"It's painful when you get disappointed by the person you look up to."
– Misaki Ayuzawa (Kaichou wa Maid-sama!)
...
A few hours later, in the Batcave
Kirk Langstrom woke up slowly and realized he was lying in a strange cave. The pitch-black rocks replaced the laboratory ceiling that he remembered.
He tried to stand up but couldn't move at all. It felt like something was restraining his hands and feet.
Now, Kirk was lying on a bed that looked like an operating table. His hands and feet were securely tightened with metal shackles, making it impossible for him to break free even with all his strength.
The bed was strategically placed so that no matter which way Kirk turned his head, all he could see was a pile of rocks.
Outside of Kirk's line of sight, not far from him, Batman sat in front of the Batcomputer and typed quickly on the keyboard.
One of the Batcomputer's screens displayed a screen full of text and charts, including details related to DNA information.
On other screens, there were lab reports of the Man-Bat serum and the blood sample test results of Kirk Langstrom.
'The Man-Bat serum altered Kirk Langstrom's genetic sequence. If we can rearrange the disrupted sequence back to the original human DNA sequence... maybe we can restore him to his human form.'
Batman pondered in his mind, trying to come up with a plan to reverse the effects of the Man-Bat serum.
Kirk Langstrom had committed a crime, and regardless of his state of mind at the time, he had to face the consequences under the law.
However, Batman hoped that he could restore Kirk's human identity when the moment came for him to receive judgment.
Until Kirk was back to normal, Batman wouldn't send him over to the GCPD or Blackgate Penitentiary.
Next to him, Robin looked bored as he watched Batman input the information on the Batcomputer that he couldn't understand.
Every now and then, he glanced at the restrained Kirk.
"Where are you? Batman? Robin? I know you're here!"
Kirk called out weakly, his head still feeling foggy from just waking up.
No one paid him any attention.
"The Man-Bat serum is my life's work. I can't entrust it to anyone, even if that person is you, Batman."
Kirk continued to shout.
Still, there was no response.
"Pretending not to hear is pointless. I know you're here! I...I just want to ask, Where is Francine? Can I see her?"
Kirk's tone softened as he pleaded to see his wife.
It seemed like it was the right choice to give him a sedative. His mind seemed to be clearer now compared to before.
Robin silently nodded to himself.
After shouting for a long time, there was still no answer.
Kirk's eyes dimmed, and he fell silent.
Could it be that Batman and Robin weren't there?
"You can see Francine, but that's during visitation at the prison."
Just then, a low, hoarse voice suddenly echoed from behind Kirk.
Immediately afterward, a sensation of sharp pain surged from Kirk's neck.
Batman is holding a syringe and injecting a chemical into Kirk's body.
"Ahh! What is this? Uh, ugh—ugh!"
Kirk didn't have time to react. A feeling of nausea rushed over him, causing him to vomit continuously.
At the same time, he felt intense pain throughout his entire body.
The huge body of the Man-Bat, which stood more than two meters tall, started to shrink visibly, and his fur fell off, and his wings got smaller and smaller until they vanished.
The whole process lasted for about ten minutes. The terrifying face of the Man-Bat disappeared, and it was replaced by a thin and weak middle-aged man.
This is the actual appearance of Kirk Langstrom.
Although Kirk had regained his human form, he had passed out due to the intense pain and had no idea when he would wake up.
"Robin! Prepare the Batmobile, it's time to take Kirk to GCPD."
Batman shouted without turning his head and then released the shackles that bound Kirk's hands and feet.
In fact, there was no need to release the shackles.
After all, Kirk's body had shrunk by more than half, which made it easy for him to get his hands and feet from the original shackles.
After a while, the Batmobile stopped in front of the GCPD headquarters. It was already three o'clock in the morning.
Jim Gordon, who had received the news, rushed over like he had gotten a shot of adrenaline and quickly met Batman and the others.
Due to the accident with Barbara, Jim had been investigating the 'Bat Monster' attacks for several days.
But to his surprise, as he continued to investigate, he realized that he was not really investigating the "Bat Monster" incident.
Instead, he had stumbled upon corruption inside the West Side District of the Gotham City Police Department!
There was no way around it.
Gotham was a big city with a lot of different precincts.
Only Gordon's headquarters, which had been under his control for a long time, had a pretty good environment, and corruption had gotten a lot better in recent years.
As for the remaining eighty to ninety percent of the Gotham police officers...
Sigh, it's better not to bring it up!
It was only in Gotham that you would see the Police Commissioner personally leading a team to investigate cases on the front lines.
In a normal city, it would be a major case to see a police commissioner on the front lines.
In short, Jim wanted to put all his efforts into the 'Bat Monster,' but his sense of responsibility forced him to also pay attention to the issues of the West Side precinct.
He actually knew that even if he cleaned up the precinct, it would only last for a short time.
It might even return to its original state once he returns to headquarters. Over the years, he has never been able to change this situation.
However, there's a difference between not being able to change and not wanting to change.
At least Jim did everything he could.
As a police officer in Gotham, he faces temptation every day.
Even the lowest-ranking beat cop has the nearby restaurant owner regularly giving him money to look after their place, let alone the higher-ranking officers.
Bribes from the mob, the influence of capital, and rewards from the upper politicians—there are always people giving him money, both openly and secretly, all the time.
Who can guarantee that they will always stay loyal to their principles?
In the entire GCPD, only Jim, Harvey, and a few core members of the Major Crimes Unit can resist these temptations.
Even if these few people can take care of themselves, how can they change the entire Gotham police force?
Jim, who has shifted his focus, naturally finds it difficult to run a deep investigation into Man-Bat.
He thought it would take several months for any progress, but then he suddenly received some good news.
Batman is back!
And he had captured the Man-Bat!
Jim has long gotten used to Batman's mysterious appearances and disappearances.
He doesn't want to know when he will come back. At this moment, he only wanted to properly confront the villain who had hurt his daughter.
Seeing that the so-called 'Bat Monster' was actually a thin and obviously skinny scientist, Jim found it hard to believe.
Then Batman told him the whole story, and Kirk's behavior was quite good.
He confessed to all his crimes and even claimed that he wasn't in his right mind when he was in the Man-Bat state and didn't remember attacking humans.
Afterwards, Jim took Kirk and temporarily detained him in Blackgate Penitentiary, awaiting his trial in court.
Due to the growing rumors of the 'Bat Monster' in Gotham, they had to give the citizens an explanation as soon as possible, so the trial of Kirk began the next day.
Without interference from certain people, the entire trial process went exceptionally smoothly.
The final verdict was not surprising at all. Kirk Langstrom was sentenced to lifelong treatment at Arkham Asylum.
...
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