Colt walked a few steps away and appeared from behind the party tree, "I'm here."
The Armory grabbed Colt's sleeve and dragged him away, shouting, "Red Robin, I'm borrowing your boyfriend, I'll give him back to you later!"
Timothy glanced in the direction they had left, then walked unhurriedly toward the game room.
Colt was pressed in front of the game console, controller in hand, rapidly calculating values in his mind. He didn't switch characters; he simply reset his stats and reallocated them, then decisively defeated his opponent, before turning to ask the Armory, who was staring at him.
Is that so?
The Armory clapped enthusiastically, nodding toward several underage young vigilantes nearby. "A bet is a bet. Don't say you don't have time when I call you for missions."
“If you didn't beat it yourself, it doesn't count.” The kids pushed past Armory and crowded around Colt, calling him 'big brother' enthusiastically and asking him if he had any walkthroughs.
Colt didn't have a walkthrough. By the time he finished writing one on the spot, he found that the Armory had already vanished, he had become the only adult in the game room. The Armory wasn't meant for playing games with him; it was meant to find him to act as a babysitter!
Colt didn't hate children, he patiently answered their questions. Even when people mistook him for a real Ghost and asked him what the afterlife was like, he didn't get angry.
Vigilantes, even those who are minors, all have tragic backgrounds; very few have both parents.
Colt told them about the situation in the Soul World and used a holographic projection to show the street scenes of the Soul World, explaining that after death, life simply undergoes a change in form. Even if a soul dies, it does not completely vanish; as long as someone remembers them, as long as traces of their existence remain in this world, they are effectively living in another world.
What about the bad guys?" someone asked. "Do bad guys live in the Soul World after they die? Can they continue to do evil things and bully good people even after death?
Colt was not stumped; instead, he used the light screen to display a mind map.
"That brings us to Heaven and Hell.." Colt told them that human souls are simply divided into three types based on the good and evil they committed in life: a small number of good people, a small number of bad people, the vast majority of ordinary people who were neither good nor bad.
Extremely good people go to Heaven, extremely evil people go to Hell.
Ordinary people can choose to go to Heaven or Hell based on their beliefs and connections during their lifetime, but once they go to Heaven or Hell, they can never leave again. However, if they remain in the Soul World, the gates between the Soul World and reality open every Halloween, giving souls the chance to visit their loved ones in reality through the remembrance of the living.
The complex mind map made the children's heads spin; they could only understand the parts they wanted to hear, such as being able to see their loved ones on Halloween.
Colt wanted to explain in more detail, but the children were showing signs of academic burnout, drooping like wilted vegetables after a frost, as if their souls had been snatched away.
"Ahem." Timothy cleared his throat as he stood by the door of the game room.
Red Robin, are you looking for Ghost?
The kids immediately stood at attention and filed out politely in a queue. The last person carefully closed the door, followed by the sound of messy, frantic footsteps running away.
Colt sized up Timothy.
Everyone was in their nighttime attire today. Red Robin was as good-looking as ever, bearing no resemblance to a fierce or menacing figure. However, wherever he went, he moved like a dean patrolling the halls; his deterrent effect among the younger generation was comparable to Batman's status within the Justice League.
"Why would they be afraid of you?" Colt asked curiously.
"After today, they'll be afraid of you too." Timothy shook the paper bag in his hands.
I get it. They're afraid of you because you'll make them write mission reports. They're afraid of me because they don't want to attend class." Colt took a Tiramisu out of the paper bag, discovered it was a low-sugar version, happily gave Tim a kiss. "The mind map is fourth-grade knowledge, the formulas used in the data tables don't exceed the seventh-grade level. The content is the Soul World, which interests them. Am I not being simple and easy enough to understand?
I'm certain that mind maps are part of the tenth-grade literature elective curriculum, the mathematical formulas you used are twelfth-grade level," Timothy suggested. "Next time, use something even a kindergartner could understand.
Colt confused Gotham's curriculum with that of his hometown, but it didn't matter.
They aren't as stupid as you think.
