In Charlie's previous life, Batman was one of the most famous superheroes in the world.
Batman is adorned with countless labels and accolades: the world's greatest detective, a top martial artist, an elite assassin, a billionaire, and, unfortunately, an orphan.
As a child, Bruce Wayne witnessed his parents being shot dead in front of him.
Growing up, he traveled the world and mastered countless skills, determined to avenge his parents by fighting crime. Thus, he became a masked vigilante, a Dark Knight, and... Batman.
The trope of the orphaned hero is common in comics and movies. However, Batman stands out because his character deeply integrates the sorrow of his parents' loss, making it a core part of his soul. This unhealed trauma fuels his relentless quest to fight crime and protect the innocent.
Some say Batman's power comes from his wealth and technology, while others attribute it to his extensive knowledge and preparation. However, at his core, Batman is still that child who witnessed his parents' murder. This trauma drives his lifelong quest for justice.
After selecting Batman as his character, Charlie's first in-game scene was the Batcave. The setting was instantly familiar yet breathtakingly rendered in astonishing detail.
As the elevator descended with the sound of chains and metal friction, bats fluttered away, disturbed by the noise. Stepping out of the elevator, a muscular figure in a carbon fiber-reinforced bulletproof suit emerged, his black Kevlar boots making a crisp sound on the metal steps.
It was Batman.
This opening scene immediately reminded Charlie of the classic game "Batman: Arkham Origins," but the modeling and rendering were leagues ahead. In seconds, Charlie was amazed by the graphical display.
Having been a veteran gamer for years, Charlie felt he had a good grasp of the industry's top production levels. Yet, even the highest-quality games he had played before paled in comparison to this first scene's modeling and effects.
Especially when the computers in the Batcave lit up, the fluorescent light from the supercomputer shone in the dark cave, the light and shadow, the reflections on the metal casing, and Batman walking to the computer and sitting down...
Charlie suddenly felt that this was almost like a real person appearing on the scene.
"The simulation training system has been activated," a voice came from the Batcomputer.
The screen went black, and when it turned on again, the Batcave had disappeared, replaced by a huge warehouse. Batman stood on the roof of the warehouse, his black cloak billowing in the night wind.
A prompt popped up on the screen: "Use WASD to control the character to move."
Charlie quickly understood. It was the tutorial level, a process that action games have to teach players basic operations.
Generally, the operation modes of this kind of action game are similar. After playing one, you can guess the key positions in other games.
In addition, he is also a dedicated player of the classic 'Batman Arkham' series. He has cleared every game in the series at the highest difficulty level without injury and has even edited gameplay videos. After trying it out, he found that Batman's operation in this game seemed to be essentially the same as that of the Arkham series, so there was naturally no obstacle to getting started.
After familiarizing himself with the basic movement on the roof, the game instructed him to control Batman to open the skylight and jump. Batman jumped into the warehouse without a sound, landing on a beam on the roof of the warehouse as lightly as a night cat.
The system then prompted him to press the "X" key to enable detective vision.
Detective vision is a powerful reconnaissance ability in the Batman series of games. It is a collection of detection functions attached to the Batman helmet.
Under the detective visual effect, Batman can have night vision in complete darkness. He can use the infrared imaging function to see through walls within a certain range. He can detect the enemy's heartbeat, pulse, and much more.
Charlie pressed the "X" key, and the screen's color changed instantly. In Batman's eyes, the huge warehouse had no secrets, and infrared imaging figures walked back and forth below.
The reconnaissance results were quickly marked on the side of the screen: seven enemies, all armed with thermal weapons.
Charlie, who has played the Batman series of games, quickly understood the purpose of this tutorial level.
Although Batman has extraordinary skills, his physical fitness is still that of an ordinary human. Even though his bulletproof vest can resist bullets to a certain extent, it doesn't mean that he can face a hail of bullets head-on.
Batman is essentially an assassin. He had to sneak under the cover of darkness and shadows, eliminating enemies one by one without being noticed.
Armed enemies must be given priority.
Charlie was very confident. He observed each gangster's patrol area below, controlled Batman to move on the beam, found a relatively open shadow, and jumped down.
Jumping from this height, a normal person would definitely be injured or worse. But Batman is not a normal person; his body is at the peak of human physical strength. He also has armor that can cushion the impact. Additionally, when he lands, his cape can be opened to increase wind resistance. Therefore, landing without injury is not a problem.
Not to mention the Batman series, Charlie has also played many stealth games, achieving the accomplishment of speedrunning without injury in all of them. Based on his experience, tutorial levels are often straightforward. It would be laughable if a high-level player like him couldn't pass it on the first try...
"Batman!"
Suddenly, a minion looked over from a long distance, exclaimed, and, while signaling his teammates, frantically fired bullets at Charlie's position.
Batman's body armor took two bullets from the automatic rifle head-on, and he fell to the ground with a muffled grunt.
Charlie was dumbfounded.
What? How can they spot me from so far away?
Aren't the NPCs in this kind of stealth game supposed to have the awareness of potatoes? Shouldn't they be unable to distinguish between a person and a statue five meters away?
The warehouse was already dark, and Charlie had intentionally chosen a shaded area to land. Logically, Batman's pitch-black outfit should be invisible, even in real life, right?
Charlie's initial plans were disrupted.
A prompt to throw a smoke bomb appeared on the screen.
Charlie immediately followed the prompt, controlling Batman to drop a smoke bomb on the spot, then quickly raising the grappling hook, firing it towards the beam in the air, and dragging Batman off the ground to jump back onto the beam.
At this moment, Charlie was still in shock.
Did these minions have 40/20 vision? Do they have detective vision?
Based on his experience with the series, usually, if you drop a smoke bomb and quickly ascend, the enemies won't be able to find the player. After waiting patiently in the shadows for a while, the minions would return to their patrols as if they had forgotten about Batman.
Because of this, Charlie felt it should be safe after controlling Batman to fly up to the beam.
However...
"He's on the roof!"
Another minion yelled, raised his gun without hesitation, and unleashed a volley of bullets.
Charlie: ?
Are all the NPCs in this game so smart?
Before he could react, Batman had already taken another bullet. Although his customized bat suit can prevent bullets from penetrating his body, the kinetic energy cannot be eliminated. Therefore, Batman swayed and fell directly from the roof.
Then, all the soldiers gathered around and fired at him. Batman fell to the ground motionless, and the word "DEAD" appeared in large font on the screen.
When the screen went black, it returned to the Batcave. The female voice of the Batcomputer's electronic prompt sounded again.
"Mission failed, the simulation ended. The simulator is preparing to restart...ready."
Then, the "Start" button appeared on the screen.
The novice tutorial had a bad start, but instead of discouraging Charlie, it aroused his fighting spirit even more.
Interesting, very interesting.
Although it was just a simulation teaching level, the game's quality far exceeded Charlie's expectations. The simulated warehouse scene felt incredibly realistic, and the minions, although minor characters, were modeled with astonishing detail.
The super-real scenes, lifelike characters, and AI modeling gave Charlie an immersive experience. It felt as if he had really transformed into a dark knight, facing truly vicious criminals across the screen.
Difficult as it was, that was also the game's charm.
Men love to conquer, and the higher the mountain, the more they desire to conquer it.
Charlie rubbed his hands, took a deep breath, and immediately clicked the "Start" button.
Let's do this!
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