There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 42 True Identity

The pungent smell of disinfectant filled Qin Wei's nostrils. He opened his eyes, and the blurry grid ceiling of the ward gradually became clear as his gaze focused.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze passing over the IV stand and settling on Oswald's face in the next bed.

Damn it! How can this kid be so lucky? His head was kicked into the wall and he's still alive! If I'd known he wasn't dead, why would I have bothered fighting him!

Qin Wei wanted to cry but had no tears.

"You're awake?!"

A familiar, deep male voice sounded at the door of the ward. He carefully turned his head and saw Gordon walking over, carrying a small cluster of baby's breath.

Compared to when we last met, he had lost a lot of weight. Not only was his complexion sallow, but he also had dark circles under his eyes, and his cheeks were sunken under his cheekbones. It seems that helping Harvey gather evidence was indeed hard work.

"Why bring flowers? Bringing some fruit would be much more practical. I'm starving."

Is it possible that the dizziness is caused by a concussion?

Gordon placed the bouquet in the vase on the bedside table.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! I feel like my stomach is so flat I can touch my spine." Qin Wei stopped trying to be brave; he was indeed dizzy because of low blood sugar.

"Shall I go buy you some food, or have someone deliver some?" Gordon took out his phone and sent a text message.

"Never mind, let's get down to business." Qin Wei's gaze shifted to the black bat belt on Gordon's hand.

His relationship with Gordon wasn't that good; Gordon was probably only there for the fake bat.

"I checked this belt. It seems to be custom-made, with no manufacturer listed. The only fingerprints left on it are yours and the investigating police officer's." Now that things were out in the open, Gordon got straight to the point.

"This belt has many functions: it can discharge electricity, launch grappling hooks, store several darts, and also contain smoke grenades and flashbangs."

"You don't need to explain the features to me, just get straight to the point."

"It can't be a breakthrough in the case, so I want to ask you. How much do you know about the belt's owner, that bat villain?"

"At first I thought he was Bruce Wayne, but now I realize I know nothing about him," Qin Wei said frankly.

"Why would you suspect Bruce?"

"This has nothing to do with the case. If you keep asking, you'll hear some answers that are so outrageous they could send me to Arkham Asylum."

Gordon nodded and recounted an old story.

Twenty years ago, he personally put Bruce Wayne on the ambulance, and not long after, the hospital delivered news of the boy's death. Soon after, the death certificate and autopsy results were delivered to his desk.

"Wow! So Master Wayne is really dead?" Qin Wei raised an eyebrow.

He didn't believe the answer. The fake bat from last night might not have been Bruce, but it must have some connection to him. Otherwise, why would a bat suit appear out of thin air in a world without Batman?

Honestly, he no longer cared much about the fake bat; whether it existed or not was of little significance to him at the moment.

On the one hand, this was Gordon's request; on the other hand, the pivotal event a month later was extremely important, involving three forces and making a chaotic battle inevitable.

If the fake Bat intervenes at that point, it might disrupt his entire plan.

After much deliberation, he decided to help Gordon one last time. If this investigation yielded no results, he would simply have to let it go.

"Go find someone. If he's in Gotham, then Bruce Wayne must still be alive," Qin Wei said after a moment's thought.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Alfred Pennyworth."

Alfred, or Alfred for short, is our great butler.

Qin Wei, who had some knowledge of the Batman story, naturally possessed more information. According to the original story, after the Wayne couple's deaths, Alfred would become Bruce's guardian. However, if Bruce really died, Alfred would most likely not remain in Gotham.

Therefore, his existence can indirectly confirm Bruce's life or death.

Gordon pulled out a crumpled notebook and wrote the name down.

"Thank you for your help. I'll let you know as soon as there's any progress in the investigation. By the way, I sent my regards to Brock and Harveto before I came; they both hope you recover soon."

"Thanks to them, I can get up now!"

As soon as Gordon finished speaking, Qin Wei pulled out the IV needle from his hand and sat up.

Qin Wei's actions shocked Gordon.

"You're insane! Do you know how badly you're injured?"

"Of course, I know my body better than anyone. But you know what? Time is running out. That fake bat has disrupted my entire plan, I need to hurry!"

Gordon was among the first to arrive at the scene last night, and no one knew better than him how badly Qin Wei was injured.

Both fists were covered in blood, his palms were pierced, his hand bones were fractured in several places, his elbow was fractured, and there was a gash on his back that was an inch long, the wounds were like the gaping mouth of a man-eating flower, spewing out flesh and blood.

If it were him with this kind of injury, he would have been bedridden for at least two weeks.

Under Gordon's horrified gaze, Qin Wei deftly removed his hospital gown and changed into his tattered suit by the wardrobe: "Chief Gordon, please help me, my hand is bandaged and I can't reach my sleeve..."

Just who is this guy?!

After helping Qin Wei get dressed, Gordon felt a sense of relief amidst his fear, at least this man was still on the side of justice.

No sooner had Qin Wei left than Selena arrived.

Upon receiving a text message from Gordon informing her that Qin Wei had woken up, the girl even made a special trip to Chinatown to get a serving of dumplings, but due to the language barrier and her halting gestures, she spent a long time trying to communicate with the shop owner.

But because of this slight delay, she missed her chance to meet Qin Wei.

"Damn it! Couldn't you have waited a little longer?"

It's so stuffy riding a motorcycle in this weather, and on top of that, she's in a rush, so she's sweating buckets.

With the helmet tucked under her arm, Selena ran a hand through her wet hair.

Her gaze fell upon Oswald, who lay unconscious in the next bed.

"You got off easy!"

The girl threw the food on the bedside table, pouted, and stormed out of the ward.

……

"You're back?"

Under the dim light of the oil lamp, Dr. Hugo looked up and carefully placed the reagent he had just prepared onto the test tube rack.

His response came from deep within the sewers, with slow, heavy footsteps.

"What a pity. Even this full set of equipment couldn't help you kill him. Is it because it's inferior to the original, or because you're a mindless puppet, only able to be controlled by your master?"

No one answered him.

The dark figure slowly emerged from the darkness, and the mysterious man wearing a bat mask stood motionless in front of Dr. Hugo.

"No wonder. Reason and thought are the most powerful weapons that God has given to mankind. I was too impatient and shouldn't have had too much hope for you."

Dr. Hugo stepped forward, stood on tiptoe, and removed the mysterious man's mask.

His pupils were lifeless, his face was deathly pale, and his black hair, soaked with sweat, drooped over his forehead like tangled, forked straws. It was a face devoid of life.

Strangely, apart from his slightly thinner face, he looked exactly like Qin Wei.

"I thought I had succeeded once, and that as long as I continued down this path, I would be able to replicate it. But it seems that this is another clumsy joke that fate is playing on me."

Dr. Hugo pressed the button in his hand, and the mysterious man took off his bat costume and crawled naked into the petri dish filled with orange-yellow liquid next to him.

"The experiment funding is running out, and the deadline he gave me is almost here. I can't possibly deliver a piece of junk like you!"

Crouching down, stroking the scratches on the bat armor, a sinister plan gradually took shape in Hugo's mind.