Manager, give me a membership card too!

Watching Paul's somewhat desolate figure disappear around the street corner, a bright blue sedan parked not far away silently rolled up its window and slowly started moving.

Sitting in the driver's seat of the car, Rorschach skillfully maneuvered the steering wheel and drove onto the road leading to the outskirts of Arkham.

After about ten minutes, a brightly lit, luxurious manor appeared before Rorschach. The scarred guard at the gate bowed respectfully to Auburn 8-88 as he slowly approached, and opened the manor gate to welcome this distinguished guest.

The car drove smoothly on the roads inside the De La Pue Estate and soon arrived at the gate of the villa.

Luo Xia opened the car door, got out, handed the car keys to the waiting servant, straightened his clothes, and looked up to see the white-haired old man waiting with a smile at the entrance of the manor.

"Welcome, my friend. You look fantastic today."

“You look good too, Mr. Delapour.”

Rorschach shook hands with the energetic old Delapour, a smile spreading across his face. However, the shopkeeper's attention quickly shifted to a young man standing not far from them.

Who is this?

Upon hearing Rorschach's question, old Delapour turned around with a smile and introduced:

“Dear Xia, this child is the son of an old friend of mine. You can call him ‘Bruce’.”

Chapter 424 Night Banquet

Chapter 424 Night Banquet

"You're Bruce Wayne? Thomas's son?"

Looking at the young man in front of him, who was trying to straighten his back and appear 'at ease' but actually looked extremely nervous, Luo Xia put on a friendly expression.

"Yes, sir."

The boy, who looked to be around fourteen, answered Luo Xia's question calmly, but the slight tremor in his voice revealed that his mood was not as calm as it appeared.

“Do you know who I am?” Rorschach asked his second question.

“Yes, sir. I know who you are, the chairman of the Rorschach Umbrella Corporation.” The handsome young man replied, as if he had practiced this many times.

"Hehe, that's my English name. Since you're Thomas's child, just call me 'luoxia' or 'Mr. Luo'."

"Yes, Mr. Luo."

"Don't be nervous, young man. I'm only less than ten years older than you, so in some ways we're from the same generation. You can come find me when you have time, and I'll show you the 'new world'."

The shopkeeper winked his left eye at the young man who seemed inexplicably nervous, smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and walked past Bruce Wayne and old Delapour toward the interior of the manor villa.

Bruce Wayne, who was still standing at the door, only took a few deep breaths like a quail released by a tiger after the two adults walked through the gate in hushed tones. Then he let out a long sigh, slowly turned his head, and looked at the back of the figure that was about to disappear from sight with lingering fear.

Who exactly is that man? Why do I feel an overwhelming sense of fear and dread the moment I see him? My whole body stiffens, and even my breathing becomes labored. I can only make the most basic reactions, and I almost embarrass the Wayne family.

However, Bruce quickly recovered from his fear and wore a bitter expression. As this was a private dinner, Old Delapour had only invited the Rorschach family and the Wayne family. As the sole heir of the Wayne family, Bruce Wayne could not and could not disappear or leave early.

The thought of living under that extreme fear for a long time to come gave this young master, who had always had a smooth life, a headache. But his identity prevented him from leaving. After all, his parents probably wouldn't believe his lame excuse that "standing next to Mr. Rorschach would make me feel terrified."

Imagining the disappointed looks in his father's and mother's eyes, Bruce, who was in the sensitive period of adolescence, could only grit his teeth and walk towards the manor villa with stiff steps.

While young Master Wayne made up his mind, the culprits were whispering amongst themselves.

"Dear Xia, judging from your performance, the child is fine?"

Old Delapour glanced discreetly at the young man following behind him, a smile playing on his lips, seemingly relieved.

"Although his performance was still a bit lacking, it was already quite good for a young man his age."

Rorschach glanced subtly at Bruce Wayne, who was following behind, before turning his gaze to the white-haired old man beside him.

"As for the 'problem', at least for now I don't see anything wrong, he should be 'clean'."

“That puts my mind at ease. Thomas only has one son. If something happens to him, the Wayne family will be wiped out, just like our Delapour family.”

Seeing the relieved look on the old man's face, Luo Xia was both amused and exasperated.

“You called me out in the middle of the night just to check if your old friend’s son has been ‘contaminated’? This kind of thing can actually be done during the day. My clinic is right there, and you can bring people over anytime.”

"No, that's not it. Helping Bruce with his checkup was just a side thing. I invited you here today because I have something important to discuss with you."

