41 Chapter-41 | Cats and Bats... (2)

If you like my translation, be sure you become a patron!

PATRE0N.C0M/shanefreak

If you find any error, do comment!

....

When Schiller saw Bruce's sullen and disgruntled appearance written all over his face, he thought that the conversation with Catwoman was probably not progressing well.

"You guys didn't get into another fight, did you?"

"It's much more serious," Bruce said.

"Okay, so where is the stab?" Schiller asked.

"I mean, Gotham's situation is more serious than I thought," Bruce said.

"There are a bunch of bad guys here that you can't blame, because they've done well enough in this environment," Bruce said.

"I think you should now find that being Batman isn't such a simple thing," Schiller said.

"Indeed," Bruce said. "I thought I had tough armor, a bulletproof helmet, sharp batarangs, and guns and bullets. With these things, what gang could I not handle?"

"Guns are useful," Schiller said. "At least you can be sure that someone is willing to listen to what you have to say."

"I can't tell Selina that she's wrong," Bruce said, covering his eyes. "She's actually doing pretty well."

"Jonathan probably doesn't think so," Schiller pointed out. "If I told you right now that Jonathan actually grew up in a similar environment and that the crimes he committed were also because he wasn't taught any better, what would you think?"

Bruce opened his mouth, realizing that he had originally thought he was righteous, but then he discovered that there was no such thing as absolute righteousness. He at least thought he was fair, but now he realized that he might not be fair enough.

He had to admit that he was biased towards Selina. The gang members he punished, many of them were just like Catwoman Selina, just not as lucky.

Their families and pasts were all messed up. They were forced to work for the gang just to have something to eat. They weren't born to be evil and vicious criminals. They were just trying to survive.

Escaping the shackles of their social class was much more difficult than he imagined, especially in Gotham.

This realization made Bruce feel a bit hopeless. He finally understood why Schiller said he didn't understand Gotham.

Because no one could save Gotham without understanding Gotham.

You cannot find a single person among this group who deserves to be saved, nor can you find a person who is naturally meant to be eliminated.

The hero's path of advancement is vastly different from what Bruce thought. He thought that as long as he arrested enough criminals and obtained information from them, and then followed the trail to find the few cancerous people who have been influencing Gotham, and finally bring them to justice, Gotham would become better and better.

But now he finds that this is a bottomless pit. When he arrests one group of cancerous people, there is another group, and when he punishes one mastermind, there will always be another one.

No one can withstand such consumption, not in terms of wealth or physical strength.

Bruce now realizes that his struggle with Gotham will consume his entire life.

And then he finally understands that wealth, equipment, and fighting skills cannot make him a true Batman, because his biggest enemy is not criminals.

His biggest problem is not how cunning his opponent is, but whether he is firm enough. This is whether he can be firm enough to spend a lifetime trying to save an irreparable city.

It's like an ordinary person spending a lifetime trying to make the sun rise from the west.

Batman stands on the roof of the central building in Gotham, where the wind is strong and howls past his ears. At his feet are countless mediocre villains, like a group of ants building their nests. From here, you can clearly see everything in Gotham.

Batman originally thought that there was no order in Gotham, only chaos. However, now he finds that not only is there order here, but it is also stronger than anywhere else. If there was only chaos, he could rebuild the order, but now he can't even break the existing order in Gotham.

After a while, Batman hears footsteps behind him, and Catwoman walks over with her hands behind her back.

Seeing Batman turn around, she smiled and took out a gem from behind her, grinning as she handed it to Batman, and said, "I picked out a very beautiful piece of treasure from my collection. Of course, I can't bear to give you the big one, but I think this one is pretty cool too."

Bruce hasn't even spoken yet when Catwoman says, "I chatted with Maggie yesterday, and she said I should apologize to you because, either way, I shouldn't have stabbed you with my knife."

"I've never apologized to anyone before. If someone wants to fight me, I will fight back. But I feel like you've been really kind to me and even came with me to ride on the skyscraper, and then I stabbed you. That doesn't seem right.'

She batted her striking big eyes, those brown eyes sparkling in the Gotham-like darkness, and said, "I can see that you're worried, and I hope this gemstone will make you feel a bit better."

Batman looked down at the gemstone in his hand. It was a triangular red gemstone, a little like his ears, finely cut and with a charming luster even in faint light.

It was the first time he felt that this was not just a mineral that was meaningless to humans except for its pretty looks.

Batman asked, "Do you want to hear my story?"

