"Master Wayne, I believe what you should do right now is to spend some time with Miss Drew," Alfred said with a sigh as he looked at Bruce, who had appeared in the Batcave.
Bruce simply nodded. "I will."
Though he said that, Bruce made no move to get up. It was as if he had been welded to the chair in front of the console.
Seeing Bruce like this, Alfred had nothing more to say. He simply shook his head and turned to walk back upstairs.
"I'll explain everything to Miss Drew. Master Wayne, in your current condition, you should still have the strength to look into other matters, shouldn't you?"
Alfred spoke these words with his back turned, not bothering to look at Bruce's state as he left.
When he heard that, Bruce's hand involuntarily trembled. But he quickly composed himself and resumed monitoring everything happening in the world.
Everything in the world seemed relatively normal—Iron Man, Spider-Man, Hulk, Captain America—they had all already made their appearances.
Of course, there were some abnormal things. Like the company he now owned—a completely legitimate one.
Wayne Enterprises.
Yes, Molecule Man had created it for him in this world and used that exact name.
"So, what do you think? Is this gift a surprise? Are you happy?" A very familiar voice rang out beside Bruce. He didn't even need to turn his head to know exactly who had shown up.
"Rather than a surprise, I'd call it a shock," Bruce replied flatly. This whole thing gave him a headache. After all, he had just discovered that in this world, DC Comics hadn't been erased by Molecule Man.
Which meant that Molecule Man's creation of Wayne Enterprises basically made it obvious to everyone that the chairman of Wayne Enterprises was none other than the infamous Batman.
However, there was one fortunate detail: in this world, DC Comics had publicly claimed that their Batman was inspired by Wayne Enterprises.
And every year, they even paid a hefty licensing fee to the company.
But all of this hinged on one crucial point—Wayne Enterprises couldn't have an actual Bruce Wayne working there. Especially not one who snuck out every night to indulge in cross-dressing escapades.
If Bruce ever acted as Batman, people would instantly realize: Wayne Enterprises had a Batman. And if that Batman began operating, the entire world would point their guns at him.
"It's like you're forcing me into retirement."
"What's so bad about retirement?" Molecule Man replied, as if he truly didn't understand what that statement meant to Bruce.
He even said it with a smile.
Bruce shook his head in response.
"Hahahahaha!"
Suddenly, Molecule Man burst out laughing at Bruce's rather awkward expression. His laughter echoed through the Batcave, loud enough to reach Wayne Manor above.
"What's so funny?" Bruce truly couldn't understand what was amusing. Could it be that his sense of humor just didn't align with Molecule Man's?
Molecule Man paused his laughter when he heard Bruce's question, then looked at him again.
The next moment, he started laughing all over again, though he stopped quickly this time. He wiped the tears from his eyes that had formed from laughing so hard.
Bruce, meanwhile, wore a helpless expression. He really couldn't understand what was so funny.
"I've always wanted to see that helpless look on your face. To be honest, the impression you gave me before was way too pretentious. It didn't feel human at all. Then again, an ordinary person couldn't possibly do what you've done, right?"
Molecule Man finally stopped laughing and studied Bruce seriously.
Bruce was just about to respond when another figure appeared before them.
"I heard from Alfred that you still…" Jessica said as she walked down, wearing a simple outfit.
She looked up and immediately spotted the two figures.
She had been a little on guard, even ready to fight.
But when she saw the figure standing next to Bruce, she was surprised—it was Molecule Man. Of course she recognized him, but they hadn't interacted much. After all, she had only seen him once, back in that completely white underground space.
"I didn't expect that in just a few hours, you two would already have made such progress." Molecule Man, naturally, saw Jessica, but he turned to Bruce with a teasing smile as he spoke.
Seeing that grin, Bruce had no choice but to silently accept it.
Jessica, feeling a bit awkward, walked over to Bruce. Though she wasn't familiar with Molecule Man, seeing how naturally he interacted with Bruce made it feel like they were long-time friends.
At this moment, Jessica definitely wouldn't do anything to embarrass Bruce.
"I'm telling you, there won't be much time to relax if you stick with him," Molecule Man suddenly changed his tone, now speaking directly to Jessica, as if trying to persuade her to stay away from Bruce.
Jessica simply chuckled and stood behind Bruce. Her stance made her intentions crystal clear.
Molecule Man was momentarily stunned by Jessica's reaction, then began laughing again and winked at Bruce.
Like an old friend watching his buddy finally find someone worth protecting.
Bruce sighed helplessly.
"I think what we should be discussing right now is the issue of Wayne Enterprises and my identity," Bruce steered the conversation back on track before it went completely off-topic.
Molecule Man didn't respond—he just kept smiling.
And that smile gave Bruce a very specific impression: like someone who had just caught you slipping up and was delighted about it.
But Bruce didn't think he had overlooked anything. After all, the information he found was already at a level most people couldn't access.
"You have to understand, some things never make it into official records. You should be looking beyond just the official documents. Look for folklore, urban legends, that kind of thing." Molecule Man seemed to have caught Bruce in a mistake, and with a grin, he walked over.
