vncnus Page 383
Page 383
“Bruce, my boy, you should listen to your Uncle Ian more often, okay?” Thomas Wayne had a hand on his shoulder, and he was smiling at Bruce Wayne off-camera.
Batman's gaze was fixed on the figure in the video, his fingers gripping the armrests of his wheelchair so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force. The Thomas Wayne in the video was incredibly lifelike, down to the exact smile lines at the corners of his eyes—a relaxed smile that had never appeared in his childhood photo album.
The King of Gotham's expression and inner turmoil were complex, a mixture of joy at seeing his family again and unease and fear. His gaze was involuntarily drawn to the hand on Thomas Wayne's shoulder—just as Ian had predicted, Batman's uncontrolled intelligence had begun to analyze things involuntarily.
Bruce Wayne felt that even if his father didn't blink, he was definitely being threatened, and Thomas probably needed to befriend Ian for some reason.
This was what truly unsettled Bruce Wayne, something that probably kept him up all night even after taking ten sleeping pills. He knew all too well that no one who needed Ian's help could escape being taken advantage of by him.
This is even more terrifying than Ian actually enjoying blackmailing others; there's no solution.
"Clark Kent!"
It's unclear why he was silently chanting Superman's name in his heart. To prevent Ian's scheme from succeeding, even though Bruce Wayne's face was ashen and his hands were trembling with anger, he still didn't reply to Ian, because he knew that was the result Ian wanted.
"Click~"
The Bat-Man simply used his bat-like hands and bat-like strength to crush his spare phone into pieces. The phone twisted and deformed in his palm, the screen shattered, sparks flew from the circuit board, and it ultimately turned into a pile of scrap metal. At that moment, Bruce Wayne secretly resolved to prevent Ian from ever attempting to meet him again.
The bat-like intelligence, which was reluctant to be used, was still telling him the truth he didn't want to accept—that the devil always had a trick up his sleeve, and he could actually make him call Ian "Uncle Ian" in person.
Bruce Wayne felt his hell was about to descend. He didn't move or speak. In the alleyways of the street, only the low hum of the wheelchair's engine could be heard.
however.
The criminal's voice broke the silence.
"Batman, if you don't want your phone, you can give it to me. I'll put it on [Zhuanyu], the recycling platform of Ian's Greatest Tech Company. The secondhand price is much higher than your company's recycling price. On-site payment, privacy wipe, hassle-free and convenient. We buy smart digital products and gold luxury items at high prices, with a maximum repurchase bonus of 1280 yuan."
"Limited-time flash sale, up to 200 yuan off on top of the promotion, official verification, buy and sell with more confidence." Hugo Strange lay on the ground, earnestly persuading them.
Even having his legs crushed couldn't stop his concern for Batman. Of course, this was definitely a case of deliberately bringing up a sore spot, and Batman reacted as if his sensitive skin had been touched.
"Crunch—crunch—crunch—"
Bruce Wayne remained silent, only slowly turning his wheelchair and aiming it at one of his old rivals on the ground once more.
"Crunch—crunch—crunch—"
The wheel rolled over Hugo Strange's legs again and again, the sound of bones shattering echoing through the alley. He upgraded Hugo Strange's comminuted fracture package for free.
no way.
Dealing with old adversaries is always more violent than dealing with Gotham's rookie criminals, since old adversaries don't have rookie protection, and Batman knows that Hugo Strange can always fix his own legs.
"Oh, Batman... this silent rage is perhaps the reason I can never truly replace you..." Hugo Strange is a psychologist at Arkham Asylum, obsessed with studying Batman, and adept at manipulating others to achieve his own ends. He has impersonated Batman multiple times to satisfy his desires.
and so.
His current idol is Ian Kent, the boy whose true identity he also uncovered, and who realized how successful Kent was at portraying Batman.
now.
Hugo Strange wanted to manipulate Batman's psyche, and he succeeded in having Batman crush his legs. Afterward, he began to exert psychological influence on Batman.
“Look, look, when we were feeling down, we were all the same… Now, I’m just like you. I’m going to get myself a wheelchair when I get back.” Yes, that’s why he wanted to lose both his legs too, because Batman is currently in a wheelchair.
“360 mph? You’re too conservative. I can do better than you!” Hugo Strange looked at his broken legs with satisfaction. He was already using his Gotham Universal High Intelligence to build a blueprint for a wheelchair. He felt that he was one step closer to surpassing Batman.
