当席勒看到布鲁斯明显的不开心时,他知道与猫女的谈话可能并不顺利.
"你们俩最后又打架了?"席勒问道.
布鲁斯说:"比这更糟糕.
"嗯,那她现在在哪个病房?"席勒问道.
"我的意思是,哥谭的情况比我想象的要糟糕,"布鲁斯回答.
"这里有一群人,你不能责怪他们.在这种环境下,他们做得足够好,"布鲁斯补充道.
"我想你现在意识到成为蝙蝠侠并不像你想象的那么简单,"席勒说.
"确实,"布鲁斯同意."我认为,凭借我坚固的盔甲,防弹头盔,锋利的蝙蝠飞镖以及枪支和子弹,没有什么能打败我对抗暴徒."
"枪支当然是有用的,"席勒说.
"至少他们保证有人会听你说的话.
"我不能告诉Selina她错了,"布鲁斯捂着眼睛痛苦地叹了口气."事实上,她做得足够好."
"乔纳森可能不同意这一点.如果我告诉你乔纳森也在这样的环境中长大,你会怎么想?他的罪行也是没有人教他的结果,"席勒质疑道.
布鲁斯张了张嘴.他曾经认为自己是正义的,但后来他意识到没有绝对的正义.然后他认为他至少是公平的.但现在他意识到自己不够公平.
他不得不承认,自己对Selina有偏见.他惩罚的许多流氓都像猫女赛琳娜一样,只是没有那么幸运.
他们的家庭和过去一团糟.他们为暴徒工作不是因为他们邪恶或天生坏,而只是为了维持生计.
摆脱成长的桎梏比他想象的要困难得多,尤其是在哥谭.
这种认识让布鲁斯感到有些绝望.他终于明白为什么席勒说他不了解哥谭了.
因为任何想完全拯救哥谭的人都不了解哥谭.
Everyone here is a bad person, but no one is a bad person.
Among this group of hopeless people, you can't find anyone who should be saved, nor can you find anyone who should naturally be eliminated.
There's no ringleader here; everyone is the ringleader.
This road to becoming a hero is much different from what Bruce envisions. He thinks as long as he apprehends enough criminals, extracts information from them, and then follows the trail to find the few villains who have been impacting Gotham, and brings them to justice, Gotham will become better and better.
But now he realizes it is a bottomless pit. When he captures one group of villains, there will be another. When he punishes one criminal, there will always be another one.
No one can withstand this kind of drain, not just in terms of wealth or physicality. Harvey believes that only those who reach the finish line can be considered winners, but Batman, he doesn't even have a finish line.
Bruce only realizes now that his struggle with Gotham will sacrifice his entire life.
Then he understands that wealth, equipment, and combat skills can't truly make him Batman. Because his greatest enemy isn't the criminals, but rather, giving up.
His biggest problem is not how cunning his opponents are, but rather his own determination and firmness to dedicate his entire life to endlessly fighting against a city that seems impossible to save.
It is like a moral spending their entire life trying to make the sun rise from the west.
Batman stands on the rooftop of Gotham Central Building. The wind is strong there, howling past his ears. Below his feet, there are countless ordinary criminals, like a swarm of ants, and he can see everything in Gotham clearly from this vantage point.
Batman had originally thought that Gotham has no order, only chaos. But now he realizes that not only does Gotham have order, but it is more solid than anywhere else. If there were only chaos, he could rebuild order. But now, he can't even break the existing order of Gotham.
After a while, Batman hears footsteps behind him, and Catwoman walks towards him with her hands behind her back.
Seeing Batman turning around, she smiles and takes out a gemstone from behind, handing it to Batman with giggles. She says, "I picked a beautiful little baby from my collection. Of course, I couldn't bear to give you the biggest one, but I think this one is also nice."
Before Bruce can say anything, Catwoman continues, "Yesterday, when I was chatting to Maggie, she said I should apologize to you. Anyway, I shouldn't have stabbed you."
"I've never apologized to anyone. If someone wants to hit me, I hit back. But I think you've been good to me, accompanying me for a ride on the high-rise, but I stabbed you, which does seem wrong."
She blinks her beautiful big eyes, those brown eyes shining in the dark night of Gotham. She says, "I can tell that you're troubled. I hope this gemstone can make you feel better."
Batman looks down at the gemstone in his hand. It is a triangular red gemstone, somewhat resembling his ears, cut so delicately that it has a charming luster even in the faint light.
