Chapter 21: Another Wave of Enemies

On the rooftop, Kaito Haruno and Damian stood facing the night breeze, waiting for Midler's men to storm the hospital. Damian seemed fine, casually leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, relaxing. But Kaito was nowhere near as patient. He got bored within minutes, pulled out his phone, and aimlessly scrolled through apps. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube—none of these social platforms interested him at all.

As for mobile games? Nope, Kaito never touched them. Despite living in a country with the fastest internet speeds, he couldn't find anything entertaining on his phone. With nothing better to do, he wandered around the rooftop, occasionally glancing at Damian, who sat there calmly. Kaito couldn't help but admire the combat discipline of Batman's family. Here he was, unable to sit still for two minutes, while Damian remained unbothered, quietly meditating. This was the stark difference between a newbie and a seasoned pro.

"First time staking out for a catch?" Damian suddenly spoke, catching Kaito off guard.

"Huh, what did you say?" Kaito was confused. Was this brat actually talking to him?

"I asked, is this your first time doing a stakeout like this? How did you handle these pests before?" Damian repeated.

"Uh, usually I just wander around aimlessly. If I bump into trouble, I charge in, knock them out, and leave."

Honestly, without the help of a few gadgets like the Hawk, the Locust, and the Octopus from the 000 World, Kaito's crime-fighting strategy was pretty straightforward: run into trouble, fight, and go home. If nothing happened, he'd just go back and sleep. His approach was so simple it puzzled Damian, who had undergone elite training under Batman. To him, Kaito's laid-back attitude seemed almost absurd—was he just in this to experience the superhero life for fun?

"If that's the case, why bother? I know about your background. Your father is considered a well-known figure in Naxino City. You've never faced any real hardship growing up, so you don't need to deal with this kind of mess to live a good life."

"Exactly! A month ago, I was fully immersed in my easy-going, indoor life, following the same routine every day. It was great! Who the heck knows why I'm out here freezing in the middle of the night, waiting for people to show up!"

It seemed like Damian had struck a nerve. Kaito immediately opened up, venting all his frustrations from the past month since being forced into this world. With nothing else to do but wait, and a rare chance to have a listener, Kaito was eager to spill his thoughts.

"So, your powers weren't something you were born with, but the result of some accident. Hmm, I suppose your suit has some form of consciousness and forces you into these situations you'd rather avoid, using penalties like death as motivation. But I wonder, if the suit is bound to you, what would happen if you died by accident? Would it seek out a new host?"

This was Batman's son, after all. From Kaito's brief complaints, Damian had deduced most of his situation—minus the time travel and system aspects, of course. Damian's curiosity about whether the suit would seek another host if Kaito died gave Kaito the chills. That glint in Damian's eyes made Kaito's scalp tingle.

How could he forget? The guy in front of him was the legitimate heir to the League of Assassins, someone whose intellect far surpassed his own. A few casual complaints, and Damian had already pieced together the bigger picture. Kaito was now officially freaked out.

"Haha, relax, rookie. I wouldn't conduct such a boring experiment," Damian said with a mischievous grin, clearly enjoying Kaito's panicked expression.

Kaito, however, instinctively put some distance between himself and Damian—self-preservation came first. Damian was a bit exasperated by Kaito's reaction. It was just a joke, did he really have to take it so seriously? How could someone this timid end up with superpowers? If Kaito could hear Damian's thoughts, he'd probably wholeheartedly agree.

"Are you serious? You're way too cowardly for this, rookie," Damian sighed.

"I've always been like this! Without this suit, I wouldn't even dare step outside."

The blunt honesty of Kaito's response left Damian momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he finally said, "I believe everyone has a purpose in this world. Even you. Maybe you think you're worthless, but there's something special about you, something even you don't realize, that this suit has recognized."

Listening to the sudden shift in tone from Damian, Kaito Haruno was a bit taken aback. What was this sudden "talk-no-jutsu" all about? Did everyone in the Bat-family learn this skill or something?

"You know, ever since I was born, my mother told me that I was destined to be a leader. But when I was sent to Batman, some things started to blur. I may not necessarily be a leader, but a hero… maybe that's my fate. Maybe, in ways you don't realize, you too have the potential to become a hero. That might explain why you've been given this sudden gift."

