**Chapter 340: Spying, Fighting, Bead**
"Hey, mister, we're here!"
"Mmm!" John Constantine opened his hazy, sleepy eyes, reached out to rub the sleep from the corner of his eyes, yawned, and looked out the window.
"We're here!" Seeing the imposing Manor gate, John Constantine's consciousness was still a bit blurry.
"Mister, if your Destination is Wayne Manor, then you're in the right place!" The Black Person driver sized up the disheveled Middle-Aged Man whose clothes probably didn't add up to more than three hundred US Dollars, unable to figure out why he would come here.
You have to understand, the Wayne Family is the wealthiest Family in all of Gotham City, bar none. Even the taxi company he worked for was one of the Wayne Family's Industries.
He didn't think this seemingly down-and-out Man could possibly have a connection with the Wayne Family.
"Hey, mister, the fare is fifty US Dollars!" The Black Person driver quickly said, watching John open the Car Door to get out.
While calling out, the Black Person driver quietly opened the Storage Compartment below. A loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic Handgun was always kept there, just in case someone tried to skip out on the fare.
This is Gotham City, after all. You can't be a taxi driver here without a few tricks up your sleeve.
John Constantine glanced back at the Black Person driver's hand, clearly noticing his subtle actions. He pulled open the Car Door himself. Just as the Black Person driver was about to pull out his Handgun, he pulled out a Cigar Box inlaid with Sapphire and diamond chips from his Trench Coat Pocket, tapped out a Cigar, and put it directly in his mouth.
"Don't rush! The person paying will be here soon, you won't miss out on your Tip!" John Constantine glanced back at the Black Person driver, raised his hand, and waved towards the Surveillance camera at the Wayne Manor Gate.
The Black Person driver watched John, leaning against the Car Door and puffing smoke. After thinking for a moment, he ultimately didn't take the Handgun out of the Storage Compartment, but he also didn't withdraw his hand, keeping it on the Handgun's grip.
After about three or four minutes, the electric Gate of Wayne Manor slowly opened. Bruce Wayne, wearing a gray Suit, appeared at the Manor entrance driving a Golf Cart.
"Thanks! Appreciate it!"
Bruce Wayne gently lowered his head and handed a hundred US Dollars Cash bill to the Black Person driver.
The Driver looked at Bruce Wayne with some surprise, then glanced at John Constantine walking towards the Golf Cart. He truly couldn't figure out why two people with such a vast difference in status would know each other.
However, the reason he had been a taxi driver in Gotham City for seven or seven years without incident was because he kept his old man's golden rule firmly in mind: speak less, see less.
This was also the reason he had lived safely and peacefully in Gotham City for decades.
Watching the yellow taxi driver step on the Accelerator and drive away, Bruce Wayne walked directly towards the utility Golf Cart, looking at the drowsy John Constantine sitting in the back seat with an odd gaze.
He raised an eyebrow, "If I wasn't sure you were alone in the hotel yesterday, I'd think you called seven or eight call girls!"
"I Summoned two Hell Succubi to play with me until dawn, is that not allowed!?"
Bruce Wayne was rendered somewhat silent by Constantine's bluntness. He got into the Driver's seat of the Golf Cart and started driving the utility vehicle.
As the top wealthy Family in Gotham City, the Area of the Wayne Family Manor was also one of the largest. It not only had a stable and a Golf Course, but the Garden lawns within the Manor were large enough for an Ordinary Person to walk for tens of minutes. Therefore, Maids and servants usually relied on utility vehicles to get around the Manor.
As the Golf Cart drove into Wayne Manor, the Manor Gate slowly closed.
And tens of meters away from the Gate, on the Treetop, two Ant-sized figures were standing on the leaves.
"Captain! Another one has arrived, looks like it should be John Constantine!"
"John Constantine? Who is he? Is he a Superhero like Batman!?"
Captain America, shrunk into Ant-Man form, looked at Hawkeye beside him. As an Old Relic who had been in slumber for over seventy years, he knew Batman and Superman.
