I'm doing bidirectional science popularization in American comics

Using hook-and-lock devices added to the outside of the robotic arm, they swiftly moved between buildings.

Watching the crowd leave in pairs, Bruce suddenly felt a little melancholy.

"Should I also find myself a companion?"

Back in the Batcave, Bruce said to Alfred, who was helping him change, "Alfred, shouldn't I find a partner to go with?"

Alfred paused for a moment upon hearing this, then agreed, "Yes, young master, it must be quite stressful for you to be acting alone all the time."

As he spoke, he took out a bat suit that fit his size from the armory.

He felt that if the young master needed an assistant to act with him, he would definitely be the first choice, and he would absolutely be obliged to help.

In a sense, he had been waiting for this day for a long time!

Alfred lifted the suit up to his neck and held it up, asking, "Young Master, do you think this size of battle suit is a bit tight on me?"

Bruce: "......"

Bruce looked at the somewhat excited Alfred, wanting to speak several times but unable to utter a word.

After all, Alfred was quite old and his health wasn't very good.

After much hesitation, fearing that the elderly Alfred might be in danger if he were to travel with him at night, he compromised and said, "How about... Alfred, starting tomorrow, you help me train a bat-dog that can travel with me!"

Ah Fu looked slightly disappointed and put away his battle suit, but being able to help the young master train a dog that could fight alongside him was a way for him to feel involved.

He said, "Yes, young master."

I will definitely train the best dog for the young master!

On the way home, Selena looked up and asked, "Honey, why didn't you tell Bruce the Scarecrow's true identity?"

“That could expose our identities, since Bruce was also involved in that party.”

"And believe me, he will come to the antique shop to see me tomorrow."

"I'll give him a little hint then."

Upon hearing this, Selena suddenly realized and said, "I see. By the way, I thought there would be some fun battle tonight, but we only exchanged a few words. Let's go home, we haven't exercised yet today."

Depp asked, "Your house, or mine?"

Selena pinched Depp and said, "Of course you should come to my place! Your bed is too small! Besides, that kid Wayne is sleeping next door. It's really inconvenient."

The next morning, Depp ran back to the antique shop from Selena's house and saw Bruce waving at him as soon as he entered.

Good morning, Wellen.

"Good morning, boss. Mr. Bruce has been waiting for you here for an hour."

Good morning, Bruce. What's up?

Depp gave Wellen a look as he spoke, and Wellen immediately understood and left the front desk.

Bruce cut to the chase: "Why didn't you come yesterday?"

“I think if you really had something important to do, you would come to the store to find me directly, instead of just sending a text message and making me wait for you in the cold wind at the top of Wayne Tower at midnight.”

Bruce sighed helplessly and said in a low voice, "I've formed a Justice League with Gordon, Harvey, Iron Fist, and Catwoman, and I hope you can join us."

Bruce was sincere; he genuinely wanted Depp to join. This was partly due to Depp's magical abilities and his law-abiding behavior despite being on Naihe Island, and partly because Bruce had a feeling that Depp's involvement would change many things.

However, Depp's answer disappointed Bruce.

"I'm sorry, I have no interest in joining you. Rather than fighting for justice in this city, I'd rather live a longer life."

"Is that so..." Bruce said somewhat dejectedly.

“However…” Depp said, “If you want to consult me ​​about some criminals, I think I have a lot of leads to offer you, after all, you know what Naihe Island is like.”

Upon hearing this, Bruce's mood instantly brightened. He placed the scarecrow photo from his jacket pocket on the front desk and said:

"I'd like to ask about any clues regarding this guy first."

Chapter 50 Jonathan's Apartment Laboratory [3000 words, requesting monthly votes and recommendations]

"Your goal is... the Scarecrow?" Depp asked knowingly.

Bruce nodded and said, "That's right, this guy is quite troublesome. He has a homemade poison gas that can induce people's deepest fears."

Because of his previous defeat, Bruce unconsciously regarded Scarecrow as one of the more troublesome opponents.

Depp knew that Scarecrow was Jonathan, and when he heard Bruce mention Fear Gas, he immediately chimed in, "Fear Gas? I think I might know who this guy is."

"Don't be ridiculous, Depp. Don't tell me you can figure out who Scarecrow is just from the clue of the Fear Gas."

Bruce clearly didn't believe Depp; he thought Depp was just joking with him.

He doesn't believe that Depp could find the criminal's identity based on just one piece of information, even though he hasn't been able to catch him all this time.

Bruce continued, "Just tell me if there's been any suspicious activity around here lately, anything that might be Scarecrow."

Upon hearing this, Depp chuckled and said, "Are you questioning my judgment? How about we make a bet, Bruce?"

Because of his familiarity with the storyline, Depp was absolutely confident of winning the gamble.

Bruce hadn't expected Depp to be so confident in his judgment, and asked, "What are we betting on?"

Bruce is prepared to accept the bet as long as Depp's demands aren't too outrageous. If he wins, Depp will have to join the Justice League!

