Chapter 48 Chapter 48 The pain of understanding in seconds
Although the photo was very blurry, it could be seen that the color of the small flying creatures in the picture was very similar to Nightwing's uniform, and they were all surrounding Nightwing, obviously being very close to him and having a close relationship with him.
The poster's point was simple: "These little creatures share Nightwing's color scheme, have a close relationship with Nightwing, both appear in Blüdhaven, both roam high in the sky at night, one has wings and the other has wings in their name. There aren't that many coincidences in the world. They're clearly related!"
From the perspective of those involved in Blüdhaven, the few real-life opportunities they had to encounter Nightwing were a quick flash of a dark blue shadow by a window more than ten stories high. Some lucky souls would even encounter a bullet-dodging, bullet-beating, stun-battling burly man who would descend from the sky, wield two electric batons, and use non-lethal weapons to defeat a group of people in a hail of gunfire. Furthermore, no matter if this burly man was tied to a concrete block and sunk in the lake, he would reappear in the blink of an eye to beat them up.
Moreover, this person was able to break through various blockades by the police, the mafia, and even heavy firepower, and he could still jump around between bullets...
Let me remind you that there are people with super powers in this world. Many cities have people with these special powers, but some of them become heroes and some become criminals.
Under such a premise, it is normal to doubt Nightwing, or even to doubt that Batman, who has always had the same operation, is not a pure human. This speculation has not stopped for more than ten years. Therefore, this post that has caused widespread discussion did not raise any doubts about the entire argument that "Nightwing is not human".
For this reason, there was even a heated discussion about the Nightwing race, fairies, Pokémon, aliens... and even a succubus that was obviously there to make up the numbers popped up.
Some even draw inferences: Nightwing is the first generation Robin, the first generation Robin is Batman's assistant, and what Batman does doesn't seem like something an ordinary person can do for a long time, so maybe Batman is not human either!
It was a brilliant idea, even fitting in with Batman's numerous past escapes from near-death experiences. It also seemed logically sound. Consequently, it convinced many netizens eager to see the excitement. Even Gothamites joined the Blüdhaven crowd in enthusiastically guessing Batman and Nightwing's true species.
In this joyful discussion environment, there is one person who just can't fit in.
That is Benjamin Kirby Tennyson, the biological parents of the Ice Ghost cubs in terms of genetics, physiology and family.
Benjamin spent most of the night near the kids, except for a few times when he wanted to show them how brave he was and then jump in and kick the bad guys' asses.
For example, when the photo was taken, Benjamin and others were beating up the Black Gang less than 20 meters away from here. Nightwing and the Ice Ghost Cub would only stand on the eaves for five minutes.
But who could have thought that in less than five minutes, his own child would have changed parents in the mouths of netizens?
Li Hua: "On the bright side, at least they didn't talk about your sexual orientation or gender."
Benjamin: "Honestly, I've been so beaten by reality lately and your jokes that I've become immune to gender-related issues. I really would rather they talk about my sexual orientation, because at least I can keep my child."
"Is it really that serious?"
Jason was really shocked this time. He had not forgotten that when they first met in the cemetery, Benjamin was almost killed by the gender issue he mentioned. In Benjamin's eyes, this post was even more lethal than that?
It's a pity that Bruce is in the restaurant now and can't hear their conversation, otherwise he might have said "very much".
Let's put it in our shoes. If Superman came to Gotham and stood with Robin - no matter which generation - for five minutes and someone took a photo of them, and then just because Robin's uniform was the same bright color as Superman's, people would speculate that Robin was Superman's son, and a group of people would firmly classify Robin as a member of Superman's family... even Batman would feel upset.
Benjamin: "I'm going to turn into an ice ghost tonight and fly a few more laps to put an end to this rumor."
He just didn't believe that group of people would be able to replace his child's household registration book.
"I sincerely advise you not to," Jason said. "You know nothing about human gossip and imagination. Besides, rumors are a double-edged sword. The more outrageous and deviating from the truth about us, the more likely they are to protect us, or the people around us."
A few years ago, Bruce had to go to forums to anonymously curse Bruce Wayne, creating an image of a playboy and fool in order to protect his identity as Batman.
During the long time since Batman debuted, not everyone has guessed that Bruce Wayne is underneath the Batman mask.
Especially those toxic villains who often deal with Batman. The Joker who found out Jason's true identity and Bane who went to Wayne Manor to attack Bruce can be said to be the ones who know Batman's true identity. I wonder if there are other people.
But I don’t know if this can be considered good news - these Batman fans are just Batman fans. They have no interest in Bruce Wayne and will not tell everyone about Batman’s true identity.
Although it is difficult to understand, this may be what toxic fans are like.
Benjamin: "It's understandable. When I think about it, I've always used my real name to attack people, and none of those weirdos dared to come to my house, my parents, or the media to complain."
Jason: "Maybe having toxic villains is a common trait among superheroes."
"There might be another reason. If they don't tell him, Batman will still pretend, staying out during the day to maintain his identity as Bruce Wayne. If they point it out, then Batman will simply stop pretending and be on duty 24 hours a day."
Li Hua's analysis was very logical.
"And Benjamin, the same thing happens to you. If they don't expose you to your parents, you'll only be able to go out for a few hours at night, avoiding them. If they reveal your true identity, Ben 10 will immediately go from part-time to full-time, beating up bad guys 24/7."
"Maybe it's because this kind of reason is too cheap. Even elementary school students find it shameful to pick a fight and then report someone's parents if they can't beat them up," Benjamin said. "But Li Hua, your analysis makes sense. I don't know about Batman, but if I were grounded, I would definitely beat up those bastards who reported me before the grounding took effect, so that they can't do anything else before the grounding ends."
