There is no Batman in Gotham City comics.

Chapter 1: In Gotham, a Hellish Beginning

"If you're a brilliant criminal, or on your way down that path, come to Gotham. It will fulfill every criminal's fantasy of scale and method."

"From petty fraud and theft to armed murder, there might even be a madman strapping explosives to your body and making you guess his boring riddles amidst the agonizing ticking of a clock."

"The Lower East Side, rife with bandits; the filthy sewers; Blackgate Prison; City Hall… Oh, I almost forgot, and Arkham Asylum, surrounded by layers of rusty barbed wire! Many people like you have checked it off your list, and believe me, they won't disappoint you."

"Wait... what did you say? You're worried that weirdo in a bodysuit and bat-head mask will come after you? Hahaha, you must be joking. This isn't a comic book or a novel."

"The seeds of idealism cannot blossom in toxic mud."

"By the way! Since we're on the topic, let me say a few more words to you."

"Many people consider Falcone the murderer of the Wayne family, while a minority believe it's the work of the Court of Owls. After all, Wayne Enterprises' plan to revitalize Gotham has shaken the status of these powerful figures in Gotham. But please take my advice: don't get involved in this matter, don't even inquire about it!"

"Alright, that concludes the introduction. I hope you have a great time in Gotham."

……

Qin Wei woke up with a start from a familiar dream, the yellowed sheets beneath him soaked with cold sweat.

I stepped out of the room, clutching my throbbing head. The wooden floorboards creaked under my feet, and a musty, damp, and pungent smell hit me, mixed with a hint of sourness, as if a ten-year-old peanut tin had been shoved over my head.

He was struggling to breathe.

The corridor was narrow and dimly lit, and voices came from the peeling wooden door partitions: the static of an old-fashioned television, the sound of arguing, and the dedicated moans of prostitutes.

Walking into the restroom at the end of the corridor, the dim yellow light flickered between light and shadow.

Amidst the strong, fishy stench, Qin Wei grabbed some water and vigorously rubbed his face, finally managing to regain some of his composure.

It's been three months since I entered this body, but every time I look in the mirror, I'm still startled by the unfamiliar face in the mirror.

The face of a European man, with dry, curly dark brown hair and bloodshot gray eyes in deep-set eye sockets. This face was much more handsome than Qin Wei's original appearance, the only regret being that it didn't look human.

He looked as pale as a vampire.

However, it's already quite good that it has recovered to this extent.

Thinking back to three months ago when he first entered this body, he crawled out of the ditch next to the trash can, stripped naked, with nothing to prove his identity. The only clue he had was a stab wound that went through his waist and abdomen.

The scar is very new, and the surrounding area is still inflamed and swollen. The stitches are messy and haphazard.

The original owner of this body had many enemies; he was too afraid to go to the hospital when he was injured.

Thinking this way, Qin Wei also dismissed the idiotic idea of ​​randomly grabbing a passerby on the street and asking, "Do you know me?"

Although he had no clue about his current identity, he obtained an incredibly explosive piece of news from an old newspaper in the trash can—this godforsaken place was actually Gotham City.

"Gotham City is known for its simple and honest people, and Arkham is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources." This single sentence encapsulates Qin Wei's entire understanding of this auspicious place. Beyond that…

Gone!

Yes, I don't know anything else.

He wasn't a comic book fan, and his knowledge of DC was limited to the movies. In fact, he felt he should have gone to Queens to play with the boy next door, Peter, or to Metropolis, a place where Superman was stationed.

There's no way I should have come to a hellish dungeon like Gotham.

"You could have just killed me, but you went to all that trouble to send me here. I should thank you!"

It's unclear who he was talking to, but Qin Wei raised a middle finger towards the sky.

But no matter how unfamiliar he was with Batman, he still knew him, and that might be his only hope for survival.

And so a strange scene unfolded on the streets of the East Side that day: a naked man covering his genitals with a newspaper was wandering the streets, inquiring about news about Bruce Wayne.

The result was predictable: nobody wanted to deal with this madman, except for the police who rushed over after hearing the news.

He was pinned down in the cold, foul-smelling puddles on the street corner, losing even the newspaper he used to cover himself.

Qin Wei was utterly devastated, and this emotional state only subsided slightly outside the interrogation room.

In the dimly lit corridor filled with the smell of tobacco, there was a wooden bench. To the left was a biker gang member with smoky makeup and an exaggerated spiky hairstyle, and to the right was a thug with a strong body odor and jagged cuffs cut on his vest. Qin Wei was sandwiched between the two men, covering his groin.

The bizarrely dressed and strangely behaving criminals made this naked pervert seem like a normal person.

Qin Wei was quickly called over; the person asking the question was a slightly overweight middle-aged man.

Unlike the other disheveled officers, he sported a neat mustache, wore a spotless dark ochre suit, and had numerous old scars on the back of his hands, suggesting he was likely a veteran officer.

"Name?"

Qin Wei shook his head, then hesitated for a moment:

"...Perhaps you can call me Will."

Do you have any mental illnesses?

"No! Absolutely not! I just got beaten up and lost my memory!" Qin Wei hurriedly showed the other party the knife wound on his waist and abdomen, afraid that if he was a step too late, he would be sent to Arkham.

"Okay! But that's no excuse for your nudity. Your actions violate the Gotham Public Health and Safety Code, and you'll be jailed for three days. I'll help you find your family during these days..."

"Hey Gordon! Want to grab a drink after work?" A police officer waved to the man as he walked through the noisy lobby.

"I'm sorry, Barbara has repeatedly ordered me to quit drinking."

"Is that so? What a pity."

Through their conversation, Qin Wei learned the man's name.

Gordon? That name sounds so familiar. Could it be Chief Gordon, the one who turned on the Bat-Signal?

Confused, Qin Wei grasped at a straw. After the officer left, he leaned close to Gordon and whispered, "Can you take me to see Batman? You know, the one with the black hood and two sharp horns on his head!"

Gordon raised his left eyebrow, his eyes filled with confusion, seemingly not understanding what "Batman" was.

But Qin Wei seemed to have misunderstood the meaning behind that expression.

It's no secret that Gordon is Batman's contact; everyone wants to find Batman through him. Perhaps I should put it more bluntly.

"Actually, I have some information I want to report to him, um... about the Joker, you should know about the Joker, right?"

Gordon raised his right eyebrow, the confusion in his eyes lessening, and he seemed to have made up his mind about something.

Qin Wei was extremely anxious seeing the other party's appearance.

"Then take me to see Bruce Wayne, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Gordon finally reacted in another way. He sighed, crumpled the interrogation record, and threw it into the wastebasket at his feet.

"I'll contact Arkham's staff to pick you up..."

"No!"

Qin Wei's blood ran cold when he heard the words "Arkham," and he grabbed Gordon's sleeve.

Gordon's eyes turned cold, and he instinctively reached for his gun, but his expression softened slightly after realizing that Qin Wei had no intention of attacking.

"Mental illness patients are often unaware of their own problems."

"But I'm really not sick."

"You keep saying you know Bruce, but everyone in Gotham knows Bruce is dead, along with his poor parents, in Crime Alley."