American comics: Only I know the plot

Chapter 10 A Sudden Turn of Events

"Two bombs," Levi said. "A decoy and the real thing, and..."

He glanced at the scanner. "They should be linked. If the decoy is not removed properly, the real item will be detonated immediately."

Gordon's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Should we evacuate the entire area?"

Li Wei looked at the river below the bridge, and then at the traffic flow beside the bridge, which had been partially diverted.

"There's no time left," he said. "The Joker gave us less than two hours, and he definitely has a detonator that could explode at any moment."

With his enhanced brain working at lightning speed, he calculated the order of bomb disarming, the possibility of signal interference, and the probability of the clown setting a third trap...

Then he saw the bridge cable.

One of the steel cables connecting the bridge towers and the bridge deck has a miniature camera attached to it, which is slowly rotating.

It seems the clown is watching everything from some dark corner.

Li Wei looked up at the camera, gave a thumbs-up, and then turned upside down.

A blatant provocation.

The clown's voice came through the walkie-talkie; it was hacked through the police channel.

"Oh! The Prophet himself is here! What an honor. So... which do you choose? The rose in your left hand, or the thorns in your right?"

Li Wei didn't answer. He walked over to the bomb disposal expert and whispered, "Both bombs need to be defused, but in reverse order."

"What?"

"Disarm the real bomb first, then the decoy," Li Wei said. "The design of the linkage device usually uses the decoy to trigger the real bomb."

But if we reverse the process and first cut off the detonation signal of the real item, then the decoy will fail.

This kind of design usually only has an unexpected effect when the real product hasn't been discovered.

"But disassembling the real item first could also trigger an explosion, and that would be even more dangerous..."

"So we're not dismantling it." Li Wei pulled up a scanned image of the bomb, zoomed in on the detonator, and said, "Look here, the detonation signal receiver is at the bottom of the antenna."

If we use a directional electromagnetic pulse to disable only the receiver without touching the bomb itself...

The bomb disposal expert stared at the image, his eyes gradually brightening: "Theoretically feasible, but it requires pulse focusing with millimeter-level precision."

"Can you do it?"

"You can give it a try."

The next forty-seven minutes were the longest moment Li Wei had ever experienced.

Directional electromagnetic pulse equipment was urgently dispatched, and technicians calibrated the coordinates on the trembling bridge.

The wind grew stronger, and the bridge swayed slightly in the wind.

Li Wei kept his eyes glued to the camera; he knew the Joker was watching, waiting, and enjoying the show he had orchestrated.

As the technician pressed the switch, the pulse was emitted.

An invisible beam of energy struck the main beam of the bridge pier, burning out the circuitry of the signal receiver.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; now only the bait remained.

A standard demolition can be completed in just three minutes.

As the last fuse was cut, the clown's laughter came through the walkie-talkie: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant, Mr. Prophet!"

You not only read my script, but you also added improvisation! I love it!

Then the laughter became even more manic, filled with smugness.

"But remember, Mr. Prophet... the best magician never has only one trick up his sleeve."

If you think this is the end, I'll be very disappointed.

With the clown's maniacal laughter, communications were cut off.

On the bridge, all the police officers erupted in cheers.

Gordon patted Levi on the shoulder forcefully: "You did it. Five bombs, zero casualties."

But Li Wei felt something was off. Instead of celebrating, he walked to the bridge and watched the river flow by.

The clown's last words were very meaningful, as if he had deliberately revealed them to him.

Based on what the Joker said this morning, it's highly likely that what he just said was a hint.

So what exactly does "clown" mean?

With so little information at the moment, Li Wei's mind was a jumbled mess, completely lost.

Although the Joker is crazy, he is usually true to his word when it comes to doing bad things.

Since he indicated to the entire city of Gotham that there were only five bombs, he certainly wouldn't have only placed four, nor could he have placed six. The arrogant Joker would disdain doing such a thing.

But the clown's last words cast a shadow over his heart.

However, seeing the officers cheering and celebrating, he did not voice his guess.

Perhaps he's overthinking it; maybe the Joker is just deliberately misleading him...

Just as he turned around, intending to get back to his car, he saw the bomb disposal expert rushing over.

He was still holding the bomb he had just defused.

Seeing his hurried manner, Li Wei felt a pang of anxiety. Had this guy been bribed by the clown?

This posture suggests a willingness to perish together with them.

"Mr. Levi, Chief Gordon..."

The bomb disposal expert, panting heavily, held up the bomb to the two men, causing Levi and Gordon to involuntarily take a step back.

"This bomb...this bomb is fake...both bombs on the bridge are fake!"

The bomb disposal expert's words were like a lightning bolt piercing through the darkness in Li Wei's mind, instantly connecting all the clues.

The bomb on the bridge was just bait; that clown must have put the fifth bomb somewhere else!

"Gordon, we have to get back!"

Li Wei called to Gordon and rushed towards the police car: "Quick, quick, there's still one bomb we haven't found!"

His prediction was wrong; there was still one real bomb that hadn't been found!

With only one hour left, he had to give it his all!

On the rooftop of a tall building not far away, a black figure stood silently, his black cloak fluttering in the wind.

Watching the two people hurriedly get into the car, he was taken aback, wondering what had happened.

He had no idea what the Joker's game was all about, and all he could do was follow Levi and Gordon in the dark.

Deep down, he had accepted Li Wei; with this guy around, he felt much more relaxed...

In the shadows further away, another pair of eyes were also watching Li Wei and his companion.

This gaze belongs neither to Batman nor to the Joker.

Those were cunning, cat-like eyes, gleaming faintly in the twilight.

Selena Kyle toyed with the data chip she had just stolen from the municipal vault, a hint of interest playing on her lips.

"Prophet..." she murmured to herself, "You're really interesting."

The police operation today was of great help to her, and Li Wei, who was at the center of the storm, aroused her great interest.

However, the way Li Wei and Gordon left in such a hurry surprised her.

Li Wei's previous performance was completely effortless, practically crushing the Joker, who was known for his high-IQ crimes.

But her performance at the last moment overturned her opinion.

But who cares? She's already achieved her goal.

She turned gracefully and disappeared into the rooftop line of Gotham, like a silent shadow.

At that moment, Li Wei, in his haste, was completely oblivious to the gazes behind him. He had only one thought in his mind: to get back to the police station as quickly as possible.

He must have missed some important detail that made the Joker so confident.

We must hurry back and, with the help of the map, re-analyze the scenario.

I should have brought the map with me; I was too overconfident before...