I'm doing bidirectional science popularization in American comics

Having dominated Gotham for decades, this was the first time he had ever been so humiliated...

No, twice! Twice within five minutes!

Ten minutes later, several men hurriedly knocked on the bedroom door.

"Your Excellency Falcone, your Rolls-Royce has been driven away!"

Falcone roared angrily, "That damned bat! Come in and untie me!"

-----

In a slum apartment on the island of Nehru, Joseph Cole, wearing an apron, brought out steaming hot corn and pea soup and soft bread from the kitchen.

Joseph brought the food to the bedside, blew on a small spoonful of corn and peas, and then carefully fed it to the weak woman in bed.

"How does it taste, darling?"

The woman ate in small bites, nodding repeatedly: "It's delicious. I love you, Joseph. I will definitely have a child for you."

"Let's not worry about the baby for now. Are you feeling any better?"

"I feel much better after taking the medicine than yesterday. I can feel my body recovering. But where did you get all that money?"

"I got all the wages my boss owed me today. Don't worry, baby, you and the baby will be fine, I swear."

Joseph kissed the woman's forehead affectionately and hid his left hand behind his back.

Chapter 20 Methods of Controlling Lightning

In the early morning, Depp, with a toothbrush in his mouth, took today's newspaper from the mailbox.

"Mr. Depp!"

Depp looked in the direction of the voice and Joseph jogged over, saying, "This is bread I made last night. You can keep it."

"Good morning, Joseph. Thank you so much for the bread. It must be very delicious."

Joseph's eyes were now full of hope and light. Although he was still thin, he was completely different from his previous dejected appearance. His spirit was as bright as the rising sun.

After handing the basket of bread to Depp, Joseph waved and said, "I have to go to work now. If I'm late, the chemical plant boss will dock my pay. Goodbye, kind Mr. Depp."

So he worked at a chemical plant...wait, a chemical plant?

Depp suddenly felt a sense of familiarity; this should be an important clue, but he couldn't quite place it at the moment.

Forget it, if I can't remember, I won't dwell on it; otherwise, I'm just wasting my life...

He waved goodbye to Joseph and returned to the antique shop with the fresh soft bread in his hand.

After washing up and shaving, Depp sat at the front desk and casually picked up a piece of Joseph's special soft bread, which was very sweet.

Opening today's newspaper, the headline news on the front page is quite eye-catching.

The oversized picture that took up almost half the newspaper was a photograph of a man in his fifties lying in a hospital bed.

This man had three shocking scratch marks on his right cheek, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, making it clear at a glance that he was a big shot not to be trifled with.

The photo showed the following text in large black font:

Shocking! Batman raids Carmine Falcone at night and does *that* to a mob boss's face!

It was news of a Roman assassination. After a moment's thought, Depp, recalling the comics he had read in his previous life, figured out what had happened.

Bruce must have launched a night raid on the Falcone family first, and Selena arrived shortly after he left.

After robbing all the money, they also left a permanent scar on Falcone's face.

Logically speaking, a righteous thief who travels at night would not harm anyone after obtaining valuables.

While others may not know the feud between Catwoman and Falcone, Depp does.

Because in the various comics from previous lives, there was a theory about the origin of Catwoman:

Catwoman Selena Kyle is Falcone's illegitimate daughter. Falcone raped and abandoned Selena's mother, which led to her birth and her resentment towards Falcone.

Falcone absolutely did not want the assassination attempt to be made public, because it would make other gangs think that the Falcone family was on the decline.

And considering the previously leaked photos and sensational headlines, Depp felt this news was probably his last, and that the guy definitely wouldn't live more than three days.

After a satisfying meal, Depp began his unwavering workout routine, doubling the amount of training he did.

“Good morning, Depp.” Aurora sent a message right on time.

Depp, doing push-ups, replied, "Good morning, Aurora. How did yesterday's lessons go?"

Ororo, who was in the classroom, thought for a moment and said, "I've mastered a new experimental technique, so I shouldn't destroy farmland anymore."

The new experimental technique... is it a way to achieve more perfect control?

Depp thought of the arc of electricity he had felt at his fingertips the night before and realized he could find a way to improve his abilities with Ororo.

He immediately messaged Ororo: "What's the trick? Can you elaborate? I'm very curious about how you controlled the experimental process."

Ororo's reply to the message was slow this time, as if she was struggling with how to express herself accurately to Depp's question without revealing her superpowered identity.

"Well... it means you can't just focus on doing experiments. Instead, you have to treat all your colleagues, experimental equipment, and experimental subjects as friends, and gradually get to know and become familiar with them. Only then can you slowly master the techniques and control the degree of the experiment at will. That's roughly it..."

