Chapter 139: A Bat on Fire

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"Sometimes life is like jazz and goes in an unexpected direction.

- Nishimi Kaoru, (Sakamichi No Apollon)"

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<{Auditorium Parco Della Musica Ennio Morricone, Rome, Italy}>

<(Bruce POV)> 

"What Wayne Enterprises is striving for through its products is not just a cure but a future where no one has to choose between their health and their hope, where no one has to die or suffer because their condition is untreatable. Together, we are turning the tide against the concept of diseases itself, making miracles accessible for every person on the planet. Thank you." I concluded with a small bow before turning to leave the stage.

As soon as I turned after finishing my speech, the entire auditorium burst into fiery applause as the press, the dignitaries, and the public alike took part in the standing ovation to show their approval. 

Now, a lot of people might ask what I was doing here in an auditorium giving a speech while I should be relaxing somewhere on a beach or a casino as I was supposed to be on vacation for the entire month. 

Honestly, that's what I wanted too. But after a news reporter spotted me entering my hotel in Italy, news of my Euro tour spread like wildfire in all the local newspapers and news channels. And then, the rest was history. Italian and European politicians knew that being seen with me or having me do a public meeting in the country would bolster their popularity immensely. So, they sent multiple requests for me to participate in some public events. 

Originally, I was going to ignore those requests and just focus on enjoying my vacation here but Alfred being the wise advisor he was, advised me to at least attend one public gathering and meet with some of the important ministers to speak about some of the latest groundbreaking products from the company. According to him, that way we could at least secure some political backing for ourselves in Europe which would be quite useful in the long run. Of course, there was also the fact that they had also promised some tax cuts for Wayne Enterprises if I were to praise the direction the country was developing in under their rule. 

Also, for some reason, it felt like Alfred was lately frustrated about something and was trying his best to avoid even looking me in the eye. So, when he told me to do this for him, I couldn't really say no. 

"That was amazing, Mr. Wayne. Your talk about the essential welfare of humans and our responsibility to protect fellow human life almost made me shed tears. Thank you for agreeing to our request today. It was an honor to bear witness to such advanced medical technology that is inevitably going to change our world for the better." A middle-aged man who had previously introduced himself as the Italian minister of finance said while shaking my hand before posing for a photo with me. 

"It was my pleasure to be here." I smiled back. "Now, you must forgive me for I need to return before my friends decide to continue the rest of the tour without me." I chuckled as I made my way to the exit after shaking a couple more hands. 

"Mr. Wayne, what do you think about moving your operations to a more tax-friendly location to save taxes." 

"Mr. Wayne, are the rumors of you having an affair with the news prodigy Vicky Vale true?" 

"Mr. Wayne, is it true that you are trying to create a harem for yourself?" 

"Mr. Wayne, do you think Luthor Industries will be a threat to Wayne Enterprises in any way?" 

"Mr. Wayne, what do you think about the rumors of superhumans that have slowly begun to sprout out from different corners of the world? Do you think they will be bad for the global economy?" 

"Mr. Wayne... Mr. Wayne... Mr. Wayne... Mr. Wayne..." 

Shouts from scores of news reporters echoed from all around me as they tried to surround me and bombard me with different types of questions in the hope that I would slip up and utter something spicy that would give them their next big headlines. 

"Sorry, no more questions. Now, please make some space and let Mr. Wayne leave." A bulky man named Tom, who was the appointed leader of the security detail that was assigned to me by the Italian government declared while shoving the press representatives to the sides to make some room. "The parking is this way, Mr. Wayne. We have parked your car there. It is better to exit through the car park instead of waiting at the entrance since the press isn't allowed there as it is for VIPs only." 

"Sure," I replied with a shrug before following him out along with the other security officials. 

However, as we entered the parking space, something suddenly began to feel off. It was like my inner instincts were warning me that somebody or something was observing me. For a moment, I thought that the security personnel were going to try and take their shot at me, but it was apparent from their body language that they weren't stressed and didn't feel like anything was wrong. To me, this made it clear that they weren't spies and didn't pose any threat to me. This was something else or should I say someone else because the fact that I couldn't sense them meant they weren't just professional killers but very good at their job too.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Wayne?" Tom asked after he noticed me suddenly getting vigilant of the surroundings. 

