At 11:00 AM, a newly awakened Bruce Wayne sat on the sofa, resting his chin on his hand, staring expressionlessly at the news report covering the "Batman murder" incident.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"That wasn't me."
Alfred, tidying the dining table, replied without turning around,
"You've said that twice already."
He paused, glancing at the young man. Seeing the confusion in Bruce's eyes, he decisively picked up the remote and turned off the television.
"Stop looking at it. It has nothing to do with you."
Bruce Wayne said seriously,
"Alfred, someone is impersonating me and killing people. I have to find him."
"Things might not be as simple as you think."
Bruce was startled and looked at him in confusion.
Alfred took out a file he had prepared earlier, saying with a tone of helplessness,
"When you were a child, I often told you to wake up and go to bed early, but I see you've forgotten all of it. These are documents I obtained from the police department. Just read them, and you'll understand."
The file documented the case's process, causes, and consequences in detail. After reading it, Bruce's eyebrows knitted tightly, and he remained silent for a long time.
Alfred placed a cup of coffee with milk next to him and smiled. "Two unknown heroes raided the Razor Gang's lair, captured the drug lord Adousan, and then escaped completely unscathed from Victor Zsasz's ambush."
"Bulletproof armor, missile interception, super lightning..."
The old man smacked his lips and sighed. "It's much more formidable than your Batmobile."
Bruce Wayne frowned, a hint of frustration in his expression.
"Alfred, I don't care about the weapons. I want to know their identities."
"That's impossible. You know better than I do about Gotham's road surveillance equipment; vehicle tracking is simply out of the question. Besides, I believe your primary concern right now shouldn't be them, but how to salvage your reputation. If the citizens and the police decide Batman is a murderer who loves using vigilantism, things will become troublesome."
Bruce sipped his coffee, his deep frown never easing.
He understood clearly that behind such a massive wave of public opinion, someone was surely fueling the fire. That person's objective was easy to guess, but guessing it didn't mean he could solve it. As the situation stood, almost everyone believed the owner of the black Lamborghini was Batman—only Batman had the ability to grab Adousan from his lair, and only he could have escaped Victor's ambush completely unharmed.
It was a stalemate.
After a period of silence, Bruce spoke, "What if I use the power of Wayne Enterprises to release the truth? What do you think?"
"Master Wayne, I must remind you: Wayne Enterprises is Wayne Enterprises, and Batman is Batman. The two must never be linked."
Bruce spread his hands. "Then what do you suggest? I can't exactly talk to a newspaper."
Alfred gave him a penetrating look.
"The truth is, you've always had an idea; you just haven't dared to act on it."
Being caught off guard, Bruce instantly felt embarrassed. He drank some coffee.
"ShowMe is definitely a good choice, but the comments on it..."
Alfred sighed. "Sometimes, I doubt if you're truly a young man. You're only twenty-six, yet you live like an old antique."
Bruce awkwardly tried to explain,
"You know the 'Bat-fans' on ShowMe. They are... quite fanatical. They are keen on discussing and imitating Batman's actions... I worry they might be exploited by certain individuals."
"Master Wayne, your worries are superfluous. If you feel uncomfortable, let me handle it."
"You?"
Doubt and scrutiny showed in Bruce's eyes. If he remembered correctly, Alfred was already sixty years old.
Alfred placed the rest of the meal on the table and said indifferently,
"Are you thinking that it looks childish for a sixty-year-old man, who should be drinking tea and looking after his health, to run off to the internet to argue with young people?"
"I absolutely didn't mean that."
Bruce said with a serious expression, even though that was exactly what he was thinking—he would deny it to the death.
Alfred gave him a sharp look, his tone growing flatter.
"This matter is settled. I will take over the daily management of the account."
"...Fine!"
Bruce shrugged. "I hope we get a good result."
The Real Batman Appears
The first Sunday in August, the weather was clear.
Today was a momentous day because, at 1:30 PM, a user named Batman appeared on the ShowMe official website.
Not Batman001, not Batman002, but the actual Batman—six letters, no more, no less.
To prevent potential copyright issues in the future, Luke had specially flagged the names "Batman," "Superman," "Wonder Woman," and others in the database when he launched the hero section.
ShowMe uses a real-name verification system, and this applies not just to ordinary users but to superheroes as well. If you wanted the username Batman, you had to prove you were the Batman.
Most Bat-fans and Superman-fans agreed with Luke's approach. Superheroes are people, too. Who's to say they won't go online or chat? Even if they didn't join now, they might join the ShowMe family in the future, and these exclusive accounts should be reserved for them.
But they never dreamed that on the first Sunday of August, the actual Batman would appear.
B, A, T, M, A, N!
No mistake, it was him!
Upon hearing the news, users connected to ShowMe quickly called to confirm the truth of the matter. Everyone else, filled with nervousness and curiosity, clicked into Batman's private space.
The space was filled with resources—images, text, short videos—all brand new and unavailable elsewhere online. They detailed Batman's past activities and provided corresponding evidence. These materials were sufficient to prove that the account owner was the actual Batman.
After seeing this, everyone was shocked, followed by wild excitement.
Especially the Bat-fans who had been relentlessly criticized due to the "murder incident" suddenly found their backbone and became instantly energized.
They flooded Batman's private space. Some offered greetings, some sent blessings, and many more demanded that Batman explain the incident from the previous night.
Alfred did not create any suspense. He immediately posted solid evidence of Batman's alibi.
The information revealed that at the time of the incident, Bruce Wayne had just taken down an underground drug processing plant hidden in the East End and delivered several key leaders to the North Side Police Department. The factory workers and the officers on duty could all testify.
As soon as this information was posted, public opinion instantly ignited.
ShowMe was no longer the small platform with just a few thousand users; its total user base exceeded five million, with daily active users around 4.5 million. When millions of young people speak up simultaneously, the world has to listen.
Major news outlets quickly reposted Batman's statement.
ShowMe's popularity surged, climbing into the top thirty on search trends in the blink of an eye.
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