When Batman is calm.
Superman is the only one who's likely to panic.
"Fuck!"
Ian has super hearing.
At least when he pricked up his ears, he really did.
So when Ian heard Superman choking on his coffee on the other end of the phone, he
could hear it very clearly—he had already started climbing out the window, preparing to
leave home for a few hours.
He took his savings jar and set off on his adventures. Ian felt truly wronged; the evil
capitalists were smearing him.
"There are no good people in Gotham!"
Ian's plan was to take advantage of Clark being pulled into the newspaper office to
work overtime because of the "Batman in Metropolis" incident, and sneak under his
grandmother's bed to seek refuge.
Unfortunately.
The idea is certainly good.
But when Ian pulled back the curtains he had previously closed, he found himself only
able to see a metal fence. It seemed that Batman had sealed off this place as well when he
climbed over the wall.
What a cunning Batman!
One could only say that Ian's guard was lowered somewhat by Bruce Wayne's
appearance.
He felt that Lord Wayne must also have a magical biofield!
Even if Lord Wayne could prove he didn't, Ian would still insist that Lord Wayne really did!
The frustrated boy felt that only by thinking this way could he feel a little better.
"Let Ian answer the phone."
That was Clark's voice on the other end of the phone; Ian's super hearing was
incredibly sharp. He mouthed the words to Bruce, and Bruce, true to his reputation as a lip
reading expert, did just that.
He easily read Ian's lips.
only.
"Your son wants me to help him shift the blame to the devil, yes, that head. It seems
this isn't the first time he's tried to do this." Bruce, however, had no intention of
cooperating with Ian.
"Well, this demon is pitiful, even I have to admit that."
He walked up to the metal box, opened it, and saw the demon's head inside still
chewing on a pile of toilet paper. He gave a heartfelt assessment.
"Human~"
The demon's head spat out a bunch of toilet paper, intending to scare Bruce, but
Bruce only plucked a hair from it and then closed the metal box again.
His expression didn't change at all.
"I am not exaggerating."
After Bruce put away the head hair of the demon bull, he squatted down and talked
with Clark while observing the iron box that Ian used to hold the bull's head.
He seemed to have discovered something strange about the box.
"No, no, no, I'm not talking about laser weapons⋯ So, he also has standard laser
weapons, right?" Bruce stopped Ian from trying to escape once again.
"Nothing's happening. Your son was trying to run away, and I stopped him⋯ No, I
don't like grabbing people by the neck." Bruce glanced at Ian, who had tripped over his
invisible rope.
He did not lift Ian by the back of the neck as Clark had instructed.
"You own a military factory?"
Bruce stepped forward and helped Ian up.
The main reason was that he started pretending to be dead after he found Ian lying on
the ground.
If I don't help him up, he might fall asleep right away.
"No."
There really isn't an Ian.
He wanted to know where he could find them.
"It's the truth."
Bruce felt a little relieved.
He then switched to talking to Clark on the other end of the phone.
"So you haven't read a single word of the book I had Afu send you?" He said in a deep
voice, criticizing Clark while keeping a close eye on Ian, who could cause trouble at any
moment.
"I'm not running anymore."
Ian was utterly helpless.
good news.
Clark is probably working overtime where there are too many people, so he won't be
able to get back for the time being.
bad news.
Bruce handcuffed himself to Ian—there was no other way, Bruce had discovered that
Ian was incredibly strong, and only in this way could he stop Ian from fleeing out of fear of
"crime".
Batman is very resourceful.
Ultimately, the amount of equipment one can bring on a trip is limited.
"Now that you've seen it, tell me how he managed to create this thing right under your
nose." Bruce didn't forget to pick up the miniature reactor again for a closer look while on
the phone.
Such skill.
It amazed him.
This is definitely beyond the level of technology that Earth can achieve. That's why
Bruce suspects that Clark secretly taught children how to build a nuclear reactor.
"You don't know either? Ha."
Bruce didn't believe Clark's words.
"I am searching."
He is also interested in laser weapons.
