"Iris, report."
In the penthouse office of Parker Tower, Batman—dressed in a gray suit with his hair meticulously styled—spoke to CEO Iris while reviewing the recent Parker Group projects that required his personal sign-off.
Standing beside the desk in a black pinstriped suit and a pencil skirt, Iris didn't need to look at any documents; she delivered the necessary updates clearly and precisely from memory.
Multitasking effortlessly, Batman quickly processed all the matters at hand, answering a few operational questions Iris had encountered while managing the Parker Group. Only then did he speak up:
"Iris, I am giving you half a month to acquire the following companies..."
As he spoke, Batman handed over a list. Iris took it and looked through it; nearly all the businesses listed were related to semiconductors, microchips, and manufacturing.
"Are we expanding our operations again?" Iris knew exactly what her boss, Peter Parker, intended to do the moment she saw the list.
"Yes. I've recently upgraded existing Bluetooth technology, and I believe there will be a massive market for it in the future," Batman said. "Headphones alone will generate immense revenue for us."
Expanding the Bluetooth business was merely a front. What Batman actually intended was to use this opportunity to push the Parker Group into the semiconductor sector, paving the way for the Alfred AI.
The microchips currently available in the world couldn't possibly meet the demands of the Alfred AI; Batman had to manufacture them himself. Fortunately, that was no difficult task for him.
"Bluetooth..." Iris pondered the current Bluetooth devices on the market. She failed to see how a technology on the verge of obsolescence could capture the market.
However, she didn't argue, choosing instead to trust her boss.
"Furthermore, I require a private airfield, a farm, two helicopters, and a private transport plane..." Batman listed the rest of the required acquisitions.
He only departed after ensuring that Iris had noted down every detail.
Returning to the Batcave beneath Manhattan's City Hall, he shed his suit and changed into the Arkham batsuit. Batman glanced at Venom Robin, who was standing alone in the open space, throwing punches at the air to practice his forms. Stepping forward, Batman called him to a halt.
"Robin, what I taught you are the most foundational combat techniques, but that doesn't mean you should abandon your innate abilities."
Just now, Venom Robin's movements had been swift and powerful, but he hadn't utilized his traits as a Venom symbiote at all.
"I know, but using the symbiote is second nature to me. I've tried integrating the tactical skills you taught me into my instincts... but it feels unnatural," Venom Robin said, pulling back his fists and looking at Batman.
"I once had a teammate in the Justice League whose combat style might serve as a good reference for you," Batman said.
Venom Robin searched through Batman's memories in his mind and asked tentatively, "Martian Manhunter?"
"Yes, J'onn J'onzz," Batman said in his deep voice. "Like you, his body can shapeshift into any form he requires. In fact, purely in terms of shapeshifting capability, he is far superior to you."
Venom Robin nodded. In this regard, there was truly no comparison between the two.
Martian Manhunter could alter his form at will—stretching, molding, and elongating. Not only could he transform into other living creatures, but he could even turn into objects like briefcases or structures.
Even in Batman's former world, Martian Manhunter carried the nickname "The Swiss Army Knife," meaning he could do just about anything.
Venom Robin was far from achieving that level of versatility.
"Old Bats, in your memories, his fighting style relies almost entirely on flight, shapeshifting, and raw strength. I didn't see any combat-related skills," Venom Robin noted.
"That doesn't mean he is completely ignorant of them. On the contrary, Martian Manhunter is highly proficient in most hand-to-hand combat techniques; he simply rarely uses them," Batman explained. "Starting tomorrow, I will arrange for someone to spar with you. He is weak enough for you to fully utilize your instincts to counter him."
"Do you mean Iron Man?" Venom Robin asked.
"...It's the Black Knight, Dane Whitman," Batman said after a two-second silence.
Late October.
Half a month had passed since Dane Whitman took up the Ebony Blade and became the Black Knight.
This was a rare period of relative tranquility since Batman had crossed over, with no major crises occurring.
Everything was proceeding like clockwork. The team led by Silver Sable had successfully arrived in Antarctica and was currently searching for traces of Antarctic Vibranium based on the coordinates provided by Batman.
The Black Knight, Dane Whitman, showed no signs of being affected by any curse. Instead, wielding the Ebony Blade, his learning speed was incredibly rapid, and he could already clash for dozens of rounds against a holding-back Venom Robin.
Tony Stark had subdued a criminal calling himself Boomerang and sent him to a newly completed prison.
It was worth noting that this prison had been jointly established by Norman Osborn, who had entered politics, and Tony Stark, the tycoon of the business world, following the events of the dinosaur invasion.
The purpose of the prison itself was to house super-villains that ordinary prisons could not contain, and it was located on an island in Jamaica Bay, Queens.
Guarded by military forces dispatched by the government, its interior relied on a fully enclosed isolation system and an intelligent monitoring network, capable of implementing customized containment solutions for individuals with different powers.
Out of Iron Man Tony Stark's twisted sense of humor, this isolated island prison was named "The Raft."
The prosthetic limbs jointly developed by Professor Connors and Doctor Otto were declared a success. They were mass-produced by the Parker Group but not sold to the public; instead, CEO Iris organized a special review team to donate them exclusively to disabled individuals who truly needed them.
At the same time, the recipients of these prosthetics had to undergo a one-year psychological evaluation to ensure no one would use the prosthetics to embark on a path of crime.
This project lost the Parker Group a significant amount of money, but due to the upgrade of Bluetooth technology, the explosive sales of Bluetooth headphones patched up the financial deficit. It even yielded a massive surplus, offsetting most of the investment into chip research and development.
These relatively peaceful days lasted until October 22nd.
On Bat Island, Batman was optimizing the Alfred AI, with only the clacking sound of the keyboard echoing through the space.
However, an encrypted transmission soon shattered the tranquility.
Unlike previous encrypted communications, what rang out this time was not the Bat-communicator, but another device that had remained completely silent ever since Batman acquired it: a Kimoyo Bead.
This was one of the three gifts originally presented by Prince T'Challa of Wakanda to express his gratitude after Batman generously returned a piece of lost Vibranium, intended for Batman to make contact whenever he needed assistance.
Yet now, before Batman had even encountered an insurmountable problem, T'Challa had proactively sent a communication request.
Batman had long since thoroughly analyzed the device, ensuring that Kimoyo Beads did not possess any tracking capabilities.
Staring at the Kimoyo Bead for a few seconds, Batman picked it up, and an urgent voice instantly came through from the other side:
"Batman, I need your help. In the name of the Panther God, I beg you to assist me... I am at the end of my rope. You might be the only one who can help me."
It was T'Challa's voice. Batman had a deep impression of him; he could even be considered the first Black man Batman had met whose demeanor, eloquence, and etiquette were entirely impeccable.
Yet at this moment, T'Challa's tone carried a lingering exhaustion beneath its weakness, as if he had suffered an ordeal that had utterly broken him from the inside out.
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