vncnus Chapter 5 is something we need to talk about.
Chapter 5 is something we need to talk about.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Wayne. If you recall any further details related to the case, please contact the GCPD..."
Facing the exhausted and haggard policeman in front of him, Bruce nodded while pretending not to have realized what had happened, and sighed inwardly.
It has to be admitted that dealing with the GCPD police is much easier than spending countless hours tracking down a "Batman". After all, no one would be surprised if Bruce Wayne said something stupid, which is just a good opportunity for Bruce's brain, which has been working continuously for a day and a night, to rest for a while.
As he expected, after half an hour of persistently playing dumb, the police finally lost patience with Bruce, who knew nothing. They concluded that this rich fool's mind was indeed filled only with his racing car, and not with any clues that might reveal Batman's identity. They thanked him for his cooperation and prepared to send him away.
Bruce felt a little guilty, but not much. Not long ago, he might have been pleased with the growing professionalism of the GCPD thanks to his and Gordon's efforts over the years.
But the situation is different now.
The serial killer impersonating Batman is wreaking havoc outside, while his ally Gordon is in a coma in the hospital a week after a car accident and is temporarily unable to provide him with covert support. As a result, the GCPD has issued a warrant for Batman's arrest, making Bruce's already race against time to track down the imposter even more difficult.
Yes, a fake—that's what Bruce called the high-quality Batman impersonator.
As the true Batman, Bruce Wayne naturally has the right to make such a comment about the guy who is using his name to wreak havoc in Gotham City.
However, compared to Batman's reputation... to be honest, Bruce has never cared about reputation; he is clearly more concerned about the act of killing itself.
If we don't stop him, how many more people will he kill? Perhaps there are indeed unforgivable villains among them, but who cares about the lives of the innocent people who are affected?
At least, Bruce cares.
However, his investigation has temporarily run into difficulties.
Clearly, the imposter was not some guy who just decided to commit crimes under Batman's name on a whim. Although his equipment was not as good as the real Batman suit, it had a similarity of more than 90% under the cover of night. It was definitely a counterfeit that only someone who had observed him for a long time could make.
Furthermore, the imposter's familiarity with the city was no less than Bruce's, and he suddenly disappeared several times despite Batman's relentless pursuit, forcing Bruce to reluctantly give up the follow-up investigation.
Besides, the fake demonstrated certain military combat skills in his few direct confrontations with Bruce, suggesting he may have served in the military...
But these confrontations often end with the imposter fleeing when he realizes the police are moving—how could he possibly know the police's movements in advance? Does he have the ability to hack into police channels, or does he have connections within the GCPD?
The counterfeit is a huge mystery, and this mystery has swallowed 14 lives like an abyss.
Speaking of the 14th life—tonight, Bruce received information about the counterfeit at the party. He hurriedly made an excuse to leave and sped off, not knowing how many speeding tickets he would receive tomorrow. However, he still couldn't catch up with the other party to stop them from committing the fourteenth crime. He only saw the tail of a motorcycle leaving.
The police arrived just minutes after him, extinguishing Bruce's desire to chase after them in his car.
But to his surprise, the police later informed him that they had found a second witness at the scene—a young man named Jaeger Winchester.
A second witness? When Bruce arrived, he found no trace of anyone else, and the alley was a dead end... So the question is, where did this guy named Jaeger come from?
He didn't like the feeling of something being out of his control, so he simply took advantage of the opportunity to put a small thing in the other person's pocket.
If Jaeger knew that this so-called "little thing" was actually a tiny integrated device of a listening device, a locator, and a miniature camera produced by Wayne Industries, he would probably be both touched and relieved, laughing in exasperation.
Bruce, being a repeat offender in some respects, showed no awareness of violating others' right to privacy. He was busy saying goodbye to the police and going out to find his car parked outside the police cordon so he could get back to investigate the case as soon as possible.
But unexpectedly, someone was already waiting by his car, and gave him a polite smile the moment their eyes met.
He was a young man with black hair, about 20 years old. His appearance and light gray eyes showed some Slavic ancestry. He was of normal build, showed no signs of training, and wore a long gray overcoat and canvas shoes.
—That was Jaeger Winchester.
Why is he here?
"I've been waiting for you for a long time."
The other person spoke first, pointing clearly to his pocket. Catching Bruce's almost imperceptible pause, his grey eyes immediately flashed with a cunning coldness.
It felt quite strange, like seeing a crow staring at you from a tombstone in the dead of night.
"I think I need an explanation for this... So, would you mind talking to me, Mr. Wayne?"