The worst-case scenario didn't happen as Bruce, like a bird, leaped into the air and landed steadily on the crossbar, his hands immediately grabbing the vertical pole beside him.
Bruce abruptly stopped, swaying slightly. His strength was great, much more so than he thought, almost causing him to collide with the pole head-on.
Under his feet was a crossbar, barely half a palm wide, and now he was in the high air of the 44th floor of the building. This caused Bruce to feel dizzy, and he stood there for more than ten seconds before he thought of climbing up.
This segment of the climb was particularly fast for Bruce. With the crane's structure easy to climb and tilting to hold weight, it was like climbing designed steps. Using both hands and feet made the climb smooth.
Within two minutes, Bruce had reached the top of the crane. However, he soon discovered that his initial plan was a little too idealistic. He had thought that he could stand steadily on top of the crane and pull up the steel wire holding the person directly.
But the top of the crane isn't meant for people, and it's very small. When Bruce stepped onto it, he could barely stand with one foot. If he took a few steps back, he wouldn't be able to reach the steel wire.
Barely managing to stand, Bruce didn't dare to rise. He crouched and stretched his hand to reach the wire below him. Losing his balance, he fell forwards.
Luckily, he had grabbed onto the top of the steel lock. In short order, he climbed back up; yet, this close call made him realize that trying to pull up the steel wire in these conditions was impossible.
Therefore, there was only one solution left: slide down the steel wire bit by bit and bring Andrewkin up.
Having confirmed it when he fell, the steel wire was quite thick and had places for Bruce to grip. Sliding down it slowly wouldn't be a problem.
Immediately, Bruce started his move, gripping the steel wire like a sloth, releasing his hold with his legs while moving his hands lower bit by bit.
He saw all the people in the shopping street below looking up at him. They were watching a superhero, right? He was heroically saving someone, he was not the same as before.
In this mindset, Bruce finally reached the pole under the steel lock. The rope, which was holding Andrewkin, was tied to the steel wire on top of the pole.
Seeing success just within reach, Bruce quickly squatted down to untie the knot. But at that moment, the crane moved.
When Bruce began to untie the ropes with both hands, he didn't leave one to grip the steel wire. As the crane shook, he slid and fell.
Fortunately, Spider Man's mutation had provided him tubular hair on his limbs, allowing him to stick to any surface. As he fell, he instinctively grabbed the pole and glued himself to it with one hand.
Bruce's mind went blank. The sudden accident replayed the terrifying sight of him falling and becoming a pile of mush.
Death was irreversible. The thought kept playing on a loop in his mind, fusing the scene of his parents dying from his childhood with the sight of his own death. It was irreversible, irreversible...
A few seconds later, Bruce climbed back up. He didn't want to die. He still had Alfred, Gordon, newly acquainted Peter, and Matt. He did not want them to see him next at his funeral.
He reached out again to untie Andrewkin's ropes. This time he was smarter. He knelt down, wrapped half his body and an arm around the wire, knelt on the rope, and his two hands untied the knots from different directions.
The rope suspending Andrewkin was a hemp rope with several knots. Luckily, Bruce had astounding arm strength; all knots came loose with a tug, except for the last one.
The knot was somewhat complex, composed of three knots tied together. As Bruce concentrated on untying it, a low Joker-like demon voice appeared in his ear.
"Things started off smoothly. You found the note Mr. Bert left for you in the attic. You were ecstatic, believing that someone was willing to help you."
Bruce's hands paused. He couldn't help but recall that scene. It was one of the few scenes that left a deep impression on him in his life.
A boy with blue eyes peeked through the entrance of the attic, kicked the ladder a few more times, and came up. He was attracted by the sound of bats flying here.
But he didn't find the bats. Instead, he found a strange notebook. Little Bruce was astonished to find clues about the field investigation of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne's murder scene. Mr. Bert had signed it.
Little Bruce excitedly took the notebook back to his bedroom. He stayed up all night flipping through it. He thought he could try to contact this mysterious man. Maybe the man could give him more clues.
At that time, Bruce naively thought that the reporters and police weren't investigating the incident just due to lack of clues and that the case couldn't be solved, so he left a note in the attic for Mr. Bert.
He couldn't remember what happened afterward. Bruce found this strange. He should have received useful clues from Mr. Bert. Why couldn't he recall any of it after growing up?