Batman the Novice

Chapter 4 Batman the Novice

As the saying goes, "Man is made of iron, and food is made of steel; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal."

Batman is the only designated ordinary human among the Justice League's founding members, a pure human. No matter how much he uses his powers, he still needs to eat, which is quite reasonable.

However, seeing him fully armed, wearing a terrifying pointed-ear mask, eating a boxed lunch, the image was somewhat shattered.

Then, when Shen You's gaze swept to the side and he caught sight of a large bag full of stacks of boxed lunches stuffed under the seat next to him in the Batmobile, he fell into silence.

Hmm. Is the master now living in a Batmobile?

However, Shen You quickly guessed what was going on.

Following the gaze of the old man in the Batmobile, Shen You quickly spotted a luxurious venue across the street. A grand and imposing gate stood before him, flanked by flowerbeds bursting with colorful blossoms. A cobblestone path led directly into the venue, where ornate sculptures and fountains illuminated the space with colorful lights.

Its opulent style even seemed somewhat out of place with the overall atmosphere of Gotham City.

As night fell, luxury cars streamed in and out of the venue, a dazzling array of high-end models. Every man who alighted was impeccably dressed in a suit, leaving a substantial tip for the valet parking attendant. They strode towards the venue with the swagger of proud roosters, arm in arm with ladies in deep-V, high-shouldered zippered dresses.

Shen You quickly realized that this was the residence of Sal Maroney, one of Gotham's top drug lords. Clearly, he was hosting some kind of grand dinner there that evening, with invitations extended to Gotham's elite and upper class.

Maroney was one of the main leaders of Gotham before Batman's debut. At present, he is on par with the famous Roman Cameron Falcone, and they basically each control half of Gotham.

Harvey Dent, the infamous villain from the later Batman series, had half his face burned by Maroney. And the Penguin, who rose to power after the previous drug lords were overthrown in the post-Batman era, was initially a henchman promoted by Maroney.

The master is keeping an eye on Maronny.

Judging from the number of boxed meals inside the Batmobile, it must have been there for quite some time.

Fewer and fewer luxury cars were arriving from outside the street, indicating that most of the guests had already arrived. The venue closed its doors, and the evening's high-society revelry began.

It's also time for the bats to leave their nests.

The sliding door on the top of the Batmobile opened, and Batman jumped out. The door closed automatically immediately after he stepped out.

He arrived at the foot of the tall building in a secluded, shadowy spot, opened his multi-functional belt, and pulled out a rope connected to a grappling hook.

The inexperienced master doesn't seem to even have his signature grappling hook gun yet. Right now, he'll have to rely on ropes if he wants to scale walls and rooftops.

Batman lifted the rope, swung it around a few times, and hurled it with all his might. The grappling hook, propelled by centrifugal force, was launched high towards the edge of the rooftop.

Then he bumped his head against the wall and fell limply like a wilted snake, landing at Batman's feet.

It wasn't thrown up.

Shen You: "."

The worst thing is when the atmosphere suddenly becomes awkward.

Batman silently picked up the grappling hook, put away the rope, swung it around like a windmill, and threw it with great force.

*Thud.* The grappling hook successfully gripped the edge of the rooftop. He tugged at the rope to test it, confirming that the grappling hook had a firm hold.

Then he started using the wall as a foothold, heaving and climbing upwards.

Shen You: "."

They look like they're working really hard.

Indeed. Most comic book readers only remember how Batman leaps across rooftops and kills gods with his mortal body, but many people overlook the fact that Batman was also a rookie when he first started out.

Classic Batman films like "Year One" and "Earth One" vividly depict his struggles when he first started out in the industry. These include incidents like falling off rooftops while chasing someone, and his grappling hook gun jamming and getting tangled – all sorts of embarrassing moments from his past.

It's just pretty difficult.

Having finally climbed to the top, Batman stood on the edge of the rooftop. A gust of cold wind blew by, causing his cape to flutter like a flag. A streak of azure lightning descended from the dark night sky, illuminating his imposing figure.

"I am the night, I am revenge, I am Batman!"

The iconic lines, etched into their DNA, combined with that perfectly timed thunder and lightning, are breathtakingly cool.

Click.

Shen You captured this photo perfectly and was very satisfied with the angle and lighting.

Years later, when Batman became famous, especially when he scolded the newcomers in the Justice League for "not saying lines and not striking poses," Shen You had a premonition that the value of this embarrassing old photo would skyrocket.

