章節 1817: Chapter 1228: The Farm of Justice (Ten)_1
Thomas looked at Aisha whose resemblance was quite similar to Bruce's and even his, opened his mouth but could not utter a word.
Being an orthodox Batman, Thomas could never have imagined the complicated and bizarre birth process of Aisha.
Everyone insinuated that Aisha was born to Bruce, thus, Thomas could only understand that his son must have done something outrageous which led to him having an early daughter.
After acknowledging this fact, Thomas remembered the call from Shiller. He had to admit that he paid the price for his gullibility and recklessness, but the plot was possibly started by Professor Zoom, not the Joker.
In the world where Thomas lived, Flash Barry was chasing after Professor Zoom and found Thomas. Thomas injured Professor Zoom but he pulled Thomas and ran out of the cosmos immediately.
During his capture by Professor Zoom, Thomas found that Professor Zoom encountered some troubles. It seemed that he couldn't find the destination he wanted to go to, for some reason. He was influenced by a mysterious power and accidentally landed in this current cosmos.
Batman Thomas knew well that none of these villains were trustworthy, but the harsh words Professor Zoom left before leaving still made him worry. This guy, always against The Flash, threatened he would let Thomas see what would happen after Bruce's resurrection.
When he was previously looking for Flash Barry's help, Thomas knew that if Bruce were to resurrect, he would also become Batman. But Thomas did not want his son to go down this road at all.
What Professor Zoom implied was that Bruce still went on this path, and according to him, in the majority of the cosmos, the person who became Batman was Bruce Wayne.
This was utterly devastating for Thomas because his wife Martha, who had become the Joker, had just died from collapse due to this terrible prophecy.
Thus, when Thomas landed, he was somewhat lost. Keeping with the instinct of Batman, he found Shiller who was still in jail. What Thomas was thinking wasn't too hard to guess, any concerns a father has for his son would be written all over his face.
Actually, Shiller did not deceive Thomas. He just acted as a dark-hearted tour guide, emphasizing that Bruce's activity area was mainly around the Wayne building and Wayne Manor, perfectly avoiding the East District and North District of Gotham, where the biggest changes had happened.
Therefore, as soon as Thomas arrived in Gotham, he went straight to the Wayne building. As expected, he saw the Batman who was acting as a tourist attraction there.
Thomas didn't know that Bruce was there to take pictures. He thought about his own experiences and felt that his son must have been like him, standing on the top of the building, pondering when this sinful city could be saved.
Afterwards, he met Dick. Dick came out because he had argued with Bruce and inevitably expressed some emotions in his words.
In the world where Thomas lived, Bruce died early. He didn't even have the chance to enjoy the joy of being with his children. However, Bruce of this world just gave up such a great opportunity. This broke Thomas's heart.
The heartbreak led him to make the biggest mistake in the whole situation, which was to go back and find Shiller.
Because Thomas knew that Shiller was the Joker, he thought that Shiller must have a way to deal with the Batman of this world. He wanted to stop Batman from continuing as Batman, and not to go down this hopeless road.
Thomas didn't know Bruce well enough, but Shiller knew Bruce too well. He accurately guessed that after seeing Thomas, Bruce would definitely feel emotional, and might even lose control of his emotions. As expected, he was right.
Overall, this situation was a huge trap for the Wayne father and son. The bigger issue now is that when Bruce had left, he didn't make any preparations or arrangements. He didn't take any precautions against Thomas. He just left without saying anything else, which puzzled Thomas a great deal.
According to his logic, if Bruce became Batman, he would surely not allow another stranger to enter Wayne Manor, no matter if it was Thomas or not.
From his personal experience, Thomas knew that if one day, the Bruce from his universe was resurrected, he would never allow his son to be close to his family or even teammates and acquaintances without surveillance. There were no special reasons, simply because he was Batman.
But Bruce left too quickly, like a whirlwind. If what took him away wasn't his long-lost lover, it could only mean that Batman in this world had totally given up.
Before Thomas could delve deeper into this issue, Alfred's voice came from the door: "Master Thomas, there's a visitor. It's Mayor Roy from Gotham City. Should I let him in?"
Thomas instinctively squinted. He subconsciously reached out to touch his face and then the mask of Batman. He was still in the outfit of Batman.
