Luke’s targets in Chicago this time were two businessmen.
They controlled the human and drug trafficking rings in Chicago, and were also big “philanthropists” in the city. Although they didn’t hold government positions, Luke felt that it was better to make use and then dispose of scum like these as soon as possible.
It wasn’t like the higher-ups didn’t know what these two were doing. They were the moneybags for the bigshots in the city.
These bigshots were also on Luke’s blacklist, but there were a little too many of them. Luke planned to deal with all of them in one go later, to prevent the rats escaping a sinking ship.
Under the setting sun, Luke wandered along Lake Michigan in a hoodie.
Dusk had just fallen, and the lake sparkled gold and red in the light of the setting sun.
There were still a few hours before his operation. He sat on the grass and took out some food from his bag.
Work required a suitable buffer.
It would be another live performance tonight, which wouldn’t be easy.
His action plan and the judgment method was something Alfred had cobbled together from various cases and films, but acting was really hard.
Luke couldn’t relax in his pursuit of acting.
It was getting late, and every now and then, a jogger or a cyclist would go by on the trail in front of him as they made use of the last of the light to work out.
Ten minutes later, a young woman ran past.
It was the beginning of spring in March. She was wearing a skintight exercise T-shirt and shorts, and her body was tight and round in the right places.
When she ran past Luke, she subconsciously glanced at him.
Then, she slowed down and couldn’t help but look back.
Luke’s gaze fell on the part getting the most workout.
The woman stopped and hesitated for a moment, before she turned around and ran back to stand in front of Luke. “Hi, are you a college student?”
Luke shook his head with a smile. “No, I’m just on a trip.”
The woman’s eyes lit up and she smiled. “Really? I’m Lily. What about you?”
Luke said, “Bale, from New York.”
The woman gestured. “Can I sit here, Bale?”
Luke shrugged. “Whatever you want.”
Even without Mental Communication, his Sharp Nose could tell that she was releasing pheromones more quickly, and it was obvious what she wanted.
But Luke was very picky at the moment, and it was impossible for this girl to get what she wanted.
He had nothing to do at the moment, however, and didn’t mind chatting.
The girl was lively and easygoing. She asked him some questions like what New York was like and places he had visited in Chicago.
After chatting for a moment, Luke pointed at the sports jacket tied around her waist and said, “Put that on first, or you might catch a cold.”
The girl thanked him helplessly. I’ve been showing off for so long, can’t you compliment me?
After she put on her jacket, Luke asked her what fun places there were in Chicago.
For example, the places with the most buzz, as well as more dangerous places that should be avoided.
Delighted, the girl wondered where to invite Luke to go later.
She was a fitness enthusiast. Although she wasn’t the type to go crazy in the gym, she still had good eyes.
The man in front of her had a great physique.
20 minutes later, the sky turned dark.
When the girl named Lily finally opened her mouth to invite Luke to dinner, his phone rang.
He smiled apologetically. “Let me take this.” He then took out his phone.
Luke raised an eyebrow, and Lily subconsciously clamped her legs together.
It was such a seductive gesture! He looked like a cold and overbearing young master. Although Lily didn’t see any brand names on Luke’s clothes, she promised herself that she didn’t care if he was rich or not.
She wasn’t looking for a husband.
Luke turned around and looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry. Is Grand Rapids in that direction?”
He pointed to the northeast.
Stumped for a moment, Lily nodded. “Yes. Where do you want to go? I’m afraid you’ll have to find a car. If you need my help…” Luke hugged her with one arm and said, “No need. Thank you for the chat, Lily.”
Pulling out his backpack from under the stone bench, he stood up and opened the zipper to take out a black briefcase that looked thicker and bigger than normal. “I should go do my thing. Goodbye.”
Lily stared blankly at the young and handsome man next to her.
The last bit of sunlight on the horizon illuminated half his face. The corners of his mouth curled up, as if he was in a good mood.
Lily suddenly felt weak and wanted to lie flat on the grass and shout, “Ah, I’m full~~”
But the next moment, she froze.
Luke put the briefcase on the ground and stepped on it.
With a faint crackle, bright silver and black pieces melded together and extended upward from his feet to cover his entire body in ten seconds.
Then, the armor plates locked in place, and the mask finally fell to cover that handsome face which Lily liked.
The eyes of the black mask suddenly lit up with a blue and white light, and the black cape on its back flapped in the wind.
The black figure nodded at Lily and suddenly sped up.
Boom! Whoosh!
With a low rumble, the black figure charged up into the dark sky in the direction of Grand Rapids. Lily was left staring blankly at the sky, her mouth wide open.
A long while later, the people who were gathering around her finally woke her up. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“What happened here?” “Did I see someone flying away from here?” “I saw it too, but it looked like a big bird.”
“That’s impossible. A bird isn’t that big, nor is it that fast.”
Lily’s lips moved, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Could she say that Batman… no, that the Dark Knight transformed in front of her and flew away?
Or should she tell these people that she had talked to the Dark Knight for almost half an hour?
As these thoughts flashed through her mind, Lily suddenly felt excited. Her body, which had felt a little cold, heated up, and the stone bench under her felt hot.
Luke, however, had already tossed this to the back of his mind.
Revealing his face was a character setting for the Dark Knight.
It was enough that Batman had never revealed his face; his successor didn’t have to do the same.
It was good to reveal some clues and let those with ulterior motives investigate — in any case, they wouldn’t be able to find anything.
He asked, “What’s the situation on the other side?”
Alfred immediately gave him the latest intelligence. “The local police say it’s a suspected terrorist attack, but from the images and videos posted online by local residents, I believe it’s likely to be an extraordinary event, emergency code orange.”