"Shut up!"
Bruce Wayne was already used to Gotham's various villains, and he had even been through Ian's ordeal, so this "psychological attack" from his old rival didn't really have much of an impact on Batman.
The person on Earth most skilled in psychological warfare is undoubtedly that weird boy, followed by the Joker. Having silently ranked them in his mind, Bruce Wayne punched his incessantly talking opponent unconscious. After sending Hugo Strange back to where he belonged, he began frantically trying to distract himself.
no way.
Bruce Wayne didn't want his Bat Intelligence to start doing unnecessary work again after he had a moment's peace, so he "drove" his throne wheelchair and went on a crazy rampage in Gotham in broad daylight.
This is absolutely unprecedented.
Many villains have been thrown off balance by Batman's unconventional schedule.
Screams echoed across Gotham Pier.
this day.
A terrifying legend about a "wheelchair bat" began to circulate. Some said that Batman no longer used the Batmobile, but instead roamed the daytime in a wheelchair capable of crushing bones.
This legend quickly spread through black markets, bars, and slums, becoming a new symbol of fear. Meanwhile, new Gotham ghost stories began to circulate in Blackgate prison.
legend.
Batman, in his electric wheelchair, would repeatedly run over criminals until they could recite the entire history of Gotham City and hurl a hundred insults at Superman and his family. Because Batman was temporarily unwilling to use his Bat-like intelligence, he didn't realize that the photograph was just the beginning.
His decision to crush all his spare phones instead of checking his text messages caused him to miss the opportunity to prevent an even bigger "crisis"—a revolution in film and television was brewing on the internet.
A documentary about "The Fall of the King" is being uploaded to the "Documentary Section" of the "Superhero Popularity Center," and the distribution rights were immediately snapped up by a user named "I Want to Be Richer Than Bruce Wayne" for $300 million. It seems Green Arrow really enjoys being active online when he has nothing better to do.
The revamped Superhero Popularity Center now features a film and television channel, with three categories for users to upload their own videos: 3D, Chinese, and Documentary.
The review process for the "Domestic Zone" is the most demanding, as it is a legitimate website. However, ever since the fall of Heaven's Gate, a user named "Batman, Love Me Again" has been uploading ten million illegal fan-made videos of "Batman's Tragic Love Story" every day, suggesting that the power of some archangel has been misused.
of course.
Ian was unaware of this; he only discovered that the black box could not track the user's IP address, and the account could not be banned, so he had met a worthy opponent.
After fiddling with his phone for a bit, Ian continued his meeting. The fun of being a boss lies in holding meetings; what kind of boss are you if you don't hold meetings?
Putting aside the fact that his employees love working 24/7, he is already much better than most bosses. At least he doesn't hold meetings during employees' off-hours, but only during their working hours. To reiterate, the fact that the angels love working 24/7 has little to do with Ian.
They always felt that working a little longer would earn them more angel points. Ian had advised them to rest for at least half an hour, but the angels' reactions made Ian want to name them Xiangzi No. 1, Xiangzi No. 2, Xiangzi No. 3, and so on. The angels really still had a long way to go in terms of experiencing life.
Inside the New Paradise Technology Factory.
Ian's PUA session resembled a cult performance. Behind him was a huge holographic screen scrolling with the words "Strive! Fight! Persevere! Surpass!" The background music was an AI-remixed version of "Symphony No. 5," with the rhythm deliberately lengthened and each drumbeat as heavy as a heartbeat.
Ian picked up the microphone again.
The voice is deep and powerful.
"Angels!"
He spoke.
The sound instantly penetrated the entire factory.
"who are you?!"
There was no answer, only a silent wait.
"I ask you—who are you?!"
Ian's voice suddenly rose, almost roaring. This time, thousands upon thousands of angels responded in unison: "We are the light of the new heaven!"
The angels suppressed their shame and shouted as Ian had asked. They had definitely grown, and in any case, they would be much thicker-skinned after leaving the factory.
"No! You are not light, you are just angels fallen to earth!" Ian waved his hand abruptly, but instead of following the expected pattern, he turned around and pressed a button on the remote control. The holographic screen instantly switched to a series of tired human faces—programmers, cleaners, food delivery riders, and construction workers.
“Look at the products in your hands! The quality has improved, but the production speed is still not enough. I have put aside my pride and relied on the support of the younger generation to open up the market for your products.”
"And the result is that you have let down my efforts and sacrifices, and you have let down New Paradise."
“I’ve heard that some people are starting to slack off, thinking that the work is too hard. But compare yourselves to them. Are you really working too hard? You don’t have to be exposed to the scorching sun. You have air conditioning while you work, and there are brand-name snacks nearing their expiration date in the rest area. The mineral water you drink is all bottled by me from my dimension and is free of nuclear radiation.”
"Isn't this much happier than most humans? Angels, you can't only love your work when you have divine power! Look at your hands! That's not light, that's responsibility! That's mission! That's—the ultimate love for humanity! Every microwave oven you make means one more poor person can have one."
"And the Ministry of Science and Technology over there, although they don't have production equipment and raw materials for the time being, that's not a big problem. Humanity has gone from eating raw meat to technological prosperity. As angels, great angels, what's so difficult about you making a few F-35s by hand? I promised my grandfather that I would deliver ten F-35s to him by the end of the year!"
"If you can't make it, how will my grandfather take kickbacks? If my grandfather can't take kickbacks, how will I get the rebates he gives me? America's future—no, I just finished my history class today, I should say the future of the Earth depends on these ten F-35s. Listen to me, after you finish making the nuclear reactor, come and make this F-35."
“I know your divine power has recovered a little bit… Yes, I have spies everywhere in the factory. You can’t believe how quickly you betrayed your own people.”
"Now I understand why humans also possess these admirable virtues that capitalists find quite appealing." Ian offered some encouragement after his swift and decisive action.
"We want every product to be a gift from God! Every mobile phone to carry the will of angels! Every pair of headphones to play hymns from heaven!"
"Striving is not a choice, it's destiny!"
"Striving is not just a slogan, it's a daily practice!"
"Persistence is not a virtue, it's an instinct!"
"Effort is not a virtue, it is existence itself!"
"From today onward, we have only one goal—to make New Paradise Technology products used in every corner of the world, in every family, and in every soul!"
"This is how you show your love for humanity! God is watching us!" Ian said sincerely, prompting everyone to read the company slogan again.
He ignited the emotions in all five hundred angels.
"If you don't work hard today, Lucifer will laugh at you to your face tomorrow!" This is a real slogan. After all, for an excellent company, a slogan is definitely not just empty talk.
Lucifer was happy to take on this part-time job.
“Lucifer…”
Michael stood at the very end of the angelic formation, a pure white aura flowing between his palms, appearing extremely restrained. This archangel lowered his eyes, seemingly submissive, but his knuckles were clenched tightly.
The fingernails were almost embedded in the palm.
Ian's inflammatory speech still echoed in his ears, each "service upgrade" slogan like a thorn piercing his dignity as an archangel. He glanced at the brainwashed "white angel broadcasters" before him—their faces beaming with fanatical smiles, vying to show how hard they would work.
This situation distressed Michael. As a superior race, the angels were actually doing such things. He would never have even considered such a scene in the past.
however.
Fallen to the mortal world.
Everything has changed.
Even he could only passively accept reality. Michael roared inwardly. He had once commanded the heavenly army, yet now he was reduced to a salesman for this technological cult? No, he would fight back. He would climb to the top within Ian's rules, using even more extreme methods—not through divine power, but through cunning.
"Bottom-of-the-line performance? Absolutely not!"
Michael wanted to prove himself, that even without divine power, he was still the most outstanding angel. He couldn't help it; he could clearly sense that Ian truly possessed a divine aura.
It's true that the other person said he had tea with God in the morning—he's never had tea with God in his life, and perhaps his current experience is God's way of testing the angels.
Michael pondered in his heart, having already figured out how to increase his fame. A domineering CEO? No! As the most powerful angel in Heaven, he had a better plan!
Thinking like this.
Michael was full of confidence. Just as Ian's speech was coming to an end, an angel strode forward, his face plastered with a fawning smile he had only recently learned.
"The data for the first batch of home appliances from the 'Gratitude Series'—the greatest being under God, Ian, is out! The shelves at Walmart were emptied in almost three seconds!"
"Your strategy of giving away eggs with the purchase of home appliances is really clever." The sales angel was holding a tablet computer, which Ian took from her. On the screen, housewives were frantically grabbing microwave ovens with his smiling face printed on them in a supermarket. One old lady even knocked over a shopping cart with her cane.