Li Hua: "If you sneak out in the middle of the night to be a hero and your parents ground you, then if you sneak out in the middle of the night to be a hero and have fourteen children, won't your parents be lashing out with their belts?"
Benjamin: “…”
Benjamin refused to answer the question and handed the microphone back to Jason: "So how did Batman solve it after that?"
Jason: "To be precise, he didn't solve it. You can't stop people's mouths and thoughts."
When Batman first debuted and was practically an urban legend, perhaps not many people would have reacted. But it's been over a decade now, and even if someone hasn't seen Batman, searching online or seeing reports of Batman sightings should have at least brought him to their senses.
After all, Batman's high-tech equipment requires money, battle damage requires money, training requires money, and fighting crime every day requires an economic foundation to maintain basic survival. His mysterious stronghold equipped with all kinds of wonderful bat props also requires money to maintain.
There are only a handful of good people in Gotham who can provide Batman with such huge financial support and who have not been beaten up by Batman and thrown into prison or a mental hospital.
In this situation, Batman made many plans to prevent his identity from being leaked and to deal with the situation after his identity was discovered, but he finally found that he had underestimated the creativity of the people and how successful the idiot character he had previously created for "Bruce Wayne" was.
A few people raised the question "Bruce is white, Batman is white, so is there a possibility that Bruce is Batman?" No one paid attention to it. Instead, it was used for entertainment by everyone, creating various classic responses, such as:
"Bro, I'm also white, so do you think it's possible that I could be Batman?"
"Bruce is a man of character, and it's good enough that he dares to hit a cockroach. Do you think he would hit a human being?"
"Why does Batman cover up his entire body except for his white chin? Because Batman is a person of color with a prosthetic chin! I'm black, so I am Batman!"
"Then Batman's chin is white, Superman's chin is white, they both wear capes, Gotham and Metropolis are so close, why can't Batman be Superman?"
"If Bruce is Batman, then why don't those Batman-obsessed lunatics in Arkham go directly to Wayne Manor? It's much easier to find a place that big than Batman."
"If Bruce Wayne is really Batman, why would he, with all his wealth, still want to show up and support most of Gotham's newspapers? Doesn't Batman realize what you and we all realize?"
"You can question the morality and sanity of those people in Arkham, but you can't question their intelligence! If it were that simple, would Bruce Wayne and Batman still be alive today?"
…
"So you understand, Ben? These rumors are actually a protection for us anonymous superheroes."
Jason said.
"And as a superhero, you're destined to be watched by many people, and everyone will definitely have different opinions about you. Those opinions can't all be accurate, and they can't all be positive. If you try to correct them one by one, that's impossible."
No. 666: "Besides, since you, Benjamin, are not from this world, it won't hurt to let the uninformed masses have a chat. It won't affect you taking the children home to register their household registration anyway."
"Okay... I have to admit, you guys do have a point."
Anyway, his purpose in choosing to engage in heroic activities was not to achieve fame and success, so let these rumors about the other world go.
Benjamin quickly recovered from the complaining cries of the cubs who had been left alone for a long time after being thought to have come out to play. He stood up with the help of a wooden fishing net, stretched his shoulders, and ran towards the flying ice ghost cubs.
"The game begins—who gets caught first?"
After Benjamin ran away, Li Hua said to Jason, who was obviously relieved, "That's it?"
Jason asked, "What?"
"I always feel that your conclusion was a bit hasty, and the turn of events was a bit abrupt."
Li Hua touched his chin and said.
"You said earlier that Bruce would anonymously say bad things about himself online in the early days to create a clichéd image of Wayne, thus preventing others from realizing the connection between Batman and himself. Does that mean he doesn't do that anymore? Why? If, as you said before, his previous strategy of playing the pig and eating the tiger worked, then he should continue to do so."
"But what I don't understand is, as No. 666 said, Ben isn't from this world. Even if he goes to verify his identity as the child's parent, no one will discover his true identity, and the child won't be in danger. Why would you stop him?"
"Why?" Jason glanced at Benjamin as he ran away. He pretended to be looking at his phone, but in reality, he lowered his voice and said, "Why did you join me in pushing Ben out of the warehouse? And why did you whisper in the little boss's ear so Ben wouldn't hear? Our reasons are the same."
"After that, I don't know which genius came up with the 'did Wayne have an affair with Batman?' The thread is still there; you can check it out if you're interested. Later, someone thought this unofficial history was too provocative, so they created a literary work, adding more people to the mix... Celebrities, models, and influencers all have their fair share of scandals, and masked superheroes are also a hot topic online."
If Benjamin deliberately tried to make his presence felt outside as the Ice Ghost, he would surely be tortured to death by netizens' wild ideas when he tried to conduct intensive self-searches online in the next few days.
After a few days, the heat gradually dissipated, and Benjamin, who had calmed down, would only find it absurd and funny even if he saw it.
"What are you two dawdling about? Li Hua, haven't you let it go yet?" Benjamin shouted from the other side, "It's okay, Li Hua, don't dwell on it. Let's see who can catch the most Ice Ghost pups! The loser will have a turtle painted on his face!"
"Then you're doomed!"
Jason stood up with the landing net and left a last word before leaving.
"Li Hua, you don't want to see your childhood idol appearing in places where he shouldn't be, hanging out with unknown people and doing things that are inappropriate to be shown, right? Then just pretend this conversation never happened."
“………………”
“…”
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
At this moment, Li Hua hated himself so much for understanding things so quickly.
I beg for oblivion, and for him to have clean ears and a pure heart that hadn't heard what I just said!!
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The author has something to say: [Catching a bug once]
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