The lights of Wayne Manor flicker in the night rain of Gotham, like a candle that might be extinguished at any moment. Yet this flame has been lit here for decades; regardless if its master returns or not, the faithful butler will always stay here, guarding the lighthouse that guides home from the long night.
Alfred picked up a gardening shovel, uprooted a broccoli plant in the garden, and then flung it over the wall, coincidentally landing on a deranged pedestrian's head, causing him to scream horrifically.
Alfred drew a cross on his chest and said, "I'm truly sorry. However, if this could help to snap you out of your madness, it would be beneficial."
Then, he shook his head and said, "Miss Elsa doesn't like broccoli. Even though I believe she should eat more vegetables, there's no need to plant a whole garden of it. It will give her sneezes."
After saying that, he continued to eliminate the broccoli plants, which overtook the tendrils. With a shovel in one hand and an axe in the other, no broccoli could survive three minutes under his hand. In no time, the cut-down broccolis had piled up into a small hill.
It was then that he heard the bell on the mailbox being rung. Alfred looked up at the sky; it was clearly not time for the newspaper delivery.
He frowned but still dropped his tool, changed his clothes and shoes in the adjacent utility room, crossed the hall to the door, and was met with the anxious-face Merkel in a raincoat.
"Why are you here at this time?" Alfred asked as he opened the door.
"Actually, I should've come earlier." Merkel's voice was very hoarse. He said, "I had to first lose those who were tailing me."
Alfred instantly glanced around with caution, and then said to Merkel, "Follow me."
He led Merkel back into the garden, got him dressed as a gardener, handed him a gardening shovel, and they came to the most spacious area in the middle of the garden. Then, while Alfred was digging, he asked, "What's the matter? Somebody's tailing you?"
Merkel tightly clutched the gardening shovel and said, "The agents from the Central Intelligence Agency have stormed into the Rodriguez Manor and arrested Mr. Shiller."
Alfred paused and asked, "Why? On what grounds can they arrest such a respected professor?"
"They say he's KGB..." Merkel's voice trembled, "I should've expected this. How could he tolerate me wandering around the manor if he truly weren't one of us?"
"Can you imagine? A bona fide American, pretending to be oblivious despite knowing that his butler could potentially be a Soviet spy?"
Merkel knocked on the ground in frustration, "Originally, I thought he might simply align with our beliefs or have friends over there, but I didn't expect him to be..."
"Calm down, Merkel," Alfred's tone remained calm, "How many of them came? What did they look like? What type of car did they drive?"
Merkel briefly described it, and Alfred nodded, "That's fine then, it should just be a routine arrest operation. There're still opportunities to turn things around. Let me first contact Kira..."
But at this time, Merkel looked into Alfred's eyes and said, "Indeed, I also know that it started as just a normal arrest operation. They sent few people and didn't seem to make much of it."
"But, Professor Shiller claimed that he was the organizer and leader of the revolution in Central America and appealed for protection as a key witness." Merkel took a deep breath, "I'm afraid he knew his exposure was inevitable, so he chose to assume this identity to protect our comrades."
Alfred's expression stiffened for a moment, but before he could say anything, Merkel continued,
"According to the information I received, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and KGB are all investigating the situation in Central America. Mexico is in total chaos now. If Shiller shows up at this time, he could indeed attract most of the attention."
"In this way, the pressure on the comrade who is leading the revolution in Central America may be somewhat relieved. But it also means that Professor Shiller must contend with those terrifying interrogators!"
"They are almost frantic!" Merkel raised his voice, "They are not afraid to use any means necessary. I'm afraid even if Mr. Shiller has extraordinary abilities, it's likely that his chances are slim. We must find a way to save him!"
After that, he took another breath and said, "But I don't dare to rashly contact Moscow, I also know that the CIA has always been trying to find answers from within our ranks. If I send this information back, it might expose Mr. Shiller's weaknesses, and that would escalate the severity of the interrogation on him."
It was clear that Merkel didn't know what to do next. His complexion was extremely pale and he seemed quite guilty when he said, "I'm such a fool. Actually, I did have a hunch that Professor Shiller might be on our side since he has many similarities with us. But I thought that since he wasn't willing to disclose this, there's no need for me to keep questioning him."
"Or rather, I thought as we each have our own missions, I don't necessarily need his help to complete my own work. It was my arrogant assumption that led us to lose our crucial window of opportunity. I couldn't provide him with any valuable information and he couldn't pass on any crucial intelligence to me. This oversight is deadly!"
After hearing Merkel's words, Alfred fell into deep thought. Everyone had been searching for the initiator of the revolution in Mexico, including the KGB.
