aircannonsinc Chapter 141 Father and Son
Chapter 141 Father and Son
Chapter 141 Father and Son (9k!)
He was always too brave, disregarding threats and ignoring danger.
I keep thinking... I keep thinking... In the end, was he scared?
Did he pray that I would save him?
And at the last moment, when he realized I wouldn't make it...
Will he hate me because of this?
A Batman.
metropolis.
A neighboring city across the sea from Gotham.
It seems to be the opposite of Gotham. When the first rays of sunlight, symbolizing the morning, fall on the skyscrapers, the whole city seems to brighten up in an instant.
Looking across at the city, it still seemed shrouded in darkness, even though it was already early morning.
An office building.
Several figures moved furtively in the public area.
"A simple business battle, huh?"
"This is no simple matter. The worm virus I developed can perfectly infect their mainframes. By the time they realize it, all the data has already been lost!"
"I'll do whatever you say!"
The man walked up to an office desk, inserted the virus he had prepared into the main unit, and began to destroy the opponent's data.
My fingertips tapped away on the keyboard for a few minutes, and then I slammed my fingers down on the Enter key.
He boasted smugly, "Done!"
Seeing that no one responded, he looked around.
You discover that all your friends who were with you have suddenly disappeared!
The huge office area was instantly transformed back to how it was when they first arrived—bright and deserted.
Even when the sunlight shines through the windows, illuminating every corner of this place.
The man still felt a strange tension.
He instinctively pulled out his pistol and began searching for his companions.
"Hank?!"
After walking a few steps, he saw several of his companions lying unconscious together in a corner.
Without a second thought, the man took off running, completely forgetting that he had a gun.
The guy who could take down his partner so quietly is definitely not someone to mess with!
I hadn't run for long when my legs felt like they were wrapped around something and then suddenly came together.
The man immediately fell face-first to the ground.
He rolled over and aimed his pistol at the bat-like figure not far away.
The trembling hands and trembling voice were heard.
"Don't come any closer!!! I'll shoot!!!"
"If I were you, I wouldn't shoot."
What's puzzling is that the bat-like figure didn't speak, but a voice rang in my ears.
Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly caught a glimpse of a red cloak.
The man quickly dropped the pistol, resigned himself to his fate, and slammed the back of his head on the ground, knocking himself unconscious.
"Okay, you're quite self-aware."
Superman blinked; the scene was somewhat unexpected for him.
He picked up the pistol from the ground, crushed it into a piece of scrap metal, and then looked at Batman across from him: "Seriously? You come to Metropolis this early in the morning and already have to deal with some minor troubles first?"
"I can dodge bullets," Batman said.
"I have no doubt about that."
Superman shrugged. "I bet you came to the Metropolis without even having breakfast. How about I treat you to breakfast? I know a hot dog place that would definitely suit your taste."
"6
""
Batman sighed softly, the light from the window illuminating his stubble.
"I'm here to talk to you."
"I'm serious about treating you to breakfast."
"I really need to talk to you."
"5
'
Superman's bright smile gradually faded, and his gaze lingered on the Dark Knight for several seconds.
"What happened, Bruce...?"
'
The dividing line drawn by the red cape in Gotham.
Some underground world.
The black-masked figure crawled out of a sea of fire.
He leaned casually against a wall, panting heavily.
"damn it!"
The man in black roared, "You don't even give people rest time, do you?!"
Black Mask, who had been assassinated twice by Red Hood within ten hours, was getting increasingly annoyed by this madman!
madman!!!
Where on earth did all these lunatics come from in Gotham?!
As he was feeling emotional, his men came to his side and helped him up.
As soon as he got up, Black Mask vented his anger on his subordinates.
A punch and a kick.
The black-masked man, whose imposing presence was mirroring his earlier humiliation, roared, "What's the use of coming now?! I almost died!!!"
The group of subordinates lowered their heads and dared not look up at their boss.
After venting his anger, the black-masked man walked up to Daniel and stared silently at the new, somewhat timid rookie.
Oh right, he has a good physique.
"This is going to be a nightmare," Black Mask said.
"ha?"
The man in black turned and left without explaining his riddle-like statement.
"It's time to change the course of the war."
"Now I have to negotiate with a madman."
"Daniel, I want you to remember this: you are the one who created Gotham's nightmare."
"5
""
Several of the masked henchmen all looked at Daniel.