But he didn't know much about John Constantine. After all, when DC Comics created this character, he had already been frozen on the Seabed.
"He's a morally ambiguous person. Based on his performance in the comics, he's considered an Anti-Hero!" Hawkeye, in Ant-Man form, explained to Captain America.
"An Anti-Hero means their intentions are good, but their style of doing things often goes a bit too far!" Hawkeye added.
Captain America nodded, indicating that he understood.
"No matter who he is, once Tony and Natasha Romanoff rescue Star-Lord and get the Quantum Travel Device, we'll leave here! This isn't the Universe we're looking for!"
Hawkeye nodded, but he subconsciously touched the quiver behind him, looking at the Wayne Manor not far away, filled with eagerness to try.
Green Arrow Oliver Queen, he wondered whose archery was superior between the two of them.
"Tony told us to maintain Communication Blackout, is it because that Modified Human called Cyborg has a very strong Ability?"
"Cyborg's body was modified by some Alien Technology. Theoretically, he has the Ability to crack AI Encrypted Communication, that's why Mr. Stark told us to be careful!"
"You seem to know a lot about comics? You like these Things?" Captain America looked at Hawkeye, inexplicably reminded of that Agent who liked collecting his cards.
Hawkeye's gaze suddenly dimmed, "My daughter likes the Superheroes in these comics. Her favorite is Wonder Woman! She thinks she's really cool!"
"Sorry, Barton! I didn't know—" Captain America quickly expressed his apology to Hawkeye.
Hawkeye Barton shook his head, "It's okay, Captain. We're doing all of this to bring back those we lost. I should thank you, thank you for leading us and keeping us from losing confidence!"
Captain America looked at the sad Barton. He glanced at the Wayne Manor not far away and suddenly said to Hawkeye, "Before we leave later, we can go find Wonder Woman and ask for a signed photo. I think when your daughter comes back, she'll like that Gift!"
Hawkeye looked at Captain America, stunned. At this moment, Captain America's face had already turned back, his gaze intently staring at the activity at Wayne Manor.
"Before we leave, can I have an archery competition with Oliver Queen? I've always wanted to know whose archery is better between the two of us!" Seeing Captain America didn't say anything, Hawkeye added, "My daughter wants to know too!"
Captain America had a deadpan expression. The emotion from just now vanished instantly, and he even had the impulse to throw the Shield in his hand.
Give back my emotional moment, you Bastard!
Hawkeye looked at Captain America, who had his back to him, and quietly sighed. He touched the little bear keychain on his waist, a birthday Gift his daughter had given him.
He didn't need anyone's pity. He would find his loved ones again, he definitely would! Bruce Wayne, driving the Golf Cart, didn't head towards the Manor's main building but instead deviated from the main road and drove towards a small path. The bumpy road instantly woke up the drowsy John Constantine.
He rubbed his Forehead and took out the Sapphire-inlaid oak Cigar Box from his brown Trench Coat again. He took out a Cigar from inside, trimmed it, and lit it.
He raised his head, meeting Bruce Wayne's sharp, scrutinizing Gaze in the Rearview mirror.
"Luxury stuff rolled on the thighs of Cuban virgins, have one!"
Bruce Wayne looked at the Sapphire-inlaid oak Cigar Box Constantine handed over. His gaze scanned over the logo formed by the diamond chips on the Cigar Box, and he silently noted it down.
"You know I don't smoke!" Bruce Wayne declined Constantine's kind offer and said instead, "Looking at you, it seems you've struck it rich!"
Bruce Wayne understood his Old Friend. Although he possessed Black Magic Means that were difficult for ordinary people to understand, he was a veritable pauper.
It wasn't that he was poor; the little Money he earned from Exorcism was either spent on buying Magic Weapons, or on drinking, smoking, and call girls. Many times, the Money on him never exceeded a thousand.
As for why Bruce Wayne knew so much, after all, Wayne Enterprises controlled several Banks, and one of them had John Constantine's Bank account! Whether Bruce Wayne acquired the Bank first and then Constantine opened the Account,
or because Constantine opened an Account at this Bank first and Wayne Enterprises subsequently acquired the Bank, that's open to interpretation!