The KGB investigated internally for a long time but could not identify this person. Finally, they turned their gaze on Alfred. This was not a coincidence, the deduction made perfect sense because Alfred's rank was even higher than what Batman had imagined.
Take the Philby List incident as an example. Initially, Philby had already risen to the top of the British intelligence organization. At that time, he was under investigation and strictly controlled. The stipulations for such investigations and control were very stringent.
Even the most foolish British intelligence department knew what the consequences would be if their boss ran into trouble. So, they were rare in their solidarity. For Philby, the situation he faced was essentially a game of Russian roulette.
Yet, during that time, Alfred was able to gain access to Philby. He was even able to smuggle out the list. This illustrated that his status in England was not low. An informant of such caliber would have a similar status within the KGB.
Such status derived from the hereditary butler family—Pennyworth. The title "hereditary butler family" might sound subservient to nobles, but it's the contrary. The Pennyworth family originated from the era of absolute monarchial power and served several English kings.
Even after the establishment of a constitutional monarchy, they maintained a deep relationship with the British Royal Family. Numerous generations of the family produced stewards for Whitehall and the so-called No. 10 Living Minister. Their network permeated the entire upper class of British society.
Such a person collaborating with Philby, who was controlling the British intelligence organization, was nearly unbeatable.
Furthermore, Alfred had been quietly residing in America for many years. This gave him ample time to scheme. This was why the KGB felt that Alfred was a highly probable suspect.
Of course, they could not be assured of it. But the reason they chose to present the Red Flag Medal and a personal letter to Alfred was as an attempt at verification. Their satisfaction arose from the results. Alfred did not deny it, which indicated that even if he wasn't the organizer of this situation, he definitely knew about it.
However, in reality, Alfred was completely unaware. The reason he acknowledged the issue was solely to provide cover for the real organizer.
Espionage worked this way, with everyone opaquely guarded from one another. They had to be cautious of not just the other side but their own people.
Alfred did not know the true intentions of those who delivered the medal and letter. He wasn't sure if they were trying to bait the real organizer through him. Therefore, he chose to bear the responsibility. Even if anyone attempted to trace the organizer through this lead, they would only reach Alfred.
Finding Alfred was akin to walking into a trap. Neglecting the defense mechanism of Batman and Wayne Manor, the chaos of Gotham alone would be enough for them to handle.
Yet, when Alfred heard that Mr. Shiller had also accepted responsibility, he grew suspicious of another possibility.
Indeed, Shiller might have had the same intention as Alfred. He wanted to provide cover for the true organizer. There was also the chance that Shiller was the actual organizer.
Although Merkel was Mr. Shiller's butler, Merkel was no match for Alfred's understanding of Shiller. On one hand, Alfred, Godfather, and the old Father were old friends. When Shiller first came to Gotham, the old Father noticed him and recommended him to the Godfather. As a result, Alfred also came into contact with Shiller.
Alfred held a higher status than Merkel. As someone who belonged to the same era as Gold Philby, his combat experience and intuitive judgement vastly surpassed Merkel's. Hence, early on, he felt that Shiller probably belonged to the same category as him.
Later, as Bruce became Shiller's student, Alfred and Shiller interacted more and more. As Dick and Elsa often went to Rodrix Manor for classes, Alfred and Shiller became even more familiar with each other.
Alfred certainly knew that the professor possessed abilities unattainable to normal people. Unlike his apparent indifference to politics, Alfred was convinced that Shiller was stirring up the world's situation in his own ways.
Thus, while carefully pondering on the identity of the Central American revolution's organizer, Alfred found it highly likely to be Shiller.
Even though he had never heard the name "Shiller" back in the KGB, this was normal. Information was not shared between many departments of the KGB. The personnel also did not recognize each other. Possibly, this revolution was the result of Shiller's long-term secret mission after he had infiltrated the East Coast.
At this thought, Alfred furrowed his brows. He turned to Merkel and asked, "Did you remember what the car that took Shiller looked like? Do you know the direction they took?"
"Of course," Merkel replied. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself, then said, "Originally, I planned to chase them immediately. But they left some agents behind at the manor to monitor us. I had to find a reasonable excuse to leave."
"Moreover, Gotham is in a state of chaos now. The streets were filled with gangs and lunatics. Just based on my abilities, I fear I wouldn't be able to handle so many agents. That's why I came to look for you, Alfred."
Alfred nodded and was about to speak when the phone in the main hall suddenly rang. He walked over, picked up the phone and heard Kira's somewhat anxious voice from the other end.
"Alfred, just now, I got a message from the CIA. The organizer of the Central American revolution was captured…"
"But, the agents deployed by the FBI for transfer and their target all disappeared!"