"What's wrong with Barry?"
Bruce looked at Barry, who was still running.
"He owes me payment."
Qinuo smiled faintly. The Speed Force collection device was like a portable charger for the Speed Force; he wouldn't have to worry about running out of Speed Force anymore.
"Brother Qinuo, how much longer do I have to run? I'm going to die of exhaustion!"
Barry cried out.
"At your current production rate, another year of running should be enough."
Qinuo's tone held a hint of amusement.
"What?!!!"
When Barry heard this, his feet stumbled, and he instantly lost his balance, falling heavily to the ground. Inside the hamster-wheel-like device, he became a blurry afterimage, like an out-of-control top.
In the end, Qinuo didn't make Barry run for a year.
"So, Brother Qinuo, why did you make me a hamster?"
Barry was eating breakfast, his stomach having been rumbling with hunger for a while.
"For fun."
Qinuo said seriously, ignoring Barry's resentful expression.
"Running for a year was a joke, but when this is full, your parents will reunite."
Upon hearing this, Barry instantly perked up. His previously slow and deliberate movements became swift, and in the blink of an eye, he devoured all the food in front of him.
Immediately after, he voluntarily plunged back into the "hamster cage" to continue "charging," his eyes filled with longing for his parents' reunion.
At the dining table, Bruce was silently eating breakfast. Next to him, Thomas was equally quiet.
The father and son seemed to have a thousand words they wanted to express, but their introverted and stubborn personalities made these words get stuck in their throats, unsure where to begin.
Pat, pat~
Martha gently looked at her strong son, raising her hand to smooth his somewhat messy hair from sleeping.
Bruce's body stiffened abruptly. Out of instinct, he uncomfortably dodged a little.
Martha's hand hung awkwardly in mid-air. Her gaze became somewhat sad, as if her son's dodge had stung her heart.
Bruce's heart tightened when he saw his mother's disappointed look. He quickly returned to his original position, gently placing his hair into Martha's hand.
"Mom, I'm an adult now."
"You're an adult, so Mom can't touch you anymore?"
Martha smiled as she looked at him.
"…You can!"
Bruce hesitated for a moment, but ultimately compromised.
So, he continued eating breakfast while allowing Martha to gently tidy his hair beside him.
The three Robins opposite had never seen Batman look so flustered before. They exchanged smiles, their eyes full of amusement.
Jason and Dick looked as if they had discovered a new continent, their eyes lighting up with excitement. Their first reaction was to record this interesting scene.
So, the two quickly pulled out their phones, their fingers rapidly operating on the screens.
But just as they raised their phones, they met Bruce's murderous Death glare.
Under the powerful gaze, their bodies instantly froze. Then, they sheepishly put down their phones, a hint of awkward smile on their faces, as if saying, "We didn't do anything."
Tim, on the other hand, behaved honestly, maintaining a straight posture while eating breakfast, as if nothing had happened.
Thwack!
A silver flash streaked rapidly past Tim's head. A dull thud followed, and a sharp steak knife was deeply embedded in the wooden furniture behind him.
Tim stiffened, lowering his head slightly. Fragments of a miniature camera fell from his hair.
"My Lord Bruce, please do not use tableware as throwing knives. Also, that furniture is an antique."
Alfred appeared at some point beside them. He maintained his calm demeanor, his tone like that of someone reminding a mischievous child not to cause trouble.
"Tim, remember to pay."
Bruce took the steak knife, said expressionlessly, and then continued eating breakfast, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.
"Yes…"
Tim's face was bitter. His savings… ever since he became independent, he hadn't asked Bruce for money; he earned it all by writing programs.
Jason and Dick chuckled secretly. They were all taught by the same person, so how could they not have noticed?
Only Qinuo openly set up his camera to record the scene.
Thomas secretly glanced at Bruce from the corner of his eye. Between him and his son, whom he hadn't seen in over a decade, there seemed to be a thick layer of fog.
He truly didn't know how to interact with his son, fearing that he might accidentally say the wrong thing and widen the distance between them again.
Damian looked at her Grandpa, who hadn't spoken, and shook her head helplessly, making a few gestures to Alfred the butler.
Tug! Tug!
Her sleeve was tugged.
Thomas turned his head and asked softly, "What is it, Damian?"
"Grandpa, I want more steak."
Damian blinked, her face showing a cute, greedy expression.
"Grandpa will grill it for you."
Thomas put down his half-eaten breakfast and was about to go into the kitchen to grill steak for his granddaughter.
"My Lord Thomas, the manor has run out of steak."
Alfred wore his usual gentle smile.
Thomas looked at his plate; only some bread was left.
The Robins opposite reacted extremely quickly, instantly understanding what was happening. They all quickly speared the steak in front of them with their forks and stuffed it into their mouths in one go, their cheeks puffed out.
Their cheeks were puffed out.
"Grandpa, there's steak in front of Dad."
Damian pointed to the dining plate in front of Bruce.
Thomas's body stiffened. His gaze swept over everyone else's plates; they were either empty or half-eaten. Indeed, only Bruce's plate was untouched.
He looked at Martha for help.
Martha smiled and shook her head. She was very happy to see the old Batman in a difficult position.
Bruce voluntarily gently pushed his plate towards Thomas.
"Dad… give my steak to Damian. She's still young and needs to eat more."
Thomas placed the steak in front of Damian, then nervously moved the untouched bread from his own plate to Bruce's.
"You eat more too…"
"Mm…"
Bruce softly hummed in response, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Damian was eating her second portion of steak. She was actually already full; eating a second portion now would probably make her stuffed.
"Damian, can you share half with Auntie?"
Selina asked with a smile.
Such a sensible child. Although she was Talia's, she liked her very much.
Damian nodded, dividing half of the steak in front of her to Selina. That way, it was just right.
Alfred the butler stood by, quietly watching this happy and warm family, his eyes slightly moist.
He raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, silently sighing in his heart, "This is so good. This way, Bruce won't be so tired anymore."
This manor finally felt like a home.
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