Batman didn't stay too long in the corridor, as he knew that once discovered by this place's original inhabitants, the complex architectural structure would render escape nearly impossible if he got chased by too many people.
So, following his conjecture, he found another small door, ducked into the intestine-like passageway, ascended two more floors, and came out a different door. As he had predicted, this was another rooftop, and there was another small door on the side of the rooftop that led to another building through a similar passage. The entirety of Living Hell was contained within this architectural structure, layer upon layer sprawling out until it filled the whole area. The residents here could reach every corner without even leaving the building, much like a colossal hive.
This left Batman utterly astounded.
Though well-versed in architectural engineering and structural design, such a peculiar and mysterious architectural form was beyond his understanding. In his prior knowledge, any building needed meticulous design to achieve a balance between functionality and aesthetic appeal—this, after all, was the very essence of architecture.
Yet, Gotham's Living Hell seemed to trample all over the human understanding of architecture. Constructed spontaneously by civilians with no architectural knowledge, crying out in chaos with an abundance of illicit structures. The necessary skeleton of the buildings had mostly been demolished. Various intestine-like passages were haphazardly intertwined in each building, the structure of water and electricity was a complete mess, and the pollution treatment was far from adequate.
Nevertheless, it had truly succeeded in integrating architectural function and aesthetics. Yes, Batman believed there was a sort of beauty to this place.
Before he could delve further into the mysteries within this hell, he heard a faint sound coming from above. It resembled the sound of metal dragging across stone.
Batman looked up and noticed a figure standing on the rooftop of a neighboring building that was also part of Living Hell but slightly taller. He was standing in the shadows cast by the wall at the bottom, and it seemed that the figure on the rooftop hadn't noticed him.
He took two steps forward to get a clearer look at the situation on the rooftop. There appeared to be two people confronting each other.
From their attire, neither of them looked like denizens of Living Hell, which made Batman extremely curious. Who else would step foot into a darkened slum late at night, just like him?
With that thought, he found a good angle and threw something from his hand. It was a Batman dart, outfitted with a listening device. The Batman dart swished through the air and stuck to the wall of that building, snugly lodged in a crack near the rooftop. Batman put on his earpiece and clearly heard the conversation taking place on the other side.
However, the two didn't seem inclined to converse. The tall figure near the edge of the rooftop, armed with a sharp forearm blade, charged at his opponent, who disappeared in a flash and reappeared behind him.
Batman blinked. He was sure this was not an illusion; that man had indeed vanished and reappeared from nowhere.
Immediately, he heard an extremely familiar voice coming through the earpiece, "I knew you would show up sooner or later."
The voice belonged to his psychology Professor Shiller.
The other person's voice seemed to be modified and sounded a bit sharp. "You should have seen this coming the moment you crossed us. You might want to start thinking about your last words."
Batman moved a little. He was certain the voice belonged to his college professor, Shiller. His first instinct was to intervene, but he paused at Shiller's next words. There was a bigger secret between them. He heard Shiller say, "You don't need to keep pretending. I know you are not my nemesis from Metropolis."
The other figure remained silent and charged again. Under Batman's unblinking gaze, his seemingly ordinary college professor disappeared again, only to reappear in an instant.
In the pause of the assassin's movements, Shiller said, "Perhaps I should call you... Talon?"
The figure halted his actions. Gently gripping his fingers, he adjusted the direction of the blade on his forearm before asking, "How do you know?"
Then he added, "No matter how you know, there can only be one ruler of Gotham's dark nights. And that shall be the Court."
"You don't need to repeat your beliefs to me. I just want to tell you that you've got the wrong person," Shiller said.
It seemed as if Talon had received some sort of command. He increased his speed in a flash, his forearm shimmering slightly. Then Batman saw Shiller's figure suddenly vanish. A cloud of grey mist replaced him, quickly spreading across the rooftop along with some black particles.
Batman started having difficulty breathing. An extreme sense of excitement spread from his heart, making him feel utterly out of control. He dropped to one knee, clutching his throat with both hands, veins popping out.
"Who are you? Who are you!!!"
"Who am I?"
"Who am I?"
"Who am I...?"
"I am Batman!"
"I am Batman..."