Chapter 40: Another Cage

It was truly surprising that, in a world where superhumans roamed freely, an ordinary person could dominate the front pages of New York's newspapers for several days.

Of course, most of it was due to a small-time journalist publishing his own speculations.

Granted, newspapers were no longer a necessity in this era, but some people still bought them—especially when an explosive headline was involved.

It was hard not to be curious about what had happened.

"Young New York Billionaire Suspected of Involvement in Wilson Fisk's Arrest"

And beneath that, an even more outrageous subheadline:

"Has Our World Been Invaded by Comic Book Characters? Is Kane Corporation's New Chairman Connected to Batman's Appearance?"

These sensational titles ignited a wave of speculation among the public.

However, once Kane Corporation's official website finished its maintenance and publicly listed the company's executive names, the conspiracy theories started losing momentum.

Because the dashing young man's name was Wyck John Kane.

That name alone was enough to kill their curiosity.

But just as things were settling down, the journalist struck again with another article that reignited the frenzy.

"Is the Kane Corporation's Super Billionaire Secretly Funding Batman?"

People eagerly searched for clues, hoping to uncover the truth.

Some even went straight to Kane Corporation's headquarters, hoping to ambush Bruce.

Unfortunately, they found nothing.

All they saw was a young billionaire, frequently photographed by paparazzi, surrounded by beautiful women.

Despite their persistence, they came up.

The grand decryption operation came to an abrupt and lackluster end.

But what no one realized was that they had actually come very close to the truth.

They just didn't persist.

Bruce, however, had never paid any attention to the whole "Batman decryption movement."

In this era, all it took was time and a few distractions for people's attention to be completely diverted.

Soon enough, everything would be forgotten.

Wearing a welder's mask, Bruce carefully fused the components in front of him.

"Finally, it's coming together."

He put away his tools, slowly straightened his back, and stretched his stiff body after holding the same position for too long.

"This is starting to feel like a proper Batcave," Thomas remarked inside Bruce's mind as he observed the surroundings.

"Not even close," Bruce shook his head.

He didn't think his creation had anything remotely resembling the Batcave.

At most, it had the word "cave" in its name.

Most people believed that Bruce had merely purchased an ordinary estate—no lake, no natural caves.

What he did have, however, was an abandoned and undiscovered air-raid shelter.

Even Bruce himself had stumbled upon it by accident while filtering through estate records in the New York area.

It was pure luck.

Had he not paid attention back then, he would have had to take a much bigger risk searching for an estate with a lake or a natural cave.

But for now, things were going smoothly.

"It's already quite impressive," Thomas said, shaking his head at Bruce's dismissal, not taking it to heart.

Before Bruce could respond, a voice suddenly echoed from another cell near Thomas.

"Perhaps… you should consider letting me help, don't you think?"

The voice was twisted—unlike Batman's usual deep and gravelly tone, it carried the eerie undertones of multiple voices speaking as one.

Thomas immediately sensed something off. The extra voice layered within the speaker's tone belonged to a young man—no doubt still in his prime.

"Shut up! I don't know what happened to you, but I do know this—my son would never be as weak as you!"

Thomas gripped the bars of his cell and shouted furiously across the corridor, all composure abandoned.

He knew that the person in that cell bore the same name—Bruce Wayne.

But he refused to believe that his son would ever become… that.

The prisoner in the other cell fell silent.

Outside, Bruce paid no attention to the conversation happening inside his head. He remained completely focused on his work, carrying on meticulously.

He knew exactly what kind of person that new presence in his mind was.

A Batman who believed he had failed to bring true stability to Gotham.

A Batman who was consumed by the tragedies that followed his every action.

A Batman who had set his sights on the Flash.

(End of Chapter)

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