freeallnovels Chapter 133 Dedication
Chapter 133 Dedication
Chapter 133 Dedication
He composed himself, spoke slowly, his voice calm yet firm.
"Batman and I are just strangers who met by chance. I just want to survive in Gotham. And you can give me the chance to survive. I can take care of the trivial matters of the police department for you and collect all kinds of information about Gotham. This is my only value."
Bain remained silent for a few seconds, then slowly turned around, his eyes behind the mask fixed on Li Wei, as if trying to see through him.
Li Wei met his gaze without the slightest fear on his face, but he was already prepared in his heart. If he was discovered, he would fight back with all his might, and even if there was only a sliver of a chance, he would take some information with him.
After a long silence, Bain let out a low laugh and waved his hand: "Stay here, be my police consultant. Remember, those who betray me only have one way out: death."
Li Wei bowed in agreement, a cold glint flashing in his lowered eyes. He knew that his path of infiltration had begun from this moment, and every step he took was like walking on thin ice.
After becoming a police consultant, Levi began his ostensible job of assisting the mercenaries in managing the police department's daily affairs, collecting information from various neighborhoods in Gotham, and reporting to Bane.
His office was located in a corner of the police station; it was small and simple, but it became his secret hideout for gathering intelligence.
Li Wei always carried an inconspicuous black notebook with him. The cover was worn white, and inside, in coded messages that only he could understand, he recorded all the information about Bane's mercenaries.
Taking advantage of his patrols of the streets, he secretly observed the number of mercenaries and their weapons and equipment at each outpost, marked the locations of the outposts on a map in his notebook, and even secretly noted down the shift change times for each outpost.
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The mercenaries' troop deployment, though seemingly well-organized, revealed many flaws under Li Wei's observation. For example, the sentries in the old city were few in number and had outdated weapons, while the sentries at the port, though well-equipped, had gaps in shift changes.
Li Wei also took the opportunity of helping the mercenaries organize their supplies to find the location of Bane's armory.
These armories are scattered in various hidden corners of Gotham, including abandoned warehouses in the old city, containers in the port, and air-raid shelters in the suburbs.
The location of each armory was recorded by Li Wei using coded signals. He even secretly observed the armory's defenses and noted down the weaknesses in the defenses.
He knew that these weapons were Bane's key to controlling Gotham, and only by destroying these armories could Bane's power be weakened.
Levi was also keeping a close eye on Bain's movements. He discovered that Bain's daily schedule was very fixed: he would go to the city government to handle business in the morning, return to the mercenary headquarters to rest at noon, patrol the sentry posts in various blocks in the afternoon, and go to the docks or a hidden warehouse late at night.
Bain's actions late at night led Levi to discover an even more hidden clue: Bain had a close connection with a mysterious force.
He had secretly followed Bain to the docks late at night on several occasions, and saw Bain meeting with a group of masked men.
These masked men, dressed in black trench coats, were tall and had strange movements. When they spoke with Bane, they used an unfamiliar language. The two would exchange some sealed documents and then go their separate ways.
Li Wei dared not get too close, so he hid in the shadow of the container and used a miniature camera to take pictures of their meeting, recording the time and place of the meeting in his notebook.
He didn't know the identity of this mysterious force, but he could sense that its power was not to be underestimated. Bane's ability to take control of Gotham so quickly might be due to the support of this mysterious force.
The process of gathering intelligence was fraught with danger. Li Wei was suspected by the mercenaries more than once, and was even stopped and questioned on the spot.
On one occasion, while he was secretly recording the defense measures of the armory in the old city, he was discovered by two patrolling mercenaries. The mercenaries, guns at the ready, surrounded him and sternly questioned him about what he was doing.
Li Wei remained calm under pressure, hiding the notebook in his sleeve and holding a pre-prepared street information sheet in his hand. He explained with a smile that he was simply recording the flow of people in the street in preparation for Bain's rule.
The mercenary took the information sheet, looked at it over and over for a long time, and then searched Li Wei's body. Finding nothing amiss, he grumbled and let him go.
Li Wei walked quite a distance before realizing that his back was already soaked with sweat, and the cold sweat in his palms made his fingers tremble. He knew that if he was even slightly careless, he would be doomed.
But he did not back down. Each danger only strengthened his resolve to gather intelligence. He knew that this intelligence was the key to overthrowing Bane's rule and bringing Batman back.