For the first time, he feels that this is not just a mineral with no meaning other than being beautiful to humans.
Batman asks, "Do you want to hear my story?"
On the other side, Schiller holds the phone and says sternly, "Outpatient treatment? How does he get approved? No, I don't want to blame you, but the Police Department is really a bit..."
He thinks for a moment. Well, this is indeed something the Gotham Police Department can do.
He pauses for a moment and continues, "Well, I hope he stays in the hospital and doesn't come back to cause trouble. You know, I'm different from Batman."
Gordon hangs up the phone, sighs, and knows it isn't that easy. Jonathan finally ends up in Arkham Asylum after multiple efforts. Victor disappears, and Lantares is dead.
But the former president of Gotham University, under the guise of outpatient treatment, doesn't go to prison. After so many years in Gotham, he still has some connections, and he ultimately manages to escape.
Schiller never hesitates to think of a Gotham citizen in the worst possible way. He knows the former president wouldn't be so easily satisfied.
Sure enough, the next day, as Schiller is about to leave, a panicked girl rushes into her office. She is the same girl who complains to the school when Christine goes missing, Christine's best friend.
"Christine goes missing again?" Schiller asks.
"It's worse than that," the girl says anxiously. "Since last time, Christine gives me a safety code. She tells me that if I receive a call from that code on my phone, it means she might be in danger!"
Schiller hurries to pack up her things and asks, "When does this happen?"
"Just three minutes ago! The call goes through, but there is no sound on the other end!"
Schiller reassures the girl and then calls Bruce. He says, "Bad news. Christine is in trouble again. I don't know if Gordon tells you? The former president doesn't go to prison because of outpatient treatment. If he wants revenge, he'll definitely go after the person who accuses him first..."
Bruce immediately returns to Wayne Manor and puts on all his Batman gear. He encourages Christine to accuse the president, so he has to save this girl.
Unfortunately, the former president becomes smarter. Instead of using low-level gangsters, he hires professional kidnappers who leave no traces. It seems that the former president only wants revenge, not to use her as a hostage.
But that just means Christine is most likely in an extremely dangerous situation.
After a while, Batman receives a call from Schiller. He says, "The street where the Red Raven Gang used to be in the East End, the drug manufacturing den you destroy..."
Before Bruce can ask why, Schiller hangs up. Batman speeds through the night in Gotham.
But now he doesn't have the Batmobile, and the speed of an ordinary car isn't enough. It takes time to get from Wayne Manor to the East End, and Christine can be in danger at any moment. Although he doesn't love her, he doesn't want to see an innocent person being tragically killed.
Batman tightly grips the steering wheel and realizes he needs a better car.
Suddenly, an unexpected number calls. Catwoman's voice comes from the other end. She says, "Hey, I think I see your little girlfriend waiting for you on the street every day. What's going on? How do they end up on Maple Street? It's very dangerous there..."
"She is kidnapped, please find a way to save her! No... I mean, can you keep an eye on them from a distance?... Just watch where they go and then call me... No, no, don't follow them, just tell me where they go."
"You sound like you need help," Catwoman says.
Batman sounds a bit impatient."This is not your business. Just don't go out tonight and cause trouble for me."
After saying that, he hangs up the phone and drives towards Maple Street.
After a while, Batman appears at the end of Maple Street. This used to be the former headquarters of the Red Raven Gang, where he destroys a poppy manufacturing and production den. Batman has a good memory. He walks straight ahead along the right side of the street and then turns into two alleys.
Just as he reaches the end of the alley, he hears intense fighting and gunshots coming from inside. Batman quickly finds the back door and forcibly picks the lock. Once inside, he finds a group of thugs scattered on the ground outside. These people are writhing in pain, seemingly hit by joint locks.
Entering the living room through the gatehouse, seven or eight masked kidnappers are also lying on the ground. A whip whistles through the air, narrowly missing Batman.
Catwoman turns around and smiles, "Thank God, the girl is safe."
Batman turns his gaze to Christine on the couch, her clothes slightly disheveled. If it weren't for Catwoman's timely arrival, things may have turned out differently.
Then, Catwoman sniffs and frowns, "Wait, why do I smell gasoline? Is your car leaking oil? No, oh no! It might be Molotov cocktails. Get out of here quickly...!"
