Chapter 34: I Want to Know Too

Special Operations Division Nine Headquarters, the airborne mothership, 8,000 meters above ground.

Although Chu Cheng couldn't help but mock this thing as a flying graveyard, adopting an approach of avoiding contact as much as possible, it was evident that neither the higher-ups nor the director shared the same sentiment.

A large number of personnel, including Chairman Li Changcheng of the Special Operations Division, were stationed on this mothership. They ate, drank, worked, and entertained themselves all on board. Except for landing and resupply missions, their feet might not touch the ground for years.

No one ever questioned the safety of the mothership. Aside from its strict defenses, first and foremost, it flew in the sky, several thousand meters above the ground even at its lowest point. Moreover, its coordinates were constantly shifting, making the possibility of infiltration practically zero.

It was said that on the day the first mothership was completed, Dr. Harrison, the chief designer in charge of the project, had reassured Li Changcheng with great confidence, pounding his chest, saying, "Rest assured, I have considered all possible security vulnerabilities, no matter how you fly this thing in the future."

If by any chance this thing could be breached from the outside while flying in the sky someday, I will fix it upside down for you. I won't stop until it's repaired.

Chairman Li Changcheng sat in the chair behind his desk, while Professor Miyazaki was using the projection screen in his office to explain a long string of speculative theories and explanations that were incredibly yawn-inducing.

Li Changcheng neither fully understood nor paid much attention. He seized a suitable opportunity to interrupt him, saying, "So, what you're trying to say is that this 'Batman,' based on your analysis and research from various angles, is indeed an ordinary person without a doubt?"

The name Batman had recently started circulating on the internet. It was said that the person wearing a bat costume had beaten up a group of hooligans and uttered something like, "I am the night, I am vengeance, I am Batman."

Out of these three terms, the last one clearly seemed more like a codename. And after that incident, the name started spreading.

"Yes," nodded Professor Miyazaki, "I am now one hundred percent certain."

"But you mentioned that ordinary humans cannot resist that level of infection."

Professor Miyazaki suddenly became excited, "Yes! That's exactly what I was trying to explain to you just now. I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but I have proposed several possible hypotheses. It's possible that his armor employs defensive measures that are beyond our current understanding."

"Alright, that's enough," Li Changcheng interrupted.

Li Changcheng took the opportunity to interrupt before the professor could launch into another lengthy discourse.

"Everything you're talking about is just your hypotheses and speculations. Without evidence, it's meaningless," he said.

"Yes, but once we can find this Batman, all of it can be verified," Professor Miyazaki exclaimed, rubbing his hands excitedly. "Just think about it, he has a splendid outfit and so many gadgets, not to mention the aircraft. There aren't many entities on this planet capable of affording all that, and even fewer have the means to acquire them discreetly. If we narrow it down to this limited range, theoretically, it shouldn't be difficult to at least determine which group or faction he belongs to."

"Yes, theoretically," Li Changcheng replied, "but we have already tried, and the result was nothing."

Professor Miyazaki looked puzzled. "That's impossible," he furrowed his brow. "What about the Bat-Signal? Have we found the source of the searchlight?"

Li Changcheng remained silent for a moment before answering, "No, we haven't."

"We can't find it. That beam of light from the searchlight appears out of nowhere in the clouds. We have tried various methods, but we can't pinpoint where it comes from," Li Changcheng explained.

"What about his weapons technology? There are only a handful of individuals and organizations in this world who have the opportunity to develop such things. We just need to connect the dots with those people," Professor Miyazaki suggested.

"We've already done that," Li Changcheng calmly replied. "None of them have any knowledge about this Batman. Our agents have verified their claims."

"But, but..." Professor Miyazaki opened his mouth, "that's not possible."

He shook his head repeatedly.

"It's impossible, absolutely impossible. A person like that, unwavering, fully armed, with capabilities and skills that could potentially overpower all of our agents, not to mention technological support that even the world's top experts have never heard of. How can such a person just appear out of thin air?"