"What did you do, buddy?"
"I don't know!"
metropolis.
The rooftop of a high-rise building that, relatively speaking, doesn't get much sunlight.
A blue and red figure stood in the light, looking at the bat figure that was still in the shadows.
Recalling his old friend's question, Superman couldn't help but pinch his brow and sigh, "Listen, Bruce, you should know better than anyone, after my battle with Doomsday..."
""
"I'm not really dead. I'm in a mirror state of death, as you all know," he said.
The bat-like figure opposite remained silent for a moment.
The light pouring onto the rooftop expanded its territory further, gradually swallowing up the shadows.
"No, Clark."
"What?"
"These statements were just things I said to help them understand better."
1
"???"
Superman looked puzzled: "What's there to hide?"
With his superhuman hearing, he could clearly hear the faint sigh coming from the dark knight opposite him.
"I am a person who believes in the truth."
""
"Magic, heaven, gods—I firmly believe these things exist in another world, and that's their science."
"But now, when you witness a loved one die and then return to the world..."
,"this..
""
As the sun gradually rose, its rays were about to drive away the last remaining shadows on the rooftop.
Superman took a few steps forward, his massive body immediately blocking out much of the light.
The shadows were also preserved.
He held out his hand: "What happened, Bruce? I can help you."
In Superman's view, this was the first time he had ever seen Bruce show such an expression.
Yes, he knew that the other person was just an ordinary person who never showed his emotions.
But today.
today.
Superman encountered a Batman who was "out of control".
He is not Batman who unleashes his fury upon evil with a heart full of anger.
He wasn't a detective with extraordinary intelligence, as if he could consider all aspects of everything.
Nor is it the Dark Knight who represents the pinnacle of human existence.
At this moment, right now.
He's more like a...
An ordinary person who feels strange emotions upon the return of something...
It's like the emotions that my family members showed when I was resurrected after my death and returned to my Kansas farm to visit my elderly relatives.
"Bruce?"
Seeing that the other party did not answer him, Superman wanted to avoid making his outstretched hand awkward.
I simply placed it in front of my eyebrows and pretended to gaze at the distant city skyscrapers.
"If you'd like, we can sit down..."
Superman looked back and found that Batman had disappeared.
"Let's have a good talk..."
Gotham.
Arkham Asylum.
The personnel responsible for this morning's handover arrived at the closed monitoring room.
He looked at his two colleagues inside and said, "Guys, it's time for your shift to change."
"You're quite late, John."
John smiled, then his gaze suddenly drifted somewhere before he said, "It's only a minute or two late at most, it can't be that tiring, can it?"
"Working even one more minute overtime would kill me!"
One of the colleagues turned his neck irritably, then finished the handover with John and asked, "So, where's Rossman?"
"I'm going to the bathroom... Okay, I'll take care of this."
"Um.
""
After his two colleagues left, John looked toward a shadowy spot where his gaze had been lingering.
A few seconds later, several men dressed in tight black clothes came out. Each of them had their faces covered, making it impossible to see their true faces.
John stood still and said to the leader of the men in black, "You have to..."
"John, my car keys..."
'
call out!
A silenced bullet struck a colleague on the forehead as he turned back.
Upon seeing this, John's face showed a hint of regret.
"You didn't need to kill him."
The man in black glanced at him: "First, I've already killed him; second, we gave you a lot of money; so third, hurry up and open that damn cell door!"
John remained silent and led the group of men in black to the door leading to the underground cell.
After entering the password, the door opened, revealing a dimly lit corridor.
Several men in black quickly went inside, while the leader of the men in black who had been talking to John remained where he was.
The man in black asked, "Does he know what's going on?"
John raised an eyebrow: "He seems to know he's going out."
The voice just fell.
A burst of maniacal laughter came from the cell at the far end of the corridor.
"Haha ...
"Didi1"
Batman, inside the fighter jet, suddenly received an unfamiliar message.
He opened the message and carefully read its contents.
It was an unfamiliar location, and there was another piece of content attached.
I know you're looking for us. Come find me here.
Batman narrowed his eyes, his white goggles squeezed into a tiny slit.
A moment later, the Bat fighter jet, bathed in sunlight, suddenly turned around.
With a roar, the fighter jet flew off in another direction.
About half an hour passed.
The Batfighter, having activated its stealth mode, landed in a small village in a remote area of Earth.
