20 Chapter 20: Pretending

At this time, it was the hour of the night.

Outside Gotham City looks like a wasteland-like area of the Narrows, near the river in a remote area, several oddly dressed people were busy.

"It's hard to imagine that there's a magically protected building in such a chaotic place," said a woman wearing a tuxedo and top hat, daring fishnet stockings, and high heels, shining like an entertainer ready to take the stage. She looked at the three-story apartment building standing in the night.

She waved her magic wand and exclaimed, "This is as magical as building an aerial garden in the center of the Sahara Desert."

"What's even more magical is that Batman didn't even notice such a dangerous item in his own city before," said a guy holding a cigarette with his hands in his pockets, intentionally dragging out his words.

As he spoke, this jerk was still looking at Batman, standing like a statue beside him with a sideways glance.

"Okay, John," said the black long-haired girl, sighing helplessly when she heard her ex-boyfriend speak rudely about Gotham's local hero.

She turned around and said, "If you have time to complain, why don't you help me dismantle the barrier in front of us? It's protected by magic I've never seen before, and I need time to study it."

"Zatanna, it's not the time for studying now. Please contain your research desires," said the man with a cigarette, unkempt beard, and messy hair, as the night wind blew up his khaki-colored windbreaker coat, making the red tie hanging around his neck flutter in the wind.

He walked up to the magician-like girl, and took two fingers to hold the lit cigarette in front of him. When his fingers loosened, the burning cigarette fell and disappeared in front of them as if swallowed by an invisible thing.

Shaking his head, he said, "Look, this barrier is dangerous and still in the open. I suggest we blow it up directly instead of trying to find a safe way around it.

"Can't you see Batman is already impatient? There must be something he has to get from this house, and I can feel his stress just standing here."

"But there's a child in the house."

Faced with this guy's ridicule, Batman, who had been silent all along, spoke up and explained.

"Five days ago, a young person I was watching was abducted by an unknown person and brought here. I discovered this concealed building at that time. Before the two of you arrived, I tried many ways but couldn't get inside. It's like a maze, with monsters guarding it. I don't know much about magic, but I believe the child is still alive."

"No wonder." The black-haired girl nodded. She seemed to have known Batman before and was now touching her hair and laughing.

"I told you that Batman, who has always been rejecting to outsiders, wouldn't have the initiative to contact me. I thought you were here to drive John and me away."

Faced with the sweet smile of the beautiful magician, Batman replied expressionlessly, "You were invited by Bruce Wayne to perform magic at the city's annual charity event, Zatanna. You are a guest of this city, and you are also my friend. The child and I need your help now."

"What do you mean?"

The man next to Zatanna immediately became unhappy, pulling out a pack of Silk Cut cigarettes and taking one out to put in his mouth as he said

"Zatanna is a guest, am I not?"

"You are not a guest anywhere, John Constantine." Batman said coldly

"A year ago, when you summoned a demon from hell in my city, I warned you not to set foot in Gotham again!"

"Alright, you two, stop arguing."

Zatanna, the black-haired female sorceress, saw her ex-boyfriend and her childhood friend, who were now deeply connected superhero friends, about to argue. She immediately reached out to block the two men.

This charming lady shook her hair and emphasized her words to Constantine.

"John, come and help me rescue the child! I also have to prepare for tomorrow night's performance at Wayne Manor. If you want to be my assistant, please listen to me. Otherwise, I will have to ask you to leave."

"Hmph, Bloody Batman!"

Constantine glared fiercely at Batman and muttered under his breath as he turned around, but in the face of the angry gaze of his beautiful and capable ex-girlfriend, he had no choice but to step forward and help break the magical barrier.

The sorceress's black hair whirled and danced in the wind like a magical girl in transformation as she floated in the air. She sensed the changes in the barrier in front of her and said to Batman, "It was the right decision not to rush in recklessly, Batman. This barrier is connected to the ancient magic beneath Gotham. You may be trapped inside if you force your way in."

"But the good news is, this barrier is currently isolated. With the full power of John and me, we can open it with just a little preparation."

"Or we can blow it up faster," Constantine said softly, staring at the apartment in the smoke with a cigarette in his mouth. "Who knows when the owner of this barrier will come back and what they will do? Why are you all looking at me like that? Although there is a risk of magic loss of control, as far as I know, the people living on this island are frauds, robbers, and fugitives. Does anyone really care about them?"

"John!"

Zatanna was getting angry, while Batman was ready to throw a batarang at Constantine at any moment.

A few minutes later, while Zatanna and Constantine were busy dismantling the barrier, the door on the top floor of Old K's apartment was suddenly pushed open.

Amid the swirling red light, Mason and Kite-Man stumbled and crashed onto the ground. Behind them, the energy stone in the Cat's Eye of the World Gate shattered with a crackling sound, and the door closed automatically.

"Hot! It's so hot, like magma pouring in." Kite-Man screamed and grabbed his head as he got up, while Mason was not doing any better.

He felt dizzy and then felt his nose bleeding, only to find his hands covered in blood.

The System appeared before him, flickered with red light as if infected by a virus. Mason looked at the translucent screen, and his personal information was changing:

Name: Mason Cooper

Status: Minor injury, severe mental pressure, soul curse being applied (the effect of the curse is unknown, the trigger method is unknown, and the danger level is extremely high.)

Identity: Penguin traitor, E-level member of the Star Society, and captain of "K Squad."

Traits: Cold-blooded shooter, skilled engineer, self-harming medic.

Mason tried hard to read the text in front of him. He shook his head and pulled a chair over to sit on it. As he wiped the blood from his nose with a handkerchief, he looked around, and the whole view seemed to be burning.

An illusion drifted everywhere in his sight, and weird sounds were in his ears. Just as Kite Man had described, it was as uncomfortable as swallowing lava.

