Shiller stood by the window and watched the Federal Bureau of Investigation's cars drive away, then turned to add more wood to the fireplace when another hand pressed on the wood he was about to pick up.
As he looked up, he saw Tim smiling at him.
The living room lights were off, only the gradually dimming light from the fireplace illuminated Tim's smile which was no different from when he had sat on the doorstep that night, always carrying an arrogance and a slyness hard to notice that his brothers lacked, full of youthful spirits.
Shiller grabbed the stick in his hand and struck Tim on the head with it.
"Ouch!" Tim cried out in pain, covering his head.
"Why would you hit someone?!" Tim said, sitting on the ground, eyes widened in anger.
"Was it you who caused this mess?" Shiller stood up, holding the stick, as Tim also scrambled to his feet, grimacing and holding the lump that had just been thumped on his head.
"Even if I did, you can't hit someone over it!"
Immediately, Tim's shoulder received another hit; he hurriedly ran towards the couch while shouting, "You're not following the rules! Weren't you supposed to sit me down and talk?! Stop hitting, you think I won't fight back?!"
Taking advantage of having a weapon in hand, Shiller didn't give Tim a chance to dodge and viciously struck him several times before finally speaking irritably, "Arrogant that's because he's patient, talk talk talk, what's there to talk about?!"
Tim stood on the other side of the couch, clutching his recently hit arm and gasping from the pain, while Shiller irritably said, "Did you think I'd give you a chance to proudly elaborate on your plan and display your cleverness? Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Then aren't you going to ask what I was planning?"
"Even if right now you wanted to pull down the moon, I wouldn't be surprised," Shiller rolled his eyes and said, "It's just that the homework was too little!"
Tim let his arms drop, sighed, and said, "It's hard to believe you and Professor are the same person. Yes, I was bored after finishing my homework, so what do you plan to do about it?"
Shiller, holding the stick and folding his arms, narrowed his eyes and said, "You used plants to seal this place, I can't get out, and neither can you, right?"
"Right, I can't get out, so what? You plan to kill me?"
"Are you stupid? Killing is illegal!"
Just as Tim was about to say something, Shiller shouted, "Pamela! 5 million dollars transfer into your cosmos account, tie this kid up!"
"Alright!" Pamela appeared in a flash.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh, vines stretched out from the corner of the room and hoisted Tim up; Shiller weighed the stick in his hand and said, "Your cosmos's methods won't work here, kid, don't meddle in adult business."
"I will meddle!" Tim shouted, "If you dare hit me, I'll expose you online!"
"You think I don't have friends in the media?!" Shiller snapped, "Just stay put. I'm stepping out."
Pamela let Tim down and he continued grimacing and rubbing his arm; Pamela rolled up his sleeve and saw a long red mark.
"Some kids really do get a thrashing," Pamela remarked, "Looks like you don't dodge enough."
"He ambushed me! And no one else has hit me before!"
"That's why I said you haven't been hit enough," Pamela let go of his sleeve and said, "Don't look at me like that, you think that just because I'm standing by your side, you can beat him?"
"Then why didn't you hang him up?"
"Do you not know plants are afraid of fire?" Pamela said somewhat exasperatedly, "Just now if I hadn't hung you up, he could've flipped the fireplace and set the house on fire, and we couldn't even escape this mountain."
Tim sighed through his nose and said, "Anyway, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has left now, there shouldn't be any more trouble in Los Angeles."
"Let's hope things go as you predict," Pamela said, "I have a hard time believing it."
They both walked towards the door, Tim asked, "Why?"
"Haven't you noticed? His actions are even more unpredictable than the Professor's," Pamela shook her head and said, "If anything, your dad resembles him more."
"The Professor is more stable," Tim rubbed the bump on his head again, gasping as he did, "I resemble him more."
Tim watched their rented red car being driven away, its taillights gradually vanishing on the dark road.
"You don't seem surprised," Pamela said.
"I knew your plant barrier wouldn't stop him, he has a ring that can teleport, otherwise how could he have gone to the town to buy firewood before?"
"Then you said kidnapping specifics weren't necessary."
"You could've tied him up just now, but you didn't."
"He paid."
"Is there a chance that in our cosmos I'm richer than he is?"
"Then make an offer!"
"5 million is too expensive, no way."
"You're so stingy!"
"You don't know how expensive it is to run a house!"
Ding dong, Tim's phone beeped with a new message; he took out his phone and opened the message interface to find that Jason had sent them a message.
"Are you now in Los Angeles? Is Pamela there?"
"You've been discovered by Jason," Tim turned to Pamela and said, "He said he was going to meet Captain America, so you must be on The Avengers' radar now."
"Who blame is that?" Pamela said irritably.
"The good news is that the Avengers probably didn't mobilize, or you're not worth their mobilization. The bad news is, having Captain America alone is troubling enough for us. Can you beat him?"