Although it's called a village, from above it looks more like an abandoned wasteland.
It's almost impossible to find a house that's intact; it always exudes an air of desolation.
Batman first scanned the village below, and then found a figure inside a relatively intact house.
According to computer analysis, the other party has obvious female characteristics.
"Talia."
Batman quickly deduced who the person was.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the door of the room, pushed it open, and saw a graceful figure sitting in a chair.
"It's been a while since I've seen you, I mean, face to face, darling."
Talia sat back in a chair, crossed her legs, and turned her gaze toward the bat-like figure.
Unfortunately, Batman did not respond to her with words, but with actions.
Batman strode forward, grabbed Talia by the collar, and coldly demanded, "What have you all done to Jason? If you don't understand what I mean, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair."
"That's so heartbreaking."
Talia tried to budge Batman's fingers, but found she couldn't move them, so she simply let him hold her.
Batman closed in on Talia, looking as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Answer me.
"6
""
Talia sighed, her fingertips gently stroking the stubble on Batman's chin peeking out from under the mask.
You look tired, darling...
"7
Just as Batman was preparing to take drastic measures against the other party.
Talia began to explain her deepest doubts to him.
"At first, I did regret using the Pool of Lazarus to revive Jason. When he came out of the pool, he looked like a living dead."
Batman loosened his grip on Talia's collar slightly.
"My original intention in resurrecting this child was to bring him back to your side, so that you could... you know, I love you very much."
Talia stood on tiptoe, bringing herself even closer to Batman.
She murmured softly, her breath sweet as orchids: "But a miracle occurred."
"A magical raven suddenly appeared, cured his symptoms of being a living dead, and removed all the negative effects that the Pool of Lazarus had brought him."
"After he regained consciousness, he was almost impatient to see you."
Batman allowed Talia's warm body to press against his.
The voice, processed by a voice changer, sounded particularly inhuman in the room.
"And then?"
"Then you sent him back from Gotham."
'
'
Batman's brain was working at high speed in an instant.
Like a supercomputer, his thoughts jumped back and forth, eventually settling on a night when he and Tim were patrolling Gotham—a coffee shop that Jason used to frequent.
It was a strange young man with a crow perched on his shoulder.
""
Talia seemed to be able to see through the true pupils beneath those white eyes.
She said softly, "He's heartbroken, Bruce, really, really heartbroken."
"He didn't even stay a single night in Gotham before leaving heartbroken."
Batman pushes away Talia's alluring body.
"crow."
"What?"
"Tell me, crow, where you came from."
"In fact, I don't know. The only thing I'm sure of is that it made Jason's mind clear, freeing him from the mental pollution of the Pool of Lazarus."
Talia crossed her arms, slightly annoyed by her lover's pushing her away, and feeling a bit upset.
Jason had already asked them to move out of the hideout so that Batman wouldn't be able to find him.
She agreed to Jason's request.
However, due to her infatuation with her lover, she ultimately chose to betray her son.
Even though I'm like this, why are you still acting like this?!
"6
""
Batman sensed Talia's displeasure, but softened his tone and attitude in order to get more information about Jason.
"Deathstroke, why does he appear all over the world with Deathstroke?"
Talia rolled her eyes at him. "My son wants to study, what reason does a mother have to object?"
"Mom?"
He has accepted me as his mother.
""
"Was it driven by that crow?" Batman asked.
66
'
Talia's face clearly showed her displeasure: "It was the suggestion, but Jason is willing, and so am I. It's none of your business."
"Also, if that crow knew you were framing it like this, it would be very unhappy."
"5
'
"Why did he choose to learn from Deathstroke?" Batman asked again.
"Too lazy to explain."
"5
'
"Talia."
"I don't want to talk about it."
Batman was a little tired. He knew how to get her to say it, and Talia knew it too.
But he really wasn't in the mood right now.
The stalemate lasted for a while.
In the end, Batman stepped forward, cupped Talia's beautiful face, and gave her a big, passionate kiss.
The latter is like dry firewood that suddenly hits an oil drum and explodes with a bang.
Talia's hand was already on the back of the bat helmet, preventing the opponent from escaping.
The two kissed for about a minute before ending with Batman pushing Talia away.
What does he want to do?
Talia's face flushed slightly. "Aren't you the world's greatest detective? Don't you know why you're back in Gotham?"