"Where did you hide your laser weapon?" Bruce first looked under the bed but
couldn't find it, then asked Ian, who was still on the phone with Clark.
"There are no laser weapons here. My dad is hallucinating from working too much
overtime. So, people shouldn't go to work. Even Kryptonians can't handle the pressure of
working."
Ian found that his teeth were still not working properly.
Also normal.
After all, the handcuffs had the words "Superman Only" on them. Although the
handcuffs looked quite old, Ian was still not as good as Superman in his younger days.
"Your dad said the laser weapon is in the ceiling of his bedroom." Bruce thanked Ian
for the assist; Superman's dad had betrayed his son faster than ever before.
"..."
Ian tasted betrayal for the first time.
that's it.
He could only take Bruce to "identify the scene." Fortunately, the corridor was dark,
and Jonathan and Jordan were probably asleep. Otherwise, there would definitely be
three handcuffed boys in the house.
I went to my parents' bedroom.
Bruce immediately located the laser gun's hiding place. He simply took out a
seemingly intelligent grappling hook, opened the ceiling, and retrieved the laser rifle
hidden inside.
Bruce casually handed the manuscript to Ian and then examined the laser rifle.
"This is not Kryptonian technology."
Bruce immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"I didn't say yes."
Ian scratched his head with his other hand.
"Interesting, the magazine is also a small reactor⋯" Bruce quickly figured out the
structure of the entire gun. It was not only a weapon but also looked like a work of art.
The overall design features a streamlined shape.
The gun body is made of an unknown metal that is lightweight but extremely strong.
"This shouldn't be able to blow up America?"
Ian tentatively asked, he was also quite puzzled. The Iron Man story's super reactor
could only blow up Manhattan at most, so how could a reactor the size of a thumb have
such great power?
about this issue.
Bruce also gave the answer directly.
"Your guns and your miniature reactors won't explode; they're very stable. But your
nuclear energy research base has a chance of exploding, and if it does, we'll all go up in the
air with it."
He looked at the boy in front of him with a scrutinizing and slightly confused gaze.
Bruce initially suspected that Ian had secretly set up an extremely sophisticated base
outside of Superman's place, one that was even more advanced and sophisticated than his
own secret base.
But it seems now.
Bruce had discovered that Ian possessed a kind of clarity that came from someone
who had never been to college.
Since Clark had already hung up the phone due to his superiors' urging, Bruce could
only stare at the boy in front of him, trying to figure out what was going on.
"I don't have a nuclear weapons research base." Ian was also stunned by Bruce's
wild idea.
"I'm the son of a farm boy. My family has been farmers for generations. We're used
to being bullied, so it's reasonable for me to pick up some self‑defense weapons on the
street, right?" He knew Bruce wasn't his parents, so he didn't tell the real truth. His
super intelligence told him to be wary of the man in front of him.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Bruce nodded.
"But you didn't tell the truth."
He suddenly changed the subject again.
Ian felt a little intimidated by those deep eyes.
"Okay, I'll tell you the truth."
Ian's extraordinary wisdom then suggested that there's always a time in life when
things "come back to normal." So, he chose to tell the truth, but not the whole truth.
His extraordinary talent as a writer came into play at this moment.
Some explanation.
Bruce Wayne nodded repeatedly as he listened.
"You mean, on your way home from school, you encountered a man selling glasses
that only you could see, and he was trying to sell you a pair of glasses that could read
people's minds and see through them?"
"Because of your pure heart, you resisted the temptation that these glasses might
bring, giving up a life of debauchery and the opportunity to have ambiguous relationships
with countless types of stunning beauties."
"So the man who set up the stall admired you very much and insisted on taking you as
his apprentice, teaching you the most advanced scientific knowledge in the universe.
These two little gadgets are his test for you?"
Bruce Wayne has a feeling of watching Ian McKellen's new work.
His eye twitched a few times involuntarily.
"Yes, my mentor Tony Stark, He is the All‑Seeing Man." Ian nodded resolutely, his
determined look like that of a man ready to join the Party at any moment.
"..."
Bruce couldn't help but rub his temples.
