..
Colt could hardly recognize moonlight, roses, or gems, he lay with a throbbing head atop a thick encyclopedia of niche languages, his mind wandering far away.
He still preferred dealing with numbers! Mathematics was never this ambiguous!
Birdie was dancing on Colt's head.
Colt slowly climbed up, rubbing his aching wrists, counted the manuscripts in his hands; there were already more than double the minimum of ten.
The camera was steady, the monitor was almost there too.
Colt moved the Red Robin monitor, aiming it at the computer screen, continued playing white noise water sounds, then headed off to prepare dinner while dealing with Birdie.
Lunch was too casual, so he needed to have something good for dinner.
Colt fried himself three steaks, cooked some salt and pepper broccoli, made a vegetable salad with lettuce and cucumber. Then, he prepared a strawberry, some corn kernels, a few sunflower seeds, a small pile of oats for Birdie.
Eating while watching television was a tradition in Little Reed's family; Birdie stepped on the remote, switching the television to the Gotham news channel.
The host was reporting on the school shooting at Gotham.
An incident with three dead and eight injured is not worth much fanfare in Gotham, but since it happened inside a school and involved military-grade weapons, the impact is somewhat significant. Angry parents are calling for protests to storm City Hall.
Then there was the incident where a certain councilman was hung from a GCPD lamp post by Batman; Wayne Financial Holdings Gotham Bank, Bruce Wayne, to celebrate his daughter's admission to her dream university, announced that the interest rate for Wayne Student Loans would be lowered to 3.3%, the lowest in the country; Killer Croc escaped, citizens are advised to call the police immediately if they notice any unusual activity in the sewers..
Finally, some entertainment news.
Yesterday afternoon, Bruce Wayne attended a charity auction at the Iceberg Restaurant and sold himself.
Wow, that's my dear little Bruce.
But the thought that the one being auctioned off was also Batman, uh.. Penguin, you're on your own!
Colt swallowed the last bite of broccoli, finished his milk, climbed onto the Gotham underground forum to look for detailed intelligence.
The news media didn't dare to be too explicit, but the Gotham forums had omnipotent netizens uploading live videos from the scene, complete with commentary.
Gotham's sweetheart has reached middle age, her value has only grown more expensive; in her twenties, a hundred thousand could buy her a night, but now, the starting bid is a million.
Participants in the auction included local socialites, entertainment stars, rising business elites, Red Hood..
Red Hood?
Oh, Red Hood came to shake things up; with a gun pressed against Penguin's head, he not only saved Gotham's sweetheart but also snatched a batch of pharmaceutical raw materials from Penguin.
Talented netizens have already written smutty stories about [Red Hood x Gotham Sweetheart], but even more people are clamoring that Bruce belongs to Batman, that Batman will definitely reclaim his Patron from Red Hood.
This is very consistent with the sentiment in Gotham.
All of Gotham knows that Wayne is Batman's patron, knows that Wayne is willing to support an entire Justice League for Batman—Superman is just a side dish!
Wayne is different from Luthor next door; Luthor spends every single day wanting to knock Superman down and give Superman children—a pure, twisted anti-fan.
Wayne's relationship with Batman is very healthy, Gotham-style healthy.
Colt used to be a Bat-fan, he still is now, Narcissus likes him quite a lot too.
However, Colt was more curious whether Red Hood had taken a liking to Penguin.
He was talking about Penguin's Iceberg Lounge; otherwise, why would Red Hood happen to show up at the auction during the day? It couldn't possibly be to watch Bruce's sweetheart's joke, or to coordinate with Batman to save someone, right?
Colt wiped his mouth and used the Quantum Terminal to go online and contact the Armory.
[Ghost: You there?]
【Armory: I'm here, I'm here, I'm here! Buddy! You're finally online! That anti-gravity model you provided last time—I copied it and installed it on a motorcycle, it successfully made my brother's motorcycle fly for fifteen minutes! I've sent you the detailed data! This design is great in every way, except the energy consumption is too high and it doesn't last long enough. My brother crashed, now I have to compensate him for his beloved Sisyphus! 】
【Ghost: The Micro Reactor will cost extra. 】
[Armory: I have money. My brother recently got a new daddy, he has plenty of black cards! Ghost, the King of the Hideout who controls the mountain stronghold's technology, have you extracted the data model for the Arc Reactor? When can I perform the replication test?]
【Ghost: It's already been dismantled. I showed the data model to Iron Man, he supports us innovating, but we can't use his technology for profit.】
[Armory: We're all tech enthusiasts here. Even if you don't trust my character, you should at least trust my business acumen in blowing through all my brothers' black cards!]
【Ghost: I've sent the data packet to you. I can provide the synthetic new element used in the Arc Reactor. You'd better file a report with Iron Man before you use it; he thinks you are very creative in weapons manufacturing. 】
[Armory: You flatter me. Compared to his father's generation, it's just child's play.]
[Ghost: Do you want Vibranium?]
[Armory: I do! Although my brother's wallet is only enough to replicate an Arc Reactor, I can make him take a few more foster fathers, or find my brother's brother to borrow money from!]
【Ghost: Penguin has received a new batch of Vibranium, which he plans to auction off secretly next month. 】
【Armory!! 】
【Ghost: I can give you a portion of the goods I ordered. 】
[Armory: Why is your shipment being auctioned off in secret? Don't have the money for the balance? Did Penguin stiff you? How much is the difference? Vibranium is so expensive; if it's too much, even my brothers couldn't afford it.]
【Ghost: Is Red Hood eyeing Penguin's assets? 】
【Armory..】
【Ghost: I will give you detailed intelligence on the Iceberg Lounge. According to the rules of Gotham, once he takes over the Iceberg Lounge, he must give me at least ten percent of the profits. Vibranium is already mine, so that is not included. 】
[Armory: Fine, I've been in Gotham lately, so he won't rob me. If you have new technology that needs testing, come find me next time. I can sell my brothers to support our research!]