"5
""
Batman remained silent, then turned and walked away.
Considering the recent events in Gotham, he could understand why Jason had returned to Gotham and why he was wearing that red helmet.
"Just like that? Not even a thank you? I've betrayed my son's request!"
"6
'
Batman stopped in his tracks.
He glanced back at Talia.
"Thanks."
"6
Okay, you shouldn't use that word anymore.
Gotham.
Black Mask found a new safe haven.
A safe house that will never be disturbed by that madman Red Hood.
"Daniel, you're a coward. You'd better stay calm when you see that madman again."
"Understood, sir."
The man in black held a wine glass, swirling the ice ball inside, making a clanging sound.
"This city is sick to the core. There are more and more lunatics. To deal with one lunatic, I have to negotiate with another."
The man in black took a sip of his drink and sneered, "Red Hood..."
"6
There was a knock on the door.
The man in black glanced at Daniel, who understood and unlocked the door.
Then a green-haired man wearing straitjacket was pushed in.
"Nice little cabin, quite safe, but it still doesn't feel as good as my cell."
As soon as the clown entered, he began pointing and gesturing.
The man in the black mask raised his arm, gesturing for the madman to sit opposite him.
The clown blinked and plopped down on the table in front of the chair.
One of his men couldn't resist pulling the guy to a seat, but the man in the black mask waved him away.
thump.
The glass of wine containing the ice puck was placed heavily on the table by the man in black.
He looked at the clown who was curiously examining the safe house and said, "I hope you understand how much I paid to arrange this little meeting."
"Lots of money, lots of corpses."
The clown glanced at him, his gaze still scanning the safe house, and then he noticed a black-masked henchman looking at him.
"You look pretty strong, kid."
The man in the black mask looked in the direction of the voice and realized that the clown was pointing at Daniel.
Daniel noticed the two men's gazes and quickly lowered his head.
"Listen, Joker, I'm in trouble, and you're absolutely capable of handling it."
"I need you to kill Red Hood."
Do you think you can handle him?
The clown collapsed, wriggling on the table like a caterpillar. "I want to try this drink."
Black Mask rolled his eyes.
He knew that negotiating with a madman was not a good option.
So he looked at Daniel.
Daniel nodded, picked up the glass, and handed it to the clown.
The man in black rested his hands on his chin, waiting for the clown to finish his drink and give him the answer he wanted.
The moment Daniel took the glass, instead of handing it to the Joker, he slammed it onto the table!
The wine glass shattered, and the wine splashed everywhere!
Daniel, holding a broken, sharp shard of a wine glass, easily sliced through the throats of several bodyguards beside him, then took the pistols they had pulled out but hadn't had time to use from their bodies.
There was a bang.
The bullet struck one of the bodyguards behind the black mask, killing him instantly.
The movements were smooth and fluid, all within a mere second.
Daniel then eliminated all the bodyguards in the safe house.
All that remained were the black mask, the clown, and himself.
"!?!"
Not only Black Mask was shocked, but even the Joker was somewhat bewildered.
Daniel tore off the mask from his face, revealing an unfamiliar face wearing an eye patch.
The clown narrowed his eyes: "You look familiar."
Jason glanced at him, then raised his gun and aimed it at the black mask.
"Thanks, Mr. Skeleton."
boom!
Before the other party could even speak, the trigger was pulled, and the bullet pierced through the black-masked man's head.
Then, in the next instant, the clown, resembling a caterpillar, rolled off the table, wriggling wildly on the floor, and yelled, "Waaaaaah! I want Arkham Asylum! I'm calling the police! There are lunatics here!!!"
"6
""
Jason remained silent, but grabbed the clown's hair and slammed him hard against the corner of the table.
boom!
"Ouch! That hurts! You're crazy!!!"
The clown saw stars after being hit, and an angry voice came from his mouth.
Then his hair was lifted up by the man again, and his vision was affected by the flowing blood. The clown squinted at the other person.
"Alright kid, what are your plans next? Like blowing up a school bus, or robbing a bank...?"
""
"Well... the plan is to beat you up again with a crowbar."
Batman is lost in a memory.
He remembered something that had happened a long time ago.
He was very young then, and Jason was still Robin.
During one of their operations, he and Robin encountered a man who was prone to domestic violence.
Strictly speaking, this doesn't qualify as domestic violence, because the woman was merely a toy to the man.
