To prevent Jantis from having too much free time during the day and learning his daytime sleep habits, Jason straightforwardly arranged an advanced English tutoring class for her.
Jason: "Little brat, you're going to school."
Jantis: ...
She expressed her dissatisfaction. She had gradually become proficient in her nocturnal work, so how could he enroll her in a class without consulting her first?
Jason smirked, looking down at the defiant look in the little girl's eyes, behaving like a rogue who knew he couldn't be touched, "If you can't resist, then just go to school obediently."
Although Jantis was unhappy, since Jason had already paid for the tutoring class, she had no choice but to go. After all, the class fee was non-refundable.
But where there's a will, there's a way. She wasn't stupid.
When Jason noticed a sparrow hovering nearby, he knew Jantis had learned to say one thing and do another when she transformed into a bird.
He could swear that there wasn't another pure white sparrow in all of Gotham, especially not one as friendly as this.
Jason waved, signaling the bird to come closer, but Jantis sensed his ill intentions beneath the mask. She flew to a spot about four or five meters away from him and stopped, refusing to come any closer.
Jason: "...pretty cautious."
"I told you to go to bed obediently, didn't I? Skipping class tomorrow?" Jason said softly in his mechanical voice.
Listening to his gentle tone, Jantis tilted her head, seemingly puzzled why he wasn't angry. Hadn't she done something wrong?
"Chirp."
Jason: "...I don't understand bird language." Did he have to learn bird language to understand what she was saying when she turned into a bird? Where could he learn it? He'd definitely find out.
For now, Jantis wouldn't speak human language while in bird form, but since she couldn't leave, and Jason couldn't chase her away, she had to stay by his side.
Jason couldn't keep Jantis locked up at home, so he had to rely on her discretion and his intimidation. However, the latter wasn't very effective.
Initially, Jantis was obedient and didn't resist Jason's orders, but after spending some time together, she realized that Jason wouldn't harm her at all. As for abandoning her— he definitely wouldn't do that. So Jantis felt emboldened, knowing that Jason wouldn't do anything to her.
But she also wouldn't do anything outrageous. He didn't let her fully participate in his nighttime activities, but he did give her permission to communicate at night. She didn't need to appear in person, so no one would know who she was. In the eyes of the world, Red Hood would just have a bird companion.
Jantis promised herself not to transform back into human form in front of others and never to expose herself.
So, another rumor spread in Gotham: someone who had seen Red Hood claimed he had a bird companion, and that during the night, the Red Hood would always bring the bird along.
Red Hood: "Was it voluntary? If I didn't listen, you couldn't drive me away..."
Unable to defeat Red Hood in combat, some thought of taking a detour by targeting the bird that was always by his side. But they were never successful. Jantis wasn't just an ordinary bird. She still had human thoughts and was even more sensitive to danger than Jason.
Frustrated and exhausted, the group in the alley concluded that it was all very strange. Any attempt to capture the bird failed miserably.
Observing from the shadows, Robin saw everything. At first, he thought it was a criminal incident, but it turned out to be a group of grown men chasing after a bird—the Red Hood's bird, a sparrow. Wasn't that a species? How did it become a name?
It was just a bird, not a person. Robin didn't think the bird would be involved in any criminal activity, even if it was very smart. He had originally planned to help, but the sparrow flew away on its own, seeming to disdain the group of men.
Robin also planned to leave, to see if Batman needed him elsewhere. Suddenly, he noticed something strange. Those guys who were about to leave had returned.
He didn't act rashly, quietly observing what they were about to do.
They looked terrified, crowding and backing away. The next moment, when Robin saw someone unusual, they screamed in horror and turned and fled.
A twisted, spider-like woman crawled on the wall, rushing towards the fleeing men at an incredible speed. They fired at her in panic, but she dodged every bullet. For a moment, blood flowed freely in the alley.
Robin: ?!
!
ChatGPT
Robin intervened, throwing a Batarang that missed its target as the opponent dodged, clinging to the wall and emitting terrifying screams at the men below. Robin doubted if this was really a human being.
She seemed poised to attack the men, but Robin stood in their way. Although these men were criminals, it was not acceptable to let another criminal slaughter them.
The opponent was fast but showed no intention of engaging in combat with Robin. After glancing threateningly at the trembling men behind Robin, she turned and climbed away, disappearing in an instant. He couldn't catch up.
Even the tracker he had just attached to her had malfunctioned.
Once Robin was sure she wouldn't return, he reported the incident to Batman. That creature, whatever it was, didn't seem human. Robin speculated that it had either undergone genetic modification or was non-human.
Gotham seemed to have attracted another lunatic.
The alley was a gruesome sight, bloodied and brutalized bodies lying around without mercy. Limbs, organs, blood... Even Robin, who was no stranger to such scenes, felt a bit queasy for a moment.
She had engaged in a cruel massacre.
The opponent was swift, and most of the deceased had deep claw marks visible on their necks. Robin didn't get a clear view, but he could review the footage later.
The sole survivor had been driven to madness, his eyes wide with disbelief as he gasped heavily, emitting terrified screams at the sight of the carnage around him.
...
In the Batcave, Batman and Robin reviewed the footage recorded by the camera on Robin's suit. The surrounding surveillance seemed to have been attacked by some unknown force, as no key information was captured, only static.
Even the footage was affected; apart from the crucial parts showing the killings, the rest was relatively clear. Batman zoomed in on the recording, taking in the eerie complexion, dark-blue nails, and twisted limbs of the assailant.
Both Bruce and Tim knew this was definitely not a normal person, possibly not even human. The speed and strength displayed were beyond what a normal human could achieve.
"Bruce, don't you think she looks like a female ghost?" Tim, who had watched horror movies, couldn't help but make the comparison. The appearance and state of the attacker were akin to a corpse, yet there was no trace of blood. Even in corpses, there would be coagulated blood.
Bruce reviewed the footage again, assessing the level of danger posed by the attacker. Tim's suggestion was a possibility, but they still had too little information.
Bruce organized the files, and Tim noticed even the Red Hood's bird had a folder. Bruce didn't comment. Given the current situation, the bird's threat level didn't require excessive attention from them.
But that didn't mean it wasn't a threat. After all, there were plenty of individuals who trained animals to gather intelligence for them.
Was someone as dangerous as the Red Hood now following that path too?