bookbashuk Chapter 352 Opening Boxes Together as a Sign of Friendship
Chapter 352 Opening Boxes Together as a Sign of Friendship
Chapter 352 Opening Boxes Together as a Sign of Friendship
A few days later, Du Mu slumped on the large sofa, idly pressing the TV remote, the channels rapidly switching on the screen, but none of them could arouse his interest.
He was on administrative leave, and even Chief Gordon hadn't contacted him again.
There was no other way; during the riot at Arkham Asylum a few days ago, he massacred dozens of prisoners, and the already scarce beds suddenly became mostly vacant.
This incident has blown up so much that Gordon couldn't suppress it even if he wanted to. He has written dozens of reports, and they don't dare to recall him to the police station.
This battle further enhanced Du Mu's reputation in Gotham.
In addition to his previous nickname, "Gotham Gun God," he has now acquired a new one: "Warden of Arkham."
There's even a saying circulating among the people.
Whether Arkham is chaotic or not is up to the warden.
The good news is that the Arkham Asylum riot will not be happening anytime soon.
The prisoners there already had some psychological issues, and after that day's massacre, their conditions collectively worsened.
Now, they feel restless whenever they step out of their cells, always feeling that some mysterious masked man with a Gatling gun is watching them from the shadows.
For this reason, Gordon specifically asked Du Mu for the warden's little tune, intending to play it on a loop throughout the entire Arkham Asylum should any problems arise, ensuring the prisoners would behave better than if they were on tranquilizers.
The title of Warden of Arkham Asylum was known not only within Arkham Asylum, but throughout the entire Gotham underworld.
The gangsters, who were already wary of Du Mu, were now even more terrified.
Arkham Asylum is the highest institution of learning for criminals in Gotham City. Even the tough guys there are kept in line, let alone these lowlifes.
As Du Mu's reputation soared, the Gotham Police Department's deterrent power also increased significantly.
Now, the Gotham gangs no longer dare to be as arrogant as before. They have all instructed their subordinates to avoid the police if possible, and if they really can't avoid them, they should just accept their bad luck and go to jail for a few days as a form of training. They are afraid that the Gotham Police Department will release Du Mu, this human nuclear weapon.
However, this was not a good thing for Du Mu.
He couldn't return to the Gotham Police Department to report for duty for the time being, so naturally he couldn't get any assignments from Gordon.
He's been so bored these days he's practically going moldy, spending all his time watching the news on TV, hoping some major crisis will occur.
Unfortunately, most of the news on TV is about trivial matters with zero supernatural elements involved, except for the occasional mention of what happened in Gotham a few days ago.
Compared to the news on his main server, it was like heaven and earth.
The news over there is either about a superhero resolving a crisis or a supervillain pulling off a major stunt. Watching the news is more exciting than watching a Hollywood blockbuster.
However, a female reporter from a news story from another region caught Du Mu's attention.
Her name is Louise Lane, a reporter for the Daily Planet, known in the community as Reporter Hero, and she possesses extremely powerful abilities.
That is, summoning Superman anytime, anywhere.
Whenever Lois encounters a problem, all she has to do is yell, and Superman will immediately appear on the scene.
Just ask how powerful this ability is.
However, Superman has not yet made an official public appearance, and Lois's abilities are still inactive; for now, she is just an ordinary investigative reporter.
"If we wait until Superman and Lois get together, and then kill Lois, wouldn't that be considered a major crisis?"
Du Mu's face revealed a malicious expression.
Seeing that the dungeon quest was making no progress, he began to consider whether he should create a major crisis himself.
As everyone knows, a bored player is more dangerous than ten supervillains combined, because you can never guess what kind of ruthless things they'll do to relieve boredom.
Ding Dong!
Just as Du Mu's thoughts were becoming increasingly dangerous, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Too lazy to move, he gestured towards Selena, who was painting her nails next to him, and said, "Selena, stop messing with your lousy nails and go open the door."
Selena rolled her eyes, reluctantly put down the small bottle, and shuffled to the door in her slippers.
A few seconds later, her voice came from the doorway: "Du Mu, your friend is here to see you."
