Chapter 117: Infected Lair

"I've already applied for access to the Batcave system. The analysis you did on the laptop last night should be ready by now," Chu Cheng said, sitting at his computer desk. He reached out to open a floating window on the screen, showing the access request.

"You might need to log in to the Batcomputer in the Batcave and approve my application. Once that's done, I'll be able to connect with the batcomputer directly," Chu Cheng said.

He raised his eyebrows. "Is everything okay?"

He started the computer to log in and glanced at Friday.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

He noticed Friday had changed into a sailor suit, complete with a dark blue collar and a red bow tie, looking like a cheerful character from a movie.

"Oh, I saw your browsing history and noticed you might like this style," Friday explained. "If you have other preferences, you can customize them in the personalization module."

"Wait, are you saying you can change into any outfit?" Chu Cheng asked.

"Not just clothing, but also my appearance. You can adjust everything in the personalization module," she replied.

To demonstrate, Friday's sailor suit vanished in a burst of golden particles and was replaced by a classic black and white maid outfit. The outfit included a small white lace skirt and white stockings, highlighting a blend of cuteness and elegance.

"Wow, that's impressive!" Chu Cheng said, amazed.

The transformation reminded Chu Cheng of Vision from the movies, who could change his appearance and even transform from a machine into a human form.

Chu Cheng marveled at the convenience of modern technology, realizing how Stark's innovations were truly amazing. The ability to change appearances like this could be incredibly powerful for espionage, almost like having a mechanical version of Mystique.

Of course, this is just theory. Friday is so useful that she's reluctant to go out on missions. If something happened to her, it'd be a major loss. It's better to keep her close.

Friday quickly changed back to her standard secretary outfit after the final demonstration and then switched back to her sailor suit, looking cute and obedient.

Chu Cheng was touched by how she adjusted her appearance. The factory settings were based on Stark's style, which is well-known. Stark even created his own AI girl called "Pepper," even though he jokingly labeled her as "pepper is a plant." No one would believe that, though.

Since he could customize her face, Chu Cheng first thought of his favorite character, Tifa Lockhart. However, given the lack of good references or data, customizing her face might be tricky. It's a bit like trying to recreate a character from an obscure cultural reference—it's not easy.

So, even though the customization feature was tempting, Chu Cheng decided to hold off and tackle it later when he had more time.

Chu Cheng turned on his computer, logged into the game, selected Batman, and entered the Batcave. As soon as the laptop started up, a remote connection request from Friday popped up. Chu Cheng clicked to accept it, and a special inter-dimensional link was established.

This link let Chu Cheng access the Batcomputer without needing to log into the game as Batman.

It allowed Friday to remotely access the Batcomputer's database, including information on Batman's vehicles, weapons, and equipment.

"Last night, we analyzed traces from the secret room at Sloan Technology and Xu Ruowei's home," Friday said. "We found some kind of metamorphic rock powder in the footprints."

A great detective once said that footprints can tell you a lot about a person's movements. A skilled detective can figure out a person's entire day, or even longer, just from the patterns on their shoes.

"It's similar to reactions from certain minerals, but it's strange," Friday added.

Friday presented a list of powder ingredients on the screen in front of him. Of course, he had no idea what it meant.

"Why is this strange?" Chu Cheng asked, knowing he wouldn't understand it anyway.

Luckily, he didn't have to figure it out on his own because his super-smart assistant, Friday, knew everything.

"Building projects rarely use this mineral because it's hard to get and expensive. Contractors usually avoid it," Friday explained. "I checked all the buildings in the city that have used this material."

Friday's tone was calm and matter-of-fact, but Chu Cheng knew this was no small task.

"It looks like I've narrowed it down to a few places," Friday said, showing a map with red dots marking potential locations.

One of the dots was at the intersection near Sloan Technology and a place where a missing girl might have been.

"Here it is..." Friday continued. "This section of the sewer system is the only one in the city that uses this material. You might want to check it out, sir."

Chu Cheng admired how useful Friday was and thought about how great it would be if he could let Friday play the game for him.

But when he asked if that was possible, Friday replied with a smile, "All superheroes are controlled by you, sir. This game and system are tied to you. Heroes and equipment only respond to your commands. Even if you use the same device, they won't follow anyone else's orders."

She added jokingly, "That includes me too. You can think of me as your personal assistant, and I don't support account sharing."

"Is that so?" Chu Cheng was surprised. He had always kept the game a secret and never thought about letting anyone else play it for him.

So, it turns out the game was strictly his own.

A few minutes later, Batman was back in action. Even though it was still daytime, Batman didn't mind. In the sewers, day or night didn't make much difference.

The sewer was like Batman's second home, just like ventilation pipes. As soon as Chu Cheng entered the sewer, he felt right at home.

Soon, Chu Cheng discovered that Friday was right. There was indeed something going on down there.

In detective mode, Batman quickly spotted several figures in the sewer pipes. Hiding in the shadows, he used facial recognition on two of them and confirmed they were gang members from last night.

One of them had a slightly twisted posture, a sign that he might be infected.

"Infected?" Batman asked.

"Yes, sir," Friday responded. "It's not safe to take action here. There might be more around."

Batman nodded. He knew better than to act recklessly without understanding the area and the enemies—this was against his usual methods.

Continuing his search, Batman discovered not just this group but more gangsters scattered throughout the sewer system, all converging in one area, like a makeshift command center.

"I've mapped their stations and patrol routes," Friday said. "They follow a hidden pattern around a central point. Based on what I've observed, this is probably their main area."

Friday marked a red dot on the map displayed on Batman's wrist.

"Can you really figure this out?" Batman wondered.

Friday explained that the red dot represented a secret area hidden within the pipes, calculated from the positions of the gang members.

"Impressive work," Batman thought.

Batman carefully approached the marked area. As he reached the edge of the wall, he activated a detailed scan. The results showed there was a hidden space behind it.

"There's a concealed area here, and it's quite large," Batman noted.

Friday added, "At least six of these individuals show clear signs of infection."

"I counted seven," Friday continued. "If things are as bad as they seem, they might all be infected. We could be dealing with an organized group of infected people."

"So far, we only know of one organized group of infected individuals," Batman said.

"Dead Men," Friday confirmed.

"Sir, I believe what we've found isn't just a safe house or a hidden room," Friday said. "We might have discovered the lair of the 'Dead Men'."