climbed over the wall and took off the pendant, which glowed with the light of the Arc Reactor.
The spherical pendant bloomed like a flower, its parts unfolding and rapidly assembling into a high-tech skateboard.
Colt stepped on the skateboard and glided past the armed thug, accidentally dropping the pen that had been twirling between his fingers.
The thug's hand was pierced by the pen that appeared out of thin air, without even bleeding, as if the pen had grown from his hand, even the gun he was holding had grown along with it.
Ah!
Visible electric sparks flared from the tip of the pen.
The screaming stopped abruptly as the thug was knocked unconscious by the electric shock.
Colt acted as if he had only just realized he had dropped something; he bent down to pick up the pen and glanced back at Timothy, who was peeking his head out from over the wall.
Timothy's eyes were very bright.
They were so bright, it was as if he could see things that others couldn't, he even raised a hand to wave.
Colt lives in Oak Tree Manor.
Adjacent to Wayne, this was once a famous wealthy community in the Coventry District.
Nine years ago, during the Great Arkham Breakout, the madmen held a celebration here, blowing up half the community into a deep lake, leaving Oak Tree Manor to fall into ruin and decay.
Some say that residual fear toxins linger in this land, with ghosts and spirits wandering and loitering here every night, while others say the flora and fauna here have been cursed by Poison Ivy to suck the blood and essence of humans.
There were once paranormal streamers who came here to seek adventure, only to wake up in a state of dementia after hearing the wails of ghosts and the manic laughter of the Joker.
After most people who came here became demented, this place became a deserted forbidden zone.
Colt sped through the ruins at the foot of the mountain on his skateboard, the path leading up the mountain now bearing two extra sets of tire tracks.
The towering oak trees were unpruned, their canopies interlocking to blot out the sun. Shrubs had swallowed the former mansion, deer drank by the edge of the open-air swimming pool, squirrels scurried across wooden cabins entwined with vines, foxes darted through the overgrown courtyard..
Deep in the oak grove, the gates of the villa, known as the haunted house, stood wide open. The sound of machinery hummed in the courtyard as an automatic lawnmower trimmed the grass, a black armored vehicle sat in front of the garage.
A plump North American Robin flew out of the house, a cherry in its beak. It circled Colt twice before landing on his left shoulder, rubbing its fluffy little head against his cheek and trying to shove the cherry into his mouth.
Colt took the cherry, wiped it with the hem of his shirt, popped it into his mouth, stroking the little ball of feathers while he ate.
Delicious, fresh goods imported by air freight.
Colt's eyes lit up as he stood at the entrance on a skateboard, peering inside.
The living room was piled high with many boxes of all sizes, Joseph was busy unboxing and organizing supplies. When he looked up and saw Colt, whose clothes didn't fit him properly, his deep blue eyes instantly lit up.
There's a dance at school today, why didn't you stay and play a little longer?
Colt shook his head, spat the cherry pit into his hand, tossed it into the trash can. He didn't speak, but a young person's crisp, bright voice suddenly rang out from the loudspeaker on the wall.
I see you're back. Weren't you supposed to work overtime for three months? It hasn't even been two months.
The project in hand was completed ahead of schedule, so you can take a month off." Joseph waved him over. "You haven't left the house the entire summer, staying in the laboratory the whole time, this skateboard is the result?
Colt gave a light kick with his foot, sending the skateboard toward Joseph.
As a researcher at Wayne, Joseph could tell at a glance that the skateboard was extraordinary. He left the boxes in the living room aside and carefully inspected Colt's skateboard.
A new element for the micro-reactors. Stark even said last time that your core code was a mountain—not fully evolved—and he's already teaching you the practical application of a new element this quickly?
Tony said that if I only study theory without getting my hands dirty, I'll become increasingly rigid. He told me to let loose with my research and blow things up a few more times; it'll make my brain more flexible.
Colt placed the notebook in his arms onto the table and followed Joseph to the basement.
Joseph woke the computer, pulling up a virtual screen with one hand and calling up the experimental logs from the past two months, looking at the handful of alarm records on them.
“You haven't had a single explosion?”
"Manufacturing only begins once simulated runs pass without a single error." Colt followed closely behind Joseph, like a tail.
Joseph nodded, "Prudence."
It should have been a compliment, but his tone didn't sound like it.
