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

“Yes,” Paul said in a deep voice.

Tim, standing beside him, spoke up for him: "Bruce originally wanted to groom Jean so that he would have a successor. Jean, tell them your name."

"Name?" Paul chuckled self-deprecatingly, then looked firmly at Wang Baixi and Joshua. "Gentlemen, you may call me: Angel of Death."

What a cringeworthy name!

"Angel of Death?" Joshua chewed on the name. Although he didn't know what epic story lay behind those four words, he was still impressed. He immediately patted Jean Paul on the shoulder to express his approval of the young man.

While complaining, Wang Baixi couldn't help but frown.

Angel of Death?

Now he had a vague recollection of it.

If I remember correctly, he did serve as Batman for a period of time after Batman was injured, but later the two had some conflicts, so Batman returned...

“It seems the Wayne family has far more allies than I thought,” Joshua remarked, realizing Batman wasn’t fighting alone. “Nightwing, Robin, the Angel of Death, you are all Bruce’s wings!”

At this moment, Alfred glanced at his watch and realized that dinner time was approaching. "Mr. Joshua, King, let's stop here for today. Let's return to the ground first. I have prepared a sumptuous dinner for you both."

Wang Baixi was secretly delighted.

I finally got a free meal!

"Okay, I won't stand on ceremony!"

Then, the group returned to the surface along the same path. The bookshelves slowly closed behind them; the mechanisms in the cave had an automatic shut-off function, and the whole process was as quiet as if nothing had happened.

They walked down the corridor to the dining room, where Alfred had already set the table. A long table, large enough to seat ten people, was placed in the center; Wayne Manor often hosted large banquets.

A pristine white tablecloth lay on the table. Alfred had an almost obsessive demand for the dining environment; the silver cutlery was spotless and was currently reflecting a bright light under the chandelier.

Joshua sat down in the chair next to the head of the table, as arranged by Alfred, since respecting elders is a traditional British virtue.

Afterwards, Alfred stood by the dining table and personally served the two guests. One was a mysterious friend from the East, and the other was an "old friend" of the Wayne family.

He first picked up the wine bottle and poured wine for Joshua, as this ancestor of the family deserved the highest level of hospitality.

Joshua took the glass and took a sip, wanting to taste the difference between 21st-century red wine and 19th-century wine.

After tasting it, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Excellent wine! But this wine is probably not as old as me!"

Then, Alfred began to pour wine for Wang Baixi. Wang Baixi was not annoyed by the preferential treatment and simply took a big gulp quietly.

“Pennyworth, I need to talk to you about Wayne Enterprises.” After the banter, Joshua put down his glass, wanting to take this opportunity to discuss serious matters with Alfred. “I can’t keep hiding here. I need to be involved in the company’s operations. Since I’ve been resurrected, it must be fate. God wants me to take over Wayne Enterprises again.”

“Indeed, I also believe this is the will of Heaven,” Wang Baixi echoed.

"Of course, don't worry, I don't want to compete with you for Bruce's inheritance. I just want to contribute more to my family."

“Mr. Joshua, please rest assured, Dick and I would never assume such a thing about you.” Alfred put down the wine bottle and responded earnestly to Joshua’s words.

He thought for a second or two, trying to find a solution that would both protect Joshua's identity and allow him to play a role...

Got it!

“I have a suggestion!” the old butler said. “The resurrection of the dead is indeed extremely rare, so I think you could join the company as a distant relative. I will speak with Mr. Lucius Fox, the current CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Mr. Lucius is Mr. Bruce’s most trusted subordinate, and he will assist you in handling the relevant matters.”

After listening to the proposal, Joshua thought it was entirely feasible.

However, he chose to turn his head to look at Dick, after all, he was the first heir recognized by law after Bruce's unexpected death.

"Child, what do you think of this arrangement?"

“Affair, Mr. Joshua, I think this is a good idea,” Dick replied. “But we need to prepare some formal identification documents for you, which will take some time.”

Alfred agreed with Dick's assessment, and then he took a black credit card out of his pocket and pushed it in front of Joshua.

“Mr. Joshua, this is Wayne Group’s unlimited credit card. You can use it for personal expenses first. In a few days, I will arrange an advisory title for you. It’s a nominal position that won’t attract much attention, but it will be enough to get you involved in high-level decision-making.”

Although Joshua didn't quite understand the card's purpose or the subsequent arrangements, he still politely put the card in his pocket and accepted the arrangement.

"Let's do it this way, let's do it this way!"

"As for the shares, we can discuss that later. Right now, I need to establish a firm foothold and then slowly deal with those parasites on the board of directors."

Upon hearing the word "shares," Wang Baixi immediately focused his attention.

He remembered Joshua's promise of a 5% stake in the taxi. So he cleared his throat. "Mr. Joshua, about that 5% stake you mentioned..."

Joshua waved his hand, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will keep my promise. However, the time is not yet ripe. Once I have established myself on the board of directors, the share transfer agreement will naturally be delivered to you. Now, let's have dinner first."

“Huh? Five percent?” Dick suddenly opened his mouth, but Alfred stopped him with a look.

Clearly, he believed Joshua was just senile, so there was no need to oppose him. Besides, if Wang Baixi could truly resurrect Bruce, what did a mere five percent stake matter?

He'd even eat Wang Baixi's shit!

"Mr. Pennyworth, what shall we eat?"

"Ahem, I'll go tell them to serve the food right away!"

Hearing Joshua's promise, Wang Baixi felt content. He considered it a reassurance, and that his efforts hadn't been in vain. He immediately picked up the napkin in front of him, spread it on his lap, and prepared to enjoy the sumptuous dinner.

