"The loneliest people are the kindest. The saddest people smile the brightest. The most damaged people are the wisest. All because they don't wish to see anyone else suffer the way they did."
–Jellal Fernandes (Fairy Tail)
...
On a sturdy tree trunk, there are clear, narrow claw marks visible.
The depth of each mark exceeded ten centimeters, which is extremely rare for animals in nature to leave such deep claw marks on a tree trunk.
Even among many large predators, only a few powerful animals can do it.
However, in a developed city like Gotham, it is almost impossible for large predators like this to exist.
Without a doubt, the marks on the tree trunk were left by the legendary 'Bat Monster'.
There are many nearby trees with similar marks; at least four or five trees can be seen nearby at a glance, and it is difficult to say whether there are even more similar trees deeper in the forest.
"There is no remaining blood on the claw marks, and the distance between each mark is relatively close together. It doesn't seem like these marks were accidentally left while attacking humans and accidentally grabbing onto the tree trunk. Instead, it's more like..."
Robin said while holding his chin in one hand.
"Just like venting."
Batman's voice came from the side.
"Yes, just like when a person experiences strong violent desires in their emotions, the 'Bat Monster' has obviously gone crazy digging trees here. Maybe killing people triggered some sort of emotion in it—excitement? Or perhaps it wasn't satisfied?"
As Robin spoke, he turned to look at Batman.
Batman was crouching on the ground, gently brushing aside some soil and tree branches; his eyes were slightly narrowed.
"What's wrong? Did you find something new?"
Robin asked as he walked over.
"The Forensics Department of the West District Police Stations needs to improve their crime scene investigation skills."
Batman picked up a broken ring-shaped object from the ground, emotionless as he spoke.
He wiped off the dirt from the surface, and the ring regained its shine. A silver ring with a diamond the size of a grain of rice embedded in it.
It was definitely a diamond ring!
And judging by how it looked and what it was made of, it was probably a wedding ring.
Why would a wedding ring appear in a forest where a murder incident happened not too long ago?
Who left it?
Was it an unlucky or foolish person?
Or the deceased?
Or someone else altogether?
And why is the ring broken?
These questions cannot be answered for now, but one thing is sure, This ring was just recently dropped here.
The reason was simple. The ring was not buried very deeply and was only covered by a little bit of soil and leaves.
It could have been found with a little bit of observation.
The number of homeless people lurking around Robinson Park is high, so if this ring had been there for a while, Batman wouldn't have been able to find it now.
Batman slightly narrowed his eyes, pressing a few times on the wrist guard on his left hand.
The guard opened it automatically, revealing a strange container inside. He put the ring inside, and the open wrist guard automatically closed.
Then, a green light scanned across the ring, uploading its data to the Batcomputer located in the Bat Cave and automatically making a virtual model of the ring.
The data model included not only the appearance and brand information of the ring but also the fingerprints left on the ring.
Meanwhile, Alfred was sitting in front of the Batcomputer, waiting for news from Batman and Robin.
When the data from the ring was uploaded to the Batcomputer, Alfred instantly became alert.
"Penny One, investigate the owner of this diamond ring."
Batman contacted Alfred.
Just like Dick's codename was Robin and Batman's codename was Bruce, Alfred also had his own codename—Penny One.
When Batman was on a mission, he would call Alfred a Penny One.
"Very well, Master Bruce. I'm glad to see you finally taking an interest in wedding rings, but considering the Wayne family's wealth, isn't the diamond on this ring a bit too small?"
Alfred easily operated the Batcomputer and compared the fingerprint on the ring with the fingerprint database while humorously commenting.
As for why the Batcomputer's database contains the fingerprint identity information of all the citizens of Gotham...
We don't know, and we dare not ask.
Soon, the results came out, and Alfred reported, "I found a sample that matches the fingerprint on the ring, but there's something strange."
"What's strange about it?"
Robin's communication channel was connected to Batman and Alfred, so he could hear Alfred's words in real-time and ask.
"The owner of the fingerprint sample is named Kirk Langstrom, a somewhat famous zoologist. It is said that his main research subject is bats. He got married a few years ago, so it's normal for him to wear a wedding ring, and the fingerprint matches, so he is definitely the owner of this ring."
Alfred explained, "However, the strange part is that I've gathered all the surveillance records near Robinson Park, and Dr. Langstrom hasn't been there in the past month!"
"Interesting. If the ring belongs to Dr. Langstrom and he hasn't been here, then what's the story behind the ring we found?"
Robin raised an eyebrow.
"Could it be that the 'Bat Monster' also attacked Dr. Langstrom? But why would the Bat Monster need a diamond ring, and why did it throw it away? It's not like it could bite off the ring to taste it and then find out it doesn't taste good, so it threw it aside?"
"Come here, Robin!"
At that moment, Batman's voice came from a distance. He had arrived near the Batmobile without noticing, opened the car door, and entered without looking back as he shouted.
Robin reluctantly followed and sat in the passenger seat.
"Now, we're going to find Kirk Langstrom."
Batman quickly started the Batmobile's engine and spoke in a serious tone.
Robin nodded to show that he understood.
"I've met Dr. Langstrom. He lost his hearing due to a past illness. In order to restore his hearing, he started researching bats, believing that their advanced hearing abilities could help him."
Batman explained as he drove.
"Kirk has been trying to mix bat DNA into human DNA to create a serum that can treat deafness. A year ago, he came to Wayne Enterprises to meet me, hoping that Wayne Enterprises would fund his research. He stated that once he succeeded, there would be no more deaf people in the world. However, I turned him down. I advised him to explore a different research direction, and since then, I have lost contact with him."
"Perhaps he's still pursuing his serum research."
At this, Robin asked with a disbelief expression, "Wait, are you saying... that Kirk Langstrom created a bat serum that didn't cure his deafness but turned him into a 'Bat Monster'?"
...
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