Colt saw Joseph pull up a virtual model of the hoverboard, as he zoomed in and out to examine the specifications, his expression grew increasingly serious. "I also made a pair of tracking anklets for the Robin Bird using the same material as the smart flight hoverboard; the micro-batteries can also be wirelessly charged through the hoverboard's power delivery system," he said in a low voice.
"An Arc Reactor as a power source, plasma shielding, thirteen laser nozzles.. Is Stark sending you and the Robin Bird to Arkham to conduct a survey?" Joseph's words were venomous.
Colt, however, breathed a sigh of relief; when Joseph was truly unhappy, he would only remain silent.
The Robin Bird bracelets only have shielding and sedative dart functions; it's normal for the equipment to be more comprehensive. We're in Gotham; if I were to suddenly fully materialize outside one day, the skateboard could protect me.
Stark did teach you a few things," Joseph paused, "You used the Vibranium from the safe.
You said as long as I don't dismantle the main power source, I can use the lab as I please, as long as I keep proper experimental records.
Colt answered very fluently, the voice coming through the speaker at 1.5x speed, as if the answer to the question had been prepared in his mind long ago.
"I also said that using special materials, as well as conducting dangerous experiments, requires prior application." Joseph turned his head to look at Colt.
Colt lowered his head, behaving obediently and honestly.
I've submitted the application report. According to the family rules, if there's no response after more than a day, it's considered a default approval.
"You disabled the laboratory's surveillance system alarms, cut off my email notifications, hid the sent messages, set up an automatic 24-hour deletion for emails to ensure I wouldn't see your application report," Joseph said in a serious tone.
Colt looked up, meeting Joseph's bright eyes: "Did I not do well?"
Very well, being able to follow the program correctly is good enough." Joseph placed his hand gently on Colt's shoulder. "People who are too well-behaved find it hard to survive in Gotham; you can be a bit bolder.
How much are you actually looking forward to my rebellious phase?
Dad, I will pay you back with even more Vibranium," Colt said as he introduced his achievements to Joseph. "I wanted to use Vibranium to create Adamantium, but the finished products made according to the optimal ratio failed to meet the required hardness. Only this Lightweight Memory Alloy was successful; not only did all the theoretical data meet the standards, but it also enhanced the property of Vibranium to absorb kinetic energy..
Many people have tried to replicate Adamantium, without exception, they have all failed. Those foolish researchers in the company's labs, earning tens of millions a year, are only worthy of being your assistants." Joseph asked urgently, "The smart hoverboard was your thesis; did you graduate from Stark's? When did you start learning Quantum Physics from your father? Researching the Hyperdimension is also very interesting.
"Tony said I still have a long way to go," Colt replied in a low voice.
Joseph's expression changed instantly: "You need to get a physical examination."
The physical exam results were excellent, bringing Colt one step closer to being a living person.
“At the current pace, if nothing unexpected happens, you will be fully recovered by the time you turn nineteen.”
Joseph carefully noted down the data and then deleted it completely, as if he were afraid someone would hack into the home computer to peek at Colt's medical records.
Will that day really come?
Colt was very skeptical.
He wasn't looking forward to a full recovery quite that much.
Although Ghost has many limitations, if he remains unseen, he cannot be harmed. If he were just an ordinary person, he certainly wouldn't have been able to survive in dangerous Gotham until now.
Go upstairs, I brought you a back-to-school gift.
Joseph returned to the living room in high spirits, found a small one from a pile of boxes, handed it to Colt.
Colt looked at the size of the box and weighed it in his hand; even without opening it, he knew what was inside.
Batarangs cut straight from the assembly line, the kind that don't even have an edge.
The romance of the engineering men in Gotham: Batarangs are a must-have for school opening gifts, Domino Masks are definitely the go-to for birthday presents, Robin Capes are the standard for Christmas gifts..
Nine years have passed, not a single thing has changed.
No, there were still some changes.
This Batarang was sharpened, it even had Batman's signature on it.
The stylized Batman, with an old-fashioned Gothic aristocratic flair, looked mysterious, cold, terrifying.
Whoa!
Colt tried hard to make his tone sound excited.
Dad is a fan of Batman; although he doesn't interfere with him learning from Iron Man, he has always hoped he would switch to a different idol, such as Batman.
Anyone from Gotham would be a fan of Batman, but Colt is a little afraid of Batman.
I love it, thank you, Daddy.
Author's Note:
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