"You only have this last sentence to tell the truth."
He sighed helplessly.
Well, even someone as shrewd as Lord Gotham was ultimately fooled by Ian. Even if it
was just a little bit, it was still a win, a huge win, a great win, a complete win.
"I only tell the truth, I never lie."
Ian loves to tell a little lie.
He just had to bite the bullet and let Bruce look him up and down for a long time.
"I understand."
It's unclear what Mr. Wayne realized. As if suddenly enlightened, he handed the laser
gun and the miniature reactor back to Ian, who was still brainstorming.
"Gone?"
Ian was a little confused.
"What else do you want?"
Bruce sighed. He really wished Ian was a mischievous devil, but unfortunately, he was
just a devil, not a mischievous devil. This was definitely the kind of group that would give
him the most headaches in his middle age.
Naughty kid.
"I thought I was going to be sent to Arkham."
Ian let out a long sigh of relief.
He began to be surprised at how calm he was.
"It hasn't come to that. After all, you haven't done anything wrong. I'm just trying to
find out what's going on." For some reason, Bruce's words disappointed Ian.
"I remember the gate is over there."
Bruce suddenly put his mask back on.
Batman walked out of the bedroom.
"Am I really not going to be sent to Arkham?"
Ian chased after him.
"will not."
Batman's voice became hoarse again.
"Really?"
The boy's tone carried a hint of resentment.
"I really don't know how."
Batman sighed in silence.
"Okay... Arkham's bed is too hard, I probably won't be used to sleeping on it..." Ian
could only console himself with this, his sour tone carrying a hint of disappointment.
He had just realized that Arkham was heaven for him.
It also allows me to hide from my father.
There are also countless chemical reagents that he can never use up. Who knows, it
might not take three years for his fortunes to turn around, but he could soar to the top and
become a max‑level ancestor.
Isn't this just too much of a win?
"Gotham City forbids you from entering!"
Batman suddenly became alert at this moment. He didn't know why Ian wanted to go
to Arkham so much, but he felt that he had to guard against Ian sneaking into his city.
Gotham is already chaotic enough.
There's really no room left for another child from Superman's family.
"Remember this, kid, if I find out you've come to Gotham, I'll suggest your dad
beat you up every day. I'll buy the newspaper he works for and have him send me ten
thousand photos of you every day!"
This is not Batman.
This is a threat from Lord Wayne's financial power.
"Sigh~"
Ian gasped.
He was completely outmaneuvered. The Metropolitan God of Gamblers dared not
place a bet this time, so he had no choice but to watch Batman slam the door and leave,
his cloak getting a little muddy in the light rain.
After a while.
Batman circled back.
"I didn't pick up the manuscript."
He snatched the manuscript from Ian's hands, and once again... Ian protected the
door, and Batman failed to slam it shut again, only managing to flick his muddy cloak and
disappear into the night.
This move left Ian completely dumbfounded.
After a long time.
"I get it. He wouldn't let me into Arkham because he was afraid I'd find out he also
had his own private bed." Ian genuinely didn't understand Batman's return.
However, this doesn't stop him from taking the opportunity to tease the Gotham Freak.
My phone is upstairs.
Batman definitely can't hear it.
Thinking this, Ian closed the door and went upstairs. He heard heavy breathing and
accidentally pulled a cell phone that was still connected to the caller from his pocket.
"forget."
Ian's heart skipped a beat.
but.
This did not affect his outward composure.
"I told you using a dual‑SIM phone isn't good; you're bound to run into awkward
situations like this sometime⋯" Ian said, then quickly hung up the phone and pressed the
power button.
The integrated design of the phone prevented him from removing the battery, but that
wouldn't be a big deal, since Ian had decided to throw the phone under his older brother
Jordan's bed every night.
"I am still incredibly wise!"
Ian couldn't help but sigh. He knew he couldn't correct Lord Wayne's eavesdropping
habit, so all he could do was try to let Lord Wayne eavesdrop as much as he wanted.
How considerate.
The friendship between him and Lord Wayne will surely grow stronger over time.
The ring is expected to be lit