American comics: What kind of evil intentions could Batman have?

Chapter 48 Deception

Chapter 48 Deception

Old Wayne Building.

As the elevator doors dinged open, Chen Tao stepped onto the 14th floor and saw Lincoln March standing there, like a silent, elegant statue.

"Bruce, I was just about to say how grateful I am that you came to meet me. I can imagine how busy you must have been these days."

"I'm not so busy that I don't have time to meet with Lincoln March, the 'next mayor of Gotham City'—"

"Is that what the gossip is saying right now?"

"I suppose so," Chen Tao smiled at him. "But I don't doubt the veracity of the gossip. I've been reading reports about you, the self-made financial tycoon who has transformed into a philanthropist."

"Your story is wonderful and perfect."

Lincoln March felt that when Bruce used the word "perfect," it seemed to imply something else, but looking into his sincere eyes, he felt that it was just his imagination.

"You've also done good deeds; you've sponsored a boys' home and started an after-school reading and writing class."

Chen Tao took out a check and scribbled on it.

"So what do you think? Are you satisfied with these numbers?"

"Bruce, I'm not here to ask you for money, but don't get me wrong—every penny is worth being grateful for."

Lincoln March said, "Damn it, Mayor Caro has about 10 credit lines operating 24/7, and the source of funding is questionable, to put it mildly."

"If you want public support, I'm afraid I can't provide that."

"I don't want public support; all I really want is your vote."

Chen Tao watched Lincoln March act silently.

The other party's expression was sincere.

Tsk. If he enjoys playing so much, why not play along?

"My vote. You came all this way just for one vote, Lincoln."

"Yes, but what you're doing right now is also my belief. The Bruce Gotham Reconstruction Plan is a good thing. To be honest, I look at you like I'm seeing a friend."

"Cynical people will say you see an opportunity."

"Yes, cynics will also say that you launched the New Gotham project for the company's image, because it's a publicly owned project and so on, but it serves private purposes."

"Is that what the gossip is saying right now?"

"I suppose so, maybe they're right. I should go now, I'll leave the check on the table."

"Bruce, you know, I also lost both my parents when I was a child."

Chen Tao paused in his steps.

The main event is about to begin, with a classic parent-child dynamic.

In any case, when you want to deceive Batman, first steer the conversation to an area he doesn't understand.

"It's strange, isn't it? I only remember the details, I can hardly recall my mother's face. But I remember her—I remember her perfectly clearly."

The brooch she wore on the day of the accident. It was a small, heart-shaped ceramic brooch I made for her at school, completely crooked, one side bigger than the other, but she pinned it to her glamorous dress. My ugly little brooch.

I don't remember hitting our drunk driver.

I don't quite remember how the accident happened... but I remember when the paramedics took me away, I saw the brooch lying on the ground, perfectly intact, without any breaks or cracks, just lying there on the road, and I just hoped someone would pick it up.

"After I lost everything that night, I was in a state of utter despair for a long time. I hated the world."

"But then I got tuition, which funded my studies at the City College. This city saved me, Bruce, Gotham saved me."

"When I was alone, this city gave me a goal, and I bet it gave you one too."

"I look at you, and I see an ally, a true ally. You surely know that there aren't many allies in this city, and they're far apart, especially now."

Chen Tao smiled.

"Mr. March..."

"I've always believed that the best way to understand a city is to be there in person."

He turned around, stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, stretched his body, and gazed at the scattered lights of human life in the distant night sky.

"Feel the cracks in the sidewalk beneath your feet..."

An indescribable aura enveloped Lincoln March. He didn't understand what was happening; he only felt—

Just seeing Bruce Wayne standing there with a wine glass... made him feel a little suffocated.

"A strange, bright silence hung over the snow-covered parking lot..."

"The elevated trains that sped across the Third Street hissed and sparked."

"The ticking of traffic lights late at night..."

"But do you know what the most interesting thing is?"

He saw Bruce Wayne turn around, and light streamed into the room from behind him, obscuring half of his face in shadow.

"Everything in Gotham is so obvious on the surface, but if you try to understand Gotham at a deeper level, you will spend your whole life... and still know nothing about it."

"Is that right, Mr. March?"

"There is an underground cave in Gotham."

Lincoln March didn't know why the topic had suddenly veered off course like this.

"There is only one, and actually this only one is in Kane County, located right below the Willow Grove Children's Aid Center. Many years ago, this was an affiliated hospital in Gotham that treated children with mental illnesses and neurological disorders, and it was still operating 18 years ago."

Lincoln March's expression gradually changed. This was a secret known only to him and the court. They had kept it well hidden all these years; how did Batman obtain this information?

Of course, I found out from reading comics.

Chen Tao looked at his solemn expression and chuckled inwardly.

He continued:

"I once had a younger brother, Thomas Wayne II, Mr. March..."

As Chen Tao spoke, he secretly observed Lincoln March.

He chuckled inwardly and continued, recounting a story that had been drastically altered by a time traveler:

"When I was three years old, my mother became pregnant with him. We were in a car accident. I don't remember the accident, but there are records. He is my younger brother. He was premature and had congenital defects."

Lincoln March felt his heart beating faster and faster.

Bruce Wayne knew far more than he had expected, which meant that... all his previous assumptions about the other party had to be scrapped and rewritten.

"Gotham Humane Hospital records show that my younger brother, Thomas Wayne Jr., was born under emergency circumstances. He was given a name and quickly put on a life support tube—but doctors say he has severe nerve damage. It's so severe that he is very likely to remain in a permanent vegetative state to recover from the initial trauma."

"He survived."

"My parents secretly took him to Willowwood Hospital for treatment. They always felt that the car accident was unusual. In order to protect the little baby and to prevent any possible mastermind from harming him, they sent him to Willowwood."

Chen Tao stared intently at Lincoln March's face: "My parents loved my younger brother. But what no one expected was—"

"Two weeks later, the tiny baby disappeared."

Chen Tao said, "My parents were searching for him until they died, and I've been searching for him for so many years."

Lincoln March's hands were shaking.

"But we didn't find it at all."

"Where do you think that child is, March?"

(End of this chapter)