Chapter 967

"Just about ten or so hours ago, my CIA agents on the ground sent back a report: the FBI has arrested the organizer of the Central American revolution and is about to transport him back to Washington for interrogation."

"At first, I thought this was a smokescreen they were putting out. The situation was unclear, so I didn't act rashly. But then news came that the transport agents and the target had both gone missing. Now, the FBI suspects that the CIA was behind it."

A helpless voice came from the other end of the phone, Kayla's: "Their suspicion isn't without reason. The FBI thinks the KGB wouldn't move this quickly. After all, the CIA has used similar traps against them before, and even if they had received the news, they would surely be observing the situation just like I am."

"Furthermore, judging by the KGB's modus operandi, they are more likely to pull something in Washington, especially regarding the interrogation, where they could turn the tables and set a trap for the CIA."

"The FBI feels that it must be the CIA wanting to snatch the target, which is why they dared to act so cleanly and decisively, because regardless of success or failure, the CIA doesn't lose out."

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Alfred narrowed his eyes and said, "You control intelligence for both the CIA and the KGB. You calling me means that you haven't found any news of this mysterious organizer in either side's intelligence, right?"

"That's right, that's exactly the problem. I'm responsible for the intelligence work along the entire East Coast for both the CIA and the KGB. This incident simply wasn't the work of the CIA or the KGB."

"So, Alfred, do you think this could be a trap? Could it be the FBI staging this themselves? Or is it..."

"I think you already have the answer," Alfred replied. "The FBI wouldn't dare make an issue of this at such a critical juncture. They know how taboo this subject is for those old men; if anything goes wrong, everyone will be in trouble."

"In other words, they really did take him..."

"Schiller," Alfred said. "Schiller Rodriguez. His butler told me that just a moment ago, FBI agents stormed into the Rodriguez estate, and Schiller admitted to the agents himself that he is the organizer and leader of the Central American revolution."

"What?!"

Kayla exclaimed in disbelief.

"His butler reached out to me, hoping I could save him, but now it seems the situation is more complex than we imagined. You're saying Schiller disappeared along with the agents transporting him?"

Kayla on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, but then said, "That's right. The FBI personnel sent to receive him didn't get anyone, and all the transport agents have lost contact. Now the FBI is searching for people like crazy, but there's been absolutely no progress."

"I heard that Cat Getan seems to have had some trouble, the situation inside the city is very complex, and the agents who went in to search have all lost contact. Alfred, I called to confirm your situation as well. You must be careful..."

"Don't worry about me," Alfred said in a steady tone. "I've grown accustomed to the various anomalies here. As for Schiller, I will investigate. You just wait for my news."

"Thank you, Alfred." Kayla breathed a sigh of relief, but then said in a serious tone, "If Schiller really is our comrade and has made such a great contribution to our cause, then we must protect his safety at all costs."

"Rest assured, Kayla. He is also Bruce's university professor, a truly good teacher. No matter where he is now, I will bring him back."

Hanging up the phone, Alfred looked at Merkel and said, "The good news is that Schiller hasn't been sent back to Washington for interrogation, so there is still plenty of room for recovery. But the bad news is that he has disappeared along with the transport agents. Now we can only confirm he is still in Cat Getan, but we have to find out exactly where he is ourselves."

"I'll go right now," Merkel said immediately, but Alfred stopped him, saying, "How do you intend to find him? By wandering aimlessly through Cat Getan? You must first ensure your own survival before you can find your employer."

Having said that, Alfred turned around, then looked back and gave Merkel a look. Merkel paused for a moment, but still followed him.

Alfred arrived at the entrance to the basement and walked all the way down. When he reached the door to the Bat-Lab, he didn't go in, but instead turned in another direction and walked into a room on the north side of the basement.

The entire Wei En Manor has a very large basement, 70% of which is a laboratory used by Batman for experiments, but 30% is a warehouse Alfred uses to store various things.

These two parts do not connect and do not interfere with each other. Alfred almost never enters Batman's laboratory, and Batman never enters Alfred's warehouse, nor does he know what Alfred has piled up in there; he has no interest in it.

Thus, when Merkel saw that pile of heavy weaponry with a rather questionable origin, his jaw nearly dropped.

He extended a trembling finger, pointed at the pile of things in the warehouse, and stammered, "What is this?... Could this be the legendary 'last resort'????"

"'Last resort'?" Alfred walked into the warehouse, shook his head, and said, "No, this can't be called a last resort. This is just a means to ensure self-safety and ensure that the mission can be carried out smoothly. Come, pick something you like. How about this gun?"

Merkel swallowed hard and said, "When I was at butler school, I once heard people say that the confrontations of the previous generation were much more intense than they are now. People back then were also much more capable than they are now, but I didn't expect it to have reached this point?"

"You're right. The confrontations of the previous generation were indeed much more intense than they are now, but this isn't just reflected in the quantity of weapons, but also in the understanding of duty."

"If you first regard yourself as an agent or a spy, you will never be able to use means that exceed that identity, because you will always have to worry about whether you have exposed your identity or leaked intelligence."

Merkel's expression was somewhat puzzled. He said, "But I have to worry about these things. If I'm too careless in my work and expose my identity, my employer will also be implicated..."