Then, a group of servants filed in. Normally, the huge Wayne Manor was only managed by Alfred, but now that Bruce was not here, Alfred temporarily hired a group of servants in order to show Joshua that old-fashioned aristocratic atmosphere.

Alfred clapped his hands, signaling the kitchen to start serving the food.

The servants filed in carrying silver platters; dinner was ready.

Wang Baixi could only vaguely recall the names of these dishes, but couldn't recall their names; they were dishes that ordinary poor people had never seen before.

In Gotham, why can some people eat so luxuriously? The evil wealth gap!

Today I'm going to ruthlessly destroy capitalism!

Wang Baixi picked up a knife and fork, cut off a piece of steak, and put it in his mouth.

Hmm, this steak is cooked to perfection. This cow truly deserved its fate.

They are indeed rich; they live extravagantly and know how to enjoy life.

Joshua watched Wang Bolin eat with such ease that he picked up his knife and fork and began to eat as well, wanting to see what the culinary skills of a 21st-century chef were like.

Dick and Tim exchanged a glance; they both felt that Wang Baixi's eating habits were completely unlike the stereotypical image of a Taoist priest.

“Dick, didn’t you say that Eastern mages are all…unfathomable?” Tim whispered.

“He’s certainly very unfathomable.” Dick felt a chill run down his spine. “At least his stomach seems bottomless…”

Chapter Ten: The Owl Court and the Muscle Man

Meanwhile, in the equally unfathomable depths of Gotham's underground.

By navigating the complex underground drainage system, anyone can access the darkest and most hidden parts of the city…

……

In the underground stone hall, the candlelight, like frozen tears, cast intermittent, deathly light on more than ten porcelain-white owl masks.

They are members of the Owl Court.

This mysterious organization is older than Gotham itself, and like the Freemasons and the Lizards, they have been manipulating Gotham behind the scenes for centuries.

This group of people are representatives of the Gotham City branch of the Court of Owls, namely the Owl Council.

The faces beneath those masks belonged to Gotham City's most fearsome and powerful families, the oldest and most ancient. They should have been elegantly sipping wine and enjoying bread, but instead, they were all sitting upright, waiting for that person to appear…

Finally, the wooden door that separated the stone hall from the outside world was pushed open, and a series of heavy footsteps attracted their attention.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a humanoid mountain of flesh, about two meters tall, with bulging muscles all over his body and wearing an iron helmet. Upon closer inspection, they could see that there were several tubes connected to his body behind the helmet.

“Oh! I’ve heard so much about you, Bane of San Priscilla!” A member of the council stood up and bowed slightly to the man. “Is that your source of power? You killed Batman with that? What’s it called?”

“Venom,” Bane scoffed.

Another member of the Court of Owls boldly walked up to Bane, looking up at the tall man: "Impressive, you actually dared to come here alone without anyone? Aren't you afraid..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Bain suddenly lifted him above his head. Before the man could even scream, Bain subdued him with a slight effort and a shout.

Finally, Bane threw his upper body aside as well, looking at the terrified crowd who dared not utter a sound: "Yes, I killed Batman with this. But he was a respectable opponent, so I didn't tear him to pieces."

"Just say it, why did you call me here?"

After killing Batman and taking that unprecedented crown, Bane began to feel bored.

What will he do next? Take over the major and minor gangs of Gotham? Control the incompetent officials in the city government? Or extend his dark empire into the heart of America?

Please, this kind of life, where you can see the end from the beginning, is just too boring!

So when the Court of Owls found him, he came alone, his blood boiling, wanting to see if these guys were all bluster and no substance, or just a bunch of empty-headed idiots.

From the current perspective, both are true.

After a long pause, the court member who had initially spoken to him finally said, "Bane, we invited you here because you are qualified to sit at this table."

He pointed to the empty high-backed chair in the center of the stone hall, the top of which was carved with the outline of an owl. Bain glanced at the chair in the direction of his gesture, and a heavy laugh came from under his helmet.

"As you can see, the Court of Owls has been lurking in the shadows of this city for nearly three centuries. We've seen countless madmen who thought they could control Gotham crawl out of the sewers only to be flushed away again. But you're different, Bane. You killed Batman, who was once the only variable we couldn't control."

"And now, we've guessed the true identity behind that mask: Bruce Wayne."

“Go on.”

Clearly, Bain was happy to hear that.

Another courtroom member stood up, her back still tingling from Bane's earlier fright. "Batman's death left a massive power vacuum, and all the major powers in Gotham are itching to act. But for us, the real treasure has never been on the streets: Wayne Enterprises, that's the beating heart of Gotham, its tentacles reaching into the military, real estate, technology, and media..."

"Once we control the Wayne Corporation, we'll have complete control over the city's pulse. First the Wayne family, then the Kane family..."

Bain slowly walked to the stone table. "You have money, you have power, and you even have this ridiculous long table. Why don't you go and get it yourselves?"

The first male member to speak said in an almost candid tone, "We believe Bruce Wayne has a backup plan, and we're not enough on our own! We need to capture his legal heir first: Dick Grayson!"

When "Grayson" was mentioned, a greedy glint flashed in everyone's eyes.

"...Therefore, we extend an olive branch to you! After this is accomplished, you will be able to share the Wayne family's inheritance with the court, and then we will rule this city together!!"

“Hahaha!” Bain suddenly laughed. “Fine! I agree to cooperate with you.”

Huh? You agreed so quickly?