Opening the Box

System: Surprise!

Baia: ...I didn't ask you to call me that way. What about those prompts you popped up at the hospital?

System: Oh, uh... misunderstood.

Congratulations to the host for obtaining the title of [Best Support] in this battle. Daily tasks completed, gaining 10 skill points.

Timothy Drake's favorability rating is satisfactory, and [Red Robin] has shared an active talent with you.

The red bird symbol in the system interface gradually lit up.

[Tactical View] Use this skill to obtain the best tactical perspective and analyze the battlefield situation, with the duration depending on the host's mental strength.

Note: A support who can't hold their ground will soon become a deadweight.

Congratulations to the host for achieving the teammate standard with Red Robin, completing daily tasks, and gaining 5 skill points.

The host has completed the hidden task [Gotham Hospital Shape-shifter], successfully assisted Red Robin in defeating the Zero Prisoner and rescuing all victims, obtaining the skill card [Multidimensional Transformation].

[Multidimensional Transformation]: Used to permanently upgrade other talents or skills. Regular skill upgrade effect: Hides all skill effects; Upgrade effect of [Cat's Dance]: Host remains undetected by any organic being and cancels cooldown; Upgrade effect of [Rose's Kiss]: Mind control becomes 100% effective. This skill card can only be used once.

"Wait," Baia noticed something, "During the last encounter with Poison Ivy at the GCPD's old building, when Red Hood defeated Mr. Freeze, why didn't I receive a skill card settlement?"

System: You didn't help him at all, and even slowed him down. You're lucky you didn't get punished.

Baia: Oh.

Mainly because Mr. Freeze was incompetent and got soloed by Red Hood.

The gains from this outing far exceeded Baia's expectations. Not only did she complete two daily tasks and gain 15 skill points, but she also obtained a skill card and shared talents with Tim.

And they all seemed very powerful.

Tim's Tactical View made it possible for Baia to participate in true superhero-level battles, while the upgrade effect of Multidimensional Transformation skill card would make her even safer.

Truly worthy of Red Robin! She'd definitely come back next time!

Since the reward from defeating Poison Ivy last time, [Rose's Kiss], could only be used once, she didn't consider using the skill card to upgrade another skill card. Both of the former were very useful. If she could hide the effects of her skills during battles, her chances of being noticed would greatly decrease, and Cat's Dance would make her better at escaping.

Her own ability system might be gradually taking shape.

Now she could only choose one for the upgrade, leaving Baia in a dilemma.

"If I release the Zero Prisoner and Tim and I fight it again, can I get another card?" she asked the system.

System: There's no such thing as a card bug for item farming!

Forget it, Baia thought, she could consult Bruce for advice on this opportunity.

Wayne Manor stood like a proud lion, occupying a large swath of land in the outskirts of Gotham. With few people around, the ancient architectural gem appeared even more mysterious and magnificent. From afar, the manicured lawns and bushes within the Greek white marble low walls could be seen.

But in winter, it inevitably seemed a bit desolate here.

"Thank goodness," as the car stopped in front of Wayne Manor, Alfred opened the door for them, "Master and Miss are unharmed, which is wonderful."

Baia's hair was just a bit messy from rolling on the ground, making her look like a recently frolicked little black sheep. Tim looked a bit worse, mainly because his shirt was torn, but his bright blue eyes were still lively and bright, indicating he was in good shape.

Alfred was very grateful for Baia's presence.

It couldn't be said that this detective and vigilante family had fully and wholeheartedly accepted her existence, as vigilance and thoroughness were their nature. But Baia had genuinely taken care of them.

Not every superhero had a steel body or rapid healing abilities.

Batman might have a strong will, and pain wouldn't hinder him from advancing towards his goals.

But pain was still a real thing.

Every time Alfred stitched up wounds for the young master he had taken care of since childhood, it was heart-wrenching.

"What a pleasant day," Tim pointed to the box in Baia's hand, "The uninvited guest has been dealt with by us."

"Truly unforgettable efficiency, perhaps you're finally willing to take a break tonight?" Alfred suggested.

"...No," Tim hesitated for a moment, "I want to conduct further testing and research on the Zero Prisoner."

This was something Baia hadn't expected. As a naive person, she naturally thought they would just come back, stuff the handbag into the crack, and the mission would be completed. However, Tim never liked these cases with no head or tail.

"Can't we just throw it back?" Walking side by side with the old butler, they entered the mansion together, hung up their coats, and Baia stretched lazily.

"It obviously knows something," Tim shrugged, "How can we just let it go?"

He didn't want their little witch to follow along. From the past few months of evaluation and personal interactions with Red Robin, Baia was unlikely to be a bad person. Nevertheless, he still needed to know her identity; there were too many doubts.

At least one prisoner from another universe recognized her—"Swallow." This might mean she didn't belong to this world at all.

Uncovering the truth was Tim's nature.

In the end, the little witch still followed along.

The Batcave was rarely visited during the day, and the faint blue light from the Bat-computer screens illuminated the darkness. Batman's underground base was quite substantial, including more than one runway and a garage with several Batmobiles, a massive Bat-computer screen, a training room, the Red Sun Room, and a warehouse.

The sound of the waterfall echoed from afar.

The multidimensional shapeshifter, confined in a cylindrical transparent containment device, slowly regained consciousness. It attempted to take on a human form, but due to the distance, it lost all mental connections and could only swim in the air in its original form.

"Good afternoon," Tim sat on a swivel chair, "Anything you want to say?"

"Hiss... There's nothing you're qualified to know, human," it hissed like a snake when speaking in its original form, sending shivers down one's spine.

