The surveillance feed from Metro-General Hospital showed that Helen Cho was just an ordinary doctor—treating patients, saving lives, and clocking out on time.
At the same time she disappeared from the hospital's surveillance feed, Batman switched off that monitor, resetting the screens to display the status of the micro-trackers and bugs he had installed in various locations across New York.
Venom Robin watched clearly from the side as Batman kept half of his attention focused on the screen section dedicated to Dr. Helen Cho.
According to the position locked by the micro-tracker, Batman watched as Helen Cho left Metro-General Hospital, driving her own vehicle into the flow of Manhattan traffic, moving slowly along 42nd Street.
This time, without the unexpected interference of Hawkeye, the bug and micro-tracker Batman had quietly placed on Dr. Helen Cho went undetected, faithfully transmitting the Korean doctor's movements back to the Batcave.
It was currently evening rush hour. 42nd Street was somewhat congested, and Dr. Helen Cho's speed was relatively slow.
Batman was in no hurry. He maintained a state where he could write the underlying code for the Alfred AI while dedicating half his energy to observing Helen Cho's movements, seemingly never knowing fatigue.
Venom Robin yawned:
"Batman, didn't you investigate her file? Don't you know where she lives?"
Clack clack clack...
Batman ignored Robin, merely frowning at the keyboard that was clattering under his fingers.
Aside from writing the code for the Alfred AI, the hardware facilities in the Batcave were also due for an upgrade.
The various hardware currently used in the Batcave had been purchased when Batman first acquired Parker Industries and funds were quite limited.
Although it was sufficient, it was only sufficient.
Seeing Batman ignore him, Venom Robin felt increasingly bored. He turned his head to look at the pitch-black Batmobile sitting quietly in the Batcave and sighed:
"Old Bat, why don't you just drive the Batmobile to find her?"
"Even though Dr. Helen Cho has been married for years, she doesn't have children. Maybe if I went up and called her 'Mom,' she'd be really happy."
The moment Venom Robin finished that sentence, the sound of Batman typing on the keyboard stopped instantly.
Even though a symbiote cannot sweat, Venom Robin suddenly felt the sensation of a human breaking out in a cold sweat.
He carefully, inch by inch, turned his head, shifting his gaze from the Batmobile to Batman.
Phew~
Venom Robin let out a sigh of relief. He saw that Batman was still looking at the monitors, watching Dr. Helen Cho's movements. It seemed the reason he stopped typing had nothing to do with him.
But soon, Batman's voice, tinged with a chill, rang out in a low tone:
"When you have free time, you should be repeating the exercises for the various skills I taught you, rather than standing there talking."
"Or should I hand you over to Dr. Otto for some training?"
Venom Robin's body stiffened.
He had fought the Hulk, exchanged blows with Professor Morbius, and bared his fangs at the Lizard.
But of the four scientists on South Brother Island, the one who unnerved Venom from the bottom of his heart was Dr. Otto—a mere mortal of flesh and blood who just happened to have four mechanical tentacles on his back.
Whenever Venom Robin thought of Dr. Otto's excited expression during the moonlight test that night, he couldn't help but shudder inside.
He would rather fight the Hulk again than be dragged away by Dr. Otto for all sorts of research.
"I'll go to the second level to watch the Gamma monsters..." Venom Robin whispered, inching backward step by step.
"Stand still," Batman's voice rang out.
Venom Robin's body stiffened again, terrified that something terrifying would pop out of Batman's mouth next.
"Training is suspended for tonight. I may need to go out," Batman said. "If I haven't returned by daybreak, go to South Brother Island and tell Dr. Banner to execute Emergency Protocol F."
Venom Robin was a bit confused. Batman was just tracking an ordinary married woman; why would that possibly require activating a South Brother Island emergency protocol?
"No, if an emergency protocol needs to be activated, it at least proves that Dr. Helen Cho isn't as ordinary as she looks." Venom Robin reacted quickly, nodding at Batman. "I will."
Just as Venom Robin intended to seize the opportunity to ask about Dr. Helen Cho's situation, a click of a car locking came through the bug, followed by the tap-tap-tap of footsteps.
Judging by the sound, it seemed Dr. Helen Cho was walking through a wide metal hall paved with tiles.
Batman made a shushing gesture to Venom Robin and stopped his coding as well.
"Welcome, Dr. Helen Cho."
Someone spoke. The voice sounded like a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, the tone filled with the vitality truly belonging to a child of that age—unlike Venom Robin, who was either eager to fight or eager to own a Batmobile.
Batman quickly glanced at the location displayed by the micro-tracker. It was the intersection of 42nd Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan.
"Lunella, I didn't say I was visiting today. How did you know I was downstairs?" This was Dr. Helen Cho's voice.
"I made a little gadget that can identify cars and faces in a very short time and tell me the results..." said the little girl named Lunella.
"Lunella, that kind of device was invented long ago," Helen Cho's voice sounded somewhat helpless. "I know you are very smart, but I think you should still go to school."
"School can't teach me anything anymore," Lunella said.
"No, Lunella, what I want you to learn isn't knowledge, but common sense," Helen Cho said.
In the Batcave, Batman and Venom Robin exchanged a glance.
Batman signaled Venom Robin with his eyes. Robin immediately lunged at a computer, frantically opening a search for a girl named Lunella.
"Can't find her," Venom Robin whispered to Batman.
"Stand by," Batman ordered in a low voice.
The subsequent conversation coming through the bug was extremely devoid of substance—nothing more than what Lunella ate today, or interesting things Helen Cho encountered at the hospital.
Batman remained expressionless; these things didn't even count as intelligence. Venom Robin, however, listened with gusto.
Four or five minutes later, Batman heard the ambient sound in the bug change from a hall to a corridor, then to an elevator, and finally to another hall.
Dr. Helen Cho stopped her insubstantial conversation with the little girl, Lunella, and instead spoke up to greet someone else:
"Reed..."
Beep beep beep!
Dr. Helen Cho had barely opened her mouth when a series of rapid alarms came through the bug from the outside, followed by a hushed "Shh."
Two seconds later, the micro-tracker and the bug went offline.
The monitor section symbolizing Dr. Helen Cho no longer displayed a map or signal. It was replaced by a glaring red "SIGNAL LOST" notification.
Three seconds later, the alarm Batman had deliberately set to a low volume suddenly sounded within the Batcave, red warning lights flashing rapidly.
Inside the Batcave, since the Oracle AI was offline and the Alfred AI was not yet online, the system running here was merely the Bat-Firewall, which did not possess autonomous counter-attack capabilities.
Venom Robin stared at the screen in front of him. Although he couldn't see the changes occurring in the information world, he had a feeling:
At this very moment, a hunter with an exceptionally keen sense of smell was moving at extreme speed, tracing the signal transmission route of Batman's bug and tracker, attempting to hack into the Batcave.
"Old Bat..." Venom Robin shouted hurriedly, but his voice got stuck in his throat.
He saw that Batman had, at some unknown point, closed the Alfred AI coding window and opened the Batcave's anti-tracking program. The progress bar was soaring madly from 0%.
Wait.
Venom Robin rubbed his eyes. Only then did he see clearly that what Batman had opened wasn't just the anti-tracking protection system, but also the Batcave's reverse-tracking system.
Batman was trying to hack the other party too!
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