American comics: What kind of evil intentions could Batman have?

Chapter 46 Ignoring and the Banquet

Chapter 46 Ignoring and the Banquet

"How can I, Bruce Wayne, describe Gotham City in just one word?"

"Home? Family? Goals?"

"But in fact, the real answer is: I cannot answer that question."

To the accompaniment of melodious music, Chen Tao, dressed in a formal suit, stood in the center of the brightly lit hall.

The elites of Gotham City's high society gathered for a charity dinner, originally scheduled for March 29th and spearheaded by Gotham's renowned billionaire Bruce Wayne. The event, which had been planned three months prior, was finally held after being postponed for six days due to Bruce Wayne's health issues.

"...As most of you here know, I lost my parents in my childhood..."

"...Deep down, I knew that even though the pain was so profound, things would get better..."

My point is that when we are in a challenging or frightening environment, it is meaningless to ask ourselves what our city "is," because when we look around at the streets and buildings, all we see are our fears and our sense of defeat.

"The demons within us."

"But what if we stop focusing on the present and stop looking back at the past, and instead look to the future—"

"If we ask ourselves what tomorrow can—will—become…then we've asked the right question. Because embracing hope, having dreams, and facing the future means shaping the city with our own hands, rather than being shaped by it."

Chen Tao's gaze swept across the people below the stage. They were judges, congressmen, and businessmen; they were the forces of justice in Gotham that Bruce Wayne had accumulated over the years before he transmigrated here. Bruce had almost pushed the plan to this point... and Chen Tao had to continue, to keep their morale high.

That's unbelievable.

Chen Tao thought to himself. To completely revive Gotham, this utterly rotten city, Bruce Wayne had almost single-handedly and with immense time and resources built a digestive and life-sustaining system from scratch, bit by bit, for this dying old man. With these conscientious judges, congressmen, and businessmen before him, even if all the corrupt officials in Gotham were to die…

Well, Batman wouldn't kill someone so brutally.

Sigh. Chen Tao completely understood how difficult it was to build such a system; the effort and energy required were unimaginable. This was the life-saving remedy that Bruce Wayne, whom he had transmigrated into, had prepared for Gotham.

Can a time traveler like him really overcome all difficulties and continue Bruce Wayne's plan?

This kind of responsibility is the most unbearable. But at least until he successfully finds a successor, he has to keep things running smoothly until Superman or Wonder Woman comes and takes over the city.

Chen Tao composed himself and continued reading the manuscript written by Bruce Wayne:

"I know that some of you may have doubts, because our city has been shrouded in violence, and countless criminals have even reached the point where the army needs to be mobilized to suppress them. Public order has been destroyed to an unsustainable state, but we know that all of this will eventually pass..."

What we need to do is to eliminate such riots and the breeding ground for crime in Gotham from the very root…

"...I will fund what I say. After the riots subside, Wayne Enterprises will boldly and swiftly begin investing in Gotham's future. We have partnered with several local design firms to develop a redevelopment plan aimed at rebuilding Gotham's most dilapidated industrial and residential area..."

…Based on this, we plan to drastically expand Gotham's public transportation system to make it more modern. These plans fill me with hope and excitement. I can hardly express my feelings to you in words. We will reveal more information in the coming days, but at this moment, I ask you to transcend what Gotham was and is, and simply take a moment to imagine it with me…”

"Gotham City's 'future' is."

"Thank you. Now, friends, I ask you to join me in investing in Gotham's future. I promise you, if we join hands, if we work together, then..."

"A better, brighter Gotham... is just one step away."

"Thank you, thank you..."

Amidst the melodious banquet songs, Chen Tao raised a glass of champagne, disappearing into the enthusiastic crowd.

"Well done, Bruce, that's inspiring."

Chen Tao did not turn around.

"Tim, how's Solomon Grandi?"

Robin, dressed in a suit, held a glass of juice and shrugged.

"It's all set up. Our gray-white friend is doing well in the slaughter swamp. The locator is in place, we provide him with his daily food, and we can always deliver a sufficient amount of potent anesthetic to any battlefield where it's needed. So now he's our human bomb."

He continued, "Poison Ivy and the Suicide Squad are housed together, and as you predicted, Ivy couldn't resist the chance to save those precious plants, plus she and Harley are always together—"

"According to Ivy's account, the plant master Jason Wood is now basically severely injured. Her original statement was, 'Jason may be powerful, but he is definitely not a swamp monster. He will not be able to recover to his previous level for at least half a century.' In other words, that super tree spirit can now only be a real piece of wood."

"The rest of the Suicide Squad are maintaining order in Gotham—I have to admit they're pretty good."

Tim frowned slightly, then said, "They're more than capable of dealing with third-rate villains, especially Deathshooer. Poison Ivy's abilities are easy to counter, but as long as she doesn't encounter a particularly powerful opponent, she won't have much of a problem. But against the Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, and the like..."

"We never expected them to deal with these freaks," Chen Tao replied. "Continue with the report."

"Bane is missing, and we are unable to locate him at the moment. He is deliberately avoiding our bat cameras; houses are not an obstacle for him, so he is not bound by roads in the traditional sense."

"As expected," Chen Tao said. "Continue."

"The National Guard was basically disorganized, and the battle was a complete disaster." Robin paused, "The Joker kidnapped Mayor Caro and, at the last moment, dropped a super-powerful Joker gas bomb into the center of the position."

"About one-third of the soldiers either died instantly from Bane's attack or from the Joker's Venom, without even being able to get an ambulance."

Robin said, "And the others who survived weren't much better off. Mayor Carlo—well, Mayor Carlo, who was controlled by the Joker—issued a mad order that sent even the cooks from the army to the battlefield."

"With the bomb exploding, Gotham's hospitals were nearly overflowing with wounded people. They would endure three or four months of continuous uncontrollable laughter and long-term effects of unknown duration. The state government 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 the Joker sent you?"

(End of this chapter)