By day, Li Wei is a subservient police consultant to Bain, wearing a fake smile and doing things against his conscience.
At night, he would shed all his disguises and, under the cover of darkness, evade the mercenaries' sentries and head to the secret location where Alfred hid Bruce.
It was a mountain cabin far from Gotham City, the Wayne family’s old house, hidden in dense woods. Its location was remote and little known. Alfred had set up layers of security around it, and the mercenaries’ searchlights could not reach it at all.
Each time Li Wei went there, he would take a secret route that he had planned in advance. This route passed through dense forests, bypassing the mercenaries' patrol area. The road was full of thorns, and each time he walked it, Li Wei would have small cuts on his body.
But he didn't care at all. As long as he could see Bruce and do something for him, these pains were nothing.
Pushing open the door of the mountain cabin, the warm light shines on Li Wei, creating a stark contrast with the cold darkness of Gotham.
However, this warmth carried an unspeakable heaviness. Alfred always sat by the bedside, watching over Bruce. The once meticulous butler had become haggard, with many more gray hairs at his temples, deeper wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and bloodshot eyes.
Every day, he would wipe Bruce's body, give him simple rehabilitation massages, feed him liquid food, and take care of his daily life. No matter how tired he was, he never slacked off. His eyes were full of tenderness and worry when he looked at Bruce.
Bruce lay on the bed, covered with a thick blanket. His spinal injury rendered him unable to move; he could only lie flat and couldn't even turn over.
His face remained as pale as paper, devoid of any color. His hair was cut short and plastered to his forehead. His eyes were tightly closed, and his consciousness fluctuated between clarity and confusion.
When he is lucid, his eyes become vacant, staring at the ceiling, and he will mutter words like "Gotham," "Bane," and "justice" intermittently. His fingers will tremble slightly, as if he wants to clench his fist, but he has no strength at all.
When he's in a daze, he falls into a deep sleep, his brows furrowed, as if he's having a nightmare. In his dream, he might be having a fierce battle with Bane, or the chaos of Gotham, or the scene of his parents' tragic death.
Every time Li Wei came here, he would quietly leave behind the supplies he brought: medicine, food, and drinking water. These were all things he had smuggled out of Gotham under the guise of being a police consultant. In this chaotic time, these supplies were especially precious.
He would take over from Alfred and wipe Bruce's body gently and carefully, afraid of touching his wounds and causing him pain.
A cool towel wiped Bruce's arm, revealing the scars on his arm. Those scars were proof of his years of protecting Gotham, and now, next to those scars, many new wounds appeared, a shocking sight.
Levi would sit by the bed and speak softly to Bruce, telling him about the current situation in Gotham, that he had infiltrated Bane's inner circle and gathered a lot of intelligence, that Commissioner Gordon was still resisting, that Robin had returned to Gotham, and that the people of Gotham were still waiting for his return.
He didn't know if Bruce could hear him, he just kept talking to himself, as if he was encouraging himself and also cheering Bruce on.
Sometimes, Alfred would sit to the side and talk to Levi in a low, hoarse voice.
He would tell Levi Bruce about his injury, that although the spinal injury was serious, it was not completely broken and there was still a possibility of recovery, but the process would be very long and would require a lot of patience and medication.
He would also inquire about Li Wei's situation with Bane, urging him to be careful and not to expose himself. More than seeking revenge, he hoped that Li Wei would be safe.
Levi nodded in agreement, organized the intelligence he had gathered, and analyzed it with Alfred, discussing the next steps. Both of them had the same unwavering determination in their eyes: to wait for Bruce to wake up, overthrow Bane's rule, and bring light back to Gotham.
While taking care of Bruce, Levi was also secretly contacting Commissioner Gordon and Robin to gather the remaining forces in Gotham.
Sheriff Gordon did not succumb to Bane's rule. After the police force was disbanded, he took a dozen loyal officers and hid in Gotham's sewers and abandoned factories to continue his resistance.
With limited weapons and supplies, they secretly helped civilians harmed by mercenaries and fugitives. Occasionally, they would ambush lone mercenaries and take their weapons, but due to the disparity in strength, they dared not make any major moves.
Li Wei knew that Commissioner Gordon was the soul of the Gotham Police Force, and only by uniting him could he gather more of the remaining police officers.
He used his modified encrypted communicator to contact Sheriff Gordon late at night. This communicator was specially processed to avoid being detected by Bane's signal detection equipment and was prepared in advance by Levi.