So when Alfred invited Roy in, Roy was stunned. He looked up and down at Thomas and then said, "Bruce, what happened to you? Why do you look so much older?... Wait, you're not Bruce."
Roy instinctively backed off two steps and cautiously reached for the gun in his waist. Alfred put the towel aside and explained, "Mr. Mayor, this is another Batman. There is no need to worry."
Roy slowly widened his eyes, saying incredulously: "So, Batman is not an identity but a profession. There's more than one of you?!"
Just as Thomas was about to reply, the expression on the face of the Italian man in front of him suddenly turned into one of joy, his face full of the wrinkles born of his broad smile, evidently thrilled.
Roy stepped forward enthusiastically, firmly shook Thomas's hands, gave them a vigorous shake, and said, "Welcome, new Batman, how many of you are there? Ten?"
"Really, Bruce should have told me earlier. If I had known that you were all a group, I would not have been chasing him every day," Roy pretended to complain.
"Uh, sir, considering you are close to retirement, you should have some free time. So, at 7 o'clock this evening, we will be on the rooftop of the Wayne Building, awaiting the arrival of our superstar. Don't be late!"
Roy made an OK gesture, turned around and left, practically skipping away, while Thomas remained rooted to the spot, trying to comprehend what he had just said.
After Roy had left, Alfred, feather duster in hand, began to clean a vase, saying,
"Master Bruce, there is a part-time public service offer from the city council. The main objective is to improve the tourist image of Gotham City through personal image, contributing significantly to the property values and rents around Wayne Building..."
"Wait a minute, Alfred." Thomas raised his hand to interrupt him and said: "This is America, speak American English."
"Very well, sir. To put it simply, every Saturday night at 8 o'clock, Batman will be on the Wayne Building's rooftop on time, allowing tourists to experience the charm of the Gotham urban legend for themselves."
"You mean his part-time job is being a model?" Thomas frowned deeply and said, "And his work is to stand on the rooftop of the Wayne Building to have tourists take photos of him?"???"
"In general, sir, yes it is."
"What does he think Batman is for?" Thomas held his forehead, but then paused. Wasn't this exactly his purpose? Standing guard on the rooftop was definitely safer compared to flying down to fight crime, right?
But why did he feel something was not right?
Shouldn't the image of Batman be one that everyone fears, that makes people want to run away at the sight of him? Could the Bruce of this universe have designed a comical image for Batman??
It's not that Thomas had an overactive imagination. Mainly, during his time, most of the popular stars and artists were more comical and relatable.
Back then, cultural trends were more mainstream. Subcultures and punk culture had not fully developed, and the national cultural propaganda was primarily positive.
But in the era when Bruce exists, punk is booming. The desperation of the golden age gradually collapsing has led people to deeper reflections on non-mainstream art, leaning towards death and darkness.
With all kinds of slang and foul language, rap was popular, and the Hollywood stars who were in and out of night clubs every day, living hedonistically, were more popular. The dark tone of Batman could show off the unique aesthetic of young people and thus was sought after.
Although Thomas was also Batman, he was also limited by age and perspective. He really couldn't understand why people would pursue a dark hero.
This was also the reason why he was very pessimistic about the future of Batman - in his view, a hero in the dark was not a hero and could never be understood by anyone.
So, he shook his head helplessly, looking at Alfred and asked, "Can I go underground in the manor to take a look?"
Thomas wanted to go to the Batcave to see what warped design his son had given Batman's uniform. That day, when Bruce was chasing him, Thomas was too busy running away and did not look closely.
What further surprised Thomas was that Alfred showed no hint of refusal. Instead, he readily agreed, nodded, and willingly led the way.
As they descended the stairs, Thomas thought that there might be some uncrackable code that locks the Batcave underground. Thus, Bruce had such confidence to leave such an important place to someone he had only recently met.
However, there were no traps or mechanisms on the stairs leading to the basement, not even many cameras. The stairs were poorly maintained and the ground was a bit damp, it didn't look like a place that could keep the enemy out.
When the door to the basement opened, Thomas was dumbstruck.
Staring at what looked like a very ordinary laboratory with just a few workstations, his voice filled with confusion echoed at the entryway.
"...Where is the Batcave??"
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