Batman's Identity Revealed (Please Collect)

Gotham... is a blank page of black paper.

It's the white text you write on the black paper, the fallen path you desperately seek.

It's like the first sentence of the last story of your life.

--Batman: Gotham Impressions

"Screech... Gotham Gazette brings you the latest news... The Ventriloquist's tense standoff with the police at the Gotham Evidence Bureau has lasted for 3 hours. Experts believe..."

"...This is completely the attraction of freaks to each other... The Arkham mass breakout a few days ago... because of Batman, you know, he attracted those..."

"So far, Batman has still not arrived at the scene. We can't help but ask, are the rumors of Batman's death true? Is the Gotham City Police Department so incompetent... Wait, there's a new development. It's Batman! He's here!"

Gotham City was shrouded in continuous rain in June, but the square in front of the Gotham Evidence Bureau was more bustling than usual.

Before Chen Tao's Batmobile could even come to a stop, a large group of reporters swarmed over like flies drawn to carrion.

They braved the drizzle, pushing aside protesters holding signs that read "We Don't Want Batman" and police officers maintaining order with batons.

The flashes of cameras flickered incessantly.

"Batman, what do you have to say about the recent rumors in Gotham that you were killed by Bane..."

"...Regarding the challenge issued by the Ventriloquist, do you have any..."

"...Batman, why are you out in the open this time..."

"You freak! It's all your fault! The madman inside, do you understand? You attract..."

"...Catch him, catch him!"

The protesters attempting to attack the Batmobile were quickly subdued, while Chen Tao ignored them all.

Amidst the chaos, facing gazes that were either adoring, indifferent, or disgusted, he opened the sliding roof of the Batmobile and inhaled the first damp breath of the rainy night.

Hoo—

He felt a long-lost nervousness.

As an actor in his previous life, he should have been accustomed to being in the spotlight long ago.

But... today was different from the past.

Chen Tao sighed. It was one thing to transmigrate into the DC universe; as a huge fan of American comics, he was confident he could still live well. But he never expected to transmigrate into the body of the famous Batman, Bruce Wayne himself...

What happened to leaning on someone else's strength? How did he end up being the strength?

As everyone knows, as the only member of the Justice League's seven giants without superpowers, Batman is arguably the most powerful pure human in the history of Earth.

He's incredibly wealthy, brilliant, exceptionally intelligent, possesses transcendent combat skills, has a will of steel, can punch Darkseid, and kick the Justice League – he's simply indescribably awesome!

But... what does any of this have to do with Chen Tao, a transmigrator?

Oh, right. Batman is an orphan, and he was an orphan in his previous life. This might be their only common ground. A deceased original owner combined with a deceased transmigrator – this double orphan combo is incredibly cool.

What's even more infuriating is that transmigrating into Batman was already hell mode, but the timeline he transmigrated into was the Batman: Knightfall era, when the Dark Knight was about to face one of the few complete defeats in his life – having his spine broken by [Bane]!!!

This can no longer be described as hell mode.

Chen Tao had considered abandoning everything and leaving Gotham, but he quickly abandoned that foolish thought.

Bane knew Batman's true identity. Running away without a fight would be suicide, wouldn't it?

Once Bane defeated him and completely took over the city, perhaps... no, undoubtedly, it would be his death. Even if he miraculously survived, he'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life...

His gaze flickered to the bottom left corner, where he saw a line of silvery-white text visible only to him.

[Alfred Protocol is now in effect]

[Warning! You need at least one anchor item to synchronize Batman's memories!]

Damn it, others get to go to the Batcave, sign in to get Platinum Kryptonite, swallow it in one gulp, and instantly turn into Superman. He, on the other hand, doesn't even have the basic transmigration perk of [the original owner's memories]!

Three days after transmigrating, he had tried even the toilet paper in the Batcave, but there was no reaction at all.

Chen Tao knew about the Alfred Protocol, but in the comics, it was supposed to be a physical mechanical device Batman used to prevent his memories from being tampered with, not this strange thing appearing on his retina!

"Batman!"

A call interrupted Chen Tao's thoughts. He turned his head and saw Jim Gordon, the Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, hurrying over.

He had two large dark circles under his eyes, his mixed gray and brown hair was messy and damp, plastered to his forehead, making him look both disheveled and neurotic, like a groundhog driven to mental exhaustion by a brutal assault.

"My God! Batman! You're here, I can hardly believe you're alive. I saw Bane break your neck with my own eyes. Are you really Batman, or did the Joker find Batman's corpse, pick up his suit, put on his cowl, and play some role-playing game with me here?"

"Enough of these pointless probes," Chen Tao replied. "Don't be fooled by those rumors."

He immediately recognized the probing nature hidden within Gordon's joke and cut him off. That's right, his body was real, but his soul was fake. So don't discover the truth, keen detective.

Chen Tao sighed inwardly. Dealing with these shrewd characters in Gotham was truly difficult. Without Batman's memories, everything had to be done by himself.

He turned his gaze towards the Gotham Evidence Bureau, silent in the drizzle.

So, this was the plan.

As a huge fan of American comics, he knew the Batman comics by heart, and he was intimately familiar with the villains in the comics.

With his acting skills and his past experience as a psychologist controlling others' minds, he might be able to try and psychologically control weaker villains or those in poor condition, then use them against Bane...

Chen Tao looked at Gordon and got straight to the point.

"Did you bring what I asked for?"

"Oh, oh, of course."

Commissioner Gordon's gaze drifted away from Chen Tao's face as he held up the evidence bag in his hand. Inside was a grotesque puppet with a scar on its face.

Scarface, the Ventriloquist's most beloved puppet.

"Hmm, give it to me."

Commissioner Gordon clearly hesitated, but he still complied and handed the evidence bag to Chen Tao, which made Chen Tao breathe a sigh of relief.

He thought for a moment and decided to explain:

"The source of that rumor, that Bane killed the so-called Batman, wasn't me, but my disciple, Death Angel."

"Uh-huh, right, right."

Gordon, being clever, didn't pursue the topic further.

Chen Tao gave him a deep look.

"We'll talk about this later."

He then took out a large messenger bag from behind the Batmobile. Holding the puppet Scarface, he walked towards the entrance of the Evidence Bureau right under everyone's watchful eyes.

"Hoo..."

He whispered in an inaudible voice:

Ladies and gentlemen.

The props are ready, and the actors are in place.

Allow me to proudly announce, the performance...

is about to begin.

This book has already been submitted and signed! You can invest with confidence.