After answering, fearing Depp might not understand, Aurora specifically asked, "Was there anything I said unclear...?"

Depp replied, "No, Aurora, you made it very clear. It's about heartfelt communication and understanding, not forceful manipulation. You really are a smart and kind child."

"No, not at all!" Aurora said shyly, "I have to go to class now. I've been paying attention in class lately!"

"Let's talk again later."

Goodbye, Depp.

"Goodbye."

After doing two hundred push-ups, Depp sat on the mat, pondering Ororo's words.

Should we communicate, rather than simply instigate?

With his ability activated, Depp's pupils turned white. In this state, he could easily see the flow of the surrounding elements and even the human nervous system.

Communication... communication...

It definitely doesn't refer to chatting with these colored lines... but rather to gradually guiding them...

It's not about driving these elements, but about them working together...

The next moment, a small arc of electricity, about the size of a fingernail, formed and flickered on Depp's fingertip, much more stable than before, lasting for five seconds before dissipating.

This left Depp somewhat exhausted, even more tired than when he first ran 10 kilometers, but at least it showed that the method worked and that he had made significant progress compared to the last time.

With more practice, this might become one of my attack methods.

My chances of surviving in Gotham have increased again, which makes me happy!

However, controlling natural elements is more mentally and physically demanding than keeping the brain running at high speed for extended periods. Depp is now even experiencing blurred vision and seeing double.

Beep beep beep, Tony has initiated a video call with you.

The video call connected, and Tony, with his heavy dark circles under his eyes, ignored Depp's weakness and excitedly said, "Depp, look at my latest achievement! Although it's still in the experimental stage, I can tell you for sure that it can automatically fly to me based on the positioning device in my hand!"

I also know that you later named it Mark 7...

"Wow, that's absolutely amazing." Depp's vision returned to normal, and he said weakly, "Tony, I think besides that, you could consider integrating nanotechnology into the armor. That would give you more freedom in wearing and using it."

"Nanotechnology...it's worth a try! Depp, you're absolutely a genius! I'm going to look up some information on it now, we'll talk again later."

Since recovering, Tony has become increasingly energetic.

After settling down with Chili Pepper, he could no longer flirt, and his research fanatic nature gradually came to the fore.

After hanging up the phone, Depp, feeling extremely tired, decided to skip the rest of his workout and go back to bed for a nap.

As for opening for business, that's not in a hurry at all... I'm not short of money!

------

At Wayne Manor, Bruce put down the slice of toast he was holding, took a sip of Alfred's freshly squeezed orange juice, and then picked up the newspaper next to him.

Shocking! Batman raids Carmine Falcone at night and does *that* to a mob boss's face!

"Pfft!" Bruce almost choked on his own from the shock of the headline.

“Those unscrupulous reporters!” He continued downwards, seeing the horrifying wounds on Falcone’s face: “I didn’t do this… Catwoman visited after me.”

at the same time,

Joseph entered the chemical plant, completely unaware that a man wearing a red hood had been watching him from behind.

Chapter 21 Three-Person Meeting

A few days later, the news of Falcone's assassination attempt by Batman gradually subsided.

A reporter who once secretly photographed and published news was shot 18 times in the back, but the Gotham Police Department ruled it a suicide.

Bruce Wayne continues to frequent the beds of Gotham socialites, while Batman continues his nightly routine.

Under pressure from Falcone, Chief of Staff Luo gave an unfortunate deputy captain, Gordon, a death order.

"Get that damn Batman to me, no matter what!"

Gordon has been under increasing pressure lately, and sometimes he feels that even being a waiter would be a hundred times better than working for the Gotham Police Department.

Whether it was the corrupt and radical style of his colleagues or the grievances of being ostracized, he was in great distress.

But for the sake of his wife Barbara and their unborn child, he had no choice but to continue the job, since a waiter's income was far less than that of a police deputy captain.

The clouds over Naihe Island were thicker than in other parts of Gotham, and the city under the shadows exuded an aura of filth and decay.

Gordon arrived at Depp's Antique Shop in a depressed mood.

Upon entering, Gordon saw a robber with a black stocking over his head pointing a knife at Depp.

Gordon raised his pistol and shouted, "GCPD! You're under arrest!"

Gordon handcuffed the robber's hands, made him squat to the side, and said, "Good thing I got here in time, buddy."

Beneath the stage, unseen by Gordon, the blue electric light that Depp had gathered in his hand slowly dissipated.

“I’m so lucky! What brings you here today?” Depp asked.