"It depends," Pamela said with some difficulty, "I encountered him before in a Battleworld replica. He isn't very strong, but I can't break through his defense either."
"Captain America is a considerable variable. The Federal Bureau of Investigation brought him over, perhaps to make him a witness in the assassination case. Although he is now a has-been internet celebrity, he still holds significant influence."
"In the original plan, the Senators and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were in cahoots, staging a faux scenario to embezzle funds. Having Captain America as a living witness made it all the more believable."
"But now the plan has changed. He should be heading to Los Angeles to quell the chaos, which isn't good."
"Why?"
"Didn't I mention it? Without rats, how can the importance of a cat be shown? The Federal Bureau of Investigation might not eradicate Hydra within its jurisdiction, but Captain America will. Hydra is an old enemy of his."
"True, and if Hydra in Los Angeles gets wiped out by him…"
"Then Hydra might actually become a protected asset, even S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Federal Bureau of Investigation might offer him support... wait, Shiller wouldn't have done this on purpose, would he?"
Tim's eyes darted around, indicating his brain was racing, and as they walked toward the seaside, he continued.
"Suppose he's not the real leader of Hydra, just an undercover agent, then bringing Captain America here to sweep through Hydra could significantly weaken Hydra's influence."
"But you said the Federal Bureau of Investigation and S.H.I.E.L.D. would support Hydra."
"Support is given, but who will end up with it?" Tim raised a critical question, "The real Hydra or Shiller's hands?"
"Are you saying he wants to have it both ways?"
"If I were him, I would too. Indeed, rather than cooperating with one side, using his essential existence as leverage to get both sides to support him would allow him to benefit more fully."
"Oh, I see," Pamela said, "On the surface, he wants to stir up trouble with Hydra in Los Angeles to demand funds from S.H.I.E.L.D."
"In reality, he had already covertly moved Captain America there to let him sweep through Hydra in Los Angeles while the Federal Bureau of Investigation was away, to prevent Captain America and the Avengers behind him from annihilating Hydra entirely, both sides would need to support him."
The two reached the seaside, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation's landing craft had not been taken away. Tim had seen from the window earlier that those who came by sea had also retreated with those on land, not taking the sea route anymore, so the boat came in handy for them.
Tim knew how to operate a speedboat, and as soon as the two stepped aboard, he started the speedboat, and they quickly headed toward Los Angeles.
"Do you think we might get caught by the Avengers as soon as we land?" Pamela asked, sounding a bit worried, "I think I can escape, but you might not be so lucky."
"That's not what you should be worried about right now."
"Then what should I be?"
"There are people much dumber than the Avengers," Tim said, glancing down at the speedboat's dashboard, pausing his gaze for a moment, but said nothing else.
The speedboat sped forward, unobstructed by the sea, and the direct distance wasn't far, so they soon saw the lights of Los Angeles.
The nearest dock approached, and as they jumped off the speedboat, countless lights turned on. Officers sporting FBI badges weaved between the squad cars like schools of fish, quickly forming a crossfire network, numerous gun muzzles aimed at them.
Tim quickly raised his hands, Pamela glanced at him and didn't resist either, raising her hands to show she was unarmed.
The police took them to separate police cars, and as Tim sat down, he saw the muscular man in the front passenger seat turn around with a pair of sparkling blue eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Tim Drake."
"Looks like my dear brother sold out my information completely."
"He was just cooperating with the investigation."
"You left the speedboat because you thought if this attack succeeded, trapping the enemy in a tactical fight would only increase casualties, so you gave them an escape route, but put a tracking device on the speedboat. Yet weren't you afraid he'd head for Mexico?"
"No, because he feels he still has power in Los Angeles. I understand Hydra, they believe they still have a chance to turn the tables."
"Seeing is believing, Captain America."
"Flattery will get you nowhere. Since you found out, why didn't you head for Mexico?"
"I have my reasons," Tim grinned at him, then said, "Do you plan to take me to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for questioning?"
"If you were of age, yes."
"Do you know what answers you'll get?"
Steve looked back at him.
"I was kidnapped by Hydra, but I saw the true face of the leader who kidnapped me, none other than the famously notorious psychiatrist online—Shi..."
"You better think carefully about what you're about to say," Steve interrupted him firmly and said, "It's one thing to tell me, another to keep it all in the interrogation records. Do you plan to accuse him in court?"
"No." Tim's abrupt reply made Steve blink in surprise, but then he felt his brain was about to explode.
"I will accuse him online, then let all the netizens see what dirty tricks the Federal Bureau of Investigation, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Hydra are up to."
"Do you have evidence?"
"Does the internet need evidence?"
Steve now deeply understood why Jason had told him that only Tim could be called a "mad teenager."