American comic book: After mastering resurrection, I became incredibly popular.

Joshua watched Wang Baixi's actions the entire time. He saw this Easterner closing his eyes and concentrating intently at a dead rat, as if engaging in a profound conversation with an unseen being. The solemn and dignified atmosphere made him involuntarily hold his breath.

"Are you talking to that dead rat?"

"Yes, although it is dirty, it is a necessary path for cultivation."

"Dirty? But I find it sacred!" Joshua frowned.

"Uh, okay..." Wang Baixi pursed his lips and accepted Joshua's praise.

“Eastern magic… is truly mysterious and unpredictable,” Joshua exclaimed sincerely. Even though he had seen radios and tablets before, this supernatural phenomenon still filled him with awe.

Just then, there was a knock on their door.

Alfred pushed open the door and entered. He glanced at the atmosphere in the room, then at the dead rat that Wang Baixi had just thrown into the trash can, his face showing no emotion.

"Gentlemen, the clothes have been delivered," the old butler said calmly. "We can now depart for Wayne Manor."

Chapter Seven: You just mentioned bats, right?

Wayne Manor is located on the outskirts of Gotham City. From a distance, it looks like a monster crouching in the darkness, with its Gothic spires outlined in jagged silhouettes in the night.

Joshua Wayne stood at the gate of the manor, looking up at the building that had only truly come to fruition after his death, his expression like that of someone staring blankly at their own portrait.

“In 1855, Solomon and I bought this place. At the time, he told me he was going to build a house bigger than the Vanderbilts’ house, and I thought he was just bragging. But now it seems we’ve done it.”

Alfred stood beside him, maintaining the polite distance typical of an English butler. "The Vanderbilt family's wealth today is roughly a fraction of the Wayne Group's, sir."

“Yes, the era of shipping and railroads is over. We are all remnants of the old era.” Joshua sighed, then strode into the doorway.

Wang Baixi followed at the very back, his thoughts completely different from Joshua's.

As a semi-reader of comics, he was thinking about the exact location of the Batcave. According to the comics, the entrance to the Batcave should be below the manor, but he had no idea how to get in.

However, the interior decoration of the manor was so luxurious that Wang Baixi felt like he had wandered into the wrong movie set. The dark mahogany wainscoting was adorned with portraits of Wayne family members from different generations.

Crystal chandeliers hang from the high ceiling, and priceless antique furniture is placed in every corner.

Joshua stopped in front of the paintings, his gaze falling on a portrait of a middle-aged man.

The man's facial features were somewhat similar to his, except that his chin was wider, his brow bone was higher, and he looked older.

“Is this Solomon?” Joshua said softly. “He’s so old I don’t even recognize him.”

“Yes, he lived to be 104 years old,” Alfred said from the side.

"How can he survive?" Joshua was shocked and couldn't believe it for a moment.

Alfred didn't respond, but quietly waited for Joshua to process his emotions before leading them through a corridor, then pushing open an oak door and entering a reception room that resembled a small library.

Two young people were already waiting in the reception room.

Wang Baixi recognized one of them as Dick Grayson, who looked much more energetic than before.

Another young man, or rather a "kid," because he looked no more than thirteen or fourteen years old, was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of coffee that he hadn't drunk much of, with an expression that was somewhere between curiosity and wariness.

In addition, a tall, blond man stood beside the fireplace.

“Mr. Joshua, Mr. Wang,” Alfred stepped aside to make room for him, “please allow me to introduce some of Mr. Bruce’s former business partners and friends.”

He first pointed to the young man sitting on the sofa, "This is Tim Drake. Don't let his young age fool you, he is Bruce's right-hand man in the field of business research and has in-depth knowledge of Wayne Enterprises' various businesses."

In fact, he is Batman's apprentice, Tim Drake, the third "Robin".

Tim stood up and nodded to Joshua. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Joshua. I’ve done some research on the history of the Wayne family, and I’m very impressed by your contributions to the abolitionist movement.”

Joshua's eyes lit up. "You know those things? It seems Solomon has passed down my story."

"Yes, you took more risks in that era than most heroes recorded in history books."

Joshua was clearly pleased with these words.

"Haha, that sounds so nice! Young man, you're right!"

"So, do humans really like being flattered?" Wang Baixi thought to himself.

Then, Alfred pointed to the blond man standing by the fireplace, “This is Mr. Paul Wally. He works in the security department of Wayne Enterprises, and he’s also a friend of Mr. Bruce.”

Paul's handshake was so firm it was almost excessive, as if he were testing the other person. "Your return is a big deal for all of Gotham, Mr. Joshua."

“Bruce has so many friends,” Joshua raised an eyebrow. “Kid, what kind of security work do you do?”

“Cybersecurity, building security… and so on,” Paul let go of her hand and stepped back to the fireplace. “I studied computer science at Gotham University.”

“Oh, it seems you’re very good at math.” Joshua wasn’t quite sure what the word “computer” meant in the 21st century, so he could only guess.

At least now he won't confidently say: You made up these words!

Wang Baixi listened to the conversation while searching his memory for the character "Jean-Paul Valéry." He vaguely recognized the name, as if it were related to some Batman storyline, but he couldn't recall the specifics.

He could only console himself that there were countless characters in the comics, and it was normal not to recognize them all.

Dick Grayson walked over from the window and extended his hand to Joshua. "We met at Wayne Tower, sir. I wasn't in a good mood then, so please forgive me if I was rude."

