"Enjoying the story? Share your thoughts and powerstones. Thanks!"
....
Chapter 24: Barry, let's catch the Flash together!
"How do you feel?"
Gordon chatted with him like aold friend, holding half a can of beer in his hand.
"Not great. Those scums inside should have been executed eight hundred times, but a mental health certificate spared them from the death penalty."
Quinn reached for the beer can in his hand, but Gordon dodged it. "If you don't want Barbara to smell alcohol on you and get angry, give me the beer."
Gordon smacked his lips and reluctantly handed the beer to Quinn. "Alright, alright. I had someone at home nagging me, and now I have someone outside too. Sigh."
Quinn decisively poured out the beer. "I got something from Ivy about this incident. She can be persuaded."
This time, the Poison Ivy, who stopped the rampage, did not reward another chance to draw lots. Instead, there was only a basic reward of 50 points, which indirectly showed that Poison Ivy did have good intentions towards Manaphy.
Gordon nodded. "Poison Ivy isn't inherently bad, just too extreme in character. If she can overcome this flaw, she could be a great ally."
"Director, knowing you have this awareness puts me at ease. Wait for me."
Quinn hurriedly returned, and Gordon saw him talking to Ham.
...
The door to Poison Ivy's ward opened again, and the bright lights made her frown slightly. Two guards brought in potted aloe and sunflowers and left after placing them down.
"What does this mean?" Poison Ivy couldn't understand. Giving her plants was like giving her keys; Arkham's people couldn't be this kind-hearted, so she suspected there was a trap.
The guard slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot to tell you."
...
Before getting into the car, Quinn patted himself all over, finding a watermelon seed and a small tracking device. Functionally, these two things were almost the same.
"I suggested to Ham that we place some potted plants in Poison Ivy's ward. It helps reduce her aversion to doctors.
Of course, giving her potted plants comes with conditions. If Poison Ivy uses them to escape, she will lose this privilege in the future."
Gordon felt that Quinn was just messing around. "Poison Ivy can activate and control plants. Won't this make it easier for her to escape? Compared to this special treatment, what won't Poison Ivy have after escaping? Ham will never agree."
Quinn waved his hand. "But the fact is, he agreed, and as long as Poison Ivy isn't stupid, she won't refuse."
...
After listening to the guard, Poison Ivy thought for a moment and decisively agreed, but she also proposed an additional condition.
"I saw you guys planting some greenery in the office last time. Poor little fellows, you have no idea how to take care of them. Hand them over to me!"
Of course, Poison Ivy wasn't stupid. Whatever Quinn could think of, she could think of too. She calculated the ratio of time spent in Arkham after her official "debut" to her free time, which was almost fifty-fifty. Imprisonment had become the longest thing she persisted in her life.
Even if she used plants to escape now, so what? She would be back in less than a week, and in terms of subjective experience, prison life would feel much longer. Having a few companions to talk to now would be beneficial for Poison Ivy.
"Unless Poison Ivy is confident that she won't be caught again by Batman after escaping, which she clearly isn't, especially now that I'm here."
Quinn turned his head, looking at Arkham gradually receding. The lights of this building now revealed a devilish face in the mist.
"And this is also insurance," Quinn said in a volume only he could hear.
Putting the tracker and sunflower seeds into his pocket, Quinn's gaze fell on Manaphy. The little guy had been through enough today and was now sleeping soundly on Quinn's chest, drooling and wetting his police uniform.
Princess of the Blue Ocean, Manaphy. If that legendary Pokémon was as Quinn suspected, Manaphy couldn't be taken as a trump card, and from the information provided by Poison Ivy, the mastermind behind this seemed to have great influence.
"The crimson figure that makes the green tremble..."
Quinn supported his head. What to do? When it came to the crimson figure, he could only think of one person.
After returning to the room, Quinn dialed a number.
"Hello, this is Barry Allen. May I ask who's calling..."
"Just three days, I don't believe you can't even remember my phone number. Mr. official forensic examiner of CCPD," Quinn deliberately elongated his tone.
Barry put down the chocolate bar in his hand and wiped his mouth. "Long time no see, you taught me that."¹ (To know what this means check out the notes below.)
He teased, "You, on the other hand, went to Gotham, leaving me to be nagged by uncle. It's been three days without a word from you, and I thought you were dead."
Quinn didn't buy into his act. If Barry really thought something happened to him, he could get to Gotham in half a minute. Barry must have confirmed his safety through some channel.
"I've had such an exciting time in Gotham these past few days. I'll tell you about it when I have the chance. The reason I called you is that I have something to ask you."
"I knew it," Barry replied in broken Chinese, licking his fingers at super speed, "No business is done without entering the Three Treasures Hall."
Quinn felt a headache. Ever since Barry played around with him, he loved to show off his mediocre Chinese.
"Regarding that jerk Flash, have you found out his true identity?" Quinn pointedly complained.
"Cough, Quinn, I think you have some misunderstandings about the Flash," Barry retorted, "Isn't he just having more fans than you, running faster than you, being kinder than you, and occasionally snatching the chance to do good deeds from you? There's no need to keep chasing after him."
After hearing this, Quinn clenched his fists. He knew it. Barry was deliberately going against him.
"That's personal grudges. I will definitely arrest him in the future. Has he shown any unusual behavior recently? I mean, something different from his usual actions."
Barry reviewed his experiences from the past three days: rescuing people from a fire, eating hot dogs, fighting thugs, eating hot dogs, going on a date with Iris, eating hot dogs.
"Well, nothing unusual," he finally replied.
Only then did Quinn relax and instructed Barry to keep an eye on the Flash.
"When I return to Central City, I'll need your assistance in the investigation. Barry, we'll catch the Flash together!"
Barry hesitated under Quinn's coercion and reluctantly agreed.
After hanging up the phone, Quinn suddenly turned around, but in the dim light, there was no sight of the figure he expected.
Batman didn't come to question him. Was he busy disciplining Damian, or... did he not need to come at all?
Quinn had found all the little gadgets Poison Ivy and Damian had placed on him, but Batman's gadget was missing.
Quinn looked at the full moon outside the window. Today was the fifteenth.
You must have heard my conversation with Poison Ivy, Batman.
====
Notes -
¹ - The idiom "No business is done without entering the Three Treasures Hall" likely refers to the idea that in order to accomplish something significant or important, one must take certain necessary steps or go through specific channels. The Three Treasures Hall could symbolize a crucial place or process that must be approached or respected to achieve success in a particular endeavor. It suggests that certain procedures or protocols must be followed to achieve one's objectives effectively.
///
Please notify me if there are any typos
-----------------------------------------
If you want to read up to 15!! chapters ahead go to
patreon.com/Lazy_Panda