Peter quickly found himself on a street next to the abandoned junkyard where Kevin was. This place used to be a cluster of small warehouses. Now, one after another, compartments have been turned into dwellings for the homeless, resembling a Mexican slum.
The place was crammed and incredibly low, the street seemed longer than Peter remembered. When he turned behind the small warehouses, he realized he had reached another back street of Gotham which was also a slum; therefore, they became indistinguishable.
Through cracks in the houses, Peter spotted Penguin Man. He wasn't dressed in his usual suit and tie but in an oversized hoodie and baggy pants, blending in well with the homeless here.
Although Peter didn't understand how Bruce identified Penguin Man's location through a criminal who stole police weapons, he indeed had found his target.
"So what next? What should I do now?" Peter wondered out loud, "Should I just walk up to him and strike up a conversation? Ask him where Kevin is?"
"He won't believe that you've come here to seek someone. Haven't you notice? He's on high alert. I bet he's already experienced multiple dangers." Bruce's voice came from the earpiece.
Peter nodded and glanced up warily at the people around him, "I'd say hanging out in the mayor's office waiting to be assassinated by dignitaries is as dangerous as hiding here."
"Here is safer because he isn't the only one here." Bruce concluded, then added, "I think you should go over and tell him you're his supporter and admirer."
"He'll recognize me." Peter replied, "Don't forget, he had encounters with a certain Spider Man, the one who wrote the 'Gotham Travel Notes'."
"This article mentioned that the fire protection measures of Penguin Man's Iceberg Bar were not up to standard and he didn't ensure the proper protection of the ancient building housing the bar. He was detained for two months as a result, without bail."
Peter was as versed in the contents of 'Gotham Travel Notes' as if it were his favourite storybook. Then he analyzed, "From Batman's time record, Gotham was on the eve of a mayoral election. Penguin Man was the most promising candidate, but Batman was too busy with other matters to deal with him."
"So, if not for the punishment because of insufficient fire protection measures and the failure to protect important buildings, Penguin Man could have very possibly become the mayor in that election. Spider Man ruined his mayoral dream."
"Even though I am not that Spider Man, I wager that he despises Spider Man. If he recognizes my voice by chance, there is no way he would cooperate with me."
"On the contrary," Bruce offered a different view. "If you do as I say, he will certainly cooperate with you."
So Peter chose to abandon thinking and decided to parrot Bruce. He approached Penguin Man as planned, walking through the narrow passage between two low houses, stepping over a dirty drain, and then reached Penguin Man who was cleaning his sandals. He removed his mask.
"Hello, Mr. Kopot." Peter greeted.
It was as if Penguin Man was frightened. He turned around, squinted at Peter with his wide eyes, sized him up and asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"I am Peter Parker, nice to meet you."
Peter's longer sentence made Penguin Man frown because he recognized the voice.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, his face turned into a shocked expression, followed by anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "Are you Spider Man?!"
After a brief nod, Peter admitted, "Yes, I might not be the one you're familiar with, but I am indeed Spider Man. What's more, I read the 'Gotham Travel Notes' written by the Spider Man who did know you."
Penguin Man stared at Peter gloomily. Unperturbed, Peter continued his explanation. Penguin Man snorted, "So you're here to what? Beat me up like those naïve bats in the Batcave, or to report that this place doesn't meet fire standards either?"
"I think that's just stupid." Penguin Man was bristling with anger. "You characterize me based on a travel diary written by somebody else and have the audacity to confront me."
"On the contrary." Peter stepped forward and said, "I believe the diary is filled with prejudice against you, reflecting who you used to be. But now, you're making me see you in a different light."
Penguin Man was obviously taken by surprise. The eyes that were sizing Peter up seemed more thoughtful, while Peter looked back calmly, "I didn't expect you to join us to fight against Wayne Enterprises. It must have been a tough decision. Giving up the mayor position you desired so strongly showcases your noble character."
Now Penguin Man was truly stunned. He never thought Peter would say such things. Peter sighed lightly, lowered his gaze and sounded somewhat heavy-hearted.
"You think I would definitively stand on Batman's side? No, I stand on the side of justice and fairness."
"It is undeniable that Batman wants to save people, but he has never realized the dire consequences of not adequately preparing for his good intentions. Heroes need to grow through trials, but no one is obliged to pay the price of life for their progress."