Timothy shook his head. "It's not that they're stupid; it's just that normal people don't like mind maps and mathematical formulas. If you switched to gaming terminology, they might actually be able to learn, but I don't think they'll be coming to ask you for guidance again."
Colt found mind maps very convenient, found mathematical formulas quite interesting as well.
Tim felt the same way, but he didn't look for Colt to discuss academic matters: "Jason has prepared a lot of fireworks. We'll go to the rooftop to watch when they start setting them off."
As soon as the door to the game room opened, Damian's roar could be heard from the hallway, "Who took my Tiramisu.."
Tim's footsteps faltered as he turned to Colt and said, "Pull me into your Ghost."
Colt popped the last bite of Tiramisu into his mouth, glanced at the paper bag Timothy was holding, caused both of them to vanish on the spot.
“I didn't know it was his,” Timothy explained softly, meeting Colt's knowing smile, then sighing, “Fine, I knew he was planning to take it to the Batcave to eat with Little Jo, but snacking is forbidden in the Batcave, I was only trying to prevent him from making a mistake. Don't you think Damian has decent taste in food? Besides, he wouldn't poison food that he intends to share with friends.”
“Why do you know he wouldn't poison food he's sharing with friends?” Colt pinpointed the exact issue. “Have you actually tasted food he was eating himself and found it was poisoned?”
Timothy could only say, "Fighting over food is just part of the daily training in the Wayne family, Damian just happens to be doing poison resistance training."
Colt nodded. "He has thought about killing you; you're just stealing his food, which is already quite friendly."
Tim thanked Colt for his understanding, the two of them climbed onto the roof just in time to see the fireworks blooming.
The food Damian chose was indeed excellent, especially the fruit; every single piece was perfectly ripe. Colt and Tim enjoyed the meal immensely, they even left a small cluster of grapes for Birdie.
Colt rested his head on Timothy's lap, watching the fireworks bloom, watching Timothy, who was bathed in the glow of the fireworks.
Why does he look so good, even from the perspective of death?
Timothy used his fingers to comb through Colt's messy bangs, his fingertips lingering at the corner of his eyes as he asked softly, "What are you thinking about?"
He has been asking this question a lot lately; it turns out even a detective can become insecure due to the fear of loss.
“I was wondering how lively Gotham would get if the Bat-Signal went up.” Colt reached out to touch the spare Hearing Aid on Timothy's ear; that elven-style thing suited a good-looking person very well. Colt's fingers slid up, hooking around Timothy's neck, while he slightly tilted his head.
He closed the distance between them and kissed Timothy's lips amidst the magnificent fireworks.
I really wish time could stop at this moment.
Chapter 68
As the fireworks dissipated, the guests also scattered like fireworks, the people from Superman's side stayed behind to help clean up the scene before leaving.
The Bat Family prepared for their night patrol.
Colt wanted to go out on patrol with Red Robin, but Batman specifically ordered Ghost to stay in the Batcave to be responsible for information support.
Isn't information support Oracle's job?
Colt glanced at Barbara, who was wearing the Batgirl uniform, remembering that she had already resumed night operations as Batgirl a month ago.
Batman did not wait for Colt's answer and directly issued commands to the others. Each Bat was assigned a patrol area. However, Red Robin has school tomorrow, so he is not allowed to participate in night patrols. As a daytime Bat, Beacon does not participate in regular night patrols either, but he can stay in the Batcave to perform logistical work and must go upstairs to sleep before 23:00.
Alfred said he was an old man with little need for sleep, stayed behind to instruct Colt on how to operate the Batcomputer console.
"New account login detected, identity verification successful. Hello, Ghost. Brother Eye is now open to you. Please issue your commands." The voice of the Batcomputer's AI assistant was a gentle female voice.
Alfred taught Colt how to access the citywide surveillance system, which programs could be used to view the nearest Safe House, which programs were responsible for the remote control of the Batmobile, Batwing, drones, so on..
