American comics: Starting in Arkham, a system-based Batman

Chapter 25 Step on the gas

Love, family, friendship...

If Gotham is like a giant furnace, then they need to keep feeding it fuel.

So, Batman was the first to be targeted, followed closely by James Gordon.

He is a smart man. Although his approach to certain matters is often labeled as stubborn and inflexible, his thinking is quite agile.

Gordon realized something was wrong when he saw Harvey Block leave in a hurry.

Rather than going out to avoid him, the other party seemed to have encountered a huge problem and caught a hot potato, which contrasted sharply with the relaxed and leisurely attitude of the newcomer.

Who is that Asian guy? Why is Brock so nervous?

Gordon had a gut feeling that something was amiss, so he followed his instincts and overheard their conversation.

"So, you were responsible for the bombing of Arkham Asylum, and you brought out evidence incriminating against the Romans and the director, which led to your being hunted by the mafia?"

"That's not quite it." Zheng En smiled slightly. Gordon's guess was pretty close, just a little off.

"Mainly because it almost blew up Falcone."

Gordon and Brock both fell silent.

No wonder you were wanted by the Romans!

Brock's already sour face became even uglier. "Anyway, I had no intention of getting involved in this."

He tried to go back by avoiding Zheng En.

Gordon frowned. He had heard everything: it was Brock and Marshall who were responsible for Zheng En's arrest and imprisonment in Arkham. Even if Brock wasn't the mastermind, he was an accomplice.

"You know perfectly well what Marshall did."

"So what?"

Having been a police officer in Gotham for so many years, Brock had long since developed a thick skin. "I knew what he did, but what could I have done to stop him?"

Unlike Gordon, this Brock doesn't seem so "righteous".

It's not surprising that Jung Eun is like this. DC is a long-running series created by multiple people. Apart from some conventional elements, such as the pearl necklace that is inevitably stained with blood in the alley, the characters' personalities and origin stories will inevitably differ in different versions.

The Harvey Block in front of me is more like the character in the American TV series "Gotham"—slick, self-protective, unwilling to get involved in trouble, and while his hands may not be clean, he still has some conscience.

According to the traditional formula, the other party should have some friction with Gordon in their interactions, but be moved by various plot developments, and eventually the two become close partners who are willing to risk their lives to fight crime together.

Jung Eun planned to step on the gas during this process.

As the two began to argue, Brock made some harsh remarks to Gordon.

"Listen, special forces soldier, war hero, I don't know how high a prosecutor your father is, how long you were a detective before, or if you're going to be promoted to superintendent in the GCPD."

He seemed to laugh in exasperation, shaking his head and staring at Gordon. "Do you think you're so great just because you have these so-called honors?"

"What do you think you can change?" He poked Gordon in the chest with his finger. "You think you're just going against the mob? You think you can arrest them just because you have evidence?"

"I'm telling you, you're dreaming!"

Brock became more and more agitated as he spoke, "Gotham is a godforsaken place, there's not a clean spot anywhere from top to bottom."

"Forget about submitting a report or whether the higher-ups are willing to let you go on a mission. Even if you arrest them all, what can you do? Those gangsters have plenty of lawyers. Bribing prosecutors is commonplace for them."

"How are you going to deal with them?"

Gordon looked at him calmly. "So you're just going to leave it like this?" His eyes were a deep, dark gray-blue, and the shadows on his brow bone cast a shadow on his face, conveying a suppressed anger.

Brock scoffed, "What else?"

"But the Romans' men will surely come looking for you."

Throughout the conversation, Brock tried to distance himself from the situation, but Jung Eun exposed his self-deceptive wishful thinking.

Brock gritted his teeth, unable to deny what Jung Eun had said.

At the same time, Jung Eun looked him straight in the eye and asked earnestly, "Will you send me back in there again?"

Harvey Block was speechless.

He wanted to protect himself, which is why he watched helplessly as Jung Eun was imprisoned in Arkham.

But that doesn't mean he won't be tormented by his conscience.

Having a conscience is often a very painful thing.

In fact, upon hearing what Marshall said, Brock's first reaction was relief that the other man hadn't lost his life because of him.

Now this person, who had barely escaped death, was standing in front of him, asking him a question.

"Are you going to send me in there again?"

Harvey Block was speechless.

Jung Eun pretended to take out a stack of documents from inside her clothes. "I think you'll need these."

Brock looked down at the stack of documents in Zheng En's hand, and didn't move for a moment.

Gordon ignored all of that and insisted on taking over.

Seeing someone trying to snatch it, Brock instinctively grabbed the file and put it in his arms. After realizing what was happening, his face turned a deep purplish-red.

"Consider it an obligation I owe you!"

He grabbed the documents and left without even glancing at Zheng En, only shouting in Gordon's direction, "Weren't you very interested? Hurry up and follow me!"

Gordon was taken aback, but quickly realized the decision Brock had made, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

He nodded slightly to Zheng En, "We will not let you down." Then he jogged after Brock and walked into the police station.

Jung Eun saw him deliberately bump into Brock's shoulder, and the other man angrily bumped back.

The two disappeared around the corner, just like the end of a TV series and the beginning of the next story.

The GCPD duo is now in place.

Zheng En was somewhat wistful, wondering if the current Batman and Gordon knew each other. Luckily, he had a Batman readily available, so he simply asked.

"...I don't know."

Batman paused for a moment. "My memories are incomplete right now. According to the system, as you complete more and more missions, my memories will gradually return."

Zheng En was touched, not expecting Batman to reveal such important information. "I will definitely do my best to complete the mission."

Taking out his glasses from his pocket and putting them on, Jung Eun walked out of the police station and waved to stop a taxi parked on the side of the road.

Just like when he came, he went in circles, first taking a taxi to the Fashion District, and then calling another taxi to the East District.

Upon hearing the destination, the driver couldn't help but glance at Zheng En a few more times.

Looking back through the center rearview mirror above the car, you can clearly see the other person's appearance.

A fairly common Asian face, wearing glasses, looking like a nerd.

The driver had intended to rip off a large sum of money, but during the verbal exchange, he discovered that the other party was very knowledgeable about all sorts of intricacies and tricks, and he couldn't gain any advantage.

He was unwilling to give up, and stared at Zheng En as he got out of the car, trying to remember his appearance.

But once the person left, all he remembered was a pair of black-rimmed glasses.