"It's nothing," I answered without any change in my expression as I followed them to my car. "Cortana, can you check the CCTV footage to make sure that this is not just my paranoia kicking in?" I whispered in a low voice.

The car park was mostly empty. There wasn't anyone else here since access to this particular parking lot was supposedly limited to only VIPs and VVIPs. There were a few other cars in the parking lot, mostly belonging to elite dignitaries and politicians but all of them were empty since their owners were currently attending the press Q&A that was still going on.

"The CCTV footage seems to be running in a loop while the motion sensors have been deactivated from the control room, sir. There is a 96.7% chance that our security is compromised." Cortana replied.

"We are here, Mr. Wayne. One of us will drive you to the hotel and two of us will be accompanying you in the back of the car while there will be two more cars that will be escorting you, one will be in front of your car and the other behind you." Tom explained after bringing me in front of a black Tesla Model X.

It was a normal Tesla X that I had borrowed from the hotel this morning after randomly choosing it. It didn't have any extra safety or technological modifications that were normally present in all my personal cars. So, of course, messing with the car was as easy as messing with any other ordinary car out there, save for the advanced commercial safety features and software Wayne Enterprises used while developing the vehicle.

So, before responding to his words, I quickly muttered once again, "Cortana, scan the car..."

"Already did, sir. There is some sort of foreign electronic device carrying a hefty explosive charge that has been interfaced with the car's ECU. It is a dual-trigger mechanism linked to the braking system and the vehicle's speed sensor. Halting or driving the car above a particular speed will immediately trigger the explosion. Whoever did this is no amateur." Cortana quickly answered even before I could complete my question. It was quite apparent from her voice that she was eager to please and show off her capabilities and usefulness. 

"... Tom, I think I want to drive by myself today. You guys can just follow me. You don't need to be in the same car to protect me from attacks, right?" 

"Sir, this is against the protocol we normally follow. Our job is to escort you safely to your hotel. We can't just let you drive on your own." Tom interjected in a worried tone.

"It will be fine. After all, the hotel is barely a mile away from here. Plus, I trust you guys, you all are professionals." I patted his hand with a smile before getting inside the car.

"Sir, do you want me to try and deactivate the explosive wirelessly or do you want to use the nanobots to do it? I suggest using the nanobots since it will be quicker and much more efficient." Cortana advised.

"Neither. Rather, I intend to let the explosion happen." I answered with a straight face. 

"There haven't been any changes in your brain waves or your heartbeat, so you are neither joking nor are you possessed... then may I ask why you intend to put your life in danger?"

"My life in danger? You must be kidding, Cortana. You and I both know that a simple explosion can't even put a scratch on me, much less mortally wound me. Of course, I can stop this explosion from happening, but I wouldn't gain anything from that, would I? However, if people think that an attempt on my life put me in a critical state, there would be a lot of ways I could use that sentiment. From public sympathy to establishing the fact that Bruce Wayne is a completely normal person and even baiting my enemies to come out of the shadows to act after making them think that I am at my weakest, it would give me a lot of advantages. And most important of all, it would make it much easier to find out who is trying to kill me since the killer would most probably try to verify if his mission was a success or not." I concluded as I started the engine after noticing that all the security agents had gone inside their cars to follow me. 

"... As stupid as this is, it actually makes sense... I hate it when you have stupid ideas that are technically genius." Cortana said from my bracelet with what sounded like a sigh.

"Because I am a genius. You might be ten thousand times smarter than the average man, but as your dear daddy, I am still smarter than you. Oh, and by the way, send a message to Alfred, Talia, and Helena to make some preparations in one of the hospitals we have connections to here in Italy. After all, even though I could use nanobots to visually appear injured and burned on the outside, we still need inside help of some medical professionals to keep the ruse on for a few days." I replied with a cheeky smile before pushing down the accelerator as strongly as possible.

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<(Omniscient POV)>

BOOM An explosion suddenly shook the entire parking lot as the Tesla Bruce was riding on exploded into a torrent of fire and pieces of steaming hot metal. The explosion, though contained accurately to not affect the other nearby cars, was still potent enough to make sure that anything and everything inside it was reduced to ashes. 

"Fuck. I am going to lose my job." Tom muttered with a mix of desperation, anger, and surprise in his voice as he and the other members of his team ran towards the burning wreckage of the car to try and pull what should already be the smoked and charred dead body of one of the richest people on the planet.

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