At first, Peter only repeated Bruce's words, but he couldn't keep things to himself, and later he began to express his real opinion about Batman of Earth One.
"He thought he was prepared, but that was only from the perspective of a rich man who is not worried about his livelihood. In his previous life, most of his important decisions had a large margin for error."
"If he didn't learn anything, he could refrain from doing anything recklessly. If he did something wrong, the price he had to pay wasn't as heavy as he imagined."
Peter let out a deep breath, saying, "I know the hardships he has endured are unbearable to him, but if placed on the balance of society, his privileged background prevents him from seeing the bottom of the abyss of suffering."
"He wants to be a superhero and combat crime, which is a noble idea, yet this time he mistakenly assessed the weight of his own error, Life is the one thing money can't buy."
"He can no longer casually dampen oversights with his own money and power, as he used to. The loss of life is unbearable for anyone and is a consequence he cannot bear, because he knows better than anyone else that death is irreversible."
"He believed his preparations were based on the premise that there would be no such grave oversights, and if that balancing weight ever dropped, his so-called preparation would become absurd and comical."
"It was never about regular fitness, learning a few combat skills, watching a few crime films, then stepping forward to take on the responsibility of a superhero."
"In the Andrewkin case, while the killer is indeed cruel, his shown mistakes prove that he is incapable of bearing this responsibility. His arrogance and recklessness led him to repeatedly make wrong decisions without turning back, ultimately leading to the tragic consequences."
Peter's lips tightened into a straight line as he said, "And if you bear the responsibility to save ordinary people, the abilities you need are almost infinite."
"Because if you have seen their lives, have stood with them, then you will understand that they are perpetually facing the danger of falling into an abyss. To protect them, you need to be the hero among superheroes, stronger and more determined than anyone else, to safeguard their every ordinary night."
"No matter your motive for hurting Bruce, at least you have prevented him from continuing down the wrong path and causing more innocent people to suffer or even die."
"Perhaps you also saved him." Peter looked at Penguin Man with sincere eyes and said, "After all, he is a good man, and if only innocent people bleed, while he remains unharmed, the guilt he bears is the real sharp blade. That can kill his soul, and physical pain is nothing compared to that."
"I am not advocating violence, and I am more against bloody conflicts, but this is indeed the simplest way to stop this series of farces. You should receive the thanks of the people of New York and Gotham."
The Penguin Man listened to Peter's speech in a daze, right now only one thought was in his mind - so I'm really that great, huh?
Yet on second thought, Peter did have a point. With the recklessness of the rookie Batman, if not severely injured, he would surely be bouncing around every day.
The merger of the two cities was already a mess, and Bruce Wayne's identity made him even more dangerous. Yet he had no awareness of his own abilities, did not take bodyguards with him when going out, and insisted on playing the hero to save people.
When he fails to save the day, it will waste energy to rescue him. Police resources are limited and saving him means not saving others. Everyone knows that, even if only one policeman is left in Gotham and New York combined, he would definitely prioritize saving the world's richest man.
There must be a lot of people who don't want Wayne to have an accident, and they will put pressure on the police department, causing them to waste a lot of police force on guarding Bruce Wayne. And the public safety situation will become worse, with more ordinary people being victimized.
Given the rookie Batman's recklessness, the police might not even be able to keep an eye on him, which would result in a lose-lose situation. The protection of Wayne may not be guaranteed, and the ordinary public might also suffer.
Bruce shot himself in his office - the Penguin Man now thinks that it was just bad luck for Batman, but it also means he shot him, and now both parties have calmed down.
Wayne was hospitalized, hopefully he could be saved, but he would need to rest for at least half a year. During this half year, he couldn't act the superhero. Once the half year passed, the chaotic situation should be mostly settled.
Also, because of his serious injuries, he would be in a harmless state for a long period of time, so those targeting him would lessen their surveillance. As long as the security measures are in place, he will be safer.
With Batman incapacitated, the Joker and his team will be quiet, the police can focus on managing public order, and ordinary people don't have to worry about the lunatics who want to disturb Batman coming to bother them.
The originally difficult situation suddenly turned into a win-win.
On second thought, it seemed like he really did something good. How else could he win the approval of the moral model Spider Man?