Chapter 3885

The Pale Knight was staying in a room at Wei En Manor. He was looking at a piece of news in the newspaper, frowning. After a long while, he slapped the newspaper onto the desk and said, "It's been so long since Cat Getan became an independent state; who on earth is digging this up again to talk about it at such length?"

The headline on the newspaper read, "Congress Passes Cat Getan Second Referendum Bill by High Margin; Is Independence Still Uncertain?"

Batman's fingers tapped lightly on the desk, clearly deep in thought as well. After a while, he looked up and asked, "Has the energy been processed? When do we start building the magical defense network?"

"It will take a few more days," the Pale Knight shook his head and said. "We must resolve this current matter first."

"What do you think the outcome of the referendum will be?"

"No one wants to go back to how things were before. But the referendum will definitely pass—from the moment this bill was implemented, Congress wouldn't allow any possibility of it failing."

"Then what do you plan to do?" Batman asked.

"I don't know. If we cannot obtain our due rights through political means, then we can only think of other ways."

"For example?"

"Magic." The Pale Knight sat down in the chair in front of the desk and said, "We just obtained a large amount of energy. Although it can be used to build the magical defense network, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Perhaps using it to solve Cat Getan's problem isn't out of the question."

"But how are we going to use magic to solve it?"

"Have you heard?" The Pale Knight placed his hands on the desk and said, "There was a Cat Getan in one universe that flew away from the surface, becoming physically independent. If all else fails, we can only emulate them."

"That could count as a solution," Batman nodded and said. "However, if we can avoid flying, it's best not to. But we can use this point to negotiate with Congress, to make them meddle less in Cat Getan's affairs."

"I still find it very suspicious," the Pale Knight said. "Cat Getan becoming an independent state was originally the result of compromises from all sides. Congress should hate change, yet they are bringing up old matters again, and with such aggressive momentum. I don't believe for a second that no one is pushing this behind the scenes."

"The problem is who has the motive to do this," Batman said. "Cat Getan's independence doesn't threaten anyone. Even if your new tax policy has been increased to a point some cannot bear, they could just leave, rather than going through such a convoluted process. The price required to incite Congress might cause them even greater losses—no one would do this."

The two were silent for a moment. Just then, the Pale Knight received a phone call. After hanging up, he said, "Fiona is here."

Before he could finish his next sentence, the door to the reception room was pushed open. A red-haired girl walked in, a camera hanging around her neck and an interview notebook in her hand. She said, "My god, have you seen the newspaper? Why is there going to be a second referendum again?!"

"Where are you coming from, Miss?"

"The Natural Woodland Conservation Foundation hearing." Fiona shook the press pass in her hand and said, "Even without this matter, I would have come over. Today is the second anniversary of my father's passing, and I wanted to invite you both to visit his grave. Seeing Cat Getan's current state, he would surely be very happy."

The Pale Knight's gaze softened a bit, and he said, "Yes. If not for the struggles of people like Willy, Cat Getan wouldn't be where it is today. We should indeed go and thank him."

"But on the condition that the fruits of his struggle aren't destroyed overnight!" Fiona said with some anxiety. "The second referendum must not be held, otherwise they will definitely find ways to cheat, and then all the previous achievements will be destroyed!"

"That's right. We think so too," Batman said. "We have a final resort that can ensure things don't go as Congress wishes. But the final resort is a bit extreme and will only be used when things reach an irreconcilable point. Before that, the best method is a public opinion offensive."

"I understand," Fiona said. "I am the youngest genius reporter, and I have a hero father. Now, the ordinary people of Cat Getan like me very much. As long as I speak out, they will follow. By then, public sentiment will be surging, and even if the referendum result is unsatisfactory, people will definitely feel there is something fishy going on."

"You are too smart, Miss." The Pale Knight gave her a smile and then said, "However, you must watch out for your own safety. This matter isn't that simple; the people behind it must have something to rely on to be able to persuade so many congressmen. If you have a direct confrontation with them, you might be in danger."

"If my father had thought that way back then, Cat Getan wouldn't be where it is today." Fiona appeared incredibly determined as she said, "From the day I became a reporter, speaking out for justice until the last moment of my life has been my mission. I keep this in mind."

After speaking, she turned and left. The Pale Knight watched her back and said, "Willy would also feel very happy to see his daughter. Shall we go visit his grave now?"

Batman stood up and said, "Bring him a few photos; the Independence Day celebration activities would be good."

The low-key black car stopped in front of a cemetery. The Pale Knight and Batman got out from opposite sides. Before they even reached the spot, the Pale Knight saw a notification pushed to his phone:

"Cat Getan genius reporter speaks out: Independence and freedom are the will of the Cat Getan people, those who engage in fraud will not have a good end!"

The Pale Knight frowned slightly. Batman looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Fiona is a bit too sharp." The Pale Knight sighed and said, "She shouldn't have aimed her spearhead at Congress so early; this just gives Congress a reason to target her."

Sure enough, before the activity of visiting the hero's grave was even over, the Pale Knight received a message from Gordon: Fiona had been arrested.