With a wave of his hand, all the files Bruce had been reviewing vanished, replaced by various urban rumors from the streets of New York.
However, most of those rumors were published in gossip tabloids, so no one really paid attention to them.
After all, who would look for stories about the supernatural in a gossip rag? People are, of course, more interested in reading juicy scandals involving CEOs of top-tier companies.
Take Stark's scandals, for example—many tabloids practically relied on this playboy to stay in business.
Of course, even though this playboy no longer behaved as he once did, the public's thirst for gossip remained unquenched.
Naturally, people were just as curious about Bruce Wayne, the chairman of Wayne Enterprises. However, he had always maintained a remarkably clean image.
He never attended so-called charity galas, nor was he ever seen around any fashion celebrities.
Even the paparazzi who constantly chased after Hollywood starlets couldn't catch so much as a glimpse of Wayne Enterprises' chairman.
You could say Bruce's behavior was entirely unlike that of other American billionaires, to the point where some even began to question his sexual orientation.
But only Bruce knew that all of this was the doing of someone close to him.
This person had meticulously scrubbed Bruce's public image clean, leaving behind only appearances in tabloid reports.
Even then, those appearances weren't actually of Bruce—they were of the Bat.
You could say Molecule Man had done an excellent job. Before DC Comics ever introduced Batman, a tabloid had already run a story about a "Bat-Man."
However, the public paid little attention to it at the time. It wasn't until Batman gained fame later that people began to revisit that tabloid article.
Many even speculated that DC's Batman was inspired not only by Wayne Enterprises in real life but also by that early tabloid depiction of a "Bat-Man," leading to the creation of such a grounded hero.
Some critics scoffed at the playboy persona of Bruce Wayne depicted in the comics.
Since the real-life chairman of Wayne Enterprises was also named Bruce Wayne, people couldn't help but compare the two.
From every angle, they felt the comic book Bruce seemed more in line with what they expected from a modern American billionaire.
As for Bruce himself, no one ever seriously believed the Wayne Enterprises chairman had any actual connection to Batman.
That's because Molecule Man had crafted Bruce's image far too perfectly.
At this point, Molecule Man didn't even glance at Bruce. Instead, he winked at Jessica.
Jessica responded with a knowing smile.
After all, no matter how you looked at it, from now on Jessica was likely to be the only female companion seen by Bruce Wayne's side.
"I did a good job, right?" Molecule Man grinned as he spoke to Bruce beside him, showing no guilt over his actions.
What could Bruce even say?
"You really did a great job," Bruce replied at last.
Hearing Bruce say that, Molecule Man immediately understood the headache he'd caused. With a laugh, he patted Bruce on the shoulder and gave Jessica another friendly smile.
In this world, there weren't many who could cause trouble for the Bat—and now, Molecule Man was the first.
"Well then, go on living your quiet little lives. I'll take my leave now. I just dropped by to see how things were going," he said, his smile fading as he turned to leave, offering no further comment.
"If you have time, drop by. Alfred's cheese-baked lobster isn't half bad," Bruce said, not even looking at Molecule Man as he resumed his work.
Jessica, on the other hand, waved at him. "Be sure to come!"
Molecule Man simply smiled at their words, gave a small wave back to Jessica, and slowly vanished into the Batcave—like dust in the wind, leaving no trace behind.
As he disappeared completely before their eyes, Jessica still seemed puzzled. She turned to Bruce.
"Why did he come looking for you?"
"Because he's lonely. Because he has no friends." Bruce understood Molecule Man's mindset. After all, among all the versions of Batman in his mind, a few had encountered someone like him.
Besides, Batman himself was someone like that.
Bruce didn't fully explain it, though. He knew Molecule Man now saw him as a friend.
That conclusion might have been a bit impulsive, but Bruce felt confident in it. The emotions Molecule Man showed when facing Bruce were far more genuine than any he had shown to others.
In fact, Molecule Man felt more like the friend of that child Bruce had seen behind the wooden door.
"That sounds kind of sad." Jessica couldn't help but feel sorrowful after hearing Bruce's words.
Even though Jessica had been a clone from the moment she was created, she had quickly found a group of people she got along with.
What's more, S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent her to school, allowing her to experience much of what a normal teenager would.
Well, except for dating—back then, she hadn't fully come to terms with herself.
But now, none of that seemed to matter anymore. She clung to Bruce's back without interfering with his hands.
"Hey, should I change my title? What do you think of Batwoman? I feel like it suits you—and it doesn't sound too out of place. The only problem is, would DC Comics sue me for copyright infringement?" Jessica asked while looking at the information on Bruce's screen, which included plenty of news about DC Comics.
In this universe, DC Comics actually belonged to Stark Industries.
"In that case, you might need to change your fighting style. I mean, who's ever seen a Batwoman walking on walls? That might raise some eyebrows," Bruce said, surprisingly taking her suggestion seriously as he began pondering what her behavior should be like as Batwoman.
(End of Chapter)
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