The more he spoke, the more absurd it sounded to him.

"Yes, that's impossible."

Li Changcheng swiveled his chair to face the direction outside the window.

His office had the best view on the ship. Looking out through the porthole, all he could see was an endless expanse of white clouds, with the blazing sun hanging beneath the blue sky, and the clouds spread out like a white blanket.

After a moment of contemplation, he continued, "Earlier, we held another meeting to discuss this matter. In the end, we reached a conclusion. Batman cannot be just one person."

"What do you mean by 'cannot be'?" Professor Miyazaki quickly caught on.

"Are you saying that although he acts alone, there might be an organization behind him?" he asked.

"An extremely vast and unknown organization," Li Changcheng replied.

Reaching such a conclusion was not easy because in the past, no one believed that such a thing could actually exist. Mysterious organizations and the like were often confined to works of fiction. In reality, there was no fertile ground for the development of such secretive forces, and it was highly unlikely that an unknown organization could surpass their official technological capabilities.

However, when all impossibilities were eliminated, the only remaining and seemingly absurd fact was that there was indeed an unknown organization behind Batman. This was the sole conclusion they arrived at after excluding all other possibilities during the meeting.

"There's also the video footage of Batman," Li Changcheng said. "Have you seen the videos circulating online?"

"I've seen some," Professor Miyazaki shook his head.

"We compiled all the video recordings captured by citizens' phones and surveillance cameras of Batman's actions. But in reality, there is hardly any footage directly capturing his appearance. He seems to vanish like a ghost, appearing and disappearing at will. Sometimes he disables surveillance in the area before his operations, and other times he uses flash or smoke grenades as cover.

"He strikes swiftly, often entering and leaving a battle in a matter of seconds. His movements are rapid, precise, cautious, and composed. He infiltrates in a flawless manner that even our best agents would find impossible to match."

There's another point. In Detective Luo's footage, after the source of the infection was eliminated and the mental storm subsided, Batman's whereabouts became unknown. Our experts analyzed that video for several days, but no one could figure out the route he took to retreat. It was as if he had simply evaporated from existence.

And now, thinking about it, the most terrifying and horrifying aspect is precisely the conclusion you just mentioned," Li Changcheng turned around, squinting his eyes.

"He's just an ordinary person."

Professor Miyazaki fell silent as well. This meticulous analysis made him realize on a deeper level just how frightening this Batman truly was.

"Now the question is," Li Changcheng paused for a moment and continued, "Are there other warriors like Batman in that organization? Or is it possible that he is just an ordinary member within that organization?"

A shiver ran down Professor Miyazaki's spine.

Li Changcheng shook his head and chose not to continue discussing this topic any further.

At least for now, it's fortunate that Batman and the organization he represents seem to exhibit, at least on the surface, good intentions. However, knowing that there is an undisclosed organization lurking in our own backyard is still unsettling.

"Setting aside Batman for a moment, how is the analysis of the source of the infection going?" Li Changcheng asked.

Professor Miyazaki snapped back to attention and continued, "I actually wanted to discuss this part with you. According to the information gathered from Detective Luo's investigation, the source of the infection should be a man named Guan Ye."

As he spoke, he projected the images onto the large screen in the office, displaying Guan Ye's photo and personal information.

"According to Detective Luo's account and the footage captured by his personal devices, the individual present at the scene, who was also the source of the infection, was indeed Guan Ye. And he was ultimately eliminated by Batman."

"I'm aware of these details," Li Changcheng said. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes," Professor Miyazaki's expression turned somewhat peculiar.

Li Changcheng was taken aback upon hearing this.

"He was reported dead by the detective more than a month ago. When his landlord went to collect the rent, he found his body in the room, already in a state of decomposition."

Li Changcheng was stunned by this revelation.

"Then who was the source of the infection a few days ago?"

"That's a good question, sir," Professor Miyazaki shrugged. "I would like to know that too."