Fiona had high prestige among Cat Getan citizens, not only because her father was a hero who dared to struggle, but also because during the initial chaos, Fiona stood up to maintain order in the region. At that time, she was still just a little girl, but she was braver than many, which gave her a group of loyal followers, just like her father back in the day.

Now she had been arrested, and she was taken away directly from her home. Her followers and the ordinary people of Cat Getan were very dissatisfied and flocked to the entrance of the police station, demanding that the police station release Fiona.

But whether to release her was clearly not up to Gordon. This time, the arrest order was issued directly by the federal government, and those who came were all FBI agents. The local police station could not contend with them, and Gordon was simply overwhelmed.

The Pale Knight and Batman rushed to the Cat Getan police station at top speed. Gordon rushed up and gave the Pale Knight a hug, then said, "Quick, Fiona is inside. She doesn't look scared, just very angry. Go comfort her quickly, don't let her do anything stupid."

The Pale Knight walked quickly inside, but was soon stopped by an agent wearing a windbreaker with the FBI logo. The other party flashed their credentials at him and said, "Sorry, sir. This case is being taken over entirely by the FBI, and visitors are not allowed at this time..."

"Make way! Make way! I am Miss Fiona Travell's lawyer!" A figure squeezed in from outside. The Pale Knight turned his head to look, and it was actually Harvey Dent.

There was a reason for not letting idlers in, but not letting a lawyer in wouldn't do. No matter how serious the crime committed, one must be given the opportunity to see a lawyer. The agents waved their hands and let Harvey in.

The others waited outside with some anxiety. About half an hour later, Harvey came out, and one could tell from his expression that the situation probably wasn't very good.

"The language Fiona used was a bit too sharp," Harvey said. "Her evaluation of the actions of certain congressmen was almost naming names, and she could potentially be accused of libel. More importantly, her wording regarding Cat Getan's independence is too vague, and the federal government could potentially accuse her of splitting the country."

Hearing the last term, the others frowned. The Pale Knight said, "But we only want Cat Getan to become an independent state, not for Cat Getan to break away from the federation."

"Yes, that is what Fiona meant too. However, her wording wasn't cautious enough. You know, the power of definition lies with them."

The Pale Knight sighed slightly and said, "Fiona is very smart and very brave, but she still underestimated the filth of politics. We must find a way to get her out."

"There is an even more critical problem," Harvey said. "The FBI taking over this matter doesn't mean Fiona will get a fair trial. It is more likely that she won't walk out of the interrogation room."

Batman narrowed his eyes slightly. Harvey explained, "I have seen too many people like this. Either it's a sudden heart attack, or they choke to death from an epileptic seizure; those who are more 'decent' just commit suicide. If Congress wants to solve this once and for all, they will definitely find a way to kill her."

"More importantly, Fiona has no backing. Killing her won't affect anyone's interests, so they will have even fewer scruples when they strike. As for those ordinary people, they have never been within Congress's consideration. Protests can be suppressed, and marches can be met with armed resistance. Once people are dead, no matter how many such activities there are, it's meaningless."

"I will have the Wei En Group pull some strings," Batman said. "There are a few of our own in the FBI. Although not many, it should be able to drag things out for a while."

"I will have people keep an eye on things as much as possible," Gordon said. "Try not to give them a chance to strike. But this matter must be resolved as soon as possible. Long-term imprisonment could cause irreversible damage to Fiona's body, which is not what we want to see."

As the few were discussing, suddenly, a strange car stopped at the entrance. A beautiful red-haired woman walked down from the car, and when she entered the police station, she flashed her credentials at the police:

"CIA, Agent Romanoff. I have official business."

Gordon hurried to greet her, but the woman who called herself Agent Romanoff had no intention of talking much with him; she just lowered her head to glance at her phone and asked, "Where is Fiona Travell?"

"Inside." Gordon was a bit uneasy; he didn't know what the appearance of a CIA agent meant.

"Wait a moment, Agent Romanoff." The Pale Knight stepped forward, stopped the woman, and said, "I have some words I'd like to say to you. Is it convenient to talk further?"

The other party nodded, and the two walked into the corridor to the side. The Pale Knight lowered his voice and said, "What the hell is going on? Natasha? How did you get here?!"

"I am tracking an electronic lifeform that has invaded many universes simultaneously. Didn't you get the news in the group?"

"Seems like I've heard of it. Could it be that our universe has one too?"

"Cannot be certain. But hasn't anything special happened to you recently?"

"Congress suddenly demanded a second referendum for Cat Getan... God, I knew this wasn't right. Creating chaos at this point in time is just to delay the construction of the magical defense network!"

"That's right. This situation has appeared in many universes, and I have discovered a certain pattern and am investigating along this pattern. Time is tight, let me see Miss Travell first."

"Why her? Is she related to the electronic lifeform?"

"Hard to say for now. I just discovered that many key figures involved in many universes have one common characteristic."

"What characteristic?"

"Red hair."

?? Every named supporting character is useful!