"friend?"
Du Mu paused for a moment, thinking it was Gordon or Harvey, and casually said, "Bring him in."
1
Footsteps approached from afar, and Selena led a man into the living room.
"Officer Du Mu, it's been a long time."
Du Mu turned his head and almost jumped off the sofa.
Bruce Wayne.
He wore a bright, Gotham billionaire-style social smile, as if he were visiting an old friend.
Buhou, something dirty has come in!
Du Mu never expected Bruce to come knocking on his door.
Besides, when did he become friends with the other person? They've only met once.
However, Bruce seems to be in a worrying state.
His left arm was in a cast and sling around his neck, and there were still a few faint bruises on his face.
These are clearly injuries from a few days ago, and they haven't completely healed yet.
Du Mu joked, "Mr. Wayne, what happened to you? Did you get caught cheating on someone's wife and get a beating?"
Bruce:
""
He didn't actually want to look like this, but he just couldn't stand Alfred's constant nagging.
Alfred believed that he was seriously injured and needed to protect his wounds, so he forced him to look like a sick person.
Bruce coughed lightly and chuckled, "It's nothing, I just accidentally fell at home and got a minor injury."
Du Mu chuckled: "Your floor must be really slippery, you managed to fall so badly."
Bruce selectively ignored the topic, his gaze sweeping around the living room, lingering briefly on Selena before returning to Du Mu's face, his smile fading slightly.
"I've come to see you today because I have something important to discuss."
Du Mu raised an eyebrow and waved to Selena, "Selena, go back to your room and stay there."
Selena's gaze shifted between the two, clearly intrigued, but she eventually obediently picked up the nail polish bottle and turned back to her room.
The door closed, leaving only the two of them in the living room.
Du Mu pointed to the sofa opposite him: "Sit down, would you like a Coke or tea?"
Bruce said as he sat down, "Have some tea, thank you."
"Excuse me, I just ran out of tea at home."
Bruce: "...Then a Coke, please."
"The cola is finished too."
Bruce: U-0
Then why are you even asking?!
Finally, Bruce asked for a glass of water, took a sip, and said slowly, "Officer Du Mu, I've heard about what happened at Arkham Asylum. You killed nearly half of the prisoners and suppressed the riot at Arkham Asylum."
Du Mu chuckled and said, "You flatter me. Maintaining peace and stability in Gotham is what I should do."
Bruce narrowed his eyes: "But don't you think there's anything wrong with this approach?"
Du Mu nodded, not denying it: "There is indeed a problem. I am truly ashamed that I didn't finish off the remaining half."
Bruce:
""
"Officer Du Mu, you're going too far."
Bruce frowned and said bluntly, "You clearly had the power to intimidate the prisoners and get them back to their cells, but you didn't do that. Instead, you chose a more drastic approach."
Under Bruce's speechless gaze, Du Mu took a bottle of Coke from the refrigerator, opened it, and took a sip.
"I was just following the law. When prisoners break out en masse, law enforcement officers have the right to open fire at will. Moreover, I was facing so many deranged prisoners alone, and my life was seriously threatened. Taking unlimited self-defense was completely reasonable and legal."
"But you're not an ordinary person."
Bruce lowered his voice, his gaze sharpening: "If I'm not mistaken, the woman who opened the door for me just now was Catwoman, the thief, right?"
"It is said that Catwoman was protected by Spider-Man and, with his assistance, committed numerous crimes. Their relationship is extraordinary."
"Since she's in your house, that means..."
""
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already self-evident.
That silly cat Selena actually made me take the blame; I'll have to teach her a lesson later.
Du Mu blinked, looking completely innocent. "What Spider-Man? What Catwoman? I don't understand what you're talking about. Did you hit your head while wrestling and are hallucinating?"
Bruce didn't reply, but instead raised his hand, which wasn't in a cast, and pointed to the antique vase on the coffee table.
"This vase belongs to my family. Some time ago, someone broke into my estate and stole it."
Du Mu, without batting an eye, retorted, "Nonsense! This vase is clearly a family heirloom, passed down from my great-grandfather's generation. Why do you claim it's yours?"