"Oh, what important matter is it?" Luo Xia's curiosity was piqued.

"We can talk about business later. Let's eat first. Your wife and daughter are waiting for you."

"My wife?" Luo Xia was slightly taken aback when he heard this, but before he could react, a soft body wrapped in a fragrant breeze rushed into the shopkeeper's arms.

"Honey, you're so slow! Sakura and I have been waiting here for ages."

Wearing a silver-white cheongsam, Nyaruko stretched out her arms and cheerfully draped them around Luo Xia's neck, completely unconcerned about whether the occasion was appropriate. Looking at old Delapour's 'youth is wonderful' expression beside him, Luo Xia would be too slow if he still didn't realize who the 'wife' the other was referring to was.

With a helpless expression, Luo Xia removed the silver-haired girl in the cheongsam from his neck and flicked her forehead without hesitation, saying irritably, "Who gave you permission to call yourself my wife? I don't remember having that kind of relationship between us."

"Hehehe, what does it matter~" Today, Nyaruko specially styled her hair in a Chinese style and grinned foolishly without any remorse. The silver ahoge on her head danced incessantly as if it were alive, as if she was thinking of a suitable reason.

"Anyway, the green one and the gold one are no longer in this world. The purple ones are currently staying in Raccoon City, Colorado, helping you take care of the Umbrella Corporation. My dear, the only eligible woman who can accompany you to the banquet right now is me. Do you want Sakura or Abby to be your date? They barely reach your waist and can't even dance properly."

Upon hearing this, Luo Xia subconsciously glanced at the little girl Ying, who was standing quietly in the same spot, dressed in a pink and purple Hanfu, looking like a fairy. After hesitating for a few seconds, he nodded with a hint of helplessness.

Luo Xia is nearly 1.8 to 1.9 meters tall, while his own little girl, although she has grown a bit recently, is still less than 1.4 meters tall, a difference of nearly 50 centimeters, which is indeed a bit awkward.

"Alright, alright, I'll assume you are. But remember not to talk too much in front of Medusa and the others in the future, or I might not be able to protect you. I remember you also said that Medusa and the others' 'true forms' could descend at any time. Maybe they can't defeat you, but their true forms are 'gods' just like you."

"Hehehe, don't worry, darling, I know my limits!"

'If you knew your limits, there wouldn't be so many problems in this world.' Looking at the silver-haired girl who immediately took his arm after receiving permission, Luo Xia shook his head helplessly, stretched out his free hand, took the hand of the waiting Loli Sakura, nodded to Old Derapole who was standing not far away, and the group walked into the depths of the villa.

After walking for about a minute, an ancient-looking gate appeared before Rorschach and the others. The servants guarding the door saw Old Delapour return and opened the heavy gate to welcome the group inside.

Unlike Rorschach's imagined extravagant high society dinners, old Delapour did not engage in any of those formalities. Instead, he simply set up a regular square table for everyday meals, and the dishes were also very simple and unpretentious, consisting of ordinary, everyday dishes.

Seemingly noticing the surprise of the man beside him, the white-haired old Delapour smiled and explained, "There are no outsiders at the banquet today. You and Thomas are both my close friends. Good friends don't need those formalities. It's troublesome and you don't even get enough to eat."

Hearing the old man's words, Luo Xia subconsciously recalled the banquets he had with those high-society figures when he was still in the 'startup phase'. Indeed, as the old man said, although Lin Liang had a huge feast on his plate, it was really just a matter of eating a couple of bites. It looked nice, but it wasn't filling. He nodded in empathy and agreed, "That's right, it's more practical this way."

The sound of the door opening naturally attracted the attention of the person inside. Abigail, who was talking to a middle-aged man who looked to be around fifty years old, saw Rorschach appear from the doorway. She politely said goodbye to the man and then ran towards Rorschach without hesitation.

Today, the little girl was dressed in a fitted silver canary-patterned cheongsam, just like Nyaruko. Her smooth blonde hair was styled into two cute little buns, and her delicate, smiling face made her look like a meticulously sculpted doll. So outstanding at such a young age, Luo Xia couldn't imagine what she would be like as an adult.

The blonde girl, her short legs encased in white stockings, pounced into Luo Xia's arms, first nuzzling affectionately against the man's embrace, and then raising her head slightly with sparkling eyes.

"You've finally arrived, Mr. Rorschach!"

"Sorry I'm late. Did you keep me waiting, little Abby?"

Seeing this, the sensible little girl Sakura took the initiative to let go of Luo Xia's hand, allowing him to raise his hand to stroke the little head of his new friend.