Alfred stroked the barrel of a rifle with his hand and said, "Over so many years, it's not as if FBI or CIA people haven't sneaked into this city, wanting to break into this manor to capture their target."

"But over all these years, only that group of agents who went after Professor Schiller luckily succeeded. Why do you think that is?"

Merkel was stunned for a moment, then showed a guilty expression. He said, "Because of my dereliction of duty..."

"No, Merkel," Alfred said. "Because you still haven't regarded yourself as a butler, especially not as a Cat Getan butler."

Alfred looked at the gun in his hand and said, "How can a butler in Cat Getan not have his own armory? Even the butlers equipped in those cheap new manors on the edge of the South District have a small warehouse specifically for storing weapons."

Alfred sighed and said, "Think about it. If, when those FBI agents broke into the manor, you happened to be maintaining your weapons, and because of excessive fright, you accidentally had a discharge and produced some new fertilizer for the manor's large garden, then who could they blame? They could only blame the fact that the city of Cat Getan is truly rotten to the core."

"You conscientiously and cautiously play the role of a Gothamite, but in reality, there are no cautious Gothamites, and certainly no reasonable Cat Getan butlers."

"When that group of FBI agents kicked open the manor's gate, flashed their badges at you, and stated their identities, you should have pulled a gun from under the sofa and knocked down the person kicking the door first."

"You should have told him that in Cat Getan, one must follow the rules. No matter who wants to visit the manor, if they don't present a calling card or bring a gift, then what awaits them will never be a banquet and fine wine, but definitely bullets."

Alfred turned his head to look at Merkel and said, "You should be glad you aren't from the previous generation. Otherwise, while you were trying to reason with them, you would have already been exposed. The guys I used to deal with would have already opened fire while you were still trying to argue."

With a "click," Alfred dry-fired the trigger. Merkel flinched instinctively. Alfred then said:

"I think your employer shouldn't blame you; he is a very tolerant gentleman. But after all, you are the butler I recommended. If you can't complete the work within your purview, I'm afraid it will bring shame to your school and the Pennyworth family."

Merkel lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Yes, Mr. Pennyworth, I understand. Tomorrow I will tidy up the manor's underground warehouse and prepare some defensive measures that a Cat Getan butler should have."

Alfred nodded, tossed a weapon to Merkel, picked up an old-fashioned double-barreled shotgun himself, and said, "Let's go. Find Schiller, and then tell him to his face that you will be a good butler."

The two left the basement and were just about to walk out of the Wei En Manor hall when, suddenly, a figure appeared outside the manor's gate. She reached out and patted the gate's railing, appearing somewhat anxious.

Alfred handed the gun to Merkel, straightened his attire, walked forward, and opened the door.

Looking at the somewhat familiar face of Zatanna outside the door, Alfred was stunned for a moment, then tentatively said, "Zatanna Zatara? Is it Miss Zatara?"

"It's me... Oh, Alfred!" Zatanna called out the butler's name. Seeing this old butler with graying temples, the words she had been in such a hurry to shout were stifled back into her stomach.

"... Alfred, is your health alright?" Zatanna asked with concern. Alfred looked at her somewhat weary complexion and said, "I'm doing quite well, Miss. But you look a bit tired. Come in and we'll talk."

Alfred led Zatanna into the hall of Wei En Manor, but Zatanna had no heart to sit down. She had been thinking about how to explain Bruce's current state to this old butler.

Back then, when she followed her father to Wei En Manor, little Bruce had just lost his parents, and it had always been the old butler taking care of him. Zatanna knew clearly that the two of them were not father and son, but they were closer than father and son.

She really couldn't bear to tell such a father about his son's plight. Zatanna took a deep breath and summoned all her courage, but just before she could speak, Alfred looked at her and said, "You want to tell me some bad news, don't you?"

Zatanna was stunned for a moment, but then blurted out, "Yes, Bruce... he's not in a good state right now. I was planning to go save him, but I need some help..."

"Where is he now?" Alfred asked.

Zatanna painfully furrowed her brows. She couldn't bring herself to say the word "Hell," because she felt that this old butler simply couldn't understand matters related to mysticism.

If she said Bruce was in Hell now, it would be like telling Alfred that Bruce was already dead. As for the subsequent part about going to Hell to save his soul, that was even more of a fantasy.

"You want to say he's dead?" Alfred looked at Zatanna's complexion again and said. Zatanna was stunned again, then sighed and said, "Mr. Butler, please be sure to listen patiently to what I say next."

"I'm not drunk, nor am I talking nonsense. These things are all true. Although it might be hard for you to accept, but... well, Bruce's soul is in Hell right now, the very Hell that ordinary people recognize."

When she said this, Zatanna didn't dare look at Alfred at all. When she slowly turned her head back, she didn't see any expression of shock or disdain on Alfred's face.

"Then, how did he get there?" Alfred asked.

"He... he from the edge of the human world and Hell, that is..."

"The edge of Hell?" Alfred reminded her.

"Ah, right, that's it, the edge of Hell. He jumped down from the cliff there... Wait a minute!"

Zatanna widened her eyes, looked at Alfred, and asked, "How do you know about the edge of Hell??!"