Chapter 152: I Need to See Bruce Wayne
The black car's tires screeched across the asphalt road.
Without a moment's delay, Jake raced toward Bruce Wayne's residence.
In Gotham City, almost everyone knew where Bruce Wayne lived—a simple inquiry would provide all the information he needed.
It was midday, the blazing sun beating down mercilessly from above.
The long-dormant Wayne Manor welcomed an unexpected visitor that day.
"I'm sorry, but you cannot enter the manor without an appointment," said Alfred Pennyworth, stopping Jake at the front entrance.
Batman's loyal butler was a man in his late sixties, yet remained fiercely devoted to the Wayne family.
"I have urgent business with Mr. Bruce Wayne," Jake insisted, ignoring the butler's polite refusal as his left foot tentatively moved toward the doorway.
It wasn't that he wanted to be rude—it was just that time was critical, and he couldn't afford to be slow.
"I'll say it again," the old butler shook his head firmly. "Mr. Wayne doesn't receive visitors. He hasn't seen anyone from outside these walls in eight years."
Retracting his foot, Jake shook his head knowingly. "I'm afraid that's not entirely accurate."
The butler didn't respond verbally, but his expression invited clarification. In truth, Jake knew Alfred didn't particularly want to hear speculation from a stranger—this attentive demeanor was merely professional courtesy.
Jake ignored the unspoken dismissal and took two steps back, looking directly at the distinguished silver-haired butler. "Yesterday, an uninvited guest must have appeared in this house."
"Oh?" The old butler's expression showed subtle surprise. "What makes you say that?"
"A female thief infiltrated the manor, disguised as a maid, and stole Mr. Bruce Wayne's mother's pearl necklace..." This was purely a test. Jake didn't know if the merged Mia would still follow Catwoman's original actions—he could only probe cautiously.
Seeing the old butler's barely concealed look of shock, Jake knew he'd guessed correctly. He straightened his posture confidently. "I know more than just that. Perhaps you should give me a chance to speak with Mr. Wayne directly."
Three minutes later, he was escorted into Wayne Manor's main hall.
A man approached, leaning heavily on a cane—his long, unkempt beard, weathered face, and visibly damaged leg revealing a once-great hero whose body was deteriorating from years of brutal vigilante work.
"What exactly do you want to discuss with me?" Bruce Wayne asked, settling into a chair opposite Jake.
He appeared to be nothing more than a broken, reclusive billionaire, but underestimating him would be a fatal mistake.
Jake felt a surge of excitement meeting Batman for the first time—especially since this was Christian Bale's portrayal, the same actor he'd encountered as John Preston in Equilibrium. In Jake's opinion, this was the definitive version of Batman.
Christopher Nolan's Batman.
Like Captain America, Batman was fundamentally just a highly trained human being with peak physical abilities—but unlike Steve Rogers, Bruce Wayne hadn't achieved this through injections or serums, but entirely through his own rigorous training and iron willpower.
Moreover, he possessed cutting-edge technology, a brilliant tactical mind, and was a master martial artist proficient in over a hundred different combat techniques and weapons.
He had high-tech equipment rivaling Iron Man's and strategic intelligence matching Captain America's.
Like Steve Rogers, he was a symbol—a leader who inspired others.
However, unlike Captain America, Bruce Wayne possessed the mind and contingency plans capable of defeating even Superman if necessary.
"Gotham City is facing a new crisis," Jake began, deliberately avoiding the subject of Mia for now. Instead, he steered the conversation toward a topic that neither Batman nor Bruce Wayne could possibly refuse. "Evil has returned, and it's stronger than ever before."
"Oh?" Bruce Wayne tilted his head slightly, offering a soft sound of interest, and watched Jake expectantly, waiting for him to continue.
"Bane. Do you know the name?"
"Yes," Bruce Wayne nodded slowly. Although he no longer appeared in public, he still kept tabs on the outside world—after all, Gotham's current peace existed because of his past dedication and sacrifice.
"In a place far from here, there's a prison," Jake stood up, hands casually in his pockets, and began narrating slowly, as if telling an old legend. "A pit, really. People go there to suffer and wait to die, but occasionally, someone rises from the darkness and returns to our world."
"Bane," Bruce Wayne stated flatly.
Jake smiled mysteriously, offering no direct confirmation, and continued, "He escaped from that hellhole and eventually found Ra's al Ghul—the League of Shadows."
Alfred interjected from where he stood nearby, "However, as I understand it, he was excommunicated by Ra's al Ghul. If even the Demon's Head considered him too extreme, this individual might be exceptionally dangerous."
Bruce Wayne frowned, considering this information carefully, then said, "Why are you telling me all this? Perhaps you should inform Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD."
"I don't trust the police to handle this," Jake replied bluntly. "At least, I trust Batman more than I trust them." He suddenly turned to look directly at Bruce Wayne, startling even the usually unshakeable veteran hero.
"Besides, I need your help with a small personal matter..."
"Perhaps you've mistaken me for someone else. I'm not—" Bruce Wayne attempted to deflect.
Jake waved his hand dismissively to interrupt. "No need to deny it, no need to confirm it. I don't particularly care who Batman is or isn't... I just want to tell you that Gotham City is facing an unprecedented crisis. Bane and his people have been planning this for a long time. They're extremely dangerous, and the devastation they intend to cause is almost unimaginable!"
"Right now, only Batman has the ability to save this city..."
"What else do you know?" It wasn't that Bruce was easily manipulated, but rather that what Jake was describing sounded disturbingly plausible. This Dark Knight, who regarded Gotham City as his life's purpose, couldn't ignore such a direct threat.
"Their ultimate goal is simple: to complete Ra's al Ghul's final mission and destroy Gotham City completely."
"And their specific methods?"
"They've already infiltrated deep into the city's infrastructure. There's a massive force operating in the sewers and underground tunnels right now." Jake didn't hold back—these things would be confirmed soon enough anyway, so he might as well establish credibility. "They've planted explosives throughout the city, but that's just misdirection. Their real plan is to weaponize your clean energy reactor—to turn it into a nuclear bomb and obliterate the entire city!"
"Bane has already partnered with one of the board members at Wayne Enterprises."
"This board member is providing Bane with funding and resources to tunnel throughout Gotham like rats in the walls, while Bane helps him orchestrate an attack on the stock exchange. The goal is to manipulate your Bruce Wayne holdings, causing your shares to plummet. Eventually, this traitor plans to take control of Wayne Enterprises entirely."
"Not a bad strategy," Bruce acknowledged coolly, seemingly unconcerned about his own financial ruin.
"But he's destined to fail, because Bane's goal isn't just digging tunnels and stealing money..."
"What exactly do you need my help with?" Bruce remembered what his butler had mentioned—that this young man needed assistance with something personal.
"The woman who stole your mother's necklace—I need your help locating her."
"You want me to betray a lady's privacy? That's hardly something a gentleman would do."
"Actually, that woman is my girlfriend," Jake sighed heavily. "But she seems to be... confused right now. I need to bring her home safely."
His conversation with Bruce Wayne ended there. Jake obtained the tracking device he needed, while Bruce Wayne received detailed foreknowledge of Bane's plan—hopefully enough to prevent Gotham from suffering the devastation shown in the original timeline.
"Thank you for your help, Mr. Wayne," Jake said, waving his tablet displaying the tracker's signal at Bruce. "One last piece of advice: that clean energy reactor of yours probably should have been dumped at the bottom of the ocean about three years ago—before anyone knew it existed."
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