"No, no, Nyaruko-neechan and Sakura are here with me, so I'm not bored at all."

"That's good, I'm relieved."

Earlier, on his way to the banquet, Rorschach happened to see Paul running out of the restaurant. Sensing that Paul was emotionally unstable, Rorschach, true to his professional spirit of seeing things through, stayed and observed for a few minutes. He then took out another car and had Nyaruko take Sakura and Abigail ahead, informing Old Delapour that he might be a little late. This led to the current situation.

Abigail, who was in Rorschach's arms, did not linger. She quickly left Mr. Rorschach's embrace, walked to old Delapour beside her, and obediently bowed.

“You’re back, Mr. Delapour.”

"Hey, good boy, I'm back."

Seeing the little girl instantly brightened Old Delapour's mood. He greeted Abigail with a kind smile, gently patting her little head with its bun, his smile never fading.

Just as Luo Xia was watching this scene with a smile, a deep, steady, and reliable middle-aged male voice came from behind him.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Rorschach. It’s been quite a while since we last met. I didn’t expect you to be a friend of De Lapur.”

With his superhuman memory, Rorschach instantly recognized the voice's owner, a friendly smile spreading across his face as he turned to look at the middle-aged man behind him.

“I never expected that Mayor Wayne would be a friend of old Delapour. This is truly a wonderful coincidence.”

As Luo Xia spoke, he extended his right hand to the handsome, refined-looking middle-aged man in front of him, and the man, who looked to be around fifty years old, smiled and reached out his hand to shake Luo Xia's.

Thomas Wayne, the father of Bruce Wayne, is the head of the Wayne family, the head of the well-known American corporation Wayne Enterprises, and the mayor of the small town of Arkham. Compared to his former identity, this latter one is rather inconspicuous.

Releasing his grip on Rorschach's right hand, Mayor Thomas explained with a smile and a gentle tone.

The Wayne family has been rooted in the town of Arkham for centuries. They have always had a good relationship with the De La Pue family, which is also an ancient family, and the two families can be considered old friends.

Decades ago, the entire Derapell family was wiped out, leaving only Derapell's grandfather as the sole survivor. The then-head of the Wayne family, Thomas Wayne's grandfather, was furious. He not only devoted himself to finding the murderer who killed his best friend's family, but also took on the responsibility of raising Derapell's grandfather and even promised to help him rebuild the family.

However, to Thomas Wayne's grandfather's surprise, not only did the old man give up the pursuit of the mysterious killer who wiped out his clan, but he also asked the killer to send him away from Arkham, away from Massachusetts, and even away from the United States, and never to return.

Thinking that the poor man was in a bad mood because of the extermination of his clan and wanted to escape from the place of sorrow, the clan chief did not hesitate to make all the arrangements for old Delapour's grandfather and personally accompanied him onto the merchant ship bound for England.

Upon arriving in England, the patriarch not only helped him purchase a house but also left behind a substantial fortune, promising to take care of the Delapour family's business in America before leaving. The friendship between the two families did not fade due to the distance; on the contrary, it grew even stronger and deeper.

In the decades that followed, because the Delapour family never returned to the United States, members of the Wayne family would travel to England every so often to maintain the friendship between the two families. Correspondence and telephone calls were commonplace. It was during these gatherings that old Delapour and Thomas met and became very good friends.

Old Delapour's decision to sell his British properties and return to Arkham was made after Thomas informed him of the death of his only son, at Thomas's urging.

Because of the deep friendship between the two families, after his 'insomnia' was cured, the first person Old Delapour thought of was his old friend Thomas Wayne.

Their De La Poole family line has already ended; they absolutely cannot allow the Wayne family to follow in their footsteps.

Therefore, the old man held this private banquet to discuss important matters and also to ask Rorschach, the "miracle doctor," to examine whether his old friend and his only heir were suffering from some unspeakable strange disease like himself.

As it turned out, old Delapour's decision was very wise. For the instant Rorschach saw Mayor Thomas, a slightly blurry image flashed before the shopkeeper's eyes.

In the pitch-black night, in the deserted alley, a man covered in blood fled in panic, leaving behind a dazed young boy, bewildered and helpless as he faced his parents lying on the ground.

The moonlight, like blood, stained the pearls scattered on the ground by my mother, and also reflected my father's increasingly frozen face.

