The bus carrying the duelists slowly entered a road strewn with dappled tree shadows in the morning light. Tall, cold forest vegetation flanked both sides of the road, exuding a chilling sensation in the early morning breeze.
The yellow bus drove into a thick fog. The damp morning fog gradually thickened, seeping into the bus through gaps in the window. Once the interior of the bus was filled with fog, the passengers suddenly noticed that the interior setting had changed.
The vehicle that had entered the fog was a typical country bus frequently seen across America. The vehicle that emerged from the fog, however, was an extended luxury car. The passengers found themselves seated face to face on the sofas of the luxury car, as opposed to facing forward as before.
No one moved, for they saw a live driver seated in the driver's seat.
"There is food and drink in the fridge beside the sofa. Please enjoy freely. Make sure to adjust your condition appropriately. The Nihelet family is waiting for your arrival."
The expressions of the two Batmen were very uniform--their eyes were slightly squinted, and the corners of their mouths turned downward. It was apparent that many speculations about their current situation had already flashed through their minds
However, they did not vocalize their thoughts, because the driver's seat of this luxury extended car had no separate cabin. In this unclear situation, it was best not to reveal their outsider identities.
From the driver's brief statement, the information they could deduce was very limited. They only knew that they seemed to be guests of a family called the Nihelet family, and were currently on the way to the family mansion. Therefore, it seemed that this game's setting should be an aristocratic manor.
The two Batmen sat opposite each other and exchanged glances. Within the few seconds of eye contact, a vast amount of information was exchanged.
They indeed had the authority to comment on this kind of situation because they themselves were super-rich tycoons. They couldn't be more familiar with nobles and millionaires.
Beihan started to rummage through his bat suit, and sure enough, he found an invitation in the side pocket of his bat suit.
Natasha also fumbled in her pockets. In fact, she had already noticed that her injuries had healed the moment she boarded. As it seemed, just as the organizer's rules had stated, surviving the night and getting on the bus signified victory in the day's game. It didn't necessarily mean you had to remain unscathed.
She also found an invitation that was a bit crumpled, but the design of this invitation was odd. It wasn't something the American upper class would use. It was pure black in color, with a line of silver script in the middle that read 'Natasha Romanoff, personal invite'.
Natasha immediately gave Batman a glance; the look in her eyes said, 'This must be something put in by the organizer, because this is the name I registered under when the game started.'
Actually, Natasha's legal name is not Natasha Romanoff. The legal name she once used was Natalia Alianovna Romanova. The reason why she had the last name Romanoff was because the father who taught her spy techniques had the last name of Romanoff. In order to differentiate her as someone's adopted daughter, everyone calls her Romanoff.
However, Natasha got married later. She followed the arrangement of the organization and married a former Soviet pilot named Alexei Shostakov. In Russia, a woman has to change her name to her husband's when she gets married, so her later legal name was supposed to be Natalia Shostakov.
In her early years, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been monitoring Black Widow's movements and referred to her as Natalia Shostakov. After Natasha joined S.H.I.E.L.D., she didn't change this, so her legal name in America was also Natalia Shostakov.
The invitations of the American upper class usually use the full name. Some would omit the middle name, but they would still use the first name. And yet, many of the names of the superheroes we are familiar with are actually nicknames.
For example, Daredevil Matt. His first name is Matthew. Tony's first name is Anthony. And Dick's first name is Richard.
A decent family would not write someone's nickname on a formal invitation; this could even be considered disrespectful. Even when meeting in serious situations, people who are relatively close would still have to call each other by their formal names.
So, if this so-called Nihelet family was a wealthy European or American family, they would not make such a mistake. The only possibility was that these were forced in by the organizers, so the organizer directly used the names they registered with.
All four of them considered this and then somewhat relaxed. It seemed that this game didn't require them to impersonate anyone. The organizers would provide them with a reasonable identity.
As expected, the car slowly stopped, and several people who got out of it saw a huge Gothic mansion behind the dense forest. Its size, luxury, and age should be about the same as Wayne Manor.
They noticed when they walked towards the fork in the road that ahead at the intersection hung a sign with the Nihelet family name. This indicated that all the forests surrounding the area belonged to the family.
After they took two more steps, the butler and a group of waiters walked up to them. The leading old butler shook hands with the first Batman, saying, "You're finally here, thank God. The Nihelet family extends a heartfelt welcome to you. Please come with me."