Bruce said expressionlessly, "I bought this vase from Sotheby's three years ago for six and a half million. I still have the complete auction record and certificate of authenticity."
Then he pointed to the oil painting on the wall.
"This painting is an original work by a famous French painter. He gave it to me personally, and his signature and inscription are on the back of the painting."
"And this, this, this... these are all things from my home."
Bruce pointed to more than a dozen things in the room, his face growing increasingly dark.
Arriving at Du Mu's house, he felt a sense of familiarity, as if he were returning to his own home. After all, his things were all his own, so how could he not feel at home?
"Haha, actually I found all of these. I thought nobody wanted them." Du Mu's tone was a little guilty.
These were indeed the spoils Selena brought back from Wayne Manor. He felt these things were of little practical use, so he simply displayed them at home as decorations.
Who knew Bruce would suddenly show up and recognize these things?
Bruce stared intently at Du Mu: "At this point, is it still necessary to keep pretending?"
"I never thought I could hide it so well, but you still found out in the end."
Du Mu shook his head, his expression suddenly changed, his carefree demeanor instantly transformed into a deep and solemn one, and his voice dropped eight octaves, like that of a throat cancer patient.
"That's right, I am the guardian of Gotham, the one who defeated Batman twice, and everyone's friendly neighbor, Spider-Man!"
Bruce's lips twitched.
You don't need to mention defeating Batman, thank you.
And your voice... believe me or not, I'll sue you for copyright infringement.
"It really was you."
Bruce's gaze turned complicated when Du Mu finally admitted it: "I never expected that Gotham's Gunslinger and Spider-Man are actually the same person."
Du Mu chuckled: "Likewise, no one expected that Bruce Wayne and Batman would be the same person."
They open each other's boxes as a sign of friendship.
Bruce was not surprised at all when Du Mu directly revealed his identity.
Since Du Mu is Spider-Man, his true identity cannot be hidden.
After all, when Alfred found him at the pork processing plant that day, he was only wearing his underwear, covered by a pile of pork, and his face was completely unmasked. The other party must have known that he was Bruce Wayne.
That's why he chose to meet Du Mu as Bruce, rather than as Batman.
Bruce said in a deep voice, "Spider-Man, your file is fake. You're not an ordinary police officer. What exactly is your purpose in coming to Gotham?"
Du Mu spread his hands: "The file is real. I am just a police officer, only my strength is a tiny bit stronger than the average person."
He used his thumb and forefinger to draw a universe.
Then, Du Mu passionately declared, "As for the purpose, it is of course to fight criminals and uphold justice and peace. That's why I became a superhero to fight for a better tomorrow for Gotham!"
Bruce said coldly, "But your behavior doesn't resemble that of a superhero."
Du Mu chuckled and said, "The definition of a superhero isn't something you can decide alone. Besides, my reputation is much better than yours now. People outside are saying you're an untrustworthy, morally corrupt, perverted, lecherous, and despicable villain. I never imagined you were this kind of Batman. I really misjudged you."
Bruce: —0
Who is to blame for all of this?
He had already found out everything that happened that night.
Du Mu took over the shift under his name and cleaned up all the mess he left behind in one night, even severely injuring his nemesis, Bain.
Even if Bruce Wayne himself were to step in, he probably couldn't do this, not even if he were Batman.
However, the cost was that his image plummeted, and the fear filter he had painstakingly cultivated among Gotham's criminal community for many years began to crack. His fan base started to question his moral standards, and he desperately needed a public relations effort to prove himself.
For example, arresting and beating up a few supervillains could foster closer relationships between idols and fans.
Unfortunately, most supervillains are now locked up in Arkham Asylum, so Batman can't find an opportunity to make a decision. He has no choice but to wait until later.
But what truly troubled Bruce was something else, more than the damage to his reputation.
He discovered that Du Mu had revealed a lot of things during the battle that were not recorded in his database. This unknown was undoubtedly a very dangerous signal for Batman, who suffered from severe paranoia.
Bruce suspected that Du Mu was hiding something more that he didn't know.
That was the real reason Bruce had come to visit.
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