This Star Society was really sinister. Even the ceremony for joining them was so bizarre. He looked at his left arm. Its circular emblem had already contracted into a strange tattoo resembling a black claw.

This should be the official symbol of the Star Society.

But what made Mason feel strange was that a black card also mysteriously appeared in his hand while the terrible feeling in his body was reducing.

That thing was about the size of a regular playing card, between virtual and real, with a pattern of stars all over the back and several lines of information on the front, just like an ID card.

Subordinate K Squad of the Star Society.

Members: 2 people.

Captain: Mason Cooper, E-level member.

Team member: Charles "Chuck" Brown, E-level member.

Current task: None

Current bounty task in possession: 1/unfinished.

Current base world: Earth 41 of the N52 multiverse system of the super time flow (A-level world, danger level: extremely high, not recommended for members below C-level to explore)

Current team status: Lost contact with the Star Society. Please wait patiently for the superior personnel to reconnect.

"Still quite formal, even the 'employee card' is distributed across time and space?"

Mason mocked the thing and let it dissipate into a ball of light. After resting for a few minutes, he felt himself recovering his senses.

He stood up from the chair and kicked the Kite Man, who was lying there like a dead person. The latter raised his head and took a deep breath, feeling like a suffocating person breathing air again.

When Kite Man got up, he also had an "ID card" like Mason's, but his information was simple, and he didn't have the complete information card of captain Mason.

"We're back, right?"

Kite Man stood up, panting and walked to the window to look at the familiar Gotham night view.

But as soon as he opened the window, a loud bang came from outside, hitting Kite Man like a heavy blow, sending him flying and hitting the wall before bouncing off a few times.

Then, Mason heard a woman's scream from outside the window.

"Oh no, the captain of the barrier is back, and the power of the barrier is increasing! Batman, stand behind me! John, quick! Charge and blast it!"

"Hey, I was your boyfriend. I heard that dark guy likes to mess around with bats. Stay away from him, Zatanna, and be careful not to catch some weird animal virus." John said

"What's going on?"

Mason rushed to the window and looked outside, seeing three people in the distance standing in front of the apartment building.

He recognized the floating girl dressed like a magician, with long flowing hair, casting spells Zatanna Zatara. She was a very powerful magician and a superhero.

The guy in the iconic outfit is the most eye-catching guy anywhere. The guy in the yellow windbreaker with a cigarette in his mouth is summoning dangerous magical energy to blow up the apartment building.

"Is that Batman?"

Kite Man came over, rubbing his aching head and taking a look outside. Kite man's eyes widened in surprise, and they were trembling. Even when he was hanging out with the Joker, he had never seen such a scene before

'The loner Batman was actually teaming up with two very powerful guys?'

"Constantine! Control your strength!"

Batman was protected by Zatanna's magic, but he still shouted at Constantine, who was casting spells.

"The child is still inside. Don't hurt him!"

"Batman and his friends are here for you, boss."

He looked at Mason up and down as if meeting him for the first time and exclaimed in amazement.

"Can you believe that the terrifying Batman values you so highly? Are you still insisting you're just an ordinary 17-year-old high school student? Tell me, Boss, are you Batman's illegitimate child?.

"Shut up!" Mason was not in the mood for jokes right now.

He was grateful that Batman had not given up on finding him, even after missing him for five days. Batman had even broken Batman's rule of working alone and invited Zatanna and Constantine's help to find him.

But if he came face to face with someone outside now, he wouldn't be able to explain his current state. Also, he couldn't help but wonder if Batman had implanted some tracking device on him, which wouldn't be surprising considering Batman's history.

After thinking for a moment, Mason made a decision and turned to open his magic suitcase, taking out the bloodstained invisibility cloak and throwing it to Kite Man, saying.

"Put it on. I'll signal you later. Take my suitcase and leave. We'll meet at the seventh pier in Gotham's Harbor at six o'clock in three days. Take out the magic book, alchemy tools, and potions you found in ruins, tear them up, and throw them away.

Under Mason's order, Kite-Man quickly got to work. They spent half a minute tearing up the Hogwarts magic book and spreading it everywhere. Kite-Man put on the invisibility cloak, leaving only his head visible as he watched Mason crouch down and open the suitcase.

"What's the signal you're talking about, boss?" he asked curiously.

"This is it!"

Mason placed his hand on the edge of the suitcase and activated the Extension Charm inside it by pulling a brass lock that looked like a decoration.

With a bang, the apartment, including the basement room, was sucked into the small suitcase in Mason's hand. The magical barrier surrounding the area suddenly disappeared, causing the magic to go out of control.

Strange smoke with not much destructive power, but a very cool effect was created around, rolling like mist bursting out, reducing visibility to zero.

Mason squatted at the bottom of the several-meter-deep pit, throwing the box in his hand to Kite Man beside him, who was staring in disbelief. At the same time, Mason tore open his clothes, wiping the blood off his handkerchief all over his face.

He earnestly reminded, "Don't open it randomly. I have Fang, Fluffy, and Professor McGonagall all kept inside. If you let them out, the whole of Gotham will be in danger,"

Kite Man, who had experienced the entire Hogwarts incident, of course, knew what these seemingly harmless names meant. He nodded fiercely, hugged the suitcase in his arms, waved to Mason, and disappeared under cover of the invisibility cloak and the shield of his hidden breath.

Half a minute later, John, wielding a sword made of magic, was the first to charge into the fog. He almost got his head blown off by a bullet coming at him.

"Darn it! So close, just one more step, and this chaotic world could have one less evil."

Mason, lying on the ground, hugging a pitiful regular handgun, complained regretfully in his heart, then shouted hoarsely, "Come on! You crazy wizard! Come and kill me. I'm not afraid of you!"

.....

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