American comics: Starting in Arkham, a system-based Batman

Chapter 47 Two Ministers' Powers: Choose the Lesser of Two Wrongs

Torres then realized that, compared to the visible behemoths like gangsters, these mysterious and elusive creatures lurking in the darkness were far more unsettling to him.

Between two evils, he chose the lesser and sided with Batman.

At the same time, he had to face the possibility of retaliation from the gang.

Torres got out of bed and went into the bathroom to wash his face. The mirror on the sink clearly showed the dark circles under his eyes.

Even with a heavy heart, he chose to obey Batman's demands, but the threat posed by the Romans would not diminish.

He has been living in fear in a hotel for some time now, with officers from the GCPD accompanying and monitoring him 24 hours a day. Fortunately, nothing bad has happened so far.

The litigation process is progressing smoothly and has not encountered many obstacles.

As the group left the hotel, many reporters and photographers were already waiting at the entrance with their long lenses and tripods. As soon as they caught a glimpse of them, they swarmed around them like vultures that had caught a whiff of their presence.

"Hello, Prosecutor Torres, this is Vicky Weir, a reporter for the Gotham Daily. We've heard that you previously stated you wouldn't get involved in the Arkham-related cases. What made you change your mind and proactively offer your support to the GCPD?"

The blond, blue-eyed reporter's eyes gleamed sharply as he held the microphone to Torres's lips, looking determined to get what he wanted.

Torres walked quickly, shielding the microphone with the back of his hand, trying to break free from the crowd. Vicky followed him, clinging to him like a vulture.

Torres remained silent, so she continued to ask questions, closely observing the changes in his expression.

"It is said that the night before you changed your mind, someone claimed to have witnessed Batman conducting an interrogation atop the clock tower, with the victim being hung upside down and screaming in agony."

The camera was right next to Torres, capturing his slight twitching of eyebrows and eyes clearly.

"Did you apply for habeas corpus from the GCPD because you were coerced by Batman? Or are you afraid of someone else, such as Carmine Falcone, the subject of your lawsuit?"

Vicky continued asking questions, and the microphone followed Torres into the car, only to be blocked by Brock, who was accompanying him, who said, "Make way, make way, don't interfere with official business."

The car door slammed shut, and the camera panned back to Vicky's face, where her expression showed no sign of discouragement.

"The Gotham Daily will continue to follow up on the Arkham bombing and related cases. Interested viewers are encouraged to stay tuned. I'm reporter Vicky Weir, and I'll be bringing you more truthful reports in the future..."

Although it wasn't quite as crazy as her later interviews with supervillains like the Joker and Two-Face, her pursuit of excitement and truth was already beginning to take shape.

As Zheng En watched the news on TV, he tried to recall Vicky's appearance, but all he remembered was that she was a character created by DC to be based on Superman's girlfriend Lois Lane, who had a flirtatious relationship with Batman and almost revealed his identity. However, Vicky was more Gotham-esque and had a more crazy and stubborn personality.

Compared to other reporters who seemed to be just there for the fun of it, she had clearly done her homework, asking numerous and sharp questions.

When talking about Falcone, Jung Eun could even notice the expressions of the other reporters behind the camera, who practically had "Are you crazy?" written all over their faces.

Everyone knows Falcone is a mafia godfather. To so blatantly imply something about him, even if he might not get angry over those few words, who would be so foolish as to gamble on that?

If someone else asked this question, they would at most say "whether there were any external factors involved," and even if they really had doubts, they should have stopped after mentioning Batman.

But Vicky wouldn't have it. If Torres hadn't had police officers with him, Jung Eun felt she could have cornered him there and dug something out of him.

However, sometimes information can be revealed without speaking, and Torres' silence is evidence of Vicky's speculation.

"This is the work of your isotope."

Zheng En immediately identified the suspect, and her mentor, Batman, neither confirmed nor denied it, stating matter-of-factly, "This is a necessary measure."

Zheng En: I knew that old bat couldn't speak human language.

He estimated the time and had a feeling that Batman, unable to find any more clues from him, went to threaten the prosecutor.

When the profession of prosecutor is mentioned, those who know a little about Gotham will think of Harvey Dent, just as most people think of Superman when they think of a journalist.

Harvey Dent, one of Gotham's many supervillains, was once Gotham's most righteous and noble prosecutor before his corruption. He was dedicated to bringing criminals to justice and was a breath of fresh air among the corrupt government officials.

When Zheng En had nothing to do, she looked up all the villain names she remembered, using the most basic browser search. Most of them were still nobodys at that time, and didn't enjoy the privilege of being reported or documented.

It's only because Harvey Dent is active as a lawyer in Gotham that some relevant information could be found.

American comic book timelines have always been chaotic. After the DC canon was rebooted, there are countless derivative universes, and unofficial histories are also being mass-produced like they're free.

From what Zheng En observed, the level of technological development in Gotham, where he currently lives, is not much different from that of the 21st century before he traveled there, but the story has only just begun, and Harvey Dent has not yet become a prosecutor.

This might mean that he has traveled to a completely new DC universe.

He didn't know if this was good or bad, but Zheng En felt he was living a pretty comfortable life. Personally, unless technology kept regressing, he wouldn't want to travel back in time. What kind of life would he have without cell phones and computers?

With the control panel available, he didn't need to struggle for a living; the rewards from completing daily tasks were enough to make him live comfortably. With surplus resources, Zheng En could afford to indulge in his philanthropy.

Otherwise, if he himself is struggling to make ends meet, how could he afford to pretend to be rich and give Jason tips, let alone buy a cell phone?

Jason never came to Jung Eun's apartment again after he left that day.

Zheng En guessed that it might be because he hadn't given him a new task, so the other party had no reason or felt embarrassed to come over.

He has to go to Crime Alley again.

Actually, according to what she said when she took Jason home that day, Jung Eun had arranged with him to deliver the phone herself.

Zheng En initially did the same thing; he tried going to Crime Alley to find Jason.

But when he got there, he discovered that what was nominally an alley was actually a maze of interconnected paths, covering a large area, and the road conditions were much more complicated than when he had briefly glanced at it with Jason.

Based on his previous memory, he walked towards the alley that Jason might have gone into. He walked for a long time, but the surrounding environment seemed unchanged. No matter which way he went, there were only dilapidated and old buildings.

Although both are apartment buildings, this one is much shorter and the quality of the building is visibly much worse. In some places, you can even feel a slight tilt, making you wonder if it will collapse at any moment, so you keep your distance from it.