Since Arkham Asylum was ambushed by Joker's Gang last time, causing a massive prison break,
the incident immediately dominated the headlines of every major newspaper in Gotham City, stirring enormous panic among the citizens and prompting protest marches.
Under pressure, the police department deployed more patrol officers, while City Hall repeatedly promised to fund improved security measures at Arkham.
As for capturing the escaped lunatics, that was the Dark Knight Batman's job.
Come on, for a salary of two or three thousand, why would anyone expect them to trade shots with Joker's Gang?
Had donuts stopped tasting good, or had their heroic instincts suddenly flared up?
Director Quincy sipped his coffee and looked at the workers outside installing the electric fence, his face full of disdain.
What was the point of electric fences, watchtowers, and firearms? They were making the place look like a prison.
Blackgate Prison next door had still been raided last week, with plenty of vicious criminals escaping.
They might as well catch them all and lock them in the Desert Ark Prison, supposedly S.H.I.E.L.D.'s highest-security prison.
At least there was one thing Director Quincy felt fortunate about.
No matter how insane Arkham Asylum's escaped patients were, they only wanted to cause trouble for Batman. Blackgate Prison's criminals were different—they would rob a bank on the way to the bathroom.
"Director, something happened!"
A plump Black female nurse burst in. Her nurse's uniform cinched around her in layer after layer like life preservers, bouncing with her rapid breathing.
"What is it?"
Director Quincy frowned slightly, unable to imagine what could possibly get worse.
"Allen came back, but then he ran off again," Catherine said.
"He came back and ran off again?"
Director Quincy was startled.
He was not worried about Allen doing anything bad. It was just that two big shots from S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Hand had personally instructed him to keep a close eye on him.
"Allen said he heard the criminals had escaped and wanted to catch them himself. He might be back late, so there was no need to prepare dinner for him," Catherine repeated verbatim.
"..."
Director Quincy glanced out the window and happened to see Allen climbing over the wall with a bicycle on his shoulder.
Looking closer, he felt that bicycle looked rather familiar.
"Damn it, put down my bicycle!"
Director Quincy leaned out the window and shouted anxiously. He was an environmentalist and chose to commute by bicycle to help reduce carbon emissions. It was perfectly reasonable.
Of course, it had absolutely nothing to do with his divorce leaving more than half his income to support his ex-wife and children, making him unable to afford a car.
"No need to see me off. I'll be careful."
Allen waved, leaped down from the high wall, and rode straight toward downtown Gotham City.
It was a half-hour ride.
He entered the city, where the smog was somewhat thick.
Wayne Group controlled every aspect of Gotham City. On the surface, it was a dazzling modern metropolis, but in ignored corners, homeless people gathered while crime and criminals bred.
Riding through Gotham City's streets, Allen first familiarized himself with the surroundings.
"Shit, I forgot to bring the Bat-Man suit. My combat power's been reduced by at least fifty percent."
Allen looked at the League of Assassins outfit he was wearing. It did not fit his persona at all.
"First, there was the former CEO Yujiro's famous saying: I never spend money when I buy things."
"Then there was the gold-medal lecturer Square Jungle's on-site lesson in America: the confidence to say that the old Buddha had already paid for it."
"I have already grasped the skills of wilderness survival."
Having studied the examples of so many successful people, Allen had already devised a complete plan in his mind.
He moved through the homeless gathering places, searching for monster spawn points.
After two hours, Allen's haul was quite substantial.
Two hamburgers, one sandwich, three cans of sweet soda, a black sexy eye mask, a small fuzzy blanket, and an envelope containing five dollars.
He put on the eye mask and tied on the blanket.
Allen was very pleased with his new look.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for unlocking a new identity: Whip Woman Hero, Bruce Horne. All attributes increased by 300%, attack speed increased by 500%."
That was nothing more than Allen's fantasy.
Night fell.
Dark clouds covered the moon. It was another cloudy night.
Yet the clouds served like a curtain, displaying the image of a bat symbol.
Commissioner Gordon stood quietly beside the spotlight with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Gotham's knight, Batman, to arrive.
Whoosh...
A sound came from behind him, followed by a low voice asking, "Gordon, did you need something?"
He spun around and saw someone standing in the shadows.
Gordon quickly drew his gun and aimed it at him. "Who are you?"
"Me? The Knight of Justice, Bat-Man."
As he spoke, Allen pushed his bicycle out of the shadows.
Once Gordon saw his face clearly, the corner of his mouth twitched.
A sexy eye mask and a little fuzzy blanket? Could he not put more effort into his cosplay?
There were quite a few hot-blooded youths in Gotham City pretending to be Batman and fighting for justice, but at least their appearances were eighty percent similar.
"Put your hands on your head and face the wall immediately," Gordon said sternly.
"You quit starring in the reality show Hell's Kitchen and became a cop?" Allen asked, completely unmoved.
"We are not the same person. He's a chef, and I'm a detective."
Gordon solemnly corrected him. In America, there were far too many people with the same name and surname. After all, naming people was a very mentally taxing task.
"Gordon, stop."
At that moment, a black shadow descended between them.
His entire body was wrapped in a pitch-black suit, with only his mouth and eyes exposed to the air.
With the real deal finally here, Gordon holstered his gun, figuring Batman was more than capable of handling the strangely dressed Bat-Man.
Allen excitedly stepped forward, grinning with his big teeth. "Batsy, is that you?"
"You have the wrong person."
Bruce lowered his voice and deliberately looked at Gordon as if he did not know him.
"B, L, S."
Allen uttered three letters. Bruce immediately lost his composure and covered his mouth, recognizing them as the initials of his own name.
"Let's talk business. Wait a moment."
"Mo Wen Tai, handsome."
Allen quietly listened to the two of them talk.
Commissioner Gordon brought intelligence on Joker's Gang and laid out the gang's hideouts in detail.
Generally speaking, Bruce did not interfere with the gray areas. They had their own underground order. Joker's Gang was different: they not only wanted to shatter that order, but also challenge authority, making them a priority target.
As for Penguin and Riddler's Penguin's Gang, their goals were money and power. They only wanted to take over and had no interest in destruction, so they could be left alone for now and dealt with later.
Once the intelligence exchange was complete, Gordon excused himself and left.
"Batsy, you pretended not to know me just now. Do you know how hurt I was?"
Allen clutched his chest with an expression of profound grief.
"I have too many enemies. My real identity cannot be exposed."
Bruce then asked, "There had been no news of you for over a decade. I always thought you had disappeared in Silent Hill."
He and Oliver had escaped Silent Hill and waited at the entrance for five days. During that time, they called the police and organized search parties, but found nothing. Eventually, the matter was dropped.
"I came straight back from Silent Hill. I just silently recited, 'System, return,'" Allen answered truthfully.
"..."
Bruce did not believe Allen's nonsense. If not for his own near-death escape, he might really have thought Silent Hill was some pleasant place.
"Father, who is he?"
At that moment, a young man climbed onto the rooftop with a grappling gun. His red-and-black suit identified him as the fifth Robin, Damian.
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