From Ransom to Revenge: The Transfer of Captives

As the call rang, the room fell into complete silence; even the sound of breathing was noticeably audible. After a long wait, the call finally connected, and Alfred's aged voice came through.

"What can I do for you?"

"Alfred, it's me."

Meanwhile, unnoticed by the kidnappers, several black vans had pulled up on the road nearby, parking just outside the property. The van doors slid open, and a group of imposing, well-built men with heavy machine guns, all looking deadly serious, emerged one by one. They were clearly no ordinary crew.

"Is Dent confirmed to be here?"

The leader—a man in his fifties wearing a black suit, with a commanding presence—stepped out last, assisted by someone, as he surveyed the isolated house in front of him. He turned his head to his young male secretary.

The secretary bowed his head respectfully. "Yes, sir. We've confirmed Harvey Dent has been kidnapped by a gang of ex-cons and is being held here. Bruce Wayne was also taken with him."

"Bruce Wayne?" A faint change flickered in the elder's wrinkled face, and he adjusted his white hair calmly. "A fortunate bonus."

"Go. Bring both Wayne and Dent over here. You know how to handle the rest."

"Yes, sir!" the men replied, a steely glint in their eyes.

Inside the house.

"Alfred, it's me. I've been kidnapped."

"Yes, they're asking for a hundred million dollars to release me. You know what to do—bring everything you can."

"What? You can't withdraw that much in one go?"

As he said this, Bruce looked at the leader standing on the other side of the table.

He'd intended to say something like this earlier but suspected that these low-level kidnappers wouldn't believe him and might think he was stalling. Instead, he opted to demonstrate the reality.

The leader hesitated, then addressed Bruce. "Ask him how much he can get right now."

Bruce relayed the question, then shared the precise amount with the kidnappers.

The leader thought for a moment, glancing around and exchanging looks with the other kidnappers. After a brief pause, they all nodded in silence.

They didn't want to drag things out and risk complications. Although it wasn't a hundred million, the ransom was enough for each of them to get a decent share, and they'd be smart to close the deal and vanish while they had the chance.

The kidnappers reached a consensus, and the leader nodded to Bruce.

Bruce turned to the phone. "That amount will have to do—just bring it as soon as possible. And…bring the Batsuit with it."

On the other end, Alfred caught the meaning immediately. "Understood, sir."

All the kidnappers broke into satisfied smiles. But just then, the front door was suddenly kicked open with a thunderous bang, and the intruders immediately unleashed a hail of bullets toward the lead kidnapper.

Blood sprayed as the lead kidnapper crumpled to the ground, riddled with bullets. Seeing the armed men now targeting them, the other kidnappers quickly abandoned their hostages and scrambled to return fire, setting off a chaotic shootout.

The cramped living room was barely big enough for all the people now struggling within it, and chaos erupted as the two groups tangled together in a brutal close-quarters fight.

Amid the commotion, Bruce set down the phone, hurried to Harvey's side, and began untying him.

Having been bound for hours, Harvey staggered as he stood, but Bruce helped him steady himself. Seeing the kidnappers too occupied to notice them, they quickly headed for the back door.

They rushed out into the backyard, but once outside, they hit a new problem—there was no clear direction to run. The area around them was wild with tall grass but had no trees or other structures that could offer cover.

"What now?" Harvey stopped, catching his breath.

Before Bruce could reply, they heard approaching footsteps.

A moment later, a slightly raspy but familiar voice sounded in Harvey's ear.

"I'd be happy to offer you both a ride, Mr. Bruce Wayne… and District Attorney Harvey Dent."

Bruce turned around to see the speaker, and Harvey, who'd been blocked from view, finally saw the newcomer too. It was an older man, around fifty years old, none other than Jeffrey Turnbull—recently under indictment thanks to Harvey. Once a notorious crime lord, Turnbull was now the CEO of Turnbull Enterprises, and the very man who had been sending him threatening letters.

Inside the house, the gunfire had fallen silent, signaling that one side had prevailed. Moments later, several men carrying machine guns poured out of the house, heading straight to Jeffrey. They reported that all hostiles inside had been "dealt with."

Jeffrey gave a silent nod and, turning to Bruce and Harvey, issued a calm directive, "Escort these gentlemen to the car."

"Yes, boss."

See? In the hands of the previous kidnappers, Bruce and Harvey were just "bound and dragged." But with Turnbull, it was "escort the gentlemen"—a perfect example of how people of different ranks treat their captives.

And just like that, Bruce and Harvey found themselves passed from one set of captors to another.

As they were led to the car, Harvey turned to Bruce with a regretful expression. "Sorry for dragging you into this."

The previous kidnappers only wanted money, but this new crew likely had deadly intentions. If things went badly, Bruce might not make it out of this situation alive, all because of his association with Harvey.

Bruce: "…"

Alfred, listening through the cufflink microphone: "…"

Avery, hearing it all recounted by his father later: "…"

There's so much trouble in just a single day.

...

Inside the Batcave.

After listening to everything, Avery sighed and shook his head, continuing with his question, "And then what happened?"

He had a strong feeling there was more to this story.

At that moment, Alfred was at the computer, skillfully tracking Bruce's location. The transmitter signal in Bruce's cufflink was still working after he and Harvey were bundled into the second group's vehicle, but once they entered a chemical plant, the special equipment jammed the signal. Then, after another group intervened and moved them again, Alfred lost Bruce's exact location. Now, he had to rely on instruments to find potential locations and proceed carefully.