chapter 187 part 1
Chapter 187 Gotham, I am Bruce Ren!
A bat, a bat gliding above Gotham, overlooking the entire Gotham City.
Bruce Wayne lost his fortune, but he gained the support of Gotham's citizens.
He must defeat all evil; he must be Gotham's Batman!
Late that night, Batman, just like the previous night, arrived at the balcony of that apartment.
Through the window, he saw Bruce Ren busy stir-frying in the kitchen. The flames in the wok flickered, illuminating his face.
Without hesitation, Batman slipped into the room.
"Have you already started to descend into darkness?" Batman's voice was low, a deep rumble seemingly from hell, carrying an irresistible pressure.
Bruce Ren skillfully stirred the vegetables in the wok, replying unhurriedly, "Are you here to fight evil, or do you simply not want someone as formidable as me in Gotham?"
He didn't seem to fear this Dark Knight, who struck fear into Gotham's criminals.
Batman's brow furrowed, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes, and he pressed on, "What exactly do you want? Wealth? The pleasure of crime? Or chaos?"
Bruce Ren stopped his actions, put the cooked dish on a plate, and turned to face Batman, calmly saying, "I just want to live well. The last dish is done. Care to join me?"
Saying that, he handed the plate to Batman.
Batman instinctively shook his head and refused, but when his gaze fell on the plate, his pupils suddenly contracted.
On that plate were actually several dead bats, their twisted bodies sickening to behold!
"Ah!"
Bruce Wayne was startled awake, gasping for rough breaths.
He looked around, and the familiar Batcave came into view. The cold stone walls, the neatly arranged equipment—everything indicated that this was reality.
Everything just now was merely a nightmare.
He slowly got up, poured a glass of water, and gulped it down.
He came to a large series of screens, and with a flurry of urgent keystrokes, Bruce Wayne successfully linked to the six 24-hour surveillance satellites deployed in orbit above Gotham. At the same time, he accessed all of Gotham City's surveillance cameras.
In an instant, dense, real-time images from various corners of Gotham City appeared on the Batcave's large screen.
His expression was solemn as he rewound the timeline to recent days, focusing intently on rapidly filtering out all surveillance footage related to Bruce Ren.
The screen flashed and changed continuously, and Bruce Ren's figure gradually became clearer.
Just then, Alfred, the steady and unhurried butler, walked down the stairs, carrying a steaming cup of coffee, and came to Batman's side.
Alfred looked at the image of Bruce Ren on the screen, a flicker of doubt in his eyes, and asked softly, "Young Master, who is he?"
Batman's gaze was fixed on the screen, and he said in a low voice, "He is someone who shouldn't be in Gotham City."
As the surveillance footage progressed, Bruce Wayne saw scenes of Bruce Ren clashing with several thugs.
Bruce Ren's figure was robust, and with simple movements, he easily subdued the thugs.
Alfred looked at the screen and praised, "Remarkable! Young Master, he is even faster than you."
Upon hearing this, Batman activated the data analysis system and conducted a precise analysis of Bruce Ren's movements, strength, speed, and other indicators.
The analysis results quickly appeared, and Bruce Wayne's face instantly turned exceptionally grim.
The data showed that Bruce Ren's physical abilities had already surpassed the peak limits of human beings.
His strength was immense, enough to easily flip a car; his speed was so great that he could even dodge bullets in an instant; his reaction ability was even beyond ordinary imagination, allowing him to respond almost perfectly to any sudden situation.
Bruce Wayne knew deeply that such a powerful existence, if standing against justice, would bring unprecedented disaster to Gotham.
He could not be careless!
Even if Bruce Ren hadn't yet shown an anti-human side, Batman could perceive such a future through his sixth sense.
Unfortunately, it was usually accurate.
Batman was just such a person. Seeing a meta-human with immense power, even if that meta-human hadn't yet turned evil, Batman would still contemplate taking them down.
Because once such power spirals out of control, it would be a very severe blow to humanity.
And this was also why Batman repeatedly refused to become even more powerful.
However, Batman never knew that, in any universe, he himself was actually the most unstable factor.
Bruce Wayne turned and walked towards the Batcave's garage, coming to his formidable Batmobile.
Before starting the vehicle, he looked back at Alfred, who stood by his side, "I'll go and return soon."
Arkham Asylum, the place where Gotham's most dangerous criminals were imprisoned, had, in Batman's eyes, become a "talent market" at this moment.
To test Bruce Ren's true abilities and combat prowess, these crazy villains, each with their unique skills, might prove useful.
The moment Batman stepped into Arkham Asylum, the entire asylum erupted!
The villains let out earth-shattering roars.
But it was not a welcome, but a chorus of curses.
These were the villains Batman had personally apprehended. Seeing their nemesis appear, their emotions instantly ignited, excited like rabid beasts.
Batman was long accustomed to this. His expression remained cold, unperturbed by the cacophony, and he walked straight towards the section where high-profile criminals were detained.
Two-Face stood in his cell, his normally perfect face contorted in anger. He frantically threw the coin in his hand, shouting loudly, "Do you think you can control Gotham forever? Today, this coin tells me you're just an arrogant fool!"
Riddler, gripping the bars of his cell with both hands, shrieked, "Batman! You can't solve my riddles at all! You're just a simple-minded brute! Do you think locking me up here can stop me? I'll devise more and more complex traps to plunge you and all of Gotham into endless terror!"
To Batman's intellect, these verbal attacks had no effect whatsoever. He said indifferently, "But you are all losers."
This single sentence directly infuriated Two-Face and Riddler.
Batman had only taken two steps when another voice reached him.
Poison Ivy stood in the shadow of her cell, her eyes filled with resentment, and she spoke softly yet viciously, "You destroyer of nature's balance! You've locked me up here, but you don't realize you're slowly destroying the world's future! When I get out, I'll show you the power of Mother Nature and make you suffer endless torment in the green hell I'll meticulously weave!"
"Gotham's greening efforts have actually been quite good," Batman shook his head. "Ivy, you've lost your mind. You need a higher dosage."