Gotham, underground, inside Batman's private Batcave.
"So this is the Batcave? Seriously, it's way more impressive than I imagined."
Although this was his first visit, Zuo Ci acted completely at ease, as if he were dropping by a friend's house. He looked around without the slightest restraint.
And his earlier remark really hadn't been flattery. He had seen plenty of images of the Batcave in comics, but actually being here delivered a visceral impact that the comics couldn't begin to match.
"Hehe, pretty cool, right? It gave me a real shock the first time I came here, too."
Dick, who was showing him around, wasn't wearing that outfit guaranteed to drive little-boy enthusiasts wild, nor was he wearing a mask. The delighted expression on his face was completely exposed.
A naturally energetic child who had grown up in a circus, Dick had been so stunned on his first visit that he'd briefly been left speechless.
Naturally, he couldn't get enough of the Batcave's strange decorations and gadgets. Unfortunately, Batman never let him play around with them.
"Nice, very nice. But speaking of which, where are Alfred and Batman?"
As everyone knew, although Batman had always given the impression of being a lone wolf, the Bat Family actually had quite a few members. It was simply too early in the timeline right now, so there were only three of them altogether.
But now two of those three were missing. Batman was always coming and going like a ghost, so his absence was understandable, but why wasn't the all-capable Alfred here either?
"Uh... Alfred is recovering right now. When Batman got into trouble last time, Alfred's blood pressure shot up to a really dangerous level. He's been recuperating in the hospital ever since, but he should be discharged soon."
Dick still found