Chapter 425 Arkham's Dilemma

Chapter 425 Arkham's Dilemma

Slightly regaining his senses, Luo Xia looked at the face in front of him that was exactly the same as the one in the prophecy, but without the shock, regret, resentment, or lingering emotions. His smile remained unchanged, and he gestured with his eyes to a mature, dark-haired beauty who was busy at the dining table behind Thomas.

Who is that?

"Martha, my wife, the love of my life. She's in charge of a few dishes today, so be sure to learn from her cooking skills later."

"Hehe, it seems that you and your wife are very much in love, Mr. Thomas."

"The greatest luck of my life is meeting her."

Before the banquet officially began, Rorschach continued chatting with Mayor Thomas for a while, while simultaneously pondering the prophetic vision he had seen earlier.

As one of the powers derived from the rules of time, 'future vision' is an ability that Rorschach recently awakened and is not yet able to control skillfully. However, even so, he can still see some clues from the previous images.

First, it is certain that the main figures in the prophetic image are Thomas Wayne, his wife, and son. The specific story conveyed is also quite simple: a thug attacked the mayor, killing him and his wife Martha, leaving their underage son Bruce standing there, stunned.

Although the riot that resulted in the deaths of both parents and the survival of only the son, along with the names of several other people, gave Rorschach a strong sense of déjà vu, he was now facing three living, breathing people, not a movie on the screen, and there was no room for jokes.

The store manager subtly glanced at Thomas Wayne, who was speaking eloquently about the future governance of Arkham City and the Wayne Group's investment intentions, and frowned slightly inwardly.

Their clothes and appearance are different, so it seems it's not today, which is a bit troublesome. Rorschach is currently unable to pinpoint the exact time and place of the prophecy, and naturally, he can't prevent the tragedy from happening in advance.

This is different from changing old Delapour's fate; his case involved a soul that had been corrupted, which could be easily cleansed. Thomas, however, was attacked. Although Rorschach remembered the attacker's appearance, the 'attack' hadn't actually happened, and he couldn't blame anyone for something that hadn't occurred.

After all, judging from the case of old De Lapur, the future is not static; a seemingly insignificant event can lead to a completely different outcome.

It seems I'll have to talk to old Delapour after the banquet.

Seeing the black-haired beauty who had already prepared all the dishes and was walking towards them with a smile, Luo Xia secretly made up his mind.

Martha Wayne, a middle-aged noblewoman, announced the start of the dinner. After brief introductions, old Delapour, the host and eldest member of the family, took the head seat at the long table, while Rorschach and the Wayne family sat on either side.

The banquet began, and toasts were exchanged.

Since it wasn't a particularly formal dinner party but rather a gathering of friends, there weren't many rules at the dinner, and people could chat while eating.

The three family heads enjoyed the food while discussing international affairs and news. Their two female companions were also whispering about certain topics unique to women. They were all smiles and seemed to have a very good relationship. They had even made plans to go shopping together in a couple of days.

Among the younger ones, Abigail and Matou Sakura remained calm, eating while occasionally serving each other dishes that they found delicious, and sometimes letting out a soft, bell-like laugh.

Bruce, the only son of the Wayne family, was strangely stiff, silently lowering his head and staring intently at the dining table in front of him, not daring to look across at all.

The terrifying experience of being targeted by a top predator had left the young man with lingering fear. Although he found that he wouldn't feel nervous or scared as long as he didn't look directly at Rorschach across the table, Bruce's movements were still somewhat uncoordinated, prompting Martha, who had finished talking with Nyaruko, to ask him with some concern.

Old Delapour, sitting alone in the main seat, smiled as he watched the lively scene before him, but a bitter feeling welled up in his heart. His two friends, Thomas and Rorschach, both had happy families with many children, while he alone had neither parents nor children, utterly utterly alone.

Although his only son Alfred has been gone for almost a year, whenever old Delapour lies in bed, he still dreams of his son's face and voice, as if he were always by his side and had never left.

Just as old Delapour was lost in thought, a slight noise came from beside him. The white-haired old man snapped out of his reverie and instinctively looked in the direction of the sound, only to find that Abigail had somehow moved her chair next to old Delapour and was now giving him a serene smile.

"Grandpa Delapour, this is delicious! Sakura recommended it to me. It tastes amazing. You should try it too."

Watching the little girl use her knife and fork to pick up the honey-glazed roast meat from her plate, old Delapour felt a complex and inexplicable emotion well up inside him. The white-haired old man gently forked a piece of roast meat with glistening honey glaze and slowly put it into his mouth.

As he savored the sweet and fragrant taste in his mouth, his eyes involuntarily blurred.