Over the communicator, Sheriff Gordon's voice was hoarse and tired, yet still resolute. He was thrilled to learn that Levi had infiltrated Bane's inner circle and gathered a wealth of intelligence, and he thanked him repeatedly.
Li Wei relayed the intelligence he had gathered, including the locations of mercenary outposts, shift change times, and weaknesses in the armory's defenses, to Sheriff Gordon, informing him of areas where mercenary forces were weak and where supplies could be secretly obtained.
Sheriff Gordon recorded this intelligence and began secretly contacting the hidden police officers, gathering them together to form a small resistance force. They silently amassed strength in the darkness of Gotham.
Subsequently, through Sheriff Gordon, Li Wei obtained Robin's contact information.
Robin was on a mission out of town when he learned of Batman's death and rushed back to Gotham. However, he was put on the wanted list by Bane's mercenaries and had to hide in the slums of Gotham, waiting for an opportunity to act.
Young Robin was filled with anger and resentment, wanting to immediately seek revenge on Bane and get justice for Bruce. He even went so far as to launch a solo attack on Bane's mercenary headquarters, but fortunately, Sheriff Gordon stopped him in time, preventing him from falling into danger.
Levi secretly met with Robin via an encrypted communicator at an abandoned farm on the outskirts of Gotham, a secluded spot far from the mercenaries' patrol area.
When Robin saw Levi, his eyes were bloodshot, his fists clenched, and his voice was filled with intense anger: "Why won't you let me get revenge? Bane beat Bruce like that, turned Gotham into this, I'm going to kill him!"
Looking at the young Robin, Li Wei understood his feelings. He patted him on the shoulder, his voice calm yet firm: "Seeking revenge now would only be a pointless death. Bruce has fallen, and we cannot fall too. Only by gathering all our strength and waiting for Bruce to wake up can we truly defeat Bane and bring light back to Gotham."
He placed the intelligence he had gathered in front of Robin, pointed to the markings on the map, and told Robin how powerful Bane was, and that it was pointless for others to resist when they were outnumbered.
Looking at the dense markings on the map and the detailed intelligence, Robin gradually calmed down. He knew that Levi was right; acting impulsively would not solve any problems.
He slowly loosened his fist, his eyes hardening: "I'll listen to you. I'll secretly contact Gotham's vigilantes and join up with Commissioner Gordon's men. Together, we'll wait for Bruce to wake up."
Li Wei nodded. He knew that Robin's addition would inject new strength into the resistance. Although Gotham's vigilantes did not have great power, they were familiar with every corner of Gotham and could become the eyes and ears of the resistance.
From then on, Li Wei began to coordinate and gather together the remaining police officers of Sheriff Gordon, Robin's vigilantes, and some hidden righteous people.
Using the intelligence he gathered, he planned secret rendezvous points and routes for them, avoiding the patrols of Bain's mercenaries, allowing these scattered forces to gradually come together and form a resistance force of considerable size.
They set up a temporary base in a secret location in Gotham, where they displayed the intelligence gathered by Levi and marked all the information about Bane's mercenaries on a map. Everyone was studying it carefully, preparing for the subsequent counterattack.
Some were responsible for collecting supplies, some for gathering intelligence, and some for training the team. Everyone had their own duties, and even in the darkness, they still held onto hope.
Meanwhile, Levi remained lurking around Bane, doing work against his will during the day to gather more intelligence, and going to the mountain cabin at night to take care of Bruce, organize intelligence, and contact the resistance.
His body was utterly exhausted, getting only a few hours of sleep each night, and his wounds were multiplying. Yet, his mind remained remarkably clear, for he knew he was the link between Bruce and...
The bond between Alfred, Sheriff Gordon, and Robin is key to the fight against Bane.
He often sat by the window of his mountain cabin late at night, gazing in the direction of Gotham, where the sky was still shrouded in darkness, without a glimmer of light.
But in Levi's heart, a fire always burned. This fire was Bruce's words, "Gotham will not yield, justice will not be absent," Commissioner Gordon's perseverance, Robin's steadfastness, Alfred's persistence, and his own obsession with Gotham.
He knew that Bruce's fall was only temporary; the bat had only temporarily folded its wings, and one day it would spread its wings again and soar through the darkness of Gotham.
And he will always stay by Bruce's side, in the darkness of Gotham, gathering more intelligence, building more strength, and waiting for that day to come.