I'm in an American comic book, and all my teammates are main characters and bosses.

Chapter 109 Master, Young Master.

Gordon's heart skipped a beat when he heard Bruce's question.

As sheriff, Gordon is no longer a young man. Having worked his way up from the lowest ranks in Gotham City, Gordon and Batman are not only longtime partners but also close friends. Gordon is also one of the few people in Gotham who knows Batman's true identity.

As a thoughtful person, Gordon naturally knew about Bruce's life.

Having lost both parents at a young age, he was devastated and only managed to complete part of his studies before embarking on a journey of wandering.

Of course, as Gotham's richest man, even if he were homeless, Bruce wouldn't struggle to survive like an ordinary homeless person, lacking clothes and food. Nor would he shout "Food's here, family!" to express his joy at receiving a little charity from others.

Instead, Bruce's wandering is more like a form of spiritual practice, albeit not in pursuit of grand themes like the meaning of life. At least, in Gordon's view, Bruce chose to wander either out of hatred or out of a desire to save others…

Seek revenge on Gotham for killing his parents, and save the child who grew up in fear, who died helplessly in the alleyways, grieving and dying.

Now that he has witnessed firsthand who turned the police station into this state, Gordon is momentarily at a loss as to how to tell Bruce this brutal truth.

Can the dead be resurrected? Or perhaps, are they clones or something similar?

While Gordon was still hesitating, Bruce noticed the change in Gordon's expression. As an old friend, Bruce knew Gordon's character well, so he didn't believe Gordon would become an accomplice to evil.

After thinking it over, Bruce said, "If it's inconvenient to say, you can speak frankly."

"...I was just worried about you."

Having guessed Bruce's meaning, Gordon also took off his hat. Ignoring the raindrops falling from the sky, Gordon said with a complicated look in his eyes, "I suspect the killer is a clone."

"A clone?"

Upon hearing this, Bruce was taken aback, and then a look of seriousness appeared in his eyes.

Cloning technology is precise and dangerous; the slightest mistake can result in a clone turning into a pure monster due to a lack of genetic engineering. But if it were just a monster, it obviously wouldn't have made Gordon so serious. A vague sense of foreboding rose in Bruce's mind, prompting him to immediately activate the microcomputer in his wristband. With a burst of red light scanning, after confirming that there was no danger, Bruce, fully armed, approached the box.

Upon opening the box, a familiar head of green curly hair came into view. A hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes as he took out the head. Without any surprise, it was the Joker's head... He had only recently escaped from Arkham Asylum, and during this time, Bruce had been searching for the Joker's whereabouts, preparing for his next terrible plan.

And now, the clown's head appears here. The fatal wound was a gunshot wound to the forehead. It wasn't from a regular military or hunting pistol; it had very little power, and it was clearly a close-range shot that left a small hole.

This can also be seen from the lingering expression on the Joker's face. It is clear that the Joker was in a state of extreme excitement and joy before he died. Just like those victims who died from inhaling his "laughing gas," a completely frozen smile remained on his face, formed by stiff muscles.

What kind of amusement did he see that made him so excited, even to the point of... actively killing himself?

Bruce knew all too well how insane the Joker's weapons were. It's no exaggeration to say that this madman's favorite and greatest skill was transforming entertaining objects into deadly weapons, and deadly weapons into terrifying toys, like a pistol that shoots out flags.

but now……

Was it a breech-loading gun? But what could have driven him to such madness that he would attack the enemy with a breech-loading gun...?

or.

Looking at the Joker's stiff smile, Bruce's heart sank.

What kind of farce and crime could make the clown willingly risk his life to draw back a corner of the curtain?

Upon seeing the Joker's head nearby, Gordon realized the gravity of the situation.

The woman arrived and simply used a tiny amount of laughing gas to disperse all the unrelated people… Martha was insane, but Martha didn't think she was. So Martha rationally refrained from doing anything crazy, even though it seemed insane enough to others.

The Gotham City police were quick to realize that they were part of a Joker and Batman play simply by seeing Martha's 'familiar' makeup created by her smiling, split mouth.

Under the influence of even a trace amount of nitrous oxide, they scattered like birds and beasts. And what about Mrs. Joker? She even specifically thanked Gordon.

However, Gordon felt no relief at Martha's gratitude towards him as a mother; instead, he was filled with indescribable fear... This woman, this Joker, truly regarded him as Bruce's mother.

"It's Martha."

What was initially thought to be just another Joker prank has now come to light, with the Joker's own head now visible. He realizes the issue may not be a simple "joke" like the "Batman parents cloning project," but rather conceals a far more shocking criminal truth. Gordon solemnly states:

"The person who came here is your mother... but I can't be sure if that Martha is a clone, or... something else."

Hearing Gordon's words, even though he was mentally prepared, Bruce's body tensed up instantly. Noticing something, Bruce took out a note from the gift box containing the clown's head. Looking at the familiar hickey on it, Bruce suddenly realized that this was definitely not as simple as Gordon imagined.

Perhaps I should find Barry and ask him more carefully!

Yes, it's Barry! Bruce thought to himself; when Barry found him and delivered the envelope from another universe, his attention was completely drawn to the envelope, and he had overlooked Barry's state. Upon closer recall, although Barry had concealed it well, both the micro-expressions at the corners of his mouth and the glint in his eyes revealed a subtle unnaturalness, as if he was hiding something.

Without the slightest pause or hesitation, Bruce turned around and jumped directly from the building into the Batplane that was patrolling and defending in mid-air: "Wait for my message."

