"Doctor, how much funding does your experiment still need to keep going?"
Batman set down the Daily Bugle and asked.
"The problem lies right there," Dr. Otto Octavius said with a furrowed brow. "My research is in its final stages now. All I need is to cover equipment maintenance costs and electricity bills. Compared to the hundreds of millions invested in the early phases, this is practically negligible."
"But it's exactly this 'negligible' part that's become an insurmountable obstacle for me… Thirty million! Just thirty million more in research funding, and my nuclear fusion project could yield results!"
Batman's entire net worth was currently seven million, not even enough to meet half of Dr. Octavius's needs.
Dr. Octavius wasn't pinning his hopes on the young man before him either. He was merely venting his frustration with Oscorp's abrupt withdrawal of funds.
"Thirty million dollars…" Batman calculated silently in his mind.
In Gotham, that amount wouldn't even cover the cost of a single Batmobile. But here in New York, Batman didn't have that kind of money to spare either.
"Give me three days," Batman said. "I'm confident I can turn seven million into thirty million. And Oscorp pulling the funding from Dr. Octavius's research might just be the perfect opportunity for me to step in."
He thought this to himself, then looked at Dr. Octavius. "Doctor, I have an idea… Could you show me the contract you signed with Oscorp before the project began?"
"Are you suggesting I take legal action? It's useless," Dr. Octavius shook his head but stood up to hand Batman a paper copy of the contract.
"As per the contract, even if Oscorp breaches it, all I get is five years' usage rights to the equipment."
Batman didn't respond immediately. He took the contract and read it carefully.
Just as Dr. Octavius had said, even if Oscorp pulled their investment for subjective reasons, the entire nuclear fusion lab wouldn't become Dr. Octavius's personal property.
He had usage rights but no ownership. He was even required to maintain the equipment at his own expense. If Oscorp resumed funding and the equipment was found to be damaged, Dr. Octavius would be held responsible.
Batman didn't waste time nitpicking the contract's wording. He handed it back to Dr. Octavius.
"Doctor, I think you should consider hiring a lawyer to analyze this contract from a professional perspective. Ideally, someone who could help your lab become fully independent from Oscorp."
"I don't even have the money to hire a lawyer," Dr. Octavius said with a bitter smile. "Compared to that, I'd rather figure out a way to scrape together some funds."
Batman put on a troubled expression, as if casually wandering over to four metallic tentacles nearby. "What are these?"
"A device to assist with experiments. But since the experiments can't proceed, they're just scrap metal now," Dr. Octavius said, glancing at the tentacles.
Not lingering in the lab for long, Batman stepped out onto the streets of Brooklyn and hailed a taxi.
"Lower Manhattan."
He planned to personally find a lawyer for Dr. Octavius to fight this case. Coincidentally, Black Cat was also looking for a lawyer to tackle Kingpin's money-laundering schemes. Perhaps the two matters could be handled together.
Batman couldn't meet Black Cat as Peter Parker, so he needed to head to Manhattan first, don his Batsuit, and then make his way to Hell's Kitchen.
After Batman left, in Dr. Octavius's lab:
"Thirty million dollars… I just need thirty million dollars to complete my experiment. But where on earth am I going to get that kind of money?"
Dr. Octavius's brow remained furrowed, his mind drawing a blank.
"Robbery? No, I can't do that. Unless I rob a bank, who walks around with that kind of cash on them, just waiting to be robbed? Besides, stolen money can't be spent."
Dr. Octavius quickly dismissed the dangerous thought.
"Wait, maybe there's a way… If I ignore equipment maintenance costs, all I really need is the high electricity bill for the experiments."
"Maybe I could secretly tap into underground power lines to power the equipment?"
"No, I can't do that."
Dr. Octavius wavered, his mind flashing with memories—scenes of his childhood, when his father would beat him mercilessly.
His father was a power plant worker, toiling in exhausting, dangerous conditions, teetering on the edge of life and death. Yet the money he earned was barely enough to sustain the family.
To make matters worse, his father was an alcoholic, which made their situation even bleaker. He often saw his mother and himself as burdens, lashing out with fists and kicks.
From that time on, Otto had sworn he would never become like his father. He would become a physicist, specializing in nuclear physics.
He wanted to create a world free from energy crises, where power plant workers wouldn't take out their frustrations on their wives and children due to grueling work.
"I'm working for the betterment of all humanity. Given the circumstances, tapping into underground power lines is my only option."
But once he tapped into those lines, the police would come knocking. He'd need to relocate all the equipment to a safer place.
Dr. Octavius made up his mind. His gaze swept across the lab, finally settling on the four metallic tentacles.
His expression was no longer conflicted, his demeanor no longer defeated. Aside from his disheveled hair, a result of his earlier frustration, Dr. Octavius regained his spirited, determined air.
He stood before the four metallic tentacles, feeling the neural interface connect inch by inch to his spine.
"Dr. Octavius's metal tentacles were inspired by Squid-Man? I'll need to check on him frequently in the next few days, but I absolutely can't provoke him."
In the deepest part of an abandoned shipyard, Batman donned a Batsuit modified from a Spider-Slayer armor.
Compared to the suit he most often used in Gotham, this one had sharper edges. Predominantly gray-black, it bore visible seams and signs of battle damage.
The bat emblem on the chest was crafted from four claws repurposed from the Spider-Slayer's underarms, which could double as weapons when needed.
The Spider-Slayer's arm blades had been removed, replaced with three retractable blades that could be freely controlled. The gauntlets integrated a hybrid web-shooter and grappling hook, dubbed the Bat-Claw.
There was no cape. Batman had completely dismantled the Spider-Slayer's gliding wings, incorporating parts of the armor and thrusters into the back of the suit.
When not in use, they folded up like a beetle's shell. They could extend for gliding, but true flight wasn't possible.
Given time, Batman could perfect the gliding wings for full flight, but that wasn't a priority for him.
The boots were standard combat boots, and the belt was a simple black tactical one, purchased secondhand from a military surplus store on the streets of New York.
Compared to the dozens of high-tech suits in his Batcave in Gotham, this one was somewhat makeshift—but it was only temporary.
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