"For me—for Bruce Wayne—how can Gotham City be described in a single word?"
"Home? Family? A goal?"
"But the truth is, I can't answer that question."
Amid the melodious music, Chen Tao stood in the center of the brilliantly lit hall, dressed in formalwear.
The elites of Gotham City's upper class had gathered in one place. This charity banquet, arranged three months ago and originally scheduled for March 29, had been organized by Gotham's famous billionaire Bruce Wayne. After being delayed six days due to Bruce Wayne's health, it was finally being held.
"...At this moment, most of you already know that I lost my parents when I was a child..."
"...Deep down, I knew that no matter how deep the pain was, things would get better...
"My point is, when we find ourselves in an environment that is either challenging or frightening, asking what our city 'is' becomes meaningless. Because when we look at the streets and buildings constructed around us, all we see are our fears and our frustrations—"
"The demons in our hearts."
"But if we stop looking at the present and stop dwelling on the past, and instead look toward the future—"
"If we ask ourselves what tomorrow can—will—become... then we'll be asking the right question. Because embracing hope, holding on to dreams, and meeting the future means shaping the city with our own hands, rather than being shaped by the city."
Chen Tao's gaze swept across the people below the stage. They were judges, lawmakers, and entrepreneurs—the righteous forces of Gotham that Bruce Wayne had accumulated over so many years before Chen Tao crossed over into his body. Bruce had nearly pushed his plan to this point... and Chen Tao had to continue, steadying their resolve.
Damn it.
That was what Chen Tao thought. To completely revive Gotham, this rotten city, Bruce Wayne had relied on years of time and vast wealth to rebuild, piece by piece from nothing, a digestive system and life-support system for this decrepit old patient on the verge of death. With these conscientious judges, lawmakers, and entrepreneurs before him, even if all of Gotham's corrupt officials died...
Ahem, Batman wouldn't kill people so crudely.
Sigh. Chen Tao could completely understand how difficult it had been to construct such a system. The energy spent and the effort required were almost impossible to imagine. This was the life-saving remedy Bruce Wayne—the Bruce Wayne whose body he had crossed into—had prepared for Gotham.
But could a transmigrator like him really overcome every obstacle and continue Bruce Wayne's plan?
That responsibility was the hardest thing to bear. But at the very least, before he successfully found a successor, he had to keep the whole operation running until Superman or Wonder Woman arrived to take over the city.
Chen Tao composed himself and continued reading the manuscript Bruce Wayne had written:
"I know that some of you may have doubts, because our city has been shrouded in violence, and countless criminals have even grown so powerful that the army has had to be mobilized to suppress them. Public safety has been devastated to the point of collapse, but we know that all of this will eventually pass...
"And what we must do is eradicate the roots of such riots and the soil in which Gotham's evil flourishes..."
"...I will invest funds to support what I have said. Once the riots have been quelled, Wayne Enterprises will boldly and swiftly begin investing in Gotham's future. We have joined forces with several local design firms to formulate a reconstruction plan aimed at rebuilding Gotham's most dilapidated industrial and residential districts..."
"...On this foundation, we plan to undertake a sweeping expansion of Gotham's public transportation system and make it more modern. These plans fill me with hope and excitement. I can hardly put my feelings into words. We will reveal more information over the next few days, but at this moment, I ask all of you to look beyond what Gotham once was and what it is now, and spend just a moment imagining with me..."
"What Gotham City's 'future will be.'"
"Thank you. Now, friends, I ask you to invest with me in Gotham's future. I promise you that if we join hands, if we work together, then..."
"A better, brighter Gotham... will be just one step away."
"Thank you, thank you..."
Amid the banquet's melodious music, Chen Tao raised a glass of champagne and melted into the fervent crowd.
"Well done, Bruce. Inspiring."
Chen Tao didn't turn around.
"Tim, how is Solomon Grundy doing?"
Robin, dressed in formalwear and holding a glass of juice, shrugged:
"It's all taken care of. Our gray-and-white friend is living quite well in Slaughter Swamp. The tracking device is in place, and we provide his food every day. We can inject a sufficient dose of powerful anesthetic at any time, then throw him onto whatever battlefield needs him. So now he's our human bomb."
He continued, "Poison Ivy has been placed with the Suicide Squad. Just as you predicted, Ivy couldn't resist the chance to save those precious plants. And with her and Harley always glued together—"
"According to Ivy, Plant Master Jason Wood has basically been crippled. Her exact words were, 'Jason may be powerful, but he's no Swamp Thing. He won't be able to recover to his former state for at least half a century.' In other words, that super tree spirit can only serve as a real piece of wood now."
"The other members of the Suicide Squad are maintaining order in Gotham—I have to admit, they're pretty capable."
Tim frowned slightly before saying, "At least they're more than enough to deal with those third-rate villains, especially Deathshot. Poison Ivy's abilities are easy to counter, but as long as she doesn't run into anyone particularly formidable, she shouldn't have any major problems. But if it's Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, or the others..."
"We never expected them to deal with those freaks in the first place," Chen Tao replied. "Continue the report."
"Bane is nowhere to be found. We still can't locate him. He deliberately avoids our bat-cameras, and houses are no obstacle to him, so he isn't bound by roads in the traditional sense."
"Just as expected," Chen Tao said. "Continue."
"The National Guard has basically been scattered, and the battle situation is appalling." Robin paused. "Joker kidnapped Mayor Carlo and, at the last moment, threw a supercharged Joker Toxin bomb into the center of the position."
"About one-third of the soldiers died on the spot, either under Bane's attacks or from the Joker Toxin. They didn't even live long enough for the ambulances to arrive."
Robin continued, "The other survivors didn't fare much better. Mayor Carlo—well, Mayor Carlo under Joker's control—issued a deranged order that sent even the army cooks onto the battlefield."
"When the bombs exploded, the wounded nearly filled Gotham's hospitals. They'll endure three or four months of continuous laughter, along with aftereffects that may or may not ever go away. The state government has refused to provide any further support to the city..."
Tim paused.
"In other words, Gotham has been abandoned."
"And there's one more thing."
Tim said, "Are you really going to ignore the challenge Joker sent you?"
Before you continue