Colt watched the moving colored dots on the large screen, each dot representing a Bat Vigilante. He could control their movement routes through commands, guiding their actions.
This wasn't just some lightweight player controlling a character.
Colt only felt the heavy weight of trust pressing down on his shoulders; before he could even feel excited, he had already thrown himself into work mode with tension.
The Quantum Terminal simulated a map of Gotham, loading everyone's mobile locations and linking to the Brother Eye Bat-Alert big data model.. Colt handled multiple processes simultaneously, using the locations and patrol sectors of all the Bats to notify each person to head to different locations to stop crimes or rescue others.
It was a relatively peaceful night, with no Super Villains causing trouble, the members of the Bat Family began returning to the Batcave one after another just after midnight. Alfred and Duke had already gone upstairs to rest, while Cassandra shared a hug with Colt, who was staying behind to watch over the Batcave.
"Great teamwork," the Orphan said.
"Thank you." Colt understood why Timothy said Cassandra was a kind angel; she was truly wonderful.
“Since tonight could be one of the smoothest patrols of the year, why did you think I should enter through the front door to stop the deal?” Stephanie said, hugging Colt and Cassandra together.
Based on my calculations, entering through the main entrance has a higher success rate than breaking through a window or infiltrating through the vents." Colt handed over two printed documents. "These are your mission reports from tonight; the digital copies have been sent to your Bat-encrypted email addresses.
I really love you, Ghost. If you break up with Red Robin, please be sure to consider me.." The Red Robin motorcycle sped into the Batcave, Stephanie instantly changed her tune: "Consider continuing to be responsible for our information support. Red Robin, please stay with Ghost forever.
Thanks, we will," Timothy said as he climbed off the Red Robin motorcycle. "I hope you don't fail any of your classes this year.
Stephanie rolled her eyes the moment studying was mentioned: "I must be crazy to have chosen university! Freshman year is already this grueling, how am I supposed to survive the next three years! English is literally my native language, yet I still failed the CET-4!!"
It'll be fine. Once you fail all your classes, you'll realize the CET-4 isn't even that important." Returning with Red Robin, Dick squeezed into the group hug, patting Stephanie's shoulder to comfort her, before embracing Colt and praising him loudly: "Tonight was amazing, Ghost. You helped me achieve the efficiency record of handling 18 missions within two hours.
Dick's strength was truly immense; the reputation of the strongman Red Robin was well-deserved.
Colt's arms and legs were trapped in his clothes, his body held by Dick, as he used his Spiritual Power to wrap a document and shove it toward Dick. "Don't mention it, this is your mission report; the electronic version has been sent to your Bat-encrypted email."
Dick held the report, which only required a signature, was so moved that his eyes welled with tears. "I truly love you, Colt. If you break up with Little T, please, you must.."
Timothy couldn't take it anymore and snapped at Dick, "Do what?"
“I'll have to think long and hard about marrying you.” Dick laughed heartily when he saw Tim's expression change, then he spread his arms and took Stephanie and Cassandra by their shoulders, leading them upstairs.
"They're doing it on purpose," Timothy muttered.
Colt handed a document to Tim, "Your mission report."
Tim looked at the one in his hands, then at the remaining three on the console. "Jason, Barbara.. I thought this one was yours, but it's actually Batman's? Did you write them for everyone?"
There is a fixed format; you only need to fill in the data and events. Generating text directly from the contents of the Body Cam is quite simple, even a detailed, itemized log meets the requirements for archival summarization. The remaining review and reflection still need to be done personally." Colt opened an unfinished electronic report. "But I don't know how to write my own report.
Barbara went home, Jason also returned to the Iceberg Club. Batman's location was trailing behind Jason; they were likely going to discuss the issues regarding the smuggling routes Jason had recently taken over.
Timothy and Colt were squeezed into the Batcomputer chairs. "There's a fixed format; you only need to fill in the data and events. What else don't you know?"
Ghost's mission report was extremely detailed, including how many commands were issued tonight, how many times communication was established with the GCPD, even recording the reaction time of every Bat after receiving a command, precise down to the millisecond.
