The Pale Knight was in a room at Wayne Manor. He frowned as he read a piece of news in the newspaper. After a while, he slapped the newspaper on the table and said, "It's been so long since Gotham's independence became a state, who's bringing this up again and making a fuss?"
The newspaper headline boldly read: "Congress passes Gotham's second referendum bill with high votes, the possibility of independence still unknown?"
Batman gently tapped his fingers on the table, evidently contemplating something. After a moment, he looked up and asked, "Is all the energy sorted out? When do we start building the Magical Defense Network?"
"It will take a few more days," the Pale Knight shook his head and said, "We must solve this issue first."
"What do you think the results of the referendum will be?"
"No one wants to go back to the way things were. But the referendum will definitely pass — from the implementation of this bill, Congress won't let the referendum have any chance of failing."
"So what do you plan to do?" Batman asked.
"I don't know. If we can't obtain the rights we deserve through political means, then we'll have to think of other ways."
"Like?"
"Magic." The Pale Knight sat down in a chair in front of the desk and said, "We've just got a large amount of energy, and although it can be used to build the Magical Defense Network, it's like a distant river for the present thirst. So perhaps using it to solve Gotham's problem isn't impossible."
"But how to use magic to solve it?"
"Have you heard?" The Pale Knight put his hands on the table and said, "Once, a Gotham in a cosmos physically separated itself by flying away from the earth. If worst comes to worst, we could only follow their lead."
"That could be a solution," Batman nodded and said, "But if we can avoid flying, it's best not to. But we can use this point to negotiate with Congress, to make them interfere less in Gotham's affairs."
"I still find it peculiar," the Pale Knight said, "Gotham's independence as a state was the result of compromises by all parties. Congress should be extremely averse to change, yet they're bringing up old matters this aggressively. I don't believe that no one is fanning the flames."
"The question is, who has the motivation to do so," Batman said, "Gotham's independence doesn't threaten anyone. Even if your new tax policy intensified to an unbearable level for some, they could leave rather than go to such lengths. The cost of stirring Congress might cause them even greater losses — no one would do that."
The two fell silent. At this moment, the Pale Knight received a call. After hanging up, he said, "Fiona is here."
Before he could finish the next sentence, the parlor door was pushed open. A red-haired girl walked in, with a camera hanging on her neck and a notepad in her hand, saying, "Oh my God, have you seen the newspaper? Why is there going to be a second referendum?!"
"Where have you come from, miss?"
"The Natural Forest Protection Foundation's hearing." Fiona shook her press card in her hand, saying, "Even without this, I would have come by. Today's the second anniversary of my father's death, and I wanted to invite you both to visit his grave. He'd be very happy to see the state of Gotham."
The Pale Knight's gaze softened, and he said, "Indeed. Without people like Willie fighting, Gotham wouldn't be where it is today. We should indeed go and thank him."
"But the precondition is that the results of his fight aren't destroyed overnight!" Fiona said anxiously, "The second referendum absolutely cannot be held, or else they'll definitely find ways to cheat, and then all the previous results will be wiped out!"
"Exactly. We think the same," Batman said, "We have a final measure to ensure things won't go as Congress wishes. But the final measure is somewhat drastic, to be used only when there's no other option. Before that, the best method is a media offensive."
"Understood," Fiona said, "I'm the youngest genius journalist, and I have a hero father. Now, the ordinary people of Gotham like me a lot, as long as I speak up, they'll follow. By then, even if the referendum results are unsatisfactory, people will certainly feel something's fishy."
"You're very clever, miss." The Pale Knight smiled at her, then said, "But you need to be careful about your safety. This isn't simple, the people behind it have means to convince so many congressmen. If you clash directly with them, you could be in danger."
"If that's what my father thought back then, Gotham wouldn't be what it is today," Fiona said with firm determination, "Since the day I became a journalist, speaking for justice until the last moment of my life has been my mission. I remember this well."
With that, she turned and left. The Pale Knight watched her back and said, "Willie would be very proud of his daughter. Shall we go visit his grave now?"
Batman stood up and said, "Let's bring some pictures for him, the Independence Day celebrations will do nicely."
A low-key black car pulled up in front of a cemetery. The Pale Knight and Batman got out on either side. Before reaching the spot, the Pale Knight saw a message on his phone:
"Gotham's genius journalist speaks out: Independence and freedom are the will of Gotham's people, deceivers will not end well!"
The Pale Knight frowned slightly. Batman looked at him and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Fiona is a bit too sharp," the Pale Knight sighed and said, "She shouldn't have aimed at Congress so soon, this precisely gives Congress a reason to target her."
Sure enough, before the hero's grave visit was over, the Pale Knight received a message from Gordon: Fiona has been arrested.