In any case, in Bruce Wayne, the Batman's Encrypted Computer, there was a Watch List. Naturally, the one ranked first was the God Among Men, Superman! However, John Constantine's name had never fallen out of the top five.
After all, this Old Friend could be said to have an extensive Criminal Record. Many Magic Out of Control Incidents were more or less related to him.
Although he had actively invited this Old Friend, John Constantine, to Gotham City this time, to be safe, Bruce Wayne used every means, including two surveillance Satellites and Cameras throughout the city, monitoring every move of this Black Magic Master.
He certainly didn't want to wake up to find Demons wreaking havoc everywhere in Gotham City. Those villains were already enough to give him a Headache!
Therefore, Bruce Wayne knew everything about the little actions John Constantine made at the Gotham Dam after he left.
However, due to his lack of understanding of Dark Magic, he didn't know the intention behind the Magic Array Constantine drew! "You mean this? This is Remuneration given in advance for a favor I promised to do for an Important Figure!"
John Constantine shook the Cigar Box towards Bruce Wayne and put the Cigar Box back inside his Trench Coat.
This Cigar Box wasn't a Normal Cigar Box. Some kind of Space Magic he couldn't understand had been cast upon it; Cigars could be continuously drawn out from inside.
For a heavy smoker like him, he wouldn't trade this Thing for a Divine Artifact. John Constantine closed his eyes slightly while smoking the Cigar, using the Cigar to relieve the swelling sensation in his Head.
The Little Bat monitoring him was within his expectations. He understood this guy; he guarded against all dangers, and even his own people were no exception.
The reason his Head hurt and he was drowsy wasn't because he had actually Summoned two Succubi to party all night, although he had done that before.
He spent the whole night doing Research, trying to find the Magic Mark left on him by the Dimensional Evil God named Tang. But he tried all sorts of magic, from Dark Magic from the time of Solomon to Divine Prayer from Heaven, and even some Demonic Curse Arts, but none succeeded. He even used a Feather plucked from the wing of Archangel Gabriel as a Medium, but still couldn't find the magic Tang had cast upon him.
He didn't leave any means on him? No, that's definitely impossible. Judging others by himself, Constantine didn't believe that guy wouldn't leave a Backup Plan on him. It was just that His means clearly exceeded the scope of his understanding.
And to find Curse Magic cast by an Evil God or Demon, based on his years of experience immersed in the field of magic, he first needed to know the Origin of that Tang.
"Perhaps, I should find some time to go to The East another day. I remember Zatanna saying her mentor was a mystic scholar from The East!"
John Constantine touched the string of translucent Bone Beads on his Wrist, remembering a certain Hybrid Witch he had met during an Exorcism.
He felt he should take a trip to The East. Perhaps there were records about Tang in Eastern Mysticism.
The Golf Cart drove along the small path towards the back of the Manor. There was a Waterfall there, and behind the Waterfall was the location of the Batcave.
Neither Bruce Wayne nor John Constantine noticed that two little Things, like flying ants, were closely following behind the white Golf Cart.
"We searched all over the Manor but couldn't find Star-Lord. Looks like he's hidden in the Batcave!"
The shrunk-down Black Widow had Thrusters loaded under her feet, following beside Iron Man in Ant-Man form.
"Tony, it's hard to imagine that people from comics actually exist. Do you think it's possible that we're also people from a comic story!? Superheroes, Iron Man, and the Avengers, this kind of setting is too similar to comics!"
A hint of confusion flashed in Black Widow's eyes. If she was truly a comic created by someone, she somewhat didn't understand the meaning of her life.
She received inhuman training in the Red Room, served the fallen empire for over ten years, then joined S.H.I.E.L.D., working hard for so-called World Peace, her hands stained with the Blood of countless people.
She even sacrificed the right to be a mother for this.
She was different from Tony Stark and Hawkeye; they had their own families, but her? She had nothing at all!