Jason was furious, stopped the man, and decided to send the damn guy to jail.
But things were far from as simple as he had imagined.
Gotham Police Department.
Robin stood in front of a weeping woman and comforted her, "It's alright, ma'am, everything will be alright. I assure you, that scumbag will spend the rest of his life in prison."
"Why?" The woman covered her bruised eyes and glanced at the boy in front of her.
"Kidnapping, assault, arrest... that's enough to make him suffer," Robin said.
Just as he finished speaking, two people walked into the counseling room.
It's Batman and Commissioner Gordon.
Batman waved to him, signaling him to come outside and talk.
Robin nodded and comforted the woman who had been assaulted, "Everything will be alright, I promise you."
""
As Robin passed Sheriff Gordon, he suggested, "I think we could arrange for a female officer to comfort her; her mental state is very unstable!"
"I will."
Gordon agreed, and after Batman took Robin away, he sighed.
He glanced at the victim with a complicated expression... No, after tonight, she would no longer be a victim.
Outside.
"Robin, things aren't as simple as you think."
"What do you mean?"
Robin frowned, looking at Batman with great confusion.
Batman said, "Philip said Ms. Gloria arrived at his apartment uninvited."
'
Gloria, the woman crying inside the house, is just an ordinary model.
Philip, the son of an official from another country, lived a life of extravagance and debauchery, a complete playboy.
"The bruises around Gloria's eyes were from when she tripped and bumped into the door, and the whip marks on her body were from when she accidentally slapped herself while jumping rope..."
'
"Please! You're Batman, you know perfectly well these are all lies, okay?!"
In response to Robin's shout, Batman sighed and said, "Yes, we all know this Philip is lying, but in fact, he is the son of an official from another country. He has diplomatic immunity, and the Gotham Police Department cannot detain him."
Robin took a few steps back in shock, stood there stunned for a few seconds, and then suddenly started spinning in place.
"But we all know he hurt this woman, no, he abused her! He did it on purpose!!!"
"What should we do? Let this scumbag just leave the police station?"
The door was opened, and Chief Gordon came out.
"In fact, he was released by his lawyer 20 minutes after you arrested him."
Robin, her face contorted with rage, exclaimed, "You just let a scumbag get away like that?!"
Gordon shook his head, patted Robin on the shoulder, and said with a helpless tone, "We know the truth, kid, but we can't prove that he hurt Gloria."
"I saw it with my own eyes!"
"You saw it with your own eyes? What others told me was that you broke into his house, heard Gloria screaming from inside the room, and then punched Philip, who was trying to stop you, in the living room..."
'
Gordon said, "You know kids, even if we can expose their dirty tricks, it won't change anything because we have to free Philip."
"Why?!" Robin shouted angrily, "Just because he's the son of a diplomatic ambassador?!"
"Robin, watch your emotions."
Upon hearing Batman's words, Robin took several deep breaths, then asked Commissioner Gordon, "So we're just going to watch this man cause trouble for that woman again at some point in the future?!"
"We will arrange for police officers to protect her."
"You know this is completely useless!"
'
""
Robin angrily tossed her cloak aside and left.
Batman called out to him several times, but he didn't stop.
Seeing this, Gordon couldn't help but say, "He's a kind kid, but... I think you know what I mean."
"Kindness also makes it hard to control emotions," Batman added, then followed Robin.
Batman and Robin then arrived at a rooftop.
The evening breeze ruffled their cloaks, making them rustle.
With his back to Batman, Robin said, "I want to catch this guy, Batman."
"But you can't... at least not specifically target him because of what he did to Gloria," Batman said.
"Does that mean we have to let this scumbag go?!" Robin said.
"You're obviously getting too emotional about this case, Jason."
Upon hearing this, Robin's spirits soared, his eyes shining brightly in the darkness: "I knew you'd discovered something!"
"Keeping calm at all times is the most frequent thing I've ever told you," Batman said.
"If you're calm enough, you'll notice Philip's trembling arms and constricted pupils at that moment."
Batman said softly, "When we caught him, he was in a daze due to drug use."
"And our country and his country are engaged in an influential anti-drug campaign." (P.S.: This is a direct quote from the comic; I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it.)
"If we can catch him in possession of drugs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will require Philip to return to his country, and he will have no hope of returning to the diplomatic mission with his father."
