I became light in American comics.

Chapter 110 Encrypted Channel

Gotham, Wayne Manor.

"Young Master Bruce? Young Master Bruce?"

Bruce Wayne slowly opened his eyes and found that he had fallen asleep at the table in front of the Bat Computer without even realizing it.

Alfred placed the silver plate on the table beside him.

"Looks like Batman's been up all night again? That's not good," Alfred said earnestly. "Batman may have no limits, but you do, Bruce."

I'm glad you took my advice and started working with Commissioner Gordon. But I think you could give him a little more trust. Gotham won't suddenly disappear just because Batman is absent for a night now and then.

"Not yet, at least until I catch this 'scarecrow'." Bruce regained his composure within seconds of opening his eyes and started typing away on his keyboard again.

"I have a lead. The 'Scarecrow' is very likely Dr. Jonathan Klein. The fear toxin he developed can erode a person's nerves and create hallucinations of fear."

"Yes, yes, today there's a scarecrow, tomorrow there's a dog-tailed man," Alfred sighed softly.

Even after the Riddler's capture, Batman hasn't been idle, continuing his daily battles of wits with Gotham's criminals. He recently took down crime tycoon Maroney, and now the Roman Falcone is being cornered by him. Meanwhile, a mutant called Killer Croc emerges from the sewers, and shortly after that, a psychopath calling himself "Professor Pigface" appears.

It's strange, really. Back when the Romans were in power, Gotham was actually quite orderly. It was just that gangsters were everywhere, drugs were rampant, and the police and criminals were in cahoots, with an average of ten or eight people dying every day.

Since Batman came along, mob bosses have fallen, and street crime rates have plummeted. However, lunatics dressed like they came from a circus have started to spring up everywhere. The citizens of Gotham spent decades finally escaping hell, only to find themselves stumbling into a mental hospital.

Bruce stopped typing and frowned. "I think I had a dream. I dreamt of a wizard in some kind of grand hall, but I can't remember the details."

Alfred shrugged. "Everyone dreams."

"This time it's different. This time it feels very real," Bruce said.

Alfred shook his head. "Many people find dreams very real. There's nothing strange about that."

"But this is different." Bruce frowned. He instinctively felt something was off, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"You wouldn't be suggesting that 'Bat Dream' is something else, young master, would you?"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just that I thought you liked to put 'bat' before everything, didn't you?" Alfred started counting on his fingers, "Batmobile, Batplane, Bat-claw, and I even saw a piece of equipment in the cave called... Bat Shark Repellent?"

Does Batman have plans for a water vacation?

Bruce: "."

Batman has been busy for several days organizing meet-and-greets with his future fan club, and Arkham's business is booming. Shen You hasn't been idle either, dragging Kara downstairs to help him with development.

Kara wasn't actually opposed to scientific research, after all, she had a scientist father. After Shen You's guidance, she started by slowly working through the technology of her own Kryptonian homeworld. As a native Kryptonian with a super brain, she should theoretically learn very quickly.

After his first encounter with the Blood Cult of Sannomiya's fans, Shen You scanned the scene and brought back a small stone that caught his attention.

Carried by the leader of that small group was a small, dark stone that seemed unremarkable at first glance. However, a deep scan revealed that it contained some kind of magical energy, but it required the right method to activate it.

Shen You took it to the old wizard, who was currently dissatisfied with his failure in finding a successor that day.

"The world is going to the dogs! Each generation is worse than the last!" the old wizard muttered. "And that bat, it's quite the oddball too."

Shen You casually asked, "Did you meet this person? His name is Billy Batson?"

"That little brat from the orphanage? He even stole a patrol officer's sandwich?"

"Uh, so it seems we've run into them?"

"Of course, why ask that? You don't actually think I'd entrust my divine power to some immature, delusional kid, do you? What if he uses my power to make videos and upload them to YouTube for attention?"

The old wizard kept blowing his beard.

"Even if I die out of my life, taking my divine power with me to my grave, I will never choose some inexperienced brat to inherit it!"

Shen You: "."

For some reason, I suddenly felt like I smelled something really delicious.

Okay, whatever makes you happy.

After finally calming the old wizard down, Shen You handed him the newly acquired stone. The old wizard studied it for a moment and quickly said, "Demon magic, designed specifically to win over followers. It allows the demon's followers to cross spatial barriers and connect with each other using special spatial methods."

Only the corresponding demonic power can activate its operation; any other incorrect activation will only lead to self-destruction.

After the description, Shen You understood. It's a magical communicator used exclusively by believers, right?

It can only be activated with magic bestowed by the demon they worship, which is equivalent to encryption. It's an encrypted channel that only their own people can access.

However, it is well known that the Blood Cult's faith is in the Three Palaces Demon, and the Three Palaces Demon's magic...

It seems there really are some.

The next day, when Raven came to learn from the old wizard as usual, Shen You immediately took out a stone for her to try. And it actually worked! Raven poured her magic into it, and the purplish-black magic spread along the patterns on the surface of the magic stone, like water being poured into an empty groove. The stone immediately entered an activated state.

Shen You took the stone back to the lab and studied it. He recorded the stone's condition and the effects of Raven's magic. After making adjustments, he ensured that stimulating the stone with a specific frequency of light would achieve the same effect, so that Raven wouldn't need to activate it every time in the future.

Halfway through the research, the Philosopher's Stone began to glow that very night, releasing a specific kind of energy.

Could it be an incoming call?

With a thought, Shen You activated the stone using the method he had just discovered. His consciousness entered the stone, and after a moment of dizziness, he seemed to fall into a dark space.

It was pitch black all around, making it impossible to see the specific scene. However, several men in black robes surrounded them, dressed similarly to the leader that Shen You had previously killed.

It is not a physical entity, but rather a kind of mental space that allows consciousness to communicate remotely.

Looking down again, I saw that I was dressed exactly the same way. I was also wearing a black robe, which seemed to be the default image for this space.

"You're late."

The speaker was a black-robed figure in the very center, who appeared to be in a leadership position, and he spoke calmly.

"Was something held you up?"

Several men in black robes turned their gazes toward them from the darkness.

Shen You's mind raced.

They seemed unaware that their followers had been wiped out. And considering this is Gotham...

"It's Batman," he said. "He's been targeting me lately, and it took a little effort to shake him off."

"Hmm, not bad. But we should still be careful to keep a low profile; we don't want to attract unnecessary attention before the Lord's arrival."

The men in black robes responded in unison.

"receive."

"receive."

"."

Seeing this, Shen You replied, "Received."

He then fell silent and observed from the shadows.

These all look like high-ranking members of the Blood Cult?

If one were to infiltrate among them, one might be able to extract information about the organization, glean insights into the divine pronouncements and movements of Lord Sangu, and even have the opportunity to secretly interfere with the deployments that Sangu is attempting to make in this dimension.

Even more so, if he develops well enough, by the time Sangu wants to open the door in the future, he might have already become a high-ranking member of the organization.

(End of this chapter)