Stopping a mere out-of-control truck wasn't even a difficulty for Batman; it was nothing more than lifting a finger.
However, he didn't just let the truck driver leave. Instead, after Jack Monroe parked the truck at the entrance of an alley, he watched Jack emerge from the vehicle, still shaken.
By this time, Venom Robin had already put on a human-like mask; in appearance, he stood beside Batman as a strikingly handsome youth.
It was precisely because of this harmless-looking little guy's presence that Jack Monroe didn't just bolt after getting out of the car. Instead, he leaned against the truck body to catch his breath before replying:
"Thanks a lot for earlier, Batman."
"You know me?" Batman asked.
"Who in New York doesn't know Batman? Although legend says you're a vampire, your crime-fighting is an undisputed fact. Besides, seeing you under the sun, you look more like a human in armor." Jack Monroe forced a smile. "A classmate at my school even considers you his idol."
The Barbara AI had long since gone offline. Batman's Arkham suit wasn't equipped with a system for facial recognition, and Batman didn't hack into the NYPD database right in front of the guy to identify him. Instead, he asked directly:
"Are you a student?"
"Yes, I'm Jack Monroe, a student at Columbia University." Jack Monroe fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Want one?"
Venom Robin looked at this guy named Jack Monroe with a strange expression.
If nothing else, he must be the first guy to ever offer Batman a cigarette, right?
"No, thank you." Batman declined the cigarette offered by Jack Monroe. He watched as the man lit up and took a satisfying drag. "You haven't taken drugs. Why did the vehicle suddenly lose control just now?"
Batman had already scanned the truck's cargo hold with X-ray vision when he jumped down from the Empire State Building; there were no monsters trapped inside causing the vehicle to lose control.
The problem lay entirely with Jack Monroe himself.
"I just wanted to take a look at the Empire State Building, and then I saw a streak of fire shoot up into the sky..." Jack Monroe said with lingering fear. "How can I thank you? If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know how to explain this to my father."
What he saw was the fire from the leg thrusters of Tony Stark's Mark IV armor... Batman nodded slightly and continued to ask:
"The truck doesn't seem to be yours?"
"It's my father's. He's been feeling unwell lately and needs rest, but the damn shipping company said they'd deduct his wages if he didn't complete this month's transport quota... so I had to fill in as a temporary driver." Jack Monroe laughed helplessly.
Jack Monroe wasn't a criminal, and Batman hadn't used any intimidation tactics on him. As a result, now that Jack Monroe had calmed down, he didn't feel much fear looking at Batman, and his words were quite sincere:
"If it weren't for you, my new girlfriend would be in someone else's arms, and my parents would have lost their beloved son... Thank you."
Batman didn't speak. The cape behind him suddenly flared up, blocking Jack Monroe's line of sight.
By the time Jack Monroe looked around, Batman and Venom Robin had vanished without a trace.
"If that classmate of mine who worships Batman knew I was saved by Batman today, I wonder what his reaction would be?"
With the joy of survival, Jack Monroe took a hard drag on the cigarette butt, tossed it onto the ground, turned around, and climbed back into the truck's cab.
"Daredevil Matt Murdock graduated from Columbia University, where Jack Monroe studies."
This piece of information flashed through Batman's mind as he took Venom Robin shuttling through the towering skyscrapers of New York.
"Tony Stark doesn't seem to be troubled by his dual identities; there's no need to worry about potential psychological issues for now."
"Max Dillon is currently in good condition."
The interior of Stark Tower was equipped with Batman's listening devices, but due to the Barbara AI being offline, Batman couldn't keep tabs on the internal movements of the Stark Group at all times.
Fortunately, everything received so far counted as good news. Batman didn't need to cast everything else aside and pour all his energy into the development of the Alfred AI.
"Robin, in the time between jumping from the Empire State Building and reaching ten meters above the ground, had you already calculated the force points of the truck driven by Jack Monroe and everything around it?"
Back in the Batcave, Batman asked Venom Robin.
Venom Robin was dumbfounded:
"I thought you were relying on instinct..."
Batman shook his head:
"Not instinct, but calculation. While doing our best to stop the accident, we must minimize harm to others and damage to property."
Venom Robin, still in a somewhat confused state, asked:
"What about when destruction is unavoidable? I can't fight criminals and protect some random person's brand-new car at the same time."
"Saving lives is always our primary goal, followed by minimizing destruction. In cases where destruction is unavoidable, we will reduce their losses afterward through insurance," Batman said.
"Then you really are a great person," Venom Robin said.
On the top floor of Stark Tower, Tony Stark had taken off the Mark IV suit and was sitting alone on the sofa, drinking.
He was thinking about what Batman had told him.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was very likely infiltrated by Hydra, and government agencies might also harbor Hydra elements. Therefore, Norman Osborn could not be handed over to the NYPD or S.H.I.E.L.D.
If it were just Norman Osborn, it would be fine, but Tony Stark was considering far more than that.
Today it's Norman Osborn, but what about tomorrow? What about other guys who are more heinous than Norman Osborn, have no redeeming value, yet don't warrant the death penalty?
How should those guys be handled?
Perhaps he was too absorbed in thought; Tony Stark didn't even notice when Max Dillon had returned from home.
"Although you can't live without alcohol, I get the feeling you're drinking to drown your sorrows right now. It's different from before."
Max Dillon poured himself a glass, walked over to Tony Stark, clinked glasses with him, and spoke.
"Yes, I've run into a problem, but now you've run into one too," Tony Stark came back to his senses and said to Max Dillon.
Max Dillon looked at Tony in confusion:
"I don't know what problem I've run into."
"Batman wants you to return to the Osborn Group..." Tony Stark described Batman's idea.
"Norman Osborn was actually pretty good to me. He was the one who plucked me from a pile of electrical engineers and made me Chief Engineer," Max Dillon said with a smile. "To put it plainly, you want me to go be his bodyguard, but I can't let him know about it, right?"
"Exactly," Tony said.
"I can go, but I have a condition. I need to meet Morbius and Harry Osborn." Max Dillon said.
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