“You weren’t being rude, young man,” Joshua patted Dick on the shoulder. “Your first reaction after losing a loved one is anger and sadness, which proves you’re a normal person. If you had smiled and shaken my hand then, I would have thought you were too cold-blooded.”

After the introductions, Joshua began to wander around the living room, his gaze sweeping over the hardcover books with gold-embossed covers on the bookshelves, and then landing on a panoramic oil painting of Wayne Manor hanging above the fireplace.

"How long did it take to build this house?" Joshua asked Alfred.

"It took ten years in total, sir."

Joshua nodded, but then his brain cells suddenly became active, and he asked a question that surprised everyone present.

"There's a natural cave beneath this manor, right?"

Everyone chose to remain silent.

Except for Alfred.

His face showed no sign of weakness. "There are indeed geological cavities beneath the manor, sir. The mountains in this area are made of limestone, and long-term erosion by groundwater has created caves."

These words eased Joshua's expression somewhat. "When I was alive, that cave was of great help. Since you know about the Underground Railroad, you should also know that I hid runaway slaves there, waiting for things to calm down before sending them to Canada. The entrance to that cave was behind the plantation's drain, and I personally carved a passage through it. Have any of Solomon's descendants mentioned this to you?"

Alfred smiled and shook his head. "Master Bruce has never mentioned this part of history, but the drain at the estate you mentioned has now been converted into a wine cellar."

“Well,” Joshua chuckled, “he was just born when I died, and my brother Solomon is a stubborn old man. But since the cave is still there, I’d like to go down and see. More than a hundred years have passed, and I want to know what it’s like there now.”

For a moment, a hint of hesitation was visible on Alfred's face.

"Sir, in fact, Mr. Bruce has carried out a large-scale renovation of that cave. He used it as a private storage room, storing many things he didn't want on the estate. Some of the equipment involves trade secrets, and I'm not sure if it's appropriate to take you down for a tour now."

Joshua looked back at Alfred in surprise. "Trade secrets? Storing trade secrets in a cave? That's certainly 'safe' enough."

“Bruce’s way of thinking is rather…unique,” ​​Alfred said, considering his words. “He has his own security considerations.”

Dick Grayson then stepped forward. "Mr. Joshua, the place is indeed not suitable for a visit right now. It's not that we don't want to take you there, but there are many things inside that need to be cleaned and tidied up beforehand. Once we're ready, we will definitely invite you down."

Joshua stared at Dick for a few seconds, seemingly trying to determine whether the young man was telling the truth or just giving him the runaround. "Fine, I'll wait for your arrangements. I'm not in a hurry anyway."

Wang Baixi, standing in the corner, felt a little disappointed upon hearing this.

To be honest, he was quite interested in seeing what the bat cave looked like, but he didn't seem to have any reason to go down and explore it.

So he decided to act as if he didn't care about the cave at all, and even help Alfred change the subject.

“Exactly,” Wang Baixi chimed in with a nonchalant tone, “What’s so interesting about a run-down cave? There might even be bats living in it. Mr. Joshua, the most important thing for you right now is to get well soon. Once you get your identification, storm into the boardroom and teach those incompetent managers a lesson. That’s the real business!”

Cough cough, and there's also his 5% stake...

While it's uncertain whether Joshua can overcome the opposition and achieve this, after all, Wayne Enterprises is now a modern corporation, no longer a one-man show run by the Wayne family.

But let's trust him for now.

Unbeknownst to him, Dick Grayson had already turned his head and looked at Wang Baixi with a serious expression.

Alfred also maintained a complicated expression, but that expression only lingered on his face for a few seconds before disappearing. "Mr. Wang, I have a small question I'd like to ask you."

“Please go ahead,” Wang Baixi said, maintaining his casual smile.

“You just said ‘maybe there are bats living in there,’” Alfred’s tone remained polite, but the intervals between each word were a fraction of a second longer than usual. “Why would you associate that with bats? The most common creatures in caves are moles and newts. Bats usually live in deeper rock layers, and most people wouldn’t think of them first.”

At the same time, Dick's voice came from beside Wang Baixi.

"Mr. Wang, you just said 'bat', right?"

Joshua, however, was completely baffled as to why they had suddenly brought up this issue. "Bats...is there something wrong with them?"

At that moment, everyone was staring at Wang Baixi.

Wang Baixi scratched his head awkwardly, "Eh, did I just say that?"

Chapter 8 Yes, I just mentioned bats.

The atmosphere in the reception room seemed to have been paused.

Wang Baixi looked at Dick Grayson's face, which was slowly shifting from doubt to certainty, and then met Alfred's eyes, which seemed to see through everything.

At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind:

My foul mouth.

"I did say 'bat'," Wang Baixi finally admitted, choosing to be frank.

Since the act of pretending to be stupid has been exposed, it's better to just lay the cards on the table.

He wasn't a good actor to begin with, let alone the professionals from the Bat-Family standing opposite him. Trying to outsmart them? If the will of Heaven in the DC universe were to exert its power, he would simply be humiliating himself.

"Sorry, I was a little nervous just now. Actually, I've always known that Bruce Wayne is Batman."

Tim Drake's expression changed from curiosity to utter shock.

The shock wasn't from having a secret spoiled, but from discovering that the answer to the puzzle he had painstakingly solved had already been written on the back of the puzzle!

He must have put in so much effort to deduce that Batman was Bruce Wayne!

And this Easterner just said it so casually? Impossible, absolutely impossible!