Facing extraterrestrial enemies, humans often faced similar ridicule. Tim calmly said, "You'd better think about it carefully. Say something, or you'll go back to the slammer."

"What... hiss... do you want to know?" it replied.

"Everything. The cracks, Swallow."

"Swallow, Swallow," the Zero Prisoner muttered in a tone almost resembling laughter, "I want to talk to Swallow alone. This... hiss... is not a secret you can access."

It indeed recognized Baia. Baia, who was sitting next to him, browsing Twitter, raised her head, meeting Tim's gaze.

"Okay," she put down her phone and walked to the containment device, "What do you want to say? You can say it now."

Tim sat beside her, staring at the extraterrestrial creature with a scrutinizing gaze, showing no intention of leaving.

The Zero Prisoner suddenly switched to another language, although the hoarse hissing disrupted the overall harmony, it still sounded rhythmic—a language of extreme beauty and rhythm, an alien language. Tim frowned; it seemed to think Baia could understand.

Baia could understand, just like she came with Chinese skills when she appeared that day.

The Zero Prisoner whispered, "We once met at the edge of the universe, Swallow. Even though you've forgotten everything, or perhaps this is one of their means, I am a prisoner, and you are just a tool. When the ultimate harmony arrives, they won't allow you to live anymore."

It waited quietly for her decision.

"About me coming from another world, I already knew," Baia replied listlessly, "If you read a few more reports, you'll know that every super villain leaves behind many mysterious prophecies before they are arrested, but none of them ever come true."

The Zero Prisoner froze.

"So, is there anything useful?" Baia pretended to leave.

"Wait."

Its profile pressed against the transparent glass, looking extremely similar to a deep-sea fish with irregular teeth. A yellow eye stared at Baia, and it whispered softly:

"Let me help you. Don't send me back to that universe. I can teach you how to stop the worlds from merging."

Baia still responded in English, hoping to make Tim feel less out of place, "Is that why you can escape?"

"The barriers between the multiverse are thinning," the Zero Prisoner said, "I just opened up a point ahead of time. This time, the Ataraxians won't spare me. If you let me go, I can grant you eternal freedom!"

If it weren't for being too curious about Swallow, no one could catch it.

The Zero Prisoner was one of the top spies in the entire universe. For it, the secrecy agencies of various major planets were like unguarded territory. This time, the Ataraxians wouldn't let it live, because it had stolen too many secrets that should have remained silent.

Baia contemplated for a moment.

"I understand," Baia turned to Tim and said, "But basically, the gist of this is that it hopes we'll shelter it, not send it back across the wall. Nothing interesting."

The young world's second detective looked at her fixedly, "Are you sure?"

Baia nodded.

As the progress bar lit up on the Bat-computer, the audio of the Zero Prisoner had been uploaded and matched with all the recorded alien languages in the Fortress of Solitude.

"If you have nothing else to say, shapeshifter," Tim messaged Superman, "It might be time to send you back to prison."

Tim moved the cylindrical containment device to the wall outside Baia's bedroom. The Zero Prisoner refused to say another word. If its eyes could express human emotions, Tim would say it looked disappointed when it glanced at Baia.

The energy wave frequency detector emitted a sharp alarm sound. As the Zero Prisoner approached, the black crack began to widen until it became a gap large enough for an adult to pass through.

A cosmic rift.

The giant eye appeared again, scanning Tim and Baia quickly before settling on the mobile containment box containing the Zero Prisoner.

A faint blue tractor beam enveloped it.

With almost invisible speed, the Zero Prisoner disappeared. Baia blinked, and all that was left in front of her was the flawless wall. Outside the window, the branches swayed gently, everything seemed normal.

If it weren't for the series of abnormal data recorded by the Bat-computer, there would be almost no evidence of the existence of the "crack in the wall".

System: Um... Can I ask how much you remember now?

Baia: Not much, just an ordinary Chinese girl from another world?

System: And before that?

Baia: What else is there before?

The system didn't ask any more questions and instead popped up a prompt message.

Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the emergency task "Crack in the Wall" and earning 20 skill points. The store is now open.

Due to the host's excellent performance, please claim additional rewards in the store promptly.

Another page appeared on the system interface, displaying about seven or eight items.

At the top of the list was a black box, wrapped with a golden ribbon like a gift, named "Open This Box," with zero skill points required.

In addition, the silver briefcase that had just been used also appeared in the store list, with a time limit of one hour.

There were also strange items, such as the "Pink Fairy Wand of the Black-suited Civil Servant," which could make the person in front of you lose recent memories with a swing.

The skill points needed were a bit too many, and they were all one-time uses.

"Everything is back to normal here, but do you need to change rooms?" Tim stood next to Baia, also witnessing the disappearance of the crack, "I'll contact Raven and Steel to see if they can get any clues from here later."

"No need, this room is fine," Baia replied, "At least it's memorable."

"It's definitely a memorable experience, right?"

"Of course."

The process of capturing the Zero Prisoner seemed to become some sort of icebreaker between them. Baia clearly felt that the previously somewhat distant teenager had become much closer.

Tim bid farewell to Baia and returned to the Batcave alone to process the data from earlier.

There was quite a bit of information to digest.

"There's nothing you're qualified to know, human," Tim replayed the Zero Prisoner's words. He was adept at inferring the overall picture of a case from small details, and the meaning of this sentence was too obvious.

Baia sat on the bed and exchanged for the black box.

[Open This Box] You will no longer be alone.

The name of this box, "Open This," was indeed peculiar.

Baia stared at the small box, gently shaking it. Inside seemed to be a metallic object, accompanied by a chain that jingled as she shook it.

The room fell silent for a moment.

"I am not alone."

The voice of the young girl sounded like a whisper.

Baia said, "I am not alone."