The old butler turned around and walked towards the manor with them, all the while saying, "As I mentioned in the call, the young masters and misses have been worsening. Madam has been nearly driven mad with worry, but it's understandable."
"The master came home a few days ago, but he left hurriedly again because of business. Mr. Proche has been becoming more unreasonable. Madam can hardly cope. If there are any manners amiss later, we ask for your forgiveness and understanding."
"Oh, by the way, what a coincidence that Dr. Rodriguez happens to be an old acquaintance of the famous Wayne brothers. What's that saying? Great minds always find a way to come together."
Without waiting for Batman to ask, the old butler spilled out the entire setting.
It seemed that this family called Nihelet had recently run into some trouble, and it was certain that the family was now inherited by a couple, that is, the "master and madam" mentioned by the butler. They had at least one son and one daughter, and a Mr. Proche, of unknown origin, was also staying with them.
Batman's identity seemed to be a pair of business brothers with a large business scale, Shiller was still a doctor, Natasha's occupation was not mentioned, but judging from the butler's subtle attitude, she might still be a law enforcer with an official background.
It was likely that the butler had called them individually beforehand, hoping that they could solve the problem. But in the conversation, he revealed that he had hired someone else. When he found out they knew each other, he sent a car to pick them up together.
Now there are two major doubts, the first one is, of course, what kind of trouble the Nihelet family has encountered that required them to ask for help from business partners and doctors, and even allowed law enforcement officers to enter their home, not acting in their official capacities.
The last point is particularly important, as a tycoon himself, Batman knows some taboos of the upper class, generally, no family would welcome agents into their homes.
It's not that they really have something to be afraid of being investigated. Most of the places where families live will not have any clues. It's just that they will believe that law enforcement officers should be maintaining their interests, not investigating them. Simply put, they only want their dog to bite people, not bite its owner.
And the act of enforcing the law without declaring one's identity is even more interesting. This is highly possible that the conflicts among the family factions have reached an irreparable point.
One faction wants to expose the crimes of the other factions by inviting law enforcement officers, yet doesn't fully wish things to fall apart, considering it as the final bargaining chip.
Only at this time would they allow law enforcement officers to secretly enter the mansion under an undisclosed identity and appear at the final moment of the negotiation to form a threat to others.
So, which faction do they each belong to?
It's not hard to see that within this house, the relationship between Mr. Nihelet and Lady Nihelet may not be harmonious. Otherwise, Mr. Nihelet wouldn't refuse to return home when his children are in trouble, and that strange Mr. Prosi also formed his own faction. The interpersonal relationship here is bound to be very complex.
And second, and most importantly, who is the Killer Devil?
After the first game on the first day, they understood that the capabilities of the Killer Devil are not only limited to being robust and strong, but it is also likely to have some magic-like abilities. Then the options are wide open; even the landscape tree on the roadside could become an imposing Tree Man Killer Devil.
On the way to the manor, Batman was always alert to possible accidents, while Shiller was already chatting with the old butler.
"I must say, I was shocked when I heard about your situation. I am here for the sake of the innocent children, regardless of what the adults have done."
"You can assure the madam that we don't need to stand on ceremony given the urgency, we can start working right away."
"Really? Thank you so much! Actually, the madam has been hesitating, she fears it would be rude to formally invite you all to the Nihelet family without throwing a welcoming banquet."
"Please don't think so, we are not such pedantic people, efficiency is the priority in handling things, however..."
Shiller intentionally lengthened his voice. The old butler immediately looked at him and said, "If you have any requirements, do not hesitate to tell me. The Nihelet family is very grateful for your timely help, please do not be shy."
"Oh, I'm afraid that is a bit troublesome. We might need that welcoming feast after all. As you can see, we rushed over from different workstations, without bringing any clothes or luggage. While it doesn't bother us much, we might seem like a bad influence on the children."
"So that's the issue." The old butler laughed and said, "Don't worry, we have prepared suitable clothes for you. Besides, after the master took over the family, many things are not as old-fashioned as before. Just yesterday, the young master and the young ladies were playing with the gardener's lawn mower."
During their conversation, they had moved to the entrance of the mansion's main hall. Two waiters opened the door, but the scene inside left everyone stunned.
In the extremely gorgeous Gothic main hall stood many people. How to describe their dress and temperament? One could only say that Batman, in his bat suit, easily blended into the crowd, while the normally dressed Shiller and Natasha looked out of place.
It took the two Batmen only three seconds to determine - this was a room full of charlatans.