Near noon the next day, Adrian woke up from his slumber and was led by the Penguin's men to his underground shooting range.
The so-called underground shooting range was, of course, illegal. It didn't operate publicly but was where the Penguin entertained partners, let subordinates practice shooting, and play around with some heavy weaponry.
Adrian's current status was that of the Penguin's partner, a considerably important one at that.
However, in the eyes of the Penguin's subordinates, the way this new partner acted was somewhat perplexing.
Right from the start, he demanded the most powerful weapon available there.
When they mentioned the most powerful being a rocket launcher, he immediately asked for an RPG, sparking enthusiasm in his eyes.
Helplessly, the Penguin's men had to make a call to seek their boss's approval.
The Penguin generously agreed to let Adrian have his way.
This place was originally used by the Penguin to test the power of various weapons, with sturdy walls completely resistant to rocket launcher attacks.
After obtaining the rocket launcher and some ammunition, Adrian promptly chased the Penguin's men away and proceeded to swallow all the rocket-piercing rounds.
Of course, it wasn't a lot, just a total of ten rounds.
The Penguin trafficked arms, but he hadn't reached the level of a war profiteer - that's when one competes with nations for business.
Naturally, the stockpile of rocket launcher ammunition wasn't abundant, so Adrian kindly left five rounds for the Penguin, refraining from wiping out his supply entirely.
Apart from the rocket launcher, Adrian also swallowed quite a few sniper rifle bullets, of which the Penguin's inventory had plenty.
In half a day's time, Adrian armed himself into a walking armoury.
With a word, he unleashed a barrage of bullets, redefining the concept of verbal artillery - verbal artillery could also be physical!
Just as Adrian redefined the concept of verbal artillery, in Wayne Manor...
On the computer screen in front of Bruce Wayne, there was an image of Adrian's face, accompanied by a progress bar slowly increasing below.
Countless faces could vaguely be seen flashing over Adrian's facial image.
Taking off his mask and donning the guise of the disguised Batman, Bruce Wayne, known to most people as the playboy in the daily gossip news, was pondering where he had spent time with some beautiful lady today.
Of course, even a playboy couldn't spend every day with beautiful women.
Regarding Bruce Wayne's absence from social events, staying in his own manor for recuperation, most people understood - his body must have been exhausted, nothing unusual.
"Sir, who is this person...?" Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce's most faithful companion and butler, approached and delivered lunch to Bruce Wayne sitting in front of the computer.
"I met this young man yesterday when I returned from Gotham Hospital," Bruce said.
The image of Adrian on the screen closely resembled the person in person.
It wasn't that Bruce obtained a photo of Adrian; it was just based on their brief encounter last night that almost perfectly reproduced Adrian's appearance.
Such skill was enough to make 99% of the world's criminal profilers ashamed of their sketching abilities.
The world's greatest detective, truly living up to the title.
"Does he have any issues, Sir Bruce?" Alfred inquired.
"Talia and her team came to Gotham City without any intention of exposing themselves initially. Suddenly, they revealed themselves because they were vigorously searching for an Asian teenager," Bruce Wayne explained.
"Is this the teenager?" Alfred asked.
Bruce wasn't certain, "Perhaps. I encountered him near the hospital last night, so I'll investigate further."
"Oh, what did he do to enrage Miss Talia and the others?" Alfred inquired.
They tactfully avoided mentioning Lars. After all, he was nearly beaten to death by Batman, despite having the Lazarus Pit - he wouldn't die, but it was still awkward since he was Batman's sort-of father-in-law.
Of course, if they met again and Lars caused trouble, Batman wouldn't hesitate to act.
Talia's resentful glances had to be temporarily overlooked.
In this regard, Batman could easily ignore such things - he was a man of unwavering determination.
"Talia mentioned that he seemed to have stolen water from the Lazarus Pit," Bruce shook his head.
"Oh?" Alfred was surprised. "That's truly remarkable for a young man; it reminds me of Master Tim."
Tim Drake, the current Robin of Batman and the third generation Robin, deduced Batman's identity through his intelligence and later became Robin.
"No, he's different from Tim. If what Talia said is true, then he's somewhat dangerous," Bruce said.
That was why he wanted to uncover Adrian's true identity.