"Stop it with your teenage hero complex! I've graduated from that, alright? Let's focus—it's almost 11:30, and where are those guys working for Middler? They should've been here by now."

Kaito quickly interrupted Damian's speech, cutting it off before he actually got swayed. Glancing at the time on his phone, he was curious. Dick had told him earlier that troublemakers would definitely show up before 11, but here they were, just the two of them chatting on a rooftop. The streets below were eerily empty, save for a convenience store that was still open. It was way too quiet.

Little did they know, Dick's informant hadn't been wrong, but the issue was that the ones now coming for Middler weren't the usual bunch. Just a few blocks away from the Nasinor City Hospital, several cars were parked in an alley. A group of men wearing ghastly masks were cleaning blood off the vehicles. From the looks of it, the original occupants of the cars had likely met a grim fate. After finishing up, a man in a Frankenstein mask checked the Uzi in his hand, making sure everything was in order, and then issued a command to his companions.

"Listen up, guys. From now on, we're part of the Hellfire Gang. We're here to rescue our boss, Middler. Got it?"

"Got it, boss. But with all this heavy firepower, we could go head-to-head with SWAT. Do we really need to make such a big scene?" One of the underlings sounded a bit hesitant. Sure, when you're in the underworld, you've got to be prepared for life and death situations. But risking everything for someone like Middler seemed a bit too much.

"This isn't Gotham. Here in Nasinor, law enforcement is a lot stricter," the man continued nervously.

"Listen, kid. We don't know Middler that well, but he holds a key—a connection that's made him thrive in Nasinor. You think he got control of a quarter of the city's North District on his own? No. He did it for someone else. Now that Middler's down, his benefactor needs a new spokesperson. If we grab Middler and his connection, we'll become the next in line. Once we pull this off, no matter how big the scene gets, we'll be fine. Understand?"

"Got it, boss."

"Good. Now, let's move. The cops won't expect us to come in this strong. Hurry up, and maybe we'll make it back in time for the party."

"Yeah!"

With a collective cheer, the gang piled back into their cars. The engines roared as six sleek silver cars revved up in the alley, their modified engines thundering like a storm as they sped off into the streets. Some thrill-seekers even poked their heads out of the car windows, firing shots into the sky.

The commotion naturally caught the attention of Kaito and Damian. Watching the group of vehicles recklessly speeding toward them from a distance, Kaito couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. It was his first time seeing such audacity outside of Gotham. Damian had always thought that street racing was something unique to Gotham.

"I think these are the guys Nightwing mentioned—here to cause trouble at the hospital. But man, they're making quite the entrance. We might not even need to do anything!" Kaito, already suited up in his armor, couldn't help but comment on the ridiculousness of the situation.

"I don't think so," Damian replied, flicking a batarang. The bat-shaped weapon sliced through the night sky, landing squarely in the front tire of the lead car. Boom! The small explosive embedded in the batarang blew out the tire, causing the speeding car to flip multiple times down the road, turning it from a shiny vehicle into a heap of scrap metal. As for the people inside, surviving was the best they could hope for.

"That was pretty harsh, don't you think?" Kaito muttered, sparing a second of sympathy for the passengers of the flipped car.

"Don't worry, they're still alive."

After answering Kaito, Damian shot out his grappling hook, heading toward the five other cars that had slowed down due to their companion's crash. The gangsters had figured out that someone was messing with them and were now trying to find out what was going on. When they saw Damian swinging towards them from a nearby building, they yelled and opened fire.

As the gunfire targeted him, Damian flipped mid-air, dodging what would've been his landing spot, which was quickly riddled with bullets. These weren't just street thugs—these guys were professionals. Damian, hiding behind cover, reassessed them. It took serious skill to predict and shoot at an opponent's landing point in advance.

"What's going on?! Someone, come with me!" The commotion had also attracted the attention of the police guarding the hospital. The officer in charge began issuing orders. "Stay calm! Bob, take two men and head to the first floor. Report any developments. Jaylen, Eddie, you guard the elevator and stairwell. Claire, take a team and hold the hallway!"

Though unsure why Damian and Kaito had taken so long to act, Dick wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by. While the two were busy outside, he mobilized the remaining police force, leaving only himself inside.

(End of Chapter)