Fiona holds high esteem among the Gotham citizens, not only because her father was a hero who dared to stand up in the struggle, but also because she maintained order in the region during the chaos. At that time, she was just a young girl, yet she was braver than many, gaining a loyal following, just like her father did back in the day.
Now she's been arrested, and was directly taken from her house. Her followers and the ordinary people of Gotham were very unhappy, gathering at the police station's entrance, demanding Fiona's release.
However, whether to release her isn't up to Gordon. This time, it was the Federal Government that issued the arrest order, and it was the FBI that came, whom the local police couldn't resist. Gordon was completely overwhelmed.
The White Knight and Batman arrived at the Gotham Police Department at top speed. Gordon rushed up and gave the White Knight a hug, then said, "Quick, Fiona is inside. She doesn't seem scared, just very angry. Go comfort her; don't let her do anything foolish."
The White Knight walked quickly inside, but was soon stopped by agents in FBI-logo jackets. One flashed his badge at him and said, "Sorry, sir. This case has been fully taken over by the FBI, and at the moment, no visits are allowed..."
"Step aside! Step aside! I am Miss Fiona Travell's lawyer!" A figure pushed through from outside. The White Knight turned to look and saw it was Harvey Dent.
There might be reasons not to let non-related persons in, but not allowing a lawyer inside wouldn't do. No matter how severe the crime, a lawyer must be given the opportunity to see their client. The agents waved their hands and allowed Harvey to enter.
Others waited anxiously outside. About half an hour later, Harvey came out, and from his expression, it was clear the situation wasn't looking good.
"Fiona's words were a bit too sharp," Harvey said. "Her critique of certain congressmen's actions was just shy of naming them, which could lead to defamation charges. More crucially, her wording about Gotham independence was too ambiguous, making it possible the Federal Government could charge her with attempting to split the nation."
Hearing the last word, everyone frowned. The White Knight said, "But we just want Gotham to become a state, not to secede from the Federation."
"Yes, that's Fiona's intention too. But her wording wasn't careful enough. As you know, they have the power to define meanings."
The White Knight sighed slightly and said, "Fiona is smart and courageous, but she still underestimated the filth of politics. We have to find a way to get her out."
"There's an even more crucial issue," Harvey said. "The FBI's takeover doesn't mean Fiona will get a fair trial. More likely, she won't walk out of the interrogation room."
Batman squinted slightly. Harvey explained, "I've seen too many people like this. Either they suddenly die of a heart attack, choke on a seizure to death, or in more dignified cases, commit suicide. Congress might want to eliminate her as a one-and-done."
"More important, Fiona has no backing, and killing her doesn't affect anyone's interests, so they'd be more unscrupulous. Ordinary people never fall within Congress's consideration range. Protests can be suppressed, marches can be met with armed confrontation. Once someone is dead, more such activities become meaningless."
"I'll have Wayne Enterprises smooth things over," Batman said. "There are a few of our people in the FBI—not many, but they should be able to buy us some time."
"I'll have people keep as close a watch as possible," Gordon said. "Try to prevent them from having the chance to act. But this must be resolved quickly, as a long-term prison sentence could cause irreparable damage to Fiona's health, which is what we don't want to see."
While they were discussing, suddenly, a strange car stopped at the door. A stunning red-haired woman got out of the car, flashing a badge to the police upon entering the station:
"CIA, Agent Romanoff. I have official business."
Gordon quickly went to greet her, but the woman who identified herself as Agent Romanoff wasn't interested in talking much with him; she merely glanced down at her phone and asked, "Where is Miss Fiona Travell?"
"Inside." Gordon was a bit uneasy, not knowing what the appearance of a CIA agent meant.
"Wait a minute, Detective Romanov." The White Knight stepped forward, stopping the woman and said, "I have something I'd like to discuss with you, can we talk privately?"
The other nodded, and the two walked to the side corridor. The White Knight lowered his voice and said, "What's going on? Natasha? Why are you here?!"
"I'm investigating an electronic lifeform that has simultaneously infiltrated many universes. Haven't you gotten the word in the group?"
"It seems I heard something. Could it be that our universe has one too?"
"Uncertain. But haven't you encountered anything unusual recently?"
"Congress suddenly requested Gotham hold a second referendum... Oh god, I knew something was off. Stirring up trouble at this moment is just to delay the construction of the Magical Defense Network!"
"Exactly. Many universes have experienced similar situations, and I've discovered a certain pattern, which I'm currently investigating. Time is tight. Let me see Miss Travell first."
"Why her? Is she connected to the electronic lifeform?"
"It's hard to say for sure yet. I've just noticed that many key figures dominated into these universes share one common trait."
"What trait?"
"Red hair."