"Sir, you should eat first," Alfred reminded, noticing Bruce's fixed gaze on the screen. "After finishing, the results of the investigation might be available."
Bruce nodded.
As Alfred mentioned, after finishing lunch, the computer displayed the comparison results. Unexpectedly, within Batman's extensive database, there was no information whatsoever about Adrian. The only findings were a few slightly similar faces.
In contrast to the national population records, Batman's database was technologically advanced and comprehensive, if not more so.
Certainly, there wouldn't be someone like Lars in the population records.
"No relevant information at all?" Bruce frowned.
He was dissatisfied with this investigation result.
Did that mean this young man was a non-existent person?
"Sir, you should rest first," Alfred suggested. "I'll look into any traces left by this boy if he's been in Gotham City these days."
"Fine," Bruce agreed.
He trusted Alfred considerably, and leaving such logistical work to him posed no problem.
Of course, if it involved 'field operations', not only Alfred but even Robin, Batman mostly insisted they stand back, refusing their help.
Perhaps it was to protect them, but this unilateral attitude often caused disputes between Batman and the Robins, making their relationship less cordial than it should be, frequently leading to disagreements on various issues.
Indeed, Alfred did find traces left by Adrian.
However, it wasn't much help. Some street corner cameras captured Adrian's presence, which Alfred found after a comparison, confirming it was the same teenager.
But apart from that, there were no other clues - at least, not available temporarily on the information network.
While Batman was investigating Adrian's identity, the Penguin also brought news about Bane.
"Where is he?" Adrian asked.
"At Arkham Asylum, he was transferred there just a week ago," the Penguin said.
"Arkham Asylum?" Adrian was somewhat surprised.
The so-called asylum wasn't an ordinary one, more accurately, it was a small island connected to Gotham City by only one road.
The entire island was the asylum.
Of course, it was officially called Arkham Sanatorium, but it was, in fact, a combination of a prison and a mental institution.
Inside were a mix of violent criminals and real lunatics, making it one of the most dangerous places in Gotham City.
Another dangerous place was Blackgate Penitentiary, where dangerous criminals were incarcerated - but no lunatics.
The difference between the two places could be explained with an example.
If the Joker
were caught, he would undoubtedly be sent to Arkham Asylum, while the Penguin, if caught, would be sent to Blackgate Penitentiary.
Bane was an incredibly dangerous mercenary and criminal but not insane.
Many people were deceived by his appearance, assuming he was brainless. Conversely, Bane was highly intelligent, although he often overdosed on "medicine," causing moments of mental incapacitation.
But the normal state of Bane shouldn't warrant his confinement in an asylum.
"How did he end up in Blackgate, and then why was he transferred to the asylum?" Adrian asked.
"He just annoyed Batman, do you think you can annoy Batman casually?" The Penguin didn't hide his fear of Batman in front of Adrian.
"And then?"
"What else could happen? A fight ensued. His back got broken - not his spine, but both legs, and Batman even pulled out his tubes," The Penguin conveyed Bane's 'tragic fate' in a way reminiscent of Kong Yiji's story. "He got sent to Blackgate, and somehow got transferred to the asylum."
His tone was filled with lament as if worrying that he might be treated the same way one day - no, he had already been treated that way.
"That's really unfortunate," Adrian lamented along with the Penguin.
"If I want to get into the asylum, is there any way?" after empathizing like a crocodile shedding tears, Adrian asked.
"What?" The Penguin was momentarily stunned.
"You didn't mishear," Adrian affirmed.
The Penguin stared at Adrian, "You want to get in there to find Bane?"
"Yes, or else can you get him out?" Adrian asked.
"No one is allowed to visit there except for the police and medical personnel. Of course, lunatics can also get in," The Penguin explained. "And the information about Bane's transfer was hidden. It took me some effort to find out that he was taken to the asylum. It's not that simple to get him out."
"That's fine, then I'll go in," Adrian said.
"Did you not hear what I just said? Everyone in there is a dangerous lunatic. To be honest, I'd rather go to Blackgate than the asylum," The Penguin said.
What kind of boss he was determined what kind of subordinates he had; among the lunatics in the asylum, there were many under the sway of Two-Face and the Joker, but few belonged to the Penguin.
He didn't want to go there at all.
"Believe it or not, I'm actually a lunatic with a hospital certificate," Adrian smiled at the Penguin.
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