On the other side, Schiller was holding the phone and saying, "Hello? How did he get through the approval process? Although I do not want to blame you, the Gotham Police Department is also a tad too childish ..."

He thought for a moment, and then said to Gordon, "I hope he stays in the hospital and doesn't come back to cause trouble.

You know, I'm not like Batman." Gordon hung up the phone and sighed. He knew it wouldn't be that easy. Despite everyone's efforts, Jonathan finally ended up in a mental institution, Victor disappeared, and Rantalous died.

But the old chancellor of Gotham University, under the pretext of medical parole, did not go to prison. He had been in Gotham for so many years and had some connections, and in the end he succeeded.

Schiller never hesitated to think of a Gotham citizen in a negative light. He knew that the old chancellor wouldn't just let it slide. Sure enough, the next day, when Schiller was about to get off work, a girl rushed into her office in a panic.

It was the same girl who had complained to the school when Christine disappeared. She was Christine's most trusted friend. "Has Christine disappeared again?" Schiller asked. "It's more terrible than that," the girl said anxiously. "Since then, Christine gave me a safety number. She told me that if this number appears on my cell phone, it means she may be in danger!"

Schiller hastened his pace of packing up his things and asked, "What happened?"

"Just three minutes ago, the phone rang but there was no sound on the other end!"

Schiller reassured the girl and then called Bruce. He said, "Bad news. Christine has gotten into trouble again. I don't know if Gordon told you, but the former principal was released on bail under the pretense of seeking medical treatment. If he wants to take revenge, the first person he will target will be the one who accused him..."

Bruce immediately returned to Wayne Manor, put on all of his Batman gear, and ran to save the girl. After all, it was he who had convinced Christine to accuse the principal.

Unfortunately, the former principal had become more cunning this time. He didn't use any unsavory gang members, but hired professional kidnappers who left no trace behind. It seemed that the principal only wanted to take revenge, and not use Christine to threaten anyone else.

But this only served to show that Christine was likely in an extremely dangerous situation.

After a while, Batman received a call from Schiller. Schiller said, "The street where the Red Raven Gang used to be located, the drug manufacturing den you destroyed..."

Bruce didn't have time to ask why before Schiller hung up the phone. Batman flew as fast as he could through the night sky of Gotham, racing in his car.

But he didn't have the Batmobile yet and a normal sports car wasn't fast enough. It would take a while to get to the East District from Wayne Manor and Christine could be harmed at any moment. Although he didn't like Christine, he didn't want to see an innocent person tragically killed.

Batman fiercely pounded the steering wheel, realizing that he needed a better mode of transportation.

Suddenly, an unexpected number called. It was Catwoman's voice on the other end. She said, "Hey, I saw your adorable girlfriend who always waits for you on the street. What's going on? Why are they heading to Maple Street? That's dangerous..."

"She's been kidnapped. Quick, think of a way to save her! No... I mean, can you keep an eye on them? Just watch them from a distance and call me... Nevermind, don't follow them. Just tell me where they are."

"You sound like you need help," Catwoman said.

Batman sounded agitated as he said, "This doesn't concern you. Just don't cause me any trouble tonight."

He hung up the phone and headed towards Maple Street.

After a while, Batman appeared at the end of Maple Street, which was indeed the original base of the Red Raven Gang. He had destroyed a den for manufacturing and producing opium here. Batman has a keen memory, so he walked straight ahead along the right side of the street, then turned into two alleys.

Just as he reached the end of the alley, he heard intense fighting and gunfire coming from inside. Batman quickly found the back door and quickly picked the lock. When he entered, he saw a group of unruly hoodlums lying on the ground, all of them screaming in pain as if they had been hit with joint techniques.

Passing through the entrance hall, he could see that seven or eight masked gangsters were also lying on the ground. Batman almost got hit by a whip in a whistling wind.

Catwoman turned around and said, "Thank God, the little girl is okay."

Batman turned his gaze to Christine on the sofa. Her clothes were slightly disheveled. If Catwoman hadn't arrived in time, something bad might have happened.

Then, Catwoman sniffed and frowned, saying, "No, why do I smell oil? Is your car leaking oil? No, oh no! It could be a Molotov cocktail. Quick, leave here and get away from here..."

Before she could finish speaking, the glass at the main door was shattered as countless molotov cocktails wrapped in cloth were thrown in. The flames immediately engulfed the room, as the abandoned hideout contained several flammable fabric couches, curtains, and other materials. It didn't take long for the fire to become fierce. Bruce, carrying the unconscious Catwoman, realized that the back door they had just reached was blocked from the outside by a heavy object. It was clear that this was a premeditated trap.