“If I win, you have to grant me one request. I will tell you what the request is when I need it in the future. Of course, I won’t make unreasonable requests like asking you to kill someone for me or handing over the Wayne Corporation to me.”

Bruce immediately agreed, "Deal. If I win, you'll join the Justice League."

“No problem,” Depp said confidently.

Seeing Depp's overflowing confidence, Bruce couldn't help but start to have doubts.

Could it be that he really knows who the scarecrow is?

Bruce said, "Now you can tell me who you think the Scarecrow is."

Depp picked up his thermos, took a sip of hot water, and said, word by word, "The Scarecrow is Jonathan Klein, a psychology professor at Gotham University."

"Jonathan Klein?"

Bruce frowned slightly upon hearing this. He recognized the man, as he had spent some time as a student at Gotham University when he first returned to Gotham.

But why would a university professor become a scarecrow spreading fear?

And he's a psychology professor!

Bruce thought it was somewhat possible if the person was a professor in the chemistry department at Gotham University, since creating those terrifying poison gases would require considerable research in the field of chemistry.

However, considering that Jonathan's long legs and stature did indeed resemble the Scarecrow somewhat, Bruce also had some doubts.

“Believe it or not,” Depp said. “If you’d like, we can get up now and head over to Jonathan’s place.”

"Now?" Bruce hesitated. To be honest, he didn't really want to act during the day.

He dialed Alfred's number and said, "Alfred, help me investigate Professor Jonathan Klein of Gotham University and his class schedule for this period of time."

"Yes, young master."

After a while, Alfred said, "Jonathan Klein, a young psychology professor at Gotham University, is tall, handsome, but frail, making him a very good marriage prospect in the eyes of many female teachers. However, what is somewhat inconsistent with his status is that he lives in an apartment in the East District of Naihe Island and rents an entire floor of it."

"As for the schedule, because Jonathan has been relatively relaxed in his teaching recently, his teaching schedule is very full. The last class today ends at 9:30 pm."

After explaining Jonathan's specific address and other details, Alfred added, "By the way, young master, I've found a suitable dog for you, the one you mentioned yesterday. Training can begin this afternoon."

"Thank you for your hard work, Afu. See you tonight."

After hanging up the phone, Bruce looked at Depp and said, "Jonathan's last class today ends at 9:30 p.m. I think we can go and search his place before then."

Depp wasn't surprised that Bruce could find Jonathan's schedule so quickly, but he didn't quite understand the second sentence: "Wait, you mean 'us'? I'm going to Jonathan's with you tonight too?"

To be honest, Depp didn't want to get involved in this mess himself.

For Depp, providing Bruce with information support from behind the scenes was enough. This way, Gotham's criminals could be brought to justice, while he could stay as far away from danger as possible.

Bruce said matter-of-factly, "Is there a problem? After all, this is a gamble. How can you sit at the table and not come with me to see the cards?"

These words left Depp speechless. He could only agree, "Okay, send me Jonathan's address. We'll meet there promptly at nine o'clock tonight."

Fortunately, Scarecrow isn't exactly a vicious criminal, especially since Jonathan is just a newly debuted supervillain.

Depp thought the risk factor for this trip shouldn't be too high.

Bruce said, "That's settled then. See you tonight. I have a meeting to attend later, so I'll take my leave now."

“Goodbye, busy Mr. Bruce.” Depp waved.

After Bruce left, Wayne came out from behind.

"Boss, do you need my help with tonight's operation?"

Depp shook his head and said, "There's no need for that. Just focus on taking care of the home."

Upon hearing this, Wellen pursed his lips in disappointment, his fangs bobbing in and out of his mouth, looking as aggrieved as a child weighing over 400 pounds.

Seeing Depp walk back into the house, Wellen, who was sitting at the front desk, thought to himself, "It must be because I'm not strong enough that the boss thinks I can't help much. It seems I still need to keep training!"

He opened the training plan on his phone and doubled the already inhuman amount of training.

In the original storyline, although Wayne became the king of Gotham's sewers, he only reigned supreme among ordinary people.

In battles between supervillains, Killer Croc usually appears as a vanguard and cannon fodder.

His strength is far inferior to that of the Shark King, who has the bloodline of an ancient god, and Solomon Grandi, who is almost immortal.

However, now, due to repeated forced evolutions and Wellen's own almost insane training, things have changed.

The crocodile genes in his body are also undergoing unknown changes.

But in Wellen's heart, all of this was for the boss!

Back in his room, Depp told Selena that he and Bruce would be searching Jonathan's place that night.

After Selena applied to join the operation as Catwoman but was rejected by Depp, she said with some concern, "That guy's gas is really powerful, you have to be careful! If all else fails, let Bruce take the lead."

Depp laughed and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

As he spoke, Depp shifted his gaze to the two familiar steel plates.

Then he shook his head, thinking that he probably wouldn't need these two old friends tonight, since Jonathan's weapon was fear gas rather than firearms.