Chapter 4 | Something’s Definitely Wrong with This Basic Perk

[Warning! Detected anchor item: "Ventriloquist's Tear of Persona Destruction."]

[Searching for a Batman that this anchor can target...]

[Warning! No suitable Batman was found. Initiating a random match with a weaker, low-tier Batman... Match successful.]

[Match found: Bat-Monster Truck]

[Danger Level: F]

[Synchronization in progress... Synchronization complete.]

[Current Crisis Energy: 0]

[Warning! This Batman is from the Dark Multiverse and has an inherently evil mindset, which may corrupt Batman's morality and sanity!]

Cells... were boiling! Screaming in chaotic joy!

Chen Tao's genes were crashing down like dominoes. Invisible, intangible particles on his body entwined and embraced the very fabric of reality, becoming one. What emerged was an indescribable vision, impossible for human language to encapsulate.

[File "Bat-Monster Truck's Memories" synchronized]

[You can now synchronize with others…]

[ERROR! Detected no additional anchor items. Current Crisis Energy: 0. Unable to synchronize with other Batmans.]

In Bat-Monster Truck's parallel universe, Batman had implanted himself into every piece of technology that governed the world…

He became part of people's everyday lives, providing comfort and security for the flock…

But the flock rebelled. They didn't want peace; these idiots wanted freedom, with all its flaws and dangers…

I was erased from the planet by the system. My digital consciousness and physical persona were destroyed…

I had no choice but to upload my mind into this massive vehicle…

Wait, no! I'm not Bat-Monster Truck! I'm Chen Tao!

Chen Tao snapped back to reality within half a second. The chaotic flood of memories overwhelmed his brain, making his temples throb painfully.

Wait.

Temples?

What a joke—he didn't even have temples. Chen Tao looked down and saw that his arms had been replaced by wheels, spinning aimlessly on the ground.

A loud crash of shattering glass followed. Chen Tao tried to turn his head—only to realize he didn't have one. From the rearview mirror, he could see his body swelling, smashing through the nearby glass doors.

I... I've turned into an off-road truck!?

What?!

"Ugh…"

The flood of memories continued to surge into his brain. This was Bat-Monster Truck's entire existence—love, hate, joy, sorrow. All of it filled him with an uncontrollable rage, a desire to destroy Gotham, to bathe in its blood.

He looked at the Ventriloquist, and murderous intent surged forward. The sudden urge to take a bath in the man's blood struck him.

Chen Tao felt that if this were an MMO, he would probably have "Morality -1, -1, -1..." floating above his head non-stop.

"…"

"This must be a side effect of receiving the memories. Total mental corruption… an evil fall? But why should I kill the Ventriloquist? What's in it for me?"

In a blink, Chen Tao's mind swept away the dark and violent urges like tossing trash into a bin. The ease of it left even him speechless.

"Got it. Good Batman raises the moral ceiling, evil Batman lowers the floor. As for me, I have no morality at all."

Pride filled him.

He wasn't Batman, and he didn't share Batman's worldview or struggle to uphold moral choices.

Since there was no emotional connection to any of these ethical dilemmas, he remained unaffected. It was like the Trolley Problem—while everyone else debated who to save, he'd be the one figuring out how to take photos and sell them to the press for profit.

They were simply on different wavelengths.

Of course, that was only because Bat-Monster Truck was so weak that the negative emotions were minimal, and he couldn't empathize. If it had been a more powerful and sinister version of Batman, would things have turned out differently?

That remained to be seen. For now, Chen Tao shifted his focus to another problem.

"Can I turn back into my old self?"

As soon as he thought that, half his body dissipated into dark red light particles, reforming into flesh and bone. The constant barrage of memories in his mind abruptly stopped.

Maybe it had taken a long time, or maybe it happened in the blink of an eye… either way, everything returned to normal, as if it had all been a fleeting dream.

Chen Tao rubbed his hands together, confirming that he was back to his original form as Batman, with not even a single tear in his clothes.

With a thought, his left hand transformed into a spinning off-road truck wheel, then just as quickly, it reverted back.

"So, I can turn into that Bat-Monster Truck whenever I want…"

But seriously—what use is a superpower that turns me into an off-road monster truck?

"Hear me roar, I'll crush you?"

And about this Alfred Protocol… never mind. My original plan sounds a lot more reliable.

Chen Tao shook his head. Betting everything on unknown variables was never his style.

He turned his gaze back to the Ventriloquist. Fortunately, when he subdued him earlier, he had already sent the hostages out, so the Ventriloquist was the only witness to his transformation.

The balding, middle-aged white man blinked at him, clutching the Baby Batman plush, which was cheering, saying things like, "Yes! This is what a good dog should do!"

"Don't mention anything about what just happened."

"Woof!"

"Speak like a human."

"Okay."

Ignoring these details, Chen Tao's original plan was still on track. The snowball had started rolling. With the Ventriloquist under his control, he could finally work from the shadows, using him to recruit more villains.

He could even use the Ventriloquist's influence and, leveraging Batman's wealth, hire international mercenaries. Once he had an army of villains and mercenaries, Bane—no matter how tough—would get crushed into a pancake!

Forget about fighting him head-on. Not gonna happen.

Even if I had to jump off Wayne Tower and die, there's no way...

After all, I'm a transmigrator.

I might love Batman comics, but that doesn't mean I actually want to be Batman in real life.

What kind of lunatic gives up being a billionaire just to run around at night dressed like a giant bat, beating up criminals?

And he even recruits teenagers, dresses them in colorful outfits with no pants, and sends them out to fight killers and maniacs. Let's face it—Bruce Wayne is insane.

But I'm not crazy. I'm a normal guy.

All I want right now is to get rid of the one man who knows Bruce Wayne's true identity—Bane—then I'll retire, live the high life, and waste away my days with Gotham's socialites.

Yes, that's the life I want!

In my previous life, I struggled through Hollywood just for this kind of lifestyle.

As for Gotham's future...

I've already thought it through. You really think Superman and the 5,000-year-old Amazonian demigoddess are just going to sit back and do nothing?

Even though I haven't seen Clark Kent at the Daily Planet or found Diana Prince in Boston yet, Lois Lane is already on the scene. Judging by the timeline, those two will be causing waves soon enough. So, all I have to do is take care of Bane, and before these powerhouses make their grand entrances, I'll be living the dream life of a billionaire.

As for any world-ending crises… worst-case scenario, I can always just spoil the plot. With all the super-powered demigods in the Justice League, do they really need a regular human like me to save the day?

Chen Tao was filled with hope for his carefree future.

But right now, the top priority was defeating Bane.

Well, more specifically, the Ventriloquist needed to start making some calls to hire some cannon fodder... er, mercenaries.