Faced with repeated pressure from his family members, Bruce finally relented.

"That was a long time ago." He unconsciously cast his gaze into the depths of the black hole, and said slowly, "At that time, I had just become Batman, and you had not yet appeared. Just after my first battle with him at the reservoir, not long after. ”

"The Joker has made a little airship and wants to spread poison gas all over the city. Of course, I stopped him and knocked him out into the sea from that big comical balloon. ”

"Then, before the poison gas spreads, I used the batboat to pull the airship into the water." "After making sure that the gas wasn't spreading, I went back to him." I searched the bay for hours, trying to find even the slightest trace, but found nothing. I can even recall the anger I felt at not being able to catch him on my way back to the Batcave. I was really shaking with rage. ”

"I've never missed like that, never before that. On the way back to the Bat Cave, I felt that he was laughing hideously on the windshield in front of me again and again, and I couldn't stop laughing weirdly. Bruce sighed, "Still, I was just beginning to get to know him. The incident at the reservoir made an impression on me, but then I began to understand."

At this point, he paused.

"Bruce? Got what? Tim asked.

"Understood that he was different from everyone else, Tim. Understand that he is a different existence, and will do whatever it takes to achieve his ends. ”

Dick hurriedly asked, "And his purpose?" What is it? ”

Barbara said, "He's just a mess. What's there?"

"Quiet." Jason interrupted, "Go on, Bruce. ”

Bruce continued: "After searching the bay, nothing was found. I went back to the Bat Cave. I entered the Batcave through the south entrance, and I've been sealing it off ever since. Once I surfaced, I went straight upstairs and went to the manor to sleep or sleep as much as I could. Even though I hadn't closed my eyes for more than two days, my mind was full of the guy's laughter, and I couldn't sleep. ”

"A few hours later, I was back in the Bat Cave, intending to revisit the crime scene. First go to the chemical factory that made him, and then go to the poison gas airship just now. But when I went down to the cave, I found something."

"What did you find? Father? Damian asked hurriedly.

Bruce didn't say it directly, but walked among the countless collections in the Bat Cave and looked up.

Everyone looked into his line of sight and saw the huge playing card standing above the wall, with the image of the king symbolizing the clown.

"You've all been to the Batcave many times, and you must have noticed this poker card many times." "But you don't know where it came from. That day, right next to the Batboat, I found his business card. And the one hanging here is a replica of the card I found in the water that morning. I tried everything I could to test the original one. No navigation, no poison, nothing, just an ordinary card. ”

"Hey, wait." Dick couldn't help it, pulled Bruce over and asked, "You mean the Joker went into the Batcave?" You mean, he might have been hanging out here all morning? ”

"No, Dick." Bruce shook his head, "He must have fallen off the airship and stuck the card on the batboat." He may have used a degradable adhesive that dissolves in water. ”

"But that's just your assumption, Bruce."

Barbara also said, "And, in case he did come in"

"He didn't." "I'm just explaining what he's talking about business cards and what he's playing tricks." ”

"But if he does come in, then he'll know you're Bruce Wayne." Barbara retorted, "If he knows who you are, it's not hard to deduce the identities of all of us through our connections." How can you not tell us about it? ”

"He hasn't been to the Bat Cave, Barbara. I'm pretty sure of it. ”

"Why, Bruce?" Jason also spoke, "We're all listening." ”

"Because that's impossible, Jason. Even if I didn't have a doorman system in the past, it wouldn't have been. Bruce explained firmly, "First of all, the batboat senses the excess weight. Secondly, if he really had any way to fool my sensors, he would also have to manage to get through a bunch of tunnels. That is, he had to be hooked on the batboat all the time and follow it underwater for five miles, almost fifty miles per second. None of us can do it. I can't, and neither can you. Again, if he comes in, he will definitely leave traces, evidence. Sensors and alarm systems will definitely be recorded as well. ”

After a pause, he concluded: "So I'm here to tell you clearly, no way. There was no way he could get in. ”

"I mean not to be offended, Bruce." Dick clasped his hands around his chest and said, "But the clown has been playing with the impossible." Until then, you've been insisting that nothing is hidden from us. ”

"Because it's just not, hell!" Bruce lost his patience, "The Joker didn't come in!" As I said, the closest he could get to the cave was the entrance to the waterway of Miagani Falls, which was miles away! ”

"But that's also in the cave system." Dick was-for-tat.

"Yes, there are a hundred hideouts from that entrance."

"If he does manage to get through the dive track."

"He didn't." Bruce insisted.

Bruce let out a long sigh and said, "Before, he always felt like a friend of Batman, and he felt that everything he did was for Batman's good. But now he's clearly tired of the game, and what's worse we can't tell from a madman how much of what he's saying is true. Whatever you think, but what I've been trying to do—and my only purpose—is to protect you. ”

"You train us to be heroes, Bruce." Dick said, "You taught us to fight evil, and"

"That's different." Bruce Road.

"But you can't protect us all." Damian tugged at his cloak and said, "Father, I'm going to fight with you too." How else do you want us? All hiding in a bat cave? ”

"Tsk, it's like it's safe here." Jason leaned against the stone wall and played with his pistol, reinserted it back into the holster, turned and walked away, and said, "Whatever you think, I don't want to huddle together and wait for that guy to give us a cloth holster, so I chose to be independent." ”

"Be careful, Bruce, you all."

With that, he had stepped onto the locomotive, started the engine and drove away.

"I'm sorry I really said that, but," Dick said, "this time, I'm probably on Jason's side." ”

With that, he also stepped on the locomotive and left the cave.

In just one minute, the whole family was gone, and only Bruce and Damian were left in the huge cavern.

"I can help, father." Damien Road.

"Nope." Bruce changed into his gear and said, "I'm going to keep looking for clues." And you, stay here honestly, and don't go anywhere. (To be continued.) )