"While this isn't exactly a punishment, it's the best we could do."
'
""
After finishing his statement, Batman noticed Robin's silence and was about to add some words about how we cannot be above the law.
Robin had already embraced him tightly.
"I knew you were the best!"
'
"...You're the best Robin too, of course, provided you can control your temper."
"Uh-huh!
""
In the time that followed.
Batman and Robin begin to closely monitor Philippe's personal life, and they have countless opportunities to arrest him while he is on drugs.
But Batman has a deeper purpose: he wants to uncover the drug trafficking chain behind Gotham and bring it all down in one fell swoop.
But Robin didn't realize that, in addition to his own skills, fighting evil also requires a great deal of patience.
He often complains.
"Why don't we grab him now?!"
"Look, he's doing drugs again! We have to film it!"
"Batman! Are you afraid of his father?! Okay, never mind."
In any case, after a long wait and Robin's countless complaints.
They finally caught footage of Philip making a deal with the mastermind behind Gotham.
Batman and Robin apprehended the drug dealers and simultaneously alerted the police. The government provided footage showing Philippe in close proximity to the drugs.
He was taken to the police station by this duo once again.
Although Philip's lawyer got him out of jail an hour later.
But this time, Philip has a criminal record.
Due to diplomatic reasons, Philip will be extradited back to his country in the coming days.
"Have a pleasant journey, and go back to your country, you scum!"
Hearing the boy's mockery, Philip stopped and stared at him coldly.
"What? You want to attack me?" Robin crossed his arms and snorted.
"6
""
"Come with me, Philip. Ignore them and just get out of here," the lawyer advised Philip.
""
Philip suddenly laughed, stared at Robin, and said, "You've got guts, kid."
"???" Robin didn't understand what he wanted to do.
Philip then took out his phone and made a call to someone.
Philip exchanged a playful glance with Robin as he spoke into the phone, "It's me, dear Gloria. Did I disturb your rest?"
"Listen, honey, you have to dress up nicely tonight. I'll be seeing you later."
"Just like before~"
After making the call, Philip whistled and walked away with a flourish.
"You beast! You filthy, disgusting, shameless trash!!!"
Robin was furious and went after him, but was stopped by Batman.
He knew that Gloria's mental state was still unstable.
At the time, they even used sedatives to calm her down from her state of panic.
Philip's phone call will likely rekindle her fears!
"He's not worth doing anything more for. We just need to go to Gloria's apartment and tell her not to worry about this scumbag!" Batman said calmly.
"Yes, yes, yes! Let's go quickly!"
Batman and Robin arrived at Gloria's apartment in no time.
They knocked on the door for at least four or five minutes, but still received no response.
The doorman in charge of the apartment said that Gloria had not left the apartment in the past half hour.
Batman had no time to think about it.
Robin kicked open the apartment door. "Ms. Gloria, Batman and Robin are here! Are you alright???"
Seeing no response, Robin quickly went to the apartment room, pushed open the door and took a look.
Gloria's body appeared before him.
She hanged herself.
Based on the time of death, it is estimated that Gloria committed suicide around the time Philip made the phone call.
Her body was like a crystal covered in cracks; though dazzling, it seemed as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.
Robin felt extremely guilty as he watched this scene.
Batman also felt guilty, believing he should have foreseen this.
But the dead are gone, and Batman can't change anything.
He could only call an ambulance to take Gloria's body to the morgue.
After Batman hung up the phone, he discovered that Robin had disappeared from the apartment.
Batman knew exactly where he went.
He must have gone to cause trouble for Philip!
"Damn it!"
When Batman arrived at the high-rise apartment where Philip lived, he found that Philip had fallen from a great height and was screaming like a pig being slaughtered.
The timing was extremely tight; he had barely arrived when the other person fell down.
Even if Batman wanted to save his life, it was too late.
then.
Then Batman saw Robin on the balcony.
"Robin, Philip fell on his own..."
""
Batman stepped onto the balcony and asked coldly, "Were you pushed off?"
Robin looked up and met Batman's gaze calmly.
After a while.
Robin said, "He was drinking on the balcony, leaning out quite far, and I guess my sudden appearance startled him."
"He slipped."
"I tried to save him, but I couldn't."
"So I think it's true, he fell down by himself."
After saying all that in one breath, young Jason took out his grappling hook and left the balcony.
The young Batman watched him walk away.