While Batman's suit was fireproof, Catwoman and Christine would be in danger if the fire continued. In addition, fireproof clothing did not mean that he was immune to smoke, and the thick black smoke made it almost impossible to see anything in the room. The four of them coughed repeatedly.

Suddenly, a crisp "ding" sound came from the right, as if something had fallen. Catwoman reacted quickly and whipped her whip in that direction, but when she dragged it back, she saw that it was a fire extinguisher!

Regardless of how the fire extinguisher came, Catwoman shook it vigorously. Batman said, "Follow through the place where they threw the molotov cocktails. There should be a fire extinguisher there!"

While Catwoman supported Christine from behind, Batman used the fire extinguisher to clear the path.

Sure enough, the person who threw the molotov cocktail had a lot of strength. This caused the molotov to land in the center of the hall, rather than at the entrance. There was only a small piece of carpet at the entrance, and nothing else that was flammable. Batman used the fire extinguisher to put out the flames that were coming their way as the two of them charged forward.

When they reached the entrance, Batman first used his gun to break the door lock, then began hitting the iron door with all his might.

It was clear that the person who had thrown the molotov was in a hurry, as the front door wasn't barricaded as tightly as the back door. After a few hits, Batman was able to open a gap in the front door.

But this also meant that the air was now circulating, and the fire grew even bigger. Catwoman was on the verge of passing out from the smoke, and Batman could clearly feel her hand on his shoulder starting to slide down. If she lost consciousness, both she and Christine were doomed.

With all his might, Batman hit the door one last time and it finally opened with a loud "Bang!" The three of them escaped, both Batman and Catwoman covered in smoke and soot.

After returning Christine home, Batman asked Catwoman, who was sitting in the passenger seat, "Why did you rush in to save Christine? That was very dangerous, wasn't it?"

Catwoman was still excitedly examining the luxurious interior of the car, obviously having never ridden in such an expensive car before.

She cleared her throat and calmed her excited mood a bit. After a moment, she said, "Actually, I just thought of a lot of reasons for you to praise me, like I'm trying to learn how to be a responsible person from you, or that I'm actually a justice-seeking superhero at heart, or that I can't stand seeing those gangsters hurt innocent people..."

Then Catwoman looked at him, and Batman once again felt his heart racing when he was looked at by those brown eyes.

"You don't want me to do terrible things, but I really love those jewels. Can't I just do one terrible thing, then one good thing, and that'll balance it out?"

"Well...I just wanted to make you happy." Catwoman shrugged.

"I know, I can't be a great hero. I just enjoy stealing things. That's a habit I've had since I was a child. I can't talk about grand principles or anything. Maybe that girl who's always waiting for you on the street is much better than me. After all, she has a higher education, she's pretty and charming and hasn't done any illegal things."

"But that's just how I am. I never think about those things. I just do what I want to do. Whether you see me as a criminal or think I'm an irredeemably person, I am who I am, a cat."

Batman's hand on the steering wheel loosened slightly. He didn't know if this was the answer he wanted.

But he knew that the romance, liveliness, and sincerity in Catwoman's eyes were not the main reason he fell in love with her.

A bat fell in love with a cat. He was just envious of her freedom, something that as a Dark Knight he would never be able to have.

He had made up his mind to fight to the death with this irredeemable city.

As he watched the luxury car slowly stop at the intersection, Schiller, on the rooftop, said to the symbiote in his head, "No, we can't go down there. What's about to happen isn't something children should see."

The symbiote made a series of disgruntled gurgles.

"Yes, I know you did a great job earlier, fetching the fire extinguisher from the coffee shop across the street and throwing it in with such accuracy."

"But what's happening in that car is just a meaningless reproductive process for humans. You symbiotes don't need that process, all you need is to drop off your offspring."

The symbiote fell silent. Schiller didn't know if he understood.

Schiller takes his gaze away from the luxury car and looks at the dimly lit streets of Gotham.

Perhaps this is a city beyond saving, and perhaps Batman is just a normal person who feels despair and confusion, he thinks.

But Batman is not alone, and he never will be.

__________

This chapter was got damn long....

&

Please comment, whether to continue this translation or not?... If I get more then ten comments on this message, I will post 5 chapter next day!

__________

Find any error and become helper of the day!