Before she can finish, the glass of the front door shatters, and numerous bottles wrapped in cloth are thrown in.
The flames surge up. Inside this abandoned hideout, there are many fabric sofas, curtains, and other flammable items.
In no time, the fire becomes fierce. Bruce supports the unconscious Christine and just reaches the back door when he realizes it has been blocked from the outside with something heavy.
Obviously, this is a premeditated trap.
Batman's suit is fire resistant. However, if the fire keeps burning, both Christine and Catwoman will be in danger. And the fire-resistant suit can't stop the smoke from invading. The fire grows more intense, and the thick black smoke makes it almost impossible to see anything in the room, and everyone starts coughing.
Suddenly, there is a crisp "clang" sound from the right side, as if something has fallen. Catwoman reacts quickly and lashes out with her whip. When she drags it back, she finds it is a fire extinguisher!
Regardless of how the fire extinguisher gets there, Catwoman shakes it vigorously. Batman says, "Go through the spot where they threw the Molotov cocktails. There should be a vacuum area!"
Batman holds the fire extinguisher and clears the way as Catwoman supports Christine from behind.
Surely, the person who throws the Molotov cocktails has put a lot of force into it, causing them to land in the center of the hall instead of near the door. Apart from a small carpet, there is nothing flammable in front of the door. Batman uses the fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames that have reached them, and the two of them make their way forward.
Arriving at the front door, Batman first shoots the lock with his gun, and then starts ramming the iron door with all his strength.
The person who throws the Molotov cocktails is obviously in a hurry. The front door isn't as securely blocked as the back door. Batman slams the front door a few times and opens a crack.
But this also means that air starts flowing, and the fire grows bigger. Catwoman is already choking and on the verge of passing out. Batman can clearly feel her hand on his shoulder slipping downward. Once she loses consciousness, both she and Christine will be in grave danger.
Batman uses all his strength and finally gives it a hard knock. With a loud bang, the door is knocked open, and the three of them escape. Catwoman takes deep breaths to recover from the suffocating smoke. Both Batman and Catwoman are covered in soot and smoke marks.
After taking Christine back, Batman asks Catwoman, who is sitting in the passenger seat, as they drive, "Why did you rush in to save Christine? That was very dangerous, wasn't it?"
Catwoman is still excitedly examining the interior of the luxury car. It is clear she has never ridden in such an expensive car before.
She clears her throat and calms down her excitement. After a while, she speaks, "Actually, I thought of many reasons for you to praise me, such as wanting to learn from you and be a good person, or that I am inherently a just heroine, or that I can't stand those kidnappers hurting innocent people..."
Then Catwoman looks at him. When he is stared at by those brown eyes, Batman once again feels his heart beating rapidly.
"You don't want me to do bad things, but I really like those gemstones. So, maybe I can do one bad thing, and then do one good thing to balance it out, right?"
"...Well, actually, I just want to make you happy," Catwoman shrugs.
"I know, I can never become a great hero. I just like stealing , it's a habit I've had since I was young. I won't lecture you with big theories, maybe that girl who is always waiting for you on the street is much better than me. She has received a higher education, is beautiful and charming, and innocent."
"But I am who I am. I don't think about those things, I just do what I want to do. You can see me as a criminal,can think of me as a hopeless bad person. I am me, this is me, a cat."
Batman loosens his grip on the steering wheel slightly, unsure if this is the answer he is looking for.
But he knows that the romance, liveliness, and sincerity in Catwoman aren't the fundamental reasons why he falls in love with her.
A bat falling in love with a cat, he is just envious of her freedom, something he, as the Dark Knight, can never have.
He has made up his mind to entangle himself with this irredeemable city to the end.
Looking at the luxury car stopping at the intersection, Schiller on the rooftop speaks to the symbiote in her mind, "...No, we can't go down, what's coming next is not suitable for kids."
The symbiote growls in dissatisfaction.
"Yes, I know you did well just now. You brought the fire extinguisher from the café across the street corner and threw it in accurately!"
"But what's happening in the car is just a meaningless human reproductive process. You symbiotes don't need that. You just need to drop off pieces."
The symbiote falls silent, and Schiller doesn't know if it understands or not.
Schiller shifts her gaze away from the luxury car and looks at the dimly lit Gotham night.
Perhaps this is an irredeemable city, and perhaps Batman is just a mortal who feels despair and confusion, he thinks.
But Batman is not alone, he will never be alone.