“Such a detailed report, without a single curse word; Batman will be moved. I can't find anything that needs improvement.” Tim thought for a moment. "I get it. As a mission report, the detailed data and content are sufficient, but you want to give Batman a report with more warmth, right?"
Only Timothy truly understands him!
Colt nodded. "This report is as precise and detailed as something written by Smart; it meets the standards for archival summarization. But since this is your first group activity and your first mission report, it's quite meaningful. I hope it has a bit more personal style."
Precision and detailed content are your personal style," Timothy remarked, then opened a new document. "There's nothing that needs modifying; we'll just add a Summary Report directly.
“Summarize what?” Colt placed his hands on the keyboard, his thick gloves tapping the keys lightly as he typed [Summary Report].
Summarize your psychological journey." Timothy pulled Colt onto his lap, resting his chin on Colt's shoulder. "Whether it's Penny One, Red Robin, or Oracle, when we provide information support, we only provide full-scale remote assistance upon receiving a request from the other party; otherwise, we only proactively inquire and intervene when a situation is critical.
Colt was puzzled: "Alfred asked me to optimize your patrol routes and improve your efficiency, telling me not to blindly follow the crime levels in the Bat-Warning System, but to independently discern which matters require Vigilante intervention and which can be reported directly to the GCPD to handle.. Doesn't Oracle do it that way?"
“Only you can handle multi-threading at the same time.” Timothy kissed Colt's ear. “You've done a great job; Stephen, Cassandra, Dick all really like your arrangements, Barbara also asked me to express her thanks to you at the end, Jason said something similar, I believe Batman did as well. Alright, let's start with a summary: why did you have Orphan handle this domestic violence case, instead of Nightwing, who was closer?”
Colt composed himself and answered seriously, "Because the victim is female, she might feel resistance toward a male like Nightwing. On the other hand, Orphan is quiet and reserved; her calmness makes it easier to gain the victim's trust, helping the victim escape the state of panic sooner."
Then why did you have Red Hood escort that lady through Crime Alley on her way home, instead of going to that warehouse just a street away to stop the underground deal?
Colt: "The East End is within Red Hood's patrol area. I checked that lady's identity; she is a single mother with two children, which is why she was willing to risk working overtime. Her young children attend the elementary school in the neighborhood managed by Red Hood, she has a positive impression of him; her online comments also tend to view Red Hood as a hero of Gotham, so she wouldn't be afraid of him. The goods in the underground transaction were harmless anti-inflammatory drugs; although, according to American law, this is a more serious crime than trafficking drugs, Red Hood wouldn't stop it even if he saw it. Furthermore, there were two homeless men lying in that dark alley, the data models calculated a 60% probability that they would attack that lady."
Timothy continued his questioning, 'You let the Jester go after the port deal all by himself. Usually, a mid-sized deal involving armed parties requires at least two people to handle it. Why didn't you notify me, even though I was only five kilometers away?'
Colt replied, "They were trading combat robots. During the field test, the robots were powered on and connected to the network, which allowed me to control them remotely; I could act as the main attacker. Jester wasn't confident enough in her own skills, but I believe she is strong enough, with a success rate of over 70% when fighting alone, she did indeed succeed."
What about having Batman talk his runaway kid into coming home?" Timothy asked. "If Batman hadn't wasted an hour and a half in the park, Nightwing wouldn't have had to cover two patrol zones and work through the night without a break.
Colt replied, "Tonight is relatively calm. There are no Super Villains causing trouble that require Batman's deployment, minor robberies or thefts can be handled by anyone. Of course, I could also have Nightwing take responsibility for the child; I believe that with Nightwing's infectious personality, he could comfort a child who decided to run away from home because of their parents' divorce. But that child likes Batman; he was hugging a Batman plushie, he would much rather see Batman. Tim, he is only six years old, yet he was able to run to the park outside the community all by himself with a dog; he is very smart and was lucky enough. Batman hugged him and gave him a Batman candy, just like we used to do when we were kids."