EBE Chapter 9 Player Threat
Chapter 9 Player Threat
There was no video, no new threat, and the clown's silent presence in the shadows made Levi feel very uneasy.
Staying silent is not the Joker's style.
Shaking his head, Li Wei decided to put those thoughts aside for now and, together with Gordon, directed the remaining tasks.
There are two more bombs; if they can be successfully defused, the police will be declared victorious.
The Joker posted the provocative video at 9 a.m.
That means they have 3 hours and 47 minutes left to deal with the trouble this guy is causing.
"Hey buddy, get the bomb squad moving faster and get things over with at Blackgate Prison as soon as possible."
Li Wei picked up his clothes. "We should get going. The operation on the other side of the bridge can begin."
To avoid overly provoking the Joker, their plan was to defuse the four bombs and then close the Gotham Bridge under the pretext of "temporary repairs."
These actions could not possibly escape the Joker's notice; their purpose was to make it seem less easy for the police to win.
Using "temporary repairs" as an excuse can also reduce public panic.
"Hey buddy, let's go."
Gordon also stood up from his chair and began to allocate manpower.
With Li Wei on board, he was full of confidence in resolving today's situation.
As Levi went downstairs with Gordon, he saw a fat man and a young white man locked up in the temporary care area.
Judging from his appearance, this young man must be a butcher who doesn't carry a knife.
This guy looks quite refined; you can tell he's received a good education, given the identity the system assigned him.
At that moment, the fat white man next to him opened his mouth, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and the saliva that flowed out emitted a foul stench.
"Buddy, don't be fooled by this kid's appearance. He's just a scumbag who robbed an old lady."
Seeing Li Wei staring blankly at the pig being slaughtered without a knife, Gordon urged him on.
Upon hearing Gordon's words, the butcher who didn't carry a knife also happened to raise his head.
Seeing Levi walking with Gordon, the butcher stared wide-eyed in astonishment.
...
"Guys, I think I've met the legendary Oracle! He's at the Gotham City Police Department!"
In the chat channel, the user, who was like a butcher without a knife, directly recounted his encounter with Li Wei.
"He was with the police chief, and they seemed to know each other well. I'm 99% sure he's not a player."
I don't believe any player could infiltrate a police department within two days and simultaneously gain the Gotham City Police Chief's complete obedience.
To be honest, I actually feel a sense of familiarity with the Prophet's black hair and eyes. I'm so uncomfortable seeing him with white skin and blond hair in the game every day.
"Is it true? Are prophets really omniscient and omnipotent?"
"You must be joking. How could there be someone who is omniscient and omnipotent?"
Looking at the rapidly refreshing messages, Li Wei rubbed his cheeks.
Just as he was about to close the chat channel, a message that suddenly refreshed made him pause in surprise.
[Shentu Ale]: "Do you think our reputation will skyrocket if we kill this prophet...?"
As soon as Shen Tu A Le finished speaking, the entire chat channel suddenly fell silent.
In the game "Second World", reputation is everything and is directly linked to player rewards.
The rewards for eliminating a character with significant influence in the game would likely be unimaginably generous...
Batman is certainly a figure most people wouldn't dare to imagine, but as for the newly emerged Oracle, judging from the description of him as someone who "slaughters pigs without a knife," he seems to be just an ordinary person...
Li Wei never expected that although his identity as a player was not exposed, he would be brought into the sight of all the players because of the clown.
Fortunately, this game doesn't have a screenshot function, so the only person who knows what he looks like is the butcher who doesn't carry a knife; otherwise, his situation would be even more dangerous.
As things stand, he is safe for now. He shuts down the chat channel and plans to deal with the immediate crisis before considering anything else.
"The bomb squad just called and said they found the bomb at Blackgate Prison." Gordon looked at Levi.
"The demolition has been completed, and they are on their way."
"That's great, we only have the bomb at the bridge to defuse."
Li Wei breathed a sigh of relief; Lady Luck had finally lifted her skirt, and good news had finally arrived.
The police car sped away and soon arrived at the temporarily closed Gotham Bridge.
The bridge stretches into the night, like a lurking beast.
Traffic police are setting up roadblocks for "road maintenance" as planned, slowly guiding vehicles to detour.
Li Wei raised his wrist and glanced at his watch. It was 7:03 PM, less than two hours before the deadline given by the clown.
"Chief Gordon, Mr. Levy, you've arrived."
A police officer approached them and began to explain the situation at the scene.
"We have started using drones to scan the bridge, but so far we haven't found anything."
After listening to the police officer's explanation and looking at the Gotham Bridge, which resembled a crouching behemoth, Li Wei felt that something was amiss.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on what it felt like.
Since he had no clue, Li Wei simply stopped thinking about it.
Retrieve the engineering blueprints from a pre-prepared laptop and compare them with the real-time monitoring footage.
Li Wei astutely noticed that the angle of the shadow cast by the third pillar of the bridge pier differed slightly from the blueprint.
"Zoom in there," he said, pointing to the screen.
As the image zooms in, an inconspicuous metal box on the bridge pier comes into view.
The box is attached to the concrete surface and its color is almost identical to that of the bridge.
"The bomb is there," Levi said, "but I don't think the Joker would make it that simple. I think it's a decoy."
Gordon leaned closer: "A bait?"
"The Joker knew we'd find it," Levi thought quickly. "So he planted an obvious bomb to lower our guard. As for the real bomb..."
His gaze swept across the bridge, focusing on its structure, particularly load-bearing areas and areas with high pedestrian traffic...
After a moment's thought, Li Wei made his judgment.
"It should be under the bridge deck," Li Wei said. "It's very likely at the connection of the main beams."
If we only defuse the decoy bomb, the real bomb will detonate during our evacuation, causing greater casualties, and it will look like a mistake on our part.
Gordon's face paled slightly: "How can you be so sure?"
"Because this is the Joker's favorite trick: first, he gives you a seemingly winning option, and then, while you're celebrating, he pulls the trap out of your feet."
...
The bomb disposal team was redeployed, and Levi personally walked onto the Gotham Bridge.
This was very risky, and Gordon tried his best to stop him, but Levi still came; he needed to assess the situation on the spot.
The wind was strong on the bridge, making his jacket flutter loudly.
Bomb disposal experts have located the decoy bomb and are preparing to disarm it.
"Wait a minute," Li Wei said, "Let's scan the entire bridge first."
The handheld scanner is activated, and a green laser sweeps across the steel structure.
Two minutes later, the scanner beeped, indicating an abnormal heat signal under the bridge deck at the main beam connection.
The other explosive device was larger and its yield was estimated to be enough to shatter the entire bridge deck.
Upon seeing the scan results, the bomb disposal experts gasped in shock.