Of course, lack of experience could lead to accidents, but even a rookie like Batman is still a veteran. The infiltration went smoothly. Although he was not as formidable as the Dark Knight who would later become fearsome, he still managed to slip into Maroney's arena through the ventilation ducts.

Batman entered and landed quietly, lowering his center of gravity and shrinking into his large black cloak, walking on his knees the whole time, just like an old silver coin stealing from the back row in a game.

Shen You, who was watching from the back row with a god-like perspective the whole time, couldn't help but find it hilarious.

People usually only see Batman appearing and disappearing like a ghost in the dark. One by one, criminals are helplessly dragged into the darkness and fall silent, while the remaining people have no choice but to face the darkness surrounding them from all sides and the fear that gradually swells in their hearts.

From the other side's perspective, those two sneak attacks might look really cool, but most people probably don't know how long they have to patiently kneel down to achieve that cool move.

The bat-suit must have caused knee damage very quickly.

Is it true that Superman always looks this comical from his perspective?

He sneaked out of a storage room and crept down the corridor toward the banquet hall. From a distance, Shen You saw two henchmen at the corner at the far end of the corridor, smoking and chatting.

"Batman? It can't be real." One of the henchmen said confidently, "Let me tell you, my family has been in this city for seven generations, and I'm pretty sure there's no Batman."

"Even Donald said he's seen it," said Henchman Number Two.

"Oh, Donald? That idiot who talks nonsense? Give me a break." Henchman Number One chuckled. "I've already said it, Batman can't be real. And even if he were, there's nothing to be afraid of."

He can only bully low-level thugs on the street. If he dared to show his face in front of me, hmph, I'd go up there and throw an uppercut like this, followed by a right hook.”

He was so engrossed in his speech that he forgot to watch where he was going, and as he turned the corner, his head bumped into someone.

"Hey! Did you even have eyes?"

Henchman Number One turned his head and took a closer look.

A large, dark mass with pointed ears and a ferocious face.

The two henchmen suffered sudden cardiac arrest.

Oh my god! Batman!

Of course, he never managed to shout it out.

Before that, Batman had grabbed their heads from both sides and slapped them unconscious on the spot.

Shen You observed this and nodded slightly.

Well, seeing how skillfully even a novice could force someone to commit such a move puts them to death puts me at ease.

Shen You's gaze wandered, continuing to penetrate the layers of barriers to look into the banquet hall.

At that moment, Gotham's elite were enjoying a sophisticated dinner at Maroney's restaurant. Even Jill, the director of the GCPD, was among them.

Everyone knew what kind of person Maroney was, and knew about his shady dealings. But there was no evidence, and nobody cared. Even the police chief was chatting and laughing with him.

Maronny struck up a conversation with him: "You've been quite busy these past few days, haven't you, Chief Jill?"

He was clearly referring to Batman.

Jill remained silent, but the mayor spoke up with a smile: "Whoever he is, his actions are indeed effective. Street crime rates are decreasing, and my approval rating is rising."

Ha, I think you could consider giving him a position, paying him a salary, and letting him keep doing it, so he doesn't suddenly lose interest and quit. What do you say, Jill?

Commissioner Jill remained silent, her face ashen. Clearly, from her perspective, she disliked Batman.

First, Batman's actions severely hindered some of his shady sources of income. Second, even from an official standpoint, Batman's existence was a slap in the face to the GCPD.

Every time this guy makes an appearance in the newspapers, it's as if he's mercilessly mocking the GCPD as a bunch of lazy, good-for-nothing gluttons who eat donuts all day.

Well, upon reflection, even Jill herself has to admit that it seems to be true. But anyway, it's really infuriating.

"Don't worry, Batman won't be a problem."

Maroni revealed a sinister smile.

"If he just keeps doing what he did before, letting a few fewer people take to the streets, that's fine too. It's not necessarily a bad thing for the people of Gotham to have a hero; at least it gives them a sense of security. The safer they feel, the fewer questions they'll ask."

He paused, then changed the subject.

"But what if that guy is foolish enough to dare to mess with us?"

Maroni's vision suddenly went black. Amid gasps from everyone at the table, a cloud of black mist emerged from behind him, vaguely abstracting into a shape resembling a bat.

He gave a cruel smile.

He'll realize he's not the only one with tricks up his sleeve.

(End of this chapter)