"A wise man can learn more from his enemies than a fool from his friends."
– Niki Lauda (Rush)
...
"In Arkham for lifelong treatment?"
At a Gotham high school, a male student expressed surprise when learning about the trial result of the 'Bat Monster'.
"Wow, that's got to be the scariest punishment in the world. I've watched documentaries about Arkham Asylum; it's like hell on Earth!"
"Whoa, I couldn't believe it when I found out that the 'Bat Monster' from urban legends actually exists. Just a few days ago, I was unsure about whether it was true or not, but then the next day, I saw the news saying that the Bat Monster had already been captured."
Another classmate sounded in.
"Speaking of which, don't you guys think Dr. Langstrom is a bit pitiful? He just wanted to cure his own hearing; he didn't intend to hurt anyone, but the experiment's failure turned him into a monster."
"Who asked him to inject himself without proper testing? Biological experiments are difficult to guarantee. He should have considered that in advance."
The first student provided a counter-opinion.
"What you're saying makes sense, but the thing is, his serum was meant for humans. Even if the experiment succeeded on mice or bats, that doesn't mean it would work on humans. I'm sure Dr. Langstrom must have tested the effects on rats beforehand. You can't expect him to do human trials, can you?"
The classmate who sympathized with Dr. Langstrom argued logically.
"To be honest, Dr. Langstrom could have easily found a homeless person on the street for human trials. How many biotech companies in Gotham haven't done that? But Dr. Langstrom didn't do that. I think it already proves that he is not evil-hearted."
Similar conversations could be heard in different classrooms in the school, and citizens outside the school were also discussing similar topics.
In Gotham, the media has provided reports on every supervillain that has appeared, especially the top criminals captured by Batman and sent to either jail or Arkham.
Their life stories and identities would be revealed.
For example, 'Did you know? The Riddler enjoys giving riddles because he couldn't solve them when he was a child.'
'Shocking! The Penguin carries an umbrella at all times due to a fear of sunlight."
As for how much of it is true and how much is fake, it's up to the audience to judge.
Of course, the media in Gotham wouldn't let the new rising supervillain, the Man-Bat, pass by easily.
They quickly realized that this guy seemed different from the lunatics they encountered. His attitude was surprisingly friendly – he basically answered any question!
With little effort, the media learned about Kirk's history of losing his hearing, his tireless research, and the full story of how he turned into a monster due to side effects.
What the media knows, the citizens know as well.
The news in the past few days has been discussing Kirk Langstrom's story. Some people even feel pity for Kirk because of what he went through.
They believed that the crimes committed by the Man-Bat weren't the same as those committed by Kirk.
Some very extreme people have even started asking the court to declare Kirk innocent and set him free.
Of course, where some find Kirk pitiful, there are also those who believe that Kirk deserves his punishment.
They argued that the Man-Bat was Kirk, and Kirk was the Man-Bat.
Regardless of whether Kirk in his Man-Bat form had full consciousness, they were one and the same.
The crimes committed by the Man-Bat should fall under the responsibility of Kirk. Otherwise, it would be unfair to the victims attacked by the Man-Bat.
These two groups of people are having heated discussions.
But all of these opinions have no impact on Dean.
Before the media started reporting on Man-Bat, he already knew the whole story, so he could easily tell the difference between reliable information and information that was created to be confusing.
"Hey! Dick, why have you been so out of it lately? I remember you used to love discussing Gotham's supervillains, so why aren't you interested anymore?"
Dean turned around with a smile and asked Dick.
At that moment, Dick squinted his eyes and weakly rested his head on the table, feeling defeated.
"I... I've been staying up all night... playing games, and I haven't slept for several days."
Dick said it sleepily.
Playing games, huh?
Hearing Dick's excuse, Dean couldn't help but laugh to himself.
Indeed, it's not unusual for high school boys to stay up all night playing games, but if it were Robin, it would be ridiculous.
"Wow! What game has gotten the Wayne family's young master so obsessed? Tell me about it; maybe I'll give it a try sometime."
While he knew it in his gut, Dean still showed a shocked and curious expression and asked Dick.
"Well... it's a virtual reality game created by Wayne Enterprises. It's currently in secret development and not publicly available yet. I shouldn't be telling you this, so please don't tell anyone."
Dick hesitated and said, "Sure, no worries. My lips are sealed. I won't let anyone know."
Dean patted his chest and laughed.
"I hope you'll keep your word."
Dick rolled his eyes.
Of course, he couldn't have been playing games these past few days. He didn't even have the hobby of playing games.
He got into Dungeons & Dragons and Warhammer 40K just to fit in better with the class, not because he was really interested.
After solving the Man-Bat case, Batman and Robin didn't get a moment of peace because an imposter version of Batman appeared in Man-Bat's laboratory.
Most importantly, it seemed that the imposter Batman knocked out the Man-Bath himself with a table leg.
Batman and Robin didn't tell anyone about this news, not even Kirk.
The memory from his time as Man-Bath was already blurry, and he had no memory of being knocked out by someone.
Ever since Batman appeared in Gotham, there have been many imitators who have taken up his cause, and some of them were quite skilled.
However, Batman didn't see this as a good thing. Every time an imitator appeared, he gave them a good scolding and took away their cheap suits and props.
Typically, these imitators don't have much experience, and Batman is able to catch them in a matter of days.
However, this time, it seemed they encountered a real challenge.
They can't find this imitator anywhere!
After several days of relentless searching, they haven't found a single trace of the imitator.
Since the impostor Batman had escaped through the window, it was as if he had vanished into thin air.
No matter how hard they searched, there were no clues to be found. Even when Batman checked the nearby surveillance records, there was no sign of him.
This is a big problem. They've never encountered a situation like this before.
While Batman is puzzled and even starting to suspect if the Joker is up to something, Dick has a suspicion that he's somehow familiar with this person who can't be found despite all the efforts.
...
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