Leaving behind a cold remark, the miniature fighter jet then roared off into the distance.

Bruce entered the Batcave through a concealed entrance, quickly re-establishing contact with it. His eyes filled with horror and rage, he strode through the passageway. Noticing the signs of a struggle inside, his eyes narrowed slightly. Without pausing, and confirming there were no traps, he swiftly descended to the surface, intending to head to Wayne Manor to ascertain certain matters.

"For example, to check if the parents' graves are intact? Have they been robbed, or if DNA has been secretly extracted?"

Bruce had just arrived in the lobby via a hidden elevator concealed in the fireplace when he heard Ron's voice, as if he couldn't stand watching a good show.

Upon hearing the stranger's voice, Bruce almost immediately dodged with a roll, then produced several batarangs in his hand, leaving several dull arcs in the dark, unlit room as they flew towards the direction from which the voice came.

An attack of this magnitude could not possibly harm Ron. He casually caught the dart and gleefully tossed it into the Infinite Castle.

"Haha, a few more local specialties! Speaking of which, how much are these darts worth? Did they throw three houses at me?"

"It's not that expensive." Upon hearing this, Derek and Barbara naturally didn't dare to say anything more, but Todd, who had long since drifted apart from Bruce due to ideological differences, didn't have so many concerns.

Hearing Ron's curious voice, Todd replied with a bored expression, "These things aren't cheap to make, but on average they're only about fifty dollars. Of course, precision-engineered darts with detonators or EMP bombs attached are relatively more expensive, ranging from several hundred to tens of thousands."

"Well, if Prime Minister Zhuge knew this, he would laugh himself to death. One straw boat borrowing arrows led to financial freedom."

Bruce stared at Ron for a couple of seconds, and after sensing the ambiguous amusement in Ron's eyes, he turned his gaze to Todd.

Although he was already wearing the Red Hood, perhaps due to Bruce's "patriarchal aura," the former second Robin looked away from Bruce after a brief eye contact, as if surrendering. However, Todd's reaction only made Bruce feel more uneasy.

Bruce had actually sensed that Todd didn't agree with his ideas long ago. Right there in the Batcave, in front of Barbara and Derek, the two had argued quite a bit about their methods.

In the end, nothing ever came of it. Even under such circumstances, Todd would not compromise his ideals... So why is it that now, just a simple glance is enough to make Todd, the "Red Hood" who is willing to shed blood and take lives to uphold peace, stop looking at him?

Or rather...

Can't bear to look at myself anymore?

Then...

"Barry, why are you hiding there?"

Barry, crouching in the corner with his back to Bruce, chuckled awkwardly, his eyes darting around, clearly extremely guilty. But before Bruce could ask any further questions, Ron interjected, "Don't worry, dear little... uh?"

Ron had originally intended to call him "Little Bat" because of his familiarity with Thomas, but after looking at Bruce's chin, which was at least thirty years old, Ron thought about it and changed his address.

"Little Bat".

Bruce: "..."

Ron remained completely unconcerned, meeting Bruce's indifferent gaze. He was about to make a few more jokes, but Alfred couldn't resist stepping forward and handing Ron a glass of champagne.

"Sir, the master has been waiting for a long time..."

Hearing Alfred's somewhat helpless words, Ron picked up his glass and gently clinked it against another champagne glass on the tray.

"You've been waiting a long time too, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Alfred's face first froze slightly, then he finally gave a helpless smile.

"Looks like I'll have no choice but to drink this glass of wine."

As he spoke, Alfred took the initiative to pick up his glass and gesture to Ron, then promptly downed it in one gulp.

Thank you for your understanding.

"Don't mention it, I'm also looking forward to the next scene."

As Bruce looked at Alfred, who was chatting happily with Ron and even seemed somewhat grateful, a serious expression appeared in his eyes.

Bruce didn't believe Alfred would betray him, just as he would never doubt Alfred's fatherly love and motherly support for him.

Therefore, Bruce remained silent, silently observing the details of Ron and Alfred's conversation, and quietly waiting for Alfred to tell him the reason for all of this.

As Bruce expected, after finishing his drink, Alfred excused himself to Ron and then walked over to Bruce.

Even though it was exactly as he had guessed, Bruce still breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Alfred walking towards him in his familiar manner, but he didn't show it.

"Alfred, what on earth happened here?"

Upon hearing Bruce's deep voice, Alfred's eyes flickered slightly.

In the past, Alfred would have already told Bruce everything about the manor in great detail. Even if he had missed some details, Bruce would surely have noticed the problem. But this time, after a moment of silence, a hint of helplessness appeared between Alfred's brows.

"I'm sorry, young master, but this time you'll have to solve this problem yourself."

Young Master?

With his keen and sensitive mind, Bruce quickly extracted the most important message from a short sentence.

"Young Master..." This was how Alfred addressed Bruce when he was young. But after Bruce came of age, he never used that term again, instead referring to himself as "Master."

According to Alfred, "Master" is a title reserved for the head of the household. As long as the head of the household is alive, even if the eldest son is already old, he can only be addressed as "Young Master."

And now... he's become the young master?

Thinking this, for some reason, Bruce's heart skipped a beat.

Noticing the change in Bruce's expression, Alfred sighed and turned to say, "Please come with me. There are some things you may have to decide for yourself."

This is the only matter I can't offer any advice on...

Alfred silently told himself this.

(End of this chapter)