Now, to be told that everything she had done was just a story created by others, it was somewhat difficult for her to accept.
"Comics? I don't think anyone could create someone as smart as Tony Stark," Tony, in Ant-Man form, noticed Natasha Romanoff's tone was a bit off. He said comfortingly, "The Knowledge I possess, and the Iron Suit and Arc Reactor I created, I don't think a bunch of Nerds who draw comics have that kind of Knowledge! They can't even figure out middle school Physics."
"Hmm, perhaps the stories from our World were captured by the surface consciousness of people from other Universes, and they recorded this Information in the form of comics, which then became comics!"
"Just like here, this Wayne Manor. If this were truly a comic World, wouldn't we have traveled from a three-dimensional World to a two-dimensional World? That's fundamentally impossible in Physics!"
With Tony Stark's comfort, Natasha Romanoff finally felt much better. She then looked at the Golf Cart driving ahead and asked curiously, "Tony, why don't we just find Batman and explain that this is all a misunderstanding? After all, in DC Comics, Batman and the Justice League he represents have always been on the side of Justice!"
Tony Stark was silent for a moment: "We can't Trust Things from comics. And whether Bruce Wayne is a good person or not, the Pym Particles and Ant-Man Suit cannot fall into his hands. We can't gamble the Safety of our Universe on one person's character, even though he is Batman!"
"I understand!" Natasha Romanoff nodded.
Tony Stark looked at the Golf Cart not far away, watching the back of the person in the Driver's seat. His gaze was a bit deep. There was another reason Tony Stark didn't tell Natasha Romanoff.
He saw a reflection of himself in Bruce Wayne. He had a feeling that they were the same kind of person.
Even if they revealed their identity, given Batman's personality of guarding against everything, he would definitely secretly keep a Backup of the Pym Particles as a Contingency Plan, in case he researched and developed quantum travel.
Considering the endless Super Villains that appear in DC Comics, who knows, maybe one day this Technology would fall into the hands of those Super Villains, and their already ravaged Universe would become even more dangerous.
Therefore, they absolutely had to retrieve the Ant-Man Suit and Pym Particles this time. Tony Stark stared intently at Bruce Wayne.
His Gaze was so Burning that Bruce Wayne, holding the Steering Wheel, subconsciously turned his Head. Behind him, besides a patch of Bushes and Flowers too short to hide in, it was empty. There wasn't even half a figure.
Gotham City's Canary Restaurant. At noon, there was an endless stream of diners.
"Today's pasta is Lemon and vanilla soup with squid ravioli, sheep's milk shortbread, and arugula Caesar salad. The main courses are swordfish terrine with onion Jam, medium-rare roasted quail breast with blackberry sauce, sorrel-filled baked pie, grilled wild rabbit meat on a base of French Fries, and red snapper with violet and pine nut base."
A waiter in a white uniform and black tie, with a humble and polite Smile, announced today's special dishes. The background sound was a melodious violin played live.
Looking around, under the soft Lights, gentlemen in Suits were meticulously styled, their Watches inadvertently peeking out from their cuffs, displaying their function of showing off wealth in addition to telling Time.
As for the ladies, they were dressed up elaborately, smiling sweetly. Wearing black lace gloves, they took out slender ladies' Cigarettes from cigarette cases, lit them, and tossed their hair back, revealing their slender, fair collarbones to the gentlemen.
In a corner of the Canary Restaurant, in a spot with the widest view, behind a dining table, a fat-looking Middle-Aged Man was surrounded by a group who were clearly Gang members.
This Man was wearing a Tuxedo Suit and a Pitch black top hat. He had a fat build and a severely hunched back. His Head was pointed at the top and wide at the bottom, like a Squash. His extremely sharp hooked nose almost touched his lips, and a gold-rimmed monocle was perched on the bridge of his nose.
Yet, no one in the Restaurant dared to mock this Man's appearance. No one even dared to take an extra look in that Direction, lest it cause him a misunderstanding.