【Ghost: Are you really not afraid that Red Hood will kill you?】
[Armory: My brother is just stubborn, he's actually very kind-hearted! I sent him texts about how he's so poor he'd have to sell himself to his wealthy father and wealthy brother, he didn't even beat me to death. Instead, he even gave me the money sent by his wealthy father and wealthy brother to fund my research!]
【Ghost: Don't sleep too soundly tonight. I heard a whole shipment of weapons Black Mask recently bought was intercepted by Red Hood, he also bought Sting missiles. Be careful he doesn't shell your window in the middle of the night. 】
[Armory: That won't happen. At most, he'll throw incendiary shells into the toilet while I'm using it!]
【Ghost..】
Colt packaged the intelligence from the Iceberg Lounge and sent it to Armory, including guard distributions, detailed internal structures, the location of the underground vault, more.
[Armory: Wow, compared to equipment design, you're better suited as an information broker. I believe you'll be able to get your Vibranium soon. How should I deliver it to you?]
[Ghost: Give it to Red Robin.]
[Armory.. Brother, even if Red Robin used ten black cards to keep you as a mistress, you wouldn't forget me, right?]
Colt picked a data packet and sent it to him.
【Ghost: This is the formula for improving the magnetic field confinement of the energy cannon. Theoretically, it can reduce the energy consumption of the energy shells fired within one second in the air to 2%. You should test it out when you have the chance. It's a gift, no charge, just give me some feedback after the test. 】
[Armory: Love you, brother.]
Colt and Armory had been working together for two years, having developed a certain level of trust and rapport.
He knew that Armory was Red Hood's brother, Green Arrow's former student, a member of the Outlaws and Young Justice. Armory also knew that he was Iron Man's student and the equipment designer for the Young Robin Group.
Armory has alien technology supporting him; as long as he has a data model, he can rapidly handcraft equipment.
Colt did not have enough funds or facilities to support his production of physical equipment; some technologies that were not suitable for his father to bring into the company for experimentation were all commissioned to the Armory for testing.
More importantly, the Armory's ingenious ideas always gave him inspiration.
Colt set aside his concerns regarding Vibranium, dismantled graphite rods from the waste batteries, slowly ground them into bullets, letting the surging passion in his heart settle.
Drip
The home intelligent defense system sounded an alarm.
Colt saw the red figure on the monitor, popped a lollipop into his mouth for a quick energy boost, cheerfully rushed upstairs, stopping by the study window.
Tsk, he's actually breaking in through the window!
He's going to install a water gate on every single window tomorrow!
Red Robin brushed the leaves off his body, sniffed the cool scent of mint on his hands, carefully opened the window.
Colt's smart security system had been upgraded; he couldn't hack into the surveillance system even after spending five minutes, so he chose another way to infiltrate. As a result, he ran into three traps in just five steps, he had been hit by three bullets along the way.
One was a pile of leaves, one was a caterpillar, one was mint water.
Colt's personality hadn't changed; he was still as lively as he was when he was a child.
Red Robin lightly pulled aside the curtain, only to be met with an expressionless ghost face. There were no eyes within the dark, hollow sockets, the infrared night vision showed no one in front of him; Red Robin nearly let out a scream!
Colt took off his Halloween ghost mask and gave a slight nod to the stiff Red Robin. Although there was no smile on his face, the smugness in his eyes was practically bursting out!
Ha! That's what you get for prying into windows! Scared, weren't you!
Red Robin was indeed startled, but after recovering, he let out a smile and relaxed completely.
He showed no sign of embarrassment at being caught. Instead, he grabbed the Birdie that was lunging at him, leaped lightly into the room, cleared his throat, began lecturing him seriously, "Colt, whether you're home or not, you must keep the doors and windows locked. That is common sense in Gotham, known by everyone."
Colt looked the uninvited late-night visitor up and down: "You're lecturing me on common sense?"
To make it easier for Birdie to come and go, his bedroom window was left slightly open.
Normally, it was indeed not very safe, but he had his own anti-theft measures, his home had never been burglarized or robbed so far.
Colt was certain that he had only opened the bedroom window, the study window was definitely closed.
In Gotham's humid weather, even during the autumn, which is called the dry season, the central air conditioning needs to run twenty-four hours a day to dehumidify and prevent mold from growing on old books. How could the study's windows not be locked!
Red Robin looked as clean and tidy tonight as if he had just stepped out of a dryer, smelling fresh with mint, his face glowing, even his utility belt was polished to a shine.
Things that reflect light in the dark are easy targets for enemies; just who is the one lacking common sense here?
Colt rescued Birdie from Red Robin's hands.
Birdie flapped its wings and circled Red Robin once before landing on Colt's shoulder, cocking its tail and shaking the crest on its head to show off the feathers it had just washed during the day.
The bird's molting period had passed, its new feathers grown for the winter were fluffy and bright, as red as a ball of fire.
A sense of déjà vu arose.
Colt patted Birdie, chewed the hard candy in his mouth, looked toward the Bat-Signal in the distance.
What he wanted to say was written all over his face: now was not the time for chatting, the GCPD was calling for Batman!
Red Robin shrugged. "You know how hypnotic White Noise is; I have to deal with any potential threats that might make me let my guard down before my patrol."
Colt glared at him: "You can turn off the eavesdropping channel."
Red Robin didn't catch the disapproving look; his gaze was fixed on the lollipop Colt was holding in his mouth.
There was a tiny bat at the bottom of the lollipop stick.
Colt caught Red Robin's gaze and grabbed several homemade lollipops from the drawer, handing them over.