So Many of Them

Batman, Bruce Wayne, Gotham's number-one playboy. Given the extravagant wealth Batman displayed in action, the answer should have been obvious after a quick screening of all eligible men in Gotham.

But just as no one would believe that Young Master Sicong was Batman, even if the famous womanizer and greatest spendthrift of all, Mr. Wayne, had his mask ripped off in public and his face broadcast live to the entire world, most people would reasonably assume it was a rather unfunny piece of performance art.

Of course, reality was just that absurd. It never needed to make sense.

Born into immense wealth, fueled first by the hatred of watching his parents murdered before his eyes, then by the shock of seeing how vast the world truly was, and finally by the courage, resolve, and perseverance to sacrifice for truth and justice... coupled with the fact that he was undeniably a genius in every sense of the word, Wayne had naturally completed his transformation from wastrel to Batman.

In terms of experience, among ordinary humans, Wayne was probably one of the strongest humanity had to offer. Don't forget, he had grown up in a place as rich in talent as Gotham.

But even someone like Wayne had never encountered an "opponent" like this in the three years since his debut.

Calling him an opponent was not entirely accurate. He had caused such a huge disturbance in Arkham, yet the hospital's report did not mention any retaliatory behavior whatsoever.

During the time Wayne trained under the Ninja Master, how many times had he sworn to kill that emotionless old monster...

What kind of person possessed the resolve to view suffering and pain as tempering along life's path?

Not to mention, this guy was a lunatic...

Wayne had encountered lunatics before, but one who could lock his madness inside a cage of thought while remaining rational and calm was truly a first.

How was someone like that supposed to be handled...

If Lynn could have guessed what Wayne was thinking, he would have burst out laughing on the spot.

Bro, your good days are still ahead of you →_→

Still worried because you don't know how to deal with crazy lunatics, and there are no previous examples to learn from?

Don't worry, Arkham has plenty of surprises waiting for you~

"Hey, man. How about we make a deal?"

Since neither side particularly wanted to fight, there was no point in dragging this out. Wayne could not determine whether Lynn was good or evil, while Lynn simply did not want to fight Wayne, because it would have been completely meaningless.

"Speak."

Batman seemed to have expected this. He answered Lynn with a single concise word.

"We each ask the other one question and take turns answering. Okay?"

"I ask first."

"Ha, fine."

Batman lowered himself from the beam with a grappling gun in hand, but he still had no intention of getting any closer to Lynn.

Lynn could only say, as expected of you. You really found it hard to trust anyone.

Without any deliberation, as though he were conducting a survey, Wayne asked, "What is your ability?"

"Hmm? I thought you'd ask which side I was on, or what I planned to do next."

Wayne's voice was hoarse. "Answer the question."

Lynn shrugged. Maybe Wayne was only this difficult to approach when he was in Batman mode, especially when they still could not tell whether they were enemies or allies.

Playboy Wayne was supposed to be quite good at witty banter.

"My ability... this is what you wanted to ask about, right?"

Seated upright in a wicker chair, Lynn raised a finger. A vine lying flat on the ground suddenly twitched, rose like a snake, and within mere seconds completed the entire cycle of sprouting, blooming, bearing fruit, and withering.

This was a skill he had gotten from the system's gift pack.

It was copied from Poison Ivy's ability in this universe. But although the system had labeled it as Poison Ivy's ability, it seemed somewhat different in Lynn's hands.

For now, he could not tell whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Other than that ability, Lynn only had a Chain Hammer. He had never tried the system's lottery even once. For one thing, too little time had passed, and he had not built up anything yet. With the tiny amount of Soul Fragments he had as system currency, he could not draw a thing.

For another, Wayne had come way too fast.

It had only been one damn day! And he had already found him!

How did Gotham's criminals continue throwing themselves into a life of crime and dedicating their entire lives to it under such pressure?

They really were addicted, huh!

Lynn gave Batman a small demonstration of his ability, then let him see his Chain Hammer. Unfortunately, the old man was extremely cautious. The moment Lynn threw the lantern out, Batman did not hesitate for even a second before zipping right back up to the beam.

Lynn was disappointed that he did not get to see Batman panic.

On the other side, Wayne naturally took Lynn's ability to summon the Chain Hammer out of thin air and make it disappear again as a kind of magic.

That confirmed it: the other party was hiding something. And he was probably not merely a simple metahuman.

Hmm, add another plus sign to his threat level.

When it came time for Lynn to ask a question, Batman had already prepared himself to evade the important parts or simply lie outright.

Whether as Bruce Wayne or Batman, he had never been the sort of straightforward, easily deceived good man in the purest sense. When dealing with evil people, one had to be even more ruthless than evil itself! Wayne had understood that truth from a young age.

"Um... Mr. Batman..."

Lynn asked the question he had prepared for a long time. "What do you think about the situation in Syria?"

Batman: "..."

Hmm, add another plus sign to his mental instability.

Lynn and Wayne questioned each other again and again. Every question Wayne asked struck close to the heart of the matter, or at the very least could obtain useful information. When it was Lynn's turn, he asked nothing but damn idiotic questions, making even the ever-rational Batman lose his temper a little. He nearly could not resist attacking.

Luckily, Lynn had not asked what full of holes rolled through a pitch-black alley, or the two of them would definitely have drawn blood by now.

"One last question. Whew..."

Wayne let out a long breath, feeling mentally exhausted. Looking at the guy sitting opposite him, still wearing that calm smile, he could not help seeing it as a mocking grin.

Do you think lottery shops might actually be organizations that capture time travelers?

Was that even a question a person could come up with?

How the hell would I know?!

"Whew..."

Wayne exhaled once more before asking, "Who else do you know who is like you?"

"Oh, sir, there are so many of them."

Lynn crossed his hands over his lap, gently shook his head, and said with pursed lips, "Really, so many."

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