The Penguin, Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, a born deformed child, was born into the gradually declining Cobblepot Family. Starting as an Umbrella Boy, through intrigue and scheming, open strife and veiled struggle, factionalism and exclusion, stepping on Skeletal Remains step by step, he finally climbed to the position of leader of the Gotham Gangs. His inspirational level could be called the Gotham version of Helen Keller.
After becoming the rule maker of the Gotham Underworld, the Penguin didn't rest on his laurels. He entered the business world, transforming the originally messy and dilapidated slums into the Diamond District, symbolizing high-end leisure and entertainment. His Iceberg Lounge was even the city's premier Luxury consumption venue—and this was just a Cover for money laundering.
Later, the Penguin entered politics. Relying on means of political maneuvering like wooing and bribing, blackmail and Threats, as well as carefully packaged campaign slogans, he quickly won the previous Gotham City Mayor election.
However, times changed. This Mr. Cobblepot, who combined sinister cruelty with solemn majesty, was still defeated by Batman, pulled down from the Mayor's Throne, and locked into Arkham Asylum.
After his Subordinate found a way to get him out, the Penguin, feeling he was outdated, gradually retired. He no longer cared about Gang affairs, just staying in his own Territory to live out his retirement peacefully, regularly appearing in his Territory every day, eating meals, and listening to music.
At this moment, judging by the Gang members standing before the Penguin's table, trembling with fear like schoolchildren being punished for making mistakes and not daring to breathe loudly, this Penguin's Influence in the Gotham City Underworld had not weakened in the slightest.
"I heard my Bar was trashed last night! I need an Explanation. Could it be that Gotham City has forgotten the Cobblepot Family?"
Sweat poured down the Forehead of a Bald Big man standing beside him. He bowed ninety degrees: "Leader, it's not that we didn't want to intervene, it was that crazy woman Harley Quinn. She got into a fight with a Woman in the Bar!"
"Harley Quinn..." The Penguin scratched his fat double chin. "Who was the Woman fighting her? Was she caught?"
The Penguin was still quite fearful of Harley Quinn, or rather, the Madman Behind her. After all, he had many Industries in Gotham, and that Madman who liked playing with explosions had no scruples.
It wasn't that he was cowardly, he just didn't want to wake up one day and receive a Time Bomb.
However, the Penguin naturally couldn't show any cowardice in front of his Subordinate. He subtly steered the conversation to the other Woman.
The Bald Big man quietly wiped the sweat from his Head: "Leader, the Woman fighting Harley Quinn was Catwoman. You know, there have always been rumors on the streets that she's Batman's mistress, so we, we..."
"So you just watched my Bar get trashed by the two of them!"
At the mention of Batman, the Penguin felt a surge of annoyance. The little Lamb on the Plate in front of him was mangled by his Knife and Fork, which scraped against the porcelain, making harsh sounds.
The Leader beside him all lowered their heads, not daring to look at the Penguin, whose face was gradually turning ferocious!
"Why were they Fighting? It can't be that they were fighting over a man!"
"It was a string of White Beads! The two of them fought fiercely. Harley Quinn pulled Catwoman's hair loose, and Catwoman scratched several marks on Harley Quinn's face—"
The reason those guarding the Territory didn't intervene was partly because watching two beautiful women rolling around and Fighting together was a small part of it. After all, what Man could refuse the sight of two beautiful women wrestling together, pulling clothes and grabbing hair?
"White Beads, jewelry!" The Penguin's eyes narrowed.
"Leader, Catwoman is an extremely picky jewel thief. The Value of the Things she sets her sights on...!" A Leader stepped forward and said.
"And I heard that Harley Quinn was dumped by that person!"
"Is that Information accurate?"
"It's said that Harley Quinn said it herself after getting drunk!"
Hearing his Subordinate's words, the Knife and Fork in the Penguin's hand paused. His eyes narrowed, and a cold light flashed on his monocle. "Send out our men, find Harley Quinn! I want that string of beads. In Gotham City, no one can trash my Territory! Not even the Joker!"
(end of chapter)