What Bad Thoughts Can Batman Have 96

## Chapter 96: Reclothing in Black

I am Chen Tao.

A time traveler.

Countless times I’ve questioned if my actions are truly sane.

Have I been influenced by those Batman memories?

Am I, under their influence, changing my ways, going insane day by day?

Just look at what I’m about to do.

I’m going to intercept a nuclear bomb, completely voluntary, premeditated, and deliberately careless.

—Damn it, I’ve already completely transformed into Batman’s mold. That pointy-eared mask has a damn magical quality.

—What kind of madman would anticipate taking a nuclear bomb directly?

Like someone standing on the edge of a cliff, secretly hoping to stumble and fall?

This is definitely a sick, self-destructive tendency.

Ha.

So now, you’re questioning your motives? Your body honestly prepared for everything, and then you doubt your own mind?

Don’t be ridiculous.

You tell yourself:

There’s no turning back.

No matter what, this is my decision… Chen Tao’s decision.

I’ve decided to personally intercept that nuclear bomb in the event of a possible, worst-case scenario, when all my cards are played, there’s no other choice, and I risk being blown to pieces.

It’s time to act on my decision.

And so, the anticipated fear, like a cardiac pacemaker, jolts your entire body.

“I’ve modified the design of the nuclear bomb, it’s no longer a weapon aimed at ground targets… It’s a weapon aimed at the one you created—,”

Bane said.

The world distorts in your vision, Bane’s voice stretching and warping in your ears.

You hear Bane say:

“Its radar is set to track Batman.”

And you know you are Batman.

“This is terrible,” Lucius’ voice crackled through the earpiece: “I understand what Bane means. It means this nuclear bomb is now launching on its predetermined trajectory.

If we ignore it, it’ll level Metropolis. And if you want to push it off course, throwing it out of Earth’s orbit is impossible, because this bomb is set to track you. Once you get close, it’ll detonate!”

He’s talking somewhat incoherently, not thinking before he speaks, but at least he vaguely explains the situation.

Then Alfred’s voice rings through the channel:

“Master Bruce, I’ve got the gist. You don’t need to handle this alone.”

His face, adorned with a candle-head headpiece, appears on the two-dimensional projection screen, with two stationary claws behind him.

Young Robin stands safely behind him, all the crisis and danger distant from him.

Alfred’s tone is calm, seemingly rational, and even carries a relaxed smile:

“We must have other options. We can think of other ways. Like drones—“

“Bane specifically named me,” Chen Tao whispers to him. “Would he not consider these? Drones are impossible to adapt to an environment like leaving the atmosphere. It’s undoubtedly a grand gift prepared specifically for me.”

Alfred falls silent for a moment, then quickly says:

“Then there are other ways, Man-Bat, Man-Bat can fly as well!”

So you don’t care if Man-Bat lives or dies? Facing a nuclear explosion without a nano-body, that would definitely be fatal.

While Chen Tao doesn’t mind finding a scapegoat, the main thing is…

“How can Man-Bat’s flight speed possibly catch a missile?”

“Then we can find—“

Chen Tao takes a deep breath.

“Alfred, I’ve anticipated this situation, okay?”

He tells Alfred:

“It’s just about facing the explosion head-on.”

He organizes his language:

“I have some special abilities, nano-Batman and all that.”

Alfred replies in a low voice: “I know, Master Bruce. While you haven’t actively explained them to me, I wouldn’t deliberately ask. But undoubtedly, I know.”

Chen Tao continues:

“I’ve imagined the nuclear explosion scene. As long as I can simultaneously transform into a hybrid of car and nano-body, along with the Amber Gold safety net of the Owl Bat, even facing a nuclear bomb—our chief scientist has calculated the relevant figures for me—I won’t die. At most, I’ll be weakened.”

He stretches out his hand, one hand transforming into the black sand of the Broken Bat, the other condensing into green dinosaur claws, then smoothly turning into car tires under his control.

His temples throbbed in pain, but this time…

These two combined transformations didn’t collapse.

Lucius’ voice confirmed from the side: “Alfred, Bruce didn’t want me to tell you before, mainly because he was afraid you would worry. And this was just a contingency for the worst-case scenario, even though now… uh…”

He says in a dull tone: “This worst-case scenario has become reality.”

Alfred falls silent for a moment.

“You never told me you’d thought about taking the nuclear bomb head-on.”

He suddenly turns his head and looks at Robin, who is standing beside him: “Tim, did you know about this? You kept it from me? You were afraid to tell me?”

He didn’t even call him Master Tim as usual.

Tim remains silent.

Alfred turns his head and says dejectedly:

“Did you try it?”

Chen Tao is speechless.

“Goodness, you’ve never tried it, have you? You’re not sure if you can survive a nuclear blast.”

“It’s not that exaggerated,” Chen Tao tells him: “Based on calculations, as long as I’m not at the epicenter, the blast wave and heat energy won’t be enough to destroy me. Of course, radiation is also ineffective against me…”

Chen Tao rambles on, then suddenly realizes that this won’t ease Alfred’s worry, so he stops explaining, and finally says:

“I’m sorry, Alfred. I’m afraid I have to go. After all, this is Batman’s responsibility.”

Chen Tao can clearly hear every word he says.

“And I am—“

“No! No! You can’t!!! You’re not him! He’s dead! He’s finally dead! He’s finally gotten his wish, he’s finally died with the monsters, exhausted!”

Alfred finally explodes.

He’s trembling all over, unable to maintain his forced smile anymore.

“The city gave you back to me! Gotham gave me back the little boy named Bruce Wayne who died in Crime Alley with his parents!”

“You’ve finally let go, you can finally sleep, you’re finally at peace—my child!”

He carefully stretches out his hand, as if he’s going to touch Bruce’s face through the screen, as if he’s touching something fragile.

“My child, so full of hardship, wounded all over! You’ve suffered so much! You don’t have to, you don’t need to—“

He clenches his fists as if he can desperately grab his Bruce, as if Chen Tao is going to transform into a bat and fly away the next second.

“Please, damn it! You don’t have to be that bat monster in a black suit anymore!”

“…”

The old man seems to have used up his last bit of strength. His legs buckle, and he collapses to the ground.

“Please…”

“…”

“There are others… others who can go. You don’t owe this city anything, you don’t owe anyone. You should live a normal life, this city, or other cities, what happens to them is none of your business anymore.”

He utters two indistinct whimpers.

Under the light, half of Chen Tao’s face is hidden in the shadows.

“Nuclear explosion, world destruction, this… these aren’t your responsibility.”

He says:

“You promised to retire with me.”

It’s always been this way, it’s happened too many times—the child of Gotham puts on his armor again, the dead bat monster awakens again, and he…

Must watch Bruce Wayne teeter on the edge of death once more. For Alfred, this is undoubtedly the cruelest torture of his life.

For this…

I apologize deeply.

“Alfred…”

“I am Batman.”

Chen Tao always feels there’s a sense of destiny to these words.

They stand there, speechless.

Lucius’ voice also rings in Chen Tao’s ears at this time: “We’ve detected it, the nuclear bomb!”

He says sadly: “But we don’t have any more interceptor missiles. So…”

“I understand.”

The Dark Knight takes a deep breath, he nods heavily, sighs, and when he raises his head, Alfred sees the raging, burning fire in his eyes, the fire that consumes everything.

He’s familiar with that look, he’s too familiar with that look.

The look that belongs to Batman, a look he’s seen countless times in the past